The Bet (Book 1 in The Deception Series)

Chapter 37: communications midterm

Taylor

~~~~~~~

I walk out of the stupid-ass gov class. I've never wanted to die this much before because of a class.

I look around and frown as I watch everyone give me strange looks and whisper.

What the fuck?

Did I have toilet paper on my shoe or something? I look down. Nope, no toilet paper.

I walked out of the building and through the quad where I still kept getting looks. Okay, now I am very scared. I walked past a group of guys who were staring at me

"Hey, Taylor. Which one did you choose?" One of them says.

I frown before I keep walking.

I walk as fast as possible to get to my car. I quickly get in and drive home as possible. Once I pull up to the apartments, I sprint up to my apartment. I lock myself inside and turn around and see Jake and Lily staring at me while they cuddle up on the couch watching tv.

I frown.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" I snap.

Jake nods his head at the tv and I frown as I walk over to the living room and focus my attention on the screen.

I watch as Brennen and Garrett fight on the ice, I listen to their whole argument and wince when I hear my name.

Oh my fucking god.

"Everyone saw that?" I ask as the video ends.

Jake nods.

I feel embarrassment and guilt creep through my body. I run into my room and lock the door behind me before tears begin to stream down my face.

"Tay-Tay?" I hear Lily say from the other side of the door.

"Go away!" I snap as I fall onto my bed, crying,

I roll up into a ball and cry out of embarrassment. I wanted to denigrate into the ground.

I cried for a while, not sure how long but long enough that the sun went down and it was night time. My stomach was rumbling but I didn't care. I felt too sick to even eat.

I hear my phone go off and see Garrett's name pop up, I turn off my phone and chuck it onto the floor.

I hear a knock on the door but I don't say anything and turn my back to the door and stare out the window.

"Taylor?" I hear Connie's voice.

I frown as I look back at the door which was still locked.

"I think you should read this." He says before I watch as a piece of paper slides in from under the door.

I wait a second till I hear him walk away before I get up and grab the piece of paper. I walk back to my bed and sit down on the edge before I begin to read it.

Communications midterm

Garrett Gray

November 29th, 2023

Write about something that changed your life. This is my second time writing this, originally I wrote about how hockey has changed my life but that was before I met a girl. Personally, I am not a romantic kind of guy, hell, I haven't even had a girlfriend before, unless you count my 3rd grade girlfriend Jessica. But this isn't about Jessica, this is about a girl that came into my life and flipped it upside down.

Before her, I was a terrible person, some would say I was like my father, who enjoyed hurting people. I used to tell myself I wasn't like him but I didn't believe it one bit. But that's when I ran into a girl, literally, I ran right into her and spilt soda all over her. She was very unhappy but never did I think I'd be sitting here writing my college midterm about how she just appeared and changed everything.

This girl showed me the true beauty of life, she showed me how pretty life is if you just treat people right. She made me want to be a better person, a person who knows how to love. And that's what she did, she loved me, she truly loved me. But I don't think she realized that I love her with my whole heart. Her laugh, her smile, her scent, her taste, has completely, fully consumed me. She has taken over my whole life. I'll admit, she is my first and last love. Because I can't love anyone the way I love her. It's impossible.

My whole life has revolved around hockey, since the second I picked up that stick when I was 6, I knew that I was in love with it. But the second my eyes laid on her, I knew I was done for. I didn't understand the feeling at first, it made no sense. But that's the thing about being in love. It never makes sense. But that's what makes it so exciting, when you love someone you have to be ready for what they might do next, you have to hold onto their hand as the two of you jump off the cliff into oblivion. Because that's what I did, I took her hand and I jumped without looking back. And I don't regret it one bit, because jumping has been the best choice I've ever made.

To sum it all up, don't be afraid to jump. Because I jumped in feet first and fell so hard that I can't even see straight if I don't have her in my life. She became my oxygen, my lifeline, the reason I exist. And if I lose her, I don't think I'll ever be able to get back up onto my two feet. So, to any guy out there who thinks they're alive, you aren't. Because you aren't truly living till you fall in love with her.

My hands shake as I sob and stare down at the piece of my paper in my head. I place a hand over my mouth as more sobs leave my mouth.

I get up and run out my bedroom door and see Lily frowning at me. I grab my car keys before I run outside, I get into my car and speed down the roads. I finally pulled up to his house, still holding the piece of paper in my hand. I get out and run up to the door and start ringing the doorbell like a madwoman.

It finally opens and I see Jake frowning at my puffy red eyes.

"Where is he?" I ask as tears form in my eyes again.

He points upstairs and I push past him and run up the stairs. I burst through the door and saw him sitting on the couch watching tv, holding an ice pack against his bruised eye. He looks at me and frowns when he sees me crying.

He quickly gets up and walks over to me.

"Why are you crying?" He asks.

I sob.

"You wrote your fucking midterm about me?" I cry as I hold the paper up.

He stares at me and then at the paper in my hand.

"Well, yeah. You had to write about something that changed your life, so I wrote-" I cut him off by slamming my lips against his.

I wrap my arms around my neck as he slips his tongue into my mouth. I throw the paper onto the couch as he pulls away. I watch as he closes the bedroom door and locks it. I smile as he walks over to me again and smiles.

"I love you, Garrett." I say.

"And I love you for the rest of my goddamn life, Tay-Tay." He say before he kisses me again.

I smile against his lips as he picks me up and carries me to the bed. Our clothes disappear as we kiss each other, passionately.

He grabs a condom and puts it on before he makes love to me. He makes love to me in a way no one else could.