Wallflower

by Cookie O'Gorman

  "What's going on here?"

  "Viola was just telling us about her new boyfriend," Ingrid said, and I couldn't contain my wince. "Apparently he's super-hot."

  "Yeah right." Whitney laughed.

  "No really," Estelle said in my defense, unintentionally digging the hole deeper. "He sounds amazing. She was just about to tell us who he is before you came over."

  "Oh, this should be good."

  Whitney crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face. She totally didn't believe it. And why would she? My boyfriend was about as real as the platinum blonde streaks running through her otherwise brown hair.

  "Please don't let me stop you," she said a hint of mocking in her voice, though she tried her best to cover it up. "Who is this super-hot mystery guy, and why is it that none of us have ever heard of him before?"

  "It's new," I said through clenched teeth. Like five minutes old because that's when I'd crafted the fake boyfriend lie. Maybe I really should stop watching so many romance movies. "And I didn't want to jinx it because he's shy."

  "Oh, he's shy," Whitney said no longer trying to mask the sarcasm. "That makes perfect sense then."

  The giggles her comment received made my chest tight.

  And worse, Dare was witnessing the whole fiasco.

  Turning my head, unable to meet his eyes, I said, "Are you ready to go now?"

  "In a minute," he said.

  Dare placed his fingers under my chin and tilted it up until I had no choice but to meet his gaze.

  "Why won't you just tell her the name?" he said gently.

  Because he doesn't exist, I thought. Because he never existed, and I can't bear the thought of admitting that to her and humiliating myself further.

  "It's none of her business," I said instead. "Dare, can we please just go?"

  He continued to study my face a minute then seemed to come to a decision.

  "As you wish."

  "Thank you," I said and meant it. I was so ready to be away from Whitney and her terrible friends.

  But Dare's hand slid into my hair. The move was so unexpected that I stilled instantly.

  "It's okay, flower," he said as he touched his forehead to mine. "You don't have to hide anymore. I'm here now."

  And then he was kissing me.

  One hand in my hair, the other wrapped around my waist, Dare's lips pressed against mine, and the world seemed to stop. I was suddenly breathless. Despite the sweetness of the kiss, I felt my entire body spark to his. Warmth spread from my lips outward until every part of me felt like it was on fire. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before, and everything I'd ever wanted to feel all at once. My hands went to his stomach, up his chest and then settled on his broad shoulders. I couldn't help but cling to them as the kiss deepened. The sound of approval he made thrilled me, and I sighed without meaning to. Almost in answer, I felt the hand Dare still had around my waist, his fingers clenching as if to pull me closer. I went willingly.

  Who knew a stolen first kiss could be so soul-shattering?

  It wasn't until someone coughed that I came back to myself. Even as we pulled apart though, I couldn't seem to resist going back for more, touching my lips to his one last time before letting him go.

  It was only fair. He'd kissed me first after all.

  Dare seemed surprised but not in a bad way, his face equal parts stunned, curious and…pleased. I wondered if my face looked the same. My heart was still trying to escape my chest as I stared up at him.

  And then I realized.

  Oh my God.

  Dare Frost had kissed me.

  No, he'd branded me with his lips, stamping it into my memory, making sure I'd never forget him or this moment.

  And I had one-hundred percent let him. Had kissed him back as if my life depended on it. My cheeks flared hot.

  He read my expression and gave a slow smile.

  "Does that answer your question?"

  It took me a second to understand that he wasn't talking to me, but to Estelle, the only person left standing beside us. The other girls, including Whitney, had disappeared at some point. Exactly how long had we been kissing?

  "Yeah," Estelle said, sounding as dazed as I felt. "It does—even though I didn't ask the question in the first place."

  "Did they see?" Dare asked.

  "Oh yeah, everyone saw."

  "Good." Dare looked to me then ran a hand along the back of his neck. "You know, I'm actually going to catch a ride with one of my boys."

  I could only blink. "Really?"

  "Yeah," he said. "Sorry for making you stay after. See you later, flower."

  It was like he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

  "O-okay. See you," I said like an idiot as he jogged off.

  But honestly, I was still struck dumb by that kiss.

  "Well," Estelle said once Dare was far enough away. "You were right about your boyfriend being stupid hot. But I'm not sure if I should be jealous or pity you."

  My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "For one, Dare is the number one bachelor in the school. I may be new but even I know that." Estelle laughed. "Word is every girl wants him, but no one's been able to catch him. You're basically dating a unicorn."

  I actually wasn't, but I didn't correct her.

  "And for two, when he kissed you, Whitney stormed out of here in a huff. According to Ingrid, she's had a crush on Dare since ninth grade."

  "Oh. I didn't know," I said.

  Estelle nodded as she started backing up. "But don't worry, girl. Maybe she'll get over it. At least your boyfriend will be able to console you if anything bad happens."

  My eyes went round. "Do you think she'll do something?"

  I asked the question but already knew the answer. Whitney was vindictive, mean down to her marrow. Plus, she already hated me. Of course, she'd do something terrible.

  "Wouldn't be surprised," Estelle said, her tone thoughtful. "I've been to a lot of schools, and there's always a Whitney. I feel kind of bad for chicks like that. They're so petty and insecure—but it's also hard to feel bad for them because…well, they're jerks."

  And that solidified it. I was officially an Estelle fan.

  "You know, I think you were right," I said. "We should be friends."

  "Well, duh!" she said. "Also, you should've seen the aura around you and Dare just now during that kiss. So much passion."

  "You could see that?"

  "Yeah, I'd be blind not to. Everyone saw."

  At that, my eyes shot to the field—but it was empty.

  "When you say everyone…?" I trailed off.

  Estelle caught my meaning. "Just us four. The soccer team had already gone into the locker room, so they didn't see the fireworks you two created."

  Thank goodness for small favors, I thought.

  If my father saw me kissing Dare… I shivered. I didn't even want to think about the mayhem that would cause.

  "Bye Viola," Estelle called over her shoulder as she walked away. "Let me know when you want to schedule that double date!"

  I was left standing there alone, my mind reeling with thoughts of Whitney, what she might do and having to watch my back. But scattering them to the wind were even more thoughts of Dare and that kiss.

  What the heck was that?

  Why had he left so quickly?

  And why were my lips still tingling?

  CHAPTER 7

  "What's on your mind?" Dad asked.

  My eyes went to his. "Hmm? Oh, nothing," I said.

  The lie spilled easily from my lips, and all thoughts of Dare evaporated.

  "Nothing, huh?" My father sat back and crossed his arms. "Your mom was talking about doing a Harry Potter marathon this weekend, and you didn't even get excited."

  Was she? With my thoughts so focused on a certain guy, everything else had become background noise. I hadn't heard a thing.

  "Oh sorry, Mom," I said and gave her a smile. "Of course, I want to binge HP with you. Can we do it when I get
home from the shelter?"

  Mom nodded. "Absolutely, I'll get the popcorn, chocolate frogs and butterbeer ready. We'll even make your dad watch the deleted scenes with us."

  Dad feigned a groan, making me and my mom laugh.

  "Sounds good," I said.

  "But seriously," Dad repeated, "what were you thinking of? You suddenly got this dreamy look on your face. Must've been something nice."

  If he only knew, I thought.

  "It was very nice," I said, "but not really important."

  Mentally, I scoffed at that.

  As if my first kiss was something insignificant.

  And nice?

  Lies, all lies.

  But for a good purpose as I doubted very much that my parents wanted to hear about my kissing escapades. Honestly, the memory kept making me lose focus. After school, I'd went to work at the shelter where I was struck by images: Dare just before he'd kissed me, his eyes soft and his face so very close. (Kibble had gone everywhere as I overfilled the food bowls. The animals were happy though.) The feel of Dare as he'd kissed me…and after, when he'd looked more than a little stunned and then bolted. I'd spilled the beans to Hermione, of course. She was such a great listener and companion. She'd even given me understanding eyes and licked my hand when I'd been all frazzled about the kiss. Why someone hadn't adopted her yet, I'd never understand.

  "You're doing it again," Dad pointed out.

  "I was just thinking about one of the dogs at the shelter," I said. "Hermione's so wonderful, but she's been there a while. I'm just surprised nobody's snapped her up—though I'll probably be devastated if she ever is adopted."

  "Ah," Mom said, "I know that must be hard on you, Viola. You've always been the type to get attached, wear your heart on your sleeve. And you even get to name them—wonderful choice by the way. Loving the animals and then having to let them go can't be easy."

  I nodded. "It's not. But I care enough about them to want all of the animals to find homes."

  "I could ask the people at work if they need a pet," Dad said with a wink. "Might even be able to get the news to cover the shelter. There's a guy who owes me a favor."

  The effect was instant. My eyes narrowed on the word "favor," and though he was still my favorite muggle, I couldn't forget what he'd done. My thirst for payback was still unquenched. I had to do something.

  "Yeah, that would be great," I said while mentally planning my revenge. Before I could get too far, however, Dad interrupted me again.

  "Hey, I meant to tell you. I saw you at practice today," he said.

  I swallowed, instantly alert. "Did you?"

  "Sure did," Dad smiled. "Though at first, I thought I was hallucinating. You never come out to the field."

  "What were you doing there?" Mom asked.

  Dare's slow smile face flashed in my mind, but I pushed it away.

  "Nothing much," I said, trying and failing not to think of the kiss.

  "I was going to come talk to you," Dad added, "but got held up by one of the assistant coaches. You were already gone by the time I got out there."

  The breath that left me was pure relief.

  "Oh, sorry," I said. "Dare asked for a ride home—though he ended up getting a lift from someone else."

  "Well, that's odd," Mom said.

  I totally agreed.

  "It's too bad you had to sit through practice." Mom waggled her eyebrows. "But did you at least get to ogle some cute, sweaty guys? I've always said that's the best part of soccer."

  I blushed, thinking back to how good Dare had looked on the field.

  Before I could answer, Dad grinned. "Yeah, right," he said. "Viola would never do that."

  "Do what?" Mom said.

  "Check out my players."

  Of course I would, I thought. A girl's only got so much self-control—or at least this girl did. Mom was right. The only part I'd enjoyed about being out there had been seeing the team (and okay, mostly Dare) looking so fine.

  Mom scoffed. "If you think that," she said to my dad, "you're nuts."

  Dad just shook his head. "Viola knows better. She'd never get involved with one of my guys. She'd never even lay a finger on them."

  Yeah, it was probably a good thing he hadn't seen the kiss, I thought. My hands had been all over Dare. The memory sent a shiver up my spine.

  "And my team definitely knows better," Dad said with certainty, like it was law, indisputable. "I'm the coach, and she's my daughter. It's like an unwritten rule. If one of them looked sideways at her let alone touched her, there would be hell to pay."

  Definitely lucky he hadn't seen the kiss, I thought again.

  Dad sounded so sure, so confident. He'd also said that last bit like a warning. What would he have done if he'd seen Dare and I kissing like that in the stands? It would've left him shook. And the fact that it was his prize player, the guy he'd had me drive to school every day? Gah, it would make him feel so, so…guilty.

  My eyes widened.

  The idea was perfect.

  It had been staring me in the face the whole time. The notes I'd jotted down at the field pointed directly to this conclusion. But it was this conversation that made me see the light.

  I needed Dare to play my fake boyfriend again.

  But this time, I'd let my dad catch us.

  No, that left too much up to chance. I'd make sure he did, orchestrate it so he'd walk in on us in a compromising position, make him think I'd developed feelings for Dare. Then once the appropriate amount of time had passed, once he was well and truly sorry for hiring Dare to be my freaking friend in the first place, only then would I tell him the truth.

  The plan was uncomplicated. But a lot of times the most brilliant ideas were just that: simple and effective.

  I might've never thought of it without Dare, helping me save face in front of Whitney and the others. I'd have to thank him the next time I saw him—and of course, I'd need to convince him to play along. But how hard could that be? He'd already taken it upon himself once to play the part of my imaginary boyfriend. I just had to persuade him to do it again.

  My inner Slytherin smirked.

  "Okay, I have to know," Mom said, bringing me back to the here and now where both of my parents were looking at me a little funny. "What's that face about?"

  "What face?" I said.

  Dad tilted his head. "It looked like you were plotting something."

  I had to bite down on my lip to keep the evil laughter at bay.

  "I just figured out the solution to a problem I've been working on," I said.

  "If you're having trouble in Calculus," Dad said, "your mom is excellent."

  Mom laughed, nudging him with her elbow. "I am, but if I remember correctly, you got the higher grade in that class."

  "Only because you did my homework," he countered.

  "Which you then checked and corrected," she said, shaking her head as both of them gazed at each other with nothing but love.

  Dad turned to me again. "If you need help, we're here."

  "Oh no," I said. "I think I've got this."

  Operation Slytherin Strikes Back was a go.

  Now, I just needed to get Dare on board.

  #

  The following day, I found Dare laid back on the hood of Buttercup, totally relaxed with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. It looked like he might be taking a nap.

  "Hey," I said. Then unable to hold back, "I wasn't sure if I'd see you."

  Since you disappeared after kissing me so thoroughly, my mind added.

  Dare grinned but didn't open his eyes. "Don't sound so pleased, flower. It'll make me think you like me."

  "Do you always sleep on cars or is this new?" I asked.

  "Didn't get enough sleep last night," he said.

  Cocking my head, I sniffed. "So, you're currently laying on my car, which I believe I mentioned was my pride and joy."

  He hummed in response.

  "Come on. You can't be comfortable."

  "You migh
t be surprised."

  "Dare."

  "Yeah, Vi?"

  Though it irked me to no end, seeing him sprawled out like that, I tried to keep cool. I needed his help after all, so I had to stay on his good side. Luckily, I knew at least one of his weaknesses.

  "I've got something for you," I said.

  He grunted. "Can I get five more minutes? I'm tired. Plus, we're running early, and Buttercup feels so nice and cool against my back."

  "Oh," I pretended to sigh. "In that case, I guess I'll just have to eat these tasty Pop Tarts all by myself."

  Dare's eyes cracked open at that. "What flavor?" he said.

  "Blueberry," I replied, knowing I had him when he licked his lips. It sent a little thrill through me that I tried to tamp down. He wants the food not you, stupid.

  "The ones with the confetti glaze?" he asked.

  I nodded, and in the next breath, the guy who'd been so sleepy before, popped up, opened my door and then rounded back to his side before jumping in. Dare glanced out the window and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go."

  Inside, I smiled. If he was so hungry and sleep deprived, I should have no difficulty convincing him to help.

  Once I'd driven a few minutes and Dare was well into his Pop Tart, I said, "You can turn on the radio if you want."

  He paused, mid-chew. "I thought you said you liked to meditate," he said.

  "Yeah, about that, I actually love music. I was just irritated that first day about having to take you to school," I admitted. A little truth couldn't hurt, right?

  "I knew it!" Dare pointed his finger at me. "I knew the meditating thing was all BS."

  "Yeah, well." I shrugged. "Like I said, I was annoyed."

  "And now?" he asked.

  "I guess you're growing on me," I said.

  Dare nodded, gesturing to my t-shirt. "Like one of those dogs you love so much," he put in.

  "More like…an acquired taste."

  Was it my imagination or did his eyes just dip to my mouth?

  "I am a hard person not to like," he said which startled a laugh out of me, making him grin. "I'm gifted like that."

  "Or maybe, I got sick of hearing you drumming on your thighs," I retorted. "You put in those earbuds and just go to town. I'm surprised you don't have bruises."