Rain

Chapter 1: The Bet

"Anna! Come on we'll be late for History Through Art if you don't get your sorry ass out of here."

The girl flinched and groaned, rolling away from the sharp voice and right off the bed, landing with a hard, painful thump on her thick, carpeted dorm room floor. Anna squinted her eyes open and sat up, glancing at Meghan who stood dressed with an impatient scowl by the doorway, backpack slung loosely over her shoulders as she twisted her blonde locks around one finger impatiently.

"Okay okay, lemme get some clothes on, calm down."

Anna said, rolling her eyes as her friend shoved her forcefully into the bathroom, where, after stripping her down, she shoved the brunette into the shower, twisting the water on forcefully. Anna cringed as the slick, refreshing but cool liquid swept down over her shoulders, and scrubbed herself raw before stumbling out into the towel Meghan thrust around her.

"I got your bag packed, now here, get your clothes on, you can eat breakfast on the way."

Anna's head spun with late morning confusion as her companion spoke, and wriggled into her tight dark jeans and baggy white t-shirt, pulling a two-sizes-too-large royal blue hoodie over her head and darting out of the small bathroom, quickly swinging through the doorway to the kitchen.

"Agh, why didn't you get me up sooner Meg? You know I hate being rushed, not to mention I like some freedom in picking my clothes out!"

She groaned, pulling her mess of dark brown curls out of her line of sight before tumbling out of the door, where Anna slung her leather satchel like backpack over her shoulders and held out her hand for the toasted bagel and apple that Meghan had prepared, the benefits of a faithful roommate, as they dashed down the hall.

"It's not my fault you spend every night drooling over Blake Wilson!"

The blonde girl snapped, her perfect wavy hair flowing over her thin, feminine shoulders as she hurried alongside Anna to their History class.  Anna's cheeks sprouted red flowers of blush and she swatted her roommate's arm before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to tame the wild mass.

"Hey that's not fair, everybody has a crush once in a while, and Blake is, well, perfect..!"

Anna complained as they tumbled down the stairs and into the Arts and Humanities hallway, the 10 o'clock sunlight shining brightly through the stairwell's window and onto the two hurried girls.

"And besides, I wasn't just dreaming of him, I had to prepare; I'm going to ask him out today."

"Ask who out today?"

Anna nearly tripped just a few feet from the threshold of her History classroom, choking at the deep voice that rumbled behind her. Meghan cursed and they both spun, eyes wild and nervous, and Anna quickly gave her friend a frantic, pleading gaze, upon which the girl rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her full chest. 

Though they were the best of friends, and had been for quite a while, their figures were significantly different, while Meghan had curves and a body you could kill for, Anna aired more on the side of skinny, flat chested and unnoticeable. One of the reasons this young man's constant interest perplexed and annoyed her so very much.

"Back the hell off Liam, it's none of your business. "

Meghan snarled, leaning towards him with her full 6'3 height, blonde locks of hair falling back at smug looking man's face. Liam only chuckled, making Anna blush even deeper, and bow her head, ducking behind Meghan and hoping the taller girl would save her from embarrassment.

"Oh I think it is, love, now Anna, planning on trying to go out with Blakey are we?"

He said, smiling teasingly as he easily brushed Meghan aside, lean but well muscled arms curving to allow Liam around the startled girl and over to a furiously mortified Anna, who stared at her black Chuck Taylors, wishing to all the powers and gods she knew of that the floor would swallow her whole.

"Tell you what sweetpea, if that douchebag says yes, or better yet asks you out by tomorrow at noon, I'll never bother you again."

Anna gasped in surprise, and her head lifted to stare into his pale green eyes, in shock at the man's proposal, wondering what on Earth was going on in his mind. Never bother her again? That didn't seem possible considering that he stopped her in the halls and chatted with her in nearly every class they had together on a daily basis. 

Most of the time he even went out of the way to sign up for new classes or take new routes, all just to see her for a single second. Why on Earth he did this she couldn't say, but she was sure it was simply to make her life a living hell, which is why him making such a proposal in the first place didn't make any sense. She opened her mouth to ask, but was quickly cut short as he held up a finger to stop her, eyes shining with unreadable emotions.

"Hold up love, I'm not finished. If he doesn't do either of those things,  then I get to dress you up all nice and take you out on a date. With me."

"Why you sneaky little bastar-"

"Deal."

Meghan spun on Anna who had forcefully interrupted her, and saw her friend glaring up with scalding eyes at  an amused Liam, who only shook his head and spun on his heel, starting down the way they had come as the girls gave each other wary and conflicted looks.

"Wonderful Anna, I'm quite pleased you agreed to my proposal. See you tomorrow night, love, I look forward to our date."

He called over his shoulder as the blonde and her dark haired friend scrambled into the History classroom and to the back where their seats were. The professor looked down his wire-rimmed glasses at them, nose lifted with disgust as he checked their names on a clipboard.  As class began, the elderly man at the front's voice droning on over the room of already bored students, Meghan jabbed Anna in the shoulder with the butt of an eraser, making the small girl spin around with a scowl to her friend behind her.

"What the hell Anna?!"

The blonde whispered fiercely, eyes wide and in complete shock, thinking back to the crazy deal her friend had just agreed to. Anna just shrugged and turned back to face the head of the classroom, ripping the corner off a piece of paper in her journal, then scribbling an answer on it before holding it casually over the shoulder to pass to Meghan. She made as if to act normal, but her hands shook slightly, and her throat constricted beneath her chest, letting out a small breath to calm herself down slightly.

Come on there's no way he'll win, Blake is going out with me, he has too, I'll make it happen don't worry.

Meghan just groaned under her breath and crumpled the scrap of paper up, stuffing it into her bra before focusing her attention back onto the prof. Anna frowned slightly after she heard her friend's groan and had a smidgen of doubt push into her mind, tilting her head forward to study her hands nervously.

What if he does reject me? Will I really have to go out with that, that.. guy?

She sighed and leaned forward, resting one hand onto her fist and chewing her lip, nerves and doubts swirling through her troubled head, making Anna wonder what blaze of confidence ever brought her to respond to Liam's crazy bet.

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Author's Note ≈

Hello readers~ I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, comment to give me feedback and let me know what you think, but until then, read, read read!

The Dreamer