Chapter 1

It started on a lazy afternoon on one of my best friend's porch. It was a few days after the last day of school and we were pretty much bummed out because of it. Both I and my friend Rachel are nerds while our other best friend Fred is a classic geek. What the difference with being a nerd and geek is us nerds take our grades and studies completely serious and even competitive at times to be the best while geeks immerse themselves into a hobby or projects that rule their worlds. Of course this is our own definition, nothing you would find in any dictionary, but we find that it works out for us. I've known Fred since he moved next door to me when I was ten and Rachel we added into our group a year later when we went to band camp together. So it was no contest at all when we gathered days after our last junior year to mourn to an end of the educational months.

During the summer we all work at a pizza joint down the road for three days during the week and then on days like today we just hang at one of our houses or go somewhere for a change of scenery. However if it wasn't for our boredom this entire situation could have been avoided.

Rachel was swinging upside down from the rocker chair when she sat up and sighed, "This is boring. Why can't anything happen to us."

"Like what?" Fred asked, leaning against the rail.

"Like something from a cliché movie or something. Why doesn't anything from the movies which are based on real life ever come true."

Fred scratched his head, "I guess it's because people need to force it make it true."

I inputted, "People who are bored and watch too much television."

Rachel smirked, "Well we are people are bored and we watch too much television."

"I hope you aren't suggesting what I think you are," Fred said.

"Let's create our own cliché summer."

I laughed, "You're crazy girl."

Rachel waved her hands around, "No, no, I mean it. Let's pick a cliché and run with it to make it real."

"We should really have you checked out."

"Okay think with me for a minute. We construct a cliché of our own and for the whole summer we run with it and that's how we can enjoy our summer."

Fred said, "I follow you, but I just don't know the mechanics of it all."

"Yeah, like what cliché should we choose from?"

Rachel thought for a moment, "Well it should be a bet…"

I laughed, "Like the jock getting with the geek girl who turns out to be a hottie?"

Rachel's eye lit up, "Exactly."

"You're joking, girls listen to yourselves, we're not jocks and I'm certainly not going to get with a girl for a bet."

I giggled, "I could do it."

Fred and Rachel look over at me for different reasons. Rachel exclaimed, "Really? That is so rad girl." While Fred asked, "You really would give yourself up?"

I shrugged, "I'm not an innocent girl like the populars would like to think we are. I'm not going to hold on it forever and I doubt I'll be looking for guys during my precious college years so now would be a good time."

Fred said, "You don't want to wait for the right guy?"

"Fred, you know how long you've known me. Never in those years has a guy ever liked me or asked me out. Heck we had to kiss each other to get our first kiss out of the way and I had to kiss Rachel to see if I swung that way."

Rachel grinned, "I'm glad we didn't stick to the same side."

Fred smiled, "Would have been interesting."

"Shut up. So Brooke, you'll screw a guy for our cliché to work?"

"You can't ask her to do that!"

"Sure"

Rachel jumped up excited, "Great, now we just have to get into the details with the bet, obviously between Fred and me, and we can get this summer started."

"No, I will not take part in this."

I said, "Fred I don't care I'm fine with it."

"What is wrong with you then? You really don't care about your virtue being in tack for the right guy? It's one of those 'once-in-a-lifetime' things you know."

"If I do find the right guy after all of this he'll be right for me to except my past as well as my future. If a guy can't do that then he isn't right for me."

Rachel begged, "Come on, she consenting, we're bored enough to do this, and we're experts of clichés right? I promise right here and now if anything goes wrong I'll call off the bet and we'll forget it ever happened. Besides with the two of us looking out for our little Brooke its guarantee she won't get hurt."

Fred cracked his knuckles, "I do believe you are getting ahead of yourself. What exactly are we betting at?"

Rachel screamed in delight, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ok I was thinking in the movies the jock playboy always gets the bet that he can make any girl into a hottie even if she is a nerd or a freak or whatnot."

"Yeah I know, he then turns out to learn a lesson about inner beauty and falls madly in love with the girl who then finds out about the bet, she'll get angry but loves him enough anyway to screw his brains out in the end. We know this."

"Right but our twist here is our Brooke will be the nerdling seducer to any guy we pick out converting him to the dark side. Think you can do that Brooke?"

I thought about it, "Me be a seducer? I've never thought of myself like that before. I guess I could with a little practice."

"Okay great. Now all we need now is the chump who will play the part of the hot guy and maybe some rules to make it more interesting."

Fred stood up, digging his keys from his back pocket, "Let's go to the mall then. Anyone who is anyone will be there right? It'll make it easier then."

Rachel hugged him as she step down the steps, "You know I love you when you become part of the team. I don't know why it takes so much whining and groaning from you."

I said nabbing the front seat, "It's because he loves us so."

"No," he said shutting the driver door, "It's because both of you get sucked away on these tiny quest that I can't help but follow you guys along to make sure you don't hurt yourselves or anything else."

Rachel said, "I feel the love, trust me."

We speeded down to our local mall in the jeep Fred built for his sixteenth birthday. It's a nice little convertible with painted white stars on green that we did together on the last day. Driving in our town is very quiet; practically no traffic and hardly any accidents except for the occasional evil squirrel attack where they run across the road and let me tell you we don't hit squirrels here. Like any popular, during the summer they hang together in packs making their own gossip and ruling different territories to keep busy. Actually they act the same as if in school except for more drugs, sex, and parties. Makes you worry how these kids will be when exiting or dropping out of school and into goes into the real world eh.

We park and enter the mall heading straight to the food court that is in the middle of the mall, the most open and largest place in the mall perfect for scouting.

I sipped some banana juice, "Will I get any say in this pick?"

Rachel shook her head, "Nope, but we'll hear any input you would like to submit."

"As long as I don't have to write it down okay."

Fred and Rachel looked around to every group here in the mall. I looked to but I thought I should leave it up to them, besides who knows what I like better than them.

Fred pointed, "Over there near the pretzel stand, how about the guy in the green shirt?"

Rachel wrinkled her nose, "Brody Kurts? Nah."

"Why not?"

"Because he's not good enough. He's just like us; remember he's won the past three science fairs with his electronic team doing those fake and stupid balloon robots."

I laughed, "Still angry about him beating you out?"

"My nuclear battery theory for schools was a perfect idea. Anyway, how about Isaiah Lian."

Fred scoffed, "Ugh choose again."

"Why?"

Fred whispered in Rachel's ear and she giggled uncontrollably.

I said, "Hey you guys don't leave me out."

Fred said, "Let's just say he has something on his you-know-what that would scare any girl away. And before you ask how I know I do take gym with the guy. So instead of a deformed guy like him how about Seth Loneit?"

"Too short."

"Him?"

Too fat."

"How about the guy over there?"

"Too pimply."

"That guy?"

"He is a pimp."

As Fred and Rachel delicately debated on guys I looked for myself around the mall. Sure there were a lot of cute looking boys around, certainly popular in their own way, but nothing to stand out. Until I saw the triplets exit Gap. Now the triplets are the famous kids around the block obviously for being three of one but also because the oldest and the youngest were major players in the school. The middle guy though backed off from the dating scene since freshman year from an unknown reason but that didn't mean girls wouldn't stop to try. It was hard to get into their circle since all three guys were closer than anything and took outsider friends with caution to their circle.

"How about one of the triplets?"

Fred and Rachel looked at me and then over to where they sat themselves a few seats down. "A triplet? Now that is an interesting idea," Rachel mused.

Fred laughed, "Makes it easier, three in once chance."

"I never even thought about them, this could prove to be an interesting twist on things. However two of the triplets are known players and sometimes cheaters cause how can a girl tell between the two? Girls are always making mistakes on them whether on purpose or not."

Fred thought about it while sipping his orange juice, "Then how about Brooke seduces Ian while keeping Owen and Evan at bay."

I said, "What? Ian doesn't date."

"Perfect!" Rachel said, "It's a perfect challenge."

"Wait a minute you guys, remember who the cliché movie goes? In the end the person who was betted on always ends up hurt one way or another. Ian is a lot nicer than most guys and being on the lower totem pole ourselves we should know what it feels like to be picked on."

Rachel smirked, "Sounds like you like him."

I looked over to him, "He is nice and cute. I've never had any complaints about him. Now his brothers on the other hand I would mind strangling once and a while with their rude ways."

Fred said, "Well then seduce Ian and if he likes you back we won't say anything about the bet and you can continue to date him if you want."

Rachel whined, "But what's the point in a bet unless there is some stakes?"

"Alright how about this," he turned to me, "You have to seduce Ian by the end of the summer without mixing him up with Owen or Evan by the end of the summer. Coming the new school year then if you succeed we won't say anything about the bet to Ian and if you don't succeed we'll spill everything on the P.A. system."

"I never knew you could be so cruel. So do you agree Brooke? Now if you accidentally kiss or touch the other two thinking it is Ian you lose too you know."

I thought about it then smiled sticking my hand out, "You guys are on. Five hundred?"

Rachel laughed, "Too cheap but alright," said from a girl who has saved everything since the 5th grade.

Fred nodded, "Sure, but I want to help you out. I think this would be an interesting pastime though I hate to admit."

"I always come up with great ideas."

"Not always, volcanos in 7th grade remember."

"That wasn't my fault."

As Fred and Rachel continue to bicker for fun I looked over to triplet's table again seeing Owen and Evan with a girl on each lap while Ian zoned out of the conversation. He had no idea what he was in store for during the summer, then again neither did I at that moment. And that is how my summer vacation began with a bet.