Wallflower

by Cookie O'Gorman

  "No problem," I said. "Just like people, animals have soulmates, too. I'm glad you found each other."

  "Yeah," Dare said. "Me, too."

  "Any plans for after graduation?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "I've been offered full-ride scholarships from a few colleges."

  "A few?" I repeated skeptically, and he laughed.

  "Okay, a lot. I've had my eye on UNC for a while, but honestly, I don't care where I go as long as I can play soccer."

  That made sense.

  "What about you?" he said. "Are you going to be a vet or study cello?"

  I smiled at his assumption. "Not sure if I want to be a veterinarian or open a rescue nonprofit. Something with animals for sure. I'll still play music for them, of course."

  "Speaking of, any chance I can get a private performance?"

  "Sorry, but I only play for four-legged creatures who don't judge," I said. "Oh yeah, and my family. They kind of force my cousins and me to perform a little recital every year when we get together."

  Dare's eyes gleamed with interest. "And how do I get a ticket to that?"

  "It's usually family only. We have a big one."

  "What about boyfriends?" he asked. "Can they come?"

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah…but I doubt we'll still be pretending in October, Dare."

  He waited.

  "If we are, I guess you could come."

  He pointed a finger at me. "I'm going to hold you to that, flower."

  Oh my heart. I decided to change the subject to hide how giddy his words made me.

  "Alright since the forty-five minutes is nearly up," I said. "I go back to my first question. What is your real name?"

  "Thought you might forget about that," Dare muttered.

  "No way," I said. "And you better tell me because you promised."

  Dare mumbled something under his breath.

  "What was that?" I said. "Could you speak a little louder."

  Dare shifted his glare to me. "Okay, but if you laugh, I'm never telling you anything again."

  "I'll try my best," I said. "So, finish this sentence. Hello, my name is…?"

  "Inigo Montoya, you killed my father—"

  I cut him off with a look. "I love a good Princess Bride reference. But you're not getting off the hook that easily."

  Dare took a breath and then let it go.

  "Darcy," he said. "My real name is Darcy."

  I blinked. "You're kidding?"

  "Nope," he said. "My mom was a big Jane Austen fan. She named me after the main character. One of the stupidest names ever."

  "It's not stupid," I said. "I love Pride & Prejudice."

  Dare groaned. "God, not you, too."

  "It's a great love story," I insisted.

  "But the name's still stupid." He shook his head. "You'd definitely laugh if you knew my middle name."

  "Try me."

  "Fitzwilliam," he said deadpan.

  "So Darcy Fitzwilliam Frost?" I said. "That's awesome."

  "No, it's awful. And the worst part is I didn't even get a good nickname out of it."

  "Why don't you just go by Darcy?"

  He shot me a look. "Do I look like a sorority girl to you?"

  I bit back a laugh but tried again. "Why not Fitz or Liam then? Those are both solid nicknames."

  Dare held up a finger. "One, I'm not British." He held up a second. "And two, do I look like a member of a pretty pop boy band? Come on, flower. Get real."

  "You are rather pretty," I said.

  "Viola."

  I was having a really hard time not laughing, but I tried my best.

  With a cough, I said, "I guess Dare does fit you better."

  "It does." Dare gave a decisive nod. "And if you tell anyone about this, there will be heck to pay."

  I held up my hand. "No need for threats, Mr. Darcy. I promise not to tell a soul."

  "Oh, you're going to pay for that, flower."

  I squeaked as he tackled me onto the couch, laughing as he started to tickle my sides.

  "I'm not letting you up till you apologize," he warned.

  "Why Mr. Darcy, this is so improper."

  With a growl, he started his tickling again, and I continued to laugh.

  "Seriously, I love your name," I said through my giggles. "All of them."

  "You do?" he asked.

  I nodded.

  Dare's hands were still on my ribs, and I was laying underneath him when the door opened.

  "Dare?" someone said. "Whose car is that outside? You mother took my spot, and it's taking up the rest of the driveway."

  We both froze as a man I'd never seen but knew instantly walked around the side of the couch. He was the spitting image of a grown-up Dare. A woman appeared beside him and frowned down at the two of us.

  "Ah, I see we have company," the man said.

  Dare stood and helped me up from the couch.

  "Another one, Dare?" the woman commented. "Really? I thought you'd toned it down on all the girls."

  My face flushed hot as both of them ran assessing eyes over me.

  "Dad, Mom," Dare said through gritted teeth. "I didn't know you guys would be home today."

  The man shrugged. "Why not? It's a holiday."

  "I thought you'd be spending the night again with Cecily," he said.

  "Cess is out of town to see family."

  "Nathan expects me back later." His mom sniffed. "We're having the apartment fumigated, so I needed somewhere to go for a while. Besides, it's almost time for dinner."

  "And?" Dare said. "We never eat together like a normal family."

  "Dare." It was a warning, but Dare didn’t look like he was going to back down.

  I gave his parents an awkward wave. "Hi, I'm Viola," I said. "Sorry for intruding. I was just about to leave."

  "But what about your clothes?" Dare asked.

  His mom scoffed. "Just like your father."

  "Mother," he snapped. "It's not like that."

  I turned fire engine red at her assumption but decided to brazen it out.

  "I'll get them tomorrow." I looked back at her. "And just so you know, he was only teaching me how to swim."

  She looked like she still had her doubts, so I added more context.

  "I almost drowned today, and Dare saved me."

  "Dare, is that true?" she asked.

  He shrugged. "Yeah."

  "That's…not what I was expecting. Sorry, if I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

  "I'm used to it," Dare said, and my heart went out to him.

  She looked surprised while his father gave him a nod.

  "Good job, son," he said. "I'm impressed—though like your mom said, there hasn't been a lot of cause for that since you hit high school and started acting like a wild child."

  "Mark," Dare's mom hissed, but he ignored her.

  "Viola, do you want to stay for dinner?"

  "No thanks," I said. "I should go."

  As Dare walked me to the door, I picked up my shoes, stopped and turned around.

  "You know, you should really make an effort to come to Dare's games," I said.

  "It's okay, Vi," Dare said softly.

  "No, it's not," I said back. Then added, "He has a gift. It's plain for everyone to see. Dare's the best on our team, and he's going to do great things, probably go to college on a scholarship and play for the pros one day. He's that amazing."

  His dad gave me a patronizing grin. "We have jobs, young lady. We can't just drop everything to see every single one of his soccer games."

  "What about just one?" I countered.

  After a moment, I shook my head.

  "The saddest thing is you're his parents. You really have no idea how wonderful you son is. Do you?"

  They just gaped at me as I left, but I didn't care. Dare was right. His parents really did suck. And someone had to say it. I walked blindly out to the driveway. It took me a few minutes to put on my shoes and get the car door open. I was that upset. But as I w
as finally about to get in, Dare grabbed my elbow. As I turned, he pressed my clothes into my arms.

  "Fresh out of the dryer," he said.

  "Thanks," I said back, avoiding his eyes.

  Placing his hand under my chin, Dare lifted until I had to look at him.

  "Thank you," he said. "No one's ever stood up for me like that."

  I swallowed. "No problem. They may hate me now, but it was worth it."

  I could do nothing as he lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on my temple. My eyes closed as he let out a breath.

  "Drive safe, flower. I'll see you in the morning."

  I left feeling lighter than air. Maybe something really could happen between us, I thought. Maybe Dare just didn't believe in love because he hadn't found his person yet. Maybe…I could be that person.

  For him.

  Maybe he could be it for me.

  Hope was a dangerous thing, but it sprang eternal in my chest as I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed Dare watching as I drove away.

  CHAPTER 17

  Dare was quiet on the drive to school.

  I didn't think much of it.

  I mean, we'd had a pretty long talk the other night, so maybe he needed space. No problem. I could give him that. But when he refused the breakfast I brought him? That was when I grew concerned. Dare loved to eat. Anything, everything, I was pretty sure the boy was constantly hungry.

  When I parked, I looked over to him, but he was staring straight ahead.

  "Everything okay?" I asked, keeping my tone light.

  He jolted as if startled. "Oh yeah. Just got a lot on my mind."

  "Care to share?"

  Dare gave a half-smile. "You worried about me, flower?"

  "Maybe." I shrugged. "You didn't eat today. That's not like you."

  His stomach growled in answer, and about a minute later, he had wolfed down the entire banana, granola bar and bottle of milk.

  "Thanks for that," he said then got out of the car and grabbed the cello from the back.

  "No problem," I said. But he'd already closed the door.

  After we dropped off my instrument (it had been a silent walk to the band room), I tried to draw him out again.

  "Dare, are you sure you're alright?"

  He stopped and so did I. "Yeah, I'm good. You better go now, or people might see us."

  I scoffed. "As if I care about that."

  "Don't you?" he said.

  "No." My eyes took in the tight, guarded look on his face. "They think we're together. And according to every teen movie or K-drama I've seen, boyfriends and girlfriends walk down the hall all the time. Right?"

  Dare nodded.

  "You're the popular star athlete," I said. "I'd think you wouldn't want to be seen with me."

  "You're the one who doesn't like attention," he said.

  "Yeah, but…"

  "But what?"

  I stared at him a moment then told the truth. "When I'm with you, I don't mind so much."

  Dare's whole face changed then. I couldn't quite put my finger on where it started, but the tension I'd seen only seconds before melted away. His eyes grew brighter, the grin I loved coming back full force.

  "Well then," he said and nudged my shoulder, "let's walk. Shall we?"

  I nodded.

  As Dare and I walked side by side down the crowded halls, every eye we passed conveyed something slightly different. Estelle said, "Hey guys" and gave me a smile of support that I greatly appreciated. Whitney, of course, threw me the stank eye. Penn and his boys looked at the two of us with disgust—but he didn't bark, thank goodness. And there were so many other people. I actually was starting to get nervous. Dare had longer legs than me. I wasn't sure I'd be able to stay next to him.

  But then Dare took my hand.

  He did it smoothly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Our palms touched, and I felt an answering jolt go through me. I looked down at our hands in wonder and then back up at him.

  "You just pulled a Jordan Catalano," I said in awe.

  "Who's that?" Dare asked. "Another one of your crushes? I don't like being compared to other guys, flower."

  "He's a character from an old TV show," I said and patted his arm. "No need to be jealous."

  Dare scoffed. "Sounded as if you like the guy."

  "I did. When Jordan took Angela's hand, it was one of the most romantic things ever. Though he was a bit of a douche."

  With a raised brow, Dare stopped us just next to my locker.

  "Hmm," he said.

  Then keeping his gaze fastened to mine, Dare brought our clasped hands up to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to the back of my palm, his lips lingering a moment after. My jaw went slack in reaction.

  "Did Jordan do anything like that?"

  "Who?" I said in response, and he laughed.

  "Frost!" a voice boomed from down the hall.

  We both looked over to see my dad standing there with his hands on his hips. He was all the way at the other end, but I could clearly see his scowl from here.

  "My office," he said. "Now."

  "You got it, Coach," Dare called back. To me, he said, "Guess I'll see you in a little while, flower."

  I nodded. "I'll be praying for you," I said.

  Dare placed one last kiss to my hand before releasing me and jogging back down the hall.

  I opened my locker, still feeling the imprint of Dare's lips on my skin. It was such a distracting sensation. I didn't realize Tyson had joined me until he spoke.

  "Hey," he said. "I was hoping to catch you before first period."

  "Hey, Ty." I closed my locker and leaned against it. "What's up?"

  "Dare told me," he said.

  I shook my head in confusion. "I don't—"

  Tyson lowered his voice. "About your fake relationship."

  I stopped breathing for a second. "Oh really?" I said once I could take in oxygen again. "When did he tell you that?"

  "Last night."

  I couldn't believe it. The same night when I'd finally thought we were getting somewhere, and I'd deluded myself into thinking he might return my feelings. Man, I was an idiot.

  "It shocked me. I couldn't believe the two of you were pretending all this time. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad to hear it."

  "You were?" I said. "Why?"

  Ty gave me a smile. "Because now I can ask you out without feeling like a terrible person."

  It felt like someone had whacked me over the head with a crowbar. What he'd said was that surprising and discombobulating. And it just got worse as he went on.

  "I know I turned you down when you told me your feelings," he said, running a hand through his hair. "But I think I may have made a mistake."

  "What are you saying?"

  "I want to take you out," he said simply. "To lunch after school, dinner if you'd prefer that instead. And please don't think I'm trying to steal you from Dare because that's definitely not the case."

  He laughed.

  "Though I guess you're not really together anyway. Right?"

  The truth of that statement was like a slap to the face.

  "Did you talk to Dare about this?" I asked, my words little more than a whisper.

  Tyson shook his head. "No. But we're best friends. I'm sure he'd be cool with it."

  I didn't know about that.

  But Ty sounded so confident…

  "Just think about it," he said. "Okay, Vi?"

  I didn't even get a chance to nod before the bell rang, and Ty sprinted off in the other direction. What the heck was that? Did Tyson, Dare's best friend, my ex-crush, and possible future swimwear model, really just ask me out? Was this some kind of joke?

  There was no way I could accept Ty's offer. Not with the way I felt about Dare.

  But…why had he told Tyson about us at all?

  There were so many questions I didn't have the answers to. But I hoped once I talked to Dare it would clear everything up. I didn't want to start anything between him a
nd Tyson. But fake or not, going after your best friend's girl was a no-no. I didn't think Dare would be too happy about it.

  #

  "I think you should go," Dare said.

  I blinked at him in surprise. I'd just explained everything, how Ty had surprised me in the halls and asked me out, and this was his response?

  "What?" I laughed because seriously, this had to be a joke. "Are you messing with me?"

  "No." He crossed his arms. "Ty's a good guy. He's actually one of the best I know, definitely better than me. You used to like him, remember?"

  The frown that took over my face couldn't be contained. "I liked the idea of him," I retorted. "I didn't even know Ty then."

  Dare shrugged. "Still. I think you should go and see how you are together. He may be exactly what you want."

  "But…I'm with you."

  Tears were building behind my eyes, but I pushed them back down. I didn't know why I felt like crying. This was all fake, I reminded myself. A way to get revenge. It was never going to last. I just hadn't expected it to end so soon.

  Dare seemed to read my mind.

  "We were only supposed to pretend," he said, his eyes locked on my own. "That's all this was. Right, flower?"

  I nodded but couldn't respond.

  "I spoke with Coach, and believe me, he's pissed. He reamed me out, told me to stay away from you—though I think he's mostly mad at himself. Your revenge idea was a success, Vi. You got what you wanted."

  But did I really?

  Dare frowned. "I thought you would be happier."

  "Oh no, I'm good," I said.

  "It looks like you're about to cry," he said. "Is something wrong, flower?"

  Yes, everything. This whole thing is wrong, and I feel like such a fool.

  "Happy tears," I said. What was one more lie, right? "I'm just so happy."

  Dare nodded. "Give Tyson a chance. You'll like him."

  Not as much as I like you, I thought.

  "I need to leave," I said. "But talk to you later?"

  "Sure. Bye, flower."

  The rest of the day went by in a haze. I couldn't have told you what was said in any of my classes. Thank goodness, none of my teachers called on me. There was a quiz I was pretty sure I failed—which never happened, by the way. But my concentration was shot.

  Tyson found me at the end of the day and asked if he could pick me up at seven. I told him I'd rather drive myself, which he was totally cool with. We arranged to meet at a little Mexican restaurant in town.