It Started with a Bet... (Watty Awards 2011)

I hear Spike cheer about my "vicious right hook"

24: I hear Spike cheer about my "vicious right hook"

"That dipwad!" I yell, chucking my phone at the sofa. Clarice pops another piece of popcorn into her mouth. After my little spat with Trevor I hightailed it to Clarice's for a sleepover. Her parents were surprisingly chill with it.

"You're the one who's like 'oh, let's let Trevor find out she's a bitch on his own.' I mean, that was dumb,” she tells me. I sit up to glare at her.

"Who's side are you on?" I growl.

"Did you even explain what really happened?"

"Yes! And he brings up this trash Christa and Janice told him and when I ask him if he really believes that he just says ‘whatever.’ Who says whatever to that?!”

"You know what this means, right?" Clarice says. I reach my arm out to grab a fistful of popcorn.

"What?" I demand. Clarice shakes my shoulder.

"It means that Janice and Christa teamed up to screw us over. Christa hates you and Janice is pissed at both of us, so they teamed up!"

"You mean that they locked the doors to distract me so they could get Trevor mad at me? How would they even know if it would work? What if you'd gotten out in five minutes?" Clarice shrugs.

"They got lucky."

"Then what about Corey not being at tryouts? And I saw him there afterwards, too. He said it went well!"

"Did you tell Trevor?" I pause, thinking.

"I don’t….know. I think I yelled it at him as I was leaving. I doubt he heard it.”

"You must really like him," Clarice says. "I've never seen you this animated about anything before."

"I don't!" I yell loudly, ignoring the blood rushing to my cheeks. "He's a full-blown idiot who doesn't know who his friends are and he's not worth the ground he walks on!"

"Yeah...you like him."

"Maybe just a little. But he's still infuriating!"

"Oh yes, because you've given him such a reason to trust you, betting on that date and all." I snatch the popcorn box away.

"That doesn't count. We both bet on it!"

"Well, don't worry about it. Tomorrow's that field trip. You don't have to see him all day."

"I better not."

Thursday is worse than I thought. First period is okay, but since neither Trevor nor Matt are there, the table is unusually silent. In second period, I find that someone coated the bottom of my usual seat with glue.

“Oh good grief,” I mutter as I feel the wetness squeak against my jeans.

“That was an odd noise,” a voice next to me says.

I turn around to catch sight of Miranda Blue staring at my seat in amusement. I sigh and the class clown looks up at me.

“I think it was an Elmer’s Glue noise,” I explain with a sigh. She scrunches her nose up.

“I have my gym shorts in my locker. Want to go get changed?”

I nod and Miranda goes up to talk to the teacher, gesturing at me every once in a while. Mr. Hudson stands up, his face serious.

“Go ahead, Haley,” he says, his voice deep and stern. Any giggles at my pasty white rear are suppressed by his gaze. Miranda follows me.

“Gotta love Mr. Hudson,” she chuckles as his voice booms out from behind the now-closed door.