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

...and ended with love.

...and ended with love.

"Honey, are you ready? We have to go!"

Clarice finishes the final curl in my hair. We're having a party.

The karaoke place is packed. When word got out that this was Trina's goodbye party, everyone came. People who knew Trina, people who knew people who knew Trina. I heard that some people even flew in to come. I can't see Trevor, but that's okay. He said he'd be here.

Uncle Harris let me use the entire karaoke joint. There's a singing competition going on in one of the private rooms, and I'm teaching some people the proper way to dance to Basshunter's "All I Ever Wanted." Once they've got the hang of it, we're all going to karaoke it together.

"Hey! For a girl who gets scared shitless of parties, you sure know how to throw one!" Matt comes to see me, his hand around some random girl's waist. "There's no alcohol, though," he adds.

"Yes. Wouldn't that be pretty tactless, not to mention illegal?" Matt's mouth turns up in a frown as he ponders the word 'tactless.' Then he remembers how Trina died. His face turns red.

"Oh my God, Haley, I'm so-"

"Don't worry about it," I cut in with a smile. "Just consider yourself honorarily drunk." He smiles bashfully and hightails it out of there with the red-head girl at his hip. Didn't he walk up to me with a blonde? Such a strange boy.

"Haley?" I turn around to see two tall boys looking at me. They look so familiar. One boy around my age, one maybe 2 or 3 years older. Then the boy my age smirks, leans forward, and kisses my cheek.

"Hey, babe."

That's when I remember him.

"Nick?" My ex-boyfriend. My ex and the brother who drove the car.

"In the flesh," he says, his trademark smile over his face. It's funny, but after four years I can't remember exactly what I was thinking when I started crushing on him. Sure, his eyes are nice but they're not...Trevor's. I stiffen at the thought. Wow, I'm hopeless.

Hopelessly in love.

Yeah. Thanks for that.

"You look amazing!" Nick says, coming closer to give me a hug. Yeah, what he sees now is a complete 180 from when he left. I look over him and Andrew. Nick looks significantly happier but Andrew, geez, it's a change.

He looks at me instead of the floor for the first time in years, his clothes involve colors and look like he actually thought through what to wear. And, best of all, he's smiling. He's smiling like he's happy.

"How are you feeling?" I ask as I give him a hug. He looks down at me and smiles. I can feel his body shake as he takes a breath.

"A lot better. I've been going to therapy for the past four years and I think... I think I'm going to stop now." I look at him and he looks down at me.

"It wasn't your fault, Andrew." He nods, the smile slightly dimmer.

"It just took a while to believe it." I rub his back and pull away.

"You look a lot happier," I say with a smile. "Both of you." Andrew puts his hands in his pocket and smiles bashfully at the floor.

"I, uh, I have a girlfriend now."

"No!" I yell in shock. "For reals?" I can't stop the joy from showing on my face. He nods. "What about Nick?" Andrew laughs.

"Still hitting on everything with a pulse."

"I resent that," says Nick with a pout. "Every hot thing with a pulse." We laugh and I see Trevor walking towards us, an indiscernible look of worry and anger on his face. He can't be jealous, can he?

"Here's a hot thing coming, why don't you hit on him?" I joke.

Nick sticks his tongue out at me as Trevor arrives next to me.

"Hey," he says. His eyes say "Who are these people and why are they talking to you?"