Don't Bet on It

Chapter 4

"So, how was your weekend?" Deena asked me at lunch on Monday. We only had one class together, which was sixth period, so our earliest catch-up time was lunch. It sucked, but it wasn't as bad as never getting to see each other.

"I met my dad's fiancée," I said, taking a bite from a carrot stick.

Deena's eyes widened. "Whoa. Really? What did they bribe you with?"

"Blueberry cake donuts."

"Oh." She sat back. "That explains it."

"Hello, ladies," Daniel greeted us, setting his tray down. I had first period with him, but this was the first time he was seeing Deena.

"Hi, Danny," Deena said playfully.

Eric followed Daniel to our table. "Hi, Jessa," he said, smiling at me.

Now why was he using his "get girls" smile?

Deena gave him a weird look. "Um, hello?"

He looked at her. "Oh, sorry. Hi Deena."

She smiled. "That's better."

"Crush much?" Daniel teased her.

She punched him in the arm.

"So, Jessa," Eric began, still smiling, "I saw you at the restaurant last weekend. Nice outfit, by the way."

I laughed. "I know right. Model-worthy."

"What?" Daniel asked, looking at us. "You guys were at a restaurant together?"

"Not exactly," Eric replied, winking at me. "I walked in to Leonardo's with my parents for lunch and saw her sitting with her family, wearing sweatpants and a hoodie."

Daniel looked at me. "You wore sweatpants and a hoodie to Leonardo's?"

"In my defense, I didn't know I was going there," I mumbled, blushing.

"Yeah, but why would you wear that to any restaurant?" He persisted.

"I didn't know I was going to a restaurant," I said.

"Where did you know you were going?"

"To my dad's," I replied bluntly.

"Oh." He looked embarrassed. "So you met her?"

I nodded.

"Met who?" Eric asked.

"Her dad's fiancée," Daniel told him.

"That was your dad's fiancée!" Eric exclaimed. "I thought she was his lawyer!"

"She is," I said quietly.

Daniel gave me a sympathetic look. "How did it go?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It ended with Dad wanting to talk to Mom about custody, though."

"Oh." Deena wrinkled her nose. "That's not good."

"Can't Emma choose not to live with him?" Daniel asked.

I nodded glumly. "But I'm stuck with him for the next year."

"Oh! Speaking of which...." Eric pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I need your numbers so I can send you the invitation to my birthday party next week."

"You have my number." Deena said. "I text you all the time."

"Right...." Eric looked at me. "Jessa?"

I wasn't entirely sure how talking about custody reminded him about that, but I gave him my number anyway.

The bell rang just then, so we all got up and gathered our stuff. "Hope to see you there," Eric said, smiling at me. And not his regular smile. It was kinda... seductive, for lack of a better word.

Okay, seriously? What's going on?

Daniel's and my locker were in the same hall, so we walked out of the cafeteria together. "Sorry about your dad," he said. Daniel and I were related on my mom's side, and he'd never cared much for my dad.

I shrugged. "You can't have a perfect life."

Daniel stopped at his locker, which was a few lockers away from mine. 'True. But I'm still sorry."

I headed to my locker. Before I got there I noticed a pink sticky note stuck to the top. I pulled it off and read it.

Thinking of you <3
Eric

"Okay, what is this?" I looked at Daniel.

"What's what?" he asked, not looking at me.

I waved the sticky note around.

He glimpsed at it. "What is it?"

I walked over to him and showed him the note.

Daniel laughed. "He's trying too hard."

"Trying too hard for what?"

He stopped laughing. "Um..."

"Daniel Peter Richardson!"

Daniel turned red. "Uh, we kind of made this bet...."

I narrowed my eyes. "Go on."

"And he said he thinks he can get you to go out with him within two months, and I said I didn't think so...."

"Daniel!" I folded up the sticky note and threw it at him. "Who said you and your friends could make bets on my personal life?"

He blushed and looked down.

"I'm putting an end to this," I said, walking away.