Chapter 1 — The Bet
1555 Words
Nathaniel Anderson was exhausted by people.
Which was ironic considering most people loved him.
By the time noon arrived, he had already been stopped six times on campus.
Twice by student council members.
Once by a professor asking about an internship opportunity.
Three separate times by people who apparently just wanted an excuse to talk to him.
Normally, Nathaniel handled attention well. He had grown up around it his entire life. Wealth, status, and the Anderson name guaranteed people noticed him wherever he went.
Lately, though, everything felt repetitive.
Predictable.
Boring.
He sat near the windows inside the student center with one AirPod in while pretending to listen to Jordan complain about economics.
A terrible mistake.
Jordan: “I genuinely think my professor hates me.”
Nathaniel scrolled through his phone lazily.
Nathaniel: “Have you considered studying?”
Jordan looked offended immediately.
Jordan: “You are such an awful person.”
Nathaniel: “Yet you continue speaking to me voluntarily.”
Across the table, Dylan laughed into his coffee.
Dylan: “Unfortunately, he has a point.”
Jordan glared at both of them.
Nathaniel looked pleased with himself.
The usual.
Around them, the student center buzzed with conversations and music from the café speakers. Students moved between tables carrying backpacks and overpriced drinks while several first-years looked completely lost near the entrance.
Nathaniel barely noticed any of it.
Until Dylan suddenly looked up from his phone.
Then grinned.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
Nathaniel immediately became suspicious.
Nathaniel: “Why are you smiling like that?”
Dylan: “I just heard something interesting.”
Jordan groaned before Dylan even continued.
Which was concerning.
Very concerning.
Nathaniel: “That reaction makes me feel like I should leave.”
Jordan: “Probably.”
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes.
Nathaniel: “Explain.”
Dylan leaned back in his chair dramatically.
Dylan: “Apparently the Reyes brothers threatened another guy.”
Nathaniel blinked once.
Nathaniel: “Again?”
Jordan snorted.
Jordan: “At this point, half the campus is scared of Mateo.”
Nathaniel: “That seems healthy.”
Dylan looked delighted.
Absolutely delighted.
Dylan: “Apparently somebody posted rumors online about Asher.”
Nathaniel paused mid-scroll.
The name sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Nathaniel: “The track star?”
Jordan: “You know who he is?”
Nathaniel looked up.
Nathaniel: “Jordan, half the campus knows who he is.”
Which was true.
Even Nathaniel, someone who barely paid attention to sports, knew about Asher Reyes.
Westbridge University’s star athlete.
Fastest runner in the conference.
Quiet.
Apparently intimidating.
People talked about him constantly, mostly because nobody seemed capable of getting close to him.
Nathaniel found that mildly interesting.
Mostly because people usually loved attention at this school.
Asher Reyes apparently hated it.
Dylan: “Apparently Mateo found the guy who posted the rumors.”
Nathaniel winced slightly.
Nathaniel: “That sounds terrifying.”
Jordan: “The guy disappeared from campus for two weeks.”
Nathaniel laughed.
Actually laughed.
Nathaniel: “Okay, now I respect him.”
Jordan shook his head.
Jordan: “You respect anybody with emotional issues.”
Nathaniel: “That feels targeted.”
Before Jordan could answer, Nathaniel’s phone buzzed against the table.
A familiar group chat lit up immediately.
He checked the messages without thinking.
💚 Jordan
You are banned from flirting for the rest of the day.
💙 Nathaniel
Good afternoon to you too.
🧡 Dylan
No seriously.
🧡 Dylan
Leave people alone.
💙 Nathaniel
You both act like I’m evil.
💚 Jordan
You flirted with the teaching assistant this morning.
💙 Nathaniel
She flirted first.
🧡 Dylan
That’s not helping your argument.
💙 Nathaniel
I can’t help being charming.
💚 Jordan
You are genuinely exhausting.
🧡 Dylan
Bet you couldn’t charm Asher Reyes though.
💙 Nathaniel
Excuse me?
💚 Jordan
OH?
🧡 Dylan
You heard me.
🧡 Dylan
I bet Asher Reyes would not care about you at all.
💙 Nathaniel
Impossible.
💚 Jordan
There it is.
🧡 Dylan
Want to bet?
💙 Nathaniel
Absolutely.
Nathaniel smiled slightly at the screen.
Jordan noticed immediately.
Then groaned.
Jordan: “Oh no.”
Nathaniel locked his phone.
Nathaniel: “What?”
Jordan: “That smile never means anything good.”
Dylan looked entirely too entertained.
Dylan: “The bet is official now.”
Nathaniel leaned back comfortably.
Completely confident.
Nathaniel: “This is barely a challenge.”
Jordan: “That confidence is exactly why this is funny.”
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.
Nathaniel: “You both seriously think somebody exists who wouldn’t be interested in me?”
Jordan stared at him for several seconds.
Jordan: “Do you hear yourself when you talk?”
Nathaniel ignored that completely.
Mostly because the answer was yes.
⸻
Across campus, Asher Reyes was having a much worse day.
Track practice had ended twenty minutes ago, and he was already exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Mostly because three different people had attempted conversations with him before noon.
One guy had even asked for his number while he was stretching.
At six in the morning.
Psychotic behavior honestly.
Asher sat alone near the edge of the track while drinking water and checking his phone.
A message from Luca appeared almost immediately.
Of course.
Luca somehow sensed inconvenience like a supernatural ability.
🖤 Luca
How’s the first week going?
❤️ Asher
Terrible.
🖤 Luca
Already?
❤️ Asher
This school has too many people.
🖤 Luca
That tends to happen at universities.
❤️ Asher
One guy tried flirting with me before eight in the morning.
🖤 Luca
Did you threaten him?
❤️ Asher
Only emotionally.
🖤 Luca
Proud of you.
❤️ Asher
Thanks.
🖤 Luca
Made any friends yet?
❤️ Asher
No.
🖤 Luca
That sounds intentional.
❤️ Asher
It is intentional.
🖤 Luca
Mom said you need to socialize.
❤️ Asher
Mom also thinks Mateo is emotionally stable.
🖤 Luca
Fair point.
❤️ Asher
How’s work?
🖤 Luca
Boring.
🖤 Luca
Mateo threatened somebody again though.
❤️ Asher
That narrows things.
A small smile appeared on Asher’s face.
Only briefly.
But enough.
People constantly misunderstood the Reyes family.
They heard rumors about Mateo and assumed the worst.
What nobody understood was that Mateo would do absolutely anything for his family.
Luca too.
Their family was loud, overprotective, and mildly insane, but Asher had never doubted for a second that he was loved.
That was probably why he had such little patience for fake people.
And Westbridge University was full of fake people.
Rich boys with rehearsed smiles.
People obsessed with status.
Students who treated relationships like social currency.
Asher hated all of it.
Which was why he planned to stay focused on track, classes, and graduation.
Nothing else.
No distractions.
Unfortunately, the universe clearly hated him.
Because the second Asher stood and grabbed his gym bag, one of his teammates jogged toward him looking way too excited.
Never a good sign.
Teammate: “Dude.”
Asher immediately frowned.
Asher: “What?”
Teammate: “Nathaniel Anderson was asking about you.”
Silence.
Asher blinked once.
Asher: “Who?”
The teammate looked horrified.
Actually horrified.
Teammate: “You don’t know who Nathaniel Anderson is?”
Asher: “Should I?”
The teammate stared at him like he had committed a crime.
Interesting.
Very dramatic.
Teammate: “He’s literally—”
Asher: “If you say student council president, I’m leaving.”
The teammate looked offended.
Asher walked away before the conversation could continue.
Unfortunately—
the name stayed in his mind anyway.
Nathaniel Anderson.
Rich-boy name.
Definitely a rich-boy name.
Asher already disliked him a little.
Which honestly felt efficient.
⸻
Meanwhile, inside the student center, Nathaniel had completely stopped listening to Jordan.
Not intentionally.
His attention had simply shifted toward the entrance.
Because someone had just walked inside.
Dark hoodie.
Gym bag.
Headphones resting around his neck.
Tall.
Athletic.
Completely unaware that half the room noticed him immediately.
Nathaniel sat up slightly without realizing it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Asher Reyes looked nothing like Nathaniel expected.
There was no arrogance.
No desperate need for attention.
No performance.
He looked calm.
Self-contained.
Like he genuinely did not care what anybody thought about him.
And somehow—
that made Nathaniel want his attention immediately.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Asher walked past several staring students without acknowledging any of them before stopping near the vending machines.
Then he checked his phone again.
Nathaniel watched him smile faintly at something on the screen.
The expression transformed him instantly.
Softer.
Warmer.
Real.
Nathaniel couldn’t look away.
Across from him, Jordan followed his stare.
Then froze.
Jordan: “Oh no.”
Dylan looked toward the vending machines.
Then immediately started laughing.
Dylan: “Absolutely not.”
Nathaniel looked away from Asher long enough to frown.
Nathaniel: “What?”
Jordan pointed toward him dramatically.
Jordan: “You’re interested already.”
Nathaniel scoffed immediately.
Nathaniel: “I looked at him.”
Dylan: “You stared at him like he invented breathing.”
Nathaniel ignored that.
Mostly because it sounded ridiculous.
Probably.
Then Asher looked up.
Directly at him.
For one brief moment, their eyes met across the crowded student center.
Nathaniel expected the usual reaction.
Recognition.
Interest.
Curiosity.
Instead—
Asher looked away first because he genuinely did not care.
And somehow that was the exact moment Nathaniel realized he was completely screwed.
- Writer
