Page 26 of As You Walk On

We’re all quiet for a second. Stuck in that time loop. Then Jay says, “It’s actuallyyourfault. Both of you.”

“What d’you mean?” Darren asks, chewing on his straw.

Jay pulls his knees to his chest, folding into a small ball in the passenger seat.

“When Theo dared me to run around the quad shirtless that day,” he starts, “Coach Devers saw me. I was in deep shit for seminudity, of course. But... she encouraged me to try out for theteam. Said I was one of the fastest freshmen she’d ever seen. Well, one who wasn’t late for class.”

We all laugh.

“My parents really wanted me to find an extracurricular,” he admits. “Something for my college résumé. Can you believe it? I was fourteen!”

I can believe it. Dad was the same way.

“Hey.” Darren smacks the side of Jay’s seat. “You never told us that.”

“I know, I know.”

At the next red light, I glance at Jay. He’s wincing, watching kids biking down the street. “It’s why I love our dares. They make us invincible. Do things we’d never do.”

“True,” Darren mumbles.

As I follow the GPS’s directions, I turn down the music. Just to listen to this side of Jay. The one that’s so different from the SpeedEx version.

“Even tonight. Look at Theo. Going after his crush.”

I roll my eyes. Ifready to shit my pantstranslates togoing after my crush, then sure. That’s what I’m doing.

Jay taps his phone screen. “This is what started it all. Us against our fears.”

Okay, Darren has forfeited the Most Dramatic Friend spot.

I ask, “Wasn’t that back when we were all on the relay team?”

“Ye-yeah.” Jay clears his throat.

In the beginning, the three of us were determined to compete in the same event. We had the best synergy on the team. If one of us won, we all won. Coach eventually saw Darren’s potential in thehurdles. She liked Jay and me on the relay team, but there was only one spot available.

We raced for it.

I beat him by half a second.

She moved Jay over to solo events, which was better for him anyway. He loves a spotlight.

“We’ve come a long way.” Jay turns to the window to finish his blunt.

A scummy guilt swishes around my stomach. I know why I’m holding back on questioning Jay about what happened. I need him. Well, I needhis dadfor the recommendation letter.

I don’t want our friendship to become transactional. Right now, it feels that way.

Jay exhales a cloud of smoke, smiling. “Tonight’s a night for big things.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask.

“I have this feeling.”

Darren thumps his chest, burping loudly. He points accusingly at Jay. “This asshat is going to treat you to the best prom experience ever after you lock down this dare.”

My eyes bounce back and forth between them. My boys. The two people I can always count on to get me out of a funk.

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