The Bet

Chapter 14

Riley's POV

I stand awkwardly beside James as he talked with his friends. He refuses to look at me and has stopped asking me if I'm okay. I know he isn't mad, just upset, but I refuse to take pity on him. The 'poor boy got turned down by the girl of his dreams' attitude is just an act that he probaly played a thousand times.

After a half hour of standing, I want to check my makeup.

"James, where's the washroom?" I ask. He just points to a door across the room. I make my way across, when I feel someone grab me around the waist and hauls me back.

"I'm still waiting on my kiss, cutie." A drunken voice says. I turn my head around and see that Lucas guy.

"Let me go." I snap, struggling in his grasp.

"Not until I get my kiss." He says fiercely.

"No! Let go!" I whine on the verge of tears.

James's POV

I look across the room to look at Riley. But instead I see her and Lucas together. I feel jealous and mad to see them together. I look away, but then look back again, and realize that Riley was struggling in his grasp to get away.

"Let go!" Riley cries. That's when I realize that he was hurting her.

"Dude, let go of her!" I yell at Lucas.

"Why? She's not your girl! Why do you care!" He snaps at me.

"Let go of me!" Riley yells as she starts to cry.

"Alright man, just let her go, okay?" I say calmly.

"You want her? Fine!" He practically throws Riley at me, who clings onto me. I look up, and see Lucas charging towards me. He aims to punch me, but I duck. I throw a punch at him, and hit. I throw him to the ground and punch him continuously until he was begging me to stop. I get off the floor, and notice that a large crowd had gathered around us.

"James? Can you bring me home now?" Riley asks with pleading eyes. I look down at Lucas's bloody face, and back at Riley.

"Yeah, c'mon." I wrap a protective arm around her and lead her outside and to my truck.

~~~~~

Riley's POV

"Did Lucas hurt you badly?" James asks me while we drive back to my house.

"Um..." I look at the bruise on my arm. James looks at it too.

"Nothing major, you'll be fine." He assures me.

"You don't like Lucas, do you?" I ask him.

"No, in case you haven't noticed." He chuckles. I smile a little, as my house comes into view.

"Thanks for helping me out there with him." I say shyly, as James parks the truck in my driveway.

"No problem. God only knows what he would have done to you." He chuckles. "That guy is not right in the head sober, let alone when he's drunk!"

We both laugh together until I stop and look up at him.

"What?" He asks, stilling laughing a little. I bite my lip, and then crash my lips into his.

At first, he's a bit taken back. But then starts to kiss back. I smile within the kiss.

What am I doing? I just kissed him! He never kissed me, I kissed him!

I can't describe how I feel towards him. I've known him for three days, barely, and we've kissed four times already.

I hate him, I keep telling myself. He drives me nuts, and the near sight of him makes me roll my eyes at his stuck up and cocky attitude.

But at the same time, I love it.