CHAPTER 5

I placed down my controller as I watched Zach drop his head in defeat.

"Third time man. That's more than one win. Are you sure you want to keep going?"

He sighed.

"No. You're right. I can't handle any more of this." He looked up and held a hand to the sky. "My time is slipping away. I've lost... too much." He let his hand fall down on him and he fell back.

I laughed at his whole display.

"All right, all right. Get up. You're making me feel bad."

"That was the point," he added, opening one eye to look at me.

"Okay, okay. I'll play one game of yours. Only because I feel bad from you losing so many times by my hand."

I got up and headed towards my bathroom to start taking off my makeup. I was so distracted by our games that I forgot to take it off. Zack followed me and stood at the bathroom door leaning on the doorframe. A smirk grew on his face making a small chill run down my spine.

"You mean it?"

I locked eyes with him with the reflection of the mirror for a second really thinking this through.

"Yeah. What could be the worst to happen?"

He bit his lip a bit as if to hold back a laugh.

"How about good old 'Truth or Dare'?''

I rolled my eyes.

"Really? How old are you?"

"Old enough to know how to really play this game."

His smirk played on his lips making my stomach do flips. He may be my friend but I couldn't help thinking he was a little hot. I mean, he is the hottest guy in school for a reason.

I kept taking off my makeup and eventually looked up again. I grabbed a towel and slowly patted my face dry.

"Alright, fine. Since this game is for me, I'll go first," I said, turning around, folding my arms.

He readjusted his position and looked at me dead in the eyes.

"Truth or dare, Jess?"

I leaned back from his look feeling like saying dare would be the worst idea possible.

"Truth."

"Oh, you're no fun."

I looked to the side not wanting to change my choice.

"Fine. Are you interested in anyone?"

Jesus he was sure straight to the point. I kept my eyes facing away from him and without even realizing it my face started to get a little warm. I thought about Ashley and what she said with Ian. She wasn't wrong, he is cute but I've never really been one to focus on him that much. If anything it would probably be Zach as the person I focused on most.

Then Ashley's words played in my head.

"…you've had to at least thought about what he looks like behind all those layers of clothes…"

My face got hotter. I couldn't tell if it was Ian or Zach I was starting to imagine with that.

"Ah, I'll take that as a yes. Who?"

I looked up past Zach so I wouldn't meet his gaze.

Why won't I meet his gaze?

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. Your face told me all that I needed to know."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Well you're wrong it's no one."

"Liar."

I playfully gasped and finally looked at him. I couldn't quite place what his expression was because the moment I looked at him I really started to imagine him shirtless.

Dammit Ashley this is all your fault!

I quickly cleared my throat and did my best to keep my eyes from wandering. I walked past him and back to my bedroom. I sat down in my desk chair and leaned back into it.

"Yeah well I reacted because I've been single my whole life so the idea still makes me blush. I'm like a middle schooler. Get over it. Not all of us have had their first kiss let alone lose their virginity."

He winced at my words.

"Ouch. No need to get all defensive."

"Whatever. Now it's my turn. Truth or Dare?"

"Since I'm not a pussy, dare."

I sat up and started thinking of something good to make him do as a sort of pay back for what he asked me.

"I dare you to..."

C'mon, think me. What could I possibly do to make him regret saying dare?

And that's when it dawned on me.

"Okay. I got it. I dare you to drink ranch."

He grimaced at the sound of the dare and did something like a gag.

"Really? Do I really have to do that?"

He hates ranch. I count this as a win.

"You said dare. Now get up, and do it."

He groaned and then walked out of my room to the kitchen. I got up and followed him with a dumb smile on my face as he slowly walked over to my fridge. He got to it and then opened the fridge, groaning again when he saw the bottle of ranch. He looked at me practically begging with his eyes.

"Do I really have to? I mean, it's just so... gross."

"No take backs. Do it."

He whined and grabbed the bottle, closing the fridge. He placed it on the counter right beside us and just looked at it as if trying to gain the courage to actually drink it. I couldn't help but laugh a little at how stupid he looked right now.

He glanced over at me and sighed.

"You owe me a dare."

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine."

I pulled out my phone ready to record this and saw that it was already a little past one in the morning.

He saw my phone and took it out of my hands.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"No recording. That's just way too much power for you."

I folded my arms and pouted like a kid.

"Rude."

He put my phone in his pocket and then went back to staring at the bottle of ranch.

"We don't have all night. At this rate it'll be time to go to school when you're done."

"Oh shut up. I'm concentrating."

I sighed and went over to grab the bottle. I opened it and shoved it in his face, forcing him to drink it.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"Too bad! Drink it!"

He grabbed the bottle from my hands and then took two sips before putting it back on the island making vomiting sounds.

I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at his reaction. I held my stomach as I laughed, almost falling to the floor.

He ran to the sink and started washing his mouth out and drinking loads of water.

"That's not very nice."

"What does it matter? You drank it!"

"Yeah but now you have to do a dare. You owe me."

I froze at his words remembering I'd let him do a dare for me.

"Oh no."

He stood up with a smirk growing on his lips.

"Oh yes."

He walked up to me and grabbed my hand. I felt my heart speed up a bit. He was so close to me. I couldn't even begin to imagine the things he'd dare me to do.

"I dare you to give me your first kiss."

I looked at him shocked but it didn't take long for me to shift my face to a serious one.

"No."

His face fell.

"It's a dare. You have to."

I shoved him off me.

"Fuck you that's too far."

"What? You made me drink ranch. How is this any different?"

I started walking off when he grabbed my hand again.

"You have a girlfriend. If you're that horny to suck someone's face, go to her house."

I yanked my hand away from him and walked over to where his stuff was. I started getting his stuff ready to kick him out of my house.

"Why are you taking this so seriously? It's just a simple dare. Just a peck."

"Fuck off."

I shoved his stuff into his arms and started to push him to my door.

"Jessica. Please don't be mad at me. I was kidding."

"I don't care. You took the game too far."

He stopped making me bump into his back. He turned around and faced me but I looked away not wanting to face him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Well you did and now I want you out of my house."

"Jessica. Just calm down. I didn't mean it like that."

I frustratingly sighed and pinched the bridge between my nose.

"Just go. Let me sleep the anger off."

He sighed and looked to the side.

"Don't hate me okay? It was just a stupid game."

"You aren't making this any better. Leave before you make this worse."

He didn't say anything else as he grabbed my phone out of his pocket and set it down on the small table by my front door. He paused and sighed before walking out. I stayed where I was and just waited until I heard his car drive off to a few houses away.

Why did he have to live so close by? It only made things worse.

I sighed and shuffled over back to my room, turning off the light as I plopped down onto my bed.

Why did I have to snap like that? It was just a dumb dare. But for him to ask me that was a little too much.

I touched my lips, softly rubbing them thinking about if I actually did the dare.

"It would've been my first one."

I sighed again and rolled over to the other side of my bed.

I can't imagine us being more than friends.