Page 60 of Wallflower

We were both still crouched down by the cages, and his eyes seemed to see right through me and any excuses I might come up with.

"Sure," I said unable to look away. "I'll go."

As Dare grinned, it caused my heart to jolt, and right at that moment one thought ran through my head.

Girl, you are in so much trouble.

CHAPTER 11

I couldn't believe I was here. At a high school soccer game, standing in the late afternoon heat—though granted it was getting cooler by the second as twilight approached. I looked out to the field of lush green grass where the other team was already outside warming up. I glanced over to the stands, seeing parents, friends and some faculty littered throughout. A mosquito tried to attack my face, and I swatted it away with a yelp.

How did this happen? I thought.

How on Earth did I, Viola Kent, nerd girl to the core, hopeless romantic, and animal lover/bug hater, end up in this predicament?

My phone buzzed then, and I looked down to find a text.

It was from Dare.

Secret Boyfriend:Here yet?

I typed and sent my reply.

Me:Yeah…feeling pretty out of place though.

Secret Boyfriend:Ah, don't feel like that.

Yeah, I thought, like it was that simple.

Secret Boyfriend:You're like soccer royalty—well your dad is. And you're here to cheer me on, so you have that in common with a lot of the girls here :).

Looking up into the stands, I did notice there were quite a few girls present. But I rolled my eyes at what he'd sent.

Me:Yeah right. Like they're all here for you.

His reply was instant.

Secret Boyfriend:Jealous, flower?

Me:NO!!! No way. I'm just amazed by your huge ego.

Secret Boyfriend:That's what she said ;).

My mouth gaped.

Me:You did not just say that!

Secret Boyfriend:No, I typed it ;). Been watching too much ofThe Officerecently. Hilarious.

I huffed.

Me:Smartass. Also, what's up with all the winky faces? What are you? A 12-year-old girl?

Dare's reply was full of over-confidence and definitely meant to stun. The worst part was I could picture him saying every word.

Secret Boyfriend:I'm all man, flower. As I'm sure you know. You're lucky your dad's standing here. If he wasn't, I'd send you a picture of the abs you love so much.

My fingers hovered over the keypad, but I couldn't formulate a response.

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