After Dare left, I went straight to the shelter, which helped clear my thoughts.
But it also allowed me to see the danger in letting this go any further. Revenge didn't seem to be working. Plus, was that really why I was doing this anymore?
More importantly, I thought, didn't Dare deserve better than some pretend girlfriend?
The answer was unequivocally yes.
And I knew what I had to do.
#
"I think we should break up."
My words caused Dare to choke on his Pop Tart, and I patted his back in concern.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, fine." He coughed once more then straightened. "But why would you say something like that?"
I took a deep breath. "Well, for one, this isn't working. My dad doesn't even believe his own eyes. He couldn't be happier with how his meddling worked out, and he's not at all concerned about us being a couple."
"But he just needs more time," Dare insisted.
"No," I said, "he thinks I'm hopeless, that I can't make friends on my own. And maybe, he's right."
A scoff. "What about Estelle?"
I shrugged. "Estelle is an awesome anomaly," I said. "She likes me despite how awkward and lame I am."
Dare nearly growled at that.
Once we were parked, I shut off the engine and turned to face him. "I don't know why I thought this would work in the first place," I said. "And I'm sure you have other girls you'd rather be with."
"You're sure about that, huh?" he said.
It wasn't a confirmation or a denial.
"Yeah, and after talking with the animals, I realized I can't keep you from living your best life." I reached out, laid a hand on his forearm, ignoring the sparks that small contact ignited. "As your friend, I want that for you. More than I need my revenge."
"But why not have both?" Dare said.
His eyes locked on my face.
"You need to stick with this, flower," he said. "See it through to the end."
"I thought you'd agree with me," I said.
"Well, I don't." As I tried to release him, Dare placed his hand on top of mine. "Much as I respect the guy, Coach has this coming. You were right, Viola. He was wrong to ask me to be your friend, and I was wrong to accept."
Man, that hurt.
"So you regret it then," I said.
"What I regret is not getting to know you sooner," he retorted.
Warm fuzzies spread throughout my body.
"You're not lame," he said. "As your friend, I refuse to let you think that or quit."
The warmth growing inside me felt wonderful but also reminded me of another reason, maybe the biggest one, why I should stop this. But Dare wouldn't let up.
"Come on, flower. Just give it a little more time. We've already put in all this effort. It's not like hanging out with me is going to kill you."
"It just might," I mumbled.
Dare laughed, but I was only half-joking.
"So, does that mean we're still doing this?" he asked.
I gave a slight nod. "Revenge is the Slytherin way."
If I'd hoped to put him off with my dorkiness, it didn't work.
"It's also the Jam way," he said solemnly.
"Jam?" I questioned.
"Jim and Pam? It's their—"
"Couple name," I finished. "I know. You really like those don't you?"
He shrugged. "I guess. But isn't theirs the best?"
I gave him a reluctant smile. "Hm, it's not LoVe, Dramione or Olicity. But I'll admit. It's pretty good."
"Yeah, it is," he said. "And Jam loved pulling pranks. We're trying to bamboozle your dad." At my wince, he amended, "Out of love. Face it, Vi, we're basically the real-life Jam."
I thought it over. "But that wouldn't be our couple name."
Dare let out a long-suffering sigh.
"You're missing the point, flower."
"No, I get what you're saying." I frowned. "But if you join our names together…it's awful."
"It's not that bad," Dare said, but I tossed him a look.
"Seriously?" I said. "It's either Vare or Diola, both of which suck majorly in my opinion. Face it, our names just don't mesh well."
The Clueless reference went straight over his head, but I didn't hold that against him. My love of teenage romcoms was one of my greatest strengths. I couldn't expect him to know them all.
Dare crossed his arms. "Our couple name could rock just like Jam's. You haven't given it a chance."
"Haven't I?" I held up a finger. "Our initials are either DV—which reminds me of the DMV, blech"—another finger joined the first—"Or there's always VD. Which…yeah, yuck."
"You've obviously put some thought into this."
I blushed then mumbled, "I have not."
I totally had.
Dare nodded to himself. "I'm going to prove you wrong."
"Yeah, good luck with that."
"So, I'll see you at my game later?" he asked.
It was my turn to cross my arms. "You know, if I have to go watch soccer, I think you should come help out at the shelter. It's only fair."
"Done," he said with a shrug.
I didn't really expect him to agree. Paris and I were always short-staffed and looking for volunteers—especially male volunteers.
"Oh," I said a beat later. "That's…really nice of you."
"It's no problem," he said. "I can't be there on game days. But I can definitely come in sometimes during the week and on the weekend."
I swallowed. "Awesome."
"Can I bring toys for the dogs?" he asked, and I swear my heart melted, just dissolved right there into a puddle at his feet. Oh my gosh. I hadn't thought it was possible, but
