Page 71 of Wallflower

Dare let out a long-suffering sigh.

"You're missing the point, flower."

"No, I get what you're saying." I frowned. "But if you join our names together…it's awful."

"It's not that bad," Dare said, but I tossed him a look.

"Seriously?" I said. "It's either Vare or Diola, both of which suck majorly in my opinion. Face it, our names just don't mesh well."

TheCluelessreference went straight over his head, but I didn't hold that against him. My love of teenage romcoms was one of my greatest strengths. I couldn't expect him to know them all.

Dare crossed his arms. "Our couple name could rock just like Jam's. You haven't given it a chance."

"Haven't I?" I held up a finger. "Our initials are either DV—which reminds me of the DMV, blech"—another finger joined the first—"Or there's always VD. Which…yeah, yuck."

"You've obviously put some thought into this."

I blushed then mumbled, "I have not."

I totally had.

Dare nodded to himself. "I'm going to prove you wrong."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"So, I'll see you at my game later?" he asked.

It was my turn to cross my arms. "You know, if I have to go watch soccer, I think you should come help out at the shelter. It's only fair."

"Done," he said with a shrug.

I didn't really expect him to agree. Paris and I were always short-staffed and looking for volunteers—especially male volunteers.

"Oh," I said a beat later. "That's…really nice of you."

"It's no problem," he said. "I can't be there on game days. But I can definitely come in sometimes during the week and on the weekend."

I swallowed. "Awesome."

"Can I bring toys for the dogs?" he asked, and I swear my heart melted, just dissolved right there into a puddle at his feet. Oh my gosh. I hadn't thought it was possible, but in that moment, Dare became even more attractive.

Once I recovered, I gave a small shrug. "Yeah, or the shelter's always looking for blankets and food. But you don't have to bring anything. Just yourself."

Dare nodded.

"Great," he said. "Ready to drop off your cello?"

School went by so fast after that. Between Dare, Estelle, Jovonte and even Tyson, I had to be honest. It felt like I'd found my tribe. I'd heard people talk about that but never really understood. Until now. As much as I'd been convinced that releasing Dare from our fake relationship would be best, I couldn't deny that I loved having him around.

I loved how he wouldn't let me give up.

I loved how he wanted me at his games.

I loved how he was determined to find us a killer couple name (though that was definitely a lost cause).

I loved that he'd agreed to help at the shelter without hesitation and wanted to bring the animals toys.

I loved that he'd become my real friend, and I didn't want to mess it up.

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