CHALLENGE 32: Taking Chances

[IsabellaRose]

THE CHALLENGE

A simple creative writing challenge - write something inspired by the phrase "taking chances." Use any format, genre, or setting you prefer.

Deadline

• Midnight (EST) Saturday, 21 June 2024

Limits

• 1 entry per person
• no strict word limit, but please try to keep it around 2,000 words- remember, everyone has to read these to vote

Prizes

• 1st Place: 4,000 EcchiCredits
• 2nd Place: 2,000 EcchiCredits
• 3rd Place: 1,000 EcchiCredits

[MagnificentBastard]

Oliver stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching the swirl of twinkling lights and the graceful movements of dancing bodies lost in music. The grand ballroom was filled with laughter and chatter, the annual gala of the prestigious Silver Oaks Academy in full swing.

He tugged nervously at his collar, the starched white fabric constricting around his neck like an invisible hand. His parents had orchestrated this entire evening to perfection, hoping he would make the right connections, impress the right people. They’d made it clear: stick to the plan, follow the rules, and stay away from trouble.

Yet trouble had a name tonight, and it was Ella.

Ella, the girl with the raven-black hair and eyes that seemed to see straight through him. The girl who danced alone on the far side of the room, her red dress a stark contrast to the sea of muted elegance. Ella, the scholarship student, the one without money, the one that had a part time job, the one they all warned him against.

She was gorgeous a buxom body, and fiery personality to match, and to to it all of she eas forbidden, but that only made her more enticing.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped off the safe shores of conformity and into the unknown, weaving his way through the throng of glittering gowns and sharp tuxedos. His heart pounded louder with each step, a drumbeat of anticipation and fear.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper as he reached her.

Ella looked up, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Are you sure about that? Your parents won’t like it.” She said showing her awareness of the situation.

“I don’t care,” he said, surprising himself with the conviction in his voice. “I want to dance with you.”

She took his hand, her touch sending a jolt of electricity through him. Together, they moved to the center of the dance floor, the music wrapping around them.

As they danced, the world seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them, spinning and swaying in a timeless moment. He caught glimpses of disapproving stares, heard the murmurs of discontent, but none of it mattered. For the first time, he felt alive, felt like he was truly living his own life.

“I’ve always wanted to dance with you” Ella confessed, her voice barely audible over the music. “But I never thought I’d get the chance.”

Oliver tightened his grip on her hand.
They danced until the final note hung in the air, a delicate echo of a perfect moment. As the music stopped, reality crashed back in, the weight of expectations and the disapproving looks of his parents pressing down on him.

But Oliver stood tall, his left hand still entwined with Ella’s, his right on her ass, even after the dance she didn't moved away. He knew the path ahead wouldn’t be easy, that there would be consequences for defying the unwritten rules of his world.

But for now, in this fleeting moment, he was free. And that was worth everything.

As they walked out of the ballroom together, the night air cool against their skin, Oliver felt a sense of exhilaration. He had taken a chance on the forbidden girl, and in doing so, had taken the first step toward a future of his own making.

“Where do we go from here?” Ella asked, her smile and her stare promised a wild night of lust if he eaa willing to claim her.

“Anywhere we want,” Oliver replied, a smile spreading across his face, as he looked at the bedrooms above. “Anywhere we want.”

[SataiRolePlayingGuy]

Desperation called for desperate measures.  A social failure.  No place of his own, no car, almost no one he could call a friend ever in his life, very little experience with love or sex.  So here he was, something more traditional.  A matchmaker of sorts.  Fill out some forms, let the ‘professionals’ find a match and set up a date.  No idea who it would be, except that it would be someone fairly local.  All the issues filed out on the form.  As well as, reluctantly, some honesty in things like interests, hobbies, other things.

It was almost forgotten about.  No expectation of a serious response, a potential partner.  But then there was a letter in the mail.  They had found someone.  It said to come to their office, Friday, 6:00 pm.  They had a room where matches could meet.  Decide if they wanted to take the next step to a proper date.

It was Wednesday when the letter came.  The time waiting for this was excruciating.  Terror, yet hope.  Was it possible to interact with this woman?  Well, the forms were filled out.  She had some idea what she was getting into.

Then it came.  Dropped off at the building, stepped inside, slowly walking down the halls, to the designated room.  The receptionist said she was inside.  With a deep breath, the door was opened.  A woman the same age or so looked up at him, a smile that was hard to identify the meaning of.  “It really is you, hmm?”  Recognition?  Her face was not immediately familiar.  But she continued.  “You still can’t say anything?  Or, maybe you can?  Sit down, take your time.”

The worst case.  Someone from school?  Years of misery, the worst years of his life.  He had begun to be able to talk to most people a little.  But there were years of pain here.  Even with someone like this….Samantha, was it?   It had been so many years.  He had not seen her since they were both much younger.  A girl he had known since first grade.  Seen in some other classes on and off again over the years.  She had not done anything to him.  But just being someone known from school made things much more difficult.

The seat was taken.  Just like before, no eye contact.  He never felt comfortable with it, reinforced by early childhood experiences.  Being told not to ‘stare’.  “I wondered if it was you, when the matchmakers explained your situation.  Asked if I was interested?  I was curious.”  She continued, softly.  “Do you want to try to say something?  Write something?  You don’t have to of course.”  That was the mixed blessing here.  She had some idea what to expect.  How he was.  It was silent for a moment.  “I’m willing to go n a date with you if you want…no pressure.  We don’t have to go out to eat either.”  Of course she remembered.  The other quirk.  He ate the same thing every day at lunch back then.  That was something where he had not improved.  Could only eat from a very small list.

Samantha had slid a pen and pad of paper over, in case he wanted to write.  But he did not.  Could he say or write anything to this woman?  He honestly did not know that much about her.  She was just one of the kids in class back then.  The best thing about her he could say, is she was one of the kids who pointed out to teachers he would not say anything.  School staff were horrible about telling teachers that, but he was lucky enough, there had always been at least one or two kids in new classes who already knew, pointed it out to the teachers.

Go on a date with her?  Possibly become her boyfriend?  Husband?  They were both old enough now that children, biological children at least, were probably not possible, assuming they started having sex.  That was probably for the better.  He did not feel qualified to being a father.  With some reluctance.  But maybe some hope, he nodded.  Samantha’s smile grew.  “Good.  I’ll pick you up tomorrow.  See what we might do together…maybe we will spend the evening at my place.  Decide then, if we want to keep going.”  No commitments yet.  Maybe it would just be one day…maybe it would be longer…maybe with time he could take much bigger chances.  Free himself from his past in a small way.

[NyxAvatar69]

(Local idiot procrastinates once again and makes an entry on the last possible day instead of forgetting for once.  If I'm not lazy, I may do a continuation regarding the aftermath of the game.)

 

Barry didn't know how many times he had lost his bets that night.  He had already lost his previous earnings from the day's job to the woman sitting in front of him, shuffling the deck of cards.  She looked at him with a satisfied smile as she prepared for the next hand.

"It's not too late to give up now.  If you leave this place now, you can escape with your soul intact.  You would have to tell your companions how you lost it all, though," the woman finally said, setting down the shuffled deck on the table.  She put a hand on her cheek and flashed a wide smile, her cold blue eyes staring directly into Barry's.  "You made a big mistake coming to this place.  Down here, we play for keeps.  You don't have any money left, so all that remains is your soul," the woman continued, using her free hand to tap on the wooden table with her long nails.

"I'm aware, but I don't plan on leaving without my winnings," Barry replied, only to get a laugh from the woman.

"Do you really value your life that little, adventurer?" the woman questioned.  While Barry had hopes of winning back the money he lost against the half demon woman, he was beginning to have his doubts about his chances.  No matter how many times he had played the game, she always had the exact right cards to beat him.  He wanted to think the game was rigged, but the rumors that had led him to the underground bar had come from reliable sources.  Those same rumors also said that the woman sitting across from him was legendary for her skills at card games.  While she lacked the raw abilities of a demon, she apparently had charm similar to a succubus, which Barry began to think may have been influencing him.  It was only then that the woman spoke again, as if she was reading his mind.

"If you think I'm using my power to cheat, you have another thing coming.  The boss would have my head if he found me cheating.  Things may not be completely above board down here, but at least the games are fair," she said.  She moved her hand off of her face and tapped on the deck of cards.  "So, how about it?  One more game.  Take a chance on losing your soul to win back your earnings.  If you somehow do manage to win, I'll even throw in a special bonus," she continued.

"A special bonus?" Barry questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes.  But that's only if you win.  If you lose, though..." the woman trailed off, turning to show off the bartender, a man staring away with a vacant stare as he cleaned glasses.  His eyes were devoid of light and he robotically performed the task given to him, much like a puppet on strings.  Barry clenched his fists under the cheap wooden table, trying hard to not imagine himself as another husk working for the underground bar.  He considered what his companions would do if he didn't return.  While he could've easily stood up and left, the promise of a "special bonus" had begun to sway his thought.

Letting out a sigh, Barry put his hands on the table.  "Fine.  I'll take a chance on this last game.  But you need to promise I get what I lost back if I win," Barry said.

The woman responded with a shrug.  "I give you my word that you'll get every bit of gold you lost to me, but don't think you'll win." she said, picking up the deck from off the table.  In that cheap underground bar, a game of Blackjack that would determine the fate of the adventurer Barry began.  While he was still curious about what this "special bonus" was being teased to him, at that moment, all he had to focus on was surviving the final game.