Extravagant Challenge [Narry AU] ~On Hold~

Chapter 20

[Niall's POV]

Summer went by in a blur of rushed meetings and beach get-togethers with the Louis, Liam and Zayn. Harry and I only got to meet twice after that fateful date in the rain, and even then, all we did was stand and talk in the park. We did manage to talk on the phone and text each other more often, which is a plus. However, I tried to persuade him to call off the dare, but to no avail.

“Don't push too hard,” I told him. Lately, I've started to worry. I was wrecked with guilt when I started receiving texts from him at the crack of dawn. I couldn't help but wonder how Harry could toil so hard while I coasted through my days.

And that was how the summer ended.

Now I'm starting school with an uneasy heart, uncertainty of what this year would bring clouding my mind. Harry was still fully consumed in his studies, and I would see him occasionally at school, always with a book in hand. Once again, he offended some of the more superficial girls, but since his popularity was so deeply-rooted, his fierce study habits were soon talked about throughout the school.

Within a single week of the first term, everyone knew he was aiming for Ivy League schools. More and more, I knew there was no turning back on the bet, and my gloom only increased with each day.

***

“Wait, so, wait.. I don't get it? What?”

I sighed. “What didn't you get? I've just about repeated myself three times.”

“I still don't get it.” Louis wasn't even trying to understand. Neither was Zayn, who was busy working on his 'conquest for love'. Whatever that is.

“Okay, whatever. I was caught in the moment.”

“You are idiots, both you and Harry.”

I had no snarky comeback to Louis' insult. With each passing day, my feelings about the ridiculous promise heightened and, not knowing what else to do, I'd tried to talk it over with Louis and Zay. But their response was just as I'd predicted. Louis and Zayn sat at the café I'd invited them to, Louis with his arms-crossed and sipping his iced tea and Zayn texting furiously over his phone. I certainly can't understand why I'm being insulted when I was the one who bought him his tea, but because there really wasn't anyone else to turn to, I kept my mouth shut.

“Really. It's like, totally different from before. If he's acting like it's not something that can be measured by time, then like why is it that the first time you guys go at it is gonna be decided by Harry's grades?”

“You've got a point...”

“Since he was the one that made the condition, he must be pretty confident, yeah?” And that was pretty much the only thing that Louis was impressed by. Although he didn't forget to add, “He doesn't just look the part, he even talks like he's running the damn show. 'S kinda weird.”

Are you quite done?I thought to myself as I drank my café au lait.

“It's not as if he doesn't stand a chance or anything, but isn't top three aiming a little too high? I hope he realises that. Well, whatever. You guys are both kinda dumb when it comes to stuff like this.”

“Don't.”

“I'm actually serious okay. Like, it basically means that Harry has to study more now because he wants to do it with you. Do you realise the paradox that now your time together is even less???”

“Uh..” He was right. Because of that stupid bet, Harry would need more time to study and it had gotten nearly impossible for us to meet up. And since I'm trying not to get attention, I can't go looking for him at school. As a result, chance encounters were pretty much the only way we might see each other.