truth or dare - game on series #1

Stella

The hospital room was cold.

Not just in temperature, but in feeling. Empty, sterile. The kind of place that always made me feel small.

I blinked up at the ceiling, disoriented, my body heavy like it was made of lead. A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes, and my limbs felt... wrong. Like they weren't quite mine.

I didn't remember much. Just a flash of panic, my hands shaking, a tightness in my chest—then nothing.

The doctor had said I had a seizure. A bad one.

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. It had been a long time since I'd had one this bad. I must've been exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed—yeah, no surprise there.

The door creaked open, and I turned my head, wincing slightly at the movement.

Bree.

She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression a mix of exhaustion and relief. But her eyes—her eyes were pure worry.

"You scared the hell out of me," she muttered, walking in.

I managed a weak smile. "Not my best moment, huh?"

Bree sat down beside the bed, shaking her head. "I swear, you live to stress me out."

I chuckled, but even that made my head pound. "I'm okay," I assured her. "Really. Just... tired."

Bree studied me for a moment, then let out a breath, as if deciding to believe me. "Yeah, well. That was bad, Stell." Her voice was softer now. "Like, really bad."

I licked my lips. "What happened?"

Bree hesitated. "Do you remember anything?"

I shook my head. "Not after... I don't know. I was anxious. And then... then it just went blank."

Bree sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Cameron happened."

I blinked. "What?"

She leaned back in the chair. "You had a seizure in front of everyone, Stella."

My stomach dropped.

"No."

"Yes." Bree's voice was gentle, but the reality hit me hard.

"No," I repeated, squeezing my eyes shut. God, no. I could handle a seizure, but not this. Not people seeing it.

Not Cameron seeing it.

I swallowed hard. "Who—who was there?"

Bree hesitated again.

My heart pounded. "Bree."

She sighed. "Cameron. His sister. His friends."

I turned my head away, staring at the wall, mortified.

Cameron saw.

He saw.

My biggest secret, the thing I kept locked away from everyone outside of Bree. Now he knew.

Oh, God.

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I forced them down. "He must've freaked out," I whispered.

Bree let out a humorless laugh. "That's an understatement. He froze, Stella. Like, completely. I had to yell at him to call an ambulance. And he didn't. He just—he just stood there."

That didn't surprise me.

He probably thought I was dying.

I exhaled shakily. "And now?"

Bree pursed her lips. "Now he's out there. Waiting."

My breath hitched. "He's here?"

Bree nodded. "Hasn't left. None of them have."

I closed my eyes again.

Cameron was here.

Even after everything.

Even after I told him I didn't trust him.

Even after I said I didn't want him in my life.

He was still here.

I didn't know what that meant.

And I didn't know if I was ready to find out.