I Dare You To Love Me

Stalker Alert

As soon as Dianne closed their gate, she felt as if her knees turned into jelly, she had to lean on a wall to support her balance.

Finally, after two years of just looking at Elise from afar, she can’t believe that the girl finally took notice of her. She really can’t contain her happiness right now.

She was at that position when the front door opened and a girl emerges; tall with layered shoulder-length rose blonde dyed hair, donning a yellow tank top and shorts. It was her cousin Hailey Park.

“What are doing? Are you filming a drama there? I saw you by the window, I was wondering what's taking you so long.” Hailey shouted while giving her a “have-you-gone-crazy-look”

From the main gate to the front door, it is a 20-meter distance, but it didn't bother Dianne

“Hailey!” The brunette runs the distance and jumped in for a hug.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! I can’t breathe!” Hailey tried to push her off but she didn’t let go.

“I’m so happy right now! My crush talked to me!”

“I thought it was something big. So what did your crush say to you this time? ‘Get out of the way’? ”Hailey returned into their house seeming to be least interested in the story of her infatuation.

Dianne followed her, “My crush isn’t like that.”

“Oh yeah? Did you forget she already told you that before? ”

“She was in a hurry, and she was holding something hot.” Dianne defended Elise, she doesn’t want anyone to make a bad impression on the girl. She remembered it was in their Home Economics class, they were grouped, and she caused quite a mishap that they have to do their project over again. It was reasonable for Elise to be in a foul mood back then.

“If you say so.” Her cousin brushed off the topic.

“Hey, Hailey, make us some snacks, I’m quite hungry. I’ll just get to my room.” She quickly runs upstairs.

“You already ate! I can smell burger in your breath. If I know you’ll just brag about how the love of your life’ talked to you; I don’t want to hear it coz I’m sure it will be endless.” Hailey shouted.

“I ate with her, but I couldn't concentrate on the food, now I’m still hungry. Hailey, I want to eat some fruits, peel some for me please.” Dianne did her cutest face.

“Go make it yourself, I’m busy” Hailey walks away.

While Dianne continued to walk upstairs, she knows Hailey will prepare their snacks anyway. She proceeded to her room and changed into more comfortable house clothes.

Dianne didn’t guess wrong, Hailey was already putting plates of peeled apples and sandwiches on the dining table when she joined her. It was always like that since they moved in together.

They weren’t that close before, because they barely saw each other. Her being always overseas with her parents and Hailey under the wings of their grandfather since her aunt--Hailey's mother died of childbirth made it impossible to get to know each other. Hailey’s father is unknown to them, and maybe they will never know.

It was when her parents died due to a car crash two years ago, that she had to settle back in the country and their grandfather had to take her in too.

After that, Hailey became not only her cousin but also her parent and her confidant.

Dianne blinks back the tears at the sudden memory of the past, she walks right at the dining table and digs in for the food.

“Hey! I was trying to make it pretty!” Hailey slapped her hand when she reached for a sandwich.

“What’s the use of making it pretty we're gonna eat it anyway and eventually end up being--”

“Stop it! You’re disgusting”

Dianne just laughs, while Hailey also joined her at the table after getting their drinks.

“You’re early, got no activity in school?” Dianne asks, she usually comes home first because Hailey is a member of the photography club in her school.

Just like her, Hailey is also a senior in high school, but the girl goes to a coed school. She was supposed to go there too when she transferred, but Eli was the reason she picked St. Therese Academy instead.

“I ditched our club’s meeting to go home because the secretary said Grandpa is going to call, and you know the only phone that Gramps calls is the phone here”

“So what did he say?”

“He said he won’t be able to come home this weekend, and probably he won’t be home for a year so it will still be just us two,” Hailey explains while stuffing her mouth with some food.

“Why? Was the operation not successful?” Dianne asks worriedly.

“What a stupid question, if the operation wasn’t successful, do you think I’d be able to talk to him?” Hailey said sarcastically.

“I was just worried you know, so what’s the reason then? Why is he staying there for a year?” Dianne snaps back.

Their grandfather had undergone an arterial bypass operation after he complained of chest pains. It was supposed to be done in the country but his age made it critical that they have to do it in the U.S. If not for school, they wanted to be there with him. But he didn't approve of it.

“He’s already recuperating, just being overly dramatic. He said he wanted to enjoy whatever life’s left of him.”

“That’s good then, I thought it was something bad.” Dianne sighs of relief.

“But I also talked to his secretary; he said they’ll be flying off to France. Probably, taking care of your dad’s business there,” Hailey eyes her warily since it was a talk about her father.

“Oh really…” her mood suddenly turned downward. Any reminder of her parents’ death depresses her.

“Eherm… you okay?” Hailey tries to clear her throat and the mood, she regrets mentioning Dianne’s dad.

Dianne didn’t respond and just played with her food.

“Uhm hey, Gramps also allowed us to get some maid” Hailey changed the topic. The only household help they have accompanied their grandfather.

“It’s better if it’s just us two, I’m not comfortable with strangers,” Dianne said, still gloomy.

“Oh okay, no maid then, we don’t need them anyway…or maybe just weekly, It’s really hard to do the laundry you know, and clean this huge house, I don’t plan to play Haiderella for a year you know.” Hailey jokes and fails to lift the mood yet again, as Dianne just nodded. She needs to think of something.

“Ah!” She thought of something, her last resort, she’ll be willing to sacrifice her ears for Dianne to smile again. She raised her feet to her chair and claps.

“So tell me…what happened to you and your crush,” Hailey tries to sound excited.

Dianne’s lips slowly turn up into a curl. 'Success!' Hailey thought, now she just has to endure listening.

“Can you imagine that after two years I finally get to talk to Elise!” Dianne said as she shakes Hailey’s shoulder.

“No, I can’t imagine,” Hailey tries not to sound sarcastic but she can’t help it. 'Crap, not only my ears, I have to prepare my body too' she thought.

Dianne is like that when she’s excited. Only with her, coz as far as she knows, her cousin doesn’t open up with other people easily. By the end of Dianne’s story, she’ll probably be all bruised up with her ears bleeding heavily.

“And you know what? Huh?”

“No, I don’t, stop asking me useless questions and just continue with your story, And you don’t need to shout, I can hear you loud and clear.”

“Sorry about that, you know you’re the only one whom I can share this… anyways, you know I didn’t make the first move! She did! I thought I’ll be graduating without even having the chance to talk to her.” Dianne said dreamily.

“And guess what? She’s the one who took me home, I rode in her car, can you imagine that?”

Hailey rolled her eyes, Dianne keeps shaking her, she started to feel dizzy. She doesn’t get why people act like an i***t when it comes to love.

“But don’t you find it weird? You said so yourself two years and she just talked to you now? Maybe she’s just playing with you.” Hailey tries to put some sense into her cousin’s head.

” I also thought of that, but I think she talked to me out of necessity, she needed something and I’m the closest one to get help from.” Dianne explains.

“Then why did she stretch an effort to give you a ride? ”

“Because she’s a nice girl, and she wanted to thank me for helping her!” Dianne beams.

“You completely lost it.” Hailey shakes her head.

“You think I should confess soon?”

Hailey’s eyes widen “What are you crazy?! Look, I don’t want to sound mean but do think she’ll accept you? I mean she’s a girl, and from what you’ve told me, I think she’s straight.”

Dianne’s mood turned gloomy again. Hailey tried to reverse what she said.

“Or she could be bi, you know you really can’t tell in this day and age what a person’s s****l orientation in one glance right? So continue what you’re doing Dianne. I’ll cheer for you.”

Hailey doesn’t want Dianne to be sad. Because when Dianne is sad, the girl barely moves, and she doesn’t want that, especially when there are some dishes to wash.

“Really, you think so?” Dianne smiled.

“Yeah! I do. But Dianne you have to make sure first that this girl—what’s her name again?”

“Elise, Eli for short ” Dianne eagerly answered.

“Yeah, you have to make sure that this Eli, really has an interest in girls too. Better if you try to pique her interest first, then get some clue. ” Hailey knew the talks about all-girls schools, they say lots are les-bis. Be it just from a fantasy of a teenage boy who gets excited to see some girl-girl actions, it probably has some truth to it, the girl beside her is one piece of evidence.

“Well, at school, I try to look mysterious and cool, I think that’s what made her curious about me,” Dianne brags.

“Really?” Hailey asks raising her eyebrows; she doubts that her cousin is successful in doing that because Dianne is usually awkward with other people.

“Well, one piece of advice from me Dianne, I’ll be a devil’s advocate here, I hope you don’t, but be prepared to get your heartbroken. What you’re treading is quite a hard path, people are monsters. Gramps and I accepted you for who you are because we are family, But this Eli, she’s not and she might react differently. I just don’t want you to cry anymore, you’ve cried enough.” Hailey said sincerely.

“I know that too. But when I set my eyes on Elise Ham two years ago, I already prepared myself to take the risk and I think now’s my time.” Dianne said in a determined tone.

Hailey chuckled. “You sound cheesy as if it was you who made the first move if it wasn’t for—Did you just say, Elise? Is the last name Ham?”

“Uhm” Dianne nodded.

Hailey’s eyes widen, “You mean the Elise Ham, our neighbor”

“Yup, why is there a problem?”

“Nothing, I was just surprised we’ve been talking about her all along,” Hailey said, which earned a slight punch from Dianne.

“You made me nervous, I thought you knew something.”

“Aren’t they notorious? Even in our school, there was some talk they were the ones who stole Nikki's jersey--Nikki our basketball star player, tall, tan, and devilishly handsome with abs to die for. They said it was her and her gang.”

“That’s just rumors, I didn’t know you believe in such,” Dianne quickly dismisses. Not even bothering about the guy Nikki.

“What happened to you?” Dianne suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Hailey turned to the nearest glass where she can see her reflection, her hair turned up to be messy and her clothes a bit ripped off. It looked like she went into a catfight. It was caused by Dianne’s all-giddy reaction earlier, but she didn’t think it was this worse.

“Hey! Really?! You did this and how dare you to ask!”

Dianne bursts into laughter “Did I? Sorry, don’t kill me!” and she started to run.

“Hey!” Hailey runs after her too.

------------------------------------------

Over at Ham’s residence

Elise paces back and forth in her room, she still can’t believe that Dianne lives nearby all along. She has been thinking about why Dianne escaped her radar. She doesn’t know everyone in their subdivision but she knows some of her schoolmates and some of her father’s business connections who lived there. Especially those who attend the same gathering as her. Now she’s trying to remember who lived in the house next to them. She was sure it was an old man. She thought maybe it was Dianne’s grandfather or maybe the house has been bought by Dianne’s family. But what puzzles her more is that Dianne seemed to hide this fact from her when they offered to send her home.

But now that Dianne has grabbed her interest, she can’t help but get excited to have a piece of her. She’s already imagining asking Dianne to go to school together, or maybe have a sleepover at each other’s house at some time.

Elise slides the curtain aside and tries to peek through her window only to be disappointed to see high walls, theirs, and Dianne’s house; a typical house of the riches, she didn’t mind it before but now it was irritating her since it’s blocking her view.

But she can see the roof of the other house, which gave her an idea that if she just goes upstairs maybe she can have a sneak quick look at what goes on in her neighbor’s.

She fumbled over her stuff to look for her ultimate spyware: her binoculars.

She flashed a silly smile, she can’t believe she is turning herself into a voyeur because of a girl.

She runs to the third floor and she found a spot but failed she still can’t see anything. She decided to go to the attic and there she found another better gadget, her telescope that she used for stargazing.

She can’t help but be thrilled by her current ‘operation’, it reminded her of the movie ‘Disturbia’.

She peeked through the telescope and presto! She came into the right spot, as she sees the neighbor’s house. Luck may be on her hand, the house was almost opened for viewing, the building was composed of large windows on the first floor, the owner must have a great love for sunlight.

Not long after, Eli spotted a movement,

“It’s Dianne”

The girl was wearing a tee and a short revealing her long legs, she had her hair tied up. It was a different feel from her usual look in school. And what made it more different was Dianne seemed to be laughing as she was being chased by another girl.

“Must be her sister, so cute,” She was quite pleased to find that Dianne has this fun side.

Eli didn’t notice that hours passed watching the two until the maid called her for dinner. She went down to have her dinner but her mind was still over her next-door neighbor, later she plans to go have a peek again.

After she’s done with dinner, Eli proceeded in making her school works due tomorrow, and by the time she finished, it was already past nine.

“She must be already asleep,” she tried to fight the urge to go to the attic again. But her feet must have acquired their minds as she finds herself already in there.

“Okay let’s see what she’s doing,” looking through the telescope.

She was quite disappointed when she saw the lights all turned off.

Until she turned the second floor, two windows still have their lights on.

“So which one is Dianne’s room?” it was quickly answered when the girl appeared in her view.

Dianne was pacing through her room getting some stuff here and there. It was hard to follow since her telescope was a bit heavy to turn. She let her eyes rest a while but what she saw when she looked again gave her quite a shock.

Dianne was undressing before her eyes!

Eli was struck in panic as blood rushed into her face, she gazed away but she already saw the ‘best’ part of it, she thought of calling Dianne to stop what she was doing, but she remembered she doesn’t have her number, and of course, it will also reveal that she’s been acting peeping tom on the girl.

Eujung doesn’t know if curiosity made her peep again, but she did anyway. She was quite relieved to see Dianne in more decent clothing, it turned out she changed into her pajamas. She saw Dianne reached for something and the lights turned off.

She left the attic and went to her room, she hasn’t recovered from what she saw earlier.

“Whew! I can’t believe you are quite an exhibitionist Dianne Park,” tried to laugh.

Eli lied down on her bed and tried to initiate sleep, but as she closed her eyes, she gets reminded of it, she can feel her face heat up.

She abruptly got up and hit her head twice.

“Aish! Get over it, Elise Ham! I shouldn’t have looked in the first place.”

“This is bad why am I feeling this way? I must have turned into a lesbian already.”

Eli didn’t know when and how, but after much tossing and turning, she finally drifted into deep slumber…