Page 39 of The Bully's Dare

“Trouble?”

“Yeah. Like that.”

“Well, you are trouble,” he tells me, his voice serious, “but you’re not in the way. Hannsett Island is better with you in it.”

Butterfly wings tickle my chest.

“Truth or dare, Jason?”

“Truth.”

“Have you always been a hair-trigger?”

“I guess sometimes I get a little…worked up.”

“Go on…”

“It’s like…I feel things. Really intensely. When I get angry, I see red and I can’t back down.”

I sigh dramatically. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but…if you want to be a doctor someday, I’m pretty sure you’re going to need to be able to keep a cool head in stressful situations.”

“Yeah. You’re not wrong about that.”

“Have you tried yoga?”

“Yoga?”

“Yeah. It’s like a sweat room full of MILFs doing downward dog. You’ll love it.”

He’s chuckling again, at least. That’s an improvement.

“Follow up question,” I add, “Is there anything that calms you down?”

He thinks about it. Really considering. “Water,” he says.

“Water? Like…looking at water? Drinking water?”

“Swimming. I love swimming.”

We go on like this all night:

“Truth,” I say.

“What scares you?” Jason asks.

“Relying on other people. If I can’t do something myself, I panic.”

“Kenzi is not a team player. Got it.”

“Truth,” Jason says.

“Most embarrassing moment?” I ask.

“Easy. My swim meet last year. I had a stomach bug. I pushed through it anyway. Swam like a beast. Won first place.”

“Wow, how embarrassing for you.”

“It was, when the judge brought me my medal and I threw up on her. Like the exorcist. It was ugly.”

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