Dared

Chapter 12

Everything is alright.

I start believing it with the whole of my heart, that whenever the guys ask me how everything is going right now, I resort to telling them just that.

"Everything is alright," I tell Dylan after practices on Thursday.

We are fresh out of the showers, packing to head home.

"Good," Dylan says, "I want you sharp for the game."

I nod. The game is the last thing on my mind, but I don't want Dylan to think that I am not capable of handling a game. Especially when we are at the semifinals.

The whole school has its eyes on the team. I can't let them down.

"I'm always sharp," I toss him a confident grin

Dylan examines my face for a minute, before nodding in confirmation. "Good," he adds.

After a while of silent packing, the sound of bags being zipped up sounds in the air. I loop my arm through a strap of my backpack and haul it onto my shoulder. Dylan follows suit.

We walk out of the locker room to find Noah and Wayne at the parking lot.

Dylan and I walk over to them, which turns out to be a bad idea. The moment they see me, Noah's lips curl into a smirk, a predatory look on his eyes.

"So I heard that you're hitting it off with Merrick very well," he says.

"Yeah, everything is alright," is all that I can manage to say.

Wayne wiggles his eyes suggestively, "The man is growing up!" she says, landing a friendly punch on my shoulder.

"Hold it down, Fisher," I warn him, but he decides to ignore me, breaking into a laugh.

I hate it when they treat me like a baby. They keep making me feel small, and that steers a weird knot in the pits of my stomach.

I love my friends, but I also want to be treated as an equal, not a kid. That is why the dare is so important, it is the only place that I can prove to them that I am an equal. Not some kid that has to grow up.

My mind screams at the thought. I have to win the dare. I have to earn the place I deserve on this team.

I have to earn their respect. And when I come together with the dare they would treat me the way I deserve. Like an equal.

Dylan and Noah laugh along, both taking the opportunity to slap me on the back. I desperately want to change the topic. An idea springs into mind.

"Dylan," I say, clearing my throat.

The laughs die down, and Dylan turns to me his eyes roaming all over my serious expression. His smile drops a bit as if he knows.

"Well, I hate to mention this man, but I saw Hailey the other day, and-"

"Yeah, I know."

A range of emotions flashes across his eyes.

I detect a hint of jealousy in his look. But I am not the best when it comes to detecting emotions, and Dylan does a good job hiding them.

Noah throws me a questioning look but Dylan's composed voice breaks the uncomfortable silence that has taken over the air around us.

"She's moving on, that's a good thing," he goes as far as to chuckle, which comes out a bit dry, "and I am finally free."

I have reason to doubt him. The look in his eyes tells me that he does not believe himself, but I know better than to point this out so I keep it to myself.

"Cheers to that, man," Wayne fist-bumps Dylan.

"Yeah, cheers to that," Noah joins in.

I am not in a position to judge. So I pump my fist against the three others.

"Yeah, cheers, man."