I Dare You

by Ilsa Madden-Mills

  The game is over and I wait near the team entrance to the locker room, just outside the tunnel at the end zone. Maverick comes running out, wearing a pair of slacks and a blue button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up, obviously dressed up to see the scouts at the meet and greet, and then he’ll be off to the party at the AD’s house.

  He’s stopped at a couple of young boys wanting autographs who’ve been standing here with me for the past half hour. Skye and Raven have gone on ahead, and I don’t plan on being here long. I’ve made up my mind to say what needs to be said, and once it’s out, I’m done.

  “Congratulations on the win and a great game,” I say as he nears me, stopping within a few yards.

  He runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I played well.”

  I huff out a laugh at his honest assessment. There’s no pretense to Maverick when it comes to his abilities. He looks around for Raven.

  “Don’t worry, they’re waiting for me. We’re going to get pizza.”

  He nods. “Thank you for today. She really wanted to come, and my dad…well, you know how that goes.”

  “Yeah. I’ll make sure she gets home okay.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  I nod, my emotions tugging at me, clogging up my throat. I swallow. “I also wanted to tell you that I…I don’t think we should see each other for a while. You’re not being truthful with me, and you haven’t been for weeks. Also, I’m not even sure how you feel about me, and if you can’t talk to me or tell me what’s going on with you, something isn’t right.” I take a big breath. “We need a break.” There, I’ve said the hard words, and I turn to leave before the tears that are brimming in my eyes fall.

  “Delaney, wait!” he calls out as I walk hurriedly across the field. He catches my hand and turns me around. “I’m sorry,” he says softly. “For putting you through this, for Muffin hounding you, for lying about the bruises…”

  I bite my lip, not able to stop the admission. “For making me fall in love with you?”

  “Delaney?” His voice is torn and he swallows. “Is that true?”

  God, yes. I do love him. Maybe I have since the moment he admitted he was He-Man. Maverick is in my blood, my skin, my bones. He’s the light, the sun I want to orbit.

  But, I make mistakes when it comes to love—every damn time.

  This time, it hurts way more than it did when Alex cheated on me.

  If Maverick cared about me, he’d have told me he loves me back by now instead of just standing there with an uncertain look on his face.

  “I always fall for the impossible guy.” I clench my hands, trying to keep it together.

  He scrubs his face. “Delaney, I’m sorry.”

  He’s sorry?

  I close my eyes at the words he’s not saying, at the way he isn’t committing to us.

  “I hear everything you’re not saying, Maverick—everything.”

  “Just let me take care of this thing with Raven, and then I’ll be back for you.”

  I sigh. I want to believe him, but still, it isn’t enough. “Whatever you’re doing—this fighting—you need to stop. It’s wrong.” I shake my head. “When people care about each other, life has a way of working out. We can figure out Raven’s situation together.”

  A male voice calls Maverick’s name from the tunnel, and I shift my gaze to see one of the scouts waving for him to come over.

  “Look, I have to head out. Can I come by your place later?”

  I shuffle my feet, and his eyes watch me with a desperate look, but I’m not sure he actually feels that way. I just don’t know if I’m worth it to him…not like he is to me.

  “I’m driving down to Panama City tonight with Skye for spring break.”

  “That didn’t take long,” he says, a muscle flexing in his jaw. “You’re just going to leave me here.”

  “You wanted space, and now you have it,” is my reply, recalling words he said last night.

  “Delaney…”

  But I don’t want to hear anything else. I flip around and stalk off, feeling his eyes on me the entire way.

  Before I get far, he calls out, “We aren’t over, Delaney, not by a long shot. I’m going to make you proud of me.”

  I clench my hands into fists and keep walking, because if I don’t, I’m going to turn right back around and run straight into his arms and tell him I’ll stick by his side. I want to tell him that no matter how many times he pushes me away, I’ll always be there.

  But I don’t.

  Maverick

  Watching her walk away from me nearly makes my knees buckle. It feels like she isn’t coming back.

  She loves me.

  She loves me, even though I lied to her.

  I’ve wanted her to say it so many times, yet I’m the one who can’t admit what’s going on inside me.

  “Maverick? You coming?” It’s one of the scouts, and I give him a nod and head that way.

  Something’s got to give. I hate this feeling, like I’m torn apart and in shambles.

  I pull out my phone and type a quick text to Delaney.

  Don’t go to the beach. Please, don’t leave me. Just wait.

  But, I delete it before I hit send. Shit.

  What am I going to do?

  I think about Raven and how much she loves Pineview, the expression on her face when I told her I got her in.

  There are only two options: admit I’ve been taking money for fighting and lose everything, or just keep my head down, keep on trucking, and pray to God Muffin shuts up.

  My head tells me to keep trucking, to maintain the status quo.

  But…

  I rub at my chest, a nagging, aching feeling tugging at me, telling me I’m going to lose everything.

  Delaney

  Even though I told Maverick I was leaving that night, I still half-expected him to show up to catch me before I left. He didn’t. I checked and re-checked my phone, hoping to get a text from him, but nothing.

  Skye and I made the drive to the beach in five hours. There were other people from Waylon on their way, all of them taking flights or driving, several of them staying in the same area of hotels on the beach.

  Two days in and I’m lying out on the sand, wearing a yellow bikini, still a little burned from yesterday’s time in the sun, but I really don’t care. I’m nursing a bit of a hangover from the shots of Fireball Skye made me take last night. Okay, she didn’t make me, but she did strongly encourage me, and I didn’t need too much urging after still not hearing anything from Maverick.

  A shadow drops down next to me, and I glance up from the book I’m reading, expecting to see Skye, who ran in to grab me a water and get a margarita for herself.

  My eyes widen as I take Alex in. I’m not too shocked to see him here since it’s the same place we come every year, but I haven’t thought of him in so long that, well, I’m taken back.

  Wearing a pair of salmon-colored Ralph Lauren swim trunks, he’s tan with a hint of a slight sunburn on his shoulders. He’s sitting on the beach lounger next to me, the ones only hotel guests are allowed to sit in, looking quite comfortable as he looks at me.

  “Alex? What are you doing here?”

  He smiles. “Hey. I texted Skye and she told me where you guys were staying.”

  Interesting. He and Skye had lunch together a few times last week.

  I sit up and ease my sunglasses off, propping them on my head where my hair is tied up in a messy bun. I’m without makeup and my eyes are puffy from crying into my pillow last night.

  He tilts his head down toward the north end of the beach. “A couple of guys from the team are staying in a house a few resorts up.”

  “Cool.” I really don’t have much to say; I’m too depressed and just blah.

  “Skye says you and Maverick are having problems?” He squints at me.

  “Maybe.”

  His eyebrows go sky high. “Well, you are at the beach without him.”

  I nod, feeling the pressure o
f the headache I’ve been nursing since I woke up this morning. I slip my sunglasses back down. “He broke my heart. Happy?”

  He frowns. “Of course not, but it does explain his bad mood after the scrimmage.”

  I stiffen, worried. “Did something happen?”

  “Yeah. He and the AD exchanged words, and then Maverick left the party.”

  “He left? Why?” My heart is in my throat. Did he tell them about the fighting?

  Alex looks up at me. “I don’t know, but there are rumors going around the team. Nothing concrete, but I’ve heard gambling tossed around.”

  I stand up. “He has never gambled! It’s your friend Muffin who’s stirring this pot.” I’m glaring at him. “You really know how to pick ’em, Alex. She’s a liar and a lunatic.”

  He holds his hands out in a placating manner. “Look, Muffin is nothing to me, and I’m just telling you the rumor, that’s all.” He stares at me. “I only want the best for you, and if Maverick is what you want, then I want you to be together—I really do.”

  I sigh and sit back down. “She hates Maverick…and me, and…” I let my voice drift off. It’s not my story to share, and the less that’s said about the fighting, the better. “You can’t trust her.”

  “I know.”

  Skye appears with a sardonic expression as she juggles a cooler and a margarita. Her red hair is a riot of curls around her face, and a sheen of sweat covers her forehead.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Silver Spoon.”

  Alex grunts. “If it isn’t Miss I Only Date Baseball Players.” He goes to help her with the cooler.

  Skye watches him critically as he situates it between the two loungers, underneath the two umbrellas so it doesn’t get hot.

  “Nice job, Cheater.”

  “You’re welcome, Home Run.”

  Skye snorts. “You’re such a douchebag. You wish you could get a home run.”

  Alex brushes at a patch of nonexistent sand on his chest. “You wish I’d try.”

  Oh. My. God.

  I forget my own melancholy as I watch their bantering like I’m at a tennis match.

  Skye and Alex? I blink. Wow. My best friend and my ex might actually have some chemistry.

  I look at Alex. “So you wanna hang with us girls today or do you have a hot babe to get back to at your beach house?”

  “I’m free.”

  Skye smiles and bumps him out of the way with her hips as she grabs me a water out of the cooler. “Here, sweetie, for your headache.”

  Impulsively, I grab her and give her a big hug. She’s been waiting on me hand and foot and giving me pep talks for the past few days.

  Alex is watching us as I set her down. “Nothing like seeing two chicks rubbing up on each other at the beach.”

  Skye darts over and tackles him, and I laugh.

  Maverick’s face comes to mind, and I bite my lip, hoping wherever he is, everything is okay.

  Delaney

  “Let’s watch a movie!” Skye calls out as we walk in the door of our hotel room.

  “It’s two in the morning!” is my reply.

  She shrugs and bats her lashes at me. She looks at Alex, who’s clearly had too much to drink judging by the way he’s weaving.

  I blow out a breath. Ugh. I’m not even buzzing, yet somehow she and Alex are like the Energizer Bunny, still ready to party.

  They’ve worn me out dancing, and all I want to do is crash. It’s the only way I can turn my head off and stop thinking about Maverick.

  They follow me into the room and I head to the mini fridge to grab water.

  “Get me a glass of wine, will ya?” Skye requests as she points herself in the direction of the bathroom. Her face is flushed and lined with sweat from dancing. Knowing her and her penchant for cleanliness, she’s headed in there to spritz on more deodorant and powder her nose.

  “Red or white?” I ask, looking at the two boxes of wine we bought at the liquor store.

  “White.”

  I give her a nod as she stumbles into the restroom, already fluffing her red hair as she walks in.

  “Alex? You want anything?” I ask.

  He turns his gaze from watching Skye to me, and I bite back a smirk. Maybe a normal person would be jealous about their ex sending lingering looks their best friend’s way, but I’m not. He made a mistake with Muffin, but maybe he learned from it.

  “Um, I’ll take a wine too,” he says. He flops down on the bed spread-eagled, his hand over his face. I’m beginning to wonder how he’s going to make it back to his house.

  After chugging half the bottle of water, I get to work on making their drinks. Once I have them ready, Skye still isn’t out of the bathroom, and I make a mental note to check on her.

  I walk over to Alex and nudge him with my hand after setting his drink on the nightstand. “Dude, wake up.”

  I get nothing but a soft snore.

  Dammit.

  I decide he’s Skye’s problem and once she comes out of the bathroom, she can decide what to do with him. He’s on her bed, so she should be the one to deal with him.

  There’s an abrupt knock at the door, and I figure it’s the pizza guy from the place across the street. Skye called in an order right as we left the club, and even though it’s late, my stomach grumbles.

  I fling open the door with cash in my hand and freeze.

  Maverick is standing there in the hallway, his head bent as he stares at the floor. There’s a slump to his shoulders that breaks my heart.

  His head flies up and his eyes are haunted.

  “Delaney.” My name on his lips is like a benediction to my ears. I’ve missed him so much, and it’s only been a few days. I want to run to him, cup his cheeks, and take that anguish off his face.

  A heavy exhalation comes from his mouth as he straightens. “God, thank fuck. I had to bribe the desk clerk and sign three autographs to get your room number, and I still wasn’t sure he told me the truth.”

  “Are you okay? Is anything wrong?”

  His eyes cloud over. “Everything’s wrong. I came here to—”

  His voice abruptly cuts off as he looks over my shoulder into the room where he has a clear view of a set of feet on Skye’s bed.

  He walks in, brushing past me. “Who the fuck is in your room?” He halts mid-stride, his face paling as he sees Alex. I send up a prayer that he’s still out and doesn’t have a clue that a hulking man is glaring at him like he wants to yank him up by his ankles and toss him over the balcony.

  Maverick’s chest heaves, his face oddly still as he moves his gaze around the room, taking in the clothes strewn about on the floor, the shoes I kicked off as soon as I came in, and the boxes of wine. He swallows, his throat bobbing as his eyes finally land on me. His fists are clenched at his sides, a barely contained force about to blow.

  “Alex? Seriously? Goddammit, Delaney. You really had me fooled.”

  I die at his words. The world stops.

  I want to rewind everything and make sure Skye doesn’t beg Alex to walk us to our room. I wish I’d never even spoken to Alex at the beach today.

  He brushes past me and I grab his arm, making him come up short. Anger works his face, and another girl might worry that he’d lash out, but it’s Maverick and I know underneath all that muscle is a heart that would never hurt a girl, not even Muffin.

  “It’s not what you think. Skye and I went clubbing with him then he came up here and promptly passed out. That’s it.”

  His teeth snap together, his shoulders stiff and defensive as he glares at me. I see pain there, hurt. “You tell me you love me one minute and the next you’re at the beach with your ex—what am I supposed to think?”

  How on earth do I explain to him that Alex doesn’t even register on my radar anymore? Not after falling for Maverick.

  “You’re supposed to believe me because nothing compares to you,” I say, letting his arm go. “Because my heart is yours and always will be.”

  He’s mad
e it to the door but turns back toward me. Maybe it’s my words that stopped him. He scrubs his face and pulls the hair off his forehead, holding on to it as he stares at me. “You’re killing me, Delaney. I can’t think straight without you.”

  We hear Skye then, flushing the toilet then singing “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack over the rush of the sink as she washes her hands.

  I walk over to him, eliminating the distance between us. “You came all this way, Maverick. Stay and talk to me. Alex…he and Skye…I think there’s something there between them—that’s why I agreed to go out with them tonight. He’s not a rebound guy. I think they like each other. You…you’re all I want.”

  He stares at me for a long time, even after Skye pops out of the bathroom and weaves over to me. She throws her arms around me and once she sees Maverick, she takes a step back, nearly falling. “Whoa. Is there a hot guy that looks like Maverick in our room?” She squints. “Is he a stripper? Please tell me it’s a stripper.”

  “No,” I tell her firmly. “It’s Maverick.”

  She blinks. “How did he get here? Is he magic?”

  “I drove,” he says tightly.

  He must be exhausted.

  “Well, howdy do, Maverick. I’m glad you’re here because this girl has been crying her eyes out.” She shakes her finger at me and giggles.

  I exhale. “That’s enough. You need to go to bed.”

  “Fine.” She burps and pulls her dress over her head like she’s getting ready for bed. I try to stop her but she’s already got it around her neck, and at this point, I just help her get it off. Tomorrow she’ll be mortified that she took her dress off in front of Maverick.

  She looks around the room and finds Alex. Her eyes light up then she gets on the bed and lies next to him, her body curling around his. At least she’s got a camisole and undies on.

  She gives us a little wave. “Peace out, y’all. I got what I need.”

  Skye says exactly what she thinks when she’s been drinking.

  “See,” I say, looking at Maverick.

  There’s a tightness around his eyes. “Come here,” he says, motioning for me to come closer.