Chapter 40 || The Money Between Us

Chapter 40: 40 || The Money Between Us

Code sat in his chair, dressed in his night clothes, reading his book while sipping from his soda can.

Across the room, Ivy lay on her stomach on his bed, wearing a polo shirt and panties. A pillow rested beneath her elbows as she scrolled through her phone, repeatedly lifting one leg into the air before letting it fall back onto the mattress.

She did this over and over, seemingly unable to lie still.

...

The whistle pierced the air, echoing across the basketball court.

The game had ended with a score of 25–28.

The captain clapped once, gathering the players around him before they settled onto the benches, exhausted. Some leaned forward with their elbows on their knees, while others gulped water from their bottles.

Caden and Torin rose from their seats, picked up their bags, and made their way down towards the court.

Ken approached them a moment later, walking with a slight limp. He lowered himself onto the bench and carefully stretched out his injured leg.

Torin gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"That was a tight game."

Caden nodded.

"I’m glad your team managed to win. I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if you’d lost."

Ken raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing would’ve happened. Why would anything happen?"

Torin nudged Caden with his elbow.

"Exactly. Why would anything happen? Silly Caden."

Ken ignored them and glanced down at his ankle, rubbing it gently.

Torin crouched beside him.

"Are you okay?"

"It’s just a little mishap. Nothing serious."

Ken lifted his head, his expression turning thoughtful.

"But I can’t shake the feeling that Kyle did it on purpose. Or am I overreacting?"

Torin forced a smile.

"Yes. You’re... you’re overreacting. I mean, why would Kyle injure you during practice?"

Ken narrowed his eyes at him.

"Right..."

He glanced around the court.

"Where did Caden go?"

Torin followed his gaze towards the audience seats.

Caden was standing a short distance away, talking to Nolan. The two had their phones out, seemingly comparing something on their screens.

Ken turned back to Torin.

"Do you three know each other?"

"Not really. We just happened to like basketball, so we got along."

Ken pushed himself to his feet.

"Alright, then. Let me go change. I’ll be back."

"Sure. Go ahead. I’ll be right here."

Torin remained seated for a moment before getting up and heading towards the stairs to join Caden and Nolan.

...

Several minutes passed, and the court gradually emptied. The noise faded until only a few people remained.

At the centre of the court stood Caden, Torin, Kyle, and Nolan.

Torin folded his arms, his expression hardening.

"A deal is a deal. You’ve already given us the money, so don’t think you can get it back."

Caden nodded in agreement.

"You should’ve calculated your losses before making the bet."

Kyle’s jaw tightened. He took a step towards Caden, clearly unhappy with their response.

"What’s going on here?"

Ken’s voice came from behind them.

Caden and Torin turned.

Ken had changed into his school uniform and slung his bag over one shoulder. He stopped a short distance away, looking from one face to another.

Torin immediately straightened.

"It’s nothing, Ken. We were just talking... talking about the game. That’s all."

Caden nodded quickly.

"Yeah. Torin’s right."

Nolan, however, wore an amused smile.

"Were we? I believe we were talking about the money."

Ken’s expression changed.

"What money?"

Caden waved both hands, forcing a smile.

"My money. We were talking about my money."

Kyle frowned.

"It’s not your money. Nolan was just joking with you about the bet. So return it."

Torin turned towards him.

"Can you please keep quiet? Have some sense of sportsmanship—or whatever it is you call it."

He gestured towards Ken.

"We’re talking to our friend here."

Nolan stepped closer, his smile fading.

"If you want us to leave, then give us back the money."

He let out a short laugh.

"I mean, what can two Grents even do with 3,000 BC? That’s more than your slave salary."

He covered his mouth as he laughed again, clearly enjoying himself.

"Honestly, I can’t believe you two actually thought I’d leave that much money with you and just walk away."

Kyle shook his head in disgust.

"Stupid Grents."

Torin’s gaze hardened.

"Well, you’re not getting it back. That’s for sure."

Nolan suddenly grabbed Torin by the collar.

"You—"

Ken moved immediately, catching Nolan’s arm before he could do anything else.

"Cut it out."

His voice was firm, leaving little room for argument.

Nolan’s eyes sharpened as he turned towards him.

"And if I don’t?"

Ken tightened his grip.

For several seconds, the two stared at each other without moving.

Caden raised both hands, trying to calm things down.

"Why don’t we all just relax? We can talk this out."

Kyle turned towards him.

"Are you willing to hand over the money?"

Torin scoffed.

"And why should he? Your friend lost the bet. It’s not like we forced him into anything. He was the one who decided how much to wager."

Kyle’s expression remained cold.

"And now we want the money back. It’s that simple."

Ken tightened his hold on Nolan’s arm before pulling it away from Torin’s collar.

"If you made a bet and lost, that’s your problem. You shouldn’t have wagered money you couldn’t afford to lose in the first place."

Nolan’s hand came free.

Torin immediately straightened his collar, brushing away the wrinkles.

Caden stepped beside Ken.

"You lost. Period. Now go home."

Nolan moved closer to Caden, glaring at him. Caden held his ground for a moment before slowly shifting behind Ken.

Tap.

Kyle placed a hand on Nolan’s shoulder.

"Let it go, Nolan."

Nolan blinked at him in disbelief.

"What?!"

Kyle shook his head.

"He’s right. You lost the bet, and you’ve already given them the money. There’s no point trying to take it back."

"But that’s 3,000 BC!"

"It’s fine."

Nolan stared at him before releasing an irritated sigh.

"Whatever."

He turned away, and Kyle followed. Neither said another word as they walked towards the exit.

The others watched them leave until the door shut behind them.

Silence settled over the court.

Caden finally stepped away from Ken.

"Thanks. You were a real lifesaver."

Torin nodded.

"Yeah. All’s well that ends well..."

He paused, frowning as he tried to recall something.

"No, wait. Is it ’everything that begins well ends well’?"

Caden tapped his chin.

"I don’t really know myself."

Ken looked between them.

"Why did you do it?"

The two froze.

Torin turned towards him.

"Do what?"

Ken faced them directly.

"I thought we agreed that you two would behave yourselves."

Caden spread his hands.

"And we did! We didn’t dance, celebrate, or mock the other players. We simply watched the game."

"Then why did you bet on it? I thought I told you not to."

Torin shook his head.

"No. We promised we’d behave. We never said we wouldn’t continue betting. And we did behave ourselves. There was no commotion like yesterday."

He paused before continuing.

"As for the betting, we didn’t intend for it to happen."

Caden nodded along.

Torin carried on.

"Nolan started it. He was chewing his popcorn too loudly, which was annoying, by the way. That led to us talking about the players and the game, and... I don’t really know how we ended up making a bet. It just happened."

Caden stepped in.

"Nolan wagered 3,000 BC. That’s a lot of money. We’d already talked about buying a camera before coming here, so if we won the bet and added the 500 BC we got yesterday, we’d finally have enough to afford one."

Ken’s expression darkened.

"Excuses. Excuses and more excuses."

He pointed at them.

"Yesterday, you also said Player 6 started everything. He made the 1,000 BC wager. Today, Nolan started it. Even if they were the ones who brought it up, I clearly told both of you to stop, didn’t I?"

Neither answered.

"But you didn’t listen. You never listen. That’s the problem."

Torin’s expression hardened.

"We can make our own decisions, Ken. We chose to bet on your team. We don’t have to listen to you all the time."

He spread his arms.

"And look at us now. We walked away with 3,000 BC. Hurray for us! This just proves that not listening was the right decision."

Ken’s jaw clenched.

"Yeah? And you were about to get beaten to a pulp because of that stupid decision. Because you didn’t listen to me."

He stepped closer to Torin.

"And that proves I was right. I saved you..."

His gaze shifted to Caden.

"...I saved both of you."

Torin moved forward to meet him.

"We didn’t need saving. We were fine even before you arrived. Did you see us lying on the floor, begging for help? No. We were handling the situation."

Ken folded his arms.

"And yet, when Nolan grabbed your collar, you did nothing. Nothing at all to defend yourself. Why?"

He poked Torin in the chest.

"Because you know, and I know, that you couldn’t have done anything in that situation. You would’ve just stood there."

Torin frowned.

"That’s not true."

Caden stepped between them slightly.

"We shouldn’t discuss this anymore. The matter is settled..."

Ken ignored him.

"It’s true, and you know it. You keep dragging Caden into your mess and getting him into trouble. I know Caden would’ve listened to me if it were up to him, because he knows I’m right."

Torin’s face darkened.

"Caden isn’t a child. He can make his own decisions. He chose to accept the wager just like I did. Nobody forced him."

He shook his head, growing more frustrated with every word.

"I don’t even know why we’re still discussing this. We should be getting ready to do our jobs, but you’d rather stand here and prove that you were right."

Torin paused, then gave Ken a bitter smile.

"And later, when Caden sends you a share of the same money, you’ll say, ’Thanks. I wasn’t expecting you to give me a share.’ But guess what? We both know you expected it."

He turned towards Caden, whose expression had grown gloomy.

"Let’s go, Caden."

The two began walking towards the exit.

Ken’s voice followed them.

"This is about the money, isn’t it?"

Torin and Caden stopped.

Torin looked back over his shoulder.

"What money?"

Ken took a step towards them.

"You’re just jealous that Caden gave me a share of your little bet money. Money you would’ve rather spent on yourself."

Torin’s expression tightened.

"I wasn’t jealous, Ken. And if it makes you feel better, I was angry because you didn’t deserve that money. You did nothing."

He looked away briefly before continuing.

"I would’ve preferred Caden gave your share to Code instead. He’s the one who did most of the work, yet you received the same amount as him."

Having said that, Torin turned and walked away.

Caden followed him in silence.

Ken stood where he was, his frustration finally spilling over.

"What do you mean I did nothing?!"

His voice echoed across the empty court.

"It was my team that helped you get that money in the first place! I made you win the bet! Without me, you would’ve lost every single one of those bets! Do you hear me?"

Torin and Caden didn’t turn back.

They continued towards the exit without saying another word.

A moment later, the door shut behind them.

Clack.

The sound echoed through the now-silent court.