It Started With A Dare

“His hand slipped under her tank top, grazing the soft skin beneath her breast. She moaned into Joe’s ear as he gasped her name…”

I paused, taking in a sharp deep breath as my hand came up to adjust my big transparent nerdy glasses. I took a moment to look away from the erotical book I was reading.

My imagination was spiralling fast again, I could already feel warm heat pooling between my legs. Yet, I wouldn’t stop reading these erotic novels because it was the only way I could pretend I was with Jeremy Carter, my high school obsession—the very emotionally distant god of Summer High, who had all the hot girls at his beck and call.

My thoughts were spinning fast as usual, and I was just about dipping a finger in my virgin cunt while pretending it was Jeremy doing those things to me, when my best friend's voice sounded through the hallway.

“Teyan! Tell me you are getting ready for the final students partyyyy”

“Shit. Carol is here. ” I panicked, quickly closing the fiction book and shoved it into my wardrobe. No one, not even Carol knew that I read erotic-dark romance novels. To them, I was always this nerdy saintful virgin who didn’t care about all that.

Nerdy and virgin? Right. Saint? Hell no!

The books were my delicious, filthy little secret. And I would have given my virginity away to Liam in english class if I wasn’t so obsessed with a particular person in my head and reality.

I hissed. slamming my thighs together in a desperate attempt to erase the wicked heat spiraling through me. Why couldn’t she just let me have this little moment with my imaginative Jeremiah to myself.

I threw on my hoodie, wiped my flushed cheeks with the sleeve, and tried to slow my breathing before Carol Rivers barged in.

The door creaked open. Yes, my best friend never knocked.

“Teyana!” she sang, tossing her short blonde curls as she stepped inside like a storm wrapped in glitter. “Why are you still in bed? The party is tonight, not next year!”

I blinked up at her, feigning clueless innocence, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose. She looked pretty in that silver dress. “You look stunning, Car.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know I do. Teyan, you are going to that party.”

I sighed, “I don’t know if I feel like—”

“Jeremy Carter might be there. That, I heard from a reliable source.” she cut in, arching a brow with the precision of someone who knew exactly which button to press.

My glasses almost slipped.

“Wait. Jeremy—Jeremiah Carter?”

Carol smirked. “The very one. Your ‘fine as hell’ obsession, but who’s sadly obsessed with bikes and not you.” She stuck a playful tongue out.

A dangerous flutter danced in my chest. Heat zipped down my spine again, this time laced with panic. “I—I’ll get dressed. But…not because Jeremy would be there.”

She grinned like the evil temptress she was. Who was I kidding? “I knew that’d work.” She said.

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow for a second again, before dragging myself out of bed like a sinner heading to the confessional. I headed to the bathroom while Carol made herself comfortable on my bed like it was hers. Which was of course the usual.

The moment the water hit my skin, the ache between my thighs reminded me of where I left off. I bit down on a moan and cursed my hormones to hell. He will be there tonight.

I needed a distraction from my sinful thoughts. “Carol! Do you think I should attend this dinner my mum invited me to with her big-shot CEO boyfriend?” I called through the door over the water spray.

“Billionaire,” she corrected with a snort. “Apparently he owns like half the town or something. And you’ll be living in a freaking mansion. Girl, if I were you, I wouldn’t hesitate. I mean…sorry to say, but it’s not like your Dad is present.”

I could imagine her rolling her eyes right now.

I sighed, resting my forehead against the tile. “Sounds like a dream, right? But it’s not. I don’t even know the man. And now I’ll have a stepdad and a new house and probably a dozen rules about not breathing too loud. Mum said we will move to his after I’m done with high school next year…Gosh, next year is so close.”

Carol’s voice softened. “You okay with it though?”

I hesitated. “No. But I’m the kid, so who cares? I don’t have a say. It’s just... I feel like I’m losing what little control I had.”

There was a pause before she called back with a teasing lilt. “Well, tonight you do have control. And I’m putting you in something that screams ‘I'm done being invisible.’”

She wasn't kidding.

After my bath, Carol attacked my closet like it owed her money. She cursed under her breath at my rows of beige sweaters and dinosaur-print socks before finally yanking out a simple black skirt I didn’t even remember owning.

“Pair this with your tight white crop top,” she said.

I blinked. “The one that shows my—”

“Yes, that one.” She grabbed my shoulders. “Tey, we’re taking the nerd out of ‘nerdy hot’. Just for tonight. Trust me.”

And just like that, I let her curl my hair, darken my lashes, gloss my lips. I barely recognized the girl in the mirror when we were done. She looked... wild. Reckless. Kind of like someone Jeremy Carter might notice. And that made my insides flutter.

—

A Few Hours Later...The party was alive.

Not the “pin the tail on the donkey” kind. No. This was the kind of party where bodies pressed against walls, beer cans littered every surface, and someone was definitely getting fingered on the couch behind the snack table.

“Holy hell,” I muttered, clutching my solo cup.

Carol grinned, pulling me into the crowd. “Welcome to freedom, baby!”

Music thumped like it had a heartbeat. I watched as two guys made out against a fridge and a girl with pink hair twerked in slow motion while someone poured tequila down her back. My cheeks burned, but I didn’t look away.

I took a big gulp of the drink in my cup. Then another. If I was gonna survive this night, or better, play games—I needed a little buzz. Or a full-on blackout. It was the final year period and the students have been throwing wild parties all week. This was the first I was attending, and might probably be the last.

I still haven’t seen Jeremy. God knows he was the main reason I was here. Seeing him was enough. He was graduating too and I might probably not see him ever again which was so sad because he had never noticed me before.

By the time the circle started forming for Truth or Dare, I was warm and buzzing and slightly swaying.

“Let’s make this interesting,” someone shouted. “No chickening out!”

I plopped down between Carol and some senior with a nose ring. The game spun on, scandalous truths and wicked dares flying like confetti. A guy was dared to strip, a girl had to lick peanut butter off someone’s abs, and I was laughing so hard my cheeks hurt.

Then the bottle stopped in front of me.

“Teyana!” someone called. “Truth or dare?”

I blinked.

I could feel Carol vibrating beside me. “Participate babe. It’s fun,” Okay.

“Dare,” I said boldly, because drunk me was ten times braver than real me.

A few ooohs and whistles echoed.

“Alright,” the girl across from me said with a wicked grin, “kiss the hottest guy in the room.”

I choked. “What?”

“The hottest guy. Pick. Now.”

My eyes darted wildly, hoping I would see Liam atleast. Liam was the guy I was considering to date. Not out of love but he was kind to me. Liam attended parties so I expected to see him around but didn’t. Instead, they landed on ‘him’

Jeremy Carter.

He was leaning against the kitchen counter, dressed in dark jeans and a gray shirt that hugged his worked-out body. A beer in one hand, cigarette in the other. He wasn’t even part of the game. But he was watching. Bored. Smoldering. God-tier hot.

My heart flipped.

Without thinking—because if I thought, I’d puke—I stood up and walked through the crowd, straight to him. I could die after this and I would still be proud of myself for braving up to him this one time.

His brows rose in slow amusement as I stopped in front of him. “You lost, nerd girl?”

“I... I have to kiss the hottest guy in the room,” I said, barely above a whisper. I honestly couldn’t believe I was actually speaking to Jeremy. Felt like one of my many imagined scenarios, except this one was real.

He stared at me for a heartbeat.

Then, with the cockiest grin, he said, “Guess that’s me.”

And he pulled me close before I could have a rethink and turn back. Because I was just about to do that before my pounding heart flew from my chest.

I couldn’t think. His lips were on mine. Jeremiah Carter was kissing me, and his lips were fire. He kissed like a man who’d done it a thousand times but wanted me to remember this one forever. His hand gripped my exposed waist, thanks to the crop top, my insides were fire. His other hand was brushing the base of my neck.

I gasped, gripped his leather jacket. He deepened the kiss.

My legs wobbled. My body turned to jelly.

And then it was over. People around us roared with excitement. I could feel angry girls stares. But I didn’t care. I just kissed…Jeremy.

He pulled away, but didn’t look away. A curious frown was on his face, lips still parted, and me still yearning and shaking slightly. Then he smiled and said, “Nice dare.”

I stumbled back out of the party like I’d been hit by lightning.

And from that moment on, I was ten times over obsessed.

But I never saw him again.