truth or dare - game on series #1

Stella

Bree and I strolled down the sidewalk, the late afternoon sun casting a golden hue over campus. It had been two weeks since I last saw Cameron, and I kept telling myself that it was for the best. That I was better off. That I was moving on.

So why did it still hurt so much?

Bree was in the middle of telling me about some guy she met yesterday, her hands moving excitedly as she described his ridiculous flirting attempts. I forced a smile, nodding along, but my heart wasn't in it. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for her—I was. I loved seeing Bree happy. But something about hearing her talk about some guy who made her laugh, made her stomach flutter with excitement, only reminded me of Cameron.

Even if it was pathetic.

Love doesn't just disappear when a person does. The feelings are still there, lingering like ghosts. And Bree talking about how some boy made her happy only made me think about how happy I had been with Cameron. How safe he made me feel. How, for the first time in my life, I thought I had something real. Something worth holding onto.

"Okay, what's up?" Bree asked suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts. I blinked at her. "You've been quiet for the last five minutes, and you're usually making fun of me for something by now. Spill."

I hesitated for a second before sighing. "I don't know. I just... I love that you're happy, Bree. I really do. But when you talk about some guy making you smile, it just reminds me of him. And even if I hate what he did, I can't just turn my feelings off."

Bree's expression softened. "That's okay, Stell. That's human."

I looked away, my stomach twisting. "It just sucks, you know? Because it was all one-sided. I was all in, and he was just—"

"What if it wasn't one-sided?" Bree interrupted.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe I'm just delusional," she started, tilting her head in thought. "But, okay, yeah, it started as a bet. That was shitty. But if nothing was real, why would he keep trying? Why would he go out of his way to explain it to you? You think Cameron—the guy who avoids talking about feelings at all costs—would grovel if he didn't mean it?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know, Bree. I just—"

"Look, I'll be by your side no matter what, whether you forgive him or not. Don't get me wrong, I hate him for what he did to you, but maybe you should hear him out."

I exhaled, her words settling deep in my chest. Maybe I should. Maybe I owed myself that. If for nothing else, just to get full closure.

Then Bree suddenly stopped walking, her eyes narrowing as she looked past me. "Well, shit."

I followed her gaze, my breath catching in my throat as I saw him. Cameron. Standing just down the street. And he wasn't alone.

A brunette girl stood beside him, handing him an ice cream cone, laughing at something he said. She was gorgeous. Effortlessly pretty in that way that made my stomach twist. They looked comfortable together. Familiar.

I froze. My entire body went stiff, my mind racing. Were they... was this a date? Had he already moved on?

I wanted to run. To disappear before he saw me. But it was too late.

His eyes met mine.

For a second, neither of us moved. His face shifted—surprise, guilt, something else I couldn't place. My chest tightened as I heard the girl beside him ask, "Who's that?"

How humiliating.

I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as I could, my heart hammering, my vision blurring at the edges. I didn't care where I was going. I just needed to get out of there.

Away from him.

Away from the awful, sinking feeling in my chest.

Cameron

I watched her go. I barely caught the look in her eyes before she turned away, but I saw enough. Hurt. Betrayal. The same damn look she had the last time we talked. And all I could do was stand there like an idiot, ice cream in my hand, watching her disappear into the crowd.

"Who was that?" Liv asked again, her voice pulling me back to reality. "You know her?"

I let out a breath and nodded. "Yeah."

She gave me a look. One I knew too well. Olivia was relentless when she wanted answers. She wasn't going to let this go. And honestly? Maybe I needed to talk about it. I'd only gone over it a million times in my own head and with the guys. Maybe a fresh perspective—a woman's perspective—would give me something new.

"Screw it," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "You wanna know everything?"

Liv raised an eyebrow. "You say that like I wouldn't have pried it out of you anyway."

I huffed a laugh, but it lacked any real humor. "Alright, here's the deal. Her name's Stella. We dated. I screwed up. Now she hates me. The end."

"Yeah, no. That is not the end. Back up. What did you do?"

I sighed, glancing around before leading her to a bench nearby. If I was gonna spill my shit, I didn't need an audience. We sat down, and I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the pavement.

"It started as a bet," I admitted. "A stupid, immature, asshole move. There was this party a few months ago, and we were playing Truth or Dare. She told me she'd never kiss me, and my friends thought that was hilarious. So they bet me that I couldn't make her fall for me."

I paused, feeling my chest tighten just saying the words out loud. Liv was silent, just listening, waiting for me to continue.

"I was an idiot. Thought it'd be easy. She was shy, kinda quiet, but... different, y'know? So I went for it. Started talking to her, being nice, spending time with her. And then—" I let out a bitter laugh. "—then I actually got to know her. And suddenly, it wasn't a game anymore."

Liv tilted her head. "You fell for her."

"Yeah. Hard." I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "But she found out about the bet. Not from me. And just like that, everything was gone. She wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't believe that any of it was real."

Liv stayed quiet for a moment, processing everything. Then she spoke. "Okay, yeah, that's some grade-A dumbass behavior."

I groaned. "I know."

"But..." she continued, "if you were just playing her, you wouldn't be sitting here like this or looked like absolute shit for the past few days I've been here."

I shot her a look. "Thanks for that."

She smirked but then got serious again. "Have you tried talking to her? Like, really talking? Not just grabbing her at a party like some caveman?"

I clenched my jaw. "I tried. She won't listen. She doesn't trust me. And why the hell would she? I wouldn't trust me either."

Liv sighed, leaning back. "Look, Cam. You messed up. Big time. But if you really love her, you don't just give up. You show her. Not with words—she's not gonna believe those. You prove it."

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling more lost than ever. "How?"

She shrugged. "That's for you to figure out. But if you really want her back, stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it. And for the love of God, make sure it's something good. Grand gestures only work in movies, but real honesty? That might actually get her to listen."

I let her words sink in. Maybe she was right. Maybe I had been going about this all wrong. Words weren't gonna fix this. I had to show her.

The only question was... how?