Chapter 2: The bet
The week flew by pretty fast and soon, it was Friday. The first week was always the craziest and its a wonder how the students made it through without going insane.
In show choir class, Miss Davis busied herself by trying to look up a video of the song she was giving to her students. It was a surprise and she'd promised to show them the new song they'd be singing in the concert. They were all eager to see what the song was and Miss Davis had informed them that it was a newish song that they all probably knew it. Plus, they were all hoping the choreography would go along with the song. After all, show choir was a singing and dancing class. It was also an auditioned class so you'd have to have a pretty good voice to get in.
While she was looking up the song, Kori and Gar sat next to each other chatting about the party at Isaiah's tonight.
"I'm really excited Kor. I wish you would come..."
Kori sighed and brushed back her side bangs. "I know...but I'm not the social-or popular-type." She gave him a crooked grin.
Gar snorted and pointed a thumb to his chest. "Does it look like I'm either of those? No! C'mon, Jade is gonna be there."
"I know," she turned to see Miss Davis smiling indicating that she'd found the video. "But...it's just not fit for me!"
Gar was about to protest when Miss Davis clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay class! I've got it!"
The students stopped chatting and the noise died down. Soon, all of their eyes were on the projector that had a black screen and a play button at the bottom.
"I'm so anxious!" Whispered Gar.
Kori laughed and shushed him. Then Miss Davis hit the play button. The piano music began to play a familiar yet beautiful tune and Kori immediately recognized the song. It was one of her favorites.
"Right from the start you were a their you stole my heart and I, your willing victim." The magical voice of P!nk rang throughout the choir room.
All of the students suddenly started saying a string of 'Ohhhhhs' and clapping at the well known song. Obviously, they were pleased with the song choice.
After about three more minutes, the song ended and Miss Davis shut off the projector. Someone turned the lights back on and the teacher had a smile plastered onto her pretty, young face.
"So, what do you guys think!?" She asked cheerfully.
"Amazing! One of my favorite's!" Shouted Karen Beecher.
"Yeah Miss D, it's a good song." Victor Stone added.
Miss Davis's blue eyes twinkled and she began to hand out the sheet music. The song, 'Just Give Me a Reason' by Nate Ruess and P!nk were spread across the title page in pink and white designs. Kori couldn't contain her excitement.
"Alright, there are two solos for this! A boy and a girl." Miss Davis started and a few whispers were sent around the room. "The chorus will be sung by the class where as the beginning, some middle, and the end will be our two soloists."
Kole Weathers, a cute pink-haired girl who was a freshmen, raised her hand. The teacher pointed to her.
"Um when will auditions be? And will we have to audition in front of the whole class?" Her little voice was soft and sweet.
Miss Davis nodded. "Yes, you will audition in front if everyone because it'll help to get used to the fact that you'll be performing in front of the whole school plus more." Another round of whispers started up but Miss Davis wasn't finished. "The auditions will be held next Thursday because we need the two people who will be singing so we can get a head start on all of this. Remember, we still have choreography to learn by our favorite, Miss Karen Beecher." Karen put a hand to her heart and smiled thoughtfully. "And we only got a month to do all of this!"
She clapped her hands yet again and headed to the piano. "Lets get started! Just sing the solo parts also to see if you like it."
So then she began playing and the sopranos, altos, baritones, and tenors each sang their parts wonderfully. The song was fun, sweet, and all around exciting. Miss Davis seemed to be enjoying it as well.
Kori was for sure going to try out for the solo. Last year, as a freshmen, she was too scared to sing by herself in front of everyone in the class. But now, she was determined to get this solo.
Soon, the bell rang for lunch and the students rushed out of the room. Kori picked up her bag and caught Richard Grayson out of the corner of her eye walking out with Wally West and Vic. He was laughing obnoxiously loud and it made her blood boil. Gar put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at him in slight surprise.
"Are you okay dude? You look a little...maybe a lot red." He said and put a hand to her forehead.
Kori pushed her glasses up on her nose and nodded. "Just peachy. C'mon lets get some lunch."
TT
Lunch was hectic, as usual. The cafeteria was full of sophomores and each clique had their own table. The nerds, misfits, jocks, weirdos, and the popular's. The jocks and popular's sometimes sat together but not much. This was how stereotypical high schools were nowadays.
"So you going to Isaiah's tonight?" Roy asked Richard as he took a large bite out of his hamburger.
Richard popped a fry in his mouth and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe. You?"
Roy nodded. "Uhh, yeah dude. It's the first party of the year."
"Yeah and Isaiah is awesome. His house has an indoor pool with neon lights and a slide!" Wally added as he stretched his arms out for emphasis.
Richard sipped his coke and rolled his eyes. "Well that's what you get when your parents worked at the Pentagon."
They all agreed and Karen walked up. "Guess what?" She asked happily.
Rachel looked up at her friend and raised an eyebrow while Vic wrapped a strong arm around her. They all awaited her answer.
She smiled widely and said, "I got a brand new outfit for tonight!"
Boom. There it was. She always, ALWAYS had a new outfit for just about any event. They all groaned not surprised. She took a seat and grimaced. "Geez, y'all are Debby downers."
"Actually, Richard is. He's thinking about not going!" Exclaimed Roy.
Richard rolled his eyes yet again and sighed. "Well...I don't even have a date!"
"Please, you don't need a date. Your a playboy for goodness sakes." Said Rachel while picking at her salad.
"Actually," Roy started holding up a finger, "I think you should ask that Lori chick."
Richard looked taken aback and laughed out loud. Karen gave a confused expression. "Who?" She asked.
Vic shook his head in dismay and said, "That geeky yet gentle Kori Anders chick."
"Yeah forget the gentle part." Richard snorted.
Karen glared at him and said, "I think she's nice! She told me my outfit was cute one day. Lord help her fashion sense..."
Roy laughed and clutched his stomach from his own joke. "Dude! You should totally ask her! Imagine the look on her face!"
Wally laughed along with him and wiped an invisible tear away from his face. "Richard Grayson asking the school's nerdiest girl ever out? priceless!"
Richard slammed down his water bottle and said, "No. I'm not asking her out. I would never in a million trillion years ask her out."
Roy stopped laughing and looked at him devilishly. "Wanna bet?"
Everyone turned to Richard and waited for his answer. Bets were always a big thing for this particular group. Their popularity status was practically based on bets.
"What?" Richard spat. "A bet? On what?"
Roy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He smirked and said, "I will pay you five hundred dollars plus free lunch for the rest of the year if you can turn that," he pointed to Kori who was sitting at her table reading a book, "into one of the hottest, most popularist girl at our school by at least the first of January. New Year's Day."
Richard stared long and hard at his best friend. He was astonished. Not only by the amount of money he'd just offered him but also the topic he had chosen for this bet.
"That's almost impossible to turn down." Wally said. "I might wanna take that bet."
Roy shushed the redhead. "No, I'm asking Richard. Whaddya say Rich?"
Richard continued to stare at him and looked back at Kori for a moment. He saw her ugly red sweater with grey pinstripes and her wide framed glasses. At first he couldn't believe he could turn her into a goddess but once he looked closer, she was actually sort of...pretty.
'This'll be an easy five hundred bucks.' Richard thought and turned back to Roy with a smirk.
"It's a deal." Richard held out his hand to Roy, who in return shook it. Then Richard asked, "What if I lose?"
This time Roy's grin grew so wide, he looked like a Cheshire Cat. "You have to wear the girliest dress ever to school and in public. I'm sure the paparazzi's will love that."
Richard grinned knowing he could win this bet. "Okay fine. And if you lose, you have to do the same."
Roy nodded, "It's on, my brotha. Your time starts after lunch."
Richard nodded and smiled slyly. Vic looked between both guys and shook his head. "I can already tell this is a recipe for disaster."
TT
After lunch, the bell rang and the students rushed to their lockers. As for Richard, he followed Kori to her locker. He was determined to get this show on the road and win the bet.
Kori began to do her combination and she didn't even notice Richard standing by her. He faked a cough and she looked up.
He put on his million dollar smile and said, "Hi...Lori?"
Kori rolled her eyes and took out her chemistry book. "It's Kori."
He laughed nervously for some odd reason. "Right...uhh..Kori. Um-
"What do you want Grayson? Because you've never talked to me in your life except for when you pushed me down in the hallway. And if you want me to do your homework then you might as well walk away." She glared at him for a long three seconds before turning back to her locker and retrieving the rest of her supplies.
He was taken aback by the random outburst and rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually...I was wondering...if-uh. Well, you see there's this gathering-errr-party tonight," she looked at him like he'd just spoke in a foreign language and he felt like a retard. "Would you wanna go with me? Tonight?" He breathed out a sigh of relief.
Kori was wide eyed and stared at him. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why he'd just asked her to a party. Hot popular dude asking a geeky weirdo to a party?
Kori let out a loud laugh and slammed her locker. She then began to walk away but Richard followed.
"Is that a no?" He asked curiously.
She snorted. "That's a hell no."
Once again, he was surprised. She walked into her chemistry class leaving Richard dumbfounded. He didn't understand why she had said no. He was popular, rich, good looking, and a celebrity. It was just weird...like her.
"Are you kidding me..." He walked away to his next class that he'd be tardy to. Richard began to contemplate a way to at least hang out and become friends with her. But considering what had just happened, it was going to be tougher than he thought.
TT
"Hey bub, what are you doing?" Kori ruffled her little brother's red hair that matched her own and walked over to the refrigerator.
Her little brother, Ryan, smoothed down his hair and grunted. "I'm trying to figure out how this stupid game works."
Kori turned around with a bottle of water in her hand and gave him a questioning look. She then noticed the game he was playing: Candy Crush.
"You have to get three of the same candies in a row and clear the jelly. But you only have a certain amount of moves." She explained.
Ryan began to do as she was told and once he passed the first level, he let out a victory cry. "Woo! Thanks sis!"
Kori laughed. Just then, Luan and Myan walked in carrying bags of groceries.
"Hello my sweet children!" Luan's sweet voice echoed throughout the large kitchen.
"Hi mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?" Asked Kori.
Myan took out taco shells and ground beef from a bag. "Tacos!" He said.
Ryan jumped up and down cheerfully. Their family rarely had tacos. They usually either preferred Chinese or pizza or went out and ate. The family was pretty wealthy considering they owned one of the finest jewelry shops in Jump City. Myan was a great business man and a great husband. Luan was the sweet beautiful mother that everyone adored. It was a perfect little family.
Koma Anders, Kori's older sister, was their last family member. But she'd gone away for college over the summer and hasn't visited for awhile.
Kori was pretty happy at home. She'd spend most of her time up in her room reading, doing homework, listening to music, composing music, and much more. Her family spent a lot of time together and it made her very joyous.
"So, Kori," Luan started as she began to fry the meat. "Are you going anywhere tonight?"
Kori stared at her mother and laughed. "Mom, I never go anywhere."
"I know...but Jade said there was a back to school party and that I should tell you to go."
Kori sighed and made a mental note to strangle Jade later on. "I'm not the party-or social-type and she knows it."
Luan stirred in the seasoning and didn't say anything. Then, "Maybe you should get out there more. You're a sophomore and I appreciate all your hard school work and what not but I want you to remember your high school days as fun and adventurous."
"Well when it comes to senior year, I promise to be all of those things."
Luan looked at her skeptically wishing her daughter would have more fun in her life. She sighed and smiled a bit. "I'll remember that promise."
After dinner, Kori went up to her bedroom and decided to practice some more singing. She would go onto YouTube, pick one of her favorite songs, and song the karaoke version. It was her favorites thing to do in her free time.
She opened up her laptop and sat on her purple frilly bed. "Lets see..." she scrolled down all the songs she'd saved onto her playlist and clicked on 'Can I have this dance' from High School Musical 3. She was a sucker for Disney movie songs.
"Hmmmm..." Kori hummed the key she would be singing in and listened to the rapping part go by.
She knew her parents and brother could hear her but she didn't care because they often told her that her voice was outstandingly amazing. It was basically the only thing she had going for her.
"Take my hand, take a breath, pull me close, and take one step..." Her voice was right on key and sounded angelic. "Keep your eyes, locked on mine. And let the music be your guide."
The guys part began and she closed her eyes knowing every single word. The thought of somebody singing this with her gave her butterflies. But she knew it was a 1 in a million chance. She opened her eyes again and began to sing, "It's like catching lighting the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million the chances of feeling the way we do! And with every step together, we just keep on getting better! So can I have this dance...can I have this dance."
Kori finished the song without missing a beat. After it ended, she shut her eyes for a good five seconds and shut her laptop. Unbeknownst to her, her mother had been listening to the last of the song. Luan absolutely admired her daughter's beautiful singing voice. But she had been standing there for a different reason.
"Knock, knock." Luan walked into her room.
Kori smiled and sat up on her bed. "Hi mom. What's up?"
Luan smiled and leaned against her dresser. "I still don't understand why you haven't auditioned for The Voice or something."
Kori snorted and flopped back down onto her mass of pillows. "Mom, I'm not ready for that kind of stuff. Plus..I doubt I'd even make it."
"Oh honey," her mother sat down next to her, "You have no idea what you're capable of."
"Maybe one day I will." Kori leaned her head onto her mom's shoulder.
TT
Saturday afternoon was beautiful and sunny with the temperature just right. Richard and his friends were at the beach relaxing and enjoying the exhilarating sun. The girls were tanning, and the guys started up a quick game of volleyball.
"You can't serve to save your life!" Wally shouted to Vic. It was Roy and Wally versus Vic and Richard.
"You wanna bet?!" Vic shouted back and threw the ball up high in the air. When it came down, he smacked it so hard, it marveled a firework.
The ball was sent flying for Wally's side an hit him right in the face. The redhead was sent crashing to the ground.
Vic and Richard busted up laughing while Roy helped Wally up. Roy looked at the two laughing teens and said, "Ok, no more volleyball!"
"Aw c'mon, we just started!" Richard yelled while laughing.
Roy walked over to the girls and grabbed a bottle of water. "Yeah, and now we're ending."
Richard, Vic, and a dizzy Wally soon joined him and the girls. Roy popped a grape in his mouth and looked at Richard. "So, how's the bet goin? I'm guessing not so well considering you came to Isaiah's party dateless." Roy smirked at Richard's evil glare.
"For your information, the bet just started yesterday. I've got four months."
"Whatever man. Four months just doesn't seem like enough time." Said Wally.
Karen set down her 17 magazine and lifted up her shades. "Why do you gotta make that girl a bet? Out of all people."
"Yeah. Even Kitten would've been better bait." Rachel added.
The guys took a minute and shuddered at the thought of Kitten Moth. Then, Roy put a hand up. "Because, she has a hot friend, she can be hot if she tried, and Kitten is just...no."
"I second that." Vic said.
Richard stood up and grabbed his draw string bag. "Whatever, I'm leaving so i'll see you guys later." He began walking towards his car and heard the guys yelling after him. Ignoring their protests, he got into his convertible, one of many cars, and drove off.