From Zero To Trillions

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

When Kelvin heard Austin say, all cool-like, that he would pay for everyone's dinner, Kelvin's eyes went all squinty. Like, how could this broke dude suddenly become Mr. Moneybags? It just didn't make any sense! Austin was acting like he had found a secret stash of cash under his bed or something.

Sabrina also looked at Austin with a "huh?" face. But then she thought, "Oh, he's probably just trying to look cool so he doesn't feel like a loser." In her head, there was no way Austin had enough money to feed the whole class.

Right then and there, Sabrina felt a little happy that she had dumped him. In her mind, she was safe from any embarrassment. Austin was just a big zero, not only poor but also not very smart.

“Hey, Austin… What in the world is going on with you?” Vince asked, his face all scrunched up like he was trying to solve a really hard puzzle.

“What else could it be? Sabrina gave him the boot, and now Kelvin here is trying to make him do something totally crazy. He's probably just trying to save his face by saying yes to this silly dinner thing,” Silas said slowly, like he was thinking out loud. Then he added, “But buying dinner for everyone? That's gotta be like, a few hundred dollars! Maybe we should all chip in a little to help him out if he's in trouble.”

“Yeah, I just got my pocket money,” Vince nodded a little, looking like he understood Austin's possible problem.

“Hey, Austin! What crawled into your ear today? First, you're actually coming to the party, and now you're saying you'll buy everyone dinner? Are you for real, or are you pulling our leg?” Ariana asked, her voice sounding a bit annoyed, like a mosquito buzzing in her ear.

“Yeah, if he really buys everyone dinner, I'll have to kneel down in front of him and say 'You're the best, oh great Austin!'” Ariana joked, rolling her eyes secretly.

Ariana was super sure that Austin could never afford to buy dinner for the whole class. So, in her mind, she was never going to have to do any kneeling.

“I already said I was going to treat everyone to a meal,” Austin said, all calm and collected. Then he turned to Ariana and asked with a little smile, “So, are you ready to practice your kneeling skills?”

“Okay, buying us food is fine, but what exactly are we going to eat? You're not thinking of taking us to that smelly food cart down the street, are you? I don't eat food that's been hanging out with flies, thank you very much,” Ariana said plainly, her nose wrinkling a little.

“Guys, guys! Austin is finally treating us! It's definitely not going to be street food. At the very least, it'll be that fancy Royal Blue Hotel!” Kelvin chimed in, finally catching on to the drama. He wanted to see Austin squirm and this was his big chance to make things super awkward.

“The Royal Blue Hotel?”

Austin couldn't help but shake his head a tiny bit at Kelvin's words. It was like Kelvin was trying to order a pizza with a million toppings.

“Yes! I agree with Kelvin! If you take us to the Royal Blue Hotel for dinner today and buy us their meal, I promise, right here and now, to kneel in front of everyone and kiss your shoe after that!” Ariana yelled quickly, her eyes wide with fake excitement. She was so sure this would never happen.

“So, Austin, what do you say? Since you're being so generous, the Royal Blue Hotel shouldn't be a problem for a big spender like you, right?” Kelvin asked with a wide, sneaky grin.

“No, not a problem at all. If that's where you all want to eat, then let's go,” Austin said, shrugging like it was no big deal.

Kelvin nodded slowly, a satisfied little smirk playing on his lips. He thought he had totally won.

Everyone else in the class was just staring, mouths open like they had seen a ghost. They all knew that the Royal Blue Hotel had a super fancy, five-star restaurant. A meal for so many people would cost a fortune – probably more money than they had seen in their entire lives! How could Austin possibly have that kind of cash?

“Has Austin completely lost his marbles? How could he agree to something so insane?” Vince whispered to Silas, his eyes glued to Austin. If it was just a regular pizza place, he and Silas could probably scrape together enough money to help. But the Royal Blue Hotel? Even if they emptied their piggy banks and sold their old comic books, they wouldn't have enough!

“Going to that place is okay with me, but I have just one little thing I want to say,” Austin said, his voice suddenly making everyone stop talking and look at him.

“What ‘little thing’?” Kelvin asked, still grinning but with a tiny bit of worry creeping into his eyes.

“The bill for our whole class dinner? We're going to split it right down the middle. I'll pay half, and you, my dear Kelvin, will pay the other half,” Austin said, a small, knowing smile on his face. He knew Kelvin was trying to trap him, but the old, broke Austin was gone. Now, this amount of money was like finding a few coins in his pocket. He was going to use this chance to turn the tables.

“What… you can’t even pay your half?” Austin teased, raising an eyebrow with a playful smirk.

Kelvin’s smile vanished. He swallowed hard but then puffed out his chest and nodded. “Alright, fine. Today’s class dinner costs will be split between the two of us.” He was still sure Austin was bluffing.

“Wow, Kelvin, you’re so generous!” someone in the class cheered, completely missing the awkward tension.

“Great! I think it’s time to go and eat at the fancy restaurant then!” The whole class erupted in cheers, excited about the unexpected fancy dinner. Eating at the Royal Blue Hotel with so many people would cost a mountain of money. Even half of that would be a huge amount – four or five thousand dollars at least! Kelvin felt a little stab of worry, but he was still convinced Austin was going to fail spectacularly.

‘Austin, you just wait. When it’s time to pay, I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you realize what you’ve gotten yourself into!’ Kelvin thought, a mean little smile creeping back onto his face as he watched Austin walk towards the door.

A few minutes later, the students arrived at the Royal Blue Hotel. As they walked into the restaurant, their jaws dropped. Most of them had never seen a place so shiny and fancy. It was like stepping into a movie!

Silas and Vince, however, stayed close behind Austin, their faces all worried. What was wrong with their friend? They had even thought about pretending to be sick and going home so Austin wouldn't have to worry about their share of the bill. But that would be like leaving their friend to fight a dragon all by himself. “Austin, do you really, really have the money to pay for everyone?” Silas asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

“Don’t worry your little head about it. If I said I’d come here, it means I’m ready. I’m not completely clueless, you know,” Austin replied casually, like he was talking about the weather.

“But…” Vince started to say, his eyebrows all scrunched up with concern. Just then, a woman in a smart business suit walked up to them with a big, professional smile. The manager’s eyes flickered with a look of “oh, it’s him” when she saw Austin, but then she turned to Kelvin and gave a little bow before speaking. “Sir, are you here for a meal?”

“That’s right! We’re all here to eat, and I’d like it if you could get us a bigger, private room,” Kelvin said proudly, puffing out his chest a little.

“Certainly, sir. Our hotel offers private dining rooms with a minimum spend of three thousand dollars. We also have VIP rooms with a minimum of seven thousand dollars, and our most exclusive suite has a minimum spend of fifteen thousand dollars. Which would you prefer?” the manager asked with a very polite smile.

Hearing this, Kelvin couldn’t help but sneak a look at Austin. Then he said softly, “Austin, buddy. It’s not every day we get to eat in a place like this. I don’t think a regular room will do for all of us. Why don’t we go for the VIP one?”

“What… Kelvin! That’s way too much money! You heard the manager, right? The VIP room costs at least seven thousand dollars!” Sarah, the class leader, exclaimed, looking really unhappy with how things were going.

Everyone there knew that Kelvin was deliberately trying to make things hard for Austin. Now it was Austin’s turn. If he agreed, he would have to spend a ton of money. But if he said no, he would look like a liar and lose face in front of everyone.

“Sarah, what are you even saying? Since Austin invited us to such a fancy place, he wouldn’t mind spending a little extra, right, Austin?” Kelvin said with a wide, challenging grin.

“Why would you even make us all come here? Do you think everyone is as rich as you?” Sarah snapped back, her forehead wrinkling into a frown.

“Austin, what do you think? Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you scared of the price? Ha ha ha!” Kelvin chuckled loudly, trying to make Austin feel small.

“I don’t think there’s any need for a VIP room,” Austin replied calmly, his voice steady.

“Alright, I get it. I forgot that you’re just a poor guy who can’t afford to treat everyone to a nice meal. Let’s just go with the regular room then,” Kelvin said, laughing again. His main goal was to embarrass Austin, even if it meant he had to spend some money himself. The drama was worth it to him.

“Actually, I think we’ll take the VIP room for us,” Kelvin then told the manager, a smug look on his face.

“Sure, I’ll arrange that right away,” the manager nodded quickly.

“Wait a minute. When did I say we were getting the VIP room?” Austin suddenly spoke up, a playful glint in his eyes.

“What? You think it’s too expensive now and you want to back out?” Kelvin turned his head sharply and asked Austin, his smile starting to wobble.

“We don’t all get to go out together like this very often, so I think the highest exclusive room would be better… we’ll go with the one that costs even more than the VIP room,” Austin said casually, like he was ordering a milkshake. Kelvin’s jaw dropped, and the smug smile completely froze on his face. The others in the class were just as shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief.