OPPORTUNITY SYSTEM: THE RISE TO FAME

Chapter 4, You lost the bet man

Randy let out a cackle. He looked around at the dozens of students who had been watching interestedly.

"Come on Randy. I am just a poor kid, ain't I? Or are you scared to make the bet?" James taunted and some people laughed.

Randy gritted his teeth, a little annoyed. He grasped James' hand in a handshake.

"It's a bet Jackson." He said, loudly so everyone could hear him.  He turned and walked back into his sports car.

"You are soooo going to lose, dick head." He said before driving off.

James stood and watched as Randy's car rode into the distance until he could no longer see it. The momentary anger he had felt had dissipated, leaving behind a feeling of panic and distress. What had he done!? He didn't have any money to pay off any debt or school fees. The money in his account was barely up to fifty dollars. The school fees and debts accumulated to almost a thousand dollars. What had he done?!

James turned and walked back to the house, slammed the door shut, and locked it. He paced around the room feverishly, muttering to himself. He had let his emotions get the better of him again. What was he thinking?! There was no way he could get a thousand dollars in twenty four hours. Unless……..no, it could not be.

Unbidden, an image of a sandy desert and the man who had called himself the opportunity system had trickled into his head. He shook it off. Why did that dream keep popping up in his head?

He had paced and thought and deliberated for up to an hour before he fell back to the bed, exhausted, still with no answer. Was this it then? Would he be forced to leave the school for good? Again the image of the desert and the opportunity system played in his mind. But that was just a dream. Or was it? It had been so real. Perhaps it had been real after all?

He didn't know what to think. He guessed he would just have to wait and see. Whether it would credit him a million dollars like it had promised or it would prove to be just a dream.

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It was early the next morning. James walked towards the café to have breakfast. He was scrolling through his phone as he walked, looking at some cars sold on a site and their prices. He didn't know why he was doing that. It was not like he had the money for it. Crazy as it may sound, since he had made that bet, his conviction in the reality of the opportunity system seemed to have grown. It didn't seem like just a dream to him anymore. He was so convinced that he had even initiated a transfer to the school's account, to pay off his debts.

James had spent all day checking and rechecking his account balance, hoping, and waiting for the opportunity system to deliver. He couldn't imagine how foolish he would look if twenty-four hours passed and nothing happened. Randy, for one, would never let him hear the end of it. He sighed sadly. The time was ticking down for him. In about an hour's time, he would either be jubilant or sadly packing his bags, ready to leave the school.

James scrolled on his phone until he saw a car he really liked. A sports car, almost identical to Randy's only it was blue not red. James had a strange urge to click the order button for it. His finger hovered over it for a second, then he grimaced and clicked order. He sighed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Add that to the growing number of stupid decisions he had made today.

James finally reached the cafe. There were a lot of people in there, a bad sign. James wanted silence and privacy. He thought there was a chance Randy might be there with his guys. He wanted to turn back but he was also hungry. He waited a few minutes then eventually decided to walk into the cafe.

He ordered a burger and settled down on a table. Some of the students were staring at him. Word must have spread everywhere about his bet with Randy. They were muttering and he heard his name mentioned severally.

"One hour more, bozo." A voice whispered in his ear. He turned, expecting to see Randy but it was just a random student.

"Hope you've got your bags packed?" A voice yelled and this time it was Randy. Everyone in the cafe guffawed. James stared at the table, angry and humiliated but said nothing. He brought out his phone and checked his account balance. Nothing still.

"Hey." Someone said and pushed his head. "Randy's right. Your time's almost up."

"Yeah, get out of our school already." Another voice said.

James said nothing. The students in the cafe had started chanting "Get out of our school, get out of our school" at him. It grew louder as more voices joined in. James had to cover his ears to block out the noise. His eyes burned with tears of humiliation. He had to get out of here. It was already fifteen minutes to the twenty four hours. It was over. The opportunity system he had so believed in had failed him.

Someone pushed his head again from behind. The students were getting a little violent. He was about to stand up when his phone vibrated. Two messages had been delivered to him.

He read the messages for a few seconds and his mouth dropped open. He could not believe his eyes. He didn't know when the phone slipped out of his hand. The chanting died down as the crowd stared at the astonished look on his face.

"What's going on?" Randy said and he snatched the phone off the table. He read the messages, his face showed nothing but shock.

"Randy?" Another student said. He took the phone from his hands and perused the message. He first looked confused, then surprised.

"Yo, guys." He said, letting out a laugh. "Jackson has just paid off all his debt and he has even bought a sports car."

Nobody said a word. The silence was almost tangible. Everyone stared at James in astonishment.

"I…..I can't believe this." James stuttered.

The man handed James back his phone.

"Woah, James, some dude you are." He said and there was low ripple of laughter from the crowd.

"How did you manage to do that, and at the nick of time?" Another person said, clapping him on the back as though he had supported him all this while.

"I……..I don't know." James said meekly. His brain seemed to be working in slow motion. He looked at his phone again, he stared at that miraculous message that seemed to gleam at him from the screen.

"I guess you know what that means, Randy." Someone in the crowd of students said.

"What?" Randy asked, raising an eyebrow. He had not said a word all this while and had been standing beside James looking dumbfounded.

"You lost the bet man."