The wrong guy to love

Ava Thorne just turned 20 years old. She had also just gotten admission into the same college her elder brother attended, so life was already starting to feel like it was finally going somewhere good.

Then Nathaniel called.

His voice came through the phone warm and familiar, telling her he had organized a surprise birthday party for her. Just hearing that made her feel like the happiest person on earth. But then he said something that caught her off guard. He didn't want her to bring Valerie. Her best friend. He said he wanted it to be just the two of them. More like a date.

She let it slide.

He arrived at her place and picked her up on his bike. That was one of the things she loved about him. He was a biker boy, and something about that always made her feel something she couldn't quite explain. She climbed on behind him, arms around his waist, wind hitting her face, and for a little while everything felt right.

Then they arrived.

Ava got down first and stopped moving completely.

Everyone she had graduated with in high school was there. Every single one of them. Her eyes moved across the crowd and her stomach sank immediately. He had said it would just be them. So why were all these people here? Her body tensed before her brain could even make sense of it. Something was wrong. She could feel it but she couldn't name it yet.

Nathaniel gently took her hand and led her toward the gathering. She spotted the banner. "Happy Birthday Ava." Big and bright. And even with that strange feeling sitting heavy in her chest, her heart warmed just a little bit.

"Sit down sweetheart." He said it easily, like he had no care in the world. She sat.

"This is a surprise party for you and I have an announcement to make." He walked over to one of his friends, collected a wireless microphone and climbed on top of the table like he owned the whole place.

Ava watched him from her seat, confused but waiting.

"We are all gathered here because of one person. Ava." He began slowly, voice carrying across the whole place. "Not only have you made me the happiest guy on earth, you have also managed to make me the richest."

She didn't understand that last part. Her brows pulled together slightly. Around her people were already laughing, like they knew something she didn't. She could feel every eye turning toward her and her stomach twisted hard.

Nathaniel then signaled one of his friends. The guy stepped away and came back holding a hat.

"Okay guys, I won the bet." His voice was loud and completely shameless. "I was able to take her pants off yesterday."

The crowd burst. Money started dropping into the hat, laughter filling every corner of the place.

Ava went completely still.

She just sat there for a moment, not moving, not breathing. The noise around her suddenly felt distant, like she was hearing everything from far away. Yes, they had been together yesterday.

Yes, that had happened. But a bet? He was standing on a table announcing it like it was some kind of achievement, like she was a trophy he had finally gotten his hands on.

She stood up.

Her legs carried her to the table before she even decided to move. She looked up at him, jaw tight, something burning behind her eyes.

"Why..... Are you... Doing this?" Her voice broke before she could stop it. Tears pushed forward and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her palm. She was not going to cry in front of all these people.

Nathaniel looked down at her without even a drop of shame on his face.

"You know you are the most beautiful and popular girl in high school." He said it into the microphone, still performing for the crowd. "They found it impossible that you could date an average guy like me so we made a bet."

Ava felt like the floor was being pulled from under her feet.

"So this whole relationship was just a bet to you." Her voice dropped, shaking. "Just a way for you to sleep with me and boost your ego."

"Exactly." He said it with a smile.

Then out of nowhere, red wine splashed all over Nathaniel. Ava spun around.

It was Valerie, she stood there, chest rising and falling fast, eyes burning with the kind of anger that didn't need to be loud to be dangerous.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." Valerie's voice was sharp and steady. She grabbed Ava's shoulder without waiting another second. "Come on let's go, let's leave these losers."

Ava turned back to look at Nathaniel one last time.

Her chest hurt. Like something inside had been squeezed too tight and couldn't go back to its original shape. She had been real with him. Genuinely real. And he had taken that and turned it into a game played in front of an audience.

She let Valerie pull her away.

They were out on the street before either of them said a word. Ava's nose was running. Her throat was burning from holding everything in. She had been through bad relationships before but not this kind of bad. First one was a cheater. Second one was just using her. And now this one made her a bet.

"Ahh I think I am cursed." She cried, her voice breaking between a sob and a tired laugh.

Valerie rubbed her back slowly without rushing her.

Then a thought came out of nowhere and cut right through everything.

"How did you know I was here." Ava looked at her, genuinely confused.

Valerie's face shifted just slightly. "They posted your pictures in the group chat and gave the location for more people to come."

Ava felt her heart drop all over again.

So it was never just a party. He had advertised it. He had invited an audience on purpose. She was never the guest. She was the show.

Her chest tightened so fast she couldn't get ahead of it. Her breathing went shallow. Her nose wouldn't stop running and the world around her started to blur at the edges.

Then everything went black. Right there on the street, Ava fainted.