章 4: The Bet

Jason's POV:

I can't believe that stupid waitress embarrassed me in front of the whole school. The entire diner had gone silent, watching as she stumbled and made a fool out of me. My victory celebration, ruined in an instant. Nothing like this has ever happened in my entire existence.

I'm Jason King, the king of this place. People don't laugh at me—they worship me. But today, they laughed. At me. Because of her. That girl, with her clumsy hands and that pathetic excuse for an apology, made me look like a complete idiot.

Who the hell does she think she is? A nobody, just a waitress, not even worth remembering. But now? She's burned into my mind for all the wrong reasons. No one disrespects me and gets away with it. No one.

She thought she was clever, running to the ladies' room to hide. Clever, but not clever enough. We waited for her to come out, but the pathetic thing never did. I was growing bored, and hosting the basketball victory party at my place was still on the agenda. Max and Dylan were already telling me to forget about it, but I couldn't. Not after what she did.

As we headed out, something caught my eye—the alley behind the diner. A back door, maybe? Smiling to myself, I told the guys to go ahead without me. I had a feeling she'd try to escape that way. I stepped into the dark alley, leaning against the wall as I waited. She'd have to come out at some point.

And then she did.

I watched her quietly, amused by her little attempt at sneaking away. With one swift move, I grabbed her arm, pulling her back against the cold brick wall, caging her between my arms. She barely had time to react. I leaned in closer, my eyes narrowing as I yanked off her cap, revealing the face she'd been hiding beneath it.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw—those eyes. Bright, striking blue eyes staring back at me, wide with shock. She was... beautiful. I hadn't expected that. And something about her face nagged at the back of my mind. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn't place it. Not yet.

"You're awfully good at running, but not so great at hiding," I said, my voice low, watching her tense up. She tried to keep her voice steady, telling me to let her go. But I wasn't going to. Not yet. She intrigued me. Fascinated me in a way I hadn't been in a long time. Nothing fazed me anymore—I'd seen and done it all—but this girl? There was something different about her.

I leaned in even closer, enjoying the way she trembled under my gaze. "Not until you explain what your problem is with me," I said, my tone daring her to challenge me. And she did. She actually scoffed at me, like she didn't care. Like she didn't know who I was.

I narrowed my eyes. She tried to push past me, but it was useless. She was small, fragile even, compared to me. Yet, she still acted as if she hadn't done anything wrong—like splashing soda in my face wasn't a big deal, like she didn't owe me an apology. That bruised my ego more than anything. No one treated me like that. No one.

I tilted my head, studying her. There was something else, something she was hiding. My eyes lingered on her hair—wait. A wig? Interesting. But I didn't say anything. Not yet. I was going to let her stew, let her wonder what I'd do next. Because right now, I wasn't sure myself. But I would figure it out soon enough.

I loosened my grip on her, stepping back slightly. "You're lucky," I muttered, releasing her. "For now."

As she hurried off, I smiled to myself. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot. She'd messed with the wrong person, and I'd make sure she wouldn't forget it. I'd figure out what she was hiding—and when I did, I'd make her regret ever crossing me.

I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did. The humiliation was still fresh, and the echo of the diner's laughter rang in my ears. I could've let it go—after all, she's nothing. But that's not how things work around here. Not with me. I won't rest until I make sure she regrets it.

And then there's that nagging feeling in the back of my mind, that odd connection I can't place. Something about her, something familiar... but no. It couldn't be. Could it?

One thing's for sure, though: I'll find her again. And next time, she won't be laughing.

I could make her lose her job with the influence I had, but that wasn't fulfilling enough. I wanted to embarrass her more than she had embarrassed me. I had to learn her secret and make it public, and humiliated her in front of everyone. No, I wanted her to feel the same humiliation she had put me through—public, raw, and unforgettable. I needed to uncover her secrets, expose them to the world just like she had embarrassed me. Or maybe... I could lead her on, make her fall for me, and then dump her in the most humiliating way possible. That could work too. I still kept going to the diner to watch her almost every day. But instead of showing any signs of being drawn to me like every other girl, she only seemed anxious, always keeping her distance.

Even Dylan and Max had started joking about how I had "lost my charm." They laughed, saying no girl had ever been able to resist me, and yet here was this one waitress, a nobody, seemingly unaffected by my presence. That stung, so I proposed a little game.

"Alright, let's make it interesting," I said, grinning. "Whoever manages to get under her pants first wins and gets to take my private cruise."

Dylan's eyes lit up, and Max smirked. They both knew the value of the prize. My private yacht was a one-of-a-kind beauty, a gift from my father after I closed his biggest business deal when I was still a freshman. It was worth millions, the kind of ship that turns heads at every port. Both of them wanted it, I could see the desire in their eyes.

Dylan laughed, shaking his head. "You're one hell of a scumbag, Jason, but I can't deny it. That's one tempting prize."

"But there's a catch," I added. "If she doesn't have any dark secrets worth exposing, just snap a picture of her at her most... intimate moments, and we'll expose it online. Public humiliation, like what she did to me."

They laughed, calling me a scumbag, but I didn't care. The thrill of winning this challenge was too enticing to let it pass. Eventually, though, they couldn't resist the temptation of the prize.

Max raised his eyebrow. "And what happens if you win? What do we owe you?"

I chuckled darkly, already having my answer ready. "If I win, you guys have to let me embarrass you the way she embarrassed me. One way or another, you'll have to let me publicly humiliate you, you'll feel what it's like to be on the receiving end."

They exchanged glances, clearly uncomfortable with the idea but unwilling to back down now that the challenge was on the table. After a few moments, they nodded.

"Alright, deal," Dylan said. "But we agree on one thing—nobody hinders anybody's progress. Best man wins. No interference."

Max nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're all playing fair. No sabotage. She's all fair game."

A competitive grin spread across my face. This was going to be fun. They didn't know what they were in for, and neither did she.