Truth or Dare

**Anna’s POV**

A passionate night with my best friend, on our last night before graduation, turned our relationship upside down forever.

Back then, I thought "Truth or Dare" was just a stupid game. I never imagined it would end up breaking my heart.

The bass vibrated through the basement while a vodka bottle spun in the middle of the circle.

Keep spinning. Not me. Please, dear God, not me.

But the bottle stopped right in front of my knees.

"Don't worry. Relax," Anthony murmured beside me.

His hazel eyes met mine. I had to fight the urge to push him away. Everything was his fault. If he hadn't begged me to come to this stupid end-of-year party, I’d be quietly in my bed, getting ready for tomorrow's ceremony. Instead, I was stuck in a room full of loud guys acting like predators.

Tania picked up the bottle, a smug smile on her lips, and leaned toward me.

"Truth or dare, nerd?" she asked with a mocking smile.

"Don't call her that, Tania," Anthony intervened in a deeper voice.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, rolling her eyes before locking her gaze back onto mine. "So, Anna? Truth or dare?"

In this game, dares usually meant stripping or touching someone in the room. Needless to say, I preferred to avoid that option.

"Truth," I answered in a hesitant voice.

A collective groan rippled through the circle.

"I knew she was going to kill the vibe," grumbled a guy sitting on the floor.

"Yeah," Tania chimed in, resting her elbows on her knees. "And since it's my party, I’m making a new rule: that was the last truth of the night. From now on, it’s only dares. But for your last truth... tell us, when was the last time you actually got laid?"

A wave of cruel laughter erupted in the room. Guys slapped their knees laughing, while girls leaned toward each other, giggling behind manicured hands. Shame rushed to my face, burning all the way down my neck. They didn't want an answer. They wanted to humiliate me.

Without thinking, I grabbed a plastic shot glass from a tray near my foot. I swallowed the amber liquid in one gulp, then slammed the glass down. The alcohol burned my throat before dropping straight into my chest. It was my very first drink, and I had just downed it purely to forget the shame.

"Look at her!" someone sneered. "She can't even answer!"

"I'm not even sure a guy has ever touched her," Tania added, turning to Anthony. "Honestly, I don't get why you've never fucked her. What did you guys do for four years? Study together?"

Anthony sat up abruptly on his cushion.

"That's enough, Tania. It's not funny," he said in a dry tone.

"What?" She flashed a mocking smile, completely unfazed by his reaction. "You're always glued to each other. Tomorrow, we graduate. You're not going to tell me you didn't even try?"

I felt tiny, exposed to everyone's stares. My fingers started fiddling with the frames of my glasses while my chest tightened.

Next to me, Anthony’s imposing build radiated a familiar warmth.

Four years. I had spent four years pretending his friendship was enough for me, swallowing my feelings and hoping he would eventually look at me differently.

"I said, that's enough!" shouted Anthony, his jaw so clenched that a vein stood out on his neck.

An awkward silence fell over the room.

"Tony, I was just kidding," Tania replied before shooting me a dark look and spinning the bottle again.

Anthony sat back down next to me. I turned my head toward him. He met my gaze, then looked away. I gave him a gentle nudge with my elbow, my hand trembling.

Tania spun the bottle once more. It stopped in front of Anthony.

Her smile widened.

"Since we're only doing dares now, you're going to kiss Anna right on the mouth. With tongue. For ten seconds. And no backing out."

My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears, while the whole basement started chanting:

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Anthony leaned closer to me, his knee brushing mine. I held my breath, unable to look away.

He's really going to do it...

But at the last second, he grabbed a bottle of tequila, uncorked it, and took several long swigs.

"Leave her out of it," he declared, slamming the bottle back down.

The shouting stopped dead.

"Seriously, man?" whined Tania, rolling her eyes. "It was just a kiss!"

"Let's move on," Anthony replied coldly.

My face burned with shame. He had defended me, sure, but he had preferred to drink rather than kiss me.

He didn't want me.

"Whatever, buzzkill," muttered Tania, grabbing the bottle to spin it again.

The game resumed in an increasingly chaotic atmosphere.

Half the guys had unbuttoned their shirts. The others were already shirtless. The girls weren't doing much better: some were in underwear, while others had to place a hand on their bare intimate parts.

And then, there was Anthony.

Even in his simple fitted black t-shirt, which highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist, he was almost unfairly handsome. His jawline was perfectly chiseled, his eyebrows dark and thick, and his messy brown hair clung slightly to his damp forehead. He was handsome without even trying, and it hurt.

The bottle spun again and stopped in front of me.

Tania flashed a predatory smile.

"Your turn to take a dare." She looked at me, then down at the bottle. "Let's see who you really are behind your good-girl act. Five shots of dark rum in a row. Neat. And this time, no bodyguard to save you."

"That's completely idiotic! She's never..." Anthony protested.

"I'll do it," I cut him off.

I grabbed the tray and downed the shots back-to-back. The alcohol burned my throat, my vision blurred, but I refused to stop.

"Anna, stop," Anthony murmured, reaching for my elbow.

I pushed him away and emptied the last glass.

A burning anger coursed through my veins, while the alcohol began to make my head spin and my stomach churn.

"I'm going out for a minute," I muttered in a slurred voice.