Taking His Dare

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

When I got to the parking lot, I immediately began searching for Tom’s truck. It was easy to tell which one was his, because it had the Whitmore & Sons Construction logo on the driver’s side and passenger’s doors. (I hadn’t been stalking him, swear.) I saw it by the front of the lot, and started towards it, when a hand landed on my shoulder. I waited, thinking the person would say something, or at least take their hand off my shoulder, but neither happened. So I turned around, and there was Tom, with Rut standing next to him, with his ‘Fuck this shit’ face on. He was usually like that throughout the duration of the school day, (or his life) so I figured Tom was making him come walk me to his car because he was nervous. How cute!

“Hey, Dizzy,” Tom said, smiling at me, showing those pearly white teeth. Rut just grunted at me.

“Hi, Tom! Rutley.” I said, addressing them both. Tom chuckled at my nickname for Rut, and then turned to him.

“Well, dude, you can leave now. Bye.” He started walking away, steering me in the direction he was headed due to the hand on my shoulder, when Rut said “Hold it a minute!”

Oh great. I could already tell what was coming. Rut was going to do the whole ‘If you even think about touching her, I’ll come find you and make you wish you weren’t born a male,’ speech. On Tom. And then probably try to set some ‘ground rules’; basically everything my REAL older brothers would do, if they were here.

He just jumped right into it. “No touching, no kissing, home by six for dinner, especially no se--“

Tom said, “Hey, man,” at the same time I said, “Oh my god! Rut!”

He gave us looks like we were the ones acting like the overbearing idiot brother. “Just setting some…ground rules.” He said it like he was Jesus, or something.

I let out a frustrated sigh and Tom looked mighty uncomfortable. Could you really blame him, though?

“Okay…well, bye Rut!” I said and quickly pulled Tom toward his truck before Rut could protest.

After we were in the cab of the truck and on the main road, Tom said, “Is he usually like that with you?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately. He likes to think of himself as my older brother, even though I already have four.”

Tom alternated looks between me and the road. “It just kind of seems like…never mind.”

Seriously? Him too? First Rut had something he was not telling me, and now Tom? I felt my muscles tighten with anticipation and worry about what he was going to say. “No, what is it?” I was so going to get this out of him!

“I mean, and don’t take this the wrong way,” Oh great, here we go. “I just think that Rut kind of… likes you.” I slumped back in the seat, relieved. “Well, of course he likes me! I’m his best friend, he kind of has to!”

Tom looked uncomfortable when I said that, and said, kind of quietly, “No, I mean like like.”

I was silent for a few seconds, my brain trying to process what he had just said. Rut, like liking me? Could it actually be? My best friend since childhood, the boy who I had to look after, the one who looked after me the same….

Of course not!

I burst out laughing, and he too slumped in relief. From whether it is Rut not liking me or not looking like an idiot, I didn’t know. “What?! Seriously?! That’s too good! Of course he doesn’t like me that way! You saw how he was earlier today! I’m his metaphorical little sister!”

Tom smiled at me and said impishly, “Just making sure I didn’t have any competition.”

That made me giggle. “Nope. But, if you want to make sure you really don’t, then you’ll tell me where we’re going.”

His eyes lit up with the realization that he had left out that fact. Then he smiled mischievously and took a sharp right turn. “You’ll have to wait until we get there. It’s a surprise.”

I blew my bangs away from my eyes. “Oldest line in the book. Come on, just tell me. I promise I’ll act surprised when we get there. I’ll have you know, I have a pretty good surprised face.” I showed him, and he laughed at me. I guess it wasn’t as good as I thought.

“That’s cute, but not going to work. You’ll see when we get there.” I smiled a cheesy grin; he thought I was cute!

We were driving for about another half hour, the radio softly playing in the background. We didn’t talk much, but there were never any awkward silences. I loved that.

When we were on the outskirts of town, I started vaguely recognizing our surrounding. A timeworn bed and breakfast. Older homes built in the 1800s. Smaller houses with yellow daffodils and white picket fences out front. And then finally, the lake.

The lake was the same one that was a few minutes’ walk from Rut’s backyard, we had just driven to the other side of it, the part the public was allowed in. All in all, it was picturesque and lovely. Large pine trees framed the shore, and the water gleamed where the sun hit it. Picnic tables were spread under the trees with fire pits near some. The site was kept free of litter, and there were some secluded spots here and there, if you just looked.

I should have been thrilled he brought me here.

Who wouldn’t be?

I should have been stunned by the glorious scenery, even though I had seen it before.

Who wouldn’t be?

Too bad it was my worst memory.

I couldn’t get out of the car.

I froze. I was frozen solid, my lugs stopped taking in air, my muscles stopped moving, my heart stopped beating.

“Dizzy?”

I couldn’t hear, it was clogging my ears, suffocating me, blocking my airways. I couldn’t move.

I was trapped.

“Dizzy? Are you alright?”

I shut my eyes, trying to keep it out. I couldn’t keep it out; it kept me out.

My hands clenched, trying to find something real. The pricking to my palm from my nails.

“Dizzy, you’re not moving. You’re scaring me.”

Nothing.

And I was gone.

~~~~~~~~

School sucks. I probably won't be able to update as frequently...or write chapters that are as long, as you can probably tell from this one.

I recently bought two candles. On smells like orange and cranberries, and the other smells like coffee. If you like things that smell good, you should invest in those.

Let me know your opinions. Please. On the story, chapter, or candles. Or all three.