Betting on the Aces

There is no sex, implied or otherwise, involving any characters under the age of eighteen in this story.

I began writing this story before I started "Little Differences", but due to the wacky way my inspiration sometimes works, I finished that story first, making this a sort of prequel. It introduces Avery and Anna English and might make their subsequent role in the later story clearer for some people.

While this story exists outside of the Brandt family series (His Daddy's Car, Change, Searching, and Elements), reading those stories first will help you navigate, comprehend, and fully understand much of what transpires in this one.

Chapter One

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

"We need to talk..."

Four words that seldom bespoke of anything positive likely to come from the pending conversation. The four words being spoken by the pretty redhead were a surprise. Avery had been partnered with her when they had arrived at the youth center as volunteer tutors for under-performing middle school students, but she had studiously ignored him. What did she have to talk to him about? They didn't even know each other.

Avery tried to smile as innocently as he could as he glanced over at her; she had been introduced as Anna. He said, "Sure. Do you want to chat here, or did you have someplace else in mind?"

It was a perfect early autumn afternoon in the mid-country of South Carolina. The temperature was in the mid-seventies and the humidity was low. The few puffy clouds in the sky posed no threat but offered a contrast to the brilliant blue background.

Anna maintained a neutral expression on her face when she said, "Here is fine."

"Do you want to at least sit down?" Avery asked, sliding over to make more room on the planter ledge where he had been sitting when Anna had approached him.

She didn't reply, but took a seat next to him, setting her overstuffed backpack on the ground at her feet.

"You are the Avery English who attends North High School, right?" she asked.

"As far as I know, I'm the only Avery English that attends any high school in this town."

Their hometown had a population of just under two hundred thousand people. There were five high schools around the city, serving a diverse social and economic citizenry. The original Central High School in downtown had become the district's continuation high school, or the dumping ground for students anywhere in the city who were either a disciplinary problem or required special education of some sort. South and East high schools attracted students from those respective areas of town, both of which were close to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder. Definitely on the wrong side of the tracks. West High School was firmly middle to upper-middle class, while North High School was attended by those wealthy kids whose parents felt should have a public education even though they could afford the best private schools.

'You don't remember me, do you?" Anna asked.

Avery stared at her for a few seconds, and said, "No, I'm sorry but I don't."

The fact was, Avery did his best not to notice any girls. They had proven to be a distraction as soon as he showed any interest in them. He was exclusively focused on his studies, his community service activities, and his martial arts training. He liked girls, and Anna had the looks of someone that he would really like, with her long red hair, slender yet shapely figure, clear, bright green eyes, and lips that reminded Avery of blossoming flowers.

"We've competed against each other twice in the district debate tournaments," Anna informed him.

Avery glanced at her again and asked, "Did you used to have braces and wear glasses?"

Anna blushed and said, "Yes. I forgot that we hadn't seen each other since I got my braces off and had Lasik done on my eyes."

"Okay," Avery said, "Now I remember you. You go to West, don't you?"

Anna nodded and said, "Yes, I am a Junior there, just like you are at North. That means that both of us are going to need to start studying to take the SATs this year. I plan to take the test in November"

"I'm already scheduled for the test in November too," Avery said. "What about it?"

Anna glanced at Avery's eyes, and then up at the sky for a second. She realized that they were the exact same shade of blue. "I paid attention when you were explaining the laws of algebra to that Nicholas kid. You have a way of explaining mathematic principles that make them easy for someone to understand. I've always gotten A's in all of my math classes, but it has never been easy for me. Listening to you explain things to Nicholas suddenly made everything I learned in my algebra classes meaningful to me."

Avery nodded and said, "I guess I see the logic in math that a lot of people miss."

"Well," Anna said, "The math portion of the SATs is one-third of the score. If you help me study for the math portion of the test, I'll help you study for the optional essay portion. No college worth anything will accept your SAT scores if they don't include the essay portion."

Avery studied Anna for a few seconds. He knew that she must be competitive based upon her being part of her school's debate team, but was she a competitor of his? They went to different schools, so she couldn't possibly challenge him there, but was there some other way that she could?

"What makes you think I need help studying for the essay portion of the SATs?" Avery asked.

She smiled and said, "Because I always cleaned your clock at the debate tournaments. Your research was phenomenal, but your organization of the facts doomed you every time."

Yep, she was definitely competitive. Laughing, Avery said, "Actually, it was the organizational skills of my debate partner that doomed us. You just had the good fortune of being matched up against him every time we debated. I, on the other hand, destroyed your partner if you remember correctly. You scored enough points off my partner each time to barely overcome the points I scored against yours. I'm pretty confident in my essay skills, thank you."

Anna silently studied Avery for a moment. She realized that he was right about their debate partners. She knew from the way that she had seen him handle himself in the debates that he was confident in his abilities. She also knew from the way her aunt, who taught Health classes at North High School, raved about Avery English, that he was likely her academic equal in most subjects. She had also heard rumors that Avery English had little interest in girls. That fact alone would make him the ideal study partner for her.

Avery watched her watching him, and said, "I've been through several SAT test preparation exercises, so if I can share some of what I've learned with you, I wouldn't mind. Where and when would you want to get together?"

Anna considered the question and said, "We only have forty minutes left here after this break. We could study at my house, or yours. You're doing me the favor, so I'll let you decide."

Avery asked, "Will anyone else be home at your house?"

"Yes, my mom will be there. Why?"

"Because no one will be home at my house and we would be there alone. I don't think it would be a good idea for people to think that we were alone and unsupervised. That's how rumors get started and reputations ruined. Let me text my mom to let her know that I won't be home for a couple of hours and then we can go to your house."

"Okay," Anna agreed. "I'll drive you over when the tutoring session ends."

"I have my own car. I'll just follow you," Avery said.

Forty minutes later, Avery and Anna walked out to the parking lot together. They each pointed out their respective cars, got in them, and headed away from the youth center with Avery close on Anna's tail. Traffic wasn't heavy, but he didn't want to risk losing her along the way.

He needn't have worried, because Anna was just as focused on not losing him, so she maintained a constant speed and used her turn signals well in advance so that Avery always had a chance to match her moves. When Anna pulled into the driveway of a beautiful Tutor-style house and waited for the automatic garage door on one of the three bays to open fully, Avery pulled along the curb in front.

Anna was yelling something to him, so he turned down his radio to enable him to hear her.

She was yelling, "You can't park on the street. Pull in the driveway behind my car."

Avery put his car in gear and waited for Anna to pull hers into the garage before parking on the driveway in the space just outside the bay where hers was parked. She came out of the garage to meet him as he exited and locked his car.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I should have told you before we headed out that street parking is banned in this neighborhood."

Giving her a sincere smile, he said, "It's no problem. I'm just glad that you remembered before I got a ticket, or worse, towed."

Anna laughed and said, "My mom would kill me if I ever let an invited guest's car get cited or towed for being parked in front of our house. Come on, follow me."

Avery followed Anna through a breezeway that connected the garage to the house. They walked through a spacious mudroom into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" Anna asked.

"No, I'm good," Avery said. "Are we going to use the kitchen table to study?"

Without waiting for an answer, he headed towards the table, which was in the breakfast nook, and set his backpack on a chair.

"I thought we could study in my room," Anna said. "It will be more private and a lot quieter once my mom starts preparing dinner in the kitchen."

Avery took his backpack off the chair, set it on the floor, and then took a seat. He had a serious expression on his face when he said, "I would prefer to do it someplace where people could see us. If you think it will get too noisy here, we could go to the library."

"Hi, Ace." A woman's voice said.

Avery turned to see an older version of Anna coming into the kitchen. He said, "Hi, you must be Anna's mom..."

This was verified as Anna said, "Hi, Mom. This is Avery English. He's going to help me study for the SATs."

As the woman came over to the table, Avery stood to shake her hand and said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Edwards. How did you know my nickname is 'Ace'?"

A shocked look came across Anna's face as she said, "She didn't. Ace is her nickname for me. My initials are A-C-E."

Mrs. Edwards laughed and asked, "What's your middle name, Avery?"

"It's Chance, ma'am. It was the name of an uncle who died in the first Gulf War. Kids tease me about it 'Avery' chance they get. That's why my folks and all my friends started calling me Ace."

Mrs. Edwards had a sympathetic expression as she looked over at her daughter. She turned back to Avery and said, "Anna can relate I'm afraid. We didn't consider the consequences for her when we used mine and my husband's mother's names for her. Her middle name is Carina, and though it is spelled differently, kids still associate her name with the famous Tolstoy novel, so we started calling her Ace too."

She brightened and said, "So, it looks like we've got ourselves a pair of Aces. Did you offer Ace something to drink, Ace?"

Avery and Anna laughed. Anna said, "That can get confusing really quick. If we promise not to tease each other, I think we should use our given names when we're together. Are you okay with that, Avery?"

"Sure."

"Good, and yes, Mom, I offered Avery something to drink earlier."

Mrs. Edwards nodded and said, "Okay. I'm going to start dinner. Avery, would you like to stay and join us for dinner?"

There was no way that Lynda Edwards would bring up the fact that Avery was the first boy that her daughter had ever brought to their home while that very boy was standing in her kitchen. Or, that she was thrilled that it had finally happened. Anna had always been so focused on her studies and other activities aimed at getting her into the college of her choice that her interest in boys had taken not just a "backseat" in her life, but her interest essentially rode in the trunk, locked safely away from her thoughts.

"I would have to text my mom to see if it was okay," Avery said.

Lynda glanced at Anna, expecting to see a hopeful look, but the expression she saw was completely neutral. She said to Avery, "Well, if you would like to stay, please get your parent's permission. We are going to be having homemade tacos, and we would love to have you join us."

"I'll text my mom right now," Avery said. He loved homemade tacos.

"Good," Lynda replied. She then asked, "Anna, why don't you take Avery up to your room to study. It will be much quieter there while I am working in the kitchen."

Anna looked at Avery before answering her mom, "I suggested that, but Avery doesn't want to be alone with me..."

"It's not you, Anna," Avery interrupted. "I don't want to be alone with any girl."

He turned to Anna's mother and tried to explain, "My family is known in this town to be quite well off, financially. My parents have drilled into me that our family wealth makes me a target for people who might try to place me into a compromising situation in order to profit from it. It's not that I don't trust you and Anna, but I just met you both..."

Lynda nodded, glanced at Anna, and then said, "Why don't you use the dining room table instead? I'll be able to check on you both but it will be somewhat quieter for you to study. Anna, you probably should tell Avery about your Grandpa Edwards."

Smiling at Avery and pointing, Lynda said, "The dining room is just through that door. If you leave the door open, I will be able to hear everything that goes on, and promise to protect yours and my daughter's virtue."

Avery saw Anna blush and suppressed a laugh. He picked up his backpack and followed Anna through the door, into the dining room.

After both got settled at the table, Anna said, "We've wasted a lot of study time today. How about we spend the time before dinner getting to know each other better? That might prevent uncomfortable situations like we've experienced just a few minutes ago."

Avery checked the incoming text reply from his mom, and then smiled and said, "Sure, Ace. That sounds like a good idea."

"First," Anna said, "I'm going to trust you with a secret that's never been shared with anyone outside my family. By doing so, I hope that it helps you trust me enough to know that I would never do anything such as your parents have warned you about. There are other reasons too, but this is the main one."

"If it's a family secret, won't your parents get mad if you tell it to me?"

Shaking her head, Anna said, "No, my mom told me to tell you. It has to do with my Grandpa Edwards. You see, my grandfather on my father's side died very wealthy. My parents inherited the bulk of his fortune, but the remainder of it was left to me in a trust fund that I get when I turn eighteen. The trust fund is currently valued at a little over seven million dollars. So, you see, neither me nor my family would ever be a risk for placing you in a compromising position for profit."

"It would certainly take money out of the equation as far as motivation goes," Avery agreed.

"Are there other motivations?"

Avery shrugged. He didn't want to sound narcissistic but he knew that most girls found him attractive for reasons other than his family's wealth. He was one of the most popular guys at North High School and would likely be able to date any girl there if he chose to.

Even if financial motivations were discounted, there was still the chance that some girl might try to get him to impregnate her just so he would be forced to marry her. That would put an end to his college and career aspirations. Nope, he wasn't going to take the chance.

He just said, "I don't want to complicate my life right now with relationships."

Anna smiled and said, "I have heard rumors in that regard about you, which is one of the major reasons I thought that we would make good study partners. I don't want the complications that come with relationships right now either. Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Of course. You're more than pretty, you're gorgeous."

Anna blushed and said, "And I think that you're attractive too. I'm pretty sure that I know the answer, but I want to be sure. You do like girls, right? You're just avoiding a relationship with one right now."

"If that is a polite way of asking if I am gay, then the answer is no. I like girls. What about you?"

"I'm not into girls," Anna teased. "I like boys, or at least I will like boys when I have the time for one of them."

"It does sound like we would be safe with each other," Avery agreed. "We might be able to help each other out in other ways besides studying."

"Such as?"

"Someone nominated me to be the Homecoming King. If I win, I'll need someone to attend the Homecoming dance with me. Asking one of the girls at North would complicate things for me. My dad has offered to hire a paid escort for me, but showing up with a grown woman to a high school dance would raise too many questions."

"But you're only a Junior. Are you eligible to be Homecoming King? I thought that was reserved for Seniors."

"Whoever gets the most votes, regardless of class becomes the Homecoming King. The same applies to the Queen. The Princesses are specific to each class though."

Anna considered what Avery was implying. He wanted her to be his date to North High School's Homecoming dance. "What if you don't win? Will you still have to go to the dance?"

"No. The winners are announced on Tuesday, October 21st the week of the Homecoming game. They get crowned at the game on Friday evening. The dance is the following Saturday, October 25th."

"If you learn that you won on Tuesday that would leave me only three days to find a dress to wear on Saturday."

Lynda had been trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between Avery and Anna but had missed most of it while standing at the stove cooking. Now that she had moved to a counter closer to the open door to chop tomatoes, she clearly heard the discussion about the dance. While she had been at the stove, her discussions with her sister about a boy at North High School were recalled in her mind and she realized that boy was the Avery sitting in her dining room. Lynda acknowledged that the boy that her sister had mentioned would be a perfect match for Anna because their ambition and drive were almost identical.

Lynda wondered if Avery had stopped growing yet. He appeared to be about six-foot-one, with an athletic physique, light-brown wavy hair that he wore surprisingly short, sparkling sky-blue eyes, and a captivating smile. This boy was mouthwateringly cute and Lynda hoped that Anna appreciated his looks as much as she did.

She stuck her head around the edge of the doorway and said, "Anna, you're pretty much done growing, so a size six should fit you for years. We'll go shopping for a dress on Saturday. If Avery doesn't have to go to the dance, then you can save the dress for some future event. There are going to be a lot more opportunities for you to wear a formal dress over the next couple of years."

Anna nodded at her mom while looking at Avery. Since the dance was going to be held at a different high school than hers, complications similar to what Avery was trying to avoid would also be minimized for her. She had never been to a school dance before, and the idea of going to one and being safe from any expectations from her partner was attractive to her.

"Here's my offer," she finally said. "You and I study for the SAT every Tuesday and Thursday before the dance. If you win, I will go to the dance with you as your partner under the following conditions: First, this is not a date. Second, you will dance with only me. And third, you will not allow anyone else to dance with me. I know that you will have friends that you'll want to hang out with, but I won't know anyone there but you. I expect you to respect that and not allow me to be ignored."