Page 96 of Wallflower

I swallowed but gave him a nod.

"Okay," he sighed. "Go ahead."

I nearly whooped out loud but managed to control myself.

"What's your real name?" I asked.

Dare groaned. "Pass."

"You can't do that! It's only the first question."

"And when I play this game, each person gets a pass," he said. "That one's mine."

My brow furrowed. "It can't be that bad, Dare. Won't you just tell me? Please?"

Dare watched me flutter my eyelashes at him and then muttered, "Alright, I'll tell you at the end of the game, flower. But for now, it's a pass."

"I'll take that," I said. "But can you give me a hint?"

He stared at me a moment. "Why do you want to know so bad?"

I shrugged. "I'm dying of curiosity. Plus, I love names. Real ones, fictional ones. I just love them."

"Speaking of, what's up with your name?" Dare asked. "Why is it so long?"

I tilted my head. "Is that your first question for me?"

He nodded, and I bit back a smile. Dare had given me an easy one, and he didn't even know it.

I listed them off on my fingers. "Viola is the name my mom and dad came up with. They liked it because it's pretty and unique, has letters that almost spell "I love you" as well as two of the same letters in my mom's name. Martha and Carole are my grandmothers' names. Rogue, of course, is from X-Men."

Dare blinked. "Your parents literally named you after a mutant superhero?"

I nodded. "She's my mom's favorite."

"That is so badass," he said.

"And then, of course, Kent is our last name," I finished.

Dare nodded. "That's still a lot of names."

A shrug. "My dad has nearly as many, and those are all family names, too. Okay, time for my second question."

"Who's asking?" he joked. "Viola, Martha, Carole or Rogue?"

"All of us." I dismissed that with a wave."Now, why do you call me flower all the time?"

"Because you remind me of one." A small smile appeared on his lips. "You're soft and pretty but strong, too, like one of those flowers you find in a field."

"Did you just compare me to a weed?"

"More like a daisy," Dare said. "My turn. Favorite movie?"

"The ones with happy endings," I replied."Why don't you believe in love?"

He shook his head slowly. "Because it doesn't exist."

"How can you think that?"

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