The blood drained from my face and my vision narrowed till all I saw was that dare staring at me, mocking me from behind a glass screen. My mind went blank and I didn't even hear the bell ring nor see the kids that rushed to take their seats. I had that horrible buzz filling my head, that feeling when you know something is horribly off and absolutely nothing good could come of this thing.

The only reason I had an Instabook account was so I could monitor the Care Dares the kids were posting about each year. They were allowed to post about it as long as they used the appropriate hashtags so school administrators and parents could follow along.

Who could have done this? Why did someone do this? Who the hell even knew I wrote songs?

"Ms. Woodland? You want us to start reading the next chapter?" The voice of my student from the first row broke into my thoughts and reminded me I had a class to teach. Get through the next four classes, then I could take my lunch break and take the first steps to figuring out what was going on.

When I sat down in the teacher's lounge, I grabbed my phone and logged into my Instabook account.

Login Failed. Please try again.

I tried three more times before I realized I wasn't going to get in. My account had been hacked, that's for sure. I created a new user account and went to my old account, reviewing the dare again. Nothing further was posted on my account, but I took a screenshot of what was there.

Then I went to the Care Dare hashtags and reviewed what the kids were posting. Since their own dares hadn't even started yet, they were mostly talking about me. Lots of speculation on who dared me and what the song thing was all about. One post even went so far as to say I was a famous singer, teaching incognito for kicks. Ha! Like a millionaire singer would teach high school English in their spare time just for fun. Perhaps my kids had a different idea of 'fun'.

I sobered quickly when I remembered the issues Kai was having. Two of his saves had mentioned being dared. It didn't have to do with my program, but I was starting to wonder what was going on since something, or someone, outside of my program had now dared me.

I thought of at least ten reasons why I shouldn't contact Kai, but in the end, my practicality won out. If my dare had anything to do with what he thought might be going on, it would be a smart move to at least let him know. And I wanted to know if he'd found out anything further. I could survive a conversation, I was sure of it.

I had my phone in hand, ready to dial the lifeguard headquarters, when I got a text from my sister.

Rainna: Had a nice time chatting the other day. You should come see my shop soon. Xoxo

I covered my mouth, eyes wide. My estranged sister was at my house just two days ago and saw my songwriting. Today, I get dared publicly to sing one of my songs. Coincidence? I didn't think so.

Hessa: Very funny stunt you pulled. How about you give me back my hacked account now?

Rainna: ??

Tessa: Just be honest. Did you hack my Instabook account?

Rainna: Hell, no. I don't do social media.

And that left me back where I started, if I trusted Rainna when she said she didn't do it. Which I didn't.

I sighed, the inevitable chafing my skin like an ill-fitting, cheap thong. I'd have to call Kai. I dialed the number listed on the City of Huntington Beach website and waited through four rings, reminding me of a rhythmic death march to my humiliation.

"Lifeguard Headquarters. How can I help you?" A perky woman answered the phone and I prayed I could leave a voicemail.

"Hello. I'm trying to reach Kai Kāne. Can you help me with that?"

"Sure, let me transfer you. If he's available, he'll answer, otherwise just leave a message."

A peppy Beach Boys song came on while I waited on hold. I'd met the lead singer at a fundraiser one time. I high-fived him...my claim to fame.

Voicemail, voicemail, voicemail... I chanted my wish, throwing it out to the universe to take care of for me.

"Kai Kāne, how can I help you?"

Dammit, universe.

"Uh, hi, Kai." Now I was rhyming. This was not starting off well. "This is Hessa Woodland."

There was a pause. I wondered if I should clarify who I was. Would he have forgotten?

"Hessa." He paused. "How did you like that macadamia hot chocolate?" His voice had deepened, gotten more intimate.

Oh, he knew who I was.

"It was quite delicious." Oh Lord, did I really bring that up again? I wanted to forget he'd called me 'ono' even though I'd been reliving that moment for several nights in a row as I went to sleep at night.

He chuckled, the sound warm and friendly. "I'm sure it was delicious. Not that you need a reason, but what are you calling for this lovely Monday?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I had something odd happen today and I think it may be connected to those dares you were talking to me about. It could also just be my semi-criminal sister having a joke on me. But I didn't want to take any chances. I'm on my lunch break right now and have to get back to class shortly. Do you have time to talk later today?" I forced my hands to stop pulling on my sweater. We were simply two professionals talking. No need to flutter around like a scared school girl on her first date.

"It must be serious if you're calling me, admitting there might be some validity to what I was asking you about." I could practically hear the smirk on his face. "How about you come down to the beach after I get off at five. Meet me at Headquarters and wear workout clothes. That work for you?"

I sputtered. "Focus your audio. If I'm wrong, I have no problem saying I'm wrong. I just thought you might be interested in what transpired today because it might be connected. No need to bring the snark." What was it about this guy that made me defensive in two seconds flat?

"Hessa. I meant no offense. I'm going to assume that calling me a week after arguing how there could be no possible connection to your program would be a hard call to make. That makes me think you have something very serious to discuss. There's no time to waste. So. Five o'clock, Headquarters. You good?"

I sighed. Maybe I was a bit defensive. I felt like I needed his help so I'd have to suck it up, buttercup. "Okay. I'll be there. Wait--why am I wearing workout clothes?"

"See you soon, Hessa." Click.

That aggravating man! I needed his help, but this seemed too steep a price to pay.

Even so, my traitorous heart skipped a beat as it counted the minutes until our meeting.

It was a rush, but I stopped by my house to change and still made it to Lifeguard Headquarters in time to meet Kai at five o'clock. I was a stickler for punctuality and he didn't disappoint. He was standing outside the front door, spotting me as I pulled into the parking lot. He came over and opened my car door for me, which spoke to my heart, a sentimental lover of all things chivalrous and old fashioned.

"Kai." I stood, tugging my shirt down, trying to cover the glorious ass that was on display in these tight workout pants. Time to practice my self-love, a' la Beach Squad.

"Hessa." He put a hand on my lower back and steered me down the ramp leading to the beach. "Let's stretch."

We sat down on a cement half wall and he proceeded to put me through a series of stretches.

"Did you forget your shoes?" I asked, not hiding the snark in my tone. The man was barefoot, which seemed weird when everyone around us had on either flip-flops or tennis shoes.

"No." He didn't seem perturbed by my question at all. In fact, his smirk seemed to speak volumes, mocking me for being the one in footwear.

"What are we doing here?" I had a bad feeling about this. Anything that required this much stretching was bound to be a level of strenuous beyond my capabilities.

"This is what I do after work most days of the week. I go for a run. Today, you get to join me." Kai actually gave me a look that was supposed to be magnanimous, but little did he know I had no intention of taking him up on this running 'gift'.

"Oh, I'm not a runner. How about I stay here and grade some papers while you go on your run? We'll talk after."

"Hessa." He glared at me with a hint of a smile, like I was a petulant child who would change her mind.

"Kai." I put my hands on my hips and stood my ground. I was still recovering from shin splints from my run with the Beach Squad two days ago. I wasn't doing that again.

"We'll go slow. Take breaks. You'll love it." He lost the glare and smiled at me instead, showing off that dimple. The dimple with powers over my cognitive ability.

"We better check the weather report. I think it's supposed to rain this evening." My excuses were getting weak, but a girl had to try, right?

Kai spread his hands out, palms up, tipping his head back and scanning the sky. "Look up. Check out that blue sky. See any dark clouds?"

"Well, I don't see them right now, but the weather report said--"

"Hessa. We don't need a little app to tell us what the weather is. Just take a look outside. Don't let that app control your life." Kai stepped closer and cupped my face with his two hands, tilting my head back, forcing me to look up at the clear blue sky.

"Hmm..." I wasn't sure if I was commenting on the sky or merely moaning my appreciation of his hands on my face.

He brought my face back to meet his gaze, thumb sweeping back and forth across my cheek. He had a patient smile and his eyes had gone soft. "Come with me, Ono," he whispered.

It was the whispered nickname that threw all my excuses out the window. When one quietly spoken word can make your stomach melt and your heart glow, you shouldn't fight it. I'd never felt this way before and I was curious and tempted enough to go with it to see where it would lead.

I nodded my acceptance, earning me another dimpled smile. I burned that look into my brain to help me endure the next thirty minutes of torture. When his hand slid away from my face and grabbed ahold of my hand, I was ready to sign up to do this every day.

We walked out onto the sand, just steps away from the retreating water's edge. He kept his hand around mine, swinging our joined arms as we walked. True to his word, we never ran, just walked in comfortable silence, taking in the peacefulness of the beach at this hour. Only a few people were out enjoying this paradise. The sun was close to setting and I wondered if we looked like a couple in love, going for a romantic walk on the beach. The thought was more appealing than I would ever admit.

"So, you wanna tell me what's going on? What's got you worried?" Kai broke the silence, giving me an encouraging look.

I shook myself out of my love-sick daydream and focused on what I came here for. "Let me just preface this by saying I don't think what I have to tell you has anything to do with my program, but in case it does, I wanted to be on the safe side." I looked over at him out of the corner of my eye to see him nodding that he understood. "When I got to school this morning, some of my students ran in and showed me my account on Instabook. My profile had been hacked and my cover photo was now a dare, just for me. I've been dared to sing one of my songs in public."

Kai looked concerned. He pulled us to a stop and faced me, letting go of my hand to fold his arms over his chest. "You have no idea who could have done that?"

"No. I mean, it may have been my sister, but she denied it when I asked today."

"Why do you think your sister would have done it?"

"Well, she and I don't have the best relationship in recent years and she was just at my house on Saturday and carelessly, I had my songs out. I thought maybe she was just being an obnoxious cow. But she didn't seem to know anything about it when I asked her."

"Who else knows you write songs?"

"No one! That's the whole thing. I write for the fun of it. It's like a quiet little hobby of mine that I don't share with anyone. I let out my stress or anger or sadness, or any emotion really, by putting it all down on paper in song form. It's highly personal. And now the whole world knows I write songs!" I was wringing my hands, shifting from side to side, wanting to outrun the discombobulating situation.

Kai grabbed my hands in his and pulled me down onto the sand. We sat facing the ocean and I wondered what we were doing.

"When I'm stressed, I like to run on the beach and then meditate as the sun sets. It's become a habit of mine that keeps me centered and focused on the things that matter. Close your eyes." Kai closed his eyes too, but kept his hand on my thigh, our knees touching.

The conversation had veered off into a direction I wasn't anticipating, but I went with it as I seemed to be unable to say no to this man. I looked around and saw that no one was in our immediate vicinity which lowered my chance of being caught looking like a hippie-dippy meditating in public. Kai squeezed my thigh, causing me to jump and then follow directions by closing my eyes.

"Take a deep breath in. And blow it out. Good. Another deep breath. Focus on filling your lungs and then exhaling all the air." Kai was speaking in a low, soothing tone. My body was following his instructions and I found myself relaxing my shoulders down, the panic leaving my body as if sucked out by the ocean breeze.

"Now just keep breathing deep and allow your mind to drift. Feel the sand on your legs, the wind in your hair, the sound of the waves crashing. Feel all that the universe has given you. Breathe in the energy of the universe, exhale the stress we've placed on ourselves." Kai's voice drifted off, leaving me to continue my breathing.

As much as I wanted to laugh at this silliness, it was working. I felt like that one time at a faculty party when I'd downed a whole glass of champagne and the room had gone pleasantly fuzzy. My limbs felt detached from my body, my head floated up in the clouds, and I'd forgotten what I was talking about earlier. The heat from the delectable man next to me kept me from completely losing touch with my surroundings.

I couldn't tell how long we sat there, just absorbing the present moment, but when Kai squeezed my knee sometime later, I wasn't ready to leave that calm cocoon. I could feel his stare on my face, but even then I didn't open my eyes. I didn't want to return to heated conversations that left me tongue-tied, a world where my private habit was publicly exposed, or a place where people were wrecking the great reputation of the Care Dare program.

I don't know how long meditation experts sat in contemplation but I was willing to run for the Guinness Book of World Records.

"Let's get you back, Ono," Kai whispered to me.

I peeped one eye open. He hopped up and held out his hand. I let out a most pathetic sigh and let him help me up. He kept ahold of my hand while walking us back in the direction of the Headquarters building.

"Got plans Wednesday?" Kai wasn't looking at me and the question seemed casual enough.

"No, I don't believe I do." I reserved my enthusiasm since conversations with Kai rarely went down a normal path.

"Meet me here again at five. We'll step things up to a slow jog and do the meditation thing again. I think you like it." He winked at me before continuing. "In the meantime, I'll call my friend Jack, a police detective, and see if he has anything else about these dares. I'll need your phone number in case anything else comes up."

Smooth. That was real smooth.

"Why, Mr. Kāne. Did you just request my phone number?" I had my hand over my heart and the most innocent of shocked expressions on my face.

"Don't get excited, Ms. Woodland. I ask for all the hot English teacher's phone numbers." He smirked at me in response.

He could pretty much do anything right then and I wouldn't argue. The hottie lifeguard just called me hot. We exchanged numbers and I left, the tranquility from the meditation and Kai's deep voice carrying me all the way home.

Kai

I watched Hessa drive away, more unsure of what I was doing than ever. I told myself I'd stay away from her, but everywhere I turned, there she was.

They sure hadn't made high school English teachers like her when I was going to school. The sexy librarian look of skirts and heels and glasses. And then tonight, the tight pants that highlighted that ass of hers. I wanted to grab it, squeeze it, and hang a sign on it claiming it as mine.

Just when I thought I had her figured out, she showed me another side to her. She used brainiac words I'd never heard of, acting superior looking down her nose at us normal people. But then she melted into the sand enjoying the meditation more than I did. She argued with me and got defensive over every little thing I said, but then she'd told me she wrote songs and was embarrassed for anyone to find out.

I realized I was trying to pigeonhole her. Trying to fit her in a nice tidy box so I could understand her, reject her, and stay in my conformable little life. I hated when people did that, having been the pigeon shoved into that hole more times than I could count in my life. People had certain stereotypes in mind when you were born and raised in Hawaii.

I sighed, rubbing my hands along my cheeks, trying to clear my head of all things Hessa. I needed to put my personal feelings, as conflicted as they were, aside and focus on what was happening in my town. Someone was daring people to do reckless things and I needed to put a stop to it.

I dialed Jack's number from inside my truck. I hoped I wasn't bothering him so late in the evening, but he said to contact him immediately if anything else happened.

"Kai. What's up, man?" Jack seemed less serious than usual. I was about to ask if I was calling at a bad time when I heard a female voice laughing in the background. Clearly, I was interrupting.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'll keep this short."

"No problem at all." I heard a door slam shut and it got significantly quieter on his end of the line. "What's happening?

"You know the teacher at Surf City High that coordinates the Care Dare program we talked about? She told me she got dared this morning. Someone hacked into her social media account and dared her publicly. It's not a dangerous dare, but it is something not too many people know about and she wishes would have remained private. She's starting to wonder if it's connected to the two saves I had last week." I had no evidence to go off of, just a gut feeling that they were connected and part of something bigger.

"Hmm. That's definitely interesting. My tech guy notified me today that he's found some chatter about dares online in the area. HBPD got called out on a train jumper the other day. He got across the tracks before the train hit him, but he must have dropped something that messed with the tracks. Crew had to come out and fix it. They haven't found who did it, but we found the dare online. My tech guy's trying to trace it, but the IPs keep leading nowhere. I'd tell your friend to sit tight and don't engage if he reaches out and contacts her further."

The giggling female was back, telling Jack to hurry up. A little less giggle this time and more sass.

"Sorry, Kai. I'll call you back tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure--"

But Jack had already hung up on me. Guess I'd hang up on me too if I had an eager woman waiting for me. Which of course, just brought me back to thinking of Hessa. I wondered what her giggle sounded like. Did she actually giggle? Or was that too juvenile for her? I'd love to hear her full out laugh. Something told me it would be quite the site to see her let go of her highbrow decorum.