Page 99 of I Dare You
I’m angry too.
“Dandy, I… There’s a lot.”
He crosses his arms, waiting.
But I don’t even know where to start.
“I shouldn’t have come here.I’m sorry.”
“And there’s that word again, Hallie.Sorry.You’re sorry for leaving without a word?Abandoning me in this shithole of a town when we promised one another we would leave together?Or are you sorry you think it’s okay to just show up and expect me to be happy to see you?”
He’s right.
“I’ll go.”I turn to leave, but he scoffs angrily.
“That’s right, just run away.Again.Everything we had was a fucking lie.This just confirms it.”
“It wasn’t a lie!”I cry, needing him to understand that our friendship was real.
“Why did you leave without a word then?Best friends don’t disappear like that.If you cared, you would’ve let me know you were safe.I spent so long thinking you might be dead.Do you understand how that feels?”
I shake my head.
I knew where he was this entire time.But he didn’t know where I was.And to just turn up here was selfish of me.
Ashamed and saddened, I look down, knowing I’ve hurt him—again.
“So that’s it?You’re not going to explain where the fuck you were?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
Dandy wants no excuses.“Just tell the truth.It’s simple.”
Panic grips me.Telling the truthisn’tsimple because what follows is my confession of what I’ve done.And what I plan on doing.
Dandy senses his questions will remain unanswered.“You know what,” he says, eyes turning cruel.“Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of.I’d rather remember who you used to be than accept what you’ve become because this person, this person is someone I do not want to know.”
He brushes past me, leaving me standing broken beyond repair.
I hear him dump the trash before the whine of the back door tells me he’s gone back inside.He’s done.
I’m choked up inside.
I want to scream.
I want to cry.
But I can’t.
I’ve not shed a tear since the night in the woods.It’s like I made a vow to never show vulnerability again.
Seeing Dandy’s face, knowing I caused his anger and pain, brings my hidden tears closer than ever.
However, I sniff them back down because crying gets me nowhere.
