Page 27 of Wallflower

"Wow, it's so nice of you to let me know," I said.

Whitney's face got all pinched, and I took pleasure in her confusion. "You're just not in their league. That's all I'm saying."

"Okay, I really appreciate the reminder. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She obviously wanted to say more but wasn't sure her taunts were hitting their mark.

"Stay humble, Viola."

I hummed as she walked away then quietly, under my breath said, "Yeah sure. Drink bleach, Whitney."

She stopped a few feet away, turned around. "What was that?"

Maybe I hadn't been as quiet as I thought.

"Oh, nothing," I said and waved her on. "Thanks again. That was super helpful."

Her frown was fierce, making these deep lines appear at the corners of her mouth. If she'd known how unattractive it made her look, I was sure she'd never make that face again. Girls like Whitney hated looking ugly. But sometimes you just can't hide the ugliness inside.

With one last glare, she huffed and walked off.

A low chuckle had me spinning around, and I found Dare behind me, having come from who knows where, shaking his head.

"Drink bleach," he repeated. "That's savage."

I lifted my chin. "It's one of my favorite insults. My mom came up with it actually."

"Nice," Dare said.

Holding out a hand, I said, "Sofriend, what's up? Make any more deals with my dad that I should know about?"

He had the nerve to grin. "Nope, day's not over yet though. You never know."

"Oh, and he has jokes," I said. "I'm glad my humiliation is so amusing to you."

Dare shook head like I was the cutest thing.

"What do you want, Dare? And don't say it's about treats. I definitely gave you your breakfast this morning and saw you at lunch today. There's no way you're hungry."

"You know, you shouldn't watch what people eat," he pointed out. "Also, wow. I know you're mad about the thing with your dad, but there's no need to fat shame me."

My neck jerked back, appalled at what he was implying. "I wasn't. I mean, I didn't mean to—"

Dare chuckled. "Calm down, flower, I was just kidding."

"Gah!" I put my hands on my hips. "Why would you do that? I felt bad for a second. I'd never fat shame anyone. Ever."

"Well, you kind of just did," he said. "Unintentionally. But lucky for you, I have a very healthy ego."

Understatement of the century, I thought.

"Though my parents are always on me about my diet."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I said. Weight was a very touchy subject for me. I'd always struggled with it, and I felt awful thinking I might have hurt his feelings. "You're not fat, Dare. Not that there's anythingwrongwith being fat anyway. But you're not. You're actually pretty fit."

After a beat, Dare smiled. "Man, you are so easy."

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