Page 89 of As You Walk On

After a beat, he says, “Give me my keys, Theo.”

“No.”

“Fine. Then drive us home.”

“I... can’t.”

He makes an annoyed face. “You can’t?”

I look over my shoulder. Makayla’s SUV isn’t visible this close to Chloe’s. Still, it’s like I can feel their eyes on me.

“I just...” I say, softer, before realizing I don’t owe Jay an explanation. Shifting back, I say, “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you drive like this. I can’t have that on my conscience.”

Jay snorts. “Your conscience,” he scoffs, stumbling away from the car. He throws his hands in the air. “Theo, the guy who suddenly thinks I’m not a good friend. Theo, the golden boy my mom’s—”

He cuts himself off. I arch an eyebrow, but he continues staggering from side to side.

“Looks like we’ve got a problem.” He wipes a hand down his shiny face. “What are we gonna do about it?”

I have no idea.

Why did I think this would be easier? Nothing about me and Jay has ever been simple. Not lately.

My brain is screaming,Just tell him how you feel.

“How about this,” Jay says, smirking. Under the orangestreetlights, his eyes are thundercloud gray. He pushes his hair back, then finishes: “A dare.”

“Um, what?”

“A new dare. Since you’ve already lost the last one—”

“Because you didn’t tell me Christian had a boyfriend!”

The boom of my voice doesn’t faze him. For the first time, he doesn’t deny knowing either. “An L is an L in the record books, bro. No asterisks.”

I bite my cheek to stop from going off on him.

“Same stakes as before: a win for you means the prom night of your dreams,” he offers like it’s a favor.

From the edge of my vision, a couple of cars down, I see two boys. One is hidden by the shadows. But the other boy—I’d recognize Christian Harris in the middle of a hailstorm. Of all the people who could be exiting the party right now, it’s him.

His eyes lock with mine. An anxious smile creeps across his mouth. It doesn’t last long. I don’t bother grinning back. I realize he’s not even in my daydreams of the perfect prom night anymore.

Someone else is.

I turn back to Jay. “And if I lose?”

“Same thing,” he says with a haphazard shrug.

I can’t believe I’m even contemplating this. Letting Jay goad me into another dare. Pretending like I owe him anything.

I don’t. But I owemyselfsomething. A lot of things.

“Double or nothing,” I eventually say, chin lifted. I have no idea what Jay’s dare is going to be. But I have to take a chance. “If you win, I’ll show up in Mountainview gear when we get back from spring break. Hell, I’ll even wear a crop top.” I don’t know wherethis sudden burst of boldness is coming from, but I try my hardest to keep it at max level.

“And if you complete the dare?”

“Prom,” I say, pursing my lips, “and a favor.”

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