Even though the dares were mostly harmless tasks like taking a shot or singing some silly song, I decided to go with truth.
Sophia rubbed her hands together with barely contained glee. She didn't even wait for someone else to quiz me. "Is it true that you and Blaine Connolly ended things last semester because he still hung up on his ex?”
I frowned, immediately seeing right through her eer ily specific question. I rea lized I didn’t remember her from Biology at all. Blaine and I'd only dated for a blink of an eye bu t he did seem hung up on an ex—b ut not for the s mug reason that glittered in Sophia’s eyes. He claimed she ended up being crazy obsessed and because he cared about her once, he humored her. When we broke up, I'd claimed the baggage was too heavy to b ear, but the truth was I had a crapload of my own.
All roads led back to Chance. E ven some stupid truth or dare game.
"Yeah that's why we broke up," I answered with a shrug. I turned to Alicia, ready for the spotlight to be on someone else.
Alicia cleared her throat, cutting through the awkward silence as the other girls looked at me and Sophie, weaving some fictional showdown. If they only knew of the real, flesh and blood affair I was having with the new English professor...
I barely moved as Alicia quickly ushered them out, citing some exam or last minute assignment. She was met with a chorus of disapproval but they filed out one by one, tryin g to plot out some location they could relocate the party to.
Once Alicia and I were alone, she gave me a conciliatory sigh. "I swear to god I didn't know Sophie dated Blain e."
I gave another shrug. "It's no biggie. I'm not secretly still pining for him or anything."
Her blond brows drew together in confusion. "But you went really quiet. Like you were sad about something."
I busied myself with gathering trash from the coffee table . I was sad about somet hing but it was more that Blaine Connolly and every guy I'd dated since had just been placeholders, distractions from a truth I couldn't escape. No one else compared. No one else could reduce me to a puddle on the floor . No one else hurt me so deeply...and there was no one else I wanted to forgive and start over with more .
It was all insane. Insane that he was back in my life. Insane that I let him in. Insane that all it took was a ‘come hither’ glance and it was as effortless as breathing to do the thing he’d asked me to do three years ago: submit.
“That wasn’t horrible?” Alicia asked skeptically.
“Nah,” I said with a noncommittal shrug. “It wasn’t that bad once people were more concerned with the next dare instead of pretending they cared about my dad.” I bit my lip, realizing my internal filter was faulty and my bitterness was showing.
Alicia let out a groan, gripping her hair with both hands. “I’m like, the world’s worst best friend. E ver.”
“Absolutely,” I smirked. “But I still love you.”
When she gave me an unconvinced look, I looped my arm through hers an d tugged her back toward the living room . “How about I give you a han d cleaning up all of this stuff?”
Alicia turned on her iPod and w e went to work, some bubbleg um pop singer belting out a song about love and love lost. I tried to focus on rounding up the Dixie cups and plastic cocktail plates, but I kept seeing Chance ’s face . That mischievous smirk. Those hooded eyes. His dark locks, wild and unruly. Gooseflesh spread over me at the memory of his touch , bringing bac k the imprint of what we were. Every caress confirmed the secret I kept took away all these years .
I’d never gotten over him at all.
“Are you okay?”
I blinked, shaking off the memory as I crushed a stack of cups in my hand. “Sorry, I zoned out.”
“Zoned out? You were standing there, not moving a mus cle for like, five minutes.” Alicia crossed her arms. “That’s a little more than being a little out of it.”
I b reezed past her, swatting away her
Sophia rubbed her hands together with barely contained glee. She didn't even wait for someone else to quiz me. "Is it true that you and Blaine Connolly ended things last semester because he still hung up on his ex?”
I frowned, immediately seeing right through her eer ily specific question. I rea lized I didn’t remember her from Biology at all. Blaine and I'd only dated for a blink of an eye bu t he did seem hung up on an ex—b ut not for the s mug reason that glittered in Sophia’s eyes. He claimed she ended up being crazy obsessed and because he cared about her once, he humored her. When we broke up, I'd claimed the baggage was too heavy to b ear, but the truth was I had a crapload of my own.
All roads led back to Chance. E ven some stupid truth or dare game.
"Yeah that's why we broke up," I answered with a shrug. I turned to Alicia, ready for the spotlight to be on someone else.
Alicia cleared her throat, cutting through the awkward silence as the other girls looked at me and Sophie, weaving some fictional showdown. If they only knew of the real, flesh and blood affair I was having with the new English professor...
I barely moved as Alicia quickly ushered them out, citing some exam or last minute assignment. She was met with a chorus of disapproval but they filed out one by one, tryin g to plot out some location they could relocate the party to.
Once Alicia and I were alone, she gave me a conciliatory sigh. "I swear to god I didn't know Sophie dated Blain e."
I gave another shrug. "It's no biggie. I'm not secretly still pining for him or anything."
Her blond brows drew together in confusion. "But you went really quiet. Like you were sad about something."
I busied myself with gathering trash from the coffee table . I was sad about somet hing but it was more that Blaine Connolly and every guy I'd dated since had just been placeholders, distractions from a truth I couldn't escape. No one else compared. No one else could reduce me to a puddle on the floor . No one else hurt me so deeply...and there was no one else I wanted to forgive and start over with more .
It was all insane. Insane that he was back in my life. Insane that I let him in. Insane that all it took was a ‘come hither’ glance and it was as effortless as breathing to do the thing he’d asked me to do three years ago: submit.
“That wasn’t horrible?” Alicia asked skeptically.
“Nah,” I said with a noncommittal shrug. “It wasn’t that bad once people were more concerned with the next dare instead of pretending they cared about my dad.” I bit my lip, realizing my internal filter was faulty and my bitterness was showing.
Alicia let out a groan, gripping her hair with both hands. “I’m like, the world’s worst best friend. E ver.”
“Absolutely,” I smirked. “But I still love you.”
When she gave me an unconvinced look, I looped my arm through hers an d tugged her back toward the living room . “How about I give you a han d cleaning up all of this stuff?”
Alicia turned on her iPod and w e went to work, some bubbleg um pop singer belting out a song about love and love lost. I tried to focus on rounding up the Dixie cups and plastic cocktail plates, but I kept seeing Chance ’s face . That mischievous smirk. Those hooded eyes. His dark locks, wild and unruly. Gooseflesh spread over me at the memory of his touch , bringing bac k the imprint of what we were. Every caress confirmed the secret I kept took away all these years .
I’d never gotten over him at all.
“Are you okay?”
I blinked, shaking off the memory as I crushed a stack of cups in my hand. “Sorry, I zoned out.”
“Zoned out? You were standing there, not moving a mus cle for like, five minutes.” Alicia crossed her arms. “That’s a little more than being a little out of it.”
I b reezed past her, swatting away her
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