Dare Me by Eric Devine Read Free Book Online Page A

at school ever since Ricky posted the video. Which is what we want, but it’s exhausting waiting for something to happen, for someone to figure us out. I scratch the skin around the scab over my cut, careful not to get near the middle, which is still a little goopy.
    John turns and watches me. “We should get you a helmet for the next dare.”
    “Funny. Did Ricky tell you what it is?”
    “No. Remember, we’ve got to pick from a list now. But you know him. He’ll see how much he can one-up that jump. Helmets might be a good idea for all of us.”
    “Wonder what it says in the contract ?”
    I meant it as a joke, but John shakes his head. “We should have read it.”
    “Why? You think something’s up?”
    John looks over. “With Ricky anything’s possible. But don’t you think it’s weird how we went from surfing for fun to signing a contract and getting paid?”
    “We’ve haven’t gotten paid, so let’s not hold our breath on that. Yeah, it was fast, but like Ricky said, we had to prove ourselves.”
    “I understand that. Why us ? If it was a Craigslist ad, then the guy’s local.”
    I hadn’t considered this.
    “So why did he choose us? What did Ricky say to him?”
    I sigh. “Good question. We should ask.”
    “Go for it,” John says, and we walk into school and the middle of some kids’ conversation.
    “Did you see that jump?”
    “Of course I did. Everyone has.”
    “Right, but did you really watch it? INSANE! Those guys are awesome. We have to figure out who they are.” I look at John and he seems as concerned as me, but we don’t speak, just cruise to Ricky’s locker.
    We pass Alexia and Chantel, and they wave. Jesse is with Alexia and he sets his jaw and says something in her ear. She shrugs and he leans in and says something harsh. I can’t hear the words, but I watch her face. She’s pissed, but scared too. Yeah, I totally need to talk to Chantel.
    We pass kids still buzzing over us, talking about the jump. Some are miming what we did, while a group is clustered around a laptop.
    This is exactly what I thought would happen. But at the same time, it’s surreal. I’m watching others watch me, but they don’t know it’s me. Unnerving. But beyond that, another idea emerges: What if we get caught? Why haven’t we had a conversation about that?
    We reach Ricky and he’s looking around the hallway. “This is what four thousand views does for you, boys. Can you imagine what will happen after our next dare?”
    My brain shifts from freaking out to processing the numbers. Four thousand views in sixty hours is impressive. I remember the stats those kids presented on average views for YouTube. I think something like only 11 percent reach that many in the first month. Holy shit.
    “Yeah, but they’re going to try to figure out who we are. Do you have everything locked up online?” I ask Ricky. “We can’t get caught.”
    “Yeah. What’s O. P. doing to keep us safe?” John asks, his voice tight.
    Ricky smiles his enormous wolf smile at our questions. “Relax. We’re fine. And O. P.’s ecstatic. He’s sending the check any day, and he’s going to create an ad to promote our third dare.”
    “That’s not what I asked.” John leans in.
    Ricky’s face hardens. “Look at the two of you. Things get a little edgy and you turn into pussies.”
    John leans in a bit more. “You really want to go there?”
    Ricky’s eyes bug and then he looks at me. “All I’m saying is that the two of you need to relax. We haven’t done anything illegal, and I’ve got this figured out.”
    “Heard that before,” I say.
    John straightens and folds his arms over his chest. Ricky looks at the two of us and then down at the ground and mutters to himself.
    The bell rings but I don’t want to scatter. I want to know more, to know what Ricky knows. What’s the online safety? How much money? When will we get the list for the next dare? But the grace period for being late to class has worn off.