The Bet

Chapter 8

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Benjamin Franklin

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' ·. 🦋
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(˚ˎ 。7
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じしˍ,)ノ

Today has been one slow and painfully boring day. Other than Kelly and the remarks. My mind bounces back to how I almost kissed Noah, to rearranging Kelly's face, to Noah kissing me at my dorm dorm. My mind can't pick one scene to repeat; it's picking all three at different times. As I walk out of my last class, I ram my body into a bigger and taller body. I bounce of that said body and hit an actual wall. Before my body could bounce off the said wall and collide with the floor or that earlier said body; hands steady me from doing the collision part. I go to apologize and thank the person until I look up into those forest green eyes with golden flecks in them. Internally I'm groaning as to why I had to run my body into this person.

"Sorry and.... Erm.. Thanks." I stammer out.

I swiftly glide around Noah and begin to make my hasty escape from embarrassment. I can hear his footsteps coming up behind me. He's pretty much gaining on me in a hurry. He gets in step with me and neither of us begin to speak. As we get to the dorm building. Noah begins to break the silence.

"About the other night...."

"Don't worry about it. You just done it because you felt bad or felt pressured. No worries." I respond trying to mask the hurt in my voice.

Why am I even hurt for? It's Noah.

"It's not." He starts to speak again.

"I get it Noah. You don't have to explain. I'll see you around." I whisper as I take my exit to my dorm hall.

I leave a stumped Noah in the stairway as I run my short legs to my dorm door. I can see him staring back at me in the same spot I left him. I can't read his expression but his stare is looking into my soul. I break eye contact and escape into my solace. I close my door behind me and bolt to my room. I have no clue why that kiss has such an effect on me. It shouldn't even matter, right? I slump into my chair that's at my desk and begin to pull out my homework for the day.

What has gotten into me?

Homework?

Within an hour all my homework has been completed. Again, why did I even care about my homework? I never do it until I get to class the next day. It must be the "Angel" on my shoulder this time.

"Ari!"

"We're going to the Book Cafe to eat."

"Get dressed."

All three of my roommates slash best friends yell over each other.

"I'm not going!" I scream back behind my closed door.

"Don't make me break down your door." Emilia calls out.

I can hear shuffling from the other room. That means I have all of point five second to either open my door and come face to face with a determined Emilia or run and hide. Before I could contemplate on which one I was going to pick; my door bust open to a crazy eyed Emilia.

"You have never turned down the Book Cafe Ari." Emilia says with her wide eyes raising her brows up.

"Homework." I mutter out my lie.

"Bring it with you. Come on." Lilah cackles out as she hears my one word. The one word I don't ever do.

Reluctantly, I grab my laptop trying to make my lie look believable. I slip on my slides and walk past the girls whom have invaded the privacy of my room. I walk out our front door leaving the three of them tailing behind me. They were so eager to head to the Book Cafe and here they are lagging behind. I can hear their feet shuffling down the hallway behind me. By the time I have hit the stairwell, all three have finally caught up to me, sounding like they ran to catch up to me. Each one looking as if they have ran a marathon, either faces are blotchy, and Emilia is huffing out her exapcrerated breath. So my earlier comment stands... They did in fact run.

"Good Christ!" Leslie says in between her panting.

"We barge in and you practically sprint out." Lilah says with redden cheeks.

"We didn't mean it's a race to see who could make it there first." Emilia jokes as she still catching her breath.

I smile sheepishly at them and shrug my shoulders. We begin our trek a few blocks away to our favorite place. I walk through the door and take my usual seat. Setting my laptop up, I watch as the girls head to the register. A cup of Cinderella Latte and a tall glass of Sunset Refresher. I pinch my brows together trying to figure out why I have both my favorite drinks in front of me. Not that I don't appreciate it but, that's just an odd combination.

"I didn't know which one you would want so, I... Erm got both." Delilah says in between her laughs.

"Either one would have worked Lilah." I chuckle out.

"Well, I didn't know how much homework you had to do. If it was a lot you would need the Latte if not, you would need the refresher." Lilah says with a shrug of her shoulders. As soon as she mentions homework; guilt rises up in my chest. Of course she would do something too sweet while I lied about needing to do homework.

What a great friend I am.

I guess I can work on next week's agenda for class. I wouldn't truly be lying, right? I begin to type out a small essay on the book we had finished earlier today. Hours have passed as I submit the finally piece of next week's work into my last professor. As soon as I close my screen; I lock eyes on a scene that should have never bothered me to begin with. Noah's on again off again fuck buddy has her arm around his waist as she chuckles at something he said. I watch as he smiles and actual smile while shaking his head. Ainsleigh, who's 5'6, stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on his face.... Right at the corner of his mouth. I have no clue why this bothers me so much. I'm seeing red and the green machine called jealousy has clouded my brain. The girls have stopped talking and I'm positive they are trying to see what has caught my attention. It's confirmed when I hear Emilia cussing under her breath.

"That little fucker."

Still my eyes never stray from their figures. As if feeling my eyes drilling into his skin; his eyes find mine in the crowded Cafe. Shaking my head, I slam my laptop shut and pull it under my armpit. My chair scraps across the floor as I bolt from my current area. I try to escape from the reality of what the hell was I thinking?! Why the hell did I take that bet? It's been what, a week? Here I am with a small fracture to my already shattered heart that I had even attempted to put together. Again, I shouldn't have even been bothered by this and here I am; completely and utterly bothered by the one person I didn't think could get under my skin like this.

"Ari!"

Hearing his voice pushes me further towards my dorm. I don't stop, I don't think, I keep jogging to get the hell away.

What the hell was I thinking? Seriously!