I dare you...

Chapter 4

Getting me a date.

School is out. Usually, I would go home on foot with Lin, but I was surprised to find my sister waiting for me in her car. I tapped the window.

"What are you doing here, Em?" I asked.

She grinned and told me to get on. After half an hour of her driving around, still refusing to tell me where we're going, she stopped in front of a clothing shop that I never went to.

"So? Are going to explain or what?!" My sister hates shopping with me. She also hates my outfits. I'm usually in bright dresses with flower prints, while she's more of dark mini dress. She looks like she's going to a prom while I look like a kindergartner.

"You are going to need some new outfits if you're going to get out with Shimmer," she announced. 

I should've figured. Wait did I just hear what I just heard?  Did she just say get out?

"Wait what do you mean get out? the dare was to ask him out!" I cried.

" Rex, remember what Remi said? You have to get out with Alex," she argued.

Let's see... My sister spun the bottle. We were both praying that it wouldn't land on me. Luck wasn't on our side, and it landed on me. She thought about something easy yet it would please the crowd. Finally, she figured it out. "As the last dare person, I dare you, Roxanna to ask out a newcomer into the city called Alex Shimmer," she exclaimed. "Don't worry he's at your school," she whispered to me. I breathed out in relief. Asking him out? That wasn't so hard. I just got to get a plan so I wouldn't embarrass myself. I wasn't really focused on what the rest of the participants were saying, but I remembered Remi, A 20-year-old boy, who was really happy about the dare, and he even shouted; "No she should GET OUT with him." and the crowd roared in approval. I remember my sister clapped and shouted, "Oh my gosh, Yass!!" before realizing what she had said and mouthing sorry to me. 

How could I have forgotten all of that?! I was too focused on the dare that I forgot to listen to the rest of their conversation. Emily is right. I'm supposed to ask out Alex and get out with him. Now any hope I had of me winning the dare was gone. 

"Guess you really did forget. Don't worry you still have eight days, counting today, to ask him out and at least get one date," reassured me, Emily.

We ended up buying lots of new clothes, many for school, some for the date in case I was able to successfully ask Alex out, and even one black knee length dress for Dwight's party in case I fail the dare. They were all picked by Emily of course. "You have to look more like a Lonford," she had said while showing me a pale blue top. She also picked out a few bottles of nail polish, one in nude color, one dark red, and the other one was Blue. Of course, I picked out the blue, but she liked the color and let me keep it.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked my sister. We found a cafe near the shop so we decided to take a break there. Later we're going to another shop to buy me shoes. I took a sip of my black coffee, before asking her a question that's been burning at the tip of my mouth. "Can we switch the dare from Alex to someone else? Say, Thomas Leville maybe?"

"No. If there are to be any changes to the dare they should be spoken the night of the dare in front of the elite members," shrugged my sister.  

The elite members as we call them, or simply elites, are those who are forced to go to that dare party. They're the ones that are dared or dare. The rest of the party attendants are free to come or leave, they can be involved in a dare, and if they are, they have no right to refuse. Now that I'm thinking about it, Alex isn't allowed to be involved in the dare... If he's an outsider he has the right to refuse.  Then again his type of personality seems exactly like the type to accept the dare just for the fun of it. 

"What about Alex? Can't he refuse to be involved in a dare?" 

" Maybe..," murmured my sister. " But the dare is a secret from everyone apart from those who were actually there. He has no way of knowing until the dare is over. Maybe if you wait until the 10th day then explain to him, he will have the right to decline."

No that was too risky. No one can guarantee me Alex won't like this sort of attention. All of us in that school come from wealthy families, so most of us get invited to the daring party. There's no guarantee Alex wasn't at the party. He arrived in town last Friday, and the party was Sunday. There was enough time for him to get invited. 

I tried to think of other solutions. Maybe I can tell Alex the truth and we can come up with a solution together. But that is also too risky. It's against the rules, and many of this year's party attendants are from my school. They'll enjoy telling Remi, or Cecil that I cheated. My sister pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, look. You don't have to do if you don't want to. You're wise, so unlike me, I know Dwight's party can't affect you at all," she sighed. It's true I've always been the type to think before I act. My sister jumps in and acts before she thinks. I shook my head in disapproval. 

"No, I prefer to avoid that place. It's cursed for us Lonfords." 

We didn't talk much after that. Picked out a few shoes here and there, I even got a new haircut. My long messy hair was now barely shoulder length. It reminded me of when I was a kid, I used to always cut my hair short. My sister suggested we dye it a new fun color, but I had to refuse. I prefer showing my personality through my outfits and not through my hair.

Dad yelped in surprise when he saw my hair later that night. We got home at 8 pm, and we were surprised to find that dad was already home.

"Seriously girls? The only day I get off early and you come home at- " he stood there watching me in horror as I put my school jacket on the coat hanger. " WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL HAIR?!" 

"Dad! You don't have to yell! We thought it's time to make a little change to Rex," laughed Emily.

Dad glared at her then he looked at me again. He looked as if he was about to cry. "But Roxy, your hair is beautiful! why would you cut it?" 

I couldn't help but laugh at the face he was making. " Relax dad, I like my hair like this. Brings back some memories." Both bad and good, I wanted to say.

We ate dinner in a good mood, which is rare for us. Ever since dad sent me to that combat training camp when I was 7, I was never the same again. I became cold to him. I resented him from sending me there. That camp was harsh and really tiring but he was right to send me there. At least now I can protect my self very well.  

I didn't mention it to him. How they treated us in that camp, it was horrible. Felt more like a prison, than a summer camp. I also didn't like to think about it much but I couldn't help it. 

I went to sleep early. And by early, I mean at around 11 pm. I tried to sleep earlier, I really did. But there are lots of questions still unanswered in my head. Afte hours of me questioning the tomorrow, I finally gave in to sleep with a final concern in the back of my head. 

That painting of the crow and the golden plover. 

" if you enjoyed this chapter, please do take your time to comment and click the cute star. sorry if there are some uncapitalized letters that I skipped past or maybe some small mistyping mistakes. Also sorry that this chapter is a bit short but I wanted it to be more about Roxy and Emily's relationship and I had to cut when Roxy goes to sleep. Hope you enjoyed it!"

- Mira. R