"I dare you to join the soccer team with me." The new girl, Alyssa, stood in front of Kendra Sorenson, waving a form in her face. Kendra had Alyssa in two of her classes and for whatever reason, Alyssa had decided they were to be friends. Kendra liked Alyssa, she was nice and smart and appreciated the value of books, but no. Just no. Kendra was in the business of corners, at least at school, and sports meant leaving the corner. Her corner was very cozy.
"I don't know if you realize this," Kendra responded, setting down her sandwich. "But I'm not exactly the daring sort."
Alyssa shrugged, "That's what people tell me, but I'm not quite sure. And besides, it's the school soccer team. I'm not asking you to save the world or fight crime."
The irony of that statement did not escape Kendra.
Kendra huffed. "Exactly, it's the School Soccer Team, which means I'll have a team full of people depending on me not to let them down. If a tree falls in a forest, nobody notices and nobody cares, right? But if a tree falls on a soccer field in front of everybody, that tree is now hated."
Alyssa rolled her eyes before grinning and attacking from a new angle. "It's a co-ed team," Alyssa sang.
"So?"
"All those dickheads are probably whining about it as we speak. They need to get their asses handed to them."
Kendra rolled her eyes. You throw a calculator at one asshole boy and no one ever lets you forget it. Alyssa had been here for two weeks and she had already heard all about Kendra's 'raging feminism'. "So you think the thrill of fighting sexism will convince me to embarrass myself for the whole school to see."
Alyssa nodded eagerly. "Please Kendra. Please Ken Kens. Pleaaaaassseee will you join your new best friend on her epic quest. Please. Pretty please." Alyssa gave her best puppy dog face, batting her eyelashes and pouting. Kendra had to take a moment to snap herself out of it.
"I dare you to lick the bottom of my shoe." Alyssa smirked as she pulled off her muck encrusted sneaker.
"Alyssa, not only did we just walk through a minefield of dog poo, but it rained last night." Kendra drawled.
"That's why I want you to lick it. If I asked you to do this while they were clean it wouldn't be any fun." Alyssa wiggled her eyebrows, holding up her shoe. "C'mon Kens, do it. I'll read that one book, you're always telling me about."
"The Infernal Devices?"
"Mmhmmm," Alyssa hummed.
Kendra hesitantly took the shoe, inspecting it with a grimace. "You always have leverage, don't you?"
"That I do, darling."
Kendra sighed and leaned forward, wrinkling her nose. She closed her eyes and extended her tongue. She quickly licked the disgusting teal sneaker. It tasted like ass. Kendra dropped the sneaker and desperately grabbed her water bottle. She took a drink and spat it out like mouth wash.
Alyssa burst into laughter, slapping her leg like a seal. "I can't believe you actually did that!" She dug into her backpack, bringing out a copy of Clockwork Angel with a bookmark halfway through it. "I never thought you would actually lick the sneaker."
Kendra glared at her best friend, "Fuck. you."
Alyssa clucked her tongue, "Such language. My virgin ears."
Kendra rolled her eyes.
"I dare you to kiss me," Alyssa whispered from the other side of her bed.
Kendra's head shot up from her textbook, startled. After Kendra had come back from her summer at Fablehaven, Kendra had noticed a change in her relationship with Alyssa. Of course a lot had changed over the summer, including Kendra herself. "What?!"
Alyssa bit her lip, her red face ducking down in shame, and Kendra was flooded with guilt at her reaction. "Nevermind. Just….just forget I said anything. I wasn't thinking." Alyssa didn't look at her as she spoke.
Kendra gulped, putting a finger under her best friend's - besides Raxtus- chin, tilting her head up. Alyssa bit her lip nervously. Kendra leaned forward hesitantly, relieved that she had put on chapstick earlier today. Kendra closed her eyes like they did in movies and joined their lips. She felt Alyssa smile against her mouth as Kendra started kissing her. Alyssa kissed her back fervently and Kendra groaned a bit into her mouth, placing a hand on the back of the other girl's head.
The kiss deepened and it went on like that for a little while and it was nice and there was tongue and it was pretty good for a first kiss. And they parted and they blushed and there was a lot of nervous glances and then there was a few more kisses. And it was pretty great and Kendra was pretty happy with it. And Alyssa seemed happy with it too.
And Alyssa gave her a wink when she left. And they didn't get any studying done at all and they were doomed tomorrow when they took that test.
And later when she was trying to sleep, she smiled to herself because she felt like a normal teenage girl with a normal crush on a pretty girl. Except she wasn't. Then she felt bad and the giddy 'I kissed Alyssa" feeling melted away. Kendra lived a whole other life. A life Alyssa could never know about. A life that would probably kill Kendra. Kendra shook her head. It was just a kiss. Fablehaven never threatened their friendship. Why would it threaten whatever this ended up being now?
"I dare you to take me on a date Friday?" Alyssa asked as soon as she saw Kendra the next day.
Kendra smiled and for once there was no hesitation. "Ice Cream?"