Location: Park
Time: 10:30
It was Vasco's birthday today, something that [Name] couldn't have forgotten about seeing as how the man asked for the dogs to be there literally a million times.
It was along the river, something that seem idiotic in [Name]'s brain but then again it was Vasco planning the party.
It was winter, snow hadn't fallen yet but it was beyond windy. It was a miracle Vasco was sitting in a tank top.
" Vasco... Do you want to... I don't know... Move the party to my apartment? It's a bit..." When looking over at the other three architecture boys they could all agree with where [Name]'s sentence was leading," Cold..."
" Are you sure...?" The male questioned, not wanting to be a bother but he didn't really realize why she was asking it seemed.
" Vasco, my sweet cinnamon roll. I will do anything in my power for you... Besides, I already cleaned and decorated the house because of the weather." [Name] started as she stood up with all the dog leashes in hand," Plus, then we can let the dogs run free."
" Oooh! Yes!"
That's how [Name] managed to have everyone in a temperature-regulated place for the party. There was a place where all the presents were placed, an assortment of food, drinks, and snacks out for anyone to take in the kitchen, and there were decorations such as streamers, confetti, and signs that said Happy Birthday around the apartment.
The guests of the birthday party were Jace, Woong, Zack, Little Daniel, and Taejoon. There was an extra guest of little Crystal but that was due to her running into Daniel on his way to the apartment.
" I'm thrilled you came!" Vasco smiled happily, incredibly excited everyone was there.
" Happy Birthday Vasco!"
Then Vasco turned to Daniel," Is Big Daniel sick still?"
" Oh yeah... I don't think he's gonna make it." Daniel stated as Vasco seemed sullen from the fact.
" Wait... You still think he was only sick? The dude was out of his mind drunk." [Name] started, making Vasco pissed instantly.
" What?!"
" Well don't get pissed at him. It was on accident, poor thing picks up cups without looking or smelling."
" Well, I'm so happy today!" Vasco tried looking over it as [Name] smiled at the male. When he was near her when no one else was around she kissed him on the cheek and smiled sweetly," Happy Birthday, and congratulations."
" Th-thank you [Name]!"
They started the celebration by singing Happy Birthday to Vasco, they were all around a... Monkey cake? Whatever it was they sang the song around it as Vasco blew out the candles.
" Thank you! I'm so happy."
Then everyone started giving out gifts.
" Here! Vasco! I know that you're seeing them here but [Name] let me get Enu's pups professionally photographed as a gift." Daniel handed Vasco a folder of photos, each of them having different outfits and themes behind them that Jay picked out." Since I know you like dogs..."
" Thanks, Daniel! I love them!" Vasco was genuinely touched, a blush covering his face from the adorable photos.
[Name] leaned over to Jace and whispered in his ear," Hey, am I right to think that Vasco has... Some knowledge of responsibility."
" You got him a dog didn't you?"
" Uh! No!.... But hypothetically if I did... Would he actually take care of it?"
" I mean, I'd hope but I'll make sure he actually does."
" Thank you, you're the best."
" And now for my gift," Jace spoke up, reaching forwards to give Vasco a box," This is a special edition Heroman figurine."
" Huh... That's where he learned his fighting style from..." [Name] spoke softly, looking at the box holding an action figure in the fighting position Vasco always uses.
This gift genuinely made Vasco cry, he couldn't even contain himself as he could only yell 'ooh!' over and over from the gift.
Then it was Zack's shitty gift that the woman almost started hitting him over," It's a good luck rock. It offers good luck to it's owner."
" You are so lucky the man has a 1/4 of a brain cell." [Name] whispered to Zack while slapping him on the back of the neck.
" How can I accept something so precious?" Vasco's tears grew more before it moved onto Taejoon's gift.
A Pacebook account that gathered 100,000 followers. The man's tears instantly dried at this gift as he tried to fake a smile to at least make Taejoon feel good about the gift.
" Anyways, best gift for last!" [Name] smiled, getting up to open the closed door to her bedroom. Once it was opened a golden retriever puppy with a blue bow came running out and circled the group," I know how much you love them so why not get you one of your own?"
" OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!"
Vasco was having a full-blown mental breakdown over the puppy. He was sobbing profusely while holding it to his chest gently.
The party went great, Vasco was over the moon about his gifts and they were thankfully inside and away from the elements. Vasco thanked everyone for their gifts, at least the ones that mattered the most. As it died down the only people left were Jace, [Name], and Vasco.
Jace wanted to make sure Vasco and the puppy were okay when they got home so before that he decided to go to the bathroom.
Vasco and [Name] were in her room getting the puppy supplies she bought specifically for the gift as the man blushed at them being alone.
" I can't thank you enough, [Name]." Vasco smiled softly at the puppy who lay tired on her bed.
" Of course Vasco, nothing is too expensive to make you happy." [Name] smiled before turning to the male.
" Um... I just..." He seemed flustered but she knew why before he fully even gave out his thoughts. [Name] pressed her lips to his and smiled as she asked if that's what he was about to talk about," U-uh... Yeah.. You know me well..."
" Of course, I've known you for this long. I can pick up on a lot." The girl hummed before Jace entered the room.
" We all good?"
" Yep, everything just needs to be put in the car and you guys can head on home." [Name] hums before stretching," I on the other hand am beat and have to clean my apartment.. And then let the dogs out... So I hope you two don't mind that I'm gonna start before you leave."
" We don't mind at all." Vasco waved off as he picked up some of the supplies and the puppy," Thank you again. This was a very happy day."
" Of course, Vasco, now remember. If you need any help— at all! Just call me, okay? I'll come running over." [Name] smiles before starting to clean the apartment up.
☆ミ
" You know, I would have never pegged you as one to work at a Cafe." [Name] stated to Jace as he side eyed her," What? With your brains... And the fact that Vasco exists, I wouldn't think you'd have a job."
" Vasco may keep me on my toes but I don't have to watch him 24/7." The male spoke as he put creamer into a coffee cup.
" I feel like that's the recommended amount of time to watch him." [Name] lightly joked but they both realized she wasn't joking.
" Did you win?"
" I'm about to."
" Hey what are you doing?"
" Snail Game."
" Ah, how can odds come up four in a row?"
" Lol!"
Two people came up to the counter, talking about the gambling game that they participated in as they got their Americanos.
" Hey, I need just 50 bucks. This is the jackpot!"
" Get lost!"
" Is there a reason as to why gambling became a huge thing recently?" [Name] questioned to Jace, knowing the male had his own form of Intel," I mean, I get the idea of it but why are broke High Schoolers participating now?"
" No idea..." Jace responds blandly before handing three coffee cups to [Name]," If you figure that out, let me know."
" Sure, if you really want me to." The girl shrugged before thanking him as she went to sit down with her two friends," Got the coffees."
" Thanks [Name]." Jiho smiled before talking to the two about what they've been overhearing," Have you guys played? I'm started to get interested..."
" I have no interest in that." Duke put blandly.
" I'm literally rich Jiho, gambling isn't exactly what I'd be doing with all that money." [Name] stated as she sipped on her iced coffee," I need to come here more often... Ice cubes made of coffee! So revolutionary..."
" Oh? It's Jiho." A voice spoke, making the male flinch in fear for a second," What a coincidence!"
" Hey hehe."
The man tousled Jiho's hair, making the woman glare at them," Leave him alone, what do you even want from him?"
" It's just..." The man started slowly catching the girl in his gaze as he moved his hand away," I blew all the money Jiho loaned me before. I just wanna borrow 50 more. I'll pay back as soon as I win."
" Or, get a job and stop gambling." [Name] glared," Plus, if you put in 50, chances are you're getting 100 back. You'd be in the same boat."
" No, no. It's fine." Jiho persistented, handing the man his 50," Here."
" Oh! Thanks!"
" All hail Jiho!"
" See ya tomorrow, Jiho."
" I'll pay you when I win."
" Uh huh, bye."
" I don't understand why you enterain them." [Name] sighed," Let them ask their mommies and daddies for the money."
" Y-yeah but when they win they pay up." Jiho tried looking cool for the sake of Duke but [Name] could only raise an eyebrow.
" Jiho, they're literally using you." [Name] stated.
" They're robbing you." Duke nodded along as Jiho could only laugh at the accusation.
" I'm good at betting too, Duke. Shall I teach you?" The man tried seeming cool.
" Jiho, you literally said you've never bet before." [Name] sighed before looking at her phone for the time," Oh shit, we gotta go."
The group got up to leave, walking towards the glass doors but when they were fully out a voice called out to the male.
" ..hey Jiho. Long time no see." It was one of the baristas and if [Name] remembered correctly he was about to be a Senior.
" Huh? John! Woah— long time no see!"
" Yeah man, is your dad still doing well? You still in the same place?"
" Yep! Of course! How have you been?"
" Same old, same old. So your dad is well. Give me your number!"
[Name] wasn't one to judge others for their looks, unless the person had a piss poor attitude, but the man seemed way too good looking to be just friends with Jiho. Though their familiarity obviously meant that they knew each other from somewhere.
" Oh! And Jiho... Could you loan me some money?"
[Name] couldn't help but scoff a laugh at the words she was hearing. She couldn't deny that Jiho was a push over but two people that she's seen asking the male for money was too much for her," You literally have a job, just wait until you get your paycheck."
" I don't even have any right now..." Jiho sighed a bit defeated.
" Don't be like that!" The man spoke to the woman before scratching the back of his neck," Oh, so things are tough for you. Sorry, You're broke too..."
" Hey! No! Who said that?! I can use my card! I'll be right back with cash!"
" Oh really? You're the man Jiho!"
" Jesus fucking Christ..." [Name] groaned out, finding the ordeal pathetic," We're visiting Danny."
" Huh? Why?" Duke questioned confused.
" So we can try and find someone to reason with Jiho."
☆彡
"... Betting? What's that?" Little Daniel asked confused.
" It's illegal gambling, help us bring some common sense to Jiho." [Name] begged as Duke nodded along.
" Do something to stop him. He just keeps going around gettin' robbed."
" No way! It's a loan! He's paying up today!"
" Oh! I know about that!" Zoe called excited from behind the counter with Daniel," If you guess the game score you win, right?"
" No lovely, that's legal sports betting. They're in different categories." [Name] sighed," It's like slots and such but it isn't government regulated."
" Oh! That was on the news because Celebs are into it too, right?"
" Yeah, it's super trendy among teens too."
" He's a good guy!" Jiho defended his decision," He's always been nice, handsome, and popular with girls!"
The door chimes, telling everyone that someone had entered the building and it was John. He seemed really confused but once he saw Jiho he seemed to relax instantly," Oh? It's you. This is the right place."
" Oh you're actually paying up." [Name] clicked her teeth as the male instantly went back to Jiho.
" Why'd you ask me to come here of all places?"
" Oh! Just cuz I planned to meet some guys I know here." Jiho lied until [Name] cut in.
" We're hosting an intervention for Jiho because he keeps loaning out money and not getting it back."
" o-oh... Well, here's the money I loaned." The man smiled, hoping that it would get the beautiful woman off his back.
" A hundred?! But I only gave you 50 before!"
" I won a bit... Around 500."
" 500 bucks? From 50?!"
" Yeah, my friend is a site manager so I got inside info."
That perked [Name]'s interest, making her turn fully to the male with a raised eyebrow," How does that work? If you don't mind me asking?"
" I'm not supposed to tell... But I guess I will for you." John tried flirting but the woman only kept her curious gaze on him," Well, it's easy money.. you guys want to try? You don't have to if you don't want to."
The man was allowed to use Jiho's phone to show off the site. Though when they put in the url it showed a site that sells cell phones. It didn't take [Name] that long to realize they were fake icons. Especially when Jiho started tapping the screen sporadically.
" Click on the 'join' button at the top."
" Here?"
Instantly the page changed to a member log in for new members for the gambling site. It required an ID, Password, nickname, phone number, bank, account number, and an account holder in order to sign up.
Jiho wasted no time with logging in all the information and instantly a game loaded for Jiho to play. It was called Ladder game and the male had to 'choose the ladder' which really was evens or odds.
" Easy, right? It's not difficult. Shall we try a ladder?"
" Then I'll choose even." Jiho spoke to himself until John told him against it.
" Pick odd."
Then they let the game play, a blue path building to odd.
" It's odd! You were right!"
" Jiho, pick odd again."
The male seemed apprehensive at first but quickly did it to win once again," It's right!"
" Jiho, pick even this time. Just trust me."
They played for a while, racking up a fuck ton of money until John decided he was done for the day," It pays out right away! Jiho, how does it feel to win 1600 in 25 minutes?"
" I remember when this meeting was for a intervention..." [Name] sighed out, looking at her watch to realize how late it was," Fuck, we got class in the morning. I'm heading out."
Since gambling started becoming more prevalent the site developed statistics to tell people how many were joining to try and rope more into it. Every 10 minutes 1,000 users sign up, and that was obvious seeing the kids in their class scream about losing the bet that they all collectively made together.
The moment Jiho joined the site his ego became enflamed. So much so that he met with John every day to get the inside details of how to win each day and would audibly ridicule the students who lost.
Granted, if he wasn't involved she wouldn't have cared but he was literally cheating in order to win.
[Name] was dragged to a meeting Jiho was having with John at the cafe him and Jace worked at.
" Thanks bro! I won another $400, I really owe you." Jiho smiled brightly at the man.
" Nah. I'm just giving you info from my manager friend."
" Thanks for sharing that! Is your friend the boss there?"
" Please Jiho, the owner of the site doesn't want to throw away money by telling people how to win." [Name] stated before turning to Jace," Keep making the iced coffees like this, fucking killer man!"
" My friend is just the manager. Shall I contact him?"
" Uh okay!"
The man started to take the phone call, talking to someone on the other end in a friendly manner before taking the phone away from his ear," Jiho, him and the boss happen to be around here... You wanna meet them?"
" Sure! It would be good to meet them, I like connections!"
" You gotta keep the tip secret from the boss."
" Of course!!"
It wasn't long until two men entered the cafe, one of them was handsome in a suit and the other was a heavy set man that was in a jogger's outfit.
" Hello, nice to meet you." The handsome man spoke as he bowed politely," I've heard about you two a bit from John. My name is Jake Kim."
" Boss, these are my friends... They use our site a lot."
" Oh really?"
" Not me, I'm interested in the aspect of it though." [Name] waved off, just trying to learn Intel.
" So you're friends of Jake. I'm on my way to a meeting so... Take this and buy some snacks." The man handed them four checks all worth 100 bucks.
" Thank you sir!" Jake called out before the man started going off to the meeting," See you later sir!"
" Wow Jake, your boss is generous."
" He is really good to me."
Then the conversation shifted to the girl and Jiho. Jake had a wide smile on his face as he turned to the two and asked if they wanted to go eat somewhere.
" Nah bro, how about we get a drink?" Jiho spoke trying to look cool but once the words left his mouth she gave a shy smile to Jace knowing he'd probably tell Vasco.
" Shall we?"
" Okay, let's have a drink." John smiled before looking at [Name]," You cool with that too?"
" Um, I'm fine with anything. I just don't want anyone to get pissy with me." [Name] spoke, directly meaning Vasco with that statement as she watched Jace nod in her peripheral.
" Then, John, do you know a place were we can drink?"
" Yep, follow me."
The group tried making their way out of the cafe and thankfully Jace stopped the group to talk to John before they had.
"..Hey. What are you getting into lately?" The man questioned earning a surprised look from John.
" Huh? What do you mean? Just working at the cafe like you. And then going home when I'm off."
" Well I know those two, don't get them in trouble."
Then Jake did something shocking, he placed his hand on Jace's shoulder and gave him an eerie smile,"... Could you move please?"
Instantly a chill ran through Jace as he froze, his eyes going over to [Name] instantly who shrugged to show she had no idea what was going on.
" You are lucky." The man whispered to Jace before calling everyone after him," Let's go everyone."
They went out drinking until Jiho was off his blacked out drink. He was giggling, dancing, stumbling, and hiccuping as they walked through the district. He tried telling them all that he was fine and a strong drinker but the other two men and the woman who drank more than him were just a bit tipsy.
" I'm the strongest in our class. I'm a hot shot at school." He sang drunkenly, [Name] could only sigh as she tried not to laugh.
" Yeah, since I came to school you've been a 'hot shit'... Even then you don't even rank top three of strongest in our class." [Name] spoke like a mother as she wrapped her arm around his neck to stop him from walking away.
" G hole!" A voice yelled, instantly making [Name] inhale deeply while cracking her knuckles.
" Exactly my point... Who am I beating up?"
A group of three men stood in an alley, calling the drunken fool over. She remembered them as the people who asked for 50 bucks from Jiho at the Cafe before they ran into John.
" Are they calling him?"
" Who are they?"
" Asshole bullies from our class." [Name] stated before turning to look at the group," I'll go, he's off his ass. Watch him?"
" Uh, sure?"
[Name] walked up to the group, they seemed confused but seeing the beautiful woman instead they couldn't complain," What do you want from him? He's drunk off his ass."
" What? He drank?"
" Who are they? Friends?"
" Friends of Jiho's, they're really close."
" That dick is damn tall..."
" Don't call him a dick. Do I have to remind you of your manners?"
" Why are they hanging out with him?"
" Because they're not assholes like you fucks, what do you even want."
" We want 50 more bucks from him."
" You haven't even payed back the 100. You need fucking jobs."
" Huh? The fuck you said?"
The man swung his arm back but before he could actually connect his hand to her she kicked his legs out from underneath him so that he landed on his ass.
" Yah, you remember what happened to Zack. I won't hesitate to fuck you assholes up, especially if you keep using Jiho for his cash." [Name] was getting pissed with the men and instantly a voice was behind her.
" Is something wrong?" It was Jake, his hand came to rest in [Name]'s shoulder as he was impressed by her quick movements.
The man who wasn't on the ground started to sweat as he looked at the two," I heard you are Jiho's friend... Why would you hang out with him? He's a pussy."
" I'm gonna fuck him up." [Name] spoke slowly trying not to let her anger burst but it was too late for her either way since Jake went forward and slammed his head into the man talking shit about Jiho," Oh my god, that's such an amazing move."
" What the?"
" Who the fuck are you?"
" Me? I'm Jiho's friend." He smiled at one of the men before kicking him straight in the face to make him fly into the alley.
" I want the last one." [Name] smiled sadistically before grabbing the man's head who was laying on the ground from her attack and slamming it down into the concrete when he was trying to get up.
Maybe these men weren't so bad? Of course that was for the future to decide.
-
:))) How are you all.
I've been feeding you well.
I'm sorry it the chapters seem different or anything like that, frankly I had to reread everything before getting here but I thankfully also remembered the plans and ideas I had.
Also, I know I brought it up a while ago but how do you feel about the reveal of Charles being [Name]'s birth father?
And how are you feeling about [Name] kissing Zack and Vasco?
She's totally going to be snagging some more ;)