Chapter 90
Allison sighed, “You have no idea how much they were betting. The amount went up to thousands of dollars. Tons of students got in on it, and some of them just lost their entire month’s living expenses in this bet!”
Josie didn’t even know what to say to that. She wondered, ‘Were these people innocent? No way. Who told them to go making wild guesses about other people’s motives?’ She bet that most folks thought she kicked up all this fuss just to get back into David’s team. But little did they know, all she wanted was to stand up for herself and get what she deserved.
With the Department of Student Affairs stepping in, the whole betting thing was quietly dropped, and the internet went totally silent about it. Josie couldn’t help but feel a bit bummed that she didn’t get to scam Aiden out of some money. So when she got back to campus, she just couldn’t bring herself to feel happy.
But as soon as she walked into her dorm, Adeline greeted her with some exciting news. “Did you hear that the two who made that big bet online actually kept their word and paid up today? Oh my god. That is tens of thousands of bucks. No idea which legends they are!”
Josie swallowed hard. “The school didn’t step in?”
Adeline clicked her tongue. “How could the school do anything about it? That guy made a big show online about paying up, even bet you’d definitely go back to David’s team. If he didn’t pay now, he’d get flamed to death online. Even if the school tried to step in, it wouldn’t stop everyone from going after him. It’s all about trust and reputation. If he didn’t pay, he’d probably have to nuke his account. Plus, word on the street is that the account’s actually Aiden’s alt. If that gets out and he doesn’t pay, it’d be Aiden’s reputation on the line!”
Aiden was all about saving face. There was no way he’d ever welch on a bet.
Hearing this, Josie’s mood instantly brightened. She instantly felt the rush of sweet revenge. She thought, “Too bad I didn’t get to see Aiden’s face when he lost the bet. Aiden’s so used to winning. Losing is the only thing he can’t handle. But what he doesn’t realize is that this is only the start of his losing streak!”
“You guys are all this excited. Don’t tell me you got in on the action too?” Josie teased.
To her surprise, the other three girls in the dorm all froze, their faces changing in unison.
Adeline said, “Don’t be mad, okay? We just couldn’t stand how smug that guy was, so we started flaming him in the comments. Who would’ve thought we’d actually win 3 grand because of it?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me guess. You three each won 3 grand?”
The three girls nodded in unison. “Yeah, we just got the money. Josie, if you’re not cool with it, we’ll give it back. We really didn’t do it for the money…”
“Why give it back? You have earned this. Dinner’s on you guys tonight,” Josie grinned, not the least bit upset. If her roommates could help her take some money off Aiden, she would be more than happy about it.
Allison patted her chest. “No problem! Not just tonight. Your meals are on us for the next month.”
“For real, just say what you want to eat, we’ll treat you!” the other two chimed in.
The four of them headed to the cafeteria, laughing and chatting all the way.
“By the way, Josie, how’s your competition project coming along?” Adeline asked between bites.
Josie thought about their project. “It’s pretty much done. I am just waiting for Professor Wilcourt to give our essay a look.”
“The competition’s in five days, and I’m freaking out!” Adeline was seriously stressed. “My boyfriend said if we win this, we might actually get to stay in Aloville. Otherwise, we’re probably looking at a long-distance relationship.”
Adeline’s boyfriend, Joseph Boyd, was already in his second year of grad school. In another year, he’d have to start job hunting. If Adeline went for her master’s and he couldn’t stay in Aloville, the two of them would end up in a long-distance relationship.
In Josie’s previous life, their project won first prize. However, when Joseph took his award certificate to apply for internships, he was outshone by Gavin, who had a grand prize certificate. Even though both of them managed to stay on as interns, when it came time for official job offers, Joseph still got kicked out. Josie remembered there was a bit of a spat back then, and Joseph almost got taken to court by the company. Not long after that, Joseph left Aloville. Adeline was really down for a long time. Eventually, she didn’t even make it into grad school.