Page 16 of Into the Mountains
“I’d be way out of your league, honey,” Ash says without missing a beat.
I roll my eyes at him. “Whatever. Can you let me up now?”
“Only after you agree to go on a date.”
“I’m not doing that.”
He looks up at Alan who looks completely unbothered by the whole situation. Legs crossed, chin resting on his hand, looking down in what looks to be sheer boredom. But at the look Ash gives him, his eyebrows perk up and a grin spreads across his face. And before I even have a chance to say anything else, I know exactly what’s coming.
“We dare you.”
“Aww, c’mon guys. No dares during summer,” I complain. I’m not even sure how it got started, but at the beginning of the year, at our first party together, the three of us sat around a bonfire and Asher started truth or dare. But really it was only dares. And none of us backed down from them. We didn’t want to give in or lose whatever imaginary competition there was between us. That night, I used the dumbest pick up lines, chugged two whole beers, then threw them up, and picked up a snake that was right next to us. I hate snakes.
Throughout the year, we kept playing the game and the dares never went unanswered. To this day, none of us have backed out of one. Of course there’s rules. They can’t be life-threatening. The dares can’t be one that would ruin our reputation academically or socially. We can’t be dared to bully anyone and we are genuinely allowed to back out of any dare we want to. But that means the other two also have free reign to give the other shit for a whole year.
“Are you backing down from a dare, Elias?”
I want to. Fuck, I want to. This summer was supposed to be nothing but, well, nothing. I was going to let myself be laid back for once and not stress over anything. No school, no sports, nofear of being late for class for no reason. I just wanted to do nothing for once.
But I am not going to back down on a dare.
“Fuck it, I’m in.”
Ash gets off and reaches out his hand to help me up. “And we get to choose your date.”
“Wait a minute, I didn’t agree to that.”
Alan holds out my laptop. I didn’t notice him take it earlier when we fell to the floor. “It’s too late, honeybun. I already matched you with a girl. And you get to go on a date with her in two days. It’s all planned out.”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
They both high-five and look at me with stupid grins on their faces. “At least let me see who I’m going on a date with.”
I think if my heart could fall out of my ass once in my lifetime, this would be the moment that it would. Because on the screen is a picture of the rival red head from high school that I didn’t think I’d ever see or talk to again.
Charlotte Monroe.
And she agreed to go on a date with me.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ELIAS
PRESENT DAY
“So, you’re sure you’re okay with moving?” I wince, because I know how Ethan is going to react to me asking this question…again.
“Daaaaad,” he groans. “I told you. I want to move. I’m excited to move to a bigger house and to move somewhere different.” He hesitates. I think I know why, but I’m also afraid to bring it up. Part of me wonders if he’s been ready to move to somewhere different for a while now. To a place where Sarah didn’t live with us. But then I wonder if he hasn’t brought it up because he feels guilty for feeling that way. Guilty for wanting to live somewhere that she’s never lived before. I understand it though. It’s hard leaving a place behind with so many memories, but at the same time, it feels like a ghost is with us all the time.
“My room is already packed up.”
“That’s what you’ve been doing in there for two days? I thought you were just getting Sable acclimated to being around you.”
“Oh, she was used to me by the time we made it home. I started packing the minute you left my room after you told me. She helped by dragging my socks around.”
Sure enough, when I go to the second door on the left, I am met with a room mostly full of boxes. All of the pictures he had on the walls are taken down, the books on the shelves are packed away, along with all of the collectibles he had lined up in front of them.
“Do you want to have a movie night tonight after we get all moved in?” I ask hesitantly. I’ve been so busy the past few days trying to figure out a way to work with Charlotte without her hating my guts and coming up with nothing, that I feel like I haven’t made enough time with him. He’s had Sable to keep him occupied at least, but I still feel guilty about my shortcomings.
