Decoration of lights around the house lightened up the entire street as we walked inside the big villa. Red and blue lights complemented the captivating, stunning house. The music was at its highest. Shouldn't the neighbors be complaining since it's a private place? My stomach started to turn on me as my heart beat a million miles per hour. How I hate social anxiety. I closed my eyes for a second to calm myself down. Since my mother died, I've been learning to control my own anxiety and panic attacks, so please, it's not that hard to break me.
"Wow, this place looks really cool," Trinity said, already drunk
A song started to play, and it "Ohhh... I'll be at the dance floor," Trinity yelled above the noise. "I'm going to make sure she doesn't sleep with any man," Kim followed her.
I felt a little uncomfortable as I felt all eyes were on me. I looked around, and they were. One of them looked at me with a very lustful, full eye; he was specifically looking at my appealing body. I regret wearing this dress.
"Hey, baby," a tall, light-skinned gent hugged Ashly kissing her from the back. "I'll be leaving," Bianca said, walking off.
"Oh, my god, baby, you came," Ashly turned back and kissed him. Who is he? "I missed my honeybee," he sweet-talked, and she giggled. "Aren't you naughty?" she giggled, and I was about to sleep until she stopped me.
"Testimony, this is my boyfriend Ace; Ace, this is my sister Testimony," she introduced, and I faked a smile. "Nice to meet you ." he said, taking my hand, looking me in the eyes, and kissing it. What in the world? "Nice to meet you too," I secretly wiped my hands. I noticed he had a snake tattoo on his neck.
"And I'm out," I said, walking away. "Wait, tell me when you leave, okay?" she said, and I nodded. I walked to the kitchen to drink water when another idiot approached me.
"Hey, baby girl," he said, trying to sound seductive. I finished my water completely, ignoring him. I put the glass back and carried on with my way, but he blocked me. "Come on, I'm talking to you," he said, trying to hold my waist, but I pushed him away.
"Leave me alone," I shouted, but he held me tight and I punched his face "A no is a no," I snapped and walked away far from this place. I opened the exit door when I bumped into someone. "Sorry," I said slowly lifting my head to meet a gorgeous face. Haze? He looked so charming.
"Testimony, are you okay?" he asked as I tried to hold my tears. "Yeah, I'm good; I was just leaving."
"So early? Is anything wrong?" he asked, concerned. "Yeah... just need to go home," I lied. "Hey, you, you stupid girl, why did you punch my face " he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention, and I looked at him frightened. My hands and feet started to shake.
"Did he touch you?" Haze firmly asked, and I nodded, and his eyes turned into burning flames of anger. "Stand here," he sternly said, walking to the guy. He gave him one punch, which knocked him out immediately, and everyone gasped. "Don't touch a woman's body when she doesn't want you to," he said loudly enough that everyone could hear.
"Come with me," he said, grabbing my hand as we walked through the crowd to another cool place where there were fewer people. Soft music played in the background. "Why did you come to Jeremy's party anyway? You don't look like a party girl," he uttered. Even if I tell him the truth, he wouldn't understand. I came to see this jerk Slavy, but I haven't seen him.
"Uhmm, my sister asked me," I half-lied, 'cause she did. "Where is she?" "Lost in this big house," I said, and he smiled. "Well, I'm hanging with my bros; you can come and chill with us," he offered. "Only boys?" I asked. "No, there are a few girls too," he said. I desperately wanted to look for Slavy, but what if that guy gets revenge on me? Who would save me then?
"Uhmm... I don't know," "Come on, it's going to be fun; trust me," he said, looking at me with innocent green eyes. I nodded, and we walked inside.
My heart sank the moment Haze finished saying, "Hey, guys."
My eyes immediately landed on Slavy, who had Sky sitting close to him, whispering and laughing. His face turned pale the instant he saw me, and his usual smile faltered. I felt a lump in my throat and tears prickling my eyes, tempted to storm out. But Haze gently held my hand.
"This is my new friend, and she'll be joining us tonight," he said, guiding me to sit beside him.
The only people I recognized were Sky, one of her friends, and Slavy. The rest of the group—four boys and two girls—were strangers.
"Your friend looks cool," one of the guys said. He had dark hair that contrasted sharply with his grey eyes and a strong jawline. He wore a white hoodie, black pants, and Air Force sneakers. Twerk music thumped in the background, and the dimmed red lights cast a warm, intense glow over the room. A table in the center held bottles of Savannah and a vapor pipe. The air smelled faintly of strawberry.
I met his gaze but said nothing.
"Names Jacob, but you can call me Jake," he said, offering a polite, slightly exaggerated gesture by lightly touching my hand. I raised an eyebrow.
"Testimony," I replied plainly.
"I think I like her," Jacob whispered to one of the others, making me frown.
"Testimony, this is my squad," Haze continued. "Jacob here is… energetic; don't mind him," he teased, and I couldn't help but smile at his playful tone. "These are my boys: Tyler, Nelly, Cody, Alpha, and finally, my man Slavy." Haze pointed at Slavy, and our eyes locked briefly before I looked away.
"And these are my girls," he added, indicating Sky and the others. "Sky," I said flatly, rolling my eyes.
"We know each other," Sky replied, giving me a cold glance.
"Forgot you guys are in the same class," Haze continued, introducing Paris, Zoe, and Lila. "Hey, Tess," Lila, the blonde girl, greeted. I gave a polite, neutral smile in return. Her multiple nose and ear piercings stood out, but she had a friendly air.
"Okay, enough introductions," Haze said. "Let's play a game."
"What game?" Lily asked.
"Simple," Cody said, sipping his drink. "Truth or Dare."
I shook my head. "I'm not drinking," I said calmly.
Sky snorted. "Who doesn't drink at your age?"
"I just don't," I snapped. "Is that a problem?" My voice surprised even me, but I didn't back down. The room went quiet for a moment.
"Damn… now I like her," Alpha muttered, a grin tugging at his lips.
Lily suggested, "How about we switch it up—Dare or Double Dare?" Everyone agreed, and a ripple of excited chatter passed through the room.
Slavy's voice cut through. "I'm not playing."
Haze frowned. "Why not? You always play."
"I just don't want to. We always play the same game," Slavy replied, irritation edging his tone. I noticed the subtle tension in his jaw.
"Come on, it's just a game. No hard feelings," Haze tried to smooth things over, but the slight strain in his expression betrayed him.
Lily clarified the rules. "One of us will dare or double dare you. If you refuse, you take six shots of vodka." Everyone nodded, and I felt a pang of anxiety. I didn't drink, and the stakes suddenly felt higher.
I glanced at Slavy. His expression was unreadable—part frustration, part something I couldn't quite name. My stomach twisted, not from jealousy or anger, but from the electric tension that seemed to hum between us.
As the first dares began, I realized that tonight wouldn't be simple. Every glance, every word, carried weight. And somewhere in the chaos, I couldn't stop wondering what Slavy was thinking—and if I was ready to find out.