The Truth in a Dare

Chapter 12

"Race you to the alcove!" I shout over my shoulder at Alec and Evan as I sprint down the stone path towards the bubble of space behind the waterfall. I instantaneously hear the two troublesome boys race after me as I slide down the path and feel one of their arms wrap around my waist, yanking me upwards.

"I win!" Alec shouts as he races past Evan and me, who was holding me up over his shoulder and getting some choice words from me.

"No fair! I was about to win you a-hole!" I pound against Evan's back as he cackles at my attempts to anger him.

"I had to let a guy win. If you beat us, we would never hear the end of it," Evan makes an excuse and I roll my eyes in response.

"No, you're just a butt kisser," I retort, flailing my legs in an attempt to get him to release me, not wanting to feel the electricity that was sent through my body from his touch. I needed to get rid of that feeling, and quickly. This is a perfectly good business deal, I can't ruin it.

"Well aren't you a feisty little thing," Evan teases as he finally puts me down and I struggle to hide the bright red patches that were blooming on my cheeks. Luckily, he looks to Alec instead.

"Man, Amara, don't you remember when we used to come back here?" Alec suddenly says and I smile without control because I did remember. All the nights we would stay here after everyone else had left and we would watch the sparkling of the fireflies through the water. The nights we would stay up talking about anything and everything to the splattering, pitter-pattering waterfall.

"I do," I reply softly, walking over to the edge of the alcove and sitting down right behind the waterfall, letting my knees dip into the waterfalls path. The nip of the water sends a chill down my spine but I continue to sit and watch the brilliantly bright, distorted images of everyone else playing in the water and talking on the shore.

"What did you guys used to do back here?" Evan asks tentatively, sitting down next to me and laying his hands out behind him. His fingers rest slightly on top of mine and it sends a zing of electricity through me. That bothers me to no end! I shout in my head as I try to ignore the skip my heart did when he touched me.

"I'll leave you two alone," Alec suddenly whispers and I struggle to hold back the urge to stare daggers at him as he smirks and quietly walks out of the alcove and into the sun. Silence followed as he left us and Evan and I watch the water pouring down and around our knees, stealing glances at each other when we thought the other wasn't looking.

"Um, we used to sit back here after everyone had left and talked about just about anything," I finally answer his question vaguely and a small, amused smile spreads across his face, "What's that look for?" I add after he continues to look at me for a moment.

"Nothing," he replies defensively, obviously lying.

"Spit it out, ass kisser," I verbally poke at him but he just chuckles and brushes off my comment.

"I'll get you back for that later," Evan points at me with his finger and then leans back on his hands once again, "The look was because I got an idea." Evan finally answers after a moment of silence, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, no. Any of your ideas are terrible. Automatic and easy no," I tease, a smile crossing my lips as I glance to the ceiling and he suddenly picks my legs up and pulls me closer to him.

"What? But you haven't even heard my idea yet! And you took my idea to fake date me!" he exclaims, feigning hurt and offense. I roll my eyes at his reply, trying to hide the warmth that was running through me from the hand that he still had resting on my knee.

"Oh, please, I only agreed to that because it benefits me as well. But from the look on your face, I can tell that this idea won't benefit me," I argue back with a proud smile.