Dare You To (Pushing the Limits, #2)(29)

The second bell rings and Beth slams into my arm as she stalks      past. Twenty bucks she thinks she’s late for class. “It’s only second bell.”

She hesitates and her spine goes rigid. “How many are      there?”

“After lunch?” I casually walk up to her. This is too much fun.      “Three. One to release lunch. A two-minute warning bell. Then the tardy      bell.”

She releases a slow stream of air from her perfectly shaped      lips, and relief relaxes her cheeks. This girl is sexy, but she’s also a      handful. If I hadn’t accepted the dare, I’d toss her into avoid-like-the-plague      territory. “What’s your next class?”

“Go to hell.” Beth rushes down the hallway and I pursue her at      a leisurely pace.

Lockers lurch open and clang shut. Chatter fills the hallway.      People stop and stare as Beth moves. Moves—that’s exactly what the girl does.      She holds her head high and owns the middle of the hallway. A few kids have      transferred to this school since my freshman year, but they spent their first      couple of weeks trying to blend into the paint. Not Beth. Her hips have this      easy sway that catches the eye of every guy, including me.

Beth checks out the numbers over the doors, no doubt searching      for her fifth-period room. I pick up the pace and fall in step with her as she      pulls a badly folded schedule out of her back pocket. Her thumb skims the list      until it finds its target: Health/Physical Education.

The odds of winning just increased in my favor. That’s my next      class too. “I can show you where it is.”

“Are you stalking me? If so, you’ll get your ass kicked.”

“By who? The guy you made out with in the tree line?” I have a      hard time believing that a man as great as Scott Risk would allow his niece to      date Tattoo Guy, but maybe that’s why he switched her schools. You gotta love a      man who takes care of family. “Sorry to tell you, but I can hold my own.”

Beth wears a scowl that could kill on sight. “Threaten Isaiah      again and I’ll kick your ass.”

I chuckle at the thought of the tiny, black-haired threat      throwing swings at me. Punches from her would feel like a bunny biting a lion.      By the way she pinches her lips together, I can tell my laughter pisses her off.      Time to end this bull. “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“Helpful? You mean you’re trying to help yourself. You’re a      walking hard-on for my uncle.”

A muscle near my eye ticks. On rare occasions, bunnies can      develop rabies, and Scott did warn me she was rough around the edges. He failed      to mention that razor blades are her softest layer. My mouth snaps open to ask      what the hell is wrong with her when Lacy sidles between us. She shoots me a      warning glare. “I got this.”

“Come on, dawg.” Chris waggles his eyebrows and I realize he      sent in Lacy to disturb us, thinking he interrupted me making a play. “Let’s go      to class.”

“Yeah.” Class. I want to win the dare, but that won’t happen if      I lose my temper. I follow Chris, willing to do anything to get away from      Beth.





Chapter 16

Beth

THE MOMENT RYAN       TURNS his back, I sag against a purple locker. The acrid smell of      fresh paint fills my nose. Watch—the damn locker is newly painted and I’ll have      purple on my ass.

A hallway full of strange teenagers gawk at me like I’m an      animal caged at the zoo. I swallow when two girls giggle as they pass. Both      crane their necks to get a better glimpse of the new school freak.

People judge. They’re judging me now.

“Your hair used to be blond,” says Lacy.

What is the deal with the people in this town and my hair? I      barely recognize the girl I once claimed as a friend. We sized each other up in      English, trying to figure out if the other was really who we thought she was.      Lacy has the same chestnut-brown hair as when we were kids. Just as long, but      not as stringy. It’s thick now. She nods at Ryan’s friend Chris, indicating that      he should follow Ryan into the classroom and he does.

“You used to hang out with cool people,” I say.

The right corner of her lips tilts up. “I used to hang with      you.”

“That’s what I just said.”

The bell rings and a few remaining stragglers race to class.      Lucky me, I share another class with Ryan. I push off the wall, check for paint,      and feel off-balance when Lacy follows.