The Game
�Hey look! Nick�s over there!� Sa�iyda pointed out to her friend Anita.
�What? Where?� Anita asked excitedly.
Sa�iyda just shook her head and laughed.
�Stop laughing at me!�
�But it�s so much fun!� Sa�iyda said looking at her friend and then back to Nick.
�Damn he�s hot.� She continued
�I know. Let�s get another opinion though. Rach! Come here!� Anita called to their friend Rachel.
�What up?�
�Look over there and tell me that Nick Carter is not a total hottie.� Sa�iyda said.
�Oh he is. He sits in front of me in Economics and DAMN!� Rach replied.
�Hey you guys, I just got an idea!� Anita exclaimed.
Sa�iyda and Rach groaned.
�Shut up! Do you want to know or not?�
�Enlighten me.� Sa�iyda said.
�Okay. So, we all think Nick is cute right?�
�Right.� They agreed
�So, I say we make a bet.�
�A bet on what?� Rach asked.
�Who can be the first to kiss Nick.�
�That is so easy!� Sa�iyda exclaimed.
�Not really. You can�t just go over and kiss him. You have to get to �like you�. Gain his trust.�
�Sounds good. What do you get if you win?� Rach asked.
�Nick obviously and whatever else you want.�
�Twenty bucks�each.� Sa�iyda said.
�I agree. So, it�s a deal then?� Rach replied.
�Sounds good to me. Let�s seal the deal.� Anita said.
They all shook hands to seal their agreement.
�So, when does this start?� Rach asked.
�Starting�now.� Anita said.
The bell rang and the three friends separated. Sa�iyda was the first to see Nick in her next class.
�Hey Nick.�
�Hey Sai. What�s up?�
�Oh nothing much. You smell really good today.� She cooed.
�Thanks. You look pretty.�
�Aww, you really think so? That�s so sweet!�
�It�s the truth.�
The next period was Rach�s turn to work her magic. She sauntered into class and purposely walked around Nick to get his attention. She made a big production out of sitting down and casually crossing her legs. Thinking of a new way to get Nick to notice her, she knocked her pen off her desk and kicked it so it rolled in front of his seat.
�Oops! I�m such a derf!� she exclaimed.
�It�s okay Rach. Here ya go.� He said handing her the pen.
�Thanks Nick. You�re such a sweetie!�
He blushed. �Thank you.�
�You�re very welcome.�
Nick was confused. He already had two girls falling all over him and it was still the beginning of the day. To him it was really weird because Sai and Rach were of course friends of his but they never flirted with him as much as they did that day. He walked to his next class wondering what would happen next. What happened to him next was Anita
�Hey Nick.�
�Hi Anita, what�s up?�
�Not much. What�s up with you?�
�Not a thing. Do you understand what she�s talking about?� he asked, referring to their math teacher�s droning.
�Actually I do. What are you confused about?�
He sighed. �Everything.�
�Well lucky for you, I�m good at math.�
�You are?�
�Yes I am. If you want, we can get together after school and I�ll help you with the homework and stuff.�
�Really? That would be great. I have football practice until five so how about we meet at the library at five thirty?�
�Sounds great!�
She had successfully passed step one. She used something she had to give him something that he wanted. Now she just had to prepare herself to tutor him. At cheerleading practice, Anita told Sai and Rach her plans for later in the day. They were so mad because she had done better than they had. She just laughed at their simplicity. After practice, she got in her car and drove to the library, formulating the next part of her plan.
She pulled up to the library and noticed Nick�s car was already there. She went in and found him sitting at a table close to the back. She walked toward him smiling.
�Hey! Thanks for coming.� He said getting up.
�It�s no problem really. Anything to help a friend in need.� She said sitting down.
�You�re a great friend.�
�Why thank you Nick.� She said, blushing slightly.
�It�s cool. So, calculus��
�Yeah. Let�s start��
And they spent the next hour and a half doing their math homework, joking and talking. Everything was going great. Anita was sure that she�d win the bet now. But there were a few small things that Anita felt were very odd. Like how her heart started beating faster when he accidentally brushed his knee against hers, or the tingly feeling she got when he smiled at her. That never happened before she thought. Could it be that she had feelings for Nick?
�So, uh, I was wondering�� Nick started
�What�s up?�
�Um, maybe we could uh, ummm��
�Spit it out.�
�Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow night?�
�As in, on a date?�
�Yeah.�
�Sure! I�d love to.�
�You would? Really?�
She laughed. �Yes Nick, I would love to go out with you.�
�Awesome! So, do you want to go out to eat and then a movie maybe?�
�Sounds like fun. Pick me up at eight.�
�Okay, great. I think I should be heading home though.�
�Yeah, me too. See you tomorrow.�
�Definitely.� He said, hugging her.
She sighed. Things were starting to go wrong. She wasn�t supposed to like him! She wasn�t supposed to want him!
The next day in school, Anita pulled Rach and Sai over to her.
�Dude, what up? You look a little nervous.� Sai said.
�Uh, you guys�I think we should call off the bet.� Anita blurted out.
�Why? It�s only the second day.� Rach questioned.
�Yeah, I know. But uh�� Anita didn�t know how to tell them.
�What is it?� Sai asked.
She looked at Anita. �You like him don�t you?�
�Why would you think that?� Anita asked nervously.
�That�s the only reason you�d wanna stop this.� Rach said.
�Okay, you got me. I like him�a lot. And he likes me too, I can tell. We�re going out on a date tomorrow night.� Anita replied, smiling.
�Okay girl. We feel ya. Go do your thing.� Sai said hugging her friend.
�Thanks guys. Oh and one thing�� Anita said.
�What?� they both asked.
�You can�t say anything about the bet to Nick. I think it would only make him hate me and that would be horrible.� Anita said seriously.
�No problem. This never happened.� Sai replied winking.
That night, Nick picked Anita up for their date. She was fine until he got there, then she got all fluttery. First, they went to eat at the local pizzeria then to the movies. They decided on seeing �Scary Movie 3� since they were both fans of the first two. The movie was really funny and they both had a good time. Before they knew it, they were back in the car heading to Anita�s house.
When they got there, neither one of them made much effort to get out of the car. They sat there quietly, not knowing what to do next.
�I had a good time tonight.� Nick said, breaking the silence.
�Yeah, me too. Thanks for asking me.� Anita said smiling.
�You�re welcome. Thanks for coming with me.� He replied.
�Of course.�
�Uh, Anita? Can I ask you something?�
�Sure you can Nick.�
�Would you�I mean, do you want to? Would you be my girlfriend?�
She was shocked. �What?�
�Would you be my girlfriend? I really like you.� He said smiling.
�Yes! I like you too. A lot.� She replied smiling back.
�Good.� He said leaning in and kissing her.
She had really won. And then she realized that she didn�t need a stupid bet to prove it.