I Dare You To Love Me

Weird Feelings

It’s been a week since Eli called Keira’s dare, and she doesn’t want to make any progress sooner or later. She might have gotten herself into a troublesome situation. Because Keira thinks otherwise and she’s been bugging her when to make a move. The two other girls haven’t been of any help since Em is busy trying to juggle her time for her studies and two boyfriends, while Bree can’t do anything but sympathize and eat.

In her attempt to lose Keira on her tail, her feet brought her into the library. She seldom steps there but she thought, Keira would never bother to check on her there. Since she’s already there, might as well read a book until their next period.

Elise picks a book on a shelf and chooses the table in the corner most of the room, away from the view of anyone. When she was about to slouch on one of the chairs, she was startled by a movement in peripheral vision. And what tough luck, it was the reason why she’s been avoiding Keira, it was Dianne Park, her supposed victim, who was sitting at the opposite of the table just about three seats from her.

Dianne Park must have also been startled by her presence, suddenly gathers all her things up and was about to leave, but the girl might have changed her mind when instead of leaving, Dianne went back to her seat and read again, or in her opinion, pretended to read again. It was impossible to read a book turned upside down.

Eli lets a silent chuckle as she finds the other girl’s action to be weird yet funny. Dianne must have heard her, as the girl stoops her head closer to the book as if she was in serious reading. She just shrugs her shoulders and proceeds to read her book as well.

Although she’s already reading, her mind can’t focus, Eli has been thinking about what Keira said that Dianne has a crush on her. With the girl’s action earlier, it is likely to be true. She has been oblivious of Dianne’s presence before or maybe she is not that interested. If not for Keira’s dare, she almost forgot that they have a classmate named Dianne Park.

Dianne Park is their classmate since two years ago. She knows little about her, except for being rich like her. In their class standing, Dianne is somewhere in the top 10. She’s not the typical nerd because she does not wear overly thick eyeglasses and she doesn’t shy away from people. Eli has seen her interacting with their other classmates but most of the time she reads a book. They have been group mates for a project but she really can’t remember her presence.

The girl didn’t leave a mark on her not until now…that she has to make her fall in love with her. And she is castigating herself for being so oblivious.

She wouldn't say Dianne is ordinary looking, even with her brunette hair tied up in a messy bun, and wearing that oversized sweater over their uniform maybe to hide her figure, Dianne still looks glamorous. After all the whole school is a flower garden. She remembered having a crush on the student council president during her freshman year, and then there's a cute junior pestering her, and arrogance aside, she is quite the looker too.

Eli raised her head to refrain from reading s***h psychoanalyzing the student body's aesthetics, and she saw Dianne staring at her, Dianne’s face turned red, knowing that she’s been caught looking at her, the girl averted her gaze and pretended to read again.

Feeling weirdly delighted to see her effect on Dianne, she thought, “At the count of three, if you look up again, you really have a crush on me, one…two…look up…three!”

A triumphant smile came over Eli when Dianne looked up, in her head, she blurted, 'Gotcha! You’re mine!'

Dianne on the other hand looked terrified as if she’s seen a ghost, she pretended to look at her wristwatch and hurriedly grab her bag and left.

Again, Eli can only laugh, she checked on her watch and realize it was almost time for the next subject as she was about to go, her eyes landed on a notebook laying on the table where Dianne was earlier.

“Oh, she left this, a good excuse for a conversation then.” She smiles and proceeds to their classroom.

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

“Hey, where have you been? We’ve been looking for you; you didn’t even get to eat lunch” Keira nagging her as soon as Eli entered the room.

“And whose fault is that, I just want to get away from you!” Eli said with gritted teeth, trying not to attract attention from their classmates.

“But we have to devise a plan, on your “little operation”,” the other girls whispered with a naughty tone.

“I told you, I’m not going to do it!”

“But you already chose and besides consider the prize of completing this challenge, you know that Beatles rarest LP, you've been asking for the longest time.”

“I don’t want it anymore.”

“Really? Elise Ham, the retromania, does not want my vintage LP anymore?"

“I’m just going to buy my own”

“It’s so rare, only five survived in the world and only one in this country, the other four will probably cause you a fortune.”

“I’ll just give it up.”

"Can you?"

Elise sighs,

“Keira, you have to understand, what you’re making me do is not that easy and you know I do not swing that way.”

“Then why did you pick her? You could have just go with the teacher.” Keira asks.

“You know that you left me not much of a choice, you think I can get away with having an affair with a teacher? I’m gonna get expelled for that.”

“Then just push with the Dianne girl, I promise it’s gonna be fun.”

“How do you know it’s gonna be fun? Don’t tell me you’ve tried---”

“Sssh, don’t get too shocked. I was just bored that time and it’s not as dirty as you think, I just hung around with them--” Keira giggles at Eli’s reaction.

“Them?! Oh my God, Keira, you are shocking me right now, I can’t breathe!”

Keira just laughs.

“Okay for your peace of mind, think of it this way, you’re not the one whose lesbian, Dianne is. You’re not going to fall in love with a girl but you are going to make her fall in love with you, remember there must be a confession. And that confession must be recorded or we must be there when the confession comes. When the confession comes, the challenge is over, you can just reject her and tell her she misunderstand you, that’s it. You are not having the lesbian affair so, you aren’t lesbian, clear?”

Eli rolled her eyes out of exasperation, there’s no way of winning Keira.

“I don’t know, I feel I need time and space to think away from you.”

Eli turns to look for Em, “Hey! Em-ah exchange seats with me!”

“Huh? Uh, O-okay,” clueless Em who was chatting with their other classmates seems confused at first but after exchanging meaningful glances with Keira and Bree finally agrees.

Eli, who was unaware of her friends’ exchange immediately transferred to Em’s seat, she just wants to get away from Keira right now.

She heard Keira’s giggle “Hey! Elise, I thought you said you needed time?”

“Huh?” Eli was slightly puzzled by Keira’s statement. She turns to her left and her surprise, Dianne was there, sitting stiffly and looking awkwardly at her.

She forgot, that Em and the girl share the same surname and it’s not farfetched that they are seatmates.

Eli was about to go back to her original seat but then refrained because the teacher finally arrived.

She can feel four sets of eyes on her, Em, Bree, and Keira whose looking shamelessly at her despite they are in the middle of the class and beside her Dianne who is facing the front but looking sideways in her direction.

On the other hand, she pretended to listen to the teacher’s lecture. She’s trying to ignore the four people who put her in this situation right now. She is embarrassed coz she knows her friends know what predicament she is in now that she is close with Dianne. While she’s feeling very awkward at how weird Dianne is acting towards her.

Also, she has been feeling confused at the unexplainable feelings that envelopes her. Seriously, she does not want to do the dare but at the same time, she somehow wants to get closer to Dianne. She does not want to admit that she doubts her sexuality right now but at the same time, she cannot help but feel good about the reaction from Dianne every time she is near her. The girl has a serious crush on her.

When she saw that her friends are now concentrated on their class, she gathers all her strength and turns to face Dianne who turned stiff.

“Hey, Dianne right?, Do you mind if I borrow an extra pen, I can’t seem to find mine.”

Dianne’s eyes landed on the pen that she’s been holding.

She felt her blood rushed over her face, her excuse got busted.

“O,h this? It’ doesn’t work, well if you don’t have one, I’ll just---”

“Here it is” Dianne handed her the pen that the girl was using.

“You’re using this, I can just---”

“No it’s okay, I have an extra one.” Dianne smiles shyly and tries to look for another pen in her bag. She took out a pencil instead.

It was their first decent conversation as far as Eli can remember; she returns her attention to the discussion and tries to jot down important notes with the pen that Dianne lent her. She’s unaware she’s been smiling throughout the class.

It’s the same with Dianne who can’t help but smile while stealing glances towards Eli. The awkwardness was still there, but it became more of a welcoming feeling. Dianne became more relaxed.

“Okay class that’s all for today, don’t forget to do your assignments…..” The teacher’s voice droned on their ears. It made them snap out of their dreamy state; whatever connection she made with Dianne earlier was lost.

It was the first time Eli did not feel delighted that the class has ended…it's weird...