Page 255 of Filthy Elites

She’s still his girlfriend. A guy with a girlfriend shouldn’t be kissing you.

I can’t argue that.

Damn my conscience.

Damn, damn, damn.

It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to realize what was coming. Now, I pull back, unwrapping my legs from his waist and lowering myself back to the ocean floor.

I don’t meet his gaze.

It’s not necessarily that I’m ashamed. I would never go after some other girl’s boyfriend, but Anae is terrible. If I were dating her, I wouldn’t want to be, either.

But he is.

No one’s making him.

I don’t get the impression anyone canmakeDare do anything, so if he’s with her, it must be because there’s something he likes about her, and if he likes her…

Fuck.

I shouldn’t have come out here with him.

“Hey,” he says when I turn and start making my way back toward the beach.

“I need to get home,” I say without looking back. “I’m sure school is over by now. My mom will wonder what’s taking me so long.”

He’s still for a moment before I hear the water sloshing as he moves to join me on the beach.

I’m awkward, fidgeting with the things in my purse so I don’t have to look at him. I almost put my sandals back on, but I still think that will make it harder to climb the rocks.

My head feels slightly less foggy than it did before he kissed me, but I’m still cautious as I make my way across the rocks to the other side of the beach.

Dare falls into step beside me. I feel him looking at me as we approach the steps leading up to his back yard, but I don’t look back.

“Are we good?” he asks, finally breaking the silence.

I look over at him briefly to flash him a tiny smile. “Yeah, of course.”

“You seemed a little freaked out back there.”

I meet his gaze more steadily, even though it makes my stomach hurt to utter my next words. “I don’t kiss guys who have girlfriends.”

“Even girlfriends you don’t like?”

“Even girlfriends I absolutely hate,” I verify.

He nods, looking more like he’s been handed new information about me to file away than offended. “Got it.”

We head back up to his house to get my school bag, no doubt dropped off by one of his nerd soldiers.

I’m horrified to learn it’s past four o’clock.

Mom hasn’t texted me to see where I am, so I’m also a little worried.

Dare takes me home, but the ride is much quieter.

I already miss the beach. The sunset I’ll never get to watch with him.

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