Chapter 8 Don’t Underestimate the Power of Faking Confidence #2
He’s barely able to finish that sentence when Daniel and some other guy suddenly appear and run toward us. At first I’m not sure they’ve seen us, but then they get close enough for me to make out Daniel’s grin.
Shit.
I get up and start running as fast as my legs allow, while Noah does the same—luckily in a different direction this time. As expected, the nameless dude chases Noah, which means…
I look over my shoulder, and of course, there Daniel is, bounding after me as I run without a clear idea of where I’m going.
“Ellie!” he yells when I focus on the path in front of me again. I don’t look back anymore, scared he’s gaining on me with every second that passes. It sounds like he is. “You don’t actually think you can outrun me, do you?”
And the thing is, I don’t. There’s not a single doubt in my mind that Daniel will be able to tag me in less than a minute, especially with the way my lungs are burning and my heart is hammering in my chest. I really, really don’t stand a chance against Daniel.
I have to try, though. If only to surprise him so he sees I’m not as boring as before.
“Watch me,” I tell him as I start running a little faster, praying to anyone who will listen that I can keep up this pace.
Even as my breathing gets quick and short, I don’t stop.
I don’t stop when I spot Sierra at some point, and I certainly don’t stop when Daniel keeps talking to me, trying to trick me into giving up.
I don’t stop until I feel a tap on my shoulder, and even then, I stop only because I don’t have a choice.
As I slow down and freeze, Daniel stays with me.
It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been able to study him up close.
He’s wearing that grin again, showing his straight white teeth as he ruffles his fingers through his brown hair.
He takes a step closer to me, blue eyes staring into mine.
I force myself to return his gaze, waiting for warmth or a spark or anything, really, to find its way into my belly like it would if I were watching this scene in a movie.
He looks at me, I look at him, and we’re the only ones who matter in this moment.
But that thought is more terrifying than it is exciting.
Soon, I promise myself. Soon you’ll be able to fall for him.
“Come on, Ellie,” Daniel says. “I know you hate games like this. Just tell me where you guys hid that flag and I’ll put a quick end to this so you can go back to your night.”
Still holding his gaze, I lift the corner of my mouth just a little, making his eyes drop to my mouth briefly. Then I shake my head.
“In your dreams.”
He sighs. “Fine. Have it your way. But we both know it only takes one look at your team and one look at mine to know who’s going to win this. It’s as predictable as it gets.”
With those words, he runs back to where we came from, leaving me to stand here on my own. At least, for about ten seconds I think I’m alone, and then I hear someone make a gagging sound behind me. A short tap on my shoulder follows, freeing me.
I turn around to see Sierra standing there, her face drawn together in genuine disgust as her eyes point in the direction where Daniel disappeared.
“What an asshole,” she mumbles. “Why would you ever date him? You’re—”
I avoid looking into Sierra’s brown eyes, scared of what she thinks of me.
Instead I study everything around me as if this is the most interesting forest I’ve ever seen.
I look at the clouds in the sky and the trees surrounding us and even the grass beneath my feet…
until my gaze falls on a dark blue something.
I can’t help but interrupt Sierra by gasping. “Oh my god.”
I quickly run toward the blue flag that’s been tied around the base of a lamppost, pulling at the fabric until it’s free, after which I yell, “FOUND IT!” as loud as I can.
Everything but the blue flag in my hand disappears for a second.
I don’t think about how much work I have yet to do this summer, or about what will happen once I return home, or even about what Sierra was going to tell me only seconds ago.
The only thing on my mind is the fact that we won this game. I beat Daniel.
It’s such a small, silly thing, but for one simple moment, it means the world to me, filling my lungs with a hope that I breathe in and out.
Noah finds us first, cheering as he sees my big smile. He’s followed by Gigi, who officially confirms we’ve won. More people make their way over to us, some of them on my team, others on the opposite side, and eventually Daniel returns, too.
I can’t help but smile at him, still holding the flag. “Guess we’re not so predictable after all, huh?”
We spend that evening commemorating our victory with a walk on the beach.
Although it definitely doesn’t come close to my idea of a celebration, I let my gaze travel across our current view, actually…
enjoying it. Sure, I still don’t get why people like strolling their feet through sand so much, but I must admit there really is something about taking a walk on the coast when it’s dark outside.
During the day, there’s loads of people who laugh and chat while screeching seagulls fly overhead.
Right now, at night, though, there’s nothing but the sound of rippling water filling my ears and the sight of the softly lit-up moon hanging in the sky.
It’s the kind of view that makes my heartbeat slow down. The kind of place I can picture people visiting so they can whisper secrets into the night.
That’s not exactly what we’re doing right now, though.
“Elle Woods is a lesbian, and I am ready to die on that hill,” I hear Maya tell Liam after he briefly brought up Legally Blonde. “Damn, I hope someone at college allows me to write an essay about that,” they say, more to themself than to anyone else. “I would absolutely nail that.”
Even in the darkness, I can see Yasmeen smile. “I honestly have zero doubts about that. You’re very persuasive, you know. The only question is…will you be the Vivian to my Elle?”
Maya gasps dramatically, turning to their girlfriend with a matching grin. “Babe, of course I want to quietly yearn for you until it kills me. I thought you’d never ask!”
“Get a room, you two,” Liam jokes as he looks over his shoulder. “I feel for Renée and Lynn, to be honest. They must be third- and fourth-wheeling in your cabin so bad.”
At that, Veronica decides to join in on the conversation, too. “You do realize that metaphor does not make sense in that situation, right? A lot of vehicles actually need four wheels.”
There’s no real bite or judgment to what she’s saying, only teasing, but Liam doesn’t look her way at all. They simply act like they didn’t hear a thing. As usual. “Oh well,” they try, scrambling for something new to say.
I’m wondering how much longer it’ll take for Veronica to snap when she cuts Liam off.
“No. Don’t oh well me again. God, I’m so sick of pretending not to notice this!
” she exclaims with a frustrated groan. Her previously teasing tone is sharp as she looks right at Liam and asks, “Tell me, where does this deep hatred you have for me come from? Because as far as I’m aware, we didn’t know each other before this summer, yet you’ve been ignoring me since the start of it. ”
All of us are quiet then as Liam tenses at her words, not daring to look at her as he continues walking.
The rest of us don’t try to pick up the conversation we were having.
It’s as if each one of us freezes at the confrontation, even though we should probably just let Liam and Veronica figure it out together—without us awkwardly lingering beside them.
“Wait,” Liam says slowly, holding eye contact with her for only a millisecond before he lets his gaze travel elsewhere again. “You…don’t…know me?”
Veronica frowns. “Of course I don’t. Just like you don’t know anything about me, either.”
“Oh.” He clears his throat. “Well. We, um—we go to the same school, actually.”
And there it finally is.
Veronica’s mouth opens in either surprise or understanding or a mix of the two, but she quickly recovers, going back to looking like she doesn’t care about a single thing in the world.
One of her eyebrows shoots upward. “So? My previous point still stands. We don’t know each other, so whatever you’ve heard about me being some kind of massive bitch might not be true at all. ”
Liam swallows. “Your friend group literally outed someone last year, though,” he says. “And even within that friend group, you’re not exactly known as a sweet angel, which, well…” He trails off.
I try to keep my face blank, but it’s hard not to curiously glance at Veronica’s face. I might not know her well yet, but I just can’t picture Veronica doing something so messed up.
“I had nothing to do with that!” Veronica exclaims in her own defense, her voice loud enough to make me flinch.
“The moment they told me what they did, I told them off. That’s why those girls hate me now,” she explains.
When Liam doesn’t react to that, she raises her chin and takes a step closer to him, adding, “Listen, I know I’m not always the friendliest person.
I’m direct and honest, and yeah, I might be considered rude sometimes.
But trust me when I say there are far worse people in our town than the bitchy girl who calls people out on their bullshit. ”
Before I’ve really processed what just happened, she’s storming off, leaving angry footsteps in the sand. All I know is that my heart is beating too fast, and the more I focus on its rapid speed, the faster it seems to become.
Maya is the first to break the stunned silence hanging over our group. “Well,” they say, stretching out the sound, “I think we should all be bitchy girls who try to call people out on their bullshit.” They pause, brow furrowing at their own joke. “Except for the girl part, that is.”