Wallflower

by Cookie O'Gorman

  "But just know, I'm never agreeing to one of your 'favors' again," I said. "Not without full disclosure."

  "Sounds good," he said, and I could tell he was smiling. "Who knows, Viola? Maybe this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?"

  Between me and Dare Frost?

  Yeah, right, I thought with a mental scoff. But I didn't say it aloud, not wanting to bring him down.

  "I love you so much," Dad said. "Drive carefully and stay positive."

  "Love you, too, Dad. Don't let the muggles get you down," I said then hung up.

  After a moment, I turned to find Dare still standing there, leaning back like he had all the time in the world. He looked up at me from beneath his lashes.

  "Everything good?" he asked.

  "Yeah," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Are you ready? Or would you rather keep standing there like something out of a John Hughes film?"

  "John who?"

  I sighed. "Just get in the car Frost."

  "Whatever you say, flower," he said.

  When Dare scooped up his backpack and started for the driver's side, I rolled my eyes. "Listen, just because I agreed to give you a lift it doesn't mean you get to drive my car."

  "Okay," he said.

  "Seriously," I added when he stopped by the door and turned to me. "Buttercup can be finnicky sometimes. She doesn't like strangers."

  "Ah, so it's a girl car." He smiled, patted the hood then reached for the handle and pulled the door open, disregarding everything I'd said. "We should get along fine then. The ladies love me."

  "Ugh, did you really just…" My eyes went squinty in the face of his arrogance. "Never mind. You're still not driving my car, Dare."

  "I know," he said slowly. "I'm just getting the door for you."

  My jaw dropped. "Why would you do that?"

  "Hmm, let's see. Because chivalry isn't dead, and I'm a gentleman? Jeez, Vi." He ran a hand over his neck then lifted his chin toward the door he still held open. Waiting for me, apparently, to get inside. I'd read about this, seen it in plenty of movies, but never had a guy do it for me in real life. So, of course like an idiot, I stood there speechless. "Can we go already?"

  I nodded then had to clear my throat, trying to ignore the warmth inside my chest.

  "Fine," I said. "Just don't do anything else weird, okay? I'm not a baby. I can open my own door."

  He looked amused but tipped his chin in acknowledgment. "It'll be hard. I'm used to opening doors for girls, but I'll try."

  I didn't miss what he said. Girls. Plural. So, this wasn't anything special for him, not that I needed the reminder, but there it was.

  "Next thing you know, you'll be trying to put on my seatbelt for me or something," I murmured as I got in, and he finally walked to the passenger side.

  Starting the car, I waited for him, trying to shake off the flutters Dare's little gesture set off inside me. I honestly thought he hadn't heard my last words until he slid into the car and shocked me. Again.

  "Ready?" I asked, putting the car in reverse.

  "Almost," he murmured.

  Dare leaned toward me, and my breath caught. His face came so close to mine I could've counted his eyelashes if I'd wanted to. They were long and framed blue eyes that sparkled as they met mine. A moment that felt like forever later, he retracted his arm, pulled the seatbelt across my body, and locked it in place. His hand hovered so close to my hip. He didn't touch me in any way. But it sure felt like he did.

  I was still staring as Dare gave me a slow grin.

  "Couldn't resist," he said.

  "You—did you just…" I stuttered.

  Dare shrugged. "Safety first, right?"

  "Right," I said then coughed. "Okay. Let's go."

  To say the drive was strange would've been an understatement. We hadn't gotten off to the best start, but the actual ride was a lesson in patience. First off, Dare had to adjust his seat as far back as it could go so his long legs could fit inside—and he did it as noisily as he could. Second, he turned on the radio, which I immediately switched off.

  Dared frowned.

  But before he could say anything, I said, "I like to meditate on my way to school."

  "You've got to be joking," he scoffed.

  "Nope. I'm big into yoga, a life-long practitioner actually. They say silence cleanses the spirit."

  It was a bald-faced lie. But it was also my way of getting back at him for the little seatbelt stunt he'd pulled earlier. Take that, Mr. Frost.

  "So, no music?"

  Dare's face was priceless.

  "No, sorry," I said, turning my eyes back to the road, biting my lip hard to hold back a laugh. I could feel him staring at me for a long moment, but then he shrugged.

  "No problem," he said, drawing his phone out of his pocket and putting in some earbuds. Dare's head started nodding to the beat, and not seconds later, he began drumming on his legs. Again, loudly. Did this guy ever do anything quietly? I wondered.

  Accepting the fact that my plan had backfired, I pulled out my crackers and opened them, putting one in my mouth. The crunch and peanut buttery goodness was a welcome distraction from the guy next to me.

  But as I lifted a second one, I felt that stare again.

  Flipping my gaze to Dare, I watched his eyes as they watched me put the cracker to my lips and bite down. He licked his own lips.

  "Is that…peanut butter?" he asked.

  "Sure is," I said, taking the last bite into my mouth and swallowing.

  "I didn't have much for breakfast this morning." Dare's eyes moved to the packet open on the console between us. He gazed at them longingly. "Those look good."

  "They are," I agreed.

  Dare sighed, his hand ticking toward the pack before he quickly brought it back to his lap.

  "Do you want some?" I asked, holding the pack out to him.

  "Nah, I shouldn't," he said. "There's only like eight in there. You go ahead. I'll get something at school."

  His eyes never strayed from my hand as I brought another cracker to my mouth.

  "Are you sure?" I said. "You can have one if you want."

  "No…you're already doing me a solid by giving me a ride," he said. "I wouldn't want to take them from you. Even if they do look delicious."

  Dare's stomach gave a deep grumble then, and I caved.

  "Oh, this is just pitiful," I said, shoving the crackers toward him. "Take one already. It's just a cracker, no big deal."

  "Okay, but only if you really don't want it," he said.

  "For goodness sakes Dare, take it."

  And boy, oh boy, did he. Dare ate those peanut butter crackers like they were the best things on Earth. I was glad I'd already gotten three because between one blink and the next the other five were gone. Just like that. Dare had eaten them all in less than a minute.

  "Hmm," he said in contentment. "Thanks for sharing, Vi. That was good."

  "No problem," I mumbled. "You were hungry, huh?"

  Dare winked, patting his stomach. "I'm a growing boy."

  I nodded.

  "Now, if we only had something to wash it down with," he said.

  "Well, there's milk in my thermos if you want some."

  "Really?" he said, sounding like a kid in the candy store over some freaking crackers and milk. "Can I get a sip of that? I won't put my mouth on it or anything." Dare grinned. "Not unless you want me to."

  "You just can't help it. Can you?" I said. He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes but gave him the go ahead. "Have at it, Frost. I wouldn't want you passing out from hunger. My dad might never forgive me."

  We shared the milk, and true to his word, Dare didn't put his mouth on the cup. The banana I'd grabbed also got split in two, and before I knew it we were pulling into the Durham High parking lot. After we got out, Dare met me at the front of my car.

  "Well, Buttercup didn't seem to have any problems today," he said. "We got here in plenty of time, and for an older model, she handles like a dream."

 
I lifted my chin. "This car is my pride and joy, took me two years to save enough to afford her. I just made up that stuff about her being difficult because I didn't want you driving."

  Dare winked. "I already knew that."

  "Hey, can you blame me?" I said. "You don't have the best track record."

  "My cars do tend to get damaged," he said thoughtfully.

  That was an understatement.

  "But I'd take care of your car, Vi. Don't doubt it. So, Buttercup," he said. "Is that because she's yellow?"

  "That's part of it," I said. "But she's really named after a character from one of my favorite movies. It's a quirky romantic comedy about a girl who falls in love with a farm boy, who then turns into a pirate and comes back to save the love of his life from being forced to marry an awful prince. There are some amazing side characters and hilarious/romantic moments in equal measure. It's older and, like I said, kind of quirky, so you probably haven't seen it."

  "Ah," he said, crossing his arms. "Because I'm a jock who's never watched a romantic movie in my life."

  I blushed. "I didn't mean it like that. I just thought it wouldn't be your kind of thing."

  Dare nodded. "Because all I do is watch ESPN, workout and eat peanuts."

  "Are you telling me you don't do all of those things?" I asked, raising a brow. "Because I now know for a fact you like peanut butter crackers."

  "Okay," he laughed. "So, I do like those things, but there's more to me than that. A lot more."

  "Okay," I said under my breath. "Well, it was good driving you—I guess. Hope you have a great senior year."

  Dare nodded. "Thanks for the ride and the food. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

  "Hmm" was my only response.

  I didn't think we would, but I wasn't about to contradict him. We were drawing a lot of unwanted attention, and I'd just become aware of how many eyes were on us. People had literally stopped in the parking lot to stare. I guess seeing me, the social outcast and soccer coach's daughter, standing with Durham High's #1 player, Dare "Killer" Frost, was a novelty. They had to be curious as to why we'd shown up together, and more than that, why we were standing in front of my car talking. I could understand that. I was wondering about it, too, but I wished they'd go back to their business. Dare wasn't making it any better. Instead of leaving, he just stood there, staring at me as if he were waiting for something.

  "Well, okay," I said stalling, not wanting to walk in with him. If us arriving together was causing such a stir, I was sure walking in with Dare would wreak even more havoc. "I have to get something out of my car then head to the band room before first period."

  "Need any help?" he asked.

  "No," I said, "you go ahead and go in."

  Dare waited until I met his eyes.

  "As you wish," he said then tossed me a wink before walking away.

  Now I was the one staring after him.

  Turning back a moment later, he laughed. "You should see your face, flower. Stunned is a good look on you."

  "But how…?"

  "We had to watch The Princess Bride in Spanish last year," he said in answer. "One of the funniest movies I've ever seen."

  He'd left me speechless once again.

  "See ya, Vi," he said before joining up with Tyson and some other guys at the school's front doors.

  And I'd thought my confession and seeing Ty after the fact was going to be what made this year crazy odd.

  Not going to lie, it took me a moment to recover. A guy like Dare quoting The Princess Bride? Inconceivable!

  Coming back to my senses, I grabbed my bag, got my instrument out from the backseat, and started walking to the school, replaying the events of the day. Woke up, found Dare Frost in the driveway, got bamboozled into taking him to school on the first day of senior year by my much-loved-yet-surprisingly-crafty father, had my door opened and seatbelt put on by a boy, shared my breakfast with said boy, had a half-way decent conversation and severely underestimated his movie tastes.

  Yeah, I thought, definitely the strangest last first day ever.

  CHAPTER 4

  "So, tell me about school."

  Paris, my boss, appeared and rested her back against the wall as I was doing one of my favorite duties at the shelter: brushing out the pups. She was in a perfect position to talk to me and still be able to answer the door if anyone came in.

  "How's it feel to finally be a senior, V?"

  "Feels okay, I guess," I replied.

  "Ah come on," she said. "I need more than that! I want to know what it's like to be young again."

  "Psh, you're not old," I laughed.

  She waved me off. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say young one. Now, stop avoiding the question. How did it go?"

  If I had friends or at least friendly acquaintances, Paris would've fit that bill. At 27 with a gorgeous head of blonde wavy hair and a slim figure, she was still young, which I'd told her a bunch of times. But Paris insisted that her soul was aged beyond her years. Because of her looks, she'd probably be cast in any movie as the mean-girl cheerleader, but her kind heart proved stereotypes weren't always accurate. She genuinely seemed to like and take an interest in me—possibly because I was a loyal volunteer, always taking on extra hours and willing to work weekends—and I loved her for everything she did to give our rescues whatever they needed. Animals were her passion, so she was also kind of my inspiration.

  "My day wasn't really that interesting," I said—though it had definitely been out of the norm. I pointed to the black Labrador in my lap. "I've just been chatting with Professor Snape, and he doesn't seem impressed."

  Paris lifted a brow. "When does he ever?" Her eyes softened as she gave him, our grumpiest long-time resident, a smile. "And I thought we discussed this. His name is Midnight, Viola. That's what it says on his adoption ad."

  "We have," I said. "And that ad was written before I started doing them, so…"

  "No one would take him if we'd called him Professor Snape."

  "Excuse me." I gave the big guy's coat another couple of brushes even as he looked balefully up at me. His eyes were somber. They always were, but the way he leaned in for more almost unconsciously let me know he loved it. "I'll have you know Snape is my favorite character from the HP books. He's highly misunderstood, as are a lot of the members of Slytherin House. I've had this discussion with my mom."

  "But V, wasn't he one of the bad guys?" Paris asked.

  "Yeah, like I said"—I gave the Professor another brush, making his inky black coat shine—"Snape was a complex but ultimately awesome anti-hero. And trust me, there are plenty of animal-loving Slytherins out there."

  "I still don't think many people would want pets named after villains."

  I looked to her. "What about Darth Vader cat? He got adopted in a day. Though, you're right. Yoda cat did go before him… But ooh, Maleficent was gone in a hurry, too. Then there was Loki, the little poodle. Only took about a week for him."

  "Okay, okay, I give!" Paris shrugged with a laugh. "I don't know how you do it, but our adoption rates increased exponentially once you started writing the ads. I know better than to argue with that."

  "People love a good baddie," I said.

  "Yes, but…those were house cats and small dogs, V! You know more people buy little pets rather than big dogs. It's not right, but that's just how it is."

  I nodded. "Yeah, I know."

  "Well, Midnight may be a tough nut." She leaned down to scratch Professor Snape behind the ears—at which, he gave her one of his patented bored expressions. "But I'm easy to impress. Start from the beginning."

  And so I told her all about my day, starting with my unexpected visitor and our carpool, my less than exciting classes (I had two with Dare, none with Tyson (thank goodness!), and one with my arch nemesis Whitney, blech), and ending with coming here.

  "Pause," she said, holding out a hand. "So this guy, Dare. He got your door then buckled your seatbelt for you?"

  "Yeah," I said.


  Unlike the Professor, she looked plenty impressed. "The boy has moves."

  "And he knows it, too," I muttered.

  "Is that his real name?" she asked. "Dare sounds like a fictional character, like a super sexy mechanic or a super sexy musician."

  Or a super sexy soccer player?

  The thought came out of nowhere, making me frown as I thought over her question. "You know, I'm not sure. We've been going to school together since we were 10, but he's always just gone by Dare."

  "You should ask him." Paris clapped her hands together. "That'll get you guys talking again."

  "I don't think you understand. Today was an anomaly. We're not close."

  Paris pursed her lips. "Well, that's no fun."

  "I'm serious. I just drove him to school. Now, we'll go back to not talking, being complete opposites in every way, him with his crowd of admirers and me with…well, me."

  "He sounds nice," Paris put in. "And you said he lifted his chin at you and said 'hey' in the hall between classes."

  He had. It was so unexpected I'd nearly tripped over my own feet.

  "That's the strangest part," I said, alternating between brushing and petting Professor Snape until he gave a gusty sigh and laid down, clearly over the conversation. "Dare's a popular kid. He's never been mean, but he's a player, on and off the field. I've always kind of been off his radar. I have no idea why he was being so…cordial."

  She grinned. "Maybe he wants to court you."

  "Court me," I repeated on a laugh. "Where did that come from?"

  Paris tilted her head. "You're the one who brought 'cordial' into the mix. I just figured we'd gone back to the days of lace bonnets, chaperones and ballrooms."

  I smiled despite myself.

  "But for real, V. It might turn into something." The door to the shelter opened. "Be right with you," she called over her shoulder then turned back to me.

  "Now you sound like my dad," I mumbled.

  "Just let it play out. Getting close to an attractive, charming guy wouldn't be the worst thing. Would it?"

  Paris winked, and I shook my head as she went to help the man who had walked in. My boss was awesome, but she'd obviously watched one too many romantic comedies. Which, okay, that was hypocritical of me to think, considering how much I loved them, too.