The Bet

Chapter 12 - Escape Clause

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Chapter 12

Chris pulled Amy over after class and smiled at her. “You ready to go home?” he asked, and with a tiny nod of her head, he threw her over his shoulder and carried her out to the parking lot.

“Chris!” she shrieked. Someone was going to see them like that and they were going to get the wrong idea. Already, someone who’d known Chris well had been fooled into thinking that his lame attempt to get her to kiss him was something more. “Put me down!”

He dropped her onto her feet and she shook her head woozily. “What was that for?” she laughed, feeling frazzled and tired all of a sudden. How was she supposed to deal with a big, strong football player when she was so small and he could pick her up as if she were a feather?

“Couldn’t you tell?” he asked innocently, batting his eye lashes and bending down half way to bow to her, “I was trying to sweep you off your feet and be prince charming.”

“I’m not kissing you,” she said with a shrug as Amy climbed into the car. She was certainly more comfortable with Chris than she had been before. It was weird how things worked. One second, you’d lose everything and the next, you were sitting in your car next to a gorgeous guy who acted as your prince to get your attention. If it hadn’t been for the bet, she might actually be falling for Chris. Luckily, she was smart, logical and always kept her head in the game.

Chris slid in next to her and she smiled, as if it were natural before she caught herself, “Aren’t you going home today?” she asked rudely, shrinking into her seat in embarrassment at the tone of her voice.

He buckled himself in as if he couldn’t care in the least, “No. I’m not usually home after school anyways. Plus, I don’t have a car, remember?” Chris winked at her and stared ahead again as Amy bit her lip.

“I can give you a lift home tonight then,” she said with a cocky smile, staring in front of her too as she pulled out, trying to avoid all of the students who hung around with their friends.

Even though she’d always had Liv and Greg, she’d never stayed late after school to talk to them. Normally, she would have to go to work or study in the library. Wow, she realised reluctantly, she was such a dork.

Chris turned the dial to start the radio and began drumming his fingers to the beat, his hair blowing in the wind from the open window and his smile as carefree as always.

“Hey, Chris,” Amy started, looking between him and the road, “Um, I have to get to work so you’re going to have to go home,” she said with an apologetic smile.

He pouted back. “Can’t I come to work with you?” he begged in a mock sort of way. Amy giggled. He sounded like such a child. But it was cute, and she blushed.

“Only if you want to stand behind a counter and get food for people,” she said, pulling into his street. Of course she would know where he lived after his ass of a friend had tried to take advantage of her. But it was over now, Amy reminded herself as her breathing sped up a little bit with the memory.

Chris shook his head, “You know I can’t cook,” he agreed curtly, turning back to the window as his house came into view.

His eyebrows furrowed and his chest tightened as they passed Mike’s house and saw another car in the driveway. It could have easily been his mom or dad’s car but something that flitted across Chris’s eyes told her otherwise.

He frowned and hauled himself out of her car, “I have to go,” he said, his fist’s tightening at his sides, all signs of fun and breeziness gone.

Amy felt her body start to shake as she watched Chris walk up to Michael’s door and push it open. There was a girl’s scream and then another, a boy’s this time. She recognized it immediately.

So she’d been right guessing that he did this to other girls. And Chris was their protector.

Suddenly Amy felt a pang that made her gasp.

She praised Chris for being there for all the girls who’d even been charmed and brought home by Michael. Who knew how many hadn’t had Chris there when he’d tried to take advantage of them? And yet no one knew about all of this. Whoever his prey was, was probably too embarrassed to confess to anyone else that she’d fallen into his stupid little trap.

But while she was so pleased with Chris’s care for the naive girls, she was also disappointed because now she wouldn’t be the only one to share the experience of him coming to save her with Chris. She wouldn’t be able to pretend like she was the only one he’d saved.

Amy tried to calm her heart rate and her breathing before she pulled back out of the driveway.

Why couldn’t they have put an escape clause in the bet? Because she knew that she needed it.