𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃, meteor garden

𝟎𝟏𝟖

WITH JING AND LEI BEING gone, Jiao wasn't expecting anything big to happen. She'd expected that all the unnecessary drama before would die down and she wouldn't need to worry about Si or his immature pranks anymore. But, when was luck ever in her favor?

After getting dressed and collecting the items she needed for the day, Jiao walked out of her bedroom and trailed down the long staircase with a soft smile playing on her lips. Jiao felt like she was finally getting her life together. She was no longer stressing all the time over unnecessary things, she was doing exceptionally well in school, she didn't need to worry about her sister's and their wellbeing all the time since they had a guardian they could now rely on.

"Hey, Jiao," Kiaria called trailing Jiao out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Have you checked the schools' bulletin boards recently?"

Jiao shook her head, "No?" she answered but it sounded more like a question.

What was there to even check?

"I think you want to see this," Kiaria muttered, handing Jiao her phone which already had the webpage for the school's bulletin board open.

Jiao stared at the board as she began reading some sort of post that contained an announcement made by Si the day before.

"To everyone. Tomorrow at 10:00 am, F4 will be challenging Chen Qianghe, Dong Shancai and Kwon Jiao-" Jiao choked on the coffee she was drinking and widened her eyes at the next sentence, "To a game of poker!" she exclaimed

How could she be challenged to a game of poker? More importantly, how was she going to play poker when she had no idea how to. What was Si thinking? Jiao didn't know what to do or how she would go to school.

"What the hell? Poker?"

"I know I'm surprised myself," Kiaria stated.

"Kie, what do I do? I don't know a rat's ass about playing poker." Jiao asked as she bit on her fingernails, which was a habit she often did when she was scared or nervous.

"I don't think I should go to school today, I think I'll just call it a day and stay in my bed possibly for the rest of my life." Jiao knew she sounded pathetic but that was the only thing she could come up with. How was she going to learn to play poker in fifteen minutes? It was impossible, she was surely going to lose and be asked to do something ridiculous.

Kiaria stared at her cousin with disappointment, she knew that she was scared, but she couldn't just be a coward and hide. She needed to prove to Si that she was not someone to be messed with and that she certainly wasn't scared of him.

"No," Kiaria said and Jiao turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"But Kie, he-"

"Come on Jiao you're better than that, sure you might not win but it's better than showing Si the satisfaction of you being afraid. Be the Jiao I know you as, and go show that dork what my Jiao is made of."

Jiao nodded, she knew she couldn't just hide from him because it would then prove that she was a coward. Sure she was scared, like really scared, but she couldn't just give up. She had to put on a fight and even if she did lose, then she'd have to pack up the courage to do whatever it was that he asked her to.

When Jiao walked into school, she felt all eyes on her. She wasn't surprised since Si had announced the challenge to everyone since it was on a public bulletin board. Jiao just ignored the stares and whispers and headed towards the bridge room. When she arrived she saw a huge crowd surrounding Shancai and Qianghe.