"Long day?" asked Skip as he sat across from Dare. It was seven o'clock at night the same day she had returned. After convincing everyone to leave – except for Skip who insisted on staying – Dare thought everything would return to normal. She was wrong, of course, because nothing felt normal anymore. She thought once of escaping back to her aunt and uncle's, but then figured that that was the last thing she should do.
"It was something," said Dare, staring at the ceiling. Abruptly, she looked at Skip and asked, "Am I crazy?"
"Uh. Yes? Why do you think you're crazy?"
"Because I think I like someone that I shouldn't like," said Dare, staring at the ceiling again.
"Hm. Well, that doesn't make you crazy, per se. It just means you're a human being. Which is, in most cases, not a great thing."
"Thanks Skip. That makes me feel better."
"So, who is it that you like?" he asked.
"Who else? Brendon! At least I think I like him. I mean, I can't stop thinking about him, I feel guilty that I didn't get to say goodbye, I feel bad for not telling him who I am, and I feel like I'm back in high school!"
"Well, yeah I think you like him. That's pretty much what liking someone feels like. Except for the high school thing. That's just you."
"Thanks again, Skip," said Dare. "By the way, when are you leaving for Seattle?"
"Couple days, actually," said Skip.
"Dang. Well, you need to make sure to call me once and a while, okay? I know you're all famous and stuff, but leave a little time for your friends," said Dare.
"Ha ha. Very funny. You know I will, anyway. Well, I better go because the guys and I have got to load up the tour bus before we go. I'll come by tomorrow, okay? Oh, and Dare?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't run away, okay?"
"I'll try not to," said Dare.
Skip got up and left. Dare continued to stare at the ceiling for five minutes before getting up and wandering into the kitchen. David was leaving tonight for home. He was married and he had a little baby girl at home. He lived all the way in Surrey, so he would be flying there. He was probably upstairs getting packed.
Later, he came down and they said goodbye. And Dare was alone. She felt alone, too. She looked at the clock. It was nine at night. She lay down on the couch and was almost asleep when she heard a knock at the door. Wondering who it could be, she got up and answered the door.
It was the last person she had expected: Brendon. "Brendon!" she exclaimed. It was what she had been wishing all this time, wasn't it? "What- what are you doing here? I thought you left already, that is."
"Our flight was delayed another day. They say it'll take off tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd say goodbye to you since- since I didn't get a chance before."
Oh. Well come in!" She held the door open. It was cold outside; twenty degrees, if she was correct.
"Thanks," said Brendon. She could tell he was kind of crept out that she was being so nice, when the other day she had completely let him down.
She closed the door and they went into the living room. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing toward the couch. They both sat on the couch. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I was just having a really weird week."
"I know how that feels," said Brendon with a laugh. "Life has been pretty weird for me too, lately."
"Er. Listen. I have a confession to make," said Dare, staring at her feet.
"A confession? I'm not gay, you know," said Brendon.
"Ha ha. You're hilarious," Dare said, rolling her eyes. "But, I mean, I haven't been exactly truthful."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, you know how you-? Well, remember when you said-? Er. Maybe it'll be easier if I show you."
"Show me? Show me what?"
"Give me a second," said Dare and she got up and left the room. Five minutes later, she returned with a pair of glasses and a ponytail holder in her hand.
"Should I ask?" asked Brendon.
"All right," said Dare, sitting back down and facing Brendon. "I want you to look at me now."
"Okay?"
"Now," she said. Then, she took the ponytail holder and put her hair up. She put on the glasses and looked up at Brendon, and in a full American accent said, "Who do I remind you of?"
"Wait a seco-. Gen? Genna? Is it really you?" He smiled widely.
Dare nodded and before she knew what happened, Brendon had his arms around her in a big hug. She smiled. "I guess now you know," she said.
"What the hell?" said Brendon. "Why didn't you-? When did you-? How come you never-?"
"Told you?" finished Dare.
"Yeah," said Brendon.
"Well, because- because I thought you'd think it was like a 'sign' or something."
"What? I don't believe this! It's really you! I mean, I knew you looked familiar! I just knew it!"
"Yeah, well, here I am," said Dare, taking off her glasses.
"But I don't understand. I mean, the accent and your name?"
"Well, I hate to say it, but when I was in America, I actually did have a British accent, but I was afraid I'd be ridiculed because of it, so it wasn't hard to force myself to talk without the accent. It really became a habit after a while. And Dare is my middle name. No one had ever called me that except for Skip because he liked that name or something, so when I first moved to England, he visited and people heard him call me Dare and it stuck, I guess."
"I guess that makes sense," said Brendon. "But this is just extraordinary!"
"It's something."
"Oh my gosh," said Brendon, still astonished, "I haven't seen you since- since high school!"
"Yep," said Dare.
"You know, I haven't had a girlfriend since then? I guess no one quite matched up to you," he laughed. Dare made a nervous laugh.
She took her hair back down and said, "Brendon, I know this is great and everything, but you know this doesn't change anything, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that there's still no, 'us'."
"Well, why not?" This was just the thing Dare had been dreading. "I don't mean to sound redundant, but what if this is a sign or something?" he said excitedly. "I mean, what were the chances that we'd meet again? What if we're passing up the chance of a lifetime?"
"This is exactly what I didn't want to get into!" said Dare. "Do you think we can just pick up where we left off from five years ago? It just doesn't work that way!"
"But why not? Why can't it? It's not like we're kids anymore! We have lives! I'd actually be able to visit and-."
"This is also exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you do this to me!"
"Do what?"
"Try to date again! My heart was broken when I left the first time and I don't plan on having that happen again!"
"You were- but I thought you didn't want to continue it. I mean, you were the one to break up with me!"
"You think I don't know that? I did it because I knew if I didn't do it then, it would just be harder to do it later."
"Later? But who said that there had to be a later?"
"Brendon! We were kids! We were just two stupid kids in high school, okay? Nothing else! If you had asked, I couldn't have told you the definition of love!"
"Fine. Fine. I just thought-. Well, I guess it doesn't matter what I thought, anyway. I mean you and Skip."
"Me and Skip? Me and Skip, what?"
"I thought you were, you know, together!"
"Oh, hell no! I mean, not that he'd make a bad boyfriend or anything, but he's like a brother. That's disgusting, really."
"Oh. Well, I guess I don't know what I was thinking, then," Brendon said, looking down. After a short silence, he continued, "I think I'd better go. I've still got some packing to do."
"Brendon?"
"Yeah?"
"I am really sorry."
"Yeah," said Brendon. "I guess my heart got a little ahead of my brain, that's all. Listen, we should keep in touch, okay?"
"Yeah! Definitely," said Dare.
"Well, I guess I'll go," said Brendon, standing. Dare stood too and they walked to the front door.
"I did miss you, you know," said Dare.
"I missed you, too," said Brendon.
"It was pretty fun, I mean back in high school." She laughed to herself.
"It was amazing."
"Well, I'll probably see you off tomorrow morning because I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to any of the Fall Out Boy guys," said Dare.
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah," said Dare, wrapping her arms around him. "Goodbye."
"See ya," said Brendon. She opened the door.
"Oh!" said Dare as she surveyed the snowy white street before her.
"Snow!" said Brendon. "We never got this stuff back in Nevada." He smiled.
"Be careful, then," said Dare.
"Will do. Bye."
"Bye," said Dare, and as she watched Brendon step into his car, she closed the door and went straight to bed.
