AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A few people wanted to stay behind to watch the movie, but eventually everyone filtered outside to the roaring bonfire that Justin, Dane, and Paxton got going in the small clearing off to the left side of the lake house. Many other bonfires had been built in this exact spot over the years, so it was already surrounded with smooth logs that could be used as seating.
I sat next to Michaela on one of the logs, and Paxton joined us, sinking into the free spot on my left. There was no more space left for Tate, so he sat next to his brother on the closest log, keeping a watchful eye on me and Paxton as everyone drank, gossiped, and toasted marshmallows for s’mores.
When Paxton briefly left to grab some more drinks, I leaned forward and muttered to Tate. “Can you stop glaring at Paxton so much?”
He frowned. “I’m just keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t do anything weird,” he said. “I’m not being that obvious, am I?”
“You totally are,” I replied, raising a brow. “You look like you want to kill him.”
“Oh.” He laughed and shook his head. “Sorry. I’ll stop.”
Paxton returned and handed me a pre-mixed drink. “It’s watermelon-flavored,” he told me. “You said you like these ones the most, right?”
“Yes. Thanks.” I smiled and took a sip, enjoying the sweet fizz on my tongue. I was already pretty buzzed from the other drinks I had earlier, but I felt totally safe. The bonfire was warm and cozy, and I trusted Paxton not to foist too much alcohol on me. He’d already made a comment earlier about me needing to space out my drinks to make sure I didn’t get too drunk or sick.
“Listen up everyone!” Callie stood and clapped her hands loudly. “We’re going to play a game. Truth or Dare!”
There was a resounding groan from around the fire. “Come on, Cal,” one of the guys said. “We aren’t in sixth grade. We’re not playing Truth or Dare.”
“Please?” Callie said, widening her eyes. “It’ll be fun!”
“We can add a twist to make it even more fun!” Victoria said. She was Dane’s girlfriend, and she was already riotously drunk, constantly cackling with laughter and shrieking into the night.
“All right.” Dane folded his arms and leaned back. “What’s the twist?”
“Whatever someone picks for their truth or dare… everyone has to do it,” Victoria announced, voice slurring slightly.
“Oh my god, yes!” Callie giddily clapped her hands again.
There were a few eyerolls and groans, but everyone finally agreed to play. The first few truths and dares were quite tame, but as the game went on, they became a lot wilder.
When Troy McClennan’s turn rolled around, he announced a dare for the girls only. “I dare you all to show your tits to the person next to you,” he said, waving a hand. “C’mon, don’t be shy. Get ‘em out!”
“Wait… the person on our left or right?” Michaela asked, looking nervous. Tate looked absolutely horrified. I felt the same way. I really liked Paxton, but I wasn’t ready to flash my boobs at him.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Paxton grinned and lightly slapped my knee. “Looks like Sienna and Michaela are going to give each other a good show, then,” he said. “They don’t have to do it in front of everyone, do they?”
“Nah, I guess not.” Troy grinned. “Go on, then.”
A couple of the senior girls didn’t mind completing the dare in front of everyone, but the rest raced off into the nearby woods with the person next to them. Michaela and I did the same, finding a tiny clearing a few yards away from the fire.
“We aren’t actually going to do this, are we?” I asked, wrapping my arms around myself. It was freezing out here.
Michaela snorted. “Hell no. We’d probably freeze to death,” she said. “We’ll just lie and say we did it, okay? I’ll say your boobs are perky and awesome, and I’m totally jealous. You can say the same about me.”
She didn’t know this, but I actually was a bit jealous of everything she had going for her in the chest department. She was a much faster bloomer than me—tall with long, lanky legs, curvy waist and hips, and a DD-cup by the time she was fourteen. My boobs didn’t even start growing until I was that age, and even now, they were still only half the size of hers.
It didn’t seem to be something Paxton cared about, though. He’d only looked at me all night. Even when some of the other girls were wearing low-cut tops earlier, before the cold crept in, he hadn’t taken a single side-eyed peek at them. I knew because I’d watched him throughout the day just as much as he’d watched me.
“We should wait a couple of minutes before we go back. Otherwise they’ll know we’re lying,” Michaela said, rubbing her goose-pimpled arms.
I nodded and exhaled deeply. The air was so cold that I could see my breath hanging in front of me like a puff of smoke.
“God, I fucking hate this weather,” Michaela muttered. “My arm always aches when I’m cold.”
“From the old injury?” I asked. Back in seventh grade, she’d shattered her radius and ulna during a gymnastics meet.
