The Bet [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10: Let him do as he pleases...

If Joe hadn't mentioned it to me I probably wouldn't have even noticed that next week Monday would be my final chance to seduce Robin. Not that I was going to have a problem with that; I was so smitten by her I doubted I would give her a single day off. I was dying to go out with her again as soon as possible.

As it was Wednesday once more, we had gym today. But because Robin wasn't allowed to exert herself to any physical activities just yet, I ditched it. I went over to the library as if it had turned into an instant meeting point with Robin.

It felt so unusual to be in love. My heart raced whenever I thought of her. Her happiness meant everything to me, so I would do anything to keep her happy. But on the other hand I simply couldn't imagine her being in someone else's arms. The fear of rejection before my confession haunted me. What if she didn't like me at all? Was that possible?

The confidence I grew up with shattered like a mere mirror. Oh, but I wasn't going to confess to her now, was I? In that case there wouldn't have to be a problem, right? I frowned at my lack of confidence all of a sudden.

The library was absolutely empty. Even the librarian had vanished. Well, it was empty except for Heart sitting in her lonesome little corner. She looked up when I opened the door. She snuggled even more into her jacket and smiled at me. I walked over to her and plopped down onto the chair beside her.

"Shouldn't you be doing gym?" she mocked.

I stretched myself onto the table and looked up at her. "Perhaps..."

She zipped her jacket closed. "M-hmm..."

"Are you that cold?" It wasn't even that cold in here.

She continued reading her book. "Kinda."

I didn't want to pry into her business any further, so I dropped the subject. "So how was your day? You know, after the waterpark."

"It was alright I guess." Didn't sound that convincing though... She gazed back at me. "You seemed a bit out of it yesterday. Are you sure nothing happened?"

I sighed. "I just saw someone I really didn't want to see, that's all."

"Oh, okay." She seemed uncomfortable and didn't know what to say.

"It's okay, really," I tried to reassure her with a smile, "It's not like I'll be seeing her again."

She nodded and smiled as well.

My eyes slowly fell on her fingers. "Have you been practicing at home?"

Her smile dropped. "Not much, no. Dad doesn't like the sound of it."

I thought it over for a while. "Then you should just come over to my house and you can play as much as you want there."

"Dad wouldn't like that," she said quickly, suddenly panic-stricken.

I sat up straight, alarmed at her reaction. There really was something more going on with that guy. I just knew it. "Robin, in what sense is he worse than my mother exactly?"

I promised myself I wouldn't ask her anything about it but I couldn't avoid it any longer.

Robin dropped her book at the question. I had a feeling she wasn't going to answer me due to the silence that stretched on. But I was wrong. She tapped her fingers nervously onto the table but eventually spoke, her voice in a mere whisper, as if the library's walls had ears.

"Uhmm... Well, you remember I told you he gets drunk often, right?" I nodded. "Well..." She glanced at her fingers, which slowly crawled their way into her jacket. "Whenever he comes home drunk, he hits me."