Chapter 8 The Dare

Russel POV

"Are you sure we should go in?" Claire asked.

We just got out of the cab and stood in front of the bar where Patricia's birthday party was being held.

"You know, Pat, if we don't go to his party, that will cause trouble for me again," I said to Claire.

Claire and I turned around in the crowded bar. It was to be expected that the music inside the bar would be loud; thus, it was inevitable not to be dancing as they were actively searching for friends who were there.

"Russel, Claire!"

We looked around and saw a classmate waving from afar. Quickly, they walked over to join them at the table. We noticed that our classmates at that table were almost complete except for the nerds that Patricia hated. Because Patricia thinks nerds ruin young people's sense of style and fashion.

"See, I told you guys Russel was coming..." Pat said to our other classmates.

Our male classmates moved right away to give us seats. Claire and I sat down and glanced at the beverages on the table.

"Happy birthday, Pat. I was going to get you a present, but I changed my mind. You do not need it." I said.

Patricia chuckled. "But I want you to give me a gift."

"Then tell me, what do you want for a gift?"

"Send me a video of you are having sex with the first man who walks through that door," Patricia said.

"What? It's crazy..." I said. As if I were to surrender my virginity to a guy I didn't know.

"Why don't you drink first, Russel? You too, Claire. Unfortunately, we don't have any milk to give you," one of our male classmates laughed.

Everyone was laughing. I looked at Claire, grabbed the drink, and gulped it down.

"Nice!" Patricia exclaimed before clapping her hands. The others did, too.

Our classmate put another new cocktail drink in front of me.

"Stop hanging out with that dork. They are boring, and besides, being with them doesn't suit you," Patricia said.

"Pat, why are you doing this? Did I do something wrong to you?" I asked.

"Of course not. You haven't done anything wrong. I want you to be one of us."

"She told you already she doesn't want to be part of your group," Claire said.

"Do you guys remember the video I recorded of the ballot counting?"

"I thought you'd deleted that video? We already had an agreement." I said that I felt my body temperature rising. It's unclear whether it's the drink I had earlier or that I'm so upset with Patricia causing this problem.

Pat gave me a kind grin. "I lied."

I tightened my jaw. "It's easy. Have a one-night stand with the first man who walks in that door, and you will officially be part of our group.", Pat added.

"If I were you, I would do what is told," one of her friends said.

"Or she'll make you famous..."

"You know what Pat is capable of doing. What Pat wants, Pat gets. She wants you to be one of us, and you can't do anything to refuse."

"Patricia, you're overstepping your bounds here," Claire said. "Isn't it enough that we are still friends with you after what you always did to us?"

"Not enough," Pat replied. "Go ahead and drink so you can enjoy my birthday." Pat gave me a kind grin.

My fist tightened. The image of my parents and older brother prevented me from assaulting Patricia.

Eventually, the door opened, and we all turned to look. "Nobody moves!" the police officer said as he held his hand up, holding a gun.

"Wow, you're lucky, Russell. He's handsome enough to be your one-night stand. You will send me the proof by tomorrow or else...."

Patricia flashed me an obnoxious grin as she hurried out with the rest of our class. Claire murmured as she grabbed my arm and dragged me away. We left the pub quickly and walked through the back door, where the other group escaped.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Someone held both of our arms. We were shocked to see Daniel.

"D-daniel!"

--

Daniel's POV

"Not there, just follow me," I said.

The two stopped struggling, and after a while, they were both calmer. I turned around and pulled them close to my car. I immediately let go of them and looked at Russell with a frown.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, because we have a classmate who has a birthday and..." Claire said, but my attention was on Russel, who was getting antsy.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked Russel.

"What are you saying?" Russel asked me.

I immediately pulled out my phone and called one of my friends about that raid.

"I'm just going to the hospital because it's an emergency. I'll call you." After that, I hung up and stuffed the phone into my pocket.

I told them, "Get in. You have an allergy, so you need to be taken to the hospital."

"What? How did you know I had allergies?" Russel asked me.

"Why not? You've grown up with me. I've known you forever." I said, not looking at the woman.

I quickly drove the car to the closest hospital.

--

Russell's POV

I would have already done it if I could have changed my brother. I scowled while holding my phone. Kuya preached for almost half an hour without breathing, and I needed mom to make him stop.

I frowned even more when I saw Pat's post on social media, but I was still distraught.

"Looks like Pat is serious about her threat," Claire said after seeing Patricia's post on social media. "Better yet, just don't do it."

"Claire, if I don't do what Patricia wants, I'll give her a chance to bully her."

I am not the girl who likes to report to parents and siblings when being bullied. I do all my problems I can solve alone, so my parents, especially my brother, should not know what Patricia is doing to me. I can prove that I'm not a spoiled brat like my brother thinks.

"So you're saying it's okay to have a one-night stand with Daniel even though you hate him?"

"Are you guys listening?" Ryker asked Claire and me.

I forgot that he was even talking while Claire and I were talking. We were on our way home after the doctor checked me out. When my brother arrived, Daniel immediately left the hospital.

"Sorry, Big B, okay? This won't happen again," I said.

"It should be because I'm going to tell Daniel to lock you up in a cell at their station so you can learn your lesson," said Kuya Ryker.

"That's too much, brother. You know how the prisoners are, right?" I said.

"I know. You want something like that, don't you? The center of attention," Kuya said.

I frowned, and then my brother Ryker's phone rang. He was on the phone with someone when he turned his back on us.

"Perhaps you can. Daniel is both handsome and rich, so you're not at a loss to him," Claire said.

"As a general rule, playboy males struggle to maintain committed relationships," I said. "We females may be the most beautiful creatures on the planet in the eyes of men, but to guys like my brother and Daniel, we will always be just like any other woman. We can't expect anything from men like them."

Claire said nothing more. Later, Kuya turned back to us again. "Then come with me tomorrow," Kuya said. "My out-of-town meeting is in Batangas. Let's stay at a private resort there so I can take a vacation. I also told Daniel, so he'll be taking time off from work."

"Okay, Claire, and I'll come," I said.

My brother looked at us, raised his eyebrows, and stared at me. "You better not get in trouble over there, little sister, or I will take action on my promise to you," Kuya warned.

I looked at Claire and whispered to her. Batangas is the best place to make my plan.

"What plan?"