Page 33 of Maximum Dare
One by one, my fellow adventurers ducked into the glass tube and moved out onto the edge, plopping onto the mats and zooming out of view.
I was the last to go.
Ted turned to me. “You’re up, Daisy.”
“Where does that lead?” I pointed at it with the fear it deserved.
“Five floors down.”
“But…why?”
This was why my life had stalled out. Morgan had been able to lure away my one true love because she was the spontaneous type. The come-hang-with-me-and-we’ll-have-funtype.
Thiswas something she’d do.
The proof was in my handbag. That envelope had been meant for her, someone who would never turn down a dare. Had I been less cautious and more open to taking bigger risks, maybe Nick wouldn’t have gotten bored with our relationship.
“Daisy, it’s perfectly safe,” whispered Ted. “You could sue us if the glass broke and you fell to your sudden death.”
“Funny.”
“You have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he coaxed.
“What could I possibly gain?”
“Why are you here?”
To win him back.
In a daze, I leaned over to avoid bumping my head on the low ceiling and climbed into the glass square. The drop below was only slightly more distracting than the glass structure that disappeared around the corner of the building. What was I willing to do to win Nick back?
It was easy imagining how Morgan would react to an adventure like this—she’d glide majestically forward without hesitation, looking like a goddess with her golden locks flying—doing it all for her adoring fans who were ready to applaud her bravery. She’d film her glamorous risk-taking adventure and showcase it to the world. Her antics would be posted all over social media.
I sat on the mat and tried to get comfortable—as comfortable as you can be when seeing your life flash before your eyes. I lifted my iPhone and pressed the LIVE button on Instagram.
I spoke into the camera. “I’m currently thousands of feet in the air, ready to take on gravity.” I felt like a reporter providing moment by moment feedback of a dangerous mission. “I’m going down a death slide!”
“It’s called the fun slide, Daisy!” Ted interjected from behind me.
Ignoring that, I went to kick off and then froze—live on the air—my face reflecting terror. Instead of showcasing my bravery, I was caught mid-panic and unmovable.
The mat slipped forward with me on it and a scream tore from me as I shot down the chute with my ass sliding over the glass bottom at warp speed. Horrified, I slid left until my butt was now on the outer wall of the glass. My balance righted itself as I bounced awkwardly toward the other side of the chute, moving swiftly back and forth as I raced along like an Olympian bobsledder going for gold.
I rounded a bend and saw the end of the slide approaching. There, standing a little ways back, were my cohorts—all of them wearing shocked expressions as I flew toward them like a bat out of hell.
I shot out of the end of the tube, my legs trying to slow my projectile speed as I stumbled forward unable to slow down. Then I saw a blur…a man moving forward to catch me.
I fell into his arms with force.
He staggered backwards and crashed to the ground with me landing on top of him, straddling him like a pony.
I stared down into the face of Max Marquis.
I finally overcame my mortification enough to speak. “It’s you.”
He smiled. “Your glasses still look nice.”
My lips came crashing down on his with the sole purpose of letting him know I was forever in his debt for saving me…for simply existing in the world.
