Page 56 of Dare You to Run

My only chance at getting away from here is Kinsley. I feel bad for relying on her so much over the last week, but this genius forgot to get the actual address of Hendrix’s house, so getting an Uber isn’t going to be an option.

I open my phone and pull up her number, but just before I touch her name, my name is shouted out behind me.

“Dagen!” I look over my shoulder to see Hendrix jogging up the wooden bridge.

I turn my face away and let my shaky thumb hover over the phone screen.

“Don’t act like you didn’t see me. I saw your big greens.” He walks up behind me, the heat of his body warming my back, but I don’t turn around or acknowledge him. “Stop it you little brat. Look at me.”

My head whips around and anger washes over my face. “Do not tell me what to do. I’m not your dog, your friend or your girl.”

“Then why the fuck did you march off like a jealous girlfriend?” He bellows.

“Because…because I didn’t want to sit there and watch the guy who was kissing me just this afternoon lick the body of one of his previous conquests.”

Hendrix hangs his head and his shoulders rise and fall with exaggerated sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“If you’re sorry, why’d you do it!” My arms wave in the air and my voice begins to turn up an octave.

“Because it was better than the alternative.”

I roll my eyes with a scoff. “Oh yeah, sure. What, were they going to make you sing and dance like a chicken? Poor Henny.”

“No, it wouldn’t have been anything embarrassing. The alternative would have been to give you to one of the guys. If you bring a date to the bonfire and pass on a dare, you forfeit your date. It’s the only reason why I slept with Soria.”

I let all of what he just said process and it just seems totally unbelievable. Too ridiculous to be true.

“What a crock of bullshit. You really expect me to believe that?”

“Go ask Malik if you don’t believe me. Call Kinsley. She’ll tell you the truth. She knows what goes on down here. She never plays, but she’s witnessed it all.”

I stand there with narrowed eyes and my phone clenched tightly in my hand.

Hendrix pulls out his phone and taps the screen. A loud ring sounds from the speaker and I wait to see who picks up the other end.

The ringing stops and the sweetest southern voice booms. “For cryin’ out loud, I’ll be there soon.”

“Kins. What happens when you pass on a dare?” Hendrix asks, wasting no time with pleasantries.

“Wha–why? Am I on speaker?”

“Just say it. Please Kinsley. If you say no to dare, what happens next?”

The phone is silent for a beat then Kinsley says, “You have to pass off your date. Man or woman, you hand them over to someone of their choice.”

My mouth drops as does my stomach. “Thanks. See you later.”

“But wait. W–” Hendrix cuts her off by ending the call and slipping the phone back into his pocket.

“Believe me now?”

I cross my arms over my chest to stop my hands from trembling.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re just fucking anyhow, remember?” I flip my head away, but it’s quickly returned to face Hendrix once again.

“Cut that shit out, Dagen.” My cheeks are squeezed in his grip and if I thought his eyes were stormy before, they're a full on cyclone now. “I already told you I didn’t mean it. I just did that to get Danté off my back.”

He drops his hands and I throw mine up. “Then what are we?”