Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush, Harry Potter, or anything recognizable in this chapter.

InLogansBed: I'm sorry for that. Zach is a coward, it's one of his many flaws. Logan and Carlos really are adorable :) I know, but the sidekicks aren't too picky when it comes to girls. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! I always appreciate it :)

Guest: I'm sorry it took me almost a month to update, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it :) Thank you for reading and reviewing, I mega appreciate it!

btrfanfiction1516: Thank you so much! That means so much, so thank you for saying that :) And thank you for taking the time to read and review! As always, I really appreciate it :)

JMBBYGRL: You think so? We'll see ;) Thank you for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it!

IHATEZACHWILDER: First off, I love the name hahaha. It states your feelings pretty clearly. Second, you're right, she probably should tell Kendall. We'll see about Cargan ;) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it's much appreciated!

Year3000: Thank you for your reviews, they're very appreciated! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED, FAVORITED, FOLLOWED, AND READ THIS STORY! You're all so amazing and I love getting the alerts and reviews, it always makes my day that much better, and I love hearing your opinions and feelings and theories about the story :)

A/N: So, I said in the author's note of the latest chapter of "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" that both "Take the Heat" and this story were being stubborn. Yeah, the chapters didn't want to be written. At all. And all the while school was catching up with me and ugh. On the bright side, I passed a class I thought for sure I was going to fail, but the final for that class was one of the reasons why it took so long for "Take the Heat" and this story to be updated, so I'm sorry for that. But hey, it's being updated! Also, I passed 200 reviews, so thank you so much for that!

On another note, there's only going to be another three or four chapters left, along with the epilogue. This chapter is also the beginning of the climax, which should come in two parts. I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter, but hopefully it turned out okay :)

Warnings: Language, sexual innuendos, mild violence, hints of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter Sixteen – The Bet

Katie's POV

As Zach approached us, James and I both got to our feet. Something told me now wasn't a good time to put James' suggested plan into action…

Zach crossed his arms. "Where are Garrett and Gordon?" he demanded.

I frowned at him, wondering how long I could distract him before he noticed that James was standing right next to me. "Who're Garrett and Gordon?"

"I think he's talking about your stalkers," James spoke up, completely ruining my plan.

"Oh. Well, they're inside, trying to get laid. You should go in and join them," I suggested.

"No can do. So, you're sneaking around my back with James Diamond?"

"Look who's talking," I shot back, crossing my own arms. "Garrett and Gordon told me that you've been cheating on me since last summer. And you have the nerve to accuse me of double-crossing you? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the guy who, once I tell the story, discovered his girlfriend with James Diamond."

"So? Once I tell my story, I'm going to be the girl who found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her."

"But you don't have any proof. I, on the other hand, do." And with that, he held up his phone and snapped a picture of us. "The whole school knows you went away for the weekend with him. And you told me that you were hanging out with your friends. This doesn't look like you're hanging out with them."

"Whatever. Tell them whatever you want, I don't care anymore."

"You know I'll make sure that word gets back to my dad. Do you really want your mom to lose her job?"

"If your dad actually believes that I'd cheat on you, than I'd rather she work for someone smarter than him," I snapped.

"Oooh, scary," he taunted, before looking at James. "By the way, I owe you public humiliation."

"What for?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"For that little stunt you pulled a couple of weeks ago in the cafeteria when you publicly brought Katie's necklace back to her."

"You're going to bring a piece of her jewelry to me?"

"No. I was thinking more along the lines of a little showdown."

The doors to Bastille Hall opened, and Kendall, Jo, Logan, Stephanie, and Carlos spilled out onto the steps.

"What's going on here?" Kendall demanded, tilting his chin up authoritatively.

Zach grinned, cold and sharp like a knife's blade. "I was just challenging Diamond here to a friendly showdown."

"Look, I'm not dueling with you at high noon," James said boredly. "So you'll have to come up with something else."

"Luckily for you, I wasn't going to suggest a duel," Zach replied.

"Wait, why are you guys going to duel?" Logan demanded. "That doesn't sound very safe. Maybe you guys should rethink this."

"We're not going to duel!" Zach cried. "Can't you guys keep up?"

"No, we're just going to have some kind of showdown, because that sounds so much better." James rolled his eyes. "This ought to be good."

"Well, why are you guys having a showdown?" Logan wanted to know.

"He wants me to humiliate me publicly, like I humiliated him when I returned Katie's necklace to her," James told him.

"Oh, okay."

"So, what kind of showdown were you thinking of?" Carlos asked Zach. "Because I got to tell you, there is such a thing as laws and school regulations."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Diamond, you have a car, right?"

James nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Why don't we drag race?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, that thing where we race each other in cars?"

"I know what drag racing is, asshole," James snarled. "Where the hell are we going to race?"

"You know the road that goes from the back of the school, around the outskirts of town and then makes a loop?"

"Yeah."

"We'll do it there."

I stepped between them. "Um…this doesn't sound particularly safe…"

They both stared at me, before James nodded curtly. "Fine. You're on."

"Good," Zach responded, holding out his hand. "Five-o-clock tomorrow afternoon. Don't be late."

"I wouldn't dream of it." James gripped his hand and they shook, glaring furiously at each other. "I'll be there."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. Because if you don't show, you'll look like a coward in front of the whole school."

"Excuse me?"

"I said public humiliation, didn't I? I'm planning on telling as many people as I possibly can."

"Of course you are."

"And I have to tell you, I'm a fucking good racer," Zach added.

James shrugged, not looking all that concerned. "So am I. So I guess we'll be evenly matched."

Zach did not look pleased by this news. "I've seen the piece of shit you drive. It's nothing compared to mine."

"Which is?"

"Do you want to tell him, Katie?" he asked me sweetly.

"Not really…"

"Tell him."

I let out a groan. "A silver Lamborghini."

"Flashy," James commented. "We'll see whose car is better, I guess."

"Yes, we will," Zach said smoothly.

"Or you two could just arm wrestle," I suggested hopefully. "You guys look pretty evenly matched."

Well, okay, no they didn't. James' biceps were about twice as big as Zach's, but that was totally okay with me. I wanted James to win…

They ignored me. Again.

"Let's make another bet," Zach said to James. "A small, little one. Whoever wins this one gets to take Katie in their car during the race."

My eyes widened. What?!

"No!" James cried, looking outraged. "No way in hell. I'm not taking that fucking bet. Racing is dangerous enough without adding another person."

Zach shrugged. "Either you agree to it, or you forfeit the entire race."

There was a long pause, and then James set his jaw. "What do you have in mind?"

I decided at that moment that boys were really, really stupid, and clearly couldn't make their own decisions.

Zach grinned. "Poker. Blackjack. Katie's the stakes."

"So, what am I supposed to say? I raise you one Katie?" James wanted to know.

"Say whatever the hell you like, I don't really care."

"Where is this taking place?"

"The Bastille Hall basement, of course."

"When?"

"Now."

"Hey, wait a second!" I cried in outrage, sliding between the two idiots. "Don't I get a say in any of this?!"

Zach stared at me. "You got us into this. So no, you don't."

"She does get a say in this," James growled, stepping in front of me.

"If she doesn't do this, then you automatically forfeit," Zach informed him. "And I'm pretty sure you don't want to be known as a coward."

"Fuck you, Wilder. If anyone's the coward it's you. Go to hell."

"Not before I take you with me," he breathed out, and the hair on the back of my neck immediately pricked up. I had a sudden scene flash across my mind of Zach shoving James into the wall before beating the crap out of him, and I reacted before I could even think twice about it.

I moved around James, stepping up to James, jutting my chin out determinedly. "I'll do it. Place your bet, Zach. You're not going to beat James."

A cold smirk crossed Zach's face. "Challenge accepted."

Everything seemed to move forward on high speed the second he said that.

Carlos hurried up to his and James' dorm to grab a deck of cards, while the rest of us made our way down to the basement without a second thought.

"You don't have to do this, any of this," I whispered to James as I clutched his hand, slowly walking down the stairs. "I won't think any less of you."

"It's the principle of the thing," he whispered back. "I can't let Wilder get away with this."

"You're betting on me!"

"I'm sorry, Katie."

"Ugh. Boys are so stupid," I groaned.

"If I win, you don't have to ride with me," he promised me as we reached the ground. "I know how you feel about cars."

"And if you don't win?"

"I'll win," he said determinedly.

"You don't know that."

"I don't have a choice. On the bright side," he added in a fake-cheerful voice, "we're not playing strip poker."

"It's not too late to change the game, though," Stephanie informed him.

James stared at her while I glared at her furiously. "Down, girl."

"Hey, a girl's gotta resort to desperate measures once in awhile," she shrugged. "I just spent the half hour being wooed by some dude who's as stupid as he is big. Why aren't there any hot guys around here?"

"There are. They're just either taken or gay," I replied.

"On a scale from one to America, how free are you?" she asked James.

He stared her down. "I'm communist China."

"Guess that answers that…"

"So are you two officially together now?" Camille asked as we headed towards an empty table in the corner of the room. "Have you broken up with Zach?"

"Not yet. That's next," I told her.

"Well, if I were you, I'd wait until tomorrow," she suggested, nodding towards Zach. "Because I have a feeling he could crack a few heads open without even batting an eye."

"We'll see," I said. "I'm not really with him. At least, not emotionally. Barely physically, and even that's pushing it. It's all just a show."

"Because he had something on you?"

"Yeah, exactly. But that's over with. At this time tomorrow, Zach and I will be broken up," I said determinedly.

"Good. Because I don't think any of us can take much more of this," Camille said tiredly, rubbing her temples as we sat down around the table.

"Tell me about it," James groaned. "Fucking Zach Wilder…always has an angle on everything."

"Always," I agreed, just as Carlos and Zach joined us. Garett and Gordon sat behind Zach, cracking their knuckles and making threatening faces. They were totally Crabbe and Goyle from Harry Potter.

I watched as Carlos shuffled the cards and dealt them out, and the game began.

I watched with baited breath and a churning stomach as they drew cards and carefully considered their options. I didn't know much about card games, but I knew the point with blackjack was to get as close to twenty-one as possible. That, however, was about as far as my knowledge went and I wasn't about to ask either of them to explain the game to me.

As I watched, I could see James chewing hard on his bottom lip while Zach smirked widely, clearly enjoying himself. He was loving torturing James and me like this, it was obvious. And I was really wishing I could see his cards, because considering how proud he looked of himself, I had a feeling he had a really good hand…

At last, James laid his cards down. "Twenty," he said neatly. "Top that, Wilder."

Zach's smirk widened and my stomach clenched. Oh crap…he didn't…

"Twenty-one, Diamond," he said smoothly as he spread his own cards out. "I win, you lose, and Katie's going to be riding in my car with me tomorrow when we drag race. And I don't know about you, but this seems like an omen to me – I'm going to kick your sorry ass from here to India."

"You may have won this bet, Wilder, but I'm going to be the one kicking your ass from here to India tomorrow," James retorted as he got to his feet. "See you tomorrow at five." And with that he stormed up the basement stairs and through the door at the top.

I stood up as well, not saying anything, and followed James up the stairs. I caught up with him in the lobby, placing my hand on his shoulder. "James, it's not your fault."

"I know. Damn it! I wonder how the hell he beat me…"

"I don't know. Maybe he lucked out. Maybe the cards were marked or something."

"It was my deck, Katie."

"Then I don't have a clue. He might just be really good at the game. But that's not the point. You're going to win tomorrow. You're going to kick his ass, and I'm going to break up with him and we'll be together – if you still want that, I mean."

"I do." He took my hands in his. "Are you going to be able to handle being in his car tomorrow?"

"I'll deal with it," I said firmly. "Don't worry about it. But you don't have to do this. You don't have to race him."

"Yes, I do. I can't let him walk all over us – I have to put him in his place."

"Because that went so well tonight," I mumbled.

He stepped back, hurt flashing across his face like a bolt of lightning.

"James… I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"No, you're right. I shouldn't have used you as a gambling chip."

"I agreed to it. It's just as much my fault as yours."

He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry about all of this."

"Yeah, me too. But we're going to get through this. We just have to get through tomorrow and then it'll be over. No more games, no more lies, no more secrets. By this time tomorrow, you will be mine, James Diamond." And with that proclamation, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to me, kissing him passionately before letting him go. With a smirk at the stunned look on his face, I sauntered out of Bastille Hall and headed back to my dorm.

Yeah, tomorrow was going to be interesting…

James' POV

I tossed and turned the entire night. I didn't always sleep that well anyway, due to a case of insomnia that had been going on since I was twelve, but that didn't make it any more fun, especially since I needed to be well rested for the drag race.

I finally conked out around six and slept until two in the afternoon. After a quick shower and an early dinner, I slipped into jeans, a black t-shirt, my leather jacket, and black sneakers, before heading down to the student parking lot. My heart was pounding wildly as I reached my car. The entire school was buzzing about the race, and while no one really seemed to know what it was about, they knew a lot of shit was about to go down. I had to win this race. I had to prove to everyone that Zach wasn't Mr. Perfect, that he wasn't the golden boy like everyone seemed to think he was. And I had to prove that I deserved Katie, that I could stand up for her and protect her against Wilder and anything else that might be out to hurt her.

With my heart practically beating in my throat, I climbed into my car and started it, before driving it around to the back of the school, where the road started. Zach was already there with Katie, as well as what looked like half of the school. Logan and Kendall were there, and so were Carlos, Lucy, Jett, Dak, Stephanie, Camille, and Jo. Zach had his arm around Katie, but it looked more like he was restraining her than holding her.

I parked my Dodge Charger beside his silver Lamborghini and got out, strolling over to him. "Ready to go, Wilder?"

"Ready whenever you are, Diamond," he retorted.

"Let's do this." I glanced over at Katie, and she gave me a small, anxious smile. She looked so tiny and vulnerable trapped at Zach's side, and it took everything I had not to dash over to her and pull her into my arms, holding her securely against me and reassuring her that she was safe.

As I passed by her on the way back to my car, I reached out, gripping her hand for a long moment before moving away.

"Good luck, dude," Carlos said quietly as he joined me in front of my car. "You're going to do fucking awesome."

I smiled a little. "Thanks, Carlos."

"Show him whose boss," Lucy added as she hugged me. "Don't let him beat you. Don't let him get your girl."

"I won't."

"Good."

With one last glance at Katie, who was now sliding into the front passenger seat of Zach's car, I got back into my driver seat and slipped the key into the ignition, the engine roaring to life, before purring smoothly like a contented kitten being petted. I buckled up and watched as Logan walked around in front of us. He had somehow managed to procure a racing flag, and in one fell swoop he brought it down sharply. I stepped on the accelerator and my car jolted into action, taking off before Zach had even gone more than a few feet.

In your face, Wilder.

The road behind the school and the back of town was nothing more than dirt, with enough twists and turns to make a rollercoaster jealous. If you didn't know the road well, it could be hazardous, and even if you were pretty familiar with it, it could still catch you by surprise. I couldn't help but wonder if part of the reason why Wilder had decided that we should race on this road was because he wanted to scare the living shit out of Katie before she left him. It seemed like the kind of underhanded, psychotic thing he would do. He needed to have control, had to have the upper hand at all times, and it must have been killing him to know that she had broken free of his grasp, was outside of his dictatorship. That was probably why he had challenged me to the drag race and to blackjack in the first place. He had to show that he was still in control, but he wasn't. Katie was going to leave him no matter what he did, and she was going to leave him for me, the school delinquent. Yeah, that was definitely eating him alive. And if he had pulled that sort of shit, going out of his way to scare Katie out of her mind, then I was betting he was going to do a few more things to ensure that he won. If nothing else, he would work on psyching me out, but he hadn't been very good at it the night before, and he hadn't even tried today.

But maybe he was letting me fall into a false sense of security. He was going to pull something, and he was going to do it when I was least expecting it.

I glanced in my rear view mirror and groaned. I wasn't actually all that surprised to see his Lamborghini picking up speed, drawing closer to me, but it still sucked. I had been hoping that he would be behind me the entire race, but clearly that wasn't going to happen. For all I knew, letting me have a head start was some sort of bizarre tactic he had picked up at psycho camp. Time to brace myself for what he was about to do – whatever it was.

He got even closer, staying right behind me, and I swallowed hard. He was close, too close, almost to the point of tailgating me. What the fuck was he doing?

Wait, I knew that one. He was psyching me out, making me uncomfortable, pushing into my personal space so that I would slip up and make a mistake, screw up just enough so that he could win. Only I wasn't going to.

I pushed the pedal down even further, gripping the wheel tightly as I clenched my jaw. After taking several deep breaths, I relaxed my grasp on the wheel and turned it, preparing for the upcoming curve. I took the turn smoothly, as opposed to Wilder who went around it sharply. I saw the car skid slightly as he lost control of it, possibly going through a patch of mud or an uneven part of road, but I kept on going. Although, really? I was beginning to wonder just how good of a driver he was, and how safe Katie really was with him. I had figured he would do his best to scare her, but if he couldn't even drive worth a crap…

I took the next series of hairpin turns neatly, keeping control of the car unlike Zach, who didn't seem to know the road as well as he had seemed to. I had walked along it quite a bit the year before, before I had gotten my Dodge Charger, when I had needed to get away from all the shit going on at school, or when my stepmother had called me or texted me, reminding me of everything she had ever done…

I bit down on my lip so hard that I suddenly tasted blood, but I didn't flinch, even as my mouth smarted and stung. I just kept on driving.

I approached the hill that would take me into the outskirts of Dalton and floored the accelerator, but let up on it as I approached the peak. The car coasted down and I smiled a little, feeling it kick up speed as I reached level ground once more.

Zach was still behind me, but he had fallen back a bit due to his inane handling of the curves and turns. Good. I could work with that.

I continued along the road, driving behind buildings before diving back into the last stretch of the path. It was the most dangerous section of the road. Besides the fact that it was patchy, the curves were ridiculous, and taking them at thirty miles an hour on a clear, sunny day could be perilous.

With a deep breath, I made the first turn, slowing down enough so that I could still keep control of the car. Another turn…and then another…It was on the fourth one that Zach made his move. I was a quarter into the turn when he stepped on the gas, his car suddenly shooting like a bullet past me. But instead of straightening it out, he spun the wheel so that he was right in front of me, forcing me to stomp hard on the brakes.

That son of a bitch.

My head pounded as rage seeped into my body, tensing it, ready to strike. I couldn't believe he had just done that. I could have killed us all if I hadn't been paying attention. He had just risked Katie's life and his own so that he could beat me…No. Like hell he was going to win now.

I stepped on the gas and skirted around him on the next stretch of straight road, before taking off like a missile. I made the last curve, a hairpin turn, and came to a screeching stop in front of my friends.

Zach followed closely behind, but he had gone around the turn so fast that his car went into a fierce spin, causing everyone in a ten yard radius to jump back out of the way.

I slammed the gears into park and shut the ignition off, before leaping out of my car, blood roaring in my ears, my fists clenching so hard that my nails were biting into my palms. I dashed over to Katie's door and wrenched it open. She toppled out, falling to her knees, her face whiter than snow. I knelt down beside her, pulling her into my arms and stroking her hair. Logan joined me on the ground, reaching for her. I let him take her, watching as he felt her face.

"She's clammy," he announced as Kendall, Camille, Stephanie, Jo, and Carlos hurried up to us. "And she's shaking like hell."

The car suddenly shook violently as Zach slammed his door shut. I got to my feet and rushed towards him, shoving him into the car door.

"What the fuck was that?!" I roared. "You son of a fucking bitch, do you know what you just did to her?! You've probably traumatized her for the rest of her life, just so that you could have the last word!"

"Get the fuck off of me, asshole!" Zach yelled, pushing me back and moving away, heading towards the school. "You're such a prick!"

I stalked after him, and the crowd closed in around us, refusing to let him pass. Katie was too well liked for anyone to let the guy who had just traumatized her beyond belief get away without facing his punishment.

"I'm the prick? I'm the prick?! You're the one who tried to cut me off on one of the last hairpin turns, you jackass! You're the one who made the last turn too fast and went into a spin. It's a fucking miracle the car didn't turn over! You could have killed us all, and you don't even give a fuck about that! You could have killed Katie! You. Mother. Fucker!" Without thinking, without even comprehending what I was doing, I punched him as hard as I could. I felt my fist hit his nose, felt a sharp pain shoot through my knuckles, and felt him stumble back. I advanced on him, my hand smarting furiously. "You don't give a damn about her, Wilder. You never did. You just want her for your own means. And it's enough. I'm the one she wants to be with, and we all know it. Stay the fuck away from her."

And with that, I spun around and walked back towards Katie, never once looking over my shoulder at him.

So, yeah. That was chapter 16. What'd you guys think? Sorry if it wasn't actually that great - like I said, the chapter didn't want to be written.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it :) And please review! The reviews have seriously gone down on my other stories, and while I don't write for reviews, I like to know that people are still interested in them and reviews do that more than anything else. After all, you can only favorite or follow a story so many times. I'm not trying to sound bitchy and I'm sorry if I do, I'm just a little worried right now. So if you have the time, please leave me a line or two letting me know that you're still enjoying this story :) Thank you!