Page 10 of Truth or Dare

His jaw clenched, and his voice dropped, venomous but quiet enough to keep it out of earshot from our friends. “You’ve said no so much my balls are dark blue. The least you could do is suck my dick.”

I froze, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. For a second, all I could hear was the thudding bass from inside the house, mixed with the distant chatter and laughter from the party. The audacity of his words hit me like a slap.

“I think we’re done,” I said firmly, throwing my cup of punch into the trash with a decisive thud. My heart was pounding, but I couldn’t let him see that he got to me.

Without waiting for his reaction, I turned on my heel and walked away, my pace quick and determined. I didn’t care how I looked storming off; I just needed to get out of there. Evan had driven me to the party, and I knew most of the people here were either too drunk to drive or didn’t care enough to help me. Randy’s house was out by the lake, miles away from home, but I’d figure it out. Call an Uber or crash somewhere alone for the night.

I pushedpast couples making out on the porch, the scent of cheap beer and cigarette smoke hanging thick in the air. The front lawn was a mess of sprawled-out bodies—some drunk, others whispering on blankets under the warm September sky. The whole scene made my skin crawl.

I did a quick U-turn, heading down the slope toward the lake, my sneakers crunching over the damp grass. Randy’s parents had a boathouse by the water, and I remembered there were couches upstairs. I could hole up there until morning, avoid the drama.

The music faded behind me as I reached the dock, the soft lapping of water replacing the pounding beat. Then, a faint glow cut through the darkness—a cigarette ember burning bright. I froze, my heart skipping.

“Presley,” came the low voice.

I shivered. It wasn’t just the cool breeze coming off the lake; it was him. Hudson.

I inhaled sharply, the scent of his cigarette mixing with the cool night air. “Why are you here?” I asked, my voice harder than I intended.

“Randy invited me,” he replied, his tone casual, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “At least he remembers me. Where’s gorilla boy?”

I dropped down onto the smooth wooden boards next to him, feeling the warmth of the night seeping into the wood. “We’re done,” I muttered, almost relieved to say it out loud. “I’m sure that makes you happy.”

In the dim moonlight, I could just make out the smug grin stretching across his face. “It does. Now I don’t have to watch you.”

I snorted, kicking at the edge of the dock with the toe of my shoe. “I don’t need your help, Hudson.”

He took a long drag from the cigarette, the ember flaring orange before he flicked it into the water. “Do you need a ride?”

I glanced at him, surprised. “When?”

He stood up, brushing off his jeans as if the answer was obvious. “Now. Are you hungry?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah… I could eat. There’s nothing for me here.”

Hudson held out his hand, and for a moment, I stared at it, unsure. But I took it, feeling the roughness of his palm as he helped me to my feet. He looked down at me, his grin now more of a smirk.

“School just started,”he said, shrugging as we began walking back up the dock. “It can’t be that bad.”

I scoffed, shoving my hands into my jacket pockets. “Yeah, it is.”

He glanced at me, his dark eyes searching my face. “We can talk in the car,” he said softly, and without another word, we headed toward his truck, the weight of everything I’d left behind suddenly feeling lighter.

Sittingin Hudson’s old pickup truck, we devoured greasy burgers and fries from Fromby’s, the smell of fried food mixing with the scent of the worn leather seats. The quiet hum of the parking lot filled the silence between us.

"Why do you date that moron?" Hudson asked, dipping his fries into ketchup and shoveling them into his mouth, barely pausing between bites.

I shrugged, taking a smaller bite of my burger, trying to buy time before answering. "Do you remember him?"

He glanced at me, brow furrowing. "Not really. Did he go to our school?"

"No, he went to prep school until his mom got sick. They pulled him out to help her recover. She’s better now."

Hudson leaned back against the seat, casually tossing another fry into his mouth. "Then no, I don’t remember him."

I sighed and dropped the burger into its crinkling paper. "He was around the neighborhood when we were kids, but he didn’t notice me."

Hudson’s grin spread slowly in the dim light from the parking lot. "That was his first mistake."

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