CHAPTER TWO: A Dare
The lunch bell rang, and the cafeteria buzzed with chatter, but in their little corner, Winter and Jeremy sat quietly as usual. For all their social status — children of the country's wealthiest — they were oddly solitary. Most students admired them from afar but never dared to sit with them. The only people who ever used to sit with them were Ace and Jason, and even that had grown rare lately. Somehow, they'd become an island of two in a sea of too much attention.
Jeremy nudged her. "It's action time," he whispered, eyes glinting with excitement.
Winter sighed but stood anyway. She brushed down her uniform skirt, tilted her chin with mock elegance, and walked toward the table where Jason Luhan lounged like a king surrounded by his loyal — and very rich — court.
Jason looked up, his lips curving into a smug grin. "Snowflake. What a nice surprise." He tilted his head. "And to what do I owe this pleasant visit?"
"Please… don't call me that, Little Luhan," Winter shot back sweetly.
The smirk faltered for a second. They both knew how much he hated that nickname. Tit for tat — their daily game.
"Anyway," she turned her attention to the group, feigning politeness. "Jason here has so graciously decided to take Jeremy and me to the amusement park this weekend. I'm here to officially invite you all."
A gasp broke the table's rhythm.
"What?" a blonde girl blurted — Jessica, Jason's current girlfriend. "Jason, I asked you three months ago to escort me to the mall this weekend. You said you were busy all month!"
Jason turned to her, calm and cold. "And now I'm suddenly free. Do you have a problem with that?"
Jessica's face twisted. "What? Jason, I'm your girlfriend. I should be more important than that little—"
"Watch your mouth, Jessica." Jason's tone snapped like a whip.
Winter blinked in shock. She wasn't used to anyone defending her like that… especially not Jason. It was… weird.
The redhead at the table, Henry, cleared his throat, sensing the tension. "We'll come to your birthday meet—uh, meeting." He shot a pointed look at Jessica. "Right, Jessica?"
She crossed her arms. "Whatever."
Winter smiled in triumph. Mission complete. She turned and rushed back to Jeremy, practically bouncing.
"Well?" he asked, half nervous.
"I invited them."
"What?" Jeremy blinked. "I thought the whole point was to get Jason away from us. Now his whole squad is coming?"
Winter grinned, mischief glinting in her hazel eyes. "Think about it. A bunch of teenage adults aren't going to want to hang out with little kids like us and ruin their vibe, right?"
"I… don't get it."
"You will."
---
Winter's birthday arrived like sunlight cracking through a storm. She stood outside, waiting, until the deep rumble of a limited-edition Land Cruiser pulled into the driveway. Jason.
He honked once, casually.
Winter dashed toward the car and reached for the backseat door — locked.
"Jeremy, open the door."
"I didn't lock it," Jeremy said from inside, equally confused.
From the front, Jason's voice came cool and smug. "Young lady, I'm not your driver. Come sit in the front."
"What? Jason, no. I always sit in the back with Jeremy!"
"Not today. Front seat or no amusement park."
"Oh my God, Jason! I hate you!"
He smirked. "I'm honored."
Glaring, she stomped to the front and slid in beside him.
"Happy birthday, Winter," Jeremy said from the backseat.
"Thank you, Jerr. I love you so much," she said sweetly.
"I love you too," he giggled.
Jason groaned. "Oh no, don't tell me you're about to start kissing in my car."
"Ew!" they both chorused in disgust.
"You're gross, Jason. Jeremy and I are like siblings, thank you very much."
---
They met the others at the amusement park. The group exchanged greetings, laughing and chattering. Jason was in the middle of scanning the park for rides when Winter cleared her throat.
"Do you guys really want to hang out with kids?" she asked innocently. "Why don't you all spend time together, and Jeremy and I will do the same? Then we'll meet back here to go home."
Before Jason could respond, she grabbed Jeremy's hand and made a run for it.
"Oh hell no," Jason muttered, chasing after them. "I promised your mother I'd ruin your day, and that's exactly what I plan to do."
"Jason, your entire friend group is here! What fun would it be to hang out with us?" Winter reasoned.
"No."
Jessica slipped in, wrapping her arm around Jason. "Leave these kids alone and spend more time with me, babe."
Jason looked her up and down, then turned back to Winter. "I'm not leaving you alone."
"Come on, Jason," Henry, the redhead stepped in. "She's right. It's her birthday. Set a meet-up time and give her space."
Jason sighed, annoyed. "Fine. We meet back here at exactly twelve p.m. Not a second late."
"Yessir!" Winter saluted, then happily dragged Jeremy away.
---
Twelve p.m.
Jeremy returned to the group alone.
"Where the hell is Winter?" Jason demanded.
"She said she'd take the lead while I got us cotton candy," Jeremy explained, concerned.
Jason clenched his jaw. "It's either she's been kidnapped… or she's trying to annoy the hell out of me."
"Let's split up," Henry said. "Maybe she's near the rides, or food stalls."
Jason paused. "No. I know Winter. If she's trying to pull a stunt, she'll go where no one would expect."
"And that is…?" Henry asked.
---
"I knew you'd be here," Jason whispered suddenly.
"Ah!" Winter jumped, heart leaping into her throat.
Jason stood behind her, arms crossed, face unreadable.
"You scared me!"
"And you're terrified of haunted stuff. So why are you here?"
She looked down. "I don't know. It seemed like the last place anyone would find me."
"Exactly." He grabbed her wrist gently. "Come on. Let's go before you push my buttons even more."
"How did you find me?"
Jason didn't hesitate. "Because I know you. Much more than you think."
---
Back at the meeting spot, Jeremy hugged her tight. "You scared me, Winter."
"I know. I'm sorry," she murmured, eyes drifting to the park's tallest ride — a beast of twisting metal and screams. Her eyes lingered for a while. Long enough for Jason to notice. His eyes glowed with new found mischief.
"I bet you could never ride that," Jason whispered near her ear.
Winter turned sharply. "You can't tell me what to do."
"Then do it. I dare you."
"What?"
"I said do it. I dare you."
"Fine," she snapped. "I accept your dare."
She marched toward the ride in confidence, as if she wasn't about to make one of the biggest mistakes in her life.
She was terrified of heights. Terrified. But proving Jason wrong? That mattered more.
As she sat and buckled in, eyes shut while clenching to the buckled seat. That's when she heard a voice beside her, her eyes flared open.
"You'll pee your pants if you keep this up."
She looked over and gawked. "Jason?! What are you doing here?!"
"Making sure you don't die," he grinned.
"This isn't funny, Jason."
The ride roared to life, and Winter screamed bloody murder. Halfway through, she started sobbing.
Jason wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her. But only God knew she didn't know sh*t about comforting. He held her tight, even after getting down.
"Let me go, Jason—" she wailed.
"No."
"I forgive you, just—" She broke off, and the next moment she vomited all over him.
Her face turned beet red. "I'm so—"
"It's okay. Are you okay?" he asked, taking off his stained shirt and tossing it in a nearby bin.
He took her to a clothing stall, bought a clean shirt for himself and a jacket for her.
"Here," he said, handing it over gently. "Wear this."
She nodded, speechless.
---
"What happened? Why are you guys wearing different clothes?" Jeremy asked when they returned.
"Nothing," Jason replied, not missing a beat. He led them toward the car.
"Hey babe," Jessica approached. "Can I hitch a ride? My house is on the way."
"We're not going straight home," Jason said flatly.
"but I'm your girl, cut me some slack". She complain. He graned in frustration and reached into his wallet and handed her a credit card. "Here. A million dollars. Go shopping."
Jessica snatched the card but stomped away in anger.
Jason opened the front seat for Winter again, and she sighed but climbed in.
Moments later, she fell asleep.
Jason dropped Jeremy off first. Then he drove to Winter's house in silence, stealing glances at her peaceful face and trying to buy her more time to sleep. He parked, stepped out, and opened her door quietly. As he reached to carry her, her eyes fluttered open.
"Were you going to carry me?" she mumbled.
"I—uh—was just helping you down."
She nodded sleepily. As she turned to walk inside, he called softly, "Winter."
She turned, surprised.
"Happy birthday. I hope I'm the last person to wish you."
A soft smile broke across her lips. She the realized he hadn't really wished her that day. "Thanks, Jason. For everything."
Later that night, Winter stood at her bedroom window, watching his car disappear into the night.
She pulled off the jacket and felt something hard in the pocket.
A small, flat box.
She opened the note attached.
> "Happy birthday, Snowflake. Just in case I couldn't say it in person."
She didn't need a signature. She just… knew.
Inside was a delicate jewelry set — glowing with the rich, unmistakable crimson of a blood red diamond.
Her breath caught. Only two existed in the world. One had been auctioned to Jason for over two hundred billion.
He turned it into a gift. For her.
Winter didn't know what this meant.
But she knew…
Or perhaps she didn't.