Zie

I thought I was doing the right thing, passing on the dare to kiss Peony. But I caught the flash of hurt in her eyes.

Did she want me to kiss her? She didn’t seem to want me to, but then, why was she upset when I said no? Does she think I don’t like her?

Because, god, I do. I wish I could tell or show her how much.

It’s not fair, the way the guys tease her about being inexperienced. Sure, they’re older than us, but it’s not like any of us have that much experience. I’ve kissed a couple of girls, but that’s either been a dare, curiosity or something that just sort of happened. I’m a lot more interested in kissing Peony than anyone else. It’s why it hurt when she demanded that I didn’t kiss her.

If I’m honest, it actually pissed me off. Plenty of girls want to kiss me. Enough of them watch me during swimming practice and giggle and blush when I walk by. So why doesn’t Peony like me? I bet she has a thing for Axel or Kaiden instead. They’re both bigger, stronger and more built than me. I bet that’s why she wouldn’t answer the question or choose one of us. Because she doesn’t want to wreck our friendship or hurt my feelings.

But then I think about that flash of pain and I’m left feeling like a dick. I don’t think I was the bad guy here but I hurt her somehow, which was never my intention.

Man, I hate it when the guys stir shit up like this. It leaves me frustrated and confused.