The Things You Will Never Know

The Dare

Y'all please don't expect me to keep updating this quickly all the time, I'm just in the zone at the moment 😬

I'm not very happy with this chapter and I apologise if it's a bit boring. However, it's kind of essential to the story as you find out why they went into the forest that night so...yeah.

Also, if anyone is interested, I added a few more songs to the playlist at the beginning of the story, and I also made a Pinterest board for the story too 🥳 feel free to check them both out!

Enjoy!

SEVEN YEARS AGO

The four of us get in a few more quick rides on some of the other attractions before I decide I'm pushing it too far by not going back to check in with Grandma Wilder. It's gone way past the next time I was supposed to go see her and, despite how much fun I'm having, it won't stay fun for much longer if she decides to call Cal and tell him I've gone missing or something.

So I tell the boys what I have to do and they admit they should probably go and catch up with their own parents since we've been gone so long. My heart skips when Christian tells me and Max to come find them again when we're ready though.

I'm so eager to get back to them that I actually listen to what Grandma Wilder said before about not waiting in the huge queue that's still stretched out beside her bakery. Instead, I squeeze past the customers at the front of the queue and ignore the dirty looks people give me for doing so.

"Nice to know you're still alive." Grandma huffs as she slices a piece of pumpkin pie for the customer she's serving. I just scrunch up my nose and narrow my eyes at her in fake annoyance.

"Yup, still breathing. Can I go now?" I say with a pout, giving her attitude that has no fuel behind it. It's our thing; we do it all the time.

I go to turn around but Grandma stops me in my tracks with her next words.

"What's this I've been hearing about you running around town with the Martinelli boy?"

Oh ship. I should have prepared for this. Everyone around here knows Grandma Wilder, and most know too that she looks after me sometimes, so it's not surprising someone filled her in on what I've been up to.

"So what if I was?" I push back, setting my hands on my hips, showing her I'm serious.

She raises an eyebrow at my sass but then her face softens and she smiles a knowing smile. She waves me over behind the counter and I oblige, waiting there until she finishes up with her customer. When he's gone, she turns to me and speaks quietly.

"You take extra care when you're around him then. You watch his back as well as your own, you hear me?" She says, completely catching me off guard. I was prepared for her to tell me not to speak to Max again or to stay away from him altogether. Before I have the chance to reply, she continues, her voice even quieter now.

"People don't like what they don't understand, Cady, and people around here don't understand that boy." She places two warm hands on my shoulders and squeezes, a hug of sorts.

"I do." I murmur, trying not to let her see how much I actually care about Max.

"I know you do." She replies softly, but in a way that almost says 'you can't hide anything from me'.