Truth or Dare (30 page)

“Toasty as the hot tub?” Guinness asked wryly, looking down at her from the boat. He snapped a few more pictures, the flash dancing in Tenley’s eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” she choked out. She swam over to the raft, hoisting herself onto it. Her teeth were chattering as the raft bobbed up and down on the waves, but she felt good, like
herself
for the first time in days. “The Phantom Rock is waiting for you,” she yelled up to Guinness, nodding toward the shadowy spot where the Phantom Rock was lurking somewhere beneath high tide.

Guinness shook his head, placing his camera down on the deck. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“I prefer ‘fun-loving.’ ”

Guinness laughed. “Well you’re hard to say no to, that’s for sure.” He wriggled out of his pants and, holding his breath, threw himself forward, hitting the water with a crash. Icy water sprayed all over Tenley, making her teeth chatter even harder.

“Look at you,” Guinness said as he kicked over to the raft. “You’re freezing!”

“I’m fine,” Tenley said, but it was hard to get the words out between the knocking of her teeth.

Guinness pulled himself onto the raft next to her. “I’m not swimming all the way out to the Phantom Rock, just so you know.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her up. She leaned into him, forgetting all about her chattering teeth.

“Aw, are you afraid?” she teased. She tilted her head up. “Poor baby Guinness.”

He smiled, something softening in his eyes. Her heart gave an
excited thud. She’d seen that look before. She knew that look. He was finally going to kiss her. And suddenly she wasn’t nervous, wasn’t worried, wasn’t
anything
. All she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him back. She inched closer to him, her skin prickling in anticipation. He leaned in, so close they were nose to nose. His eyes met hers. It was going to happen.

Suddenly he blinked. He backed away hastily, making an icy splash of water hit Tenley’s wrist. “I’m the baby?” he asked after a beat. He cleared his throat a little, his voice playful again. “Says the girl who plays with ribbons in her spare time.”

Tenley clenched her jaw. They’d been so close! And once again, he’d just pulled away. It was like he was
trying
to mess with her. He laughed, giving her a pat on the head.

“You know what?” she announced, forcing her voice to stay steady. “It’s too cold out here for me. Have fun playing alone, big boy.” Sliding off the raft, she swam back to the boat. She could hear him protesting behind her, calling for her to come back, but she ignored him. Grabbing his sweatshirt to cover up, she slipped into her flip-flops and stalked off the boat. It was about time he realized what he was missing out on.

It wasn’t until she made it to the other end of the pier that she remembered the last time she’d been here alone. She had just received her first dare, and she’d come to the pier to put the darer in his—or her—place. She shivered a little, pulling Guinness’s sweatshirt tighter around her. The darer hadn’t shown up that night, but still she’d had the eeriest feeling that she was being watched, as if somewhere, beneath the water or behind a boat or in the shadows, someone was there, waiting.

Something tickled the back of her neck, and she whipped around, her heart in her throat. But it was just the wind. Tenley took a deep breath. There was no one here. There was no reason to be afraid.

But still she walked a little faster as she reached the end of the pier, where a sign advertising this weekend’s Fall FESTivities was flapping in the wind. Across it, someone had used a Sharpie to write in large letters:
Calling all Lost Girls!
There was a small park at the end of the pier—Reed Park, yet another place that boasted her new name—and Tenley headed into it, kicking at a rock. There was a couple fighting on the other side of the park, and snatches of their argument carried over to her on the wind.
Creepy
and
scared
and, loudest of all,
how could you?

Tenley ignored them, kicking the rock against a tree and watching as it bounced off, landing in the grass. She couldn’t decide if she should go back to the boat or just walk home. It was a long walk, but maybe it would teach Guinness a lesson.

“Sydney!” The name floated over from the fighting couple. Tenley looked in their direction. Darkness was slowly starting to set in, and she squinted her eyes to see better.

“Oh my god,” she whispered as the couple came into focus.

It was Sydney Morgan… and Joey Bakersfield.

Sydney’s hands were flying through the air as she yelled at Joey. Then suddenly she leaned in, kissing him hard. “Happy now?” Tenley heard her yell.

Tenley’s jaw dropped. Apparently Sydney and Joey were more than just friends. If Tenley had any lingering doubts, they vanished in an instant. Sydney had to be the darer. She probably got jealous when Joey told her about Vegas. But to stalk Tenley and Caitlin and send them creepy dares? No wonder Sydney had no friends. She really was freaking insane.

Tenley tugged on one of the sweatshirt’s sleeves, tears pricking at her eyes. It was the worst feeling in the world, not being able to turn to Caitlin. It reminded her of how she’d felt after her dad died, as though
she were walking on a tightrope, and her safety net had been snatched out from underneath her.

Tenley wiped angrily at her eyes. She had no choice. She was just going to have to take care of this herself. They weren’t at school now. Sydney could say whatever she wanted, and there would be no one but Joey to witness it. Throwing back her shoulders, Tenley marched over to Sydney. She knew exactly what she was going to say. She was going to tell her that if she didn’t stop, Tenley was going to make sure everyone in town knew what she was doing.

But she never got a chance. Because the second Sydney saw her, she let out a gasp, a horrified look flashing in her eyes. Before Tenley could say a word, she spun on her heels and took off running. “Sydney!” Tenley yelled after her. But Sydney slipped out of the park without even a glance back. For a second, everything was silent. Tenley looked over at Rabies Boy. His long hair was hanging in his eyes and he had that same green notebook with him.

“Tell your girlfriend this isn’t over,” she said angrily. She waited for him to respond, but as usual, he was silent.

Rolling her eyes, Tenley pushed past him, hurrying out of the park. She’d walk, she decided. Let Guinness wonder where she had gone. Besides, she could use some exercise to clear her mind.

But even after the long walk, she was still stewing when she finally reached her house. Why had Sydney sprinted away like that when she saw her? If that wasn’t guilty behavior, she didn’t know what was. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Guinness sitting out front on the porch. “There you are,” he said. “I’ve called you like fifteen times.”

“Didn’t bring my phone,” she said stiffly. She headed inside, letting the door slam behind her.

Guinness followed her in. “Are you really mad, Tiny? Come on, I was just joking around about all that kid stuff.”

Tenley ignored him as she headed up to her room. “What, am I getting the silent treatment now?” Guinness teased, poking his head in her room.

“Nope.” Tenley pulled his sweatshirt over her head, tossing it to him.

Guinness came over, resting a hand on each of her shoulders. “What if I gave you a massage?” He began kneading her muscles, and she couldn’t help but melt into his hands just a little. After everything that had happened this week, her neck was one big ball of knots. “Will you forgive me then?” He pushed a strand of hair off the back of her neck, and Tenley felt an involuntary shiver run through her.

“Fine,” she said, making a big show of sighing reluctantly. “But it better be a really good one.” Tenley glanced at her bed, which was piled high with the dresses she’d been considering for the formal-wear portion of the pageant. “Let’s go to your room,” she said.

She followed him down the hall and hopped up onto his bed.

“You know, I’ve been told I have magic hands,” Guinness said as he settled behind her and began working through the knots in her neck. She was wearing only her bikini now, and as he moved his hands down her bare back, she felt another tiny shiver run through her.

“I don’t believe in magic,” she shot back, but she had to admit, it did feel good. She leaned into his hands, feeling herself relaxing. As he rubbed at a knot behind her shoulder blade, she let her eyes rove through his room, taking in all his Guinness things—a row of lenses on his dresser and a cluster of black-and-white photos clipped to the edge of his curtain and, on his desk, a whole mess of frames, displaying one artsy photo after another. Most of them she recognized as his own
work, but in the corner, framed in silver, was a photo of two men standing on the docks, their shadows long and crooked on the water. Tenley stared at it for a minute as her memory clicked into place. She’d seen that photo before. It had been in the stack on Sydney’s desk.

She stood up abruptly, leaving Guinness’s hands dangling in midair. “Where did you get this?” she demanded, picking the frame up off his desk.

“From a friend,” he said vaguely. He patted the bed for her to come back, but Tenley looked back down at the photo instead.

“I’ve seen it before,” Tenley said. “That girl Sydney took it, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, we had a photography class together.” Guinness came over, taking the frame out of Tenley’s hands and dropping it facedown on his desk. “I just thought it was cool.” Putting his hand on Tenley’s back, he guided her back to the bed.

“That girl is a freak,” Tenley told him as Guinness began massaging her back again.

“Oh yeah?” Guinness laughed. “Why is that?” He worked his hands down her lower back, his finger skimming along the top of her bikini bottom. Tenley closed her eyes, wishing this moment could go on forever. Just her and Guinness, on his bed, keeping the rest of the world at bay. “Why?” Guinness prodded.

Tenley let out a contented sigh as he trailed his finger up her spine. He could call her young all he wanted, but no one gave massages like this to
little girls
.

“She’s always been weird. But I think she might have crossed into the kingdom of certifiable insanity lately. Especially now that she’s hooking up with Rabies Boy,” she added with a grimace.

“What?” Guinness’s fingers tightened on her shoulders.

“Ow.” Tenley gasped, pulling out of his grip. “A little softer, Magic Hands.”

“Sorry,” Guinness said, kneading softly at her shoulders again. “So what were you saying about Sydney?”

“I just saw her in Reed Park on my way home. Making out with Joey Bakersfield.” Tenley made a retching noise. “Obviously they’re perfect for each other. Crazy Girl and Rabies Boy.” She shuddered a little, remembering how horrified Sydney had been to see her—as if she knew she’d been caught in the act. Suddenly a flicker of hope shot through her. Maybe that’s all it would take. If Sydney knew she’d been caught, maybe she’d finally give up on this whole ruse, let the dares stop.

Guinness’s hands stopped moving on her back. Tenley twisted around to look at him. He had a strange look on his face, as if he’d just eaten something sour. “You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Guinness cleared his throat, standing up. “I just… remembered I have somewhere to be.” He grabbed his camera bag off the floor. “Sorry, Tiny. To be continued.” He bolted out of the room, leaving Tenley sitting alone on his bed.

Tenley flopped onto her back, breathing in the musky scent of Guinness’s pillow. Maybe she should just wait for him right here. Take a little nap. Give him a nice surprise when he came back home… She’d just nestled into his blanket when she heard the faint sound of a beep coming from her bedroom. Her phone. With a sigh, she dragged herself back up. She stretched her arms over her head as she headed back to her room. Guinness’s massage had been much needed, even if he had cut it short. She grabbed her phone off her desk. She had a new text from Marta, and a bunch of missed calls and texts from earlier. She skimmed through the texts. Marta’s was about Spanish homework,
and Nate Roberts and Hunter Bailey had texted about her party this weekend. She paused at the last text. It was from a blocked number. Her fingers tightened around her phone as she opened it up.

Double-Dare
, it said at the top of her screen.

“No,” she whispered.

You know what happens when you flake on a dare? The stakes are doubled. Steal a pair of Caitlin’s panties, and fly her flag on Byrne Theater’s flagpole… or you’ll be paying double the price. Think I’m joking? Just look what I did at school today. Cait really is the very picture of an angel, isn’t she?

Thursday, 7:43
PM

NOW WE JUST NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHO’S GOING TO
man Winslow’s Fish-a-Fortune booth at the Festival this weekend,” Eric Hyland said, wrapping up what had to be the longest meeting ever to take place at Winslow Academy. “The Festival runs from Saturday to Monday, but since we have school Monday, our booth will only be up for the weekend. So I’m thinking we split it up into eight shifts, four per day.”

As Eric began scribbling on his clipboard, signing people up for shifts, Caitlin glanced toward the other side of the classroom, where Abby Wilkins was waving her hand wildly through the air. “Okay, Abby for shift two,” Eric said. Abby gave Eric a satisfied smile, then twisted around, looking directly at Caitlin.

Caitlin quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks burning. She hadn’t said a single word to Abby all day long, but after cheer practice, Emerson had practically dragged her to the room where the Purity Club met. “You have to confront her,” Emerson had insisted. “If you don’t, I will.”

Caitlin had resisted. Just the thought of facing Abby had made her itch for a second pill. “What’s the point?” she’d argued. “It’s not like she can change anything now. What’s done is done.”

But Emerson had refused to drop it. “When you don’t face your demons,” she’d said, “they only get worse.” For a second, Caitlin had wondered what kind of demons Emerson could possibly have, but then Abby had walked out of Purity Club, talking in low tones with Delancey Crane. Emerson cornered her immediately. “I have a message for you, Abby,” she’d said. She’d gotten right in her face, stooping over a little so they were eye to eye. “If you think you can get away with that stunt from this morning, then you clearly aren’t as smart as you pretend to be.”