Anything to Win

The noisy hallway of the fraternity house seemed to freeze for a split second when the two friends ran into each other near the drinks table. Marcos stood there staring at the figure in front of him with wide eyes, trying to process whether this was an alcohol-induced hallucination or the most bizarre reality of his college year.

"What an irony, Peter as Tinkerbell... I would never believe this if I weren't seeing it with my own eyes. Man, what the hell kind of costume is that?" Marcos finally managed to speak, pointing at his childhood friend.

"Well, you answered it yourself, didn't you? Tinkerbell!" the blonde fairy shot back, lightly tapping the translucent wings that shimmered under the strobe lights.

"Don't play dumb with me, Peter! Did you really come to campus dressed like this? Out of your own free will?"

"Yes, I did. And before you start preaching, let me refresh your memory. Officially, we agreed earlier this week that 'whoever got a real date by the end of this party would win the bet.' Well, we never specified the exact terms, nor did we specify which side of the game we had to play on, right? And let's be realistic: these college parties always host way more guys than girls. We spent the last two years coming here and we never managed to hook up with any of the girls who showed up. We were always striking out."

Peter adjusted a blonde strand from the flawless high bun crowning his head, flashing a victorious smile with glossed lips.

"Facing that kind of supply-and-demand issue, I decided to look into the team that has the biggest statistical advantage on this campus! I changed my strategy, put myself out there on the market, and guess what? I won! Daniel, that quarterback from the football team, just asked me out. He fell for it completely. And well... if you're just standing there alone, dragging me into corners with no one by your side, it's because you already lost big time!"

Marcos rubbed his face, still unable to look away from the sharp curves and generous bust his friend was sporting.

"Man... I simply cannot believe you dolled yourself up, put on makeup, a wig, and turned yourself into a total babe just to win our silly bet."

"Well, believe it!" Peter let out a soft chuckle, leaning back with a surprisingly graceful posture that perfectly matched the textured, green-sequined mini-dress. "I didn't want to tie with you this time. You know very well that I take every single one of our bets seriously, no matter what level of dedication it requires."

"But it's shockingly convincing, man! How did you even pull this off? What did you do to your body?"

"Oh, my friend, the internet is a magical kingdom," Peter explained, gesturing down to his hourglass silhouette. "YouTube teaches you that a tight corset and a few layers of body tape help shape everything and create the perfect cleavage. There are also tutorials for absolutely every kind of makeup to contour your face. And well, any online shopping site delivers this costume with wings and the blonde wig to your doorstep in less than twenty-four hours. See? Hard work and market research helped me win an easy 100 bucks from your wallet... Plus the free dinner at an expensive restaurant that Daniel offered me for next weekend! Now just accept defeat and pay up."

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