How to Lose a Bet and End Up Winning (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7

Silas

I wasn't looking forward to this date. Kota and Victor had both been on theirs, and they were disasters. It appeared that Mr. B—Owen, I'm supposed to call him Owen—was out for revenge. Serves us right for listening to Doc.

I was taking my date to the adventure park. An afternoon of mini-golf, go karts, and batting cages awaited us. The competition would be good; any relationship that I had would need someone with a bit of fire in them. A girl who just rolled over and let me win, wasn't going to impress me.

I looked in the mirror to double check that I didn't miss a spot shaving. Hair combed? Check. Navy blue sport shorts and matching Red Sox t-shirt? Check. Brushed teeth? Check. This is as non-threatening Greek giant as I get.

I grabbed my keys off of the counter and made my way to the car. The drive to the adventure park was only about 20 minutes. I wasn't surprised to find the place packed; it was a Saturday afternoon, and the weather was gorgeous. You could feel the salt in the air from the ocean, and the temperature was perfect. It reminded me of home.

I made my way over to the archway made out of checkered flags. I was to meet my date there. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I couldn't imagine what Owen had in store for me, but I knew it was nothing good.

As I was waiting for my date, I saw Mr. B—Owen, damnit—arrive. A cursory look was given to me and a bit of surprise registered on his features before he schooled them. Something was definitely off here. Owen approached his date, and after watching them shake hands, I turned my attention back to the front entrance. My date was 10 minutes late already, and I was beginning to think I was being stood up. Oh well, it's not like I wanted to go on this date anyway. I could always just hit the batting cages.

Just as I'm about to leave, a girl wearing neon orange cropped leggings and a rainbow top approached, her hair a cornucopia of colors. Did I get Gabriel's date?

"MrBlueBalls?" she questioned.

MR. WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS, OWEN BLACKBOURNE.

I smiled at her, but by the way she flinched it must have been more a grimace. "I can assure you that the requisite equipment is not blue."

She looked over at my navy blue batting cage bag and smirked. Her voice was quiet as she spoke, and I wondered if I would have an issue understanding her over the noise. "The evidence would suggest otherwise."

Fucking hell, Owen. Just wait until I get my hands on you.

I extended my hand to her and tried to shrug off her comment regarding my manhood. "I'm Silas."

"I'm..." She said her name, and I was right to be worried about understanding her. She spoke at barely a whisper.

"Huh?"

She swallowed before trying again. "I'm Sang." Her voice had more power to it this time, but I knew this was going to be a long day of trying to understand Rainbow Bright.

I took the tickets I had purchased out of my pocket and gestured for us to head over to the go karts. The line wasn't terribly long at the moment, so it would be good to get the most popular attraction out of the way.

As we walked over, I noticed that she was moving gingerly. Her shoes looked new, and I wondered if they were causing her blisters. I'll have to keep on eye on that. She may not be my kind of girl, but I don't want her in pain.

"So, Sang, have you been here before?" I asked as we waited in line.

She swallowed again before speaking, and I wondered if she was getting over a cold. "No," she answered as she shook her head. "I've been too focused on school."