All Bets Are Off
Feb. 6th, 2025 09:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eastofthemoonJim wasn’t walking quickly down the hall, but he wasn’t dragging his feet either. His steps were steady, almost determined. Everyone should have gathered in the art room by now.
His phone vibrated. Jim gently shifted the small black box he was carrying to his other arm as he reached into his pocket to pull it out.
He took a quick glance. Just a text from his mom asking him to buy milk on the way home. Easy enough, but not relevant in this moment, so he swiped the message aside. He also swiped at the other message he forgot to dismiss earlier.
Emergency meeting! Tiffany from class 3-A is an alien princess!
Jim tucked the phone back into his pocket as he approached the door and entered.
The room was filled with people. Looks like everyone in the inner ring had responded to the message. Most were chatting among themselves. The newer members of the group were standing off in the far corner of the room, quiet in their uncertainty.
He glanced around and spotted Jessie, his second in command. As expected she was sitting on top of the teacher’s desk and nonchalantly swinging her legs. Upon seeing Jim, she stepped off and clapped her hands.
“Alright, he’s here!” she called. “Hush up!”
Everyone went silent as Jim sat at the desk. He nudged his glasses causing them to flash a blinding glint of light and opened the box.
“To confirm for everyone,” he said as he cleared his throat. “An alien princess? You're certain”
“Saw it myself,” Charlie shouted as he opened his can of pop and took a sip. “Spaceship hovering behind the equipment shed, had a bracelet to disguise her appearance, royal-looking tiara. Was confessing her love to Mike, something about him catching her in a game of tag as kids being some kind of marriage proposal in her culture?”
“Did they see you?” Jessie asked.
“Naw,” Charlie said. “Mind you, I got the vibe Tiffany didn’t care if anyone saw and Mike was in too much shock to notice.”
“Very well. Then let this be the occasion that we settle matters,” Jim pronounced as he reached into the box and brought up the awaited small blue book thick with pages and numbers. He let it land on the desk with a loud thud. Carefully, Jim flipped through the pages until he found the section.
“Let’s see, according to this Betty and Zane were both betting she was an alien,” he said as he reached in and withdrew a small pile of bills, “so they win the ‘what's the deal with that mystery girl who keeps breaking doors’ pot!”
“We really needed a better name for that,” Jessie remarked.
A series of groans were heard as Betty and Zane exchanged high fives.
“YES!” Zane cried. “Told you all she was an alien.”
George banged his head against the desk. “I KNEW I should have gone with alien,” he shot a glare at his boyfriend “but you just HAD to convince me you had evidence she was actually an angel.”
“US TOO!” cried several other people in the group.
“I saw her with wings!” Luke shot back. “Who wouldn’t assume that?!”
Geroge grumbled. “You’re buying me extra popcorn on our next movie date.”
“Well, I was right too,” Lisa called as she puffed out her chest.
Jim raised an eyebrow and checked the book. “No, you wagered 10 bucks she was a robot.”
“Same thing!”
“No, it’s not,” Betty called.
“It is if you’ve seen transformers!”
“That’s not related to this at all!”
“This school is so weird,” Polly said from her spot with the other newer members of the ring.
Allen shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“Okay, okay,” Jessie called to regain control. “While we’re all here, let’s discuss updates to our other ongoing wagers.”
Jim adjusted his glasses as he flipped back a few pages. “Have we learned anything more about the pizza chef who keeps smashing through walls?”
“It’s starting to sound like he’s some kind of martial artist, but no confirmation yet,” Charlie said.
Allen raised his hand. “I did see him hovering around Rachel from 1-A a lot.” He wrinkled his brow. “Kept muttering about being her true fiance?”
Luke’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?! That'd bring her up to five fiances! Shouldn’t that be illegal?”
Jim flipped a page. “Illegal or not, if that can be confirmed, that means Charlie will win the ‘will Rachel Wilson end up with any more fiances this year’ pot.”
“WAHOO!” Charlie cried.
“That reminds me,” Jessie said as she tapped Jim’s shoulder. “We need to refund everyone's wagers on the ‘new class pet from Mrs. Freezy’s last field trip’ pot.”
Jim frowned. “Why?”
“I talked to the biology club, they said we don’t want to know.”
“Noted,” Jim said as he went to the page, crossed out one line and carefully counting out coins and bills.
“Where are we on that vampire in Class 2-D?” George asked.
“Confirmed who it was, his name is Walter,” Zane replied. “He and Daisy went on a ‘friendly date’ last weekend,” he said as he used his fingers as air quotes, “but still not officially a couple and no kiss.”
“How?” Luke yelled. “They’ve been walking circles around each other for five months?!”
“Oh, we’ve seen worse,” Jessie said. “You weren’t here when that witch got together with Morgan. Took those girls over a YEAR before they actually kissed.”
“And Morgan had died twice first,” Betty remarked with a sigh. “We still haven’t been able to clean off the scorch marks from the gym walls.”
Charlie scratched his chin. “Twice? Didn’t she die more times than that when-?”
“Nope, stopping you right there,” Jessie said. “Rule three! Time loops don’t count!”
“Anyway,” Jim said as he brought out his pen and clicked it. “Would anyone who hasn't already lost like to change their bets on when Daisy and Walter?”
“I’m keeping mine to a year,” Betty cried.
Luke grunted and sighed. “I had six months, but I'll bump mine up to a year too. 'Friendly date', seriously...”
“I’m keeping mine to seven months and...two weeks,” said Polly, from the new-members corner.
“I’m keeping mine to six months,” Jessie said as she pointed to the paper. “I know Daisy, she doesn’t have a lot of patience.”
“Okay,” Jim said as he wrote it down. “Also, a reminder for the new members. If you're a time traveller, you’re free to comment but you’re not actually allowed to bet for obvious reasons.”
Polly’s eyes widened. “Oh, dang it!”
His phone vibrated. Jim gently shifted the small black box he was carrying to his other arm as he reached into his pocket to pull it out.
He took a quick glance. Just a text from his mom asking him to buy milk on the way home. Easy enough, but not relevant in this moment, so he swiped the message aside. He also swiped at the other message he forgot to dismiss earlier.
Emergency meeting! Tiffany from class 3-A is an alien princess!
Jim tucked the phone back into his pocket as he approached the door and entered.
The room was filled with people. Looks like everyone in the inner ring had responded to the message. Most were chatting among themselves. The newer members of the group were standing off in the far corner of the room, quiet in their uncertainty.
He glanced around and spotted Jessie, his second in command. As expected she was sitting on top of the teacher’s desk and nonchalantly swinging her legs. Upon seeing Jim, she stepped off and clapped her hands.
“Alright, he’s here!” she called. “Hush up!”
Everyone went silent as Jim sat at the desk. He nudged his glasses causing them to flash a blinding glint of light and opened the box.
“To confirm for everyone,” he said as he cleared his throat. “An alien princess? You're certain”
“Saw it myself,” Charlie shouted as he opened his can of pop and took a sip. “Spaceship hovering behind the equipment shed, had a bracelet to disguise her appearance, royal-looking tiara. Was confessing her love to Mike, something about him catching her in a game of tag as kids being some kind of marriage proposal in her culture?”
“Did they see you?” Jessie asked.
“Naw,” Charlie said. “Mind you, I got the vibe Tiffany didn’t care if anyone saw and Mike was in too much shock to notice.”
“Very well. Then let this be the occasion that we settle matters,” Jim pronounced as he reached into the box and brought up the awaited small blue book thick with pages and numbers. He let it land on the desk with a loud thud. Carefully, Jim flipped through the pages until he found the section.
“Let’s see, according to this Betty and Zane were both betting she was an alien,” he said as he reached in and withdrew a small pile of bills, “so they win the ‘what's the deal with that mystery girl who keeps breaking doors’ pot!”
“We really needed a better name for that,” Jessie remarked.
A series of groans were heard as Betty and Zane exchanged high fives.
“YES!” Zane cried. “Told you all she was an alien.”
George banged his head against the desk. “I KNEW I should have gone with alien,” he shot a glare at his boyfriend “but you just HAD to convince me you had evidence she was actually an angel.”
“US TOO!” cried several other people in the group.
“I saw her with wings!” Luke shot back. “Who wouldn’t assume that?!”
Geroge grumbled. “You’re buying me extra popcorn on our next movie date.”
“Well, I was right too,” Lisa called as she puffed out her chest.
Jim raised an eyebrow and checked the book. “No, you wagered 10 bucks she was a robot.”
“Same thing!”
“No, it’s not,” Betty called.
“It is if you’ve seen transformers!”
“That’s not related to this at all!”
“This school is so weird,” Polly said from her spot with the other newer members of the ring.
Allen shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“Okay, okay,” Jessie called to regain control. “While we’re all here, let’s discuss updates to our other ongoing wagers.”
Jim adjusted his glasses as he flipped back a few pages. “Have we learned anything more about the pizza chef who keeps smashing through walls?”
“It’s starting to sound like he’s some kind of martial artist, but no confirmation yet,” Charlie said.
Allen raised his hand. “I did see him hovering around Rachel from 1-A a lot.” He wrinkled his brow. “Kept muttering about being her true fiance?”
Luke’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?! That'd bring her up to five fiances! Shouldn’t that be illegal?”
Jim flipped a page. “Illegal or not, if that can be confirmed, that means Charlie will win the ‘will Rachel Wilson end up with any more fiances this year’ pot.”
“WAHOO!” Charlie cried.
“That reminds me,” Jessie said as she tapped Jim’s shoulder. “We need to refund everyone's wagers on the ‘new class pet from Mrs. Freezy’s last field trip’ pot.”
Jim frowned. “Why?”
“I talked to the biology club, they said we don’t want to know.”
“Noted,” Jim said as he went to the page, crossed out one line and carefully counting out coins and bills.
“Where are we on that vampire in Class 2-D?” George asked.
“Confirmed who it was, his name is Walter,” Zane replied. “He and Daisy went on a ‘friendly date’ last weekend,” he said as he used his fingers as air quotes, “but still not officially a couple and no kiss.”
“How?” Luke yelled. “They’ve been walking circles around each other for five months?!”
“Oh, we’ve seen worse,” Jessie said. “You weren’t here when that witch got together with Morgan. Took those girls over a YEAR before they actually kissed.”
“And Morgan had died twice first,” Betty remarked with a sigh. “We still haven’t been able to clean off the scorch marks from the gym walls.”
Charlie scratched his chin. “Twice? Didn’t she die more times than that when-?”
“Nope, stopping you right there,” Jessie said. “Rule three! Time loops don’t count!”
“Anyway,” Jim said as he brought out his pen and clicked it. “Would anyone who hasn't already lost like to change their bets on when Daisy and Walter?”
“I’m keeping mine to a year,” Betty cried.
Luke grunted and sighed. “I had six months, but I'll bump mine up to a year too. 'Friendly date', seriously...”
“I’m keeping mine to seven months and...two weeks,” said Polly, from the new-members corner.
“I’m keeping mine to six months,” Jessie said as she pointed to the paper. “I know Daisy, she doesn’t have a lot of patience.”
“Okay,” Jim said as he wrote it down. “Also, a reminder for the new members. If you're a time traveller, you’re free to comment but you’re not actually allowed to bet for obvious reasons.”
Polly’s eyes widened. “Oh, dang it!”
