“What?” I spun around, giving me the meanest glare I could.
“Not a dime.”
I should’ve told him to go to hell or flipped him off, but instead, I nodded. “Game on, Callahan.”
Chapter Four
My anger hadn’t dissipatedat all in the four days since our showdown. It was Sunday afternoon, and my best friend, Grace, and my brother sat in my living room, laughing their asses off after I told them all about Christopher.
“What is so damn funny about this?” I spat out, pushing off the couch and placing my hands on my hips. “I can beat him at this stupidnot-a-dimecompetition. I will.”
“Uh, okay, sis,” Fritz said, hitting his knees as his shoulders shook with laughter. He shared a look with Grace and rolled his eyes. “You spend thousands of dollars on your classroom and nails and hair. There’s no way you won’t cheat.”
My face heated, and I pointed my finger at his chest, showing my teeth as I tried to come up with something to prove him wrong. “I can do it. I’m notthatentitled.”
“I dunno, Gil.” Grace winced and wiped the smile off her face when I glared at her. “You need something, you buy it online in an instant. Should we check your Amazon account? I saw four packages on the counter when I walked in.”
“Or her subscription addiction? Did you know she gets perfume, clothes, and shoes delivered to her every month?”
“I like those things! Sue me!” I yelled, super annoyed by the truth to their words. “Fine, I spend money a lot. I like it. It doesn’t mean I can’t work hard though.”
“We’re not saying that at all, Gilbert,” Fritz said, using my childhood nickname and softening his tone. “You’ve always worked hard,but—now don’t kill me—he has a point.”
My left eye twitched. I sighed and ran a hand over my face. “So what the hell do I do?”
“You don’t spend money on this competition. Prove him wrong, duh.” Grace wiggled her eyebrows and picked up the pad of paper where I’d scribbled ideas down. “Dang, Fritz, wanna take a bet on if she can do it or not?”
“Oof, no, because I know she can’t.”
“I can do a damn week on a budget. I’m notthatbad.” A dull ache started behind my left eye, and I wanted to slam a pillow into my best friend’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I love you, Gil, but you can’t do it.”
“Yes, I can. I can even do it longer than a week. Two.” I puffed out my chest as my pulse raced. My nerves danced at the doubt in their eye. “Swear.”
“Make it a month,” Fritz said, his voice getting serious. “One month, just your teacher paycheck.”
“What do I get if I do this?”
“Bragging rights, respect, knowing we were wrong about you,” he fired back, raising his brows. We weren’t athletic like Grace or her husband, but competitiveness lived in our blood. We thrived on being the best.
“Fine.” I swallowed. “I’ll do it.”
Fritz grinned and relaxed into his seat as Grace cleared her throat and scanned the pad of paper.
“Okay, let’s brainstorm then,” Grace said in her teacher voice. “Day one is opposite day. What does that even mean? Opposite?” She shared a smile with my brother. They doubted me, that was obvious. While I liked excess things, I still had my pride, and I would prove to them I could do it.
Tight budget for one month. No funsies or extras or pedicures.
I gritted my teeth and plopped down on the couch, determined to win against Christopher, but also to prove to myself my money didn’t define me. “I found the coolest ideas online, but they all cost money. I’ve never needed to win something more than I do this SPIRIT week. If he wins, I might have to quit my job. Working with him all cocky and gloating…” I trailed off, and my entire body shook with dread. “Yeah, it can’t happen.”
Fritz laughed and picked up his phone. “Let’s go through ideas?”
“Please.”
Grace offered different ways to style my hair or wear two different shoes, which was a great start, but not enough. Christopher didn’t have to know I spent money if I made things look like they were older. My stomach soured at the thought of essentially cheating, and I got my laptop from the counter. It hadn’t even been five minutes since I made the bet with Fritz, and I was thinking about sneaking around.
I knew what I had to do.
