Free Dare to Love (Young Adult Romance) by Rosemarie Naramore

walking toward Courtney all
along.  I told myself I was glad I wasn’t partnered with him, though a part of
me really was disappointed.   
    “Okay, everybody,” Lieutenant Hudson
began, but then noticed me, still sitting in the chair.  “Looks like we’re one
short.  Well, Laura, you’ll have to be my partner.  Come on up here.”
    My mouth dropped open.  I shuddered
inwardly as I stood up and slowly walked over to him.  If it wasn’t bad enough
I was stuck being his partner, it was worse that I found myself at the front of
the room, all eyes on me.
    “Laura and I will demonstrate several
techniques and then you all can try them out,” the lieutenant said.
    Suddenly, I wished the floor would
open up and swallow me whole.  “Okay, Laura,” he said, “I’m going to grab your
arm.  You heard some of the suggestions your friends gave earlier as to how you
might get away from an attacker.  Now I want you to try to get away from me.”
    I took a deep, steadying breath.  I
glanced over at Jennifer.  She smiled at me, and nodded her head slightly. 
“You can do it,” she mouthed silently.
    Somehow, my eyes found Dare’s eyes. 
He watched me, a ghost of a smile on his face. 
    I turned back to the lieutenant.  “I
really don’t...”
    “Come on, Laura,” he said firmly,
“this is serious business.  You never know when you might need to do this for
real.”  He watched me intently and I swallowed hard over a lump in my throat.
    I searched my brain, trying to
remember what I’d heard the other explorers suggest earlier.   
    “Laura...” he prompted.
    His words dwindled as I quickly
slipped my leg behind his ankle.  I mustered as much strength as I could and
shoved my hands against his chest.  I caught sight of his shocked features as
he tumbled backward and hit the mat with a splat. 
    “Wow!” someone shouted.
    Did I do that? I wondered. 
    Nervously, I glanced at the lieutenant. 
He remained on the ground, watching me curiously.  I wondered if he was angry. 
Suddenly, he sprang from the floor and began thumping me on the back.  “Way to
go, Laura!” he enthused, laughing.  “I really didn’t expect that at all.  That
was perfect.  The element of surprise!  It really works.”
    I glanced around the room.  Everyone
was laughing! 
    “Well,” the lieutenant said, clasping
his hands together, “we didn’t talk about that particular maneuver earlier, but
remember it, group.  It really works...”
    I had to bite my lower lip to keep
from laughing myself.  I felt amazingly ... happy.  I’d managed to handle the lieutenant,
and I realized that had I known earlier at the river what I knew now, I might
have been able to handle Dare too. 
    “Okay, gang, why don’t you all try
Laura’s technique,” he suggested.  Then he rubbed his back side.  “But,” he
cautioned, “fortunately for me, I had a mat to break my fall...”
    I heard the humming laughter of the explorers
as the lieutenant turned back to me.  “Okay, Laura, let’s try out some more
techniques.”  He grinned suddenly, then whispered, “Take it easy on me, okay. 
I’m kind of old for this...”
     
    ***
     
    When the hour-long meeting came to a
close, I quickly grabbed Jennifer by the hand.  She watched me quizzically. 
“Let’s get out of here,” I urged. 
    I was eager to get away from the
group—and away from Dare.  Although the meeting had turned out better than I’d
expected, I couldn’t believe he had told the lieutenant about finding me at the
river alone. 
    “Why do you want to leave, Laura?  It
was actually kind of fun.  And you can’t tell me you didn’t have fun,” Jennifer
said, grinning.  “Really, Laura, hurling Lieutenant Hudson to the floor like
you’re Wonder Woman or something!”
    I shook my head.  “Hush up, Jen. 
Come on.”
    “Did you see the boy I was paired
with?” she asked me.  “He was kind of cute.”
    “Yeah, yeah.  Let’s just get out