“Tenley? Are you in here?” The familiar voice drifted in from the hallway, followed by a quick patter of footsteps. “Tenley? Oh my god, Ten!” Tim raced across the auditorium, pounding up the stairs to the stage. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I—I—” Tenley took a deep breath. She had to pull herself together. She couldn’t tell Tim the truth. Not with the real darer out there. “I came in here for a breather from the dance,” she lied. “And the spotlight just fell! I burned my leg. I have to go. I have to—”
“Hey.” Tim grabbed her, running his hands softly down her arms. Despite the heat in her leg, she felt a tiny shiver. “Calm down, Ten. It’s okay.” He tilted her chin up until she had no choice but to look at him. His eyes were filled with concern, and something else, too. Something that reminded Tenley of the feeling she’d gotten the first time he’d touched her: a connection. “We’ll get your leg taken care of,” Tim said soothingly. “But first there’s something I want to do.”
“I—” she tried to protest.
He didn’t let her finish. He leaned down and kissed her.
For a split second she felt a dozen things at once: safe and terrified, peaceful and exhilarated. It was unlike any other kiss she’d ever experienced. Then the thought: Caitlin.
She pulled back, trembling all over. Reality crashed over her like a tidal wave. “I—I really have to get back to my friends,” she stammered desperately.
“Oh no you don’t.” Tim took her in his arms. “I came all the way to this dance to surprise you. I even wore a suit, which my mom will tell you has happened about twice in my life.” Tenley blinked. For the first time she noticed the pinstripe suit and yellow tie he was wearing. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” he continued. “I was actually calling you from outside the bathroom—I figured that’s where you had to be—when I heard your phone’s crazy Madonna ring in here.” He smiled, pushing a sweaty strand of hair off her face. “I’m not letting you out of my sight after a wild-goose chase like that. You’re finding the nurse and I’m coming with you. Then we’re having that dance you promised me.”
Tenley wanted so badly to agree, to melt into him and let him take her to the nurse and make everything better. But she couldn’t. Not with the darer running loose.
“We’ll dance,” she promised him. “Believe me, I want nothing more.” She squeezed his arm. “But, it’s going to have to be later. Listen—can you go find someone and tell them that the light fell? I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“All right,” Tim relented. “But you’re going to get some first aid, right?”
Tenley gave him a weak smile. “Right,” she lied.
She hurried out of the auditorium before he could stop her. She was limping, but she refused to let it slow her down. She had to find Emerson and Sydney. If she didn’t… If the darer got to them first…
Tenley shuddered. That wouldn’t happen.
No one was going to die tonight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Saturday, 7:36 PM
“I can’t believe they’re playing the Biebs for the first slow dance of the night.” Calum tightened his arms around Sydney’s waist as they swayed to the song blasting through the cafeteria.
“I can’t believe you just called him the Biebs,” Sydney said. The dance floor had thinned out a little, leaving plenty of room for them to dance. She found herself leaning into Calum, relaxing for the first time all week. Abby was locked up where she couldn’t hurt them. As soon as Delancey showed, they’d get what they needed to finally go to the cops. Then life could go back to normal at last.
“My dad and I were at a dinner in DC with him once,” Calum replied. He did a side step, moving Sydney smoothly across the dance floor. “If the secretary of state calls him the Biebs, I figure I should, too.”
“You were at a dinner with the secretary of state and Justin Bieber?” Sydney gaped up at him. “How come I never knew that?” She wrinkled her brow as Calum guided her through a graceful spin. “And while we’re at it, since when do you know how to dance like this?”
Calum grinned down at her. “There’s multitudes you don’t know about me, Syd.” He pushed a loose strand of hair off her face, and she was surprised to feel her stomach do a tiny leap.
“I know a lot,” she retorted. “I know that you use SPF seventy-five sunscreen every day and that you hate chocolate but love vanilla and that you think every single James Bond movie is Oscar-worthy and your dream is to make computer games for a living.” She smirked at Calum. “Should I keep going?”
“Please, no,” Calum said with a laugh. His hands pressed against the small of her back. He did another side step, leaving barely an inch between them. “I promise there are things you don’t know.” He paused, and she could hear his breath quickening. “But I would really like you to, Syd. I want you to know it all.” His eyes searched hers and suddenly she knew: He was going kiss her.
Her breath snagged in her throat. For so long, Guinness had wielded such power over her, left her with tunnel vision: him, him, only him. But as she looked up at Calum, she saw a whole world outside that tunnel, wide and sprawling, a thousand different paths. Calum’s face lowered toward hers. Her stomach leaped again, impossible to ignore. She could smell his citrusy shampoo, could feel the pressure of his hands sliding down her back. His lips moved closer.
“I can’t.” It burst out in a single breath. She pulled away, putting space between them. Conflicting emotions were dueling inside her: regret, relief, regret, relief. “I’m sorry, Calum.” She looked down. They were standing on the edge of the dance floor, where the silver platform bled into gray linoleum. “I just…”
“It’s Guinness, isn’t it?” Calum asked tightly.
“No,” Sydney said quickly. “Well, yes, but not like you think. I’m done with him. It’s over. But for so long he was everything to me, you know?” She paused, thinking of all the roles he’d played: mentor, friend, more than friend. “I guess I just need some time to myself. A chance to see what things look like without him.” She lifted her head. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.”
Calum’s face flushed red. A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I guess I misread the situation.” His voice was tense, but there was a wounded undercurrent to it that tugged at Sydney’s heart.
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“Sydney!”
The sound of Tenley’s voice made Sydney turn around. Tenley was limping toward her. Her dress was torn and singed, a line of blood was caked on her arm, and there was a nasty red burn running down her left calf.
“I need to talk to you.” Tenley stopped in front of Sydney. There was a fierce, determined look on her face. “Now.”
“W-what happened?” Sydney stuttered. Her eyes jumped between Tenley’s injuries. “Are you okay?”
Tenley swung her head toward Calum. For a second Sydney had almost forgotten he was there. “I’m fine,” Tenley said, her tone sounding anything but. “I, uh, just tripped and fell.” She gave Calum the fakest smile Sydney had ever seen. “Clumsy old me!” She grabbed Sydney’s hand. “Now, can I talk to you?” she hissed. “In private?”
Sydney turned shakily back to Calum. “I, uh… She gestured toward Tenley, the words getting twisted in her mouth. “We’ll talk more later,” she managed finally.
Questions swarmed her as she followed Tenley to the corner of the cafeteria. Emerson was there waiting for them. “Keep your backs to the room,” Tenley ordered. “I have something for you to read.”
She handed Sydney a crumpled ball of paper. Even before Sydney smoothed it out, she knew what it was. “How?” she whispered. A moment later she had her answer. She looked up from the note. “It’s not Abby,” she said dully.
“That’s not possible,” Emerson wailed. “How could we have been wrong?”
Tenley shook her head. “I don’t know. But what’s important is the real darer is here. Whoever it is just tried to kill me.”
A loud burst of static cut into their conversation. It was the microphone, being lifted out of its holder on stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived,” Avery announced. “It’s time to crown this year’s homecoming king and queen! To do the honors, I welcome to the stage your student-body vice president, Molly Berg.”
“Hi?” Molly squeaked into the mic. “Since Abby still seems to be, uh, unavailable, I will take over the honor of crowning this year’s homecoming king and queen?” Applause filled the room as Avery handed Molly a manila envelope. “Congratulations to…” Molly was in the middle of tearing open the envelope when a chorus of sounds filled the air.
Beep!
Buzz!
Ding!
Their phones.