Well if it came up, and it probably would not, no way was there going to be a repeat of the last bet. No. Way.
All this was going through my head as I left class. I collected my things at my locker. This afternoon I was planning to hole up and get some homework done- my social life was so active these days I was slightly nervous about my grade in AP Physics, a new experience for me. I was walking towards my car when Callum appeared next to me. He must have sprinted over.
“Hi,” I said, glancing sideways at him, my heart speeding up.
“Hey. You left class so fast I didn’t get a chance to talk to you.” He was walking next to me and we were at my car now.
I turned toward him. “About what?” I was impressed at how chill I knew I sounded.
“We haven’t set up a wager for the Calc quiz.” His hands were in his jean pockets and he had tilted his head to the side, a quirky smile on his face. His upper teeth were scraping over his lip ring. He looked both cocky and a little unsure of himself at the same moment. Adorable! Yeh right. Adorable manwhore .
I straightened myself. “I don’t think we need to bet this time, do we? You’ll be fine.”
He frowned. “If you’re too nervous about it, no worries.” Was that condescension I was detecting?
“I’m not nervous, I just don’t think a bet is necessary.” My tone was clipped.
“It’s ok, I get it, you can’t handle it, can’t handle me.” He was goading me, and of course I was rising to it like a fish to bait.
“I sure as hell can handle it, and you, so sure, let’s do it. What’s it going to be?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Well, what do you want to bet?”
I made a pretense of thinking about it, as if for the first time. “Hmm. Since I lost last time and my car still needs an oil change, I guess I’ll roll that over.”
I looked up at him standing in front of me. “What do you want this time?” I’d aimed for my voice to sound frosty but it came out low and husky.
Seeing me cave, Callum’s cockiness was now in full force. “Since we went to first base last time I was thinking, how about going for second this time?”
Annoyingly, I could feel myself go beet red. So much for keeping my cool! I paused for a moment, my eyes on the pavement, thinking this through. I could feel him looking at me but I couldn’t make eye contact. I knew I should say no but of course I would say yes and was just scrambling to think of the terms.
“OK,” I finally said quietly, my eyes meeting his. His eyes gleamed. “But you have one minute only, and you have to get a full A, not an A-.”
He grinned. “OK, deal. Let’s shake on it.”
We did, and I got into my car, my legs wobbly. What the hell was I doing? I needed to talk to Tina.
Tina, predictably, thought it was wonderful. “So cute!”
“Really?” I said. “I’m involved in a weird sex game with this guy who I’m not even dating. Isn’t there something wrong about that?”
“Look, you and Bryce are not officially exclusive yet, and a lot of sex isn’t about romance, it’s just about physical chemistry, but we’re too hung up on all the cultural expectations of true love. So what if he sleeps around a lot? This guy is scrumptious. Just go for it! (With protection, of course: who knows what diseases he has.) And besides, you know Callum better than some of the guys who have groped you in the past. Remember that time we went to the ASU frat party and”-
I cut her off. “OK yes you’re right.” Tina always made me feel better.
Tina brought up some news that even pushed Callum out of my mind. “Guess what, I’m thinking of coming to visit you for the weekend in a couple weeks. What do you think?”
I whooped with joy.
On Friday in class I was so focused on the quiz that I didn’t notice when Callum left, and he was gone by the time I was done.
Friday night we had another away game and another party, and Bryce took me out on Saturday
All this was going through my head as I left class. I collected my things at my locker. This afternoon I was planning to hole up and get some homework done- my social life was so active these days I was slightly nervous about my grade in AP Physics, a new experience for me. I was walking towards my car when Callum appeared next to me. He must have sprinted over.
“Hi,” I said, glancing sideways at him, my heart speeding up.
“Hey. You left class so fast I didn’t get a chance to talk to you.” He was walking next to me and we were at my car now.
I turned toward him. “About what?” I was impressed at how chill I knew I sounded.
“We haven’t set up a wager for the Calc quiz.” His hands were in his jean pockets and he had tilted his head to the side, a quirky smile on his face. His upper teeth were scraping over his lip ring. He looked both cocky and a little unsure of himself at the same moment. Adorable! Yeh right. Adorable manwhore .
I straightened myself. “I don’t think we need to bet this time, do we? You’ll be fine.”
He frowned. “If you’re too nervous about it, no worries.” Was that condescension I was detecting?
“I’m not nervous, I just don’t think a bet is necessary.” My tone was clipped.
“It’s ok, I get it, you can’t handle it, can’t handle me.” He was goading me, and of course I was rising to it like a fish to bait.
“I sure as hell can handle it, and you, so sure, let’s do it. What’s it going to be?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Well, what do you want to bet?”
I made a pretense of thinking about it, as if for the first time. “Hmm. Since I lost last time and my car still needs an oil change, I guess I’ll roll that over.”
I looked up at him standing in front of me. “What do you want this time?” I’d aimed for my voice to sound frosty but it came out low and husky.
Seeing me cave, Callum’s cockiness was now in full force. “Since we went to first base last time I was thinking, how about going for second this time?”
Annoyingly, I could feel myself go beet red. So much for keeping my cool! I paused for a moment, my eyes on the pavement, thinking this through. I could feel him looking at me but I couldn’t make eye contact. I knew I should say no but of course I would say yes and was just scrambling to think of the terms.
“OK,” I finally said quietly, my eyes meeting his. His eyes gleamed. “But you have one minute only, and you have to get a full A, not an A-.”
He grinned. “OK, deal. Let’s shake on it.”
We did, and I got into my car, my legs wobbly. What the hell was I doing? I needed to talk to Tina.
Tina, predictably, thought it was wonderful. “So cute!”
“Really?” I said. “I’m involved in a weird sex game with this guy who I’m not even dating. Isn’t there something wrong about that?”
“Look, you and Bryce are not officially exclusive yet, and a lot of sex isn’t about romance, it’s just about physical chemistry, but we’re too hung up on all the cultural expectations of true love. So what if he sleeps around a lot? This guy is scrumptious. Just go for it! (With protection, of course: who knows what diseases he has.) And besides, you know Callum better than some of the guys who have groped you in the past. Remember that time we went to the ASU frat party and”-
I cut her off. “OK yes you’re right.” Tina always made me feel better.
Tina brought up some news that even pushed Callum out of my mind. “Guess what, I’m thinking of coming to visit you for the weekend in a couple weeks. What do you think?”
I whooped with joy.
On Friday in class I was so focused on the quiz that I didn’t notice when Callum left, and he was gone by the time I was done.
Friday night we had another away game and another party, and Bryce took me out on Saturday
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