Chapter 4; A bet

Kiel's POV:

Kiel knew Marlon was fond of mischief, so he had his doubts about him.

"Bro, what is that for?" he asked Marlon when they leave the classroom."

"I hacked Yana's laptop," Marlon whispered.

"What?? Why did you do that? You're really crazy," Kiel said.

He knew that Marlon was an expert at hacking other people's files, but he couldn't understand why he targeted Yana. She didn't have anything valuable for Marlon since she was a bit of a nerd, and he was sure that all he would find in her files were only related to her studies

"Don't be so loud; someone might hear us. Let's check it out in our dorm," Marlon whispered again.

Kiel could only shake his head at his friend's audacity.

They have gathered in the dormitory and are lounging around in Marlon's room, which is their usual hangout spot when there are no classes. Upon their arrival, Marlon promptly grabbed his laptop and got busy.

He proceeded to open the refrigerator, hopeful to find a beverage, but his frustration grew when he discovered that his friend's fridge contained nothing but water."

A moment later, Marlon exclaimed,

"Hey, guys, take a look at what I discovered in Yana's files."

Tristan and Meggie quickly approached Marlon, while he was in the kitchen, still searching for something to drink.

"Oh my! There are so many pictures and videos of Kiel," Meggie exclaimed in surprise. He grabbed his phone and started recording the scene inside the room for his vlog.

Kiel, who had paused in his search, curiously approached them and asked, "What pictures and videos are you talking about?"

Marlon gently moved the laptop to show Kiel its contents, saying, "Take a look at what's on here."

He took the mouse and carefully opened the files, revealing his own pictures and videos that he had uploaded to his Instagram account.

"Why is she saving these?" he wondered aloud, puzzled by his own actions.

'Yana obviously has a crush on you, bro," Meggie said with a chuckle while still holding his cellphone

"Hey, you guys should stop that. What you're doing is not right; it's a breach of someone's privacy. We shouldn't be snooping around like this."Tristan, interjected firmly,

Come on, Tristan, this is against the law. If you report me or us, of course you won't, right? I'm just really curious about Yana. She's quite private and doesn't even have social media," Marlon said.

Kiel also started thinking about it. Yana was known on campus for not having a social media account. They found something that seemed to belong to her, but she was using a different name and had cartoon pictures as her profile picture.

To get to the bottom of why Yana saved Kiel's pictures, Meggie suggested, "Why don't you court her, Kiel? If she accepts, it means she's really interested in you."

"So, how many months do you think it will take?" Meggie added playfully.

Kiel chuckled, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite decipher at this moment. Many questions raced through his mind. Was he really Yana's crush? Why did she seem to ignore him whenever they crossed paths? There were so many unknowns.

Although Kiel had been aware that some girls had a crush on him without being vocal about it, he hadn't noticed it this explicitly. Excitement and curiosity filled his mind.

Okay, let's do it this way. Before the semester ends, he should answer you," Marlon challenged.

"That's too long, and it will take a while. It should only take 1 month for him to answer you. He has a crush on you, you know. Bet!" Megi said playfully.

"He'll answer for sure. It might not even take a week," Marlon said confidently.

"Okey'Deal!' he replied to their challenge. '

Well, it's obvious that Kiel will surely win that one. Yana has a crush on him, after all," Marlon said.

This is the exciting part.We thought she was difficult, but it turns out that Kiel was the one who could match her. Tristan says with a bewildered tone.

Okay, let's do it this way. Before the semester ends, he should answer you, challenge from Marlon.

That's too long and it will take a while, it should only take 1 month for him to answer you. He has a crush on you, you know. Bet, says Megi playfully.

He'll answer for sure, it might not even take a week, says Marlon confidently.

I'm betting it's only going to take two months for that to happen. How about you Kiel, that's a confident statement from Megi

All Kiel could do in response was smile at his mischievous friends.

It had been 3 days since he found out the truth. And they were in a classroom now. Yana hadn't even looked or glanced at him once. It made him wonder if her crush on him was real or if she just saved his picture out of coincidence.

While waiting for their professor, everyone was busy chatting. Meanwhile, Yana was engrossed in her laptop.

"Yana, excuse me, I have something to ask you," Kiel said, Marlon interrupted her doing. Secretly, Marlon nudged Kiel.

"Yes, what is it?" Yana replied, giving them a curious look.

"I heard that you've been tutoring struggling students, is that true?" Marlon asked.

"Ah, yes. It's my sideline to supplement my tuition fees," Yana replied briefly.

"That's good to hear. Kiel and I are actually looking for a tutor for our engineering subject. We're facing some challenges, especially since it involves more design work. Knowing that you're a skilled student, we thought of asking for your help."

"What is your per hour rate?" Butch interrupted.

"Ah, let me think," Marlon scratched his head, unable to come up with an answer.

"$3000 dollar for a successful defense ," Kiel suddenly interjected.

Just give us the outline in your project and give us some time to study and we'll take care of your final defense," Butch said confidently.

Deal. I'll give it to you now, and hopefully, you'll be able to decide by tomorrow. Marlon said

Kiel saw Yana's reaction, and she furrowed her brows when she caught a glimpse of Butch. It was as if she had asked herself, "Seriously, Butch, what are you thinking?" Kiel could sense her thoughts in her expression.

Yana became even more beautiful in his eyes up close. She had thick eyebrows that seemed untouched by any plucking, long eyelashes that were hidden behind her glasses. Her face was smooth, and she had rosy lips. She had long hair and a curvaceous figure, she was a beauty and brain kind.

Perhaps Yana will melt under your gaze, Kiel, ".Butch suddenly said, catching his attention.

Hello class, good morning. Our professor began to address us, and suddenly, silence filled the room as everyone returned to their seats.

Yana POV

Oh, Butch, why did you accept it? I'll ask him when we're back in the dorm.

Come on, Yan, this is our chance, your chance. You'll earn money, and you will get to be with the love of your life. Did you see how she stared at you for a long time earlier, girl?Got mesmerized by your beauty.

His statement said jokingly, with laughter accompanying it.

She suddenly blushed at what Butch said, and she lowered her head to hide the fact that she was getting giddy.

"That's right, Yana! Just imagine, $3000! That's equivalent to teaching ten students in her tutoring sessions," Mitch exclaimed.

They're right. Kiel's offer is quite substantial. She'll be able to fully pay off her balance for the entire semester's tuition.

She noticed that her mother seemed a bit bothered in the past few months. There were only a few people getting their clothes tailored by her since many big tailoring businesses have been emerging in their town. She remembered her father, she wondered how her father is doing now and if he ever thinks of them.

As she studied Kiel's thesis outline, she found herself questioning. Kiel is a smart student, and she wondered if he really needed her help. However, she realized that he might be busy with other things, so he entrusted this subject to someone else. From what she knew, his family is wealthy, and he studied secondary school in London.

She heard that both his mother and father are engineers with a large firm there and here. So it's not surprising if he's willing to spend that much on just one subject. Amiver couldn't help but smile as she recalled his gaze at her yesterday.She felt a bit awkward, but she didn't show it. It was the first time he saw him up close, and she must admit I felt thrilled during that moment. She looked at his pictures, placed closely in my gallery, and slowly brought his picture close to my face. She is wondered how it would feel to be kissed by someone like Kiel Montenegro.

Girl, are you done? How is the outline? Butch interrupts her imagination.

"It's 3 a.m. already in the morning, and she will just finish this part and discuss it with them tomorrow, and they will be responsible for the last part, perhaps the conclusion. For now, we need to sleep as I'm really sleepy already. We still have 4 hours to sleep," she answered Butch.

When morning came, she searched for Kiel's group to inform them that their research is nearing completion, and she needs to coordinate with them on other details. She quickly found them eating at the canteen.

"Hi, I interrupted the four friends who were eating.

They were momentarily surprised, but quickly pulled out an empty chair to accommodate her.

She explained to them what she did and asked for suggestions for the summary of the project proposal and the expected outcomes. She mentioned that she would like to hear their objections or any feedback before finalizing the conclusion.

Alright, if that's the case, I'll finish this later so I can submit it to you right away.

Okay, that's all. I'm leaving now. she stood up to leave.

"Oh, wait Yana, why don't you join us for lunch? Consider it as a compliment for your work," Kiel suggested.

"No thanks, I still have a lot to do. Thank you anyway," I replied, quickly avoiding Kiel's gaze.

Then waved goodbye to them.