It's nearing two in the morning, and almost everyone has left. There are still about ten people left at the party: Maddie, Vale, Tyler, Lucas, Dennis, and myself, along with a few other stragglers I don't know but are probably friends of Dennis. The music is off now, thank God, and we're all sitting in the living room together. I've had about four beers, so I am super happy right now, feeling nice and warm. I'm sitting on the floor next to Lucas, and his fingers are just centimeters away from mine. This is exactly what I was hoping would happen tonight. I'm so close to finally making this thing happen with him, and I'm so stoked.

"Ugh, this party is so lame," a girl I don't know says as she throws her head back and looks up at the ceiling, and it makes me wonder why she's even still here. But then she cozies up to Dennis on the couch and it all makes sense. "We should play a game or something."

"What kind of game?" Maddie asks, and I can tell she's losing some of the wind in her sails after being basically rejected by Vale the whole night. This makes my heart soar. I love seeing Maddie miserable when she doesn't get her way. The other girl shrugs her shoulders, and that's when Maddie's face brightens. Uh-oh. "Oh, I know. Let's play Truth or Dare!"

Dennis groans and rolls his eyes. "Truth or Dare, Maddie? Seriously? I played that game in the fifth grade."

Maddie gives him a tight smile. She clearly has ulterior motives here, and I can only imagine what sort of horrors are about to await my best friend. "Which makes it a party classic. Come on, guys. What do you say?"

A silence falls over the room, interrupted only by the sound of Tyler's phone going off. He steps outside to answer the call. Maddie looks around at everyone in the room, and since there are no objections, she claps her hands and sits straight up again. Yep, she's definitely up to something. And whatever it is, it can't be good. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

A few seconds tick by as we all wait for someone to volunteer as the first tribute. "Okay, I'll go first," Lucas says, and I feel my pulse quicken a little bit when he turns and looks at me. "Gen," he says, and I sit up straight too, waiting for the question and thinking about what my answer should be. "Truth or Dare?"

I consider for a few seconds before I say, "Uh, truth." Maddie scoffs and rolls her eyes, and I know what she's thinking. I don't have the balls to perform a dare. And she's right. At least not with everyone watching me like this. Which I guess is kind of the point.

Lucas's smile falters slightly, and I wonder if he was hoping I'd choose dare too. Shit, maybe I should've gone with dare. Well, too late to turn back now. "Okay then. If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for?" Someone slaps the brown pleather couch like this game is already super boring, but I like his question. It's not overly personal, but it's thought provoking.

"Oh jeeze. Okay. I'd wish for money so I could go to the school of my dreams. I'd wish for my mom to see me as much as she sees my sisters. And I'd wish for... good health for my friends." I make eye contact with Vale, who smiles at me from across the room. Then I turn to look at Lucas, who doesn't seem too happy with these answers. Oh no. Maybe I should've said something about him? Well again, too late to turn back now. I'll figure out some way to smooth things over with him in a few minutes.

"Oh my God, that was super lame," Maddie says as she leans back into Vale, who subtly scoots away. "Who wishes to be seen? So pathetic. That's like, next level boring, Genevieve. Stupid question, Lucas. I expected better of you."

Lucas doesn't look at her, and I see his cheeks are flushed. This makes me so angry. It's bad enough that she goes out of her way to embarrass me all the time, but Lucas didn't do anything wrong here. So I give Maddie a tight smile and say, "Okay, my turn. Maddie, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Maddie says confidently, sitting up straight again, making Vale visibly relax now that she's not leaning against him. "Duh."

"Great," I say, matching her movements and sitting up to face her. "I dare you to give up on Vale. It's not going to happen, Maddie. Quit being desperate."

I can't believe I just said that. It must be the four beers talking. Everyone starts laughing, but especially Dennis, who yells out something about Maddie being thirsty. Lucas is grinning next to me, which lights my heart up. Someone had to put her in her place eventually. I'm just glad I got to do it.

Maddie's cheeks redden softly, and she glares at her brother, who is still laughing even after everyone else has stopped. Then she says, "My turn. Dennis, Truth or Dare?" I expect him to say dare, but he surprises me and everyone else by saying truth. Maddie smiles, and I can sense her revenge bubbling just beneath the surface of her perfect exterior. "Why don't you tell everyone why you really got kicked out of school?"

The room gets suddenly tense, and things are no longer funny. Dennis freezes, and I can tell this is a sore subject by the way the girl beside him is frowning. "You bitch," he growls to his sister, but she just continues to smile innocently at him. Wow, and I thought my relationship with my siblings was shaky. "I got kicked out when I lost my scholarship for doing drugs. Happy?"

The girl beside him looks flabbergasted, and it's clear she knew nothing about this by the way she gets up and steps away from him before leaving the room. Dennis sighs miserably and hangs his head in apparent shame. A few seconds go by, and then I see a lightbulb go off over his head. He looks up and stares directly at Vale, who's already preparing himself for the worst. "Vale," Dennis says angrily, "Truth or Dare?"

Vale gives him a confident smile as he says, "Dare."

This seems to be exactly what Dennis was hoping he'd say, because he sits up straight, looks Vale in his light brown eyes, and says, with a vindictive tone to his voice, "I dare you to kiss Gen."

There's no laughter now. This game isn't fun anymore. Maddie glares at her brother so hard that if looks could kill he'd be dead on the floor. But my eyes are on Vale's, who seems to have dropped his confident demeanor and is now squirming uncomfortably. We stare at each other, and for a moment I think maybe he should refuse to do it. Sure, he'd be losing the game. But it's just a game, right? It doesn't matter, in the grand scheme of things. But then I look back at Maddie, who has an expression on her face like doubt, and I know she thinks we're not going to do it.

I laugh out loud. Maybe even a little too loud. Note to self: I'm loud when I'm drunk. Everyone turns to look at me. "Please. Vale and I swap spit all the time. We literally shared an ice cream cone today. This is nothing." I stand up and walk to the middle of the room, my face flushed with false confidence. But for once, Vale doesn't seem so sure. I look down at him, telling him with my eyes that we have to do this. We can't let Maddie win. And we've been friends for so long that I know he knows what I'm thinking. And I know he knows that I'm right. So he gets to his feet and meets me in the middle of the room. We stand together for a few moments, just staring at each other, neither one of us knowing who should move first. But it's his dare. He has to make the first move.

He steps forward, puts his hand on the back of my head, and pulls me gently to him. He hesitates for another quarter of a second. I close my eyes. And then his lips are on mine. It's instantaneous. The electricity hits me so hard that I feel like I'm burning from the inside. Fireworks are exploding everywhere as he deepens the kiss. My lips match his movements like a dance, and oh my God, what is this feeling? My stomach is doing somersaults, and my heart feels like it's beating ten times its normal rate. I slide my hands around his neck, holding him to me. His grip tightens in my hair, and it hurts so good. I don't want this to stop.

A cough. One single cough. That's all it takes to break the spell. He pulls away, releasing me from his grip, and takes a step back. We stare at each other for a few moments, unsure of what the hell just happened. His face is red, and his eyes are dazed, and I am so confused. Then I remember we're in a room with half a dozen other people, and when I look around, I see they're all staring at us with open mouths. Except Lucas. He's staring at the ground, disappointment flooding his face. And a few seconds ago, I would've been devastated to see him look like that. But now... now it feels like my world has just tilted on its axis.

Tyler has walked back into the room, and it's clear from the expression on his face that he saw the whole thing. His jaw is hanging open in shock. So is Maddie's, although this gives me a sick sense of delight. My eyes go back to Vale's, and I see his never left mine. Another cough (who the hell is coughing), and Vale takes another step away. Then he turns around and sits right back down where he was before. And I can tell by the looks on everyone's faces that we're done. The game is over. Where the hell do we go from here?

No one knows what to say. They all just stare at us, as if expecting us to say something. I think for a second, trying to channel Vale's usual confidence since he's staying so quiet. Then I smile cockily at everyone and say, "See? Told you it wouldn't be that hard." A laugh escapes my throat, and it's higher pitched than it usually is. A clear sign that I'm embarrassed and shocked and oh so confused. I move to take my seat next to Lucas, who can't seem to look at me. But I don't care about that right now. The only person I can think of is Vale, who is still staring at me like he's just seeing me for the first time.

Maddie is still glaring at me, but her brother is leaning back on the couch smiling like a kid who just found out Christmas was coming early. "That's it," Maddie growls, and everyone turns to look at her. Her eyes are blazing with fury, and I see a slight tremor run up her body as she quivers with rage. "Party's. Over."

Author's Note:
Two updates in a row?! I know. I wasn't planning on doing this tonight, but those who've read Hello, Goodbye know that sometimes I do this when I need a pick me up. And I've been sick for the last four days, so I definitely need some cheering up. I hope you all like this chapter.

What do you think of that kiss? Just a dare? Or was there more to it than that? Could this be the start of something for our two favorite besties? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

Hope you're all doing better than I am right now. Stay healthy and safe, dearies!

XOXO,
~Aly