Next week flew by in a haze of emotions Betty couldn't quite pin down. Despite her initial reservations and the lingering voices of self-doubt in the back of her mind, she found herself smiling more than usual, laughing at David's witty jokes, and replaying every moment of their date in her head like a favorite song on repeat. It felt authentic, something rare and fragile, and for once, she let herself believe it might actually be real. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if the walls she had built around her heart were finally starting to come down.
But everything shattered like glass underfoot one grim afternoon when Nate ambushed her near the deserted gym hallway. His usual playful grin—the one she had learned to instinctively distrust—was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating smirk that sent a chill down her spine.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," he sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm and something darker.
Betty froze mid-step, her heart racing and her instincts screaming at her to run. "What do you want, Nate?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm brewing inside her.
"Relax, Red," he drawled, taking a step closer, his presence like a shadow creeping in the corner of her vision. "I just wanted to chat. You're making quite the splash around here, you know. David can’t stop talking about you.”
Betty crossed her arms defensively, her stomach twisting into knots as her unease deepened. "Get to the point," she said, her tone sharp and clipped, though her pulse thundered in her ears.
Nate’s smirk widened, but his eyes remained as cold as ice. “You think you’re special, don’t you? You think David genuinely likes you?”
Her stomach churned harder, but she forced herself to stay calm, her chin tilting up in defiance. “Spit it out already.”
“Oh, I will,” Nate said, stepping forward until the air between them felt suffocating. Betty instinctively took a step back, but he grabbed her arm, his grip like a vice. Panic flared in her chest as she tried to pull away.
“Let go,” she demanded, her voice rising and laced with anger.
“Come on, Betty,” he murmured, his free hand daring to graze her waist, sending a ripple of revulsion through her body. “I just want a taste. If you’re good enough for David—”
Before he could finish, Betty’s hand snapped up, slapping him hard across the cheek. The sharp crack of the impact echoed through the empty hallway, momentarily silencing Nate.
“You’re disgusting,” she spat, her voice filled with venom as she yanked her arm free. Fury boiled in her veins, replacing the fear that had momentarily gripped her.
Nate’s face darkened with rage, his cheek reddening from the slap, but instead of retaliating, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bundle of fabric. Betty’s heart stopped as her eyes widened in horror. She recognized it instantly—her panties.
“You really thought David could actually like a trashy girl like you?” Nate sneered, his tone venomous as he waved the fabric mockingly in front of her. “This is what you are to him. A betting chip. A joke. He won, and these?” He shook the bundle for emphasis. “Proof.”
Betty’s world collapsed in on itself, her chest tightening painfully as the weight of his words hit her like a battering ram. Each syllable felt like a dagger, twisting and digging deeper.
“You’re lying,” she whispered, though the tremble in her voice betrayed the cracks forming in her resolve.
“Am I?” Nate taunted, his expression smug as if he relished her devastation. “Go ahead, ask him yourself. Maybe I’ll return you to him so he can finish what he started.”