The Bet : A Rosewood High short story

Chapter Four

“You're not thinking of jumping, are you?”

I turned around, squinting in the dark. A shadowy figure sat at the opposite edge, his face covered under his black hoodie. His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't match it to a face. I took in his position, back against the wall, one leg on the roof while the other dangled over the edge.
“Are you?” I asked, pointing at his stance.

He chucked. “Fair enough.” Pushing off from the wall, he stood gracefully, walking towards me. As he came closer, the light of the city illuminated his face,  and I held back a gasp. Standing in front of me was none other than Kieran Vanderbuilt, captain of the hockey team, the richest kid in school, the king himself. He pushed his hood off, running a hand through his black curls. “I hope I didn't scare you.”

“You didn't.” That was a lie, but he didn't need to know that.

“So,” he stood next to me, his 6’2 frame towering over my 5’7 body. “What are you doing here?”

“Shouldn't I be asking you that?”

He chuckled again, the sound melodic and sweet. “Do you always answer a question with another question?”

“Only when I feel like it.” I smiled at him, taking in his hazel eyes and the soft golden hue the lights cast on his dark skin. He was stunning, to put it simply, hence why he was the most popular guy in Rosewood high. The fact that his parents owned half of New York and millions in assets abroad was simply the cherry on the cake.

“You've been busy lately,” Kieran mused, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I fake gasped, putting my hand on my heart. “I didn't know the Kieran Vanderbuilt paid attention to common folk like me.”

His smile faltered for a split second before he shook his head. “Hard not to when you embarrass the likes of Theo DuPont in public.”

“He deserved it,” I deadpanned.

“Oh I don't doubt that for a second.” He nodded in agreement, his curls bouncing against his forehead. “What did he do, if you don't mind me asking?”

I looked back at the view, a lump growing in my throat. I had been dying to talk to someone about this, to get it off my chest, to let it all out. But I couldn't bring myself to share my humiliation with anyone, so was Kieran the person to tell? Could I trust him?

“Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I only wanted to make sure you were alright.”

I glanced at him again. The sincerity in his eyes threatened to undo all of my defences and break down my walls. The lump grew, and tears welled up in my eyes.

“He asked me out as a bet,” I whispered.

“What?”

At first I thought he didn't hear me, but as his face contorted in anger instead of confusion, the words tumbled out of my mouth.

“I heard him talking about it a few nights ago at the party. Dante gave him a thousand dollars for taking me out, and another thousand would be given to him when he breaks up with me. Makayla asked him to make sure the breakup was public so that I'd know my place.”

Tears ran down my face, my voice shaking and my hands balled up in fists.
Warm hands cupped my face, and I looked up at Keiran through wet lashes. He wiped my tears away gently, almost like he was afraid I was going to break.

“I'm so sorry, Ivy. You didn't deserve that.”

I stared at him, confused as to why this god of a man was consoling me in the middle of the night.

“I didn't know you knew my name.” Was all I could whisper.

“I know a lot more than you think.” He smiled tentatively, his eyes boring into mine .

“Did you mean for that to sound so creepy?” I laughed at his shocked look, and he let go of my face.

“No!” Kieren shook his head before laughing along with me. “I just meant that I knew who you were since freshman year. We had a few classes together.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” I teased him.

He rolled his eyes at me, still smiling.
A cold breeze blew by and I shivered, stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets. I sat down on the edge of the roof, both feet firmly planted onto the concrete, and signalleded for Kieran to join me. He nodded, sitting down to my left. His body heat radiated off of him like a furnace and I couldn't help but move closer to him. If he noticed , he didn't say anything, and we sat there in silence for a couple of minutes.

“Why did you go out with him?” Kieran's question brought me out of my thoughts, and I sighed.

“I don't know.” I shrugged. “It was the beginning of our last year here, and I had promised myself I'd make the most of it. I had spent all of my time avoiding people and keeping to myself of fear of being mocked and bullied. Everyone says these are the best years of our lives, so I decided I'd make this one count, you know?” He nodded, and I continued: “When he asked me out the first time, I turned him down. I didn't trust him or his friends, and I wasn't comfortable with that crowd. Over time, he tried even harder. He would walk me to all of my classes and wait for me at the end of practice. He would invite me to parties and leave little gifts at my dorm for me. I thought he was sweet. Looking back now, I should have trusted my gut.”

“He doesn't deserve you.” Was all that Kieran said, and I tried not to read too much into that one sentence.

“Your turn to share.” I nudged him. “Why do you hate him so much?”

“We always had this rivalry between us. Both into hockey, both run in the same circles. We were bound to butt heads. But…” He looked down, fidgeting with his rings.

“But what?” I asked. I didn't mean to push, but I was curious.

“It started last year. Summer before we went back to school, he was at every event, every party, every get-together I was at. At first I didn't think much of it. His parents and mine were friendly so we were bound to bump into each other, but somehow, every time he was there, something would go wrong. Then we went back to school, and Makayla broke up with me. A few days later and they're attached at the hips, making out in corridors and attending every party together.” He sighed, looking straight ahead. I stayed silent , not wanting to push him any further. Kieran and Makayla's breakup came as a shock to the school. They were practically inseparable before that, and they looked like the perfect couple. “A few months later, I was working out at the gym. I was the only one there, as it was late at night, until he showed up. I left my station for a second to answer a text, next thing I know the equipment crashes down on me and I break my leg. I had tuned that machine perfectly, so it didn't just fall on its own. I brought this up to the Dean, but he dismissed me because there was no evidence. My station was on a blindspot from the cameras, and no one caught any foul play. But I was off the team for six months, and Theo was the new captain, so I didn't need evidence to know he did that to me.”

My eyes were wide and my breath was locked in my throat. Kieran's accident was all the entire school could talk about last year. He was our captain, the most talented player on the team. And while we didn't lose the championship, everyone could tell that morale and performance dropped significantly with his absence.

“I'm so sorry, Kieran,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “That's awful. I can't believe he would do that to you.”

He took a deep breath, turning his head to look at me. “You know what else I find to be a terrible coincidence?”

“What?”

“The fact that I was talking to one of my friends in the changing room a few months ago about how I wanted to ask you out, and then a few days later Theo announced that you two were dating.”