Page 83 of The Chance

“Uh-huh.” Dare’s arms cross over his thick chest. “So, he learned it all from you, then.”

I snort and nearly choke on the burn of smoke through my nose. “Those weren’t my best days.”

“You mean you’re not still there?”

I tag Dare’s shoulder with my knuckles and grin when he hisses. “It’s gonna kill you to never know, isn’t it?”

The stretch of Dare’s lips is too wide. “All you gotta do is ask.”

I fake a gag. “Over my dead body.”

“Hey, I’ll try anything once.”

I sputter out a laugh and pass back the joint. “You need more of this so the hallucinations make sense.”

“Dude, it’s just weed,” he says, but takes the offer and speaks through the smoke rolling from his mouth. “I’ve been meaning to ask where’s your bestie? I thought he followed you like a dog.”

The anvil sitting on my chest tilts and digs further in. “Doing … bodyguard shit.”

The raised brow Dare throws in my direction tells me he doesn’t buy my bullshit. And to be honest, I wishIbought it.

“People are still going nuts online about him not being around.”

It’s all so much bullshit.

I push out a sigh. “Mind ya bizness.”

“Bizness minded.” Dare holds his hands up in surrender. “All’s I’m saying is that it’s been cool to be real for once. Thought you’d want the favor.”

Perfect opening to redirect the spotlight.

“For once? You mean youstillhaven’t told your band that you like dick sometimes?”

Dare’s jaw snaps shut, his teeth making an audible clank. “Mind ya bizness.”

I mimic his earlier pose and let it go. “Fine. Suffocate.”Mostly.

“Fine,” he snaps. “Die alone.”

I throw my hands up in the form ofwhat the fuckthat Dare shrugs off.

“I knew I never liked you,” I mumble and snatch the near roach from his lips just as he’s relighting it.

Pulling in deep, I let the fuzz try to outweigh the jagged edges of my mind, though it does nothing to ease the turmoil coiling inside my chest.

Hurt and anger merge in my veins all over again, making it feel like thousands of bees are stinging their way through my blood instead of the soft peach noise I was going after.

He’s just processing. No way he meant a single thing in those messages.

The shudder that racks me has nothing to do with the early morning chill and every bit to do with the waves that roll over my stomach.

“Fuuuck, you really are in love with him, aren’t you?”

Startled out of my spiraling of despair, I swing my gaze from the cement at my feet to Dare.

Who looks lost as shit.

“Nah, batballs,” I mutter too softly.Pretend, pretend, pretend.“That’s not for me.”

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