truth or dare - game on series #1

Cameron

The music thumped loudly in the background, vibrating through my chest and mixing with the energy of my friends' chatter around the table, but my focus wasn't on them. It was on her—Stella. She'd excused herself to the bathroom a little while ago, and I couldn't stop checking the door. I hated the feeling of waiting, the sense of not knowing what she was doing or how she was feeling.

"Hey, Cam, you good?" Luke's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He raised his drink, his eyebrows raised in mild amusement.

"Yeah," I muttered, offering a distracted smile. "Just waiting for Stella to come back."

"Well, speaking of her," Luke continued, lowering his voice, "I saw her in the hall, we were chatting, but then Nick came over to greet her."

That stopped me in my tracks. Nick.

I tried to push the irritation down, but it was there, bubbling just beneath the surface. My stomach tightened. "You left them alone?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral.

Luke nodded, oblivious to the way his words were making my heart race. "Yeah, they seemed fine."

I barely processed the rest of what he said. Without thinking, I stood up abruptly, brushing past Luke. "I'm going to check on her."

Luke looked up, confused, but didn't say anything. I didn't need to explain. My legs carried me through the crowd, moving quickly as I made my way toward the hallway, toward the bathrooms. Every step felt like it took me further from control.

I spotted them almost immediately when I turned the corner. Stella was standing there, talking to Nick, just like Luke had said. Nick's smile was too wide, his stance too casual, standing a little too close to her. I didn't like it. Not one bit.

My jaw clenched involuntarily, and my chest tightened. I didn't want to feel this way. I didn't want to be that guy—the jealous one. But seeing Nick like that, so comfortable, his hand casually resting against the wall near her, just didn't sit right. I wasn't a jealous person, at least, I didn't think I was, but right now, it was different.

I didn't give myself a chance to overthink it. My body moved before my brain could stop me. I walked straight over, my arm sliding across Stella's shoulders as I pulled her gently toward me. Both of them froze, their eyes wide in surprise. Nick was the first to recover, smirking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"What are you two talking about?" I asked, my voice coming out a little sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it. The jealousy was too strong.

Nick raised an eyebrow, unbothered. "Oh, just chatting, man," he said with that lazy grin of his.

I forced a smile, but it felt more like a mask. "Right."

I turned to Stella then, my attention focusing entirely on her. "You ready to go?"

She blinked, clearly caught off guard by my sudden interruption. "Go? We just got here..."

I sighed, trying to keep my tone softer, though frustration was already creeping into my voice. "Yeah, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I know you don't really want to be here."

I could feel Nick's eyes on us, and he piped up with his usual smirk. "She seems fine to me."

I shot him a look, my patience starting to thin. "Stay out of it, Nick."

But before I could get a word in, Stella spoke, her voice soft but certain. "Cameron's right," she said, glancing down before looking back at me. "I should probably go."

The weight of her words hit me, and despite the frustration, a sense of relief washed over me. I wasn't going to force her to stay if she wasn't enjoying herself. I just wanted her to feel at ease. And that was pretty much impossible if random guys kept hitting on her.

I turned to Nick, forcing a tight smile. "See? She's ready to go."

Nick opened his mouth to say something, but I wasn't interested in hearing it. Without waiting for a response, I gently led Stella away from the scene. My arm remained around her shoulders, guiding her toward the exit.

The crowd seemed to part around us as we made our way to the door. I didn't want to cause a scene, but I also didn't care about anyone else's opinion in that moment. All that mattered was getting Stella out of here and making sure she was okay.

...

The ride back to Stella's dorm was quiet, the kind of quiet that felt heavier with every passing second. I kept glancing at her out of the corner of my eye, but she just stared out the window, her face unreadable. The air between us was thick with unspoken words, but I didn't know how to start. She deserved an apology, maybe an explanation, but the knot in my chest made it hard to figure out where to begin.

When we finally pulled up to her dorm, Stella shifted in her seat. She took a deep breath, then said, "Thanks for the ride," before opening the door and stepping out without another glance.

Panic rose in my chest. I couldn't just let her leave like that—not with so much left unsaid. I unbuckled my seatbelt and scrambled out of the car, jogging after her.

"Stella, wait," I called, catching up to her just as she reached the front steps of her building.

She stopped and turned, her expression guarded. "You don't have to come with me," she said softly, but I could see the tension in her eyes.

"I know," I replied, shoving my hands in my pockets. "But I want to."

The walk up the stairs was painfully quiet. Every creak of the steps and muffled sound from the other dorm rooms seemed louder than usual. I tried to think of something to say, but nothing felt right. By the time we reached her door, the silence had grown so heavy it was almost suffocating.

She hesitated for a moment, her hand on the doorknob, before turning to face me. "Goodnight, Cameron. You should probably head back to the party."

I stared at her, completely thrown. "What? Why would I do that?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "Because... that's why you drove me home, right? So you wouldn't have to be with me anymore? So you could go back and keep talking to that redhead."

"Wait, what? No, Stella, that's not—" I ran a hand through my hair, struggling to find the right words. "She was flirting with me, yeah, but I wasn't even listening to her. I don't even remember her name."

She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine for honesty. I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "The only reason I wanted to leave the party was because I knew I pushed you into coming when you didn't want to. I started feeling bad about it, especially when I saw you talking to Nick. I was scared, Stella. I didn't want you to get caught up in something—or someone—you didn't want."

Her expression softened, and I saw the tension in her shoulders ease. "You were scared for me?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But it doesn't mean I didn't want to spend time with you. I do. If you want, we can still hang out tonight. We can go somewhere else, or I can come in, and we can watch something. Whatever you want."

A small smile broke through her guarded expression, and for a moment, I thought everything was okay. I glanced at my phone and checked the time. "It's only ten. We've got plenty of time."

But the moment I said it, her face changed. The smile disappeared, replaced by a frown that looked almost like pain. Her hand moved to her temple, like she had a sudden headache.

"No," she said quickly, her tone sharp. "We'll see each other tomorrow for the project."

"Stella, wait—"

"Goodnight, Cameron," she interrupted, and before I could say another word, she stepped into her room and shut the door.

I stood there, staring at the closed door, trying to process what had just happened. One second, she'd been smiling, and the next, it was like she couldn't get away from me fast enough.

What had I said? What had I done?

The knot in my chest tightened as I turned and made my way back down the stairs. I didn't understandwhat had changed so quickly, but one thing was clear—I'd screwed up again, and I didn't know how to fix it.