I Promise You (Dare 2)

I run a hand through my hair. “I had to create a fake profile for a dare.”

She rolls her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” I just stare at her. And she glares at me. “And?”

“Shane dared me to record myself setting his dad’s boat on fire in a live video. I couldn’t upload it to my real profile because then they would know it was me. So I invented Evan Scott.”

“That is the dumbest shit I have ever heard.” She sighs. “When was this?”

“Remember when the police were investigating the man burning in a boat a few years back?” Think it was sophomore year.

“Yeah,” she answers slowly.

I point at myself, and her eyes widen.

“That was you? They had divers searching the water for hours. They were pissed when they found out it was some stupid prank.”

I nod. “Shane and I made a scarecrow and dressed him in black jeans and a black hoodie. And we put him in his dad’s boat. We drove it out into the middle of the water and set the straw on fire. Then we took a Sea-Doo back. We stood at the shore recording it as it burned. It was in the middle of the night, so all you could see was this figure burning. Bennett took care of it, making sure to hide the IP address so it couldn’t be traced back to us.”

She hangs her head and sighs. “I can’t believe this.” Then her eyes are back on mine. “That doesn’t excuse you for what you did to Austin,” she snaps.

“Becky …”

“No, Deke!” She shoves her finger into my chest, and her eyes begin to well with tears. I’m not like Cole. I hate it when Becky cries. “What made you share them kissing on your page but not them having sex in the bathroom?”

The answer is simple. “Cole told me what he wanted to be posted and what page to post it on. And Austin knew it was me! Kellan was the one who claimed I did it in front of all the guys one night at the clubhouse.”

“She accused me of knowing about it!” She points at her chest, shouting.

“Becky, baby … that was months ago. And Austin got over it.”

“Got over it?” She gasps.

“Maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words,” I mumble.

“You think?” she snaps.

I run a hand down my face and sigh. “Why are we fighting about something that doesn’t even concern us?” Like when she was pissed at me for Cole’s dare to fuck Kaitlin.

“What will keep you from doing that to me?” I watch as a single tear runs down her cheek.

I close the distance between us and wrap my arm around her waist. “I would never hurt you like that. I love you.”

“I love you too, but the stupid group always comes first. No matter what,” she whispers.

“The group is over with.”

“Cole!” She corrects herself. “Cole comes first!”

I don’t say anything to that because she is right. My brother comes before anyone else. If he called me right now needing something, I would run to help him. That’s just how it is.

“You lied to me, Deke,” she snaps, breaking my silence. “I asked that day after school if you posted that video of Austin and Cole, and you lied to me.”

Oh, good we’re back to that now. I can handle this. “If I wouldn’t have done it, Cole would have had someone else do it.”

She snorts. “What about me?”

“What about you?”

“Was I a bet that night at the party? Did Cole bet you to take me home?”

What the fuck? “You can’t be serious?” She knows that she was never a fucking dare. “That night was not our first night together, or have you forgotten?” I growl.

She jabs her finger into my chest, and I let go of her to take a step back. “So? And I’m dead serious. Did you record us that night too?”

“Fuck, no!” I snap. She’s lost her fucking mind! “I would never do that to us.”

“How am I supposed to know that?” she shouts, her gorgeous face turning red with anger. She bows her head and sighs. When her eyes meet mine again, I feel my chest tighten. “The bottom line, Deke, is I don’t trust you. And I can’t be with someone I don’t trust. I’ve done it before, and I won’t do it again.”

“You can trust me. I would never cheat on you. Or film you. Fuck, I love you.” Becky may not know who I really am, but I’m loyal.

“But you hurt my best friend. Humiliated her. All because Cole Reynolds told you to. How many other secrets do you have?”

I open my mouth to say none but shut it. I have many.

“Right.” She walks over to her bedroom door and opens it. A clear sign she wants me to get the fuck out.