Chapter 20: Betting Against Tyler

Chapter 20: Betting Against Tyler

Chloe scored near-perfect marks on every single exam, yet she had never once mocked me or treated me like garbage. Meanwhile, these two guys hovering in the three-hundred range actually had the nerve to act like kings looking down on a beggar.

Just wait until I hit ninety percent favorability with Chloe, I thought silently. Once my learning synchronization unlocks her full potential, I'll make sure you two are humbled so hard you won't even know how to hold a pencil.

I swallowed my annoyance, picked up my calculus textbook, and went back to reviewing without saying a word.

Ignoring them was like throwing punches into deep water. It didn't hurt me at all, but it left Tyler visibly frustrated.

What angered Tyler most was seeing Chloe actively step up to defend me.

To a guy like Tyler, it made zero sense. I had no wealthy family background, no academic achievements, and no high-status connections. In his eyes, I was lightyears behind him in every measurable way. Yet Chloe—the undisputed golden girl of Aurelia Academy—had just spoken up for me against him.

"Hmph," Tyler sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "What's so impressive about hiding behind a girl?"

I kept my eyes glued to my textbook, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Letting a self-centered jerk ruin my study time wasn't worth it.

Seeing me stay silent, Tyler assumed I was too ashamed and weak to respond, pushing him to cross the line completely.

"Honestly, Zach, what kind of pathetic tricks did you use to get Chloe to cover for you?"

BANG!

I slammed my palm onto the desk and shot to my feet.

My eyes locked onto Tyler like sharp steel, radiating a cold, lethal intensity that made the smirk freeze right on his face.

He could insult me all he wanted. He could call me a loser, a slacker, or a waste of space. But the second he tried to drag Chloe into his petty mudslinging, he crossed a line I wouldn't tolerate.

"Tyler! That is way too much!" Chloe snapped, her eyes flashing with genuine anger.

Chloe was used to guys trying to get her attention, and she usually ignored their posturing with polite distance. But Tyler's snide insinuation was an insult to her integrity as well.

"Look at that! You're still defending him!" Tyler blustered, trying to maintain his arrogant stance despite flinching under my glare.

"Enough!" I barked, my voice ringing out clearly across the room and cutting through the background chatter. "You just want to step all over me, don't you? You think because my grades have been terrible, I'm an easy target you can punch down on to boost your own fragile ego!"

The entire classroom fell dead silent. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward our corner of the room.

"Since you're so desperate to humiliate me, let me give you the exact chance you want," I continued, stepping around my desk and staring Tyler dead in the eye. "You claim it's impossible for me to pass a single exam? Then do you have the guts to make a bet with me? If I score sixty points or higher and pass even one subject on this mock NEE, you will stand up and deliver a formal, public apology to me—and a formal apology to Chloe in front of the entire class!"

Tyler hadn't expected me to explode with such ferocious intensity, but as soon as he processed my conditions, a wild, mocking laugh burst from his throat.

"And what if you fail every single subject like you always do?" Tyler demanded, leaning forward with a sneer.

My eyes narrowed into slits. "Then I will stand up in front of the entire school assembly and publicly announce that I am inferior to you in every single way."

Gasps echoed through the classroom.

"Is Zach out of his mind?!"

"In front of the whole school?! If he loses that, he'll never be able to show his face on campus again!"

"He let Tyler bait him right into a trap. There's no way he can pass!"

Listening to the whispered chatter around us, my expression remained completely calm.

I knew exactly why they thought I was insane. On previous mock exams, each subject paper was worth a total of one hundred points, and I had barely managed fifteen to twenty points per test. Going from fifteen points to a passing benchmark of sixty points in a single week sounded like the biggest delusion of the century to them.

"Hahaha! Excellent!" Tyler laughed like a fanatic, slamming his hand on his desk. "I accept your bet! You said it yourself, Carter—everyone here is a witness!"

"A bet's a bet," I replied coldly. "Just make sure you're ready to eat your words when the scores are posted."

Snickers broke out across the room. Classmates shook their heads, looking at me like I was a tragic idiot who had just signed his own social execution.

But among all the mockery, Chloe didn't laugh.

Instead, she turned to me, her bright, clear eyes full of genuine warmth and encouragement.

"You can do this, Zach," she said softly, her voice steady and full of belief. "I know you can."

A powerful warmth surged through my chest, sweeping away every trace of irritation.

So what if the rest of the class thought I was a joke? As long as the one person who mattered believed in me, that was more than enough.

"Yeah," I nodded firmly, sitting back down. "I won't let you down."

I didn't need to look at Tyler to know how furious he was. Seeing Chloe offer me her unconditional belief while completely ignoring him was a harder hit to his pride than any punch I could have thrown.

"What's all this noise about?!"

The heavy front door swung open, and Mr. Vance walked in with a stern, imposing scowl.

The classroom instantly went silent. Mr. Vance's strict authority was absolute, and nobody wanted to draw his ire right before exam sheets were handed out.