Betting on You

36

t h i r t y s i x

"What does that even mean?" my voice didn't sound like my own because of how raw and real the tone ended up being, but I didn't care.

Luke, however, chewed on his lip ring, not looking like he wanted to say more as he studied my reaction. This was all just so much. So much secrecy. And it looked like everything he had ever admitted to me before today about Harmony and Jared had just been scraping the tip of the iceberg. I had no idea the enormity of what lay beneath the surface of the water.

Luke looked off, not meeting my eyes, "We started betting on you." he repeated the words, almost as if he thought that it was going to clarify any of the swarming questions that I had buzzing around my brain.

My eyes narrowed, "What the hell does that even mean, Luke?" I repeated myself as well, "What do you mean you started betting on me?"

Again, he remained silent, searching my eyes and deciding how much more he wanted to say. Deciding how angry he was willing to allow me to get because of the truths that he was revealing. But I wanted all of it now. What was the point of hiding anything more?

When I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting expectantly, Luke sighed through his nose and stepped towards me, grasping my arm gently. When he did I pulled back quickly, not wanting him to touch me, "Don't touch me."

"Maddy-"

"Tell me about these bets," I cut him off, "Tell me how much you think I'm worth."

"Maddy," he almost pleaded. Almost. Again he reached for me and this time when he grasped my wrist I let him, allowing him to lead me over to his bed. He sat me down on the edge, "Sit in the middle."

Stupidly, I think because I was curious as to where this was going, I did as told and moved to the center of his bed, sitting on my knees, "What difference is this going to make?"

He didn't respond, turning towards his closet and reaching up to the top shelf. Just like the last time I had been here when we had fought, he pulled the familiar black box from the top of his closet, retrieving the container that I knew contained gifts he had bought for me from over the years. Gifts that I said I didn't want.

He came back over to me and stood in front of me, at the end of his bed, placing the box down in front of him. He gave me a quick glance before looking down at the box, reaching inside.

"We made a bet in junior year that you wouldn't have a date for the spring formal," He pulled free one of the ballon wrapped gifts and set it in front of me, "When I won, I used the money to buy your birthday gift, which was later that year."

Money. They bet money on me. Didn't he say he was trying to prevent the boys in our year from objectifying me? What the hell did he think this was, if not objectifying?

Immediately a wave of repulsion washed over me as I stared down at the gift; A symbol of a bet that he won. Was I supposed to swoon over this?

When I continued to stare at the gift, eyes unwavering, I heard Luke reach into the box again and pull out a heart-wrapped box. Again, he set it in front of me, "We bet on whether or not Cody Mars was going to ask you out," he set the gift down in front of me, "When he didn't, and I won, I used the money to buy you a something for valentines day that year."

I continued to stare down at the gift, feeling my eyes suddenly start to water. I remembered hearing a rumour about that, actually. Before Stan, I heard whispers of whether or not I was ever going to get a boyfriend. Dating had never really been a big deal to me before, but Stephanie thought that my lack of male attention was contagious. She almost started bullying me over it, before Stan came along. But even before, I heard whispers all the time of some boy in our year planning to ask me out and then it would never happen.