Read Online Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green - Free Book Online Page A

him.” Her mom scraped her fork against the bottom of her bowl. “He… wants to see us.”
    “Why?” Sydney recoiled. Her dad lived five minutes away and she could count his attempts to see her the past few years on one hand. “What does he want?”
    “He doesn’t
want
anything, hon. He’s just been calling me more often lately. He misses us. He was thinking we could all go to dinner one night. You know, like a family night out.”
    “He is not family, Mom. At least not mine,” Sydney said frostily. “Family doesn’t just disappear and then show up again whenever it suits them.”
    Her mom rubbed her eyes. “He’s your dad, Sydney. Your blood. That makes him your family, no matter what. And he sounded a little… lost on the phone. I think he needs us right now.” Her mom sighed. “Sometimes in order to help someone we love, we need to forgive.”
    “And forget?” Sydney asked dryly.
    Her mom looked down at the table and Sydney wondered if maybe she already had—forgotten all the tears and screaming and locked doors. “It’s just a dinner,” her mom said quietly.
    “No!” Sydney snapped. “It’s you letting him walk all over you again.” The instant the words were out of her mouth, Sydney felt the guilt hit her, powerful as a wall. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. She reached across the table and squeezed her mom’s hand. “I’m just… tired.”
    “I know. Me too.” Her mom stood up and leaned over the table to kiss Sydney on the forehead. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay? Right now I’m going to crawl into bed and dream sweet dreams about a tornado sweeping away the hospital.” She yawned as she made her way to her bedroom. “Just kidding, of course,” she called over her shoulder.
    As her mom disappeared into her bedroom, Sydney slumped down in her chair. She felt that old, familiar anger brewing inside her. How many times had she watched her mom get pushed around by her dad? It used to break her heart every time, but eventually she’d learned that it was a whole lot easier—and a whole lot less painful—to get angry instead of sad. Taking a deep breath, Sydney stood up and stretched her arms over her head. She was just about to head to her room when her cell dinged. Her hand went instantly to her pocket.
    Guinness. Finally.
    The time is now
, he had written.
Meet @ Landing Spot?
    The Landing Spot was a seedy all-night diner in the Dread, a few blocks away from Sydney’s apartment building. Sydney’s fist tightened around her phone. What did Guinness think, she was just waiting around for him to text? That the second he beckoned, she’d come running? And to the
Landing Spot
of all places? Well, she was not that girl. She was not her mom. She didn’t just forgive and forget.
    Don’t think so
, she wrote back.
Past my bedtime
. But the second she pushed send, she regretted it. In spite of everything, she wanted so badly to see him again.
    Guinness responded almost immediately.
Y? It’s not like u needbeauty sleep.
Sydney felt a flush creep into her cheeks. From any other guy, that line would sound completely cheesy. But Guinness didn’t do cheesy. She was so tempted to give in.
    No. As much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t let him think he could just waltz in and out of her life.
    Another night
, she wrote back. At the last minute she added the nickname she loved to tease him with:
Corona.
Then she quickly turned off her phone before he could find a way to change her mind.
    Sydney rolled her shoulders a few times. Despite what she had written him about her bedtime, she was far from tired and she needed a change of scenery. Grabbing her camera and car keys, she slipped out of the apartment.
    Outside, the bite to the air hinted that fall would arrive within days. That was how the seasons worked in Massachusetts. They changed swiftly—no hesitation, no looking back. It wouldn’t be long before she was cranking up the heat in her car. But tonight she rolled the windows down,