I scoffed. “What is this? A fifties movie? Are you going to challenge me to a street fight next?”
My lame joke fell flat and everyone ignored it.
“You gonna do it, man?” Tom asked from across the table.
“What? No, of course not.”
Ryan smiled in triumph. “Because he knows it can’t be done.”
“Because there’s nothing in it for me,” I shot back. I knew Simone was going to kill me for this later, but I didn’t care. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder in Rose’s direction and turned back with a smirk. “Been there done that, remember?”
Ryan’s smile faded fast and his nostrils flared with anger. The fool still thought she was his. He was possessive and jealous and…such a freakin’ moron. He deserved to be taken down a notch. Or twenty.
“Fine,” Ryan said.
For a second the tension at the table eased and I drew in a deep breath of relief. Even with adrenaline coursing and my gut churning with anger, I knew that this was trouble. Whatever was happening here was a bad idea, and if he was ready to drop it, I would too.
“Fine,” Ryan said again, his eyes narrowing as he focused his attention on me again. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I blinked. Um…what?
Simone stiffened beside me like she was going to lunge between us. Every guy at the table was tense and quiet.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Ryan’s smile was slow and cocky. “A hundred bucks.”
I stared at him in shock. He couldn’t be serious.
But he was. A hundred bucks was nothing to a guy like Ryan. He lived on the rich side of town and had his own brand-new car. Unlike me he didn’t work a part-time job or have to save every penny just to grab some food at the vending machines.
“Two hundred,” he said when I didn’t answer.
My lips parted with shock. He was serious.
He was totally serious.
His brows drew down as he leaned across the table. “Five hundred if you get her to be your girlfriend through the dance next month.”
Five hundred dollars.
That was more than I made in a month at the tire store and enough to buy the new amp I needed for my band.
“Done.” The word was out of my mouth before I could really think it through. I heard Simone hiss something in my ear, but I ignored her.
I barely even noticed Ryan’s smug grin or the other guys laughing and talking about this dumb bet. I was too busy seeking out Rose once more.
She was laughing at something her friend said and my heart did this crazy hard thud against my ribcage.
I was going to do this. For the money, obviously, but also because…
I’d never backed down from a challenge. There was only one other time in my life where I’d been caught so off guard and had walked away the loser, and it wouldn’t happen again.
Rose tipped her head back with a laugh and my jaw clenched with determination.
Me and Rose?
We had some unfinished business.
The bell rang and I was the first one out of my seat and hurrying toward the door, my gaze never leaving Rose as Ryan’s buddies laughed behind me.
“Good luck, man!” one called out.
“You’re gonna need it,” another said.
Simone hurried to keep pace beside me as I jostled my way through the crowd. “Please tell me you’re not actually doing this,” she said.
I ignored her.
“You can’t honestly be this stupid,” she continued. A basketball player bumped into her, sending her flying into me. I caught her and steadied her.
“Hey, watch it,” I said to the guy.
“Sorry.” He said it to me, not Simone, which annoyed the crap out of me, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Okay, fine, maybe you could be that stupid,” she continued as if we hadn’t been interrupted. “But you’re not this mean.”
I stopped short and someone behind me bumped into me before moving around. “I’m not being mean, Simone. It’s just a stupid bet.”
“Someone’s going to get hurt.” Her jaw was set in that stubborn way of hers and she looked every inch the goody-two-shoes.
I gave a snort of amusement, but my eyes locked on bright purple hair that stuck out in the sea of brown and blonde hair up ahead. I made a beeline for her, Simone doggedly following at my side. “No one’s going to get hurt,” I said as we turned the corner to follow her.
“Oh please. Like you didn’t get hurt when she dumped your butt two years ago?”
“I was going to dump her,” I said for what had to have been the millionth time. “Of course I wasn’t hurt. I was just shocked, that’s all.”
“Fine. Then what about Rose?”
I stopped again, this time pulling over so Simone didn’t get trampled by the post-lunch crowd. “What about her?”
Simone’s brows arched meaningfully. “What if she gets hurt?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Simone was too sweet for words sometimes. And because of that, she just couldn’t understand someone like Rose. “Trust me, Simone. She won’t get hurt. She’d have to have actual feelings to get hurt.”
Simone opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off with a shake of my head as I kept going in the direction of Rose’s locker.
“I know her better than you do, Simone. The girl is as shallow as they come. She needs a steady stream of male admirers to keep her vanity happy and she doesn’t care who she hurts in the process.” I spotted her at her locker. “If anything, I’m doing her a favor. Maybe this will teach her a lesson.”
“Teach her a lesson?” Simone sputtered. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”
I ignored her protests right up until I reached Rose’s side. “Hey.”
I leaned against the locker beside hers and noticed the slight widening of her bright blue eyes when she saw me. “Hi,” she said slowly, her voice rising at the end and with a hint
