It Started With a Dare

Chapter 15

Knock!

Knock! Knock!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"For the love of pasta!" I cried out, getting out of bed and stomping over to the front door. On my way there, I checked the door of the guest bedroom. Alex's shoes weren't there anymore. He must've left already.

I opened the door and saw Josh, Drake, and Sara. I sighed and scratched my head. "What are you guys doing here so early?" I asked.

"'Early?'" Sara giggled. "It's past lunch. What have you been up to last night?"

Then I heard a door open and close. I turned my head slightly and saw Alex come out of the guest bedroom. I panicked.

"Can you wait just one second?" I said. "I have to clean up the place." I shut the door and ran over to Alex.

"Who was at the door?" Alex yawned.

"What are you still doing here?" I hissed. "I thought you left."

"I slept in. Is that a crime?" Alex frowned at me. He looked around and made a face. "Where are my shoes?"

Shoe thief. There can only be one perpetrator.

"Alex, give him back his shoes," I said to the puppy who was lying under the sun that was shining from the window. He ignored me and rolled over and continued to relax.

"I don't think I can leave even if I had my shoes," Alex said from my front door. He was looking from my peephole. "They're still there." He jerked his thumb in their direction.

I stopped to think on how to get out of this. Bingo! I grabbed Alex's shirt and pulled him back to the guest room.

"Hey, Annie-chan, it's still broad daylight to be doing this sort of stuff," Alex smirked, running a finger down my cheek.

I slapped his hand away. "If you don't cooperate, they'll think we did the stuff you're actually thinking." I pulled open the empty closet and shoved him in. "If I hear even a single peep from you, you'll end up in the freezer."

"Peep," Alex grinned.

I rolled my eyes and shut the door in his face. I ran back to the front door and opened it to let them in. We all headed to the living room.

"This is your definition of cleaning up?" Sara asked, pointing at the plates Alex and I used this morning.

"It's not like it's a fetus," I frowned at her. "Just take a seat."

"Had some company yesterday?" Drake asked, pointing at the plates.

"Nope," I lied. "I used both of them."

Josh sat down first and squirmed. "What's in your sofa?" he said as he pulled away the throw pillow. And there it was. Alex's shoe.

I'm dead.

"Who owns that?" Sara asked. "That's certainly not yours."

"Puppy Alex probably stole one of my neighbor's shoes and hid it here," I shrugged.

Probably hearing his name, Puppy Alex came running to the living room. He licked my toes before running to Josh who still held the shoe. This cannot end well.

Josh taunted Puppy Alex with the shoe by hanging it up above his head and having him jump for it. When Puppy Alex started biting Josh's shoe in frustration, Josh just simply gave the shoe to Puppy Alex. Puppy Alex sniffed the shoe and started to growl.

"The shoe stinks that much?" Drake asked, patting Puppy Alex's head.

Puppy Alex dashed away from the living room and started to claw on the guest bedroom door. Drake and the others followed him in curiosity. I followed them in complete dread of finding out my secret.