Beneath the bet

Chapter 2 - Charlotte

The next day started out like every other—me trying to survive school without making waves. But, of course, Noah Perez had other plans. It was lunch period, and I was sitting at my usual spot in the corner of the cafeteria, picking at a sandwich I didn't even want to eat. Daniel was running late, probably caught up with a teacher or something, so I was on my own when I saw Noah and his friends across the room, eyes locked on me.

I felt my stomach tighten, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, Noah made his way over, dragging a couple of his sidekicks with him. "Hey, Charlotte," he called out, loud enough for the nearby tables to hear. "Still solving world problems with your calculator, huh?" His voice dripped with sarcasm as his friends snickered.

I tried to keep my eyes down, not engaging. I'd learned that if I didn't react, he'd usually get bored and leave. But today, Noah seemed determined.

"Maybe one day you'll get a real friend," he added, voice mocking. "You know, someone who's not a walking textbook."

My cheeks burned. Why did he always have to target me? What had I ever done to him?

And then, out of nowhere, Zach appeared. He casually walked up to our table, completely ignoring Noah and his crew, and slid into the seat across from me like he did it every day. I blinked, completely taken aback. Zach didn't even acknowledge Noah's presence. Instead, he gave me this easy smile, like we were old friends.

"Hey, Charlotte," Zach said, grabbing one of my fries without asking. "You good?"

Noah stopped mid-sentence, his smirk fading slightly as Zach leaned back in the chair, looking completely unbothered by the tension. "What are you doing, Zach?" Noah asked, voice tight.

Zach popped the fry into his mouth and shrugged. "Sitting. Eating. Talking to Charlotte. Why?"

Noah's face twisted in confusion. It was like he couldn't wrap his head around why one of his own would willingly sit with me. His friends glanced at each other, clearly unsure of what to do.

"You two know each other?" Noah asked, a hint of suspicion creeping into his voice.

Zach didn't miss a beat. "Yeah. We talked yesterday. Charlotte's cool." His tone was so casual, like it was the most normal thing in the world. I, on the other hand, was completely thrown. Was he actually... defending me?

Noah stared at Zach for a long moment, like he was trying to figure out if this was some kind of joke. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, his friends following close behind, though not without throwing a few last dirty looks my way.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding, my heart still racing. "What... just happened?" I asked, looking at Zach like he was some kind of alien.

He smirked, leaning forward. "What? You're surprised someone would rather sit with you than those guys?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of." I couldn't hide my confusion. Why was Zach, someone from Noah's circle, being nice to me? I half expected him to pull out his phone and start recording this as some kind of elaborate prank.

But instead, Zach just laughed. "They're not that interesting. Plus, you seem like you have better stories."

We spent the rest of lunch actually talking. Zach made me laugh more than I had in weeks, cracking jokes and telling me about the crazy differences between life in the States and here. It felt... normal. Like I wasn't the outcast for once. And it was nice, even if it was completely unexpected.

As the day went on, I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation. Sure, Daniel teased me a little when he found out Zach had sat with me, but even he seemed surprised when I told him Zach wasn't just messing with me. It was strange, but maybe... maybe Zach wasn't like the rest of Noah's crew after all.

That night, around 9 o'clock, just as I was settling into bed, my phone buzzed. A text.

I opened it and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the name on the screen: Zach.

Zach: Hey, Charlotte. Are you still up?

I blinked at my phone, unsure how to respond. What was this? We had a nice conversation, sure, but why was he texting me now? After a moment of hesitation, I replied.

Me: Yeah, what's up?

His reply came almost instantly.

Zach: Just wanted to say it was fun hanging out today. You're not like the others.

I stared at the screen, my thoughts racing. What did he mean by that? Did he mean Noah and his crew? Or... something else?

Me: Thanks. You're... not what I expected either.

There was a brief pause before he texted again.

Zach: Good surprise or bad?

I smiled to myself, feeling a little less uncertain about him.

Me: Good, I think. Definitely better than Noah.

His next message made me laugh out loud.

Zach: Low bar, but I'll take it.

I couldn't believe this was happening. Was Zach actually trying to be friends? It was the last thing I'd expected, but for some reason, it didn't feel wrong. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe things at school didn't have to be so miserable after all. I jumped off my bed and ran to Daniel's room.