Harry's Dare

My suspicions were confirmed a second later. As if she had just remembered he existed, Molly looked right at Harry. "Truth or dare?" she asked. I felt my heart crater down through my stomach and past my feet. Oh my God, that bitch. So much for sharing secrets. If she wanted Harry all for herself, she could have just told me months ago. Sure, maybe I didn't have a right to him, and given my whole... situation, I hadn't been planning on doing anything, but there was no reason for her to play me like this. Ugh. Could Joan be my new best friend? I grimaced. The idea didn't seem very fun.

"Dare," Harry said, and I tried not to look disappointed. Oh-so-innocent Harry. I'll take a dare from you, Molly, it's not like you haven't seen it all before! They danced around like horrible puppets in my head. Was she going to dare him to kiss her on the cheek like the Prince Charming he pretended to be? If she did, I planned to vomit right in their faces.

"Hmmm," said Molly, putting a finger to her lips. Very demure. Not the sort of thing someone who double crossed their friend would do, not at all! Even to me, it sounded impotent. I crossed my arms and made like I wasn't planning ****. "Why don't you tell Violet a secret?" she said.

Yeah. Definitely fucking with me. Don't drag me into this, I wanted to say, but I didn't. That would be letting on that I knew their game, and more importantly that I cared. Animals never let a predator know they were wounded. This was going to be a long night, and I planned to survive it. That was the only way I'd be able to get my ****. "Sure," I grumbled.

There was that 'running for president' smile on Harry's face. Just yesterday if I'd seen it I would have thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. But like all politicians, there was nothing real going on behind his smile. Probably, that boarding school had bred all the empathy out of him. He sauntered over to the futon and leaned down, cupping his hand around my ear. "I think you're the prettiest girl in the school," he whispered.

I shot back, eyes burning. Right then I wished I was one of those frogs that spit venom up to ten times their body size, so I could blind him. "Yeah, okay," I said. "Go on back to your spot, now."

He was shocked. Not used to having girls see through your bullshit? I thought. It was lucky Molly had made their stupid affair too obvious, or I would have fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. Harry walked back to his side of the circle, and I saw him exchange a look with Jack, and then a shrug. Good to know he was in on it too. For all I knew, everyone here tonight was, and they were all just messing with me. That wasn't something I was going to forget easily.