Dare You to Hate Me by B. Celeste (best android ereader .txt) 📗

glances down at the floor, hesitates a moment, then walks over to the counter closest to me. “Did you want your usual? Or is that only your Sunday order?”

I can’t help but wonder if that’s an invitation to make dropping in at random a common occurrence. “I wouldn’t mind a coffee,” I admit. “Practice was rough, and I have homework to do still.”

She probably doesn’t care, but she at least pretends she does as she goes about preparing my regular. While she’s busy, I look around the empty bakery. “Slow day?”

“It’s usually slower this time of day.”

“Oh.”

We go silent again. The sound of liquid pouring into the cup is the only thing between us. I shift on my feet, slide my hands in my pockets and watch her pour in my shots of milk.

Eventually, I say, “How has your day been?”

She pauses what she’s doing for a moment to glance over her shoulder at me, the colored hair falling down her back, then puts the lid of the cup and walks back to the counter. “It’s been fine. Do you want anything else? Bagel?”

“Are you asking just so you can eat the half I don’t?” I swear her cheeks color. “I noticed, by the way. You’re welcome.”

She rolls her eyes and punches in the order before giving me an amount. “You can’t pretend you do it for me.”

All I do is smile and then pass her the money I owe. “Keep the change.”

“I don’t need your pity,” she grumbles under her breath, even though she doesn’t try to give me the remainder.

Fighting a smile, I pick up my coffee.

She clicks her tongue. “Did you come in here for coffee?”

I play along, sipping my drink. “What other reason would I come in here for?”

Her brightly painted lips part to answer, then quickly close. Ivy has never been the shy type when it comes to me, so catching her off guard is amusing.

Chuckling, I let her off easy. “I wanted to see you. Though the coffee really is needed. I’ve been procrastinating with my assignments, so they’re piling up in my room.”

She toys with the hem of her shirt sleeves, avoiding my eyes. “Are you still a brainiac and pretending not to be for the sake of your reputation as a meathead jock?”

I lift a shoulder, not confirming or denying that I break more than one of the stereotypes tied to football players. “Maybe.”

Her eyes narrow, the honey brown color filling with skepticism.

Relenting, I smirk. “4.0 GPA.”

Not that she says so, but I can tell she’s impressed. Something clouds over that though, and I cock my head when she murmurs, “Is there anything about you that’s changed besides your appearance or are you still perfect?”

Pride swells in my chest despite the need to tell her I messed up plenty of times in the past, leaving me far from how she views me. “You been checking me out, Chaos?”

“Chaos,” a voice coos breathily from behind her.

I look over at Bea’s granddaughter. Elena, I think. Before I can say anything, Ivy shoots the young girl a look, making her disappear around the corner again, her laughter fading as she goes. When she turns back to me, she says, “No. Years tend to change people, that’s all. Hard not to notice. I gained weight. You gained…muscle.”

“You look good,” I tell her honestly.

She doesn’t say anything, only squirms on her feet.

I lean against the counter. “This is where you tell me I look good too.”

“Oh, do I?”

I nod, waiting for her to say it.

She doesn’t.

“That’s okay,” I yield. “I know you’re thinking it. It’s in your eyes. Caught you staring at my ass a time or two.”

Now she’s casting a glare at me that I’m finding endearing more than anything. “You mean like what you were doing when you walked in here? Felt like my butt cheeks were on fire.”

My eyes flash. “If you really want your ass to burn, I can—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” she warns.

I push off the counter and stand to full height, shrugging nonchalantly. “Guess you’ll have to fantasize the rest on your own. Thanks for the coffee, Chaos.” Her eyes roll as I wink and start backing away. “Are you coming to the game this week?”

“What do you think?”

“I think that I’ll convince you to eventually,” I answer casually, twisting to push open the door. “Unblock my number and text me sometime. Until then, I’ll see you around.”

I don’t hear her answer before I’m back in the truck, grinning over the one conversation we’ve had that didn’t involve insults or regretted words.

It’s a baby step in the right direction.

“My name is Ivy, like the plant,” is how the new girl next door introduces herself when she walks over to me and my friends as we’re playing basketball. We dragged the hoop out to the street to play two on two until Ivy walked over with a big smile on her face and asked if she could join.

Captain, my golden retriever, trots over to her and nudges her hand until she starts petting his side, giggling as he starts licking her. Cap doesn’t like many people and usually growls at most of the boys from school I invite over. Mom said animals are good judges of character, so it seems like Ivy is good enough.

It’s my friend Judd who stuffs the ball under his arm and looks at my neighbor. “Are you lost?”

Our other friend Zach joins in. “Need us to call your mommy?”

They both laugh as I roll my eyes and walk over to pet Cap. “Ignore them. I’m Aiden.”

Those two words somehow made the smile on her face grow five times bigger than it was before, and that smile was all it took.

When I tell her she can shoot hoops with us, my friends groan in complaint and say they’re going to Judd’s house to play video games instead.

Ivy frowns as they walk away, the ball dropping to the pavement and bouncing a few times as it rolls