~A Bet's a Bet~

"Tommy, pass! I'm open buddy! Right here!" I was at the top of the stairs, spiraling down while being chased by two other ballthirsty boys. Tommy and me were paired up, and we were in the lead, so far getting a total of six touchdowns in a competitive game of indoor football. Their endzone was behind the kitchen counter, while ours was the peak of the staircase.

The ball left his little hands and came oscillating to me. I had my arms up in a receiving position, but the steepness of the stairs threw me off. I slid on the edge, arms flailing, and watched as the balls aim heightened. Aw shiz. The football smacked onto my forehead and bounced around on the wooden floor. The kids all burst into giggles. I bent down to snatch it off the floor.

"Come on brohemes, let us not get distracted.... Oh- actually, I have to put you to bed!" I said, checking my phone. It was already 8:53, nearly an hour past their bedtime. To my surprise, they didn't put up a fight. I'll have to remember next friday to use physical exercise again to get them worn out and ready for bed.

They were finally all groomed and changed and minty breathed for bed. I tucked the kids in at each of their adorably themed rooms and turned off the hallway light, getting that motherly sense of accomplishment. The house creaked, and now that the main source of ruckus was asleep, it sounded like an obituary. That "The Silence is Deafening" quote really applies here. I would take creepy circus music over this.

I turned the TV on low and flipped it over to Fox News. I know it was terribly nerdy of me, but I am intersted to know what's going on in the everchanging world around us. Look at me and my prodigious efforts. CIA should be recruiting me and sending me on undercover missions right about now.

"Hey dork, care to explain why your alone watching the news on a Friday night?" My teeth gritted just hearing his voice. The nerve of the guy, teasing me after what he did.

"I don't see you out getting wasted or whatever it is you do on weekends either," I pointed out, not peeling my eyes away from the screen. I could feel Jaxon smirking behind me.

"Touché." Lets hope this would be the only conversation exchanged tonight. That's your cue. Leave me alone now.

"Say, we're both stuck in the same home" Jaxon begins. I sigh, turning up the volume on the TV. He continues, louder than before, approaching the couch.

"I'm bored... your obviously past that..." He says, his voice much closer now. I feel his hand slide onto the back of the couch, causing the hairs to rise on my neck. "Would you be interested in a friendly round of Call Of Duty?"

I scoffed loudly, "You honestly think after what you did, I would go play video games with you like nothing ever happened?"

"No, but I figured we could come to some sort of mutual agreement here, and ceasefire for the night. Only for the sake of our boredom, of course." I laughed sharply, thinking of how stupid this all was. Or you could just apologize like a real man and spend the rest of your life making it up to me.

"Sorry, but no," I said quite insincerely. Jaxons other hand went on the opposite side of my head, and the couch lowered as he leaned forward. The television became background noise. I reluctantly glanced up, meeting his enchanting brown eyes directly overhead mine.

"Please Bailey? I'm tired of challenging the losers on the internet, and even though you'd be no real competition, It'd be nice to play with someone real." I could feel my control slipping, starting to fall for it. Riley and I have played Call Of Duty in her basement ever since her brothers been away at college, so he's wrong when he assumes I have no experience. How badly do I want to see his face when I win?

"What would I get out of this?" I said, irritated that I already sounded convinced. He grinned, and I broke eye contact, crossing my arms.

"Shouldn't spending time with me be enough?" Jaxon responded, chuckling. I didn't reply, glaring at the screen ahead as the news reporters words went in one ear and out the other.

"You'll see. I'll go get it ready." He released his grip on the couch and disappeared around the corner. His heavy footsteps faded out. I sighed, grabbing the nearest pillow and throwing a couple punches into the soft object. This doesn't change anything. I still hate him, and a little game of COD isn't going to diminish that. When I was through, I set it back down, punched it back to normal, and walked down the stairs.

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"Okay, we're doing capture the flag. Your flag is blue, and you get points by defending your flag or stealing ours. Simple enough?" Jaxon explained briefly, eager to begin. I tried to look puzzled, messing with the buttons like I didn't know what did what.

"So how do I move?" I asked, doing my best impression of barbie in the dreamhouse. He grumbled, then leaned over and pointed out the trigger, controls, perspective shift, how to reload, etc. I repeated them back, staging a stutter trying to "remember" all the controls. After his little demo, I leaned back on the couch, giving him my game face. He hesitated to click play.

"What do you say we make this a little more exciting," Jaxon suggests, cocking his head in my direction. I raised an eyebrow.

"Exciting how?" I asked curiously. What could possibly be more exciting than shooting the blood and guts out of a virtual Jaxon? This was already a dream come true.

"Lets make a bet." Ahahaha. Haha. He can't be serious. I shook my head immediately. Like I would put myself through that again.

"Come on, Bayley, atleast let me get a little reward for beating you. I promise I won't make you do anything gruesome."

"You lost that priviledge precisely 38 hours ago when you humiliated me in front of all your friends," I informed him, trying to make my face devoid of all emotion. Jaxon frowned for a split second, then went back to his easy demeanor.

"You're just scared," Jaxon cooed. I looked him in the eyes, demanding that he take that back. But nope, the accusation was already floating around, dissolving in the very air surrounding us.

"I'm not scared," I told him fiercely. He leaned closer, his brown eyes looking dead into mine. We were in some sort of a mind battle, testing who would pull away first.

"Prove it." He commanded, short and simple. Do I really have to do this...

"What is your side of the bet?" I choked out. He's already discovered one of my hidden weaknesses, and Jaxon has a bad track record when it comes to these gambling games.

"Uh.... I'll tell you when I win," he notified. There's a shot in the dark. Does he expect me to trust his better judgement and idiotically follow through with the bet? I already made the idiot move of joining his party down at the beach... now is not the ideal time to make another one.

"You're not going to tell me," I echoed in disbelief. Why would I make a bet when chances are his plot involves something terribly atrocious that he can't even say aloud?

"Nope. But you don't have to worry, it doesn't involve murder or any illegal activity. And now that that's cleared out of the way, what are you betting?" Jaxon continues, like he doesn't notice my backing-out-of-the-bet face.

"I'm not making a bet when I don't even know what the consequences are," I said stubbornly. He leaned back into the couch cushion, grinning at me mysteriously.

"I would hardly call it a consequence," He mused, "But it's really not too bad. Trust me on this one." Put my trust in Jaxon Bennett? Pssh. I already didn't like that I was the fount of that smirking face, but there was nothing I could do to stop his devious little mind.

"Bayley, this is your chance. I know their are plenty of things you want from me. Just name one," Jaxon tempted. I sighed, prying through my mind for anything I could do to get Jaxon back. What he doesn't know is that I actually have a pretty good chance of winning the bet... but do I really want to get revenge? As much as it helps temporarily, embarrassing someone or bringing them pain is only going to create a bigger mess of things, and it never solves anything. There is one thing I want, but Jaxon won't understand it. This is going to sound so lame.

"I want a sincere apology from you. And you have to promise to never do anything like that again," I admitted, my cheeks flushing a vivid fuschia. He raised his eyebrows skyhigh.

"Really. That's all you want? You can throw in streaking through the neighborhood? Or a swift kick to the balls? Anything would do." I shrugged, knowing none of those would make me feel any better.

"Huh. Okay then," He shook off the disappointment, "Lets begin." Jaxon was obviously the type to get competitive. In preparation, he cracked his knuckles, flexed those biceps, even dropped to the floor to do some impressively deep pushups. I cracked up, kicking him over with my foot.

"Get up soldier, your strength is needed elsewhere... Lets just get this over with." He hopped up and sank miles into the couch cushion, adjusting and readjusting his position. When he seemed fully satisfied, he looked over to me with a no-nonsense expression.

"Permission to begin?" I gave him a thumbs up, and we both gripped our controllers in anticipation. He chose muliplayer and set everything up, giving us the same type of gun and health so there would be a solid chance. When everything was done, he clicked the start button, and we both went dead silent. The countdown began from three, and in a blink or two, the game took action.

Bang Bang Bang! Shots fired from close and far. I raced around the buildings and desert landscape, trying to find my special spot. Me and Riley had covered this map several times, I practically had it drilled in my memory. After taking three of his teammates down in square shots to the chest as I moved, I reached the top floor of the tallest building, my initial destination, and crouched in front of the window. Our flag was on the roof, glowing a brilliant blue only computer screens could manufacture.

"What the... how are you doing so well??" Jaxon demanded, checking my screen and his.

"I'm full of surprises. Hey no peeking at my screen!" I squealed with delight. The game proceeded with me having the upperhand and hitting people from above, and Jaxon dangerously covering the ground below. My team was in the lead, and so far we had stolen their flag for an entire minute without being caught. I heard some shots nearing the doorway, and went in the corner. One of Jaxon's teammates came through and I happily blew him up, putting 7+ bullets into his limp body.

"Now that's just cruel," Jaxon commented. He shot one of our guards and was scaling the building at high speeds, coming right in my direction.

"You know I'm just going to shoot you down," I sassed, reloading my gun. He paused, then turned around and headed back down the stairs. Serves you right, ya lousy son of a gun you.

"You guys go in, I'll find another angle," Jaxon whispered to the screen, fully absorbed in the game. Uh, they can't hear you dude. It suddenly occurred to me that he was sending in five other guys to ambush me in the room. I quickly ran as fast as my virtual legs could carry me to the far side of the wall, and peeked around the corner. Two guys came in first and I hit them each easily. Then the three slipped in one after another, and I was shooting blind as one guy blocked my view. Closing my own eyes, I machine gunned like there was no tomorrow. The firing ceased, and I slowly peeked back to the screen.

"Holy Moly! Oh my sweet salt shakers I killed all three of them!! I AM YOUR MASTER" I whooped, literally pumping my fist in the air. Then a shot suddenly rang out. My guy dropped to the floor, taking a couple moments of tragic spasticking as it tried to respawn. Get back up buddy, the fight ain't over yet! I stared at the screen in awe.

"How did that-"

"Went atop a smaller building and got you through the window. It's all about them angles," He chuckled, taking a victory lap around with our blue flag. All of our men were fighting on the other side of the arena, and when I finally respawned, got to where Jaxon was, and shot him, it was too late. He had our flag for triple the time we had theirs, and turns out the game decided to end there. I watched as the chart came up, putting Jaxon at the top of the winning teams list.

"So, the bet.... is that still..." I began, my heart already going on overdrive.

"Of course it is sweetheart. You know, I'll admit I'm really impressed with your Call Of Duty skills however. Where did you learn to play?"

"I know a guy. And don't ever call me sweetheart," I snapped. I should have won that game. That was a cheap shot.

"Okay, sugar, you ready for this bet?" Jaxon said, the smirk slowly making a reappearance. I took a deep breath to fill even the remotest corners of my lungs.

"Lay it on me." I was crossing my fingers (figuratively) that he would take it easy on me. A girl can only handle so much.

"Use whatever womanly powers you have in you, and seduce me." What???

"What kind of bet is that? I don't understand what you're asking me to do here," I stuttered, looking at the floor. That was unexpected.

"I'd like to see your best attempt at seducing me- the Jaxon Bennett. Just a harmless pursuit... you know, to turn me-" I held up my hand.

"Dont even say it," I burst, grossed out at the mere thought of it. Once again, Jaxon hit home base on my field of weakness. Atleast this time a crowd wouldn't be watching. How badly I want to back out of this... but it is a bet. I was the loser. Now I will graciously suffer the consequences.

"Well, I don't know, uh, how to... start." He barked with laughter, probably loving the fact that I was blushing big time. This is all some stupid game to him. Hello, violation of the eighth amendment! If it ends that badly, I could always get him arrested. Plan B?

"Just sit right here and sweet talk me," He instructed, patting the spot directly next to him. My head was spinning, and I was trying to compose a rational structured plan of how I was going to do this. Enough thinking, just wing it Bailey.

I sat down close enough so our legs were touching, and leaned into his ear, "You look devastatingly handsome in this low light," I remarked sarcastically. I slid my hand around his shoulder and gently faced him in my direction. He complied, amusement flickering in his big brown eyes.

"I don't think I've ever met a guy more... well, arrogant." Whoops, am I supposed to be nice during this? He chuckled, his breath hitting my chin. I figured I might as well tell the truth here.

"Or stuck-up, egotistal, aggravating... I'll just stop there." Where am I even going with this. I moved closer to him, never breaking eye contact.

"And no matter how angry or frustrated you make me.... somehow, I can't competely hate you." I said quietly. Why was I sharing this with him? He needs to think I hate him, not this. Now he's going to tease me for having some secret crush on him, which I absolutely do not.

"Tell me, Jaxon, why is that?" I tried to look deeper into his eyes, past all that prestige and repute... for what? An answer? I had gradually gotten closer than ever to him, to where the tips of our noses brushed together.

He glanced down at my lips, and I started fretting. My insides were tingling, and there was this undeniable fear of what was going to happen next. I wasn't sure if I was really trembling or if I was imagining it. When I realized I still had control over some bodily functions, I drew my head back, glancing up at the low ceiling and biting my lip. Failed attempt #1.

A couple speechless moments passed between us.

"Hmm... not bad, Bayley, not bad," Jaxon said. I didn't know how to reply, or frankly, even how to breathe. My pulse started to calm down, my face simmering down to its natural shade of pink. While I tried to assemble together a sentence, Jaxon, without explanation, scooted closer to me on the couch.

"Allow me to show you how its done," he said softly, gently grazing his warm fingers against my arm. Panicking, I stood up, leaving him on the couch as some weird form of denial. But he didn't accept the hint. He stood with me, which put only centimeters between us.

"Bayley." That's all he said, six simple letters, yet it sounded so meaningful coming out of his mouth. I watched wide-eyed as he moved even closer. Me being me, I recoiled and started to back away, After a couple steps of this, I hit something solid. Crap! Out of my way, stupid wall!

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern, sliding his hand on the side of my flaming face.

"N-nothing" I stammered, wanting to avoid his eyes, but finding myself unable to look away. His other hand flew up to use the wall. This gave him the support he needed to lean closer, getting at eye level with me. I was breathing at an unnatural rate, and it only increased when he put his own lips to my ear.

"I just wanted to say," Jaxon started, "That I'm sorry," his hot breath fanned across my neck, "For what happened." Everything going on in my moronic mind was jumbled and incoherent. He's referring to the dare. Is he... apologizing?

He pulled away briefly to look me in the eye again, "I don't need a bet to say that." The words touched me in a way that nothing else could. Perhaps it was because they were honest. He was honestly apologizing for what happened. And that, like I said, was all I wanted.

One glance down at his own perfectly curved lips, and I knew I was a sucker. He noticed this and the corner of his mouth drew upward. He started to close that distance between us. While I was battling to stay in hatred with Jaxon, an irrefutable part of me convinced me otherwise. I shut my eyes, terrified, but also hypocritically wanting it. Have I misunderstood him from the beginning? Do I need to rethink my feelings towards him? I sensed the warmth of his lips hovering so close to mine. His hand crawled to the nape of my neck, tightening his hold on me. Do I want this?

A door slammed shut from upstairs. The noise caused my conscience to kick in. I snapped out of whatever sorcery I was under, being dragged back into the reality of things. Jaxon ceased movement while being both frozen in place, not knowing what to do. We were breathing heavily, our attention diverted to the sound of keys and a purse splattering against the countertop.

"Bayley?" Heather prompted, probably confused as to why the television was blasting into an empty living room. I didn't dare move, being somewhat trapped. After the second call, Jaxon sighed, dropping his hand from the wall and pulling back. I was still struggling to catch my breath. He ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit of his I've observed for some time now.

"I guess I got a little carried away," Jaxon mumbled aloud. I just nodded stupidly, having nothing else to say.

We both looked up from our low glances. I searched his brown eyes, dying for some sort of explanation. There was nothing we could say. There is no words that could elucidate or make sense of what had happened. 'What was that??' I so desperately wanted to ask. But the blame fell equally on us both, since I was the one responsible for sparking the strange behavior. Then the embarassment settled in, and it triggered our actions in sync. We turned at the exact same time and began in opposite directions. Jaxon disappeared in the black of the hallway. I passed the doorframe and quickly ascended the staircase, the shock making me expressionless.

"Oh, Bayley, there you are!.. uh, what were you doing down there?" Heather asked with a puzzled expression. I cracked my face into a convincing smile, doing my best to act casually.

"It was nothing, I was just looking for my shoes," I lied. Luckily she didn't look to the left to see they were right by the front door in plain, obvious sight. Something in my tone made her suspicious.

"Did you see Jaxon at all tonight?" she questioned. After my unexpected sleepover a couple weeks ago when she caught me wearing his t-shirt, she has been keeping a close watch on me. If anything happened between me and Jaxon while she was away, I'm sure that would result in me losing my "job", and a long serious lecture with a certain overprotective mother I know, including incriments of 'The Talk' thrown in.

"I saw him once or twice, but he was mostly in his room doing whatever. We didn't talk much," I claimed, feeling guilty at the fiction of my words. Whether or not Heather believed me, she didn't fight me on it.

Heather dropped me off at home with a couple good-looking bills and told me to say hello to my mom for her (you know the drill). The back door was unlocked, and I immediately went straight to bed, hoping to have some time to think and figure things out by morning.

Our little intimate "moment" kept replaying over and over in my head. I ran my fingers over my lips, wondering how it would have felt to kiss him. We were that close. Why did this feel so different from the last kiss I had? Why didn't I push him away when he was moving in?

More importantly, what does it all mean?

I made that longer than I was aiming for, so hopefully it makes up a little for the last uneventful chapter. Sooooo how is everyone doing? How are you feeling about all the mixed emotions created with this chapter? Its a slight twist in the story, but I have to say, I'm very excited! From here on out, things are going to be get even more interesting. Please vote, comment (I love your comments), and stick around for whats next :) Thanks for the support!!