Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“That’s not all,” she says.
“Oh, come on,” I say off-handedly. “Isn’t that enough?”
I feel bad as soon as the words are out because she looks seriously distraught.
“Look, I don’t want to have to tell you any of this, but I think you should know. Dare came to my house last week and told me to stay out of your relationship. I wanted to listen because, honestly, he’s giving off pretty strong serial killer vibes at this point, and the threat he made...” She trails off, shaking her head. “I know he’s not bluffing. I know he’ll hurt me if he thinks I have anything to do with you leaving him, but I’m sick at the thought of you being with him, Aubrey. I’m so afraid he’s going to hurt you.”
Tears well up in her eyes and the sight makes my heart hurt. I grab her and hug her, shaking my head. “I had no idea he threatened you. I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t let him hurt you, Hannah. I’d never let him hurt you.”
“But you know he hurts people.”
I hesitate, pulling back. I don’t know what to say to that. “I mean, I’ve heard things, but I’ve never actually seen him hurt anyone.”
“He is not a good guy, Aubrey,” she says, shaking her head. “He’s dangerous. Usually I can see the good in anyone, but…” She drops her gaze, shaking her head like it makes her unspeakably sad to say this, then looks back up at me. “I don’t know if there’s any good in him. I know there must be some reason you like him, so maybe there’s a side of him I just haven’t seen. But maybe there isn’t, Aubrey. Maybe he’s faking it.”
That makes me profoundly uncomfortable because it’s not the first time the notion of illusions has floated across my mind where Dare is concerned.
“I don’t know what’s going on behind the curtain, but something about him just… I don’t feel any good coming from him.”
I look at her, unsettled. It’s just like the other times. She’s blowing away his fog.
Before it can fully clear, he rounds the corner and comes down the hall toward us.
Seeing him coming, I put a little more space between me and Hannah. She notices the shift immediately and turns to look.
As soon as she sees him, I feel the spike of fear in her. I don’t know what he said when he was at her house, but it must have really frightened her.
“I have to go,” she says quickly.
“Hannah, wait.” I try to catch her arm, but she hurries past me so she doesn’t have to face him.
I’m frowning when Dare gets to me.
“Good morning to you, too,” he says.
“Did you threaten Hannah?”
His gaze sharpens. It feels predatory and sends a shard of fear slicing through my nerves.
I shouldn’t have asked like that. That was tactless. What was I thinking?
Actually, what I was thinking is I have an awful lot of violence to ask him about today, and it’s hard to consistently say the right things when my mind is completely blown.
“Did she say I threatened her?” he asks levelly.
I swallow. I can’t tell him what she said, but I guess I should communicate that she didn’t completely tell on him. How do I do that?
“I don’t understand what you have against her. She’s like the sweetest person in the whole world. Maybe your read is off because you’re so used to hanging out with the Wicked Witch of the West, but Hannah is a nice person who would never wish either of us harm.”
He smirks, but there’s no humor there. “Not you, at least.”
“Not either of us. She’s my friend, Dare. I need you to be nice to her.”
“You need me to be nice to Hannah?” he says, grabbing me and lightly trailing his finger over one side of my jaw while leaning in and kissing the other. “I can be nice to her. How nice do you want me to be?”
Something in his tone makes my stomach rock. It feels vaguely like a threat, but I’m probably reading too much into it based on my prior assumption that he would be attracted to her, and knowing Anae let him sleep with other people. “Just… she’s my friend. You two should get along.”
“If she wants to get along with me, then she should stop putting whatever poison she’s putting in your head to make you mad at me every time I see you after she does.”
“She isn’t poisoning me against you, Dare. She’s just…”
Making sense?
Obviously, I can’t say that. Without giving him more ammunition, I don’t know how to refute the claim that she’s trying to turn me against him.
“She just wants what’s best for me,” I finally say.
“And she doesn’t think that’s me,” he states.
I’m so distracted arguing with him about Hannah, it doesn’t even occur to me he’s kissing me in plain sight until a girl stares as she walks past us in the hallway. I gasp and try to pull back, eyes wide. “Oh my god, what are you doing? People can see.”