"The feeling," I mumbled, putting my hand back down, "it's triumphant. The song's all about joy and good overcoming evil."
"Got it," Dare said. "I can see why you like it now."
My turn to be dubious. "Really?" I asked.
He laughed then held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not saying I'm going to add it to my favorites playlist or anything, but it was pretty good."
Yes, I thought. Beethoven was only one of the best composers of all time, Ode to Joy being one of his most well-known symphonies, a renowned achievement. Pretty good, indeed.
I sighed, accepting the fact that we may not have the same taste in music. But at least Dare seemed to be in high spirits. As I pulled into the DHS lot and parked, I hoped that boded well for what I had to ask him next.
"Hey Dare," I said. "I wanted to say thanks. You really helped me out the other day. I appreciate how you stepped in like that on my behalf."
"No problem," Dare said, turning to face me. "It's what any good friend would've done."
I shook my head. "I'm not sure about that. But thank you."
"You're welcome." His eyes were bright as he said, "Though if you're thanking me for the kiss, I should tell you, flower, there's no need. I enjoyed it. Thoroughly."
He had?
Inside, my heart did a happy dance, but I forced myself to concentrate.
"Oh," I said, willing my cheeks to stop blushing. "Me, too. The enjoyment was…I mean, yes. Very thorough." Goodness, what was I saying? "Anyway, that's not really what I wanted to talk to you about."
Dare sat back and crossed his arms. "Okay. Shoot," he said.
"I need your help with something."
He waited for me to go on.
With a deep breath, I met his gaze.
"I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend again," I said.
Dare nodded slowly. "To keep the lie going from yesterday? In that case, I'm down. I never really liked Whingrid much anyway."
"Huh?"
At my look of confusion, he shrugged. "It's their couple name. I came up with it because Whitney and Ingrid are always attached at the hip."
I laughed, couldn't help it. "Whingrid? Oh my gosh, that's good!"
"Glad you like it," he said. "So, is that why?"
"No, no." I waved him off. "I could care less what they think. Anyway, if either of them bought that we're actually together, I'd be surprised."
"I think you underestimate how convincing our kiss was," he said. "But go on. Now, I'm curious. If it's not for them, why do you need me to play your boyfriend?"
"Well, I—"
Dare held up a hand. "And don't say to make some other guy jealous. You can forget it, flower. Not saying I couldn't make some poor schmuck want you. I could do that in a heartbeat. But I won't."
"Why not?" I asked.
"I have my reasons," he said all cryptic.
I was thrown by this. "That's not it either," I said.
"Well, what is the reason?"
"If you'll give me a chance, I'll tell you."
This time he didn't interrupt.
"I need you to play my boyfriend, so I can make Dad regret going behind my back. Even if he had good intentions, hiring you as my friend was beyond messed up. He needs to see that meddling is wrong." I was on a roll now. "I'll pretend to fall for you. We get caught in a few compromising positions. After a time, once he's seen the light, I'll reveal the truth. Dad'll learn a valuable lesson. I'll have gotten even. And you will have my undying gratitude. Doesn't that sound perfect?"
Dare was giving me the strangest look.
"Wait a sec," he said and leaned forward. "So, you want me to fake being your boyfriend to get revenge on your father?"
"I never used that word." Though I'd definitely thought it enough times. I shrugged. "Think of it as karma."
Dare had the nerve to laugh. "No way."
"What?" I said. "Why not? You already agreed to do it!"
"That was before I knew all the details," Dare said with a brow raised. "I couldn't do that to Coach Kent. I actually like the guy."
I sniffed. "I thought we were friends. Aren't we supposed to help each other?"
It was the first card I played, but Dare didn't fold.
"I am," he said. "But this plan is crazy, Viola."
"I'll bring you extra Pop Tarts every day you're my fake boyfriend," I said.
Dare put a hand over his chest. "You think you can bribe me with food? Low blow, flower," he said, but I could tell he wasn't serious. His eyes were still laughing. "Sorry. Not even delicious baked goods can sway me on this."
I crossed my arms and gave him my best glare, deciding to try a different approach.
"You owe me," I said. "You stole my first kiss."
Dare's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Didn't you just thank me for that?" he said.
I couldn't stop the blush if I tried.
"Also, you kissed me back. Even went in for seconds if I remember correctly."
He was right. Darn it.
"Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but…" I took a deep breath, then brought out the big guns. "If you refuse, word may get around to my father about who pulled that prank freshman year with his old Ford Mustang."
Dare's eyes flashed.
"You wouldn't," he said.
"Disassembling the car in the dead of night when you thought no one was watching, moving it into his office, and putting it back together must've taken a lot of skill," I said. "It's too bad the people who brought it back out did such a crappy job. The car never ran
