I Dare You

by Shantel Tessier

  “What?” she asks, breathlessly.

  “You ride with me to and from school,” I tell her. “You may not be mine yet, but to everyone else, you already are.” Then I walk out, not giving her a chance to argue.

  “Ready to go?” I ask, entering the kitchen.

  Lilly runs to me, and I pick her up. Deke stands from the table. When we walk outside, I say to him. “Post the video.”

  AUSTIN

  A horn blares from outside my window, and I yank my shirt off the hanger.

  Bastard! He can’t even come into the house?

  I grab my Chucks and put them on as I hop down the stairs. Celeste is waiting for me by the door. “Here is your lunch, sweetie.”

  “I’m gonna eat at school.” They have Chick-fil-A, for Christ’s sake. Last night, I looked up the school online, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s definitely for the rich kids.

  She shakes the bag, and the horn blares again. “Thanks,” I say and then run out as she tries to kiss my cheeks.

  I run down the stairs and fall into the passenger seat. Man, he didn’t waste any time getting his precious mirror fixed.

  He doesn’t say anything, but he stomps on the gas as he shifts gears. I buckle up and sit back, staring straight ahead. I haven’t got much sleep the past two nights because of what he had said to me while in my room. He wants my mind. He had the chance to fuck me, and he didn’t take it. He wants me broken, and a fucked-up part of me liked the way it sounded.

  No one has ever wanted me like that.

  “Hi, Austin.”

  I spin around in my seat to see a cute little blonde sitting in a booster seat. “Lilly.”

  She smiles at me. “We’re late.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know that we were taking her to school too.

  She laughs. “It was Cole’s fault. He was busy arguing with Daddy—”

  “Lilly,” he snaps, interrupting her.

  She picks up the headphones that sit in her lap and puts them over her head and starts pressing buttons on an iPhone.

  I turn back around and pull down the visor. Pulling my red lipstick out of my bag, I line my lips and then press them together. I see Cole watching me out of the corner of my eyes. He wants to mind fuck me? I’m gonna return the favor. I’m stronger than he thinks. I’m smarter than he thinks.

  “Cole?”

  “What is it, Lil?” he asks, looking at her in the rearview.

  “My phone died.” She pouts. “You didn’t charge it last night.”

  “I forgot,” he tells her.

  “I was listening to my song.” She whines.

  He sighs heavily.

  “Please …” She begs.

  He picks up his phone and scrolls through it while we sit at a stoplight. Moments later, he reaches over and turns up the knob on the dash, and Taylor Swift fills the inside of the car. I can’t help it. I smile, and he glares over at me as Lilly starts to sing along to “Everything Has Changed.”

  And then the smile drops off my face. Because my life has officially become a Taylor Swift song.

  Four times. That’s how many times the song played on repeat before we get to her school. He pulls up to the drop-off line and gets out, pulling his seat forward.

  “Bye, Austin,” she says, grabbing her pink sparkly backpack and matching lunch box and getting out of the car.

  “Bye, Lilly,” I say with a wave.

  He crouches between his open door and the car. Eye level with her. He helps her put her lunch box inside her backpack and then helps put it on her shoulders. He kisses her cheeks. “Have a great day, princess. Make sure to eat your yogurt,” he says sternly, and she nods her head.

  She hugs him, and he hugs her back. “I love you, Lil.”

  “Love you too, Cole,” she tells him, and she runs around the front of the car and up the stairs. He stands and watches her until she’s safely inside the building, then climbs back into the car. Even though teachers cover the walkway and entrance.

  He puts the car in gear and takes off.

  The guy acts like he knows nothing but evil, but I know the truth. To that little girl, he’s a savior. She’s so young, and he does so much for her. Shelby said he practically raises her. Lilly is six, so he would have been eleven, maybe twelve when she was born. I want to ask him how old he was when his mother died but think better of it. Cole isn’t the kind of guy you ask questions. If he wants you to know something, he’ll tell you.

  I look over at him as he drives us to school. He has his left hand on the steering wheel and his right on the shifter. His glasses rest on top of his head and he wears a scowl on his face. Even angry, he looks gorgeous.

  He pulls his hand away from the steering wheel to check the black watch on his wrist. Then he speeds up. He wears a pair of blue jeans, and his long-sleeve gray t-shirt shows off every ripple as he fists his hands. He’s angrier than usual. And I wonder what he was fighting about with his dad.

  I don’t even think he realizes that Taylor’s song continues to play. His mind is elsewhere as he speeds down the road.

  We pull into the parking lot of the high school, and I let out a long breath. It looks more like a college campus. Multiple buildings scatter around acres of green grass and three stories tall. A huge football stadium is to right of the parking lot. We get out, but before I can take off, he grabs my hand.

  We walk into a set of doors, and he pulls me through the busy halls, knowing exactly where we’re going. I notice some kids that see him coming avoid eye contact with him. A few nod their heads in greeting. Others call out his name. He ignores all of them.

  “We have second and fourth period together.” He finally speaks to me.

  “You know my schedule?”

  “Yes.”

  I bet Celeste gave it to him.

  “Hey, man,” Deke says, coming up to join us. “Austin.” He gives me a big smile that makes my skin crawl. He’s up to something.

  I just stare.

  “We’ve got calculus together,” he tells Cole.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna walk Austin to class first.”

  I snort. “I don’t need an escort.”

  They both ignore me. What the hell is up with him? Just two days ago, he wanted to break me, and today, he’s treating me like I can’t walk the halls of the school alone.

  The bell rings, and I growl. “Crap.” Not a good way to start your first day.

  Cole grabs my hand, and we walk down the hall as kids scatter like roaches when the lights come on. He and Deke talk about their plans for tomorrow night. I ignore them. We come up to a door. He opens it and shoves me inside. I start to protest, but he spins me around and grips my hair before he leans down and kisses me. I gasp into his mouth, and he takes the opportunity to slide his tongue between my lips. I kiss him back without thought. His lips feel so soft even though his words are as sharp as a knife. He pulls away quickly and slaps my ass. “See you after class, sweetheart.” Then he walks out.

  I turn to face the classroom half dazed and half horrified. It’s full.

  “Hey, Austin,” the blond headed guy who sits in the front row says.

  “Huh?” I manage to say.

  “How’s it going, Austin?” the guy next to him says with a wave.

  “Good to see you again, Austin,” another says.

  My eyes dart around the room as these guys I’ve never seen before greet me by my name.

  “Austin?”

  Finally, a voice I recognize. I look at the back to see Becky—my kind of girl. I walk back to her, ignoring those who say hi to me. I plop down in the empty seat next to her. “What the hell?”

  “What?” she asks.

  “How do these people know me?” I ask like she would freaking know.

  She smiles softly and pulls her phone out of her bag. “The video.”

  “What video?” I ask in horror. Did Deke share the video of me driving Cole’s car? Are the cops gonna show up here to arrest me?

  She
scrolls through her iPhone and then holds it up to me. It’s of Cole and me at his house party Monday night. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around him. He looks down at me in surprise, and then I smile up at him like I’m his doting fucking girlfriend. You can hear every word I say to him. He spins around in my arms, and then he’s whispering against my lips. All of a sudden, he picks me up and places me on the counter …

  “He posted this?” I demand.

  “Deke did,” she answers, putting it away. “Cole doesn’t do social media. But Deke”—she rolls her eyes—“is an attention whore.”

  I fist my hands. Tonight, you’re mine. He wanted everyone to know I belong to him.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  COLE

  When I walk into class and sit down, Deke sits next to me. He leans over his desk. “What’s the plan?”

  “With what?”

  “Tomorrow night? How are we gonna play it?”

  “Like we always do,” I say simply.

  “We’re not gonna give her any special rules?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. She’s gonna play just like the rest of us.”

  He smiles. “This is gonna be so much fun.”

  The door opens, and a few students walk in. The last one is a blonde by the name of Natalia. She spots me right away and plops down in the free seat to my left. Deke grunts when he sees her.

  “Hey, Cole,” she says excitedly.

  I don’t acknowledge her.

  Deke speaks to me. “I have a feeling she is gonna surprise us.”

  “Doubtful.”

  He snorts. “You don’t give her enough credit.” He sits back in his seat. “I see the way she looks at you.”

  “Oh, yeah? How’s that?” I can’t get the look of want she gave me out of my mind from my party or in her room. I should have taken her up on her offer. Next time she throws herself at me, I’m not gonna back down. She’ll have me. And she’ll realize what a mistake wanting me is.

  “Like she wants to rip your heart out,” he answers.

  I smile.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if your dare is that she wants you to jump off a cliff.” Deke chuckles to himself. “Or stab yourself in the eyes.”

  “How was your winter break?” Natalia asks, not caring that she’s interrupting our conversation.

  “Hey, Nat!” Deke calls out, leaning forward in his seat to look past me to her. “His break was great. He’s seeing someone so quit trying.”

  “Dick,” she mumbles but sits back and doesn’t say anything else to me.

  I look over at Deke, and he winks. “You’re welcome.”

  I chuckle.

  An hour later, Deke and I are walking out of class. I was planning to get Austin at her classroom, but she’s already standing in the hall, leaning up against a locker right outside the door. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and a look of rage flares in her green eyes. She looks like she wants me dead. And that thought makes my body heat rise.

  “Guess she saw the video.” Deke laughs.

  She throws him a fuck you look, and then her eyes are back on mine. “You had him record that on purpose,” she snaps.

  “No.” Not a lie. “That implies I was aware you were going to throw yourself at me.” She gasps as I step into her, pressing my body into hers. Her eyes hold mine as she stares up at me, not pushing me away or backing down. “You have to admit the way you asked me to fuck you was sexy as fuck.”

  She sucks in a long breath, her chest rising in the process. “I didn’t watch the whole thing.”

  I lower my face to her neck, and my hands go to her narrow hips. I can’t keep my hands to myself anymore. “Well, then you need to watch it again.”

  “No thanks. I saw enough.” She huffs, but her body physically melts into mine.

  I kiss her neck, and her hands come up to my shirt, gripping it tightly like she wants to rip it off me. “You still want me to fuck you, Austin?”

  “Don’t,” she warns me breathlessly.

  My lips trail up to her ear, and I nibble on it. She whimpers. “Because I still wanna break you, sweetheart. Like …”

  “Cole!”

  I let out a growl as I hear Kellan call out my name. I pull away from a panting Austin and look over at him. He stands with Deke and Shane.

  “What?” I snap.

  His dark narrowed eyes go to Austin, then back to mine. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Later,” I say and grab her hand, yanking her away from the locker and pulling her down the hallway toward second period.

  “What you did was not okay, Cole,” she says as I shove her into a seat. I sit down next to her.

  “Out of all the things I’ve done to you in the past week and that is the thing you are gonna harp on about?”

  Her green eyes narrow. “This has to do with my reputation.”

  I snort and look away from her.

  “I’m serious.” She slams her delicate hand down on my desk. “You’re trying to make the school think I’m a whore.”

  “Are you?”

  Her eyes widen, and then she purses her lips. She sits back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest again. I lean over, whispering, “How many guys have you fucked, Austin?”

  “Fuck you, Cole,” she replies flatly.

  I go to open my mouth, but the teacher gets our attention, so I sit back and watch her anger simmer. Thinking how explosive she is going to be when I finally give her what she wants.

  AUSTIN

  Sitting in the cafeteria with the guys, I’m still pissed at Cole. Every guy in the freaking school seems to know my name. And that I want to spread my legs for him. I guess Deke has like tens of thousands of followers. Becky did say he was an attention whore.

  Cole sits to my left and Deke to my right. They’ve got me sandwiched in as if I’m going to get up and run toward the nearest exit. I wanted to sit with Becky, but I haven’t seen her since first period, and I didn’t get her number.

  Kellan sits across from me, chewing his food like it’s alive and about to walk off his plate at any given second. Bennett and Shane argue about which car is faster.

  Cole slams his phone down onto the table, and I look over at him. “What’s wrong?”

  I roll my eyes at myself the moment the words are out of my mouth. Like he’s gonna tell me. And like I really care. Not even sure why I asked. But he surprises me by answering. “Celeste isn’t responding to my texts.”

  “Why are you messaging her?”

  “Coach wants a meeting after school, and I need Celeste to go get Lilly since I’m having to stay late. I don’t want them to put her on a bus without warning.”

  “I can do it.” All the guys fall silent. Kellan even stops chewing his food, and his brown eyes glare at me. “What?” I ask, looking at Cole.

  He stares down at me. His blue eyes search mine as if he’s trying to decide if I would be a better option than putting her on a bus. “She likes me,” I say as if that will make a difference. I don’t have a lot of experience with children, but Lilly is six. She can tell me if something is wrong. She can tell me if she’s hungry. She can go to the bathroom by herself. All I gotta do is drive her home.

  Finally, he nods.

  “Cole—”

  “I’ll call the office and let them know,” he interrupts Kellan.

  “Can you do that?” I ask, just realizing what he said. “Isn’t that a parental thing? You’re not really her dad, are you?” I ask, and he tenses.

  “Cole is …”

  “Kellan!” he interrupts him again. Then he looks at me. “After lunch, I’ll give you my car keys. They’re in my locker.” Everyone resumes their previous conversation, making me think I’ve missed something.

  Then a thought hits me. “Uh …” I trail off, and he looks back down at me.

  “What?” he barks.

  I ignore his anger and lower my voice. “What about your gun?” I don’t wanna get pulled over in his car and go to jail. Then again, maybe that
is his plan.

  “It’s not in there,” he answers.

  I eye him skeptically. His eyes narrow on mine, angry that I don’t take his word for it. “It’s never in the car when Lilly is present.”

  “Oh.”

  He looks away from me, dismissing me once again.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  COLE

  I stand in the locker room after our meeting with Coach about our upcoming season. My phone beeps, and I pull it out of my pocket to find a text from Austin, and my heart starts to pound. I shouldn’t have let her pick up Lilly. I don’t want them getting close because I don’t want to hurt Lilly when I push Austin away after I’m done with her. But Celeste wasn’t answering, and Lilly and I haven’t gone over the procedures for her to ride a bus yet. It’s second semester of my senior year. Even last semester when I had after-school meetings or meets, I always had someone lined up when I couldn’t make it. Either the nanny, Blanche, or Celeste helped me out.

  I open it, thinking something is wrong, but it’s a picture of Lilly sitting at a round red table eating a cup of ice cream. A big smile on her face and a text from Austin.

  She said she had a great first day back, and she made a new friend. His name is George. I hope you don’t mind. I took her for ice cream.

  I smile. I’m glad she had a good day, but this George shit won’t work.

  “What the fuck are you doing, man?” Kellan asks from behind me.

  I close out of the text and place my phone back in my pocket.

  “Drop it,” Deke warns.

  “No! This shit is getting out of hand,” he snaps. “He’s in way over his head.”

  I whirl around on him. “You doubting me?”

  “Yes.”

  I grind my teeth.

  “You’re not thinking clearly. I understand you wanna fuck her over, but this is too far. She is gonna burn you. And I’m not gonna go down ’cause you wanna get your dick wet.”

  I step into him, but Bennett grabs Kellan’s shoulder and pulls him out of my reach. “Watch it,” I warn.

  “I’m gonna watch it all right. From the sidelines when she blows everything up in your face,” he shouts. “You think she’s any better than he is? You think she’s not gonna find out that you’re using her? That you want to fuck her dad over?” He shakes his head.