“What are you doing here?” Sierra questioned Josh in annoyance. “I thought we already have a deal.”

“What deal?” Ella curiously inquired but Sierra ignored her friend and kept an angry stare at Josh.

“He's here because of the bet I made with Ella,” Renzo explained and all the attention shifted to him and Ella. “I defeated her in a tennis game,” he went on, taking a seat beside Ella who looked pissed. “She agreed that Josh, Dan, and I can have lunch with the three of you if I win.”

“I’m sorry,” Ella guiltily whispered.

“It’s okay,” Sierra sighed with deep irritation. “But this should be the last. They will not fight you fairly, Ella.”

“But it’s a fair fight,” Ella admitted, deeply upset and embarrassed.

“You're gifted in sports,” Renzo consoled Ella. “My only advantage is experience. I have way more experience in sports than you,” he said those words with annoying confidence. “But now that you agreed to have lunch with us until our graduation day and accepted me as your trainer, everything that I know about sports, you will also know.”

“Until graduation day?!” Sierra shot daggers at Ella who quickly mumbled another apology.

Sierra fell silent and took a few deep breaths. When she was calm enough to speak, she glanced seriously at Dan and said, “I will agree to this if you spare some of your time to talk with Kate.”

“Sure,” he easily agreed while Kate blushed. “But…” of course, there will always be a BUT. “You have to talk with my friend Josh.”

“Fine,” Sierra stared piercingly at Josh. “We'll talk.”

She agreed for the sake of her friend Kate. She was also hoping that when they talk, Josh will finally tell her why he and his friends were suddenly acting strange towards the three of them when, since their first year in college, those three popular students never talked to them or even glance at their direction.

If asking questions will not give her the answers she needed, she would resort to interrogation.

^#######################################^

Sierra could try different ways to trap Josh and make him talk, but witnessing how strong and agile he was earlier that morning, Sierra knew that everything she would try will certainly fail.

Even her face had felt how sturdy his body was. Instead of resorting to something she could not successfully pull through, she should focus on having a proper conversation with Josh. Make him talk with only her words.

“I honor the deal Ella made with Renzo," Sierra casually started.

She and Josh were walking out of the school and heading towards the restaurant where she was working. It was nearly seven in the evening. Their last class took longer than usual. Their professor got carried away with the subject and ignored the school bell ringing.

"I agreed even though I can’t understand why Renzo and Ella had to include me and Kate in their bet. She didn’t even give us a heads up. I somehow feel betrayed,” Sierra went on, shaking her head in disappointment. “Did you and Dan know anything about their bet?”

“I don’t,” Josh replied while looking at the road ahead of them. “But I don’t feel betrayed. I was surprised when I heard of it, but I like it.”

Sierra stared closely at Josh. She examined the seriousness of his face. There was no mockery in his eyes. He was not even smiling. That was annoyingly confusing for Sierra. She hated being in a situation she could not understand. She could not discern whether Josh was being genuine or not.

“What part of their bet is likable? Why are you acting like this towards us? Why only now? What do you need from us that you cannot get from other students in our school?” Sierra eventually could not stop her annoyance and curiosity from raining questions on Josh.

But Josh, instead of answering, had only uttered, “I won't bother you unless necessary. I promise.”

Sierra sighed in exhaustion more than of disappointment. She was expecting him not to answer anyway.

"Can you tell Renzo to have lunch with Ella alone?" Sierra requested as patiently as she could. “I don’t want to eat lunch with anyone aside from my friends. But if Ella needs to honor her bet with Renzo, I will respect that. But, please, leave me and Kate alone.”

"Do you hate me that much?" Josh asked and the surprising expression of hurt in his eyes intensified the curiosity and annoyance within Sierra.

"I don't hate you," Sierra replied while closely examining the face of her classmate. "I’m just telling the truth. I’m not a sociable person. I only eat with Kate and Ella. Once a year, I eat with my workmates. That’s it. No more. No less. I also don’t want Kate to get hurt. You’ve seen how she stares at Dan."

"Dan knows about Kate," Josh admitted with a smile that seemed happy instead of mocking.

"You told him?" Sierra asked with a pounding heart.

"He knows for a long time,” he glanced at Sierra with the same confusing smile. “My friend is not as insensitive as you think, Sierra. It's just that..."

“He doesn’t like my friend, right?” Sierra finished with a sigh. “So, why did Renzo made a bet like that? Why force Kate and Dan to see each other every day?”

“Renzo likes your friend’s passion in sports. You heard him say that Ella is a gifted athlete. He really wants to teach her,” Josh said, not answering her last question.

“Then Renzo should have excluded me and Kate on their bet. Winning is so important to Ella. She will do anything to improve her skills. She will agree to the bet even without us being included in it.”

“Renzo thinks Dan and I need friends like you and Kate,” Josh finally answered.

“Do you?” Sierra raised an eyebrow at Josh.

“I do,” Josh seriously replied. “When I saw Kate peeking at Dan, I realized that the three of us need the three of you. So, why should I not agree with Renzo?”

Sierra rolled her eyes and quickened her pace. Josh looked serious but his words sounded like a big joke to her. Josh might not only be a great athlete but also a convincing actor. He should start an acting career.

“You will not argue with that?” Josh asked and that annoying smile was back in his face.

“I’m conserving energy. I still have to work,” Sierra snapped at him.

“I can give you a better salary if you work at our house,” Josh suggested.

“I don’t need a lot of money. The important thing to me is that I enjoy what I do. I love my work at the restaurant. I do overtime not entirely because I need money but also because I want to. Please, Josh, stop telling me what I should do. I hate it,” Sierra honestly told him.

“I get it,” Josh seriously uttered. “You can extend hours at work but not on certain dates. Give me your phone. I’ll mark your calendar.”

“Tomorrow,” Sierra stopped near a pedestrian. “I’m already here,” she pointed at the restaurant on the opposite side of the road. “I need to work.”

“No overtime tonight,” Josh told her.

“No overtime,” Sierra promised.

“See you tomorrow,” Josh waved a hand and Sierra forced a smile on her face before crossing the pedestrian.

^#######################################^