"Have you got the drinks?" Dallas asked Jaz as we walked away from the house, wrapped up in our warmest clothes. Jaz held up her handbag and jiggled it, letting us hear bottles ting-ing inside.

"Of course I do."

Mia led the way through the trees to a small clearing on the beach, where Brooks had already started a roaring fire. Apparently it had become tradition on the first night of staying at the lake for the kids to go and have a bonfire on the beach. I sat down on one of the logs near the fire and tried to hold back my shivers, sticking my hands close to the flames to harness some warmth.

"Alright, who wants a beer?" Jaz asked once she was settled, opening her bag and grabbing a beer in each hand. She tossed one to Dallas and Brooks without even waiting for a response, handing me one a second later. I stared at for a split second, before realising that right here and now, it was okay to let loose a little. There were no crowds of people, no cameras, nothing but the wilderness. There was no need to take it too far— there was nothing to be hiding from or afraid of here.

Mia scowled, leaning over to see what else was in Jaz's bag of tricks. "I honestly don't know how people drink beer. It's like drinking pee."

Dallas raised his eyebrows, taking a swig of his drink. "You drink pee often, Mia?"

I snorted, beer almost coming out of my nose as I fought to hold in my laugh and turned away as to not spill on myself. When I turned back towards the fire, everyone was watching me in amusement.

"So, what should we start with?" Mia asked, finally succumbing and opening a beer for herself. "Truth or dare?" She shot a glance at me, "We don't waste time, drinking games are mandatory."

"What about Never Have I Ever?" Jaz suggested. Brooks and Dallas shrugged as Mia nodded in agreement.

"I'll start!" Mia grinned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Never have I ever... gone skinny dipping."

I had done a lot of things in my time as a so-called 'wild starlet' , but public nudity was surprisingly not one of them. The chances of being photographed doing that anywhere in LA were just too risky.

"Okay," Jaz hummed, glancing around at all of us suspiciously. "Never have I ever made out with a complete stranger."

I stole a sip from my bottle with a shrug as Mia grinned at me. Maybe once or twice...

Dallas and Brooks drank, much to no one's surprise.

"Who's next?" Dallas asked, and Jaz pointed at him.

"You I guess."

Dallas pursed his lips and looked up at the clear night sky as he thought. "Okay, never have I ever stolen something and gotten away with it." Dallas wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes as I took a sip. One time when I was fifteen I had dined and dashed. It came out in a gossip magazine as me being a brat who just wanted to cause trouble, but the truth was that my parents had left to see their new beaus; there was no food in the house and I had no access to my bank accounts, so I'd done it as a last resort. No one knew that version of the story though, of course.

The questions remained relatively tame until the umpteenth round, when the alcohol had truly settled in and Jaz and Mia were almost completely out of it. I'd been taking almost non-existent sips, pacing myself. I was still thirsty honestly, never mind drunk. Brooks was the only other one who seemed completely unaffected by the alcohol, though Dallas was holding up pretty well too.

"Never have I ever licked Channing Tatum's abs." Mia drawled, her eyes unfocussed as she giggled. Everyone stared at her humorously as Jaz reached over to push Mia's face away.

"That sucked, MiMi." She turned back to the group. "Never have I ever... slept with someone I didn't know." She slurred, shooting us all a mischievous smile.

My stomach dropped as I stared down at my feet and took a sip of my beer as quickly as humanly possible. I couldn't help the blush that crept upon my cheeks, giving away my embarrassment for a split second.

The group started laughing, but when I glanced up, they weren't paying me any attention. As they debated whether the time Dallas had gotten black out drunk and woken up in a random girl's bed counted even though he couldn't remember it actually happening, I stole a glance at Brooks. His eyes caught mine, but his blank face revealed nothing.

"Okay," Mia giggled, twirling her finger around in the air for no apparent reason, "never have I ever... had a crush on someone in this group."

A silent moment passed between all of us as we realized what she'd just said. Slowly, Dallas lifted his bottle to his lips, his eyes never leaving Mia, and Jazmin sheepishly drank a second later. I raised my eyebrows, briefly wondering whether her flame had been for Dallas or Brooks. I had an inkling it was for Brooks.

For a moment I considered pretending that I had never had a crush on Brooks as a kid, which I definitely had, but when I saw him throw back the rest of his drink, I raised my eyebrows and followed suit. I didn't miss the way the corners of Jaz' mouth twitched upwards as she watched Brooks' confession. So she was into Brooks. And from his own reaction, he liked her too. It made sense after all, what was there not to like about her?

Mia was the only person not to take a sip, and I tried not to notice how Dallas' face fell. He scuffed the toe of his boots along the sand, kicking some into the fire.

"That's probably enough Never Have I Ever for one night." Brooks interrupted, sensing his best friend's discomfort. "Why don't we do something else instead?"

"Oh don't be a Debby downer, Brooks. We were just getting started!" Jaz hollered as she skulled the rest of her beer and chucked the empty bottle onto the sand. I watched her uneasily, not liking the undertones of mischief and carelessness that the alcohol had gifted her.

Brooks frowned but didn't say anything, instead crossing his arms over his chest and staring into the fire.

"What about truth or dare?" I suggested in an attempt to keep the peace.

Jaz fixated her onyx eyes on me with a suddenly challenging smile. "Fine. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

I was hoping she was just drunk enough that her question would fall flat. Jaz pursed her lips, deep in thought as she thought of something juicy. "Fine. Why are you back in Beaufort?"

My heart skipped a beat. No no no no. Not now, not like this.

"For a change of scenery. It's filming hiatus, I'm free to go wherever I like." I lied smoothly, turning on the acting switch and attempting to give an Oscar worthy performance.

Jaz snorted. "Puh-lease. You expect us to believe that you're in Beaufort on vacation? If that we're true you wouldn't have gone back to school." Her eyes narrowed at me, her lips twisting into a frown. "Why are you really here?"

I caught Brooks' eye across the fire pit, watching them sparkle red with the hues of the flames. For the slightest of moments, my guard slipped, the facade of nothing-can-touch-me falling away. I don't know what Brooks saw beneath the shield, but whatever it was made him stand up and turn his attention to Jaz.

"Jaz, don't waste your time," he said in a firm voice, "she's not going to tell us anything." I could tell he was trying to come across as flippant, but really he was saving my ass. I exhaled gratefully.

"Why don't you and I go back to the house and find some snacks, I'm starving." He asked Jaz. Clearly delighted by the invitation, Jaz stood up eagerly and followed him away from the group like a lost puppy.

Mia, Dallas and I sat in silence, Dallas still clearly torn up over Mia's admittance that she's never liked anyone on the group as more than a friend.

"Maybe we should call it a night." He suggested after a moment, his gaze lingering on me as I nodded at him knowingly.

We three stood to leave, and Dallas threw a bucket of salt water over the fire to reduce it to a simmer. I watched the flames die, unable to stop thinking of Jaz grilling me.

Sooner or later the truth was going to come out. I just wondered whether it would mean game over for me.