"But V, wasn't he one of the bad guys?" Paris asked.
"Yeah, like I said"—I gave the Professor another brush, making his inky black coat shine—"Snape was a complex but ultimately awesome anti-hero. And trust me, there are plenty of animal-loving Slytherins out there."
"I still don't think many people would want pets named after villains."
I looked to her. "What about Darth Vader cat? He got adopted in a day. Though, you're right. Yoda cat did go before him… But ooh, Maleficent was gone in a hurry, too. Then there was Loki, the little poodle. Only took about a week for him."
"Okay, okay, I give!" Paris shrugged with a laugh. "I don't know how you do it, but our adoption rates increased exponentially once you started writing the ads. I know better than to argue with that."
"People love a good baddie," I said.
"Yes, but…those were house cats and small dogs, V! You know more people buy little pets rather than big dogs. It's not right, but that's just how it is."
I nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Well, Midnight may be a tough nut." She leaned down to scratch Professor Snape behind the ears—at which, he gave her one of his patented bored expressions. "But I'm easy to impress. Start from the beginning."
And so I told her all about my day, starting with my unexpected visitor and our carpool, my less than exciting classes (I had two with Dare, none with Tyson (thank goodness!), and one with my arch nemesis Whitney, blech), and ending with coming here.
"Pause," she said, holding out a hand. "So this guy, Dare. He got your door then buckled your seatbelt for you?"
"Yeah," I said.
Unlike the Professor, she looked plenty impressed. "The boy has moves."
"And he knows it, too," I muttered.
"Is that his real name?" she asked. "Dare sounds like a fictional character, like a super sexy mechanic or a super sexy musician."
Or a super sexy soccer player?
The thought came out of nowhere, making me frown as I thought over her question. "You know, I'm not sure. We've been going to school together since we were 10, but he's always just gone by Dare."
"You should ask him." Paris clapped her hands together. "That'll get you guys talking again."
"I don't think you understand. Today was an anomaly. We're not close."
Paris pursed her lips. "Well, that's no fun."
"I'm serious. I just drove him to school. Now, we'll go back to not talking, being complete opposites in every way, him with his crowd of admirers and me with…well, me."
"He sounds nice," Paris put in. "And you said he lifted his chin at you and said 'hey' in the hall between classes."
He had. It was so unexpected I'd nearly tripped over my own feet.
"That's the strangest part," I said, alternating between brushing and petting Professor Snape until he gave a gusty sigh and laid down, clearly over the conversation. "Dare's a popular kid. He's never been mean, but he's a player, on and off the field. I've always kind of been off his radar. I have no idea why he was being so…cordial."
She grinned. "Maybe he wants to court you."
"Court me," I repeated on a laugh. "Where did that come from?"
Paris tilted her head. "You're the one who brought 'cordial' into the mix. I just figured we'd gone back to the days of lace bonnets, chaperones and ballrooms."
I smiled despite myself.
"But for real, V. It might turn into something." The door to the shelter opened. "Be right with you," she called over her shoulder then turned back to me.
"Now you sound like my dad," I mumbled.
"Just let it play out. Getting close to an attractive, charming guy wouldn't be the worst thing. Would it?"
Paris winked, and I shook my head as she went to help the man who had walked in. My boss was awesome, but she'd obviously watched one too many romantic comedies. Which, okay, that was hypocritical of me to think, considering how much I loved them, too.
But Dare and I weren't a thing. I'd served my purpose. He'd given me a pity 'hey'. One car ride. That was the extent of our relationship. It was all good.
I scoffed, prompting the Lab to give me a baleful glance. "Mark my words, Snape. That will be the last I hear from Dare Frost."
He chuffed, laying his head on my leg.
"Don't worry, big guy," I said, running a hand through his soft fur. "No more brushing. You look gorgeous. We're done."
Just like me and Dare.
#
Apparently, I'd spoken too soon.
The next morning, after I'd gone through my daily routine, I stepped outside—and lo and behold, there he was, waiting just like yesterday. I still had to do a double-take. Dare being at my house was anything but typical.
I walked over to where he was leaning against my car and crossed my arms.
"You're here again," I said, trying to mask my surprise.
"Yep," he said with a shrug. "Car's still not fixed."
"Oh."
"It may take a while to get it up and running."
I swallowed. "I see. I thought yesterday was a one-time thing."
Dare stared into my eyes. "Is that okay? Me riding with you? I'd appreciate it. I can give you gas money, but I don't want to put you out."
I found myself shaking my head. This was silly. Why was I making this so weird? We were classmates, both headed to the same place, and if nothing else, helping Dare would be good karma. "No…it's no problem," I said.
"Great."
