By the next week, the whispers about David and Betty were unavoidable. Every corner of Elm Creek High seemed to buzz with gossip about the tutoring sessions, the library incident, and the growing tension between the bad boy and the girl who refused to fall for him.
Sophie, as usual, was thrilled to stir the pot. She leaned over their lunch table, her smirk razor-sharp.
“Face it, Burns. You’re losing your touch.”
David leaned back, feigning indifference. “I don’t lose.”
“Oh, really?” Sophie’s tone dripped with amusement. “Because it seems like she’s winning.”
“Yeah,” Nate chimed in, laughing. “That slap was legendary, by the way.”
David clenched his jaw, though he forced a grin. “She’ll come around.”
“Sure,” Sophie said, resting her chin in her hand. “But if you’re so confident, prove it. Get something that screams, ‘I won.’”
Nate’s grin widened. “Like her panties.”
David laughed, brushing it off as a joke, but their words stuck with him long after lunch ended.
Later that day, David found himself sitting across from Betty during another tutoring session. The air was thick with unspoken tension, their usual banter giving way to rare moments of focus. Betty leaned over the table, jotting notes, while David stared at her, lost in thought.
“David,” she said, snapping him back to reality. “Pay attention.”
“Right,” he muttered, shaking his head.
As the session went on, David “accidentally” spilled a small beaker of water onto her shirt. Betty yelped, jumping up from her chair.
“David!” she exclaimed, glaring at him. “What the hell?”
“Sorry,” he said, grabbing paper towels. “I’ll fix it.”
Betty looked down at the wet spot on her shirt, her annoyance evident. “How exactly are you going to fix this?”
“Have you ever been to the campus pool?” David asked, his smirk returning.
Betty narrowed her eyes. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I dare you,” he said, his grin widening.