"So-"

"I said don't talk to me on the way."

Emial chuckled to herself and muttered loudly enough for me to hear, "Nobody said I was talking to you."

She really knew how to piss somebody off. Was this her way of picking up chicks? Maybe lesbians liked that sort of thing...

"I play the guitar, too," she started. "How about we talk about music?"

I didn't respond, my eyes focused on the road.

She leaned forward and looked at me from an angle, studying my face with an amused smile. "You know, for an artistic person, you sure are as cold as stone."

I rolled my eyes; a newfound habit her presence had caused.

Giving up on trying to act like an immovable rock, I decided to ask her a question - one that had been on my mind for a while, anyway, "What do you even like about a girl?"

There was a pause.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Another pause.

I felt her shift in her seat which made me feel suspicious and I was tempted to look over to see what she was doing.

A moment later, I felt her hand sit next to my thigh on the seat and her warm breath was fanning over my cheek ever-so-gently.

"I like it when they smell good," she whispered painstakingly slowly, each word landing on the skin of my neck like subtle, warm blows of wind.

She nudged her hand closer until her fingers brushed against the skin of my thigh, just below the hem of my skirt. I couldn't speak, my mind having lost all ability to function. I sat stiff, gripping the wheel whilst an uncomfortable warmth built up inside me.

"I like it when they're fierce," she continued in the same tone, leaning closer and closer. I couldn't even protest for how disoriented this was making me. "When they get flustered around me... And start breathing really hard... And when they blush when I whisper things into their ear..."

I could hear my heart beating faster and louder and I almost forgot to take the turn onto the other road, nearly ramming us into the corner of the wall as I took the turn with a quick shift of the wheel.

Once I knew we were safe and alive, back to driving in a smooth straight path, I snapped at Emial, "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

She returned to her previous position like nothing even happend and replied in the most cunningly innocent tone, "I was just answering your question. The real question is, are you crazy? You were driving like a madman. Wyle, you need to slow down and focus or we'll crash."

I didn't dare say another word for the rest of the way and Emial turned on the radio at some point, so whilst she sang along shamelessly to the music, I sat silently trying to keep my brain from exploding due to the horrific sound of her voice. Maybe she played the guitar, but she sure as hell couldn't sing.

Eventually, we entered her neighborhood and she directed me to her house. Simply put, it was very small.

Emial let out a long, tired sigh, looking out of the window at the house. It reminded me of myself when I was pulled up in front of James's house that day - I had breathed the same sigh and made the same expression. I would have growled at her to get out of my car and put me out of my misery, but if it wasn't obvious enough already, I wasn't very good at rejecting people. In fact, the rudeness I was exercising towards Emial could be accurately described as me at my worst.

I knew what it felt like to be pushed away and cast out, so I tried my best to avoid doing it to people whenever I was in a state of mind where I could prevent it. This girl really pushed my buttons, though.

"Ever wished you could just run away?" she asked out of the blue, her eyes wistfully looking out at the view of her small house. Her mind was definitely far from here, however. "Run away with your one true love and start earning money to make a living by doing little jobs for people, helping them get through their day. Go cliff-diving together in some abandoned forest. To just live, you know? To do all those nice, cliché things you see in the movies."

I didn't respond; mostly because I was still annoyed at her for... Well, I hadn't got to that part yet, but I knew my annoyance was perfectly justified in some way of which I was going to eventually figure out. On top of that, she was going on about some weird stuff that I wasn't fully listening to, frankly.

"Well, I'm sure you have dreamt of it. I guess we all have," she continued, basically carrying out a whole conversation by herself.

For a moment, I did want to talk to her and discuss music with her and ask her about what she thought about life. She seemed interesting to talk to. Nonetheless, I just knew I couldn't. Just like how I couldn't get away from James and how I couldn't stop wearing skirts or high heels.

Who knew? Maybe she was out to get me, too. Just like the others.

"It's just a game, Wylie, come on," Jess said, rolling her eyes from where she was sat across me in the circle.

"Or are you hiding something from us?" Ben asked all of a sudden, taking me aback with his suspicious expression.

I laughed and pointed a finger in his direction. "Okay, okay, I see what you're doing. Wyle Calfbie isn't scared of a little dare."

Emma was wearing an unaffected expression, her glossy pink lips forming the slightest of smiles as she watched the scene unfold. She hadn't said a word since Gabrielle had announced the dare. Wasn't she nervous or embarrassed by this at all? She didn't seem to have any complaints.

"C'mon, guys, get on with it, stop stalling!" Gabrielle urged impatiently, waving her hands around and gesturing for us to start the action.

I sent Emma a wary look to check if she was okay with this, but the detached expression remained on her face and she didn't seem to get my message. Her blue eyes were twinkling as if she was slightly excited for this.

She started to crawl over, cutting through the centre of the circle made of teenagers shifting in their seats in anticipation.

Was she... Playing along?

I felt my cheeks grow warm and I was unable to make an advancement myself - to play along.

God, she was so brave. What was she even doing? What did this mean?

She came closer and closer, her smile widening as she approached. People started to whistle and jeer, catching on on her playful approach.

Was I imagining things?

What if they judged me if I tried to play along, too?

Oh, my goodness. I could see her whole chest from here - the shirt she was wearing had a terribly large neck.

Instinctively, I started leaning back, my heart racing and beating so hard that I swore everyone could hear it thudding in the suspense-filled silence.

She's really going to kiss me... She's really going to kiss me, I thought to myself. Don't kiss me, please don't kiss me...

"Do you wanna kiss me?"

I jumped, snapping out of my thoughts. Why was this girl still sitting in my car?

"Get out," I ordered, unlocking her car-door.

"Okay, sheesh, sheesh." She held her hands up in surrender. "Do you wanna come inside for a drink, though?"

I grunted and shot her a glare. "Get. Out."

"Aw, come on, we have apple juice, lime juice, grape juice... It's practically like going to a bar." She was still sitting on the passenger's seat, her body turned towards me and a big, deceptive grin on her face. She propped an elbow up on the seat, giving me a pleading look.

The collar of her checkered red shirt slipped slightly, exposing her neat collarbone and part of her shoulder. There was a birthmark just above the swallow of her collarbone.

I realised that I was staring and I quickly looked away, returning the frown to my face. "No. Now, get out before I push you out myself."

She chuckled and in one swift, unpredictable move, landed a featherlight kiss on my cheek before propelling herself from her seat and rushing out of the car to stumble quickly into her house.

After a moment's silence to realise what just happened, I growled in frustration and pulled out of the driveway. I was probably blushing furiously, but that was out of anger.

My heart was pounding out of intense fury. The tingling feeling inside me was nothing but rage.

Definitely rage.