Truth or Dare (18 page)

On the other side of the restaurant, she saw Hunter Bailey walk in. He stopped at the counter to talk to a skinny guy with bleached-blond hair and the kind of smooth, flawless skin that was usually reserved for beautiful girls. Hunter had been fun at her party Saturday. As far as she could tell, he was still
the
guy to beat at Winslow: football captain, lacrosse MVP, and leader of the foxy four, as Marta had jokingly called them—Hunter Bailey, Sean Hale, Nate Roberts, and Tyler Cole.

Hunter glanced over, catching Tenley’s eye. Tenley seized her chance. She gave him a flirty wave, inching forward slightly to show off her dress. He waved back, and Tenley couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of her eye that Guinness was watching. It looked as if it was time for a little target practice. “Be right back,” she announced. “I see a friend.” She made sure to place extra emphasis on
friend
. She wanted to leave Guinness guessing.

“Hunter!” she said when she reached the counter, carefully angling herself so Guinness had a clear view. She gave Hunter’s arm a very friendly squeeze. “What are you doing here?”

“Just grabbing a bite,” Hunter said. He leaned against the counter, studying Tenley with his bright blue eyes. “Nice dress for Cabin Crab,” he said appreciatively.

“I try not to disappoint.” She leaned closer so she could whisper in his ear. “The underwear I’m wearing with it is even nicer.” She pulled back quickly. Sometimes the things that came out of her mouth surprised even her. But when she saw the transfixed expression on Hunter’s face, she relaxed, breaking into a smile. There was no way Guinness could misread
that
look.

“So,” she said, changing the subject. “Ready for school tomorrow?”

Hunter let out a groan. “I’m never ready for school. What I
am
ready for is another one of your parties. I’m telling you, Tenley, the party situation was getting so pathetic around here lately. I was starting to consider venturing into the Dread for some fun. But then you showed up. I think you might be my guardian party angel.”

“Well, there will be plenty more parties to come,” she promised. “What’s your number, actually? I’ll text you myself the next time I’m having one.” She started to reach for her phone when she realized she’d left her purse at the table.

“Here.” Hunter grabbed a napkin. “Can I borrow that pen, Mark?”
he asked Pretty Boy. Looking pissed off about something, Mark tossed him a pen. Hunter quickly scribbled his number down on the napkin. “Try not to throw it out,” he said.

Tenley laughed. “Promise.”

Back at the table, she made a big show of typing Hunter’s number into her phone.

“You’re friends with that guy?” Guinness asked, watching Hunter as he left the restaurant. “Isn’t he kind of a tool?”

“Nah,” Tenley said nonchalantly. “He’s cool.” She opened up a new text, pretending it was for Hunter. But when Guinness looked away, she quickly typed out a message to Cait.
Hot boy located! Operation target practice has been set in motion….

Guinness was quiet on the drive back to the house. When Tenley’s phone rang out with a text from Lila, her old friend from Nevada, she giggled loudly, hoping Guinness would assume it was Hunter. Clearly the whole jealousy thing was working, because when they got inside, Guinness grabbed her hand, pulling her into the kitchen.

“Time for dessert,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He kept his hand on hers a few seconds longer than necessary and Tenley’s palms started to sweat as she wondered if he had something more than chocolate in mind.

She straightened up to her full five feet and two inches. She couldn’t let him see her sweat. “Yum,” she said slowly, licking her lips. “What are we having?”

Guinness leaned in close. All he had to do was tilt his head a few inches and his lips would be on hers. “You’ll see,” he whispered.

Going over to the freezer, he pulled a tub of ice cream out from the very back. “My dad tries to ban it from the house,” Guinness said, “but I keep a secret stash.” Tenley stared at the tub as he dropped it onto the
kitchen table. It was double-fudge chocolate. Apparently he
hadn’t
had anything more than chocolate in mind. Disappointment—and, weirdly, relief—flooded through her at the same time. “Want?” Guinness asked, offering Tenley a bowl.

“No thanks,” she said lightly.

“Suit yourself.” Guinness scooped some ice cream into his bowl. “Well, I’ve got some photo stuff to do.” Sticking the tub back into the freezer, he started toward the door. “See you later, Tiny.” And then he was gone, leaving Tenley standing in the kitchen all alone.

Tenley threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. One minute he was steaming hot, and the next he was icy cold. She didn’t get it. And worse, she didn’t get
herself
. She’d never wanted—and not wanted—something to happen so badly. She slumped down in one of the kitchen chairs. She knew she should practice her gymnastics routine; the pageant was less than a week away now. But she couldn’t seem to get motivated. Part of it was Guinness, but part of it was also those stupid notes. She knew Caitlin had been against making accusations, but Tenley couldn’t just sit there and do
nothing
.

Tenley was just going for her phone to text Caitlin when she suddenly burst into the room. “Whoa, good timing. I was just about to—”

“I got another one,” Caitlin interrupted. She was out of breath and looked very un-Cait-like: her hair messy, her eyes wide, her mascara smeared. She collapsed into the chair next to Tenley. “Another dare.”

Tenley felt herself tense up. “What did it say?”

Caitlin shook her head. “It… it didn’t even make sense. The point is, it was in my
purse
. Which means someone put it in there. Maybe while I was standing
right there
.” Caitlin shuddered. “The whole thing is so creepy, Ten. I just want to know who’s doing this to us.”

“Me too,” Tenley agreed adamantly. “I still think it’s probably Sydney. Did you see her at all today? Could she have been near your purse?”

Caitlin buried her face in her hands. “No. I haven’t seen her—” Suddenly she dropped her hands, her head snapping up. “I haven’t seen her
today
,” she said slowly. “But she was working at the Club on Sunday, which is where I got the first dare….” She shook her head. “I don’t know, Ten. It still doesn’t make sense to me. Why would Sydney be daring us?”

Tenley glanced toward the window. Outside, the sun had set and pockets of darkness spread across the yard, obscuring everything… and anyone. Tenley had the sudden urge to shut all the blinds in the house. But she didn’t want to make Cait any more upset than she already was. So instead she reached over, smoothing down Cait’s hair. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’ll talk to her at school tomorrow. I’ll get us some answers, Cait. I promise.” Caitlin looked up, and Tenley forced a smile onto her face. “I mean, come on, since when do we not rule a game of truth or dare?”

Caitlin nodded weakly. “I guess.”

Tenley jumped up. “I have something I think will make you feel better. Be right back.” She kept her head down as she passed window after window on the way to her room. She couldn’t let herself get freaked out right now. Caitlin needed her.

The charm anklet was on her desk. She grabbed it, squeezing it tightly in her hand. She and Caitlin used to joke that it was their lucky charm. Right now, she was really hoping it was. She was about to head back down when something on the windowsill caught her eye. Her Steiff bears… they were out of order.

Frowning, she went over to fix them. Her dad used to bring her a new Steiff bear every time he went on one of his business trips to Germany. She knew it was silly, but she liked to keep them lined up in the
order he gave them to her: oldest to newest. It was something she’d started a long time ago, when her dad was alive, and she’d never been able to break the habit. Sometimes it was just nice to know that
something
would always be the same. She’d have to remember to talk to Sahara about being more careful when she cleaned.

“It’s your turn,” Tenley declared when she got back to the kitchen. Crouching down, she clipped the chain onto Caitlin’s ankle. It dangled above her strappy leather sandal, its gold charms glinting in the kitchen light.

“Thanks, Ten.” Caitlin stood up, making the anklet jangle. “Sorry I kind of lost it. I guess I just have a lot going on right now. Including,” she said with a sigh, “three hundred angel food cupcakes I have to go decorate.” Caitlin gave her a hug. “See you tomorrow?”

Tenley forced herself to smile again. “Loselow, here we come,” she said brightly.

But the second Caitlin was gone, the smile faded from her face. She sagged down in her chair, closing her eyes. She’d promised Caitlin she’d get them some answers. The question was,
how
?

Her phone rang. With a sigh, she pulled it from her purse. She had a new text, from a blocked number. Curious, Tenley clicked open the message.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this photo of Cait says only two words to me: CAMPAIGN OVER. But what happened in Vegas can stay in Vegas—for Angel’s sake—if you take my next dare.

A chill ran along Tenley’s spine as she scrolled down. There, attached to the message, was a photo she knew very well. The photo from Vegas.

How the hell had someone gotten it? She kept it hidden in her
room! Immediately she thought of her Steiff bears… they’d been out of their usual order.

Still clutching her phone, she raced up to her room, going straight to the windowsill where she kept her bears. Her hand was shaking as she reached under the princess bear’s poufy dress, where she’d been hiding the Polaroid. But there was nothing there. Frantically, she picked up every single bear, shaking them out. But it was pointless. The photo was gone.

Tenley was breathing hard. Whoever was sending her these notes had been right here, in her room, touching her things. Was it possible that Sydney could have snuck into her house without her knowing it? Thanks to Sahara, there was almost always someone home, and even though Lanson’s security cameras were fake, Tenley knew his alarm system wasn’t—and it was high-tech enough to keep James Bond out. A shiver ran through her. What if the darer wasn’t Sydney—but someone closer?

Guinness. He had easier access to her room than anyone. And he was the only one who knew that photo existed….

No. The idea was ridiculous. Why would Guinness be sending her threatening notes? Ever since they’d met, he’d made it abundantly clear that high school drama was not his cup of tea. Tenley dropped down on her bed, frustrated. There was only one thing she hated more than having someone lord something over her: not knowing who that someone was.

Tenley drew her phone close, staring down at the picture. Every detail of that night was branded in her memory. For hours, she and Caitlin had hung out at the nightclub, Sleepless, with Harley Hade, the famous model. At first, Tenley worried that Harley would be interested in Caitlin—guys always swooned for Caitlin’s angelic blond looks. But
Tenley had used every ounce of her pageant charm to flirt with him, and before long, she’d seen it: the look in his eyes that meant he was hers, at least for the night.

Being with Harley had been incredible. It wasn’t just that he was gorgeous and famous and actually pretty nice; it was how everyone in the nightclub had looked at her, like she was
someone
, like she mattered. It was what she used to dream winning an Olympic medal would be like. By the end of the night, Tenley was feeling so good, she’d even gathered up the courage to invite Harley and his model friends back to her hotel room. Tenley had felt a little bad about having to wake up Cait, who had gone back to the room already, but she was sure Cait would understand.

Before they even reached the room, though, she’d seen Cait at the other end of the hallway, stumbling on the arm of a boy with long, sandy-colored hair. Leaving Harley and his friends outside the door to her room, she’d jogged over to them. The boy was cute, in an artsy kind of way. On his shirt was a name tag that said
I BELONG AT VEGAS COMIC-CON!

When Tenley saw the name written in marker across it, she’d almost passed out.

“Joey Bakersfield?” she’d spat out. “What the hell are you doing with Caitlin?” Cait was barely managing to stay upright. For a second, Tenley had felt a sharp stab of guilt. She’d been so busy with Harley, she hadn’t realized just how drunk Cait had gotten.

“I found her in the lobby…” Joey whispered. Caitlin had stumbled a little and he’d trailed off, reaching out to steady her. Before Tenley could tell him she could handle it, Harley called out impatiently from down the hall.

“Are you coming or not, Tenley?”

Tenley had looked back and forth from drunk Caitlin to hot Harley.
Finally, she turned to Joey. “Our room is 18C,” she’d told him. “That one at the end of the hall. You can help get her there, but don’t you dare try anything funny.” She nodded toward Harley. “Or you’ll have my
boyfriend
to answer to.” Then she’d jogged back to Harley and his friends, secretly delighting over calling Harley Hade her boyfriend.

The rest of the night had been one of the best of her entire life. Harley’s friends had been pretty wild—a few of them started doing cocaine the second the door was closed—but Tenley had barely noticed or cared. Because that’s when Harley had started kissing her. The boys finally left around six in the morning, but before they did, Tenley looked through the stack of Polaroids they’d taken, sneaking out the only one that
proved
Harley had kissed her. It was a great shot, too. Her red tube dress clung in all the right places, her long hair hung in perfect tousled waves over her shoulders, and Harley’s hands were pressed into the small of her back. She looked like she was
meant
to be making out with a model.

Caitlin, on the other hand, looked terrible. Her eyes were closed, her hair was a tangled mess, and Joey Bakersfield was putting her to bed. It almost looked as though they were about to sleep together: Her stomach and the top of her pink lace thong were exposed. To make matters worse, on the glass table in the frame was a thin dusting of cocaine.