From a bet to true love

Chapter eighteen - Happy New Year

Jason's POV:

Bailey gave me a gift for Christmas. That was unexpected, but I liked it. She gave me a necklace with my initials on it. Usually, I don't wear things like that, but that was a good gift. That is the reason why I don't take it off. I mean, since the moment I got it. I don't know why she is nice to me. I keep reminding myself that this is a bet. Almost three months have passed since I started hanging out with her. The prom is in May. I have like four months to do something. The problem is that she is not making it easy. Let's say that I can't do this to her. She is so happy around me. I can't break her heart. That won't be good. I have no idea what to do. I asked my mom for advice. She told me to deal with the problems alone. Well, she is not wrong. I created this mess, and I have to get out of it. I won't lie that this won't be easy. Somehow, I have to do it. Maybe I should've left Dylan to call me out for the rest of the year. That wouldn't hurt anyone. Now, the chances of losing two good girls are high. I don't want this to happen, but it will. If Bailey understands about the bet, she won't talk to me. This means I won't be able to complete it. Then Dylan will take Vanessa. That's a big mess. It's not like I can do something about it. That's why I could talk with the girls, but it's already too late. There is no excuse that I can use. Let's admit it. I messed up. This time, there is no turning back. Honestly, I can ignore the problem. The thing is that this won't solve it. That might make it worse. It's better if I don't do that. For now, I will enjoy my life. Bailey might get mad at me one day, but I can't do anything about it. Even if I tell her now, she will react the same way. I hope there is a chance I can fix this.

It's the last day of the year. I don't have any plans. I heard there might be a party somewhere. I have to ask Vanessa. She knows these things. I would like it if Bailey could come with me, but I don't think her mom will let her. How can she make her study during the vacation? If it was the summer one, I understand. Our winter one is short. It doesn't even have two weeks. I will never be able to know why she does this. It's enough that her daughter is the top student.

Currently, I am in my room. I woke up about an hour ago. I wasn't hungry, so I skipped breakfast. It's not a loss. I might eat something outside. This time, I can invite Vanessa with me. Lately, I have been ignoring her. It's not on purpose, but I don't want to keep doing it. I met her before Bailey. Honestly, I see both of them at school. I like spending time with my friends outside of the building as well. I took my phone and texted her. Hopefully, she will see it soon.

Good morning. Are you free today? I would like to have lunch with you. Text me when you see this.

Thanks, but I planned to go out with someone.

Do you have a date?

No, I don't. I will explain it to you later. I have to go. Bye.

Bye.

I guess I will go out alone. I decided to walk around the town for a while. There is nothing else I can do. After some time, I went to a park. At least there is no snow. Otherwise, the benches will be wet. I looked up and saw Vanessa with someone. She told me there was no date. Honestly, she deserves it. Five minutes passed, and another girl came. Maybe they are her friends. That is not my business. I pulled out my phone. Bailey was offline. I can call her, but I don't know where she is. Her mom might be there. It's better if I don't do it. Soon, someone sat on the bench next to mine. Well, that is a coincidence. She looked upset.

- Hey, are you ok? I thought to call you, but I had no idea what you were doing.

- Leave me alone.

- Why? What happened? You can share it with me.

- No! Leave!

- Bailey, I won't do that. - I said and hugged her

- Get off. - she said and pushed me away

- Why?

She didn't say anything and left. I noticed that Vanessa was looking at me. I waved at her and walked after Bailey. I have no idea what is going on. I didn't do anything to her. She can't get mad at me for no reason. Soon, I grabbed her hand and made her face me. That's when I realized it. Her angriness was covering her sadness. I hugged her, and she started crying. I have the feeling that her mom is behind that.

- Shh, everything will be fine. You can calm down. It's not worth it. Trust me.

- I hate her.

- I know. You will be fine.

We stayed like that for a while. Later, I managed to convince her to go for lunch with me. It's not much, but I can't do anything else. Both of us went to the nearest restaurant. I ordered French fries with cheese on top. Bailey didn't want to eat, but I got her the same. She can't stay hungry. This girl ended up eating everything. I guess angriness makes you hungry. When we finished eating, I paid, and we walked out. I took her to the same place where we played arcade games.

- Why are we here again?

- Because I want you to have fun.

- Thanks, but I'm not in the mood for that. Can't we do something else?

- Like what? I'll do whatever you say.

- I don't know. Everything that doesn't include activities.

- You are making it so hard. How about hot chocolate? We can buy some and drink it somewhere.

- Ok, I like that.

- Great. Let's go.

Both of us bought hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. Then we went across the street to drink it. This is like a park, but it has tables and chairs. In summer, people use it for picnics. Bailey was here, but her mind wasn't. I wonder what her mom did. I think she was talking about her. It can't be anyone else.

- Will you tell me what your mom did?

- She wanted me to make a complete revision of every subject. That means I have to start from the beginning until now. Do you know how much work this is? Also, I had to do every homework for some time. She is crazy.

- What do you mean by some time? Like a timer or something?

- Yes. That is a way to train me.

- Do you want to spend the rest of the day with me?

- What? Really? Won't you go to a party or something?

- I will if there is one. No one told me about that.

- I understand. What will we do for so much time?

- Maybe I have an idea. Until dinner, I will do whatever you say.

- Can't we go somewhere and talk? I don't want to do anything else.

- Yes, sure.

Bailey and I continued walking. I have no idea where we are going, but I don't care. I left her to talk. I think she needs this. Her mom can't keep doing this to her. It's not fair. Also, this will only cause more problems and arguments. I'm sure none of them wants this. I don't understand why she doesn't want to leave her alone. Bailey is not that bad. She is the cleverest girl I know. No one has such high grades in school. I took the lead on the walk and stopped at the mall. Bailey didn't even realize we were there. The whole building is filled with Christmas decorations. I took her to an underwear store. It won't be me if I don't play with her. Well, mostly, I will annoy her. After all, someone needs to bring her mood back.

- I think you will look good wearing this. - I said and gave her a red and white set

- Yeah, that will happen only in your dreams.

- It's better than nothing.

- Why are we here? I won't buy anything. There is no way you will see me less dressed.

- I never said I wanted that.

- I said it in case you were thinking about something.

- You can try clothes from a different store.

- No, I won't. When I said to go somewhere, I didn't mean this.

- How about a bookstore?

- You should've started with that.

I went with Bailey to the third floor. She was like a kid in a candy store. I have never seen her so excited. Everybody has their passion. I guess her is the books. Maybe she finds comfort in them. Knowing that a character has more problems than you makes you feel relieved. It's not solving anything. At least you won't feel that bad. Bailey bought two books with the gift card I gave her for Christmas. I'm glad that she used my present. We spent some time in the mall. It's not like we bought something. It was a way for us to pass the time. Later, I took her for dinner.

- If you want, I can take you home.

- No, thanks. I don't want to go home now.

- Ok, I will do it later.

- What will you eat? I want everything from here.

- I'm glad your mood and appetite are back.

- They have never left. - she said, and I laughed

- Good to know.

- This food is so good.

- I think you are hungry.

- That is true, too. What will we do after dinner? I don't want to go home.

- Don't you want to be with your parents at midnight?

- No.

- Why? Your dad has nothing to do with that.

- I don't care. I want to be outside. If you don't want to be with me, go home. I won't do it.

- I won't leave you alone in the dark.

- Then what is the plan?

- I wanted to take you to a place. It's too early now. We can walk around to go somewhere else. Do you know a store open that late?

- We can go to a non-stop store and buy food for later. I want to keep eating in the new year. - she said, which made me laugh

- For sure, you will.

- I think we have a plan.

- Me too.

After dinner, Bailey and I went to a non-stop store. I found one around forty-five minutes from here. There is a closer one, but we have four hours until midnight. I don't know what else we can do. I feel bad for the people who work in these stores. They have to be there twenty-four hours. Of course, the workers change. Now, someone will see the fireworks from their workplace. In total, we spent half an hour in the store. My eyes widened when Bailey pulled out a stack of money. It turned out these were one-dollar bills. This girl is full of surprises. I don't think we'll eat that much food, but I didn't want to argue with her. After all, she paid for it. Bailey said it was her idea, and so was the money.

- Ok, we are ready. Now it's 9:15 pm. From here, the place is about an hour and a half of walking. Can you walk for that long?

- I can do anything.

- I wonder what you look like when you are drunk.

- We'll never know.

- Well, I sneaked a cider in your bag.

- What? You stole it!

- No, I put it with the other things on the table. The woman checked it. You were looking at something else.

- Relief.

- I might be a bad guy, but this doesn't mean I will steal something. I don't want to deal with the cops.

- It's good to know.

- I have a reputation to keep.

- Are you sure about that? I don't know who you are trying to be, but it's not working.

- It is. I tried to be the bad boy on you, and it didn't work. Then I tried the good one. Look where we are now.

- So all of this is part of a plan?

- No, I only wanted to get to know you. It was interesting for me to understand what you hide behind the mask.

- Now you know.

- Yes, I do. You are a great girl.

- Keep saying it until you believe it.

- It's true. The only problem is your mom.

- I can't change her.

- Maybe the new year will. After all, miracles are still a thing.

- I don't believe in that. Everything happens for a reason. There is no such thing as magic. Behind every act, there is an explanation.

- Why do you always make the simplest things so complicated? - I asked, and she laughed

- This is how I am built.

- For sure, you are.

Bailey and I talked until we went there. She looked around the place, wondering why I had taken her there. That was until I showed the view. The whole town was lit up. There is a little hill from where you can see everything. When the fireworks start, you can see all of them from here. Last year, I came here alone. Let's say that I like being alone at such celebrations. This year, I decided to make a change. Hopefully, she will like it. That was my best idea so far.

- What do you think?

- The place is perfect. I am here for an hour. Let's say that I'm still processing all this. - she said, chuckling

- Two minutes left. Any wishes?

- I don't need anything.

- Maybe for your mom to stop pressuring you so much.

- That will never happen. Please, give me a bag of chips.

- You meant that when you said you wanted to eat in the new year, too.

- Of course, I did.

- Here is the timer. Ten seconds.

- Five.

- Four.

- Three.

- Two.

- One.

- Here are the fireworks. Look there.

- This is pretty. It's like a light-up party in the sky.

- To understand that you like it.

- I love it. Thank you for bringing me here.

- You're welcome. Last year, I came here alone.

- Why?

- I like it that way.

- Now you are with me. - she said and snuggled

- Yes, I am. - I said and kissed the top of her head

Bailey and I stayed here around 2 am. We ate all the food we bought. It's not like it was that much, but let's not forget we had dinner. That is a lot of food. I have no idea where we put it. Despite that, my day was good. I didn't plan to spend it with Bailey, but I'm happy that I did. My wish was for Dylan to forget about the bet. This will make things for me so much easier. Sadly, I don't think this will happen. That will be my lesson. I shouldn't have agreed to that, but it's too late. No one can help me. Maybe something good will happen. I hope that in the end, no one will get hurt except for me.