Her Bet

chapter 31

Danton

Our first meeting in the school library was awkward, to say the least. Rakash had laid out detailed plans, citing the exact amount of research we needed and proposing a timeline for completion. He spoke with enthusiasm, using terms like "stratigraphy" and "paleobotany," creating an air of seriousness around our endeavor , except for Laria who just  looks at him with no understanding.

Laria  leaned back in her chair, tossing a pencil between her fingers, clearly uninterested. Laria rolled her eyes, doodling in the margins of her notepad, ready to leave.

"Can we not make this any more boring?" She interrupted, . "Fossils are cool, but we could do something really creative with it. Maybe like a video or an interactive exhibit?"

Rakash frowned. "Creative doesn't mean throwing all our hard work out the window. We need research. We need facts. Have you even read the assignment sheet?"

"I'll read it later, Mr Perfect," she countered with a bored tone  . "Chill out, it's not the end of the world if we don't make a PowerPoint presentation that would make a professor proud."

Sensing the tension rising, I  finally decided to chime in. "Alright, how about we just split the project? You two can fight over the research, and I can handle the presentation. I’ll make it look good. Everyone loves a bit of humor, right?"

Rakash’s jaw dropped. "No way! You can’t just cut us out of the project like that! We have to work together!"

"Exactly, teamwork makes the dream work," Laria chimed in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Besides, we wouldn't want any of that dream-wrecking perfectionism of yours ruining our fun.”

The squabble only escalated from there. For weeks, the library was their battlefield. One day, Rakash discovered a particularly rare fossil photo for our display, only to find I had accidentally spilled soda all over it. I didn't even mean for it to happen, but Rakash nearly threw me out of the library.

Then there was the time Laria brought in a ridiculous dinosaur costume to make videos for our project. Rakash protested vehemently, insisting that it would ruin their serious research. Laria insisted that every scientific presentation needed flair, and I —caught between the two—thought it was all a hilarious spectacle. A part of me thinks I did it for her.

As days turned into weeks, we continued to work . Yet, amidst the chaos, something shifted. We began to respect each other’s strengths, even if begrudgingly. Rakash appreciated how easily I  could calm the tension during their arguments. Even Laria, despite her mischievous antics, had a knack for finding engaging ways to present their material, which eventually drew Rakash and me in.

As we began to discuss our  next idea, it dawned on me  that perhaps we were not just three students thrust together by circumstance, but instead a team, forged in a mix of  friction and mischief, with their own unique chemistry that could take us anywhere.

But I could still feel Rakash 's hatred towards me , but I hope it might  begin to fade by the time we are done with this project .

.......

I sigh sitting down on my study table ready to check our today's discovery . I want to rest for the rest of the weekend so I should probably start now . I opened my bag to take out my notes.

With my  mind racing from scattered facts about trilobites and ammonites, I  stumbled upon a realization: Laria's essential reference book on paleontology had somehow ended up in my bag. "Oh, damn it," I muttered under my  breath. I  knew she  needed it for her section of the project due by Monday.

Reluctantly, I decided I  should drop it off at her apartment .

I walked down downstairs to find my parents watching TV.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to drop a book off at.... Laria's.."

They both look at each other not happy about the news . I knew dad couldn't keep it to himself and he'll end up telling mom the reason we broke up.

"I'm just going to drop it and come back immediately, I swear . She needs to complete and this weekend I don't think I'll have time to drop it off."

"Fine . But it's five pm , make sure you're back before six."

I nodded leaving the house.

................

I rang the bell and her housemaid opened the door. She seems quite surprised to see me. She welcomes me and tells me to go to her room to find her.

When I  arrived at her door, my  heart raced for reasons I was reluctant to admit. I  raised my  hand, hesitating briefly before knocking . The sound echoed in the quiet corridor.

Laria answered the door,  her eyes wide with surprise and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

"Danton! Hey! Come in!" she said, stepping aside, her voice both warm and informal. The room was filled with a chaotic mix of textbooks, loose papers, and remnants of late-night snacks.

“I, uh, brought your book,” I stammered, holding it out like a peace offering. As she reached for it, our fingers brushed, sending an unmistakable jolt through me . I couldn't help but notice the way her smile flickered, the light catching in her eyes, a spark I  thought was long extinguished.

"Thank you! I thought I wouldn’t find it in time." Laria’s voice danced around the words, almost a tease. She stepped back, inviting me further into the room, and I couldn’t refuse.

“Working on your part?” I asked, scanning the chaotic sanctuary she called a study. The fossils in the background caught my eye, but my focus quickly reverted to her—an instinctual shift that brought both warmth and unease.

"Hey, did you get around to reviewing that article on the Carboniferous period?" she asked innocently, and I couldn’t help but feel the pull of the past—a pull so strong that it felt almost tangible.

“I... I haven’t yet.” I knew I had to keep it together. We were just a couple of students working on our project. Nothing more. “ we could cover it together, right?"

She looked  at me with an expression I can't read.

"No, no what I meant was-was t-that I-I wouldn't mi-*

"Relax .  "

She interrupts me and we both keep quite .

She walks to her bed and she starts packing her stuff from the bed. I just stand there and watch her .

"You're not going to help?"

"Aren't you completing your part.?"

"I can do that tomorrow."

She says while clearing her bed. I start to feel my body sweating up . After she's done she turns to me with a small smile.

"I think you've stayed enough . You can leave."

I look at her not moving an inch .

"You're not leaving?"

"What would happen if I don't?"

"It's upto you . Anything."

She slowly walks to me and looks at me with her deceiving blue eyes .

"Do you want to leave ? Your time is running out."

Is it?