Chapter 65: The Bet *Poignant Confession

The songs are It's All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion and Sweet Serendipity by Lee DeWyze. Banner by FitaLP .

Thank you so much for reading my story ♥ The spin-off (sequel/book 2) of The Bet is Colliding with Fate. It's already posted on Wattpad.

Enjoy! (:

Chapter 55 Part 2 *Poignant Confession

~ Sophia

Peach looks good on you.

That’s written on a little piece of paper, and I found it inside my locker.

Ironically, I’m wearing a peach blouse today.

And there’s only one person who will leave a note in my locker. I remember he said that to me after I accidentally enter the bathroom while he was taking a bath. A really awkward moment.

Wait. I thought Drake will leave me alone? Why is he doing this then?

A voice in the back of my head whispers, “It’s not against the rule. He said no talking.”

But I thought. . .

I guess he generalized it so that he can still make a move. Hah! As if I’m going to fall on his trap.

The first few classes passed by quickly, and I have no idea what the teachers discussed. I’m on my way to the cafeteria when a voice says, “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

I stop walking and turn around to see Cassidy staring at me. “Are you talking to me?”

“No, at the person beside you,” she says, rolling her eyes.

I’m not in the mood to play her games so I ignore her comment and continue my way.

“Sophia!” she says, loud enough to be heard in a hallway full of students.

“What do you want?” I snap.

She takes a step closer to me and to my surprise, grabs my hands. I stare at her, contemplating if this is the real Cassidy in front of me. What is going on here? Is she playing a prank on me? I look around me to check if there’s someone taking a video of this moment.

She chuckles and says, “Silly Sophia. You think I’m making fun of you, right?”

I don’t respond, I just look at her and wait for her to transform into a different person.

“I don’t know what happened to me to be rude to you,” she continues. “I’m not usually that mean. It’s just, I had a crush on Drake for months, and it killed me to see him with you all the time. I’m the popular head cheerleader, and he chose to be with you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you’re not pretty. But still. . .”

Cassidy thinks I’m pretty? I thought in her world, she’s the only one allowed to be called pretty. Or beautiful. Or whatever.

“Let’s forget the past and move forward, alright?” she says, finally letting go of my hands with a final squeeze. “Besides, we’re seniors, and we should rule the school instead of fighting.

I guess it’s her way of saying sorry then. “Okay,” I agree. I don’t like having enemies, and she’s right. It’s our last year in high school and we might as well live with it.

“Sophia, I see how Drake looks at you, especially when you’re not aware of it,” Cassidy says thoughtfully. “I know it’s not just infatuation, but the real thing. I wanted him to gaze at me the same way, but I’m wishing for the impossible. You already captured his heart. I found out about that when I asked him to meet me. The way he talked about you, the way his eyes lit up when he said your name, I knew then that he truly loves you. And there’s nothing I can do to change that.”

What is she talking about?

Cassidy waits for me to respond, but my lips are locked, I can’t even utter a single syllable.

She frowns, and then sighs, like a true cheerleader. “See you around,” she says, walking away, leaving me staring at her retreating figure.

~*~*~*~*~

Every morning, when I open my locker, I always get a note. They are reminders of the past. I wonder how Drake remember the things we talked about. And how did he get this idea?

If two people are meant to be together, it doesn’t mean they have to be together right now.

I said that when we watched Serendipity. That was one of the first times we were alone. After that, he helped me paint my room in Andre’s house.

The next day:

Life is ironic. It flows the way we don’t plan it. Unexpected things happen. One move can change your life forever.

That’s from our topic in Literature, when Parker became our substitute teacher. It feels like a long time ago. . .

And then:

We can’t help who we fall in love with. It’s even surprising when you find out that everything you want is not going according to plan.

Days passed, but Drake and I still don’t talk. Even when I see Andre in school, I quickly walk out of the way before he can corner me.

I know that I’ll find Drake’s little notes when I open my locker but I can’t help myself to read them. They make me remember of what happened between us.

Falling in love with you is something I had not expected. Being in love with you is something I could not stop, even if I tried.

He said that to me on my birthday. A sudden thought comes to my mind. What if everything he said were all true? He did a lot of unexpected things for me. To make me happy.

Wait.

Don’t think about that, I remind myself. Don’t buckle because of those notes!

I’m getting tired of talking to myself, but I don’t want to appear weak. I need renewed strength to be brave to face each day without him on my side.

“You know you look like a walking Zombie, don’t you?”

“Don’t remind me,” I mutter.

Driana sighs. “I know you’re still mad at my twin, but don’t let it get to you.” She holds my arm and raises it. “Look, you’re loosing weight! You have to be strong, and you can lean on me when you can’t take it anymore.”

“Thank you,” I say gratefully. Until now, I can’t believe I told Driana everything. “How are you and Andre?”

“We haven’t talked, and I keep ignoring him.” She shrugs, like she doesn’t care, but she can’t fool me.

I feel bad for ruining their relationship. “I’m sorry,” I say, squeezing her hand.

“Don’t be,” she says. “It’s not your fault. They’re both jerks for playing a game on you. I can’t believe Drake can be that heartless. And Andre. . .” she trails off, a longing on her voice.

“Hey,” I say, smiling sadly.

“It feels wrong being happy when you’re suffering.” She sobs, and wipes the fresh tears from her eyes. “I’m not being biased or anything, but I know Draky cares about you.”

“Don’t cry,” I say instead, while giving her a hug. I hope the saying, ‘Time heals wound will apply to me.’

Unfortunately, I can’t help but wonder what’s happening in Drake’s life right now.

Do you think of me like I think of you?

I sigh and read the new notes I found in my locker.

We can’t just stop our feelings, no matter how hard we try.

The best part of my life is the time I spend with you.

Really, Drake?

Whenever I see him in the hallway, he moves. It’s as if I do not exist in the first place. I’m lying if I say I don’t care because I do. And it breaks my heart when he ignores me. But I have to remind myself that it’s what I want. This is my choice. We can’t just act like nothing happened. Aside from that, we can’t just forget.

One day, while arranging my things on my drawer, I see Parker’s gift for me on my birthday. Until now, I don’t know how he took this picture in the locket. Drake and I looked happy here, as if we were a couple having our best date.

Our double date with Parker and Chloe was one of the best days of my life. I had so much fun, especially when we watched the fireworks display.

I shake my head slowly. There’s no point reminiscing the happy moments. They won’t happen again. Out of nowhere, I remember Drake’s present for me.

I get the pieces of puzzle from the box and stare at them doubtfully. What will I do now?

Why don’t you put them together to find out the message that he has for you? A tiny voice whispers at the back of my mind.

What’s the point? He doesn’t care about me anymore. He can’t even glance at my way—

There’s no harm in trying.

Kneeling down on the edge of my bed, I start to put the pieces of puzzle together. It’s kind of hard because they look the same. After a few minutes, I can get words like you, and an image. But I still can’t figure out what they’re all about. Before I complete the puzzle, I get its meaning. And without my permission, tears flow from my eyes, blurring my vision.

I . . . I can’t believe he did something like this. Something so precious and unique.

So how can I not trust him? After all we’ve been through, everything he did for me; I thought they were all a lie. Little did I know that they came from the heart. I’m so stupid for letting him go. He loved me, and I hurt him.

I should have completed this puzzle when he gave it to me! I might have prevented our fight. And we’ll still be together. The puzzle is the key all along! No wonder he wanted me to know its message. Everything falls back to its place now. It made me realize what I have— had. It made my eyes clearer; leaving the deception and lies behind.

Glancing at the puzzle one more time, I complete its missing parts and marvel at its beauty.

The sky is dark and full of stars. They even have the illusion of twinkling. I know that they will glow in the darkness. There are two figures side by side, gazing at the stars. The man’s arms are wrapped around the woman’s. On the lower part are the words:

Pie, I’m sorry, please forgive me. I love you.

What will I do? I have mixed feelings and most of the time, I don’t understand myself. I hug Shea close to my chest and sob. I am hurting. He is hurting. This is the price for our little game. I have to admit that it was partly my fault too. How can I make it right?

I want to live peacefully, and I miss him so much. I miss his eyes that can stare right through my soul, his voice that can serenade me, his touch that promise everything will be alright. I miss everything about him!

How can I be such an idiot for pushing him away when he said sorry a lot of times and proved how much he loved me? I hope his feelings have not changed yet. I think it’s time to restore our relationship.

Just then, I remember something I said to him weeks ago. People do stupid things for love. But as long as you follow your heart, you will be at peace.

I have to see him now, and talk to him. I pray he’ll still accept me after I caused him pain. God, please help me. Please put sense into his heart and mind so that he’ll love me again. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love him.

Grabbing my phone, I quickly dial his number. My fingers are shaking badly, but after a few tries, I get it correctly. To my disappointment, it goes directly to voice mail.

Not wanting to wait until tomorrow, I decide to call Driana. She picks up after the second ring.

“Hello,” she greets.

“Hey, are you with Drake?” I ask nervously.

“No, he’s not in the house,” she answers. “Why?”

“I have to talk to him.” Even my voice is shaking!

“He said he’ll walk to the park,” Driana says. I can see her in my mind with a concern expression on her face.

“Oh, thanks!”

“Are you okay?” she asks hesitantly.

“I will be,” I respond, and I know it’s true.

Not bothering to change, I quickly walk out of the house and run to the nearest park in town. I know there are a lot of parks, but I might as well start here. I hope he’ll not decide to change his destination.

When I arrive in the park, I’m surprised to find it full of people. What’s the occasion? Is there some kind of event today? I look around and search for Draky, but it’s hard when people are swarming my vision.

Where is he?

I choose to walk all over the park and scan for any sign of him. What feels like hours later, my feet start to trip each other. Aside from that, my head pounds as people accidentally shove me as they hurriedly catch up with their friends.

Sweat pours down my face as I round the last curve of the park.

Draky? Where are you?

Maybe he already went home. This is a futile search. We’re probably not meant to talk today. I’ll just meet him tomorrow. Besides, I’m already tired. All I want to do is crawl on my bed and wait for sleep to come.

And then, when I’m starting to lose hope, I see him.

I’m afraid my vision is just playing tricks on me because I’m tired and I wish to see him so he materialized. But I blink and rub my eyes. And I almost shout for joy when I still see him, only a few yards away from me.

He’s standing beside an oak tree, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes fixed on something faraway. He’s wearing a black shirt that illuminates his blue eyes. He looks like he doesn’t know what he’s doing here, much less care about the people walking beside him.

A smile starts to form on my mouth as I think of what I’m about to do.

“Hey, you! The guy with the black shirt!”

Every guy who’s wearing a black shirt stares at me. Everyone looks at me like I’m crazy. But for the first time, I don’t care. It’s like everything lead to this moment. Right here, right now. And I know this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Draky is gazing at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. Actually, it’s like he’s seeing a ghost, as if he can’t believe I’m really here in front of him.

“I forgive you!” I continue, “I’m sorry for hurting you. Even though I thought what you did was fake, I did not pretend. It was all real. And I never stopped loving you.”

When I finished talking and he doesn’t say anything, I thought he already moved on. My tears brim at the back of my eyes, and I feel humiliated, standing here in front of everyone after pouring my heart out to the person I love the most and not getting a reply.

I’m about to turn around and run when his lips twitch, and I see the most breath taking smile I’ve ever seen in my life.

Draky easily closes the gap between us and he envelopes me in a warm hug. In the distance, I hear people clapping and shouting, congratulating us. And then Draky tightens his arms around me, and all I can think is I won’t get used to this feeling.

To my amazement, he lifts me off the ground and twirls me. It’s as if we’re the only two people here. When we stop, he doesn’t let go, but still wraps his arms around me.

“Oh my Sweet, Honey Pie,” Draky murmurs.

My heartbeat quickens, and butterflies flutter furiously in my stomach. My heart is filled with happiness and joy. I feel like glowing, and floating on Cloud 9.

“Sophia Taylor?” he says, pulling away so he can look at me in the eyes.

“Y-yes, Drake Swift?” I whisper. I’m so nervous, I stutter!

He smiles, that irresistibly good, that makes my knees wobble. Thank God, Draky is holding me.

“I can live without you,” he says, his gaze piercing into mine. “But my life wouldn’t have meaning if it weren’t for you. You’re my everything. Thank you for taking me back.”

“Thank you for accepting me,” I respond.

He smiles, his eyes twinkling like the stars on the puzzle he gave me. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

He puts his lips on mine and it takes me a second to realize that we’re kissing. And then all I can think about is that I missed him so much, even though I’m already in his arms.

Why does it feel like this is my first kiss?

I can’t get enough of him! We wasted a lot of days because of our mistakes, but those our beyond us now. Nothing can keep us apart. I’m not planning on letting him go.

I’ve never been so in love! No words can describe what I’m feeling right now.

After we’re both running out of breath, we stop. My hands on his neck and his, on my waist. His eyes are still closed and I’m staring at him when he plants a kiss on my forehead.

“By the way,” I say, trying to calm my heart that’s trying to rip its way out of my chest, “I completed the puzzle.”

He grins. “Figures.” And then he winks at me, and I know that I won’t ever stop being in love with him.

Drake and I are not perfect. We have our flaws. But that’s alright. As long as we’re together, I know that everything will be fine.

More than fine.