The Playboys' Wager
- The Wager -
It's gonna be Alternate Universe (super AU), going be Out of Character. If you don't AU or OOC, please stop reading and hit the 'BACK' button. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy. This will be a short story, I am guessing around 10 chapters or less. Mostly SHAMY, other characters will appear also. For Michael Nolan (I even used his name in the movie), imagine him as Ryan McPartlin. I watched The Flight Before Christmas (by Mayim Bialik and Ryan McPartlin) and I enjoyed the movie.
"Oh, come on, Ames, lighten up! It's your birthday, for god's sake." Penny rolled her eyes dramatically and smacked her best friend's upper arms. Bernadette bobbed her head up and down, "Amy, Michael broke up with you for more than six months. He had moved on and you are still brooding over him. It's your birthday! Can we have a night of fun?" Bernadette pushed the shot glass towards Amy, indicating her to take a shot.
Bernadette regretted introducing Michael Nolan to Amy. He was her friend from high school, a quarterback for the high school football team. Michael was tired of dating the stereotypical party girl and wanted a change. He wanted to settle down with a girl who was intelligent, studious and innocent. Amy came to her mind immediately. Amy was sweet, intelligent, and pure. Amy had never been with a man. When Michael wooed her, she was swept off by his chivalrous mannerisms and his attention towards her. They became a couple soon. Every girl in UCLA was envious and jealous of Amy. She was the wallflower type of girl where no guy would give a second look while Michael was the handsome, popular and smart football star.
When Michael pushed for physical intimacy, wanting Amy to satisfy his urges, Amy backed away. She wanted to wait until marriage. As much as she wanted to rebel against her mother, she genuinely wanted to save herself for her husband. She felt that her virginity was a special gift she could give to her future husband. Somewhere in her heart, she did not think Michael as her future husband. She never went beyond first base with Michael. French kissing with Michael scared her. She was not comfortable with his tongue exploring the insides of her mouth.
Michael tried seducing, sweet talking and threatening but to no avail. Amy would not budge. Eventually, Michael found a cheerleader and broke up with Amy. He laughed at her face, calling her prude and then made out with her cheerleader girlfriend.
Amy was inconsolable for a few weeks and only went to her lessons. She stopped going to the cafeteria for lunch as she was humiliated by Michael's and his new girlfriend's circles of friends. She spent her free periods in the library studying. It took Bernadette and Penny weeks of consoling and counselling before Amy stopped hurting. When Penny heard about the pains Amy went through, she sought Michael out in the football field and delivered a kick to his groins and warned him to stop all the bullying. After being disgraced on the field, Michael meekly apologised to Amy and promised he would stop all bullying.
Amy, shook her head, and pushed it away, "My mum will lock me in the sin closet if she knew that I in the bar celebrating my 21st birthday in a club." She shuddered. Her claustrophobia was probably caused by her mum who locked her in the small and confined closet. Her mum was strict and did not like her having friends. Her mum cited that having friends is a huge distraction and they would lead her astray. She did not have any friends from Kindergarten till University. If she managed to make a friend, her mum would force her to break up the friendship. Her mum was the only one who signed her high school year book with a message – "Dear Amy, self-respect and a hymen are better than friends and fun. Love, Mom." – that still burned till today. She had no friends and fun until she met Bernadette.
She met Bernadette first year in UCLA. They had a common biology module and she needed a partner in the lab. Bernadette came to her lab table and sat down. Bernadette was straightforward and told her that out of all the potential lab partners, she liked her the best and she seemed smart. They first became lab partners, then lunch mates and lastly as friends. She liked Bernadette's personality. She was forthcoming. She told you right to the face if she was unhappy over something. She did not attempt to veil her displeasures. She was truthful and wore her heart on her sleeves. She did not need to second guess what Bernadette wanted or said. She felt comfortable with Bernadette.
"And, I hate loud music, strobe lights and cigarette smoke. Some birthday celebration you girls promised." Amy muttered under her breath. She knew her friends meant well and wanted to celebrate her birthday. She was grateful that she had both Bernadette and Penny who rallied around her when she was getting through the breakup. She had laughed when Penny told her she kicked Michael in the nuts. Her besties knew how to make her laugh. Her mother warned her that they were a bad influence but she did not care. She moved out from her mother's house and rented an apartment with Bernadette and Penny. She was truly blessed to have them in her life as they brought laughter and friendship her life.
"Yada. Yada. Yada. Drink!" Penny urged Amy and pressed the shot glass on Amy's lips. Penny giggled drunkenly. Amy relented and opened her mouth slightly, wanting only to take a sip. Penny not going to let Amy off so easily, squeezed the side of Amy's mouth and poured the shot down into Amy's throat.
"Penny!" Bernadette squealed. Penny shrugged it off and patted Amy's back as she coughed.
"Penny. That burned!" Amy hiccupped and coughed at the same time. Tears rolled down from the sides of her eyes. "Oh Amy, you got to lighten up. Let me look for some men for you." Penny stood up and her eyes darted across the dance floor, picking up some potential candidates for Amy.
"Penny! I am not ready for another relationship." Amy pulled Penny back to the sofa. "Geez." Penny pouted and accepted another shot from Bernadette. "I saw some guys over there." Penny pointed to the far end of the VIP area, "they seemed interested in us. They kept looking our way."
"She is so drunk." Amy smiled. She really loved Penny. Like Bernadette, she was never afraid of speaking her feelings. She knew Penny through Bernadette. Penny worked in the same Cheesecake Factory as Bernadette. Bernadette had to work to supplement her studies in UCLA. Penny, in her words, was waitressing to get by days while waiting for her breakthrough acting role. She was an aspiring actress from Omaha but lately was getting more jaded and frustrated with her life. She was only involved in a low budget horror film – "Serial Ape-ist" – where she had a topless scene. She thought she had a big break but to her disappointment, no talent scouts or managers had asked her to act in another movie. Nonetheless, Penny was still fun-loving and passionate.
"You know, I love the two of you," Amy pulled two of her friends close and hugged them, "but you know platonically only."
"I am grateful that you're in my life." Amy gently pecked on Penny and Bernadette's cheeks.
"I am bored," Sheldon lamented, as he swirled his glass of whisky and drank it in a gulp. Howard and Leonard nodded their agreements and toasted each other. They had thought coming to the hottest and popular club in Pasadena would be fun and somehow alleviate their boredom. The three of them had just recently broken up with their girlfriends. Leonard and Howard were on the prowl for new girlfriends.
"I could not believe Stephanie wanted to move away for her studies! There're so many prestigious universities in Pasadena which offered excellent medicinal programs. Why does she have to choose Harvard? She had the audacity to ask me to give long distance relationship a try." Leonard whined, like a petulant whiner.
"Well, Leonard, have you ever considered that Stephanie moving away is because she wanted to be away from your whines?" Sheldon stated matter-of-factly. He really liked his childhood friend but there were times he wished that Leonard was mute.
Leonard glared at Sheldon and retorted, "I am pretty sure why Ramona left you was because she could not stand your rotten attitude. I don't know why I put up with yours for so long! I must have done something horrendous in my past life. And I don't whine." He complained angrily. Sheldon chuckled, wondering how his friend could not see that he was like a whiny baby.
"For your information, the Ramona thing was just a fling. I don't date or woo any woman. They are my arm candies when I must attend parties and satisfy my needs. I gave them what they wanted. Expensive jewellery, branded bags and clothes and money. They are mainly an outlet for me." Sheldon added. He found a relationship with a woman off putting. They were, as simply as he would put, a complete waste of time. He rather spent his time doing other things, like playing golf or observing the stock market.
"Guys!" Howard put his hands up in the air, catching their attention. "The two of you could not have it worse than me. Leslie dumped me in the bed. Could you believe it? She said my BIG HOWIE was unsatisfactory." Howard emphasised on 'BIG HOWIE' for dramatic effect.
Sheldon and Leonard winked at each other and chorused in unison, "we could. Trust us. Your Howie is not as huge as you think so." They broke into peals of laughter. Their eyes travelled down to Howard's southern areas and continued sniggering.
Howard clamped his mouth shut and seethed. "You guys are my friends, childhood friends. We shared binky when we were in the same cot!"
"I have an eidetic memory and I can assure you, we did not share the binky. Cot, yes but binky no." Sheldon snickered.
"Woah, what's with all the laughter?" Rajesh sashayed into the VIP area with a groove. "You're late." Howard pointed out crossly. "Geez, fine, I will foot the bill tonight." Rajesh sat down beside Howard and took the glass of whisky from him.
"Emily kept me in the bed for quite a long while," Rajesh smiled and winked scandalously.
They all rolled their eyes at him. Emily was Leonard's second cousin and he introduced her to Rajesh. Rajesh was always moping about how he could not stay in a relationship for long as the woman find him too feminine, too spoiled and too dependent on his parents.
"Rub it on us, Raj," Leonard slapped Rajesh on the back.
"Enough of me bragging about the mind-blowing sex Emily and I had," Rajesh smirked arrogantly to his friends' irritation.
"We were saying we were bored," Leonard said. He pressed the buzzer and ordered a few bottles of expensive alcohol and put it on Rajesh's tab.
"Why?" Rajesh asked, despite knowing the answer. Leonard did not want to have a long-distance relationship and Stephanie was adamant of moving for her studies. Howard was dumped on his bed for not able satisfying his girlfriend. Sheldon just dumped another infatuated woman who thought she could control him.
"Stephanie and Leonard. Howard and Leslie. I just dumped Ramona." Sheldon said simply.
"Hey. I think I have something that could excite you all." Rajesh shouted a little too eager.
"Please, not another of your boring games or scavenger hunt. Listen to me, they're not fun or exciting." Howard placed both of his palms on Rajesh's smooth face, turned Rajesh face to look at him.
"I am thinking how about the three of you have a bet and see who could bed, hmm," Rajesh scanned around the club for potential women and finally spotted three women sitting at the common area table, "a woman first."
"That's easy for me. No woman would ever or have rejected me," Sheldon pointed up and down his body. "My body is a fine piece of art." Sheldon dared them to rebuke.
Leonard scoffed. Howard rolled his eyes exasperatedly, unable to contain his contempt for Sheldon.
"Oh Shelly," Rajesh used the nickname Sheldon hated the most, "the rules here are you have to woo the woman first and she must be willing to sleep with you without the lure of money or expensive gifts. Then you dump her."
"I don't pursue any woman." Sheldon folded his arms across his chest. "That's the point. It makes this fun. Isn't it?"
"That group of girls over there." Rajesh pointed to Amy, Bernadette and Penny's table. "I have scanned the whole club and find them to be the most suitable candidates."
"What's the prize over here?" Howard asked.
"You can bet anything," Rajesh answered. If he was not in a relationship with Emily, he would have played this game with the guys. But he was sure if Emily ever found out about his thoughts of wanting to participate, she probably would chop him into pieces and cook him as curry. He shuddered. His Emily was sweet and dangerous at the same time.
"Are you in, Sheldon?" Leonard inquired. He knew that Sheldon did not like Rajesh's rules as he did not like courting a woman.
"Ohhh. Our Shelly is afraid of losing because he could not court woman!" Howard laughed and hi-fived with Rajesh. "I am not. Fine, I will participate." Sheldon agreed, unable to tolerate the goading and moreover he never loses.
"So… what should we bet?" Sheldon looked at the women who were enjoying their chit chatting. There were two blondes and a brunette. To him, the blondes looked attractive but they seemed easy. If he were up to a challenge, he would choose the bespectacled brunette who looked uncomfortable in this setting.
"Sheldon, I am thinking of your newly bought, limited edition Aston Martin Vulcan." Howard had been eyeing Sheldon's new ride since he bought it. He wanted one too but he was unable to get his hands on it.
"Excellent choice. Fine. I am willing to place it as a bet. I want your apartment in New York."
They discussed their bets before deciding that Sheldon – two of his limited edition Aston Martin cars as bets, Howard – his apartment in New York as stakes and Leonard – his beloved yacht as bets.
"Great, now we have all the stakes ironed out. Let's lay down some ground rules. I will be the bet keeper. You could not sabotage any of bettor's attempt of courting. You could not lure them to the bed with promises of money. Of course, you could not drug the woman." Rajesh stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger, thinking of anything more to add.
"Fine." Leonard, Howard and Sheldon agreed.
"I call dibs on the petite blonde. Any disagreements?" Howard was instantly enticed by the small-sized blonde. Sheldon and Leonard shrugged.
"After you," Sheldon let Leonard choose first. He hoped that Leonard would choose the other blonde. "I like tall girls." Leonard muttered, "I will choose the tall blonde."
"Woah, Sheldon, it seemed that you got the most difficult girl. She seemed so virginal." Rajesh gave him a thumb up. "Well, I do like a challenge and the two girls seemed easy." Sheldon was relief that Leonard had not called dips on the brunette.
The brunette might not be the most conventional beauty and not a woman whom he would date normally. However, she had an aura that attracted him. She wore conservative clothes. Unlike her pals who wore a low cut dress, she opted for a little black dress which did not show any cleavage. Her dress ended just above her kneecaps. The more he observed her, the more intrigued he got.
"Shall we?" Sheldon stood up and led the way to them.
He attracted a lot of attention from the dance floor but he ignored all gasps or praises. He only had eyes for the bespectacled brunette.
"Can we buy you a drink?" They asked when they reached the girls' tables.
Sheldon Lee Cooper never expected to fall hard for Amy Farrah Fowler. He thought it was just a game, a harmless bet, he played with his friends. Little did he know that he would cause so many irreparable pains on Amy.
Amy and Sheldon's life were about to change as Sheldon crossed path with Amy.
I hope you enjoy this, despite the OOC-ness. I tried my best to keep them as close as their character on the show. Please leave a review if you can. They're very much appreciated!