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ii. packing threats

“Did you walk here?” Von says as I take my spot in our circle.

We’re standing under the same tree we always have since ninth grade.

Shrugging, I take a sip from my cup and lick my lips as I respond. “Just from Starbucks.”

“Enough of it.” Jodene takes a step forward, hands on her hips. “The rules.”

“Have we not been going over this for years?” Gina tilts her head back, the bright blue tips of her afro bouncing with the movement. “We know the rules,” she says sassily, leaning forward with a taunting grin toward Jodene.

“Ladies, let’s be civil.” I hide my grin behind my cup before pressing it to my lips.

“New rule.” Jodene holds her hands up, and we all give her our attention. “Leave Jake out of it.”

We all go up in hysterics. Jake’s the guy she’s been crushing on since February where they met in Physics class and worked on a project together. I hadn’t thought of him all morning, but now that she’s bringing him up…

“I can’t promise you that.” Yvonne shakes her head.

I point at Jodene, feigning pity. “You brought that on yourself. I forgot all about him up until now.”

“We have a few minutes left until the first bell. Let’s do this quick,” Gina cuts into our banter. She counts off the rules on her fingers as she gets them out in the shortest sum-up ever. “No dares should include sex or anyone jumping off a cliff. Got it?”

“Got it,” the rest of us agree.

Those are the only rules. Absolutely no sexual acts and the jumping off the cliff thing is short for ‘making sure a dare doesn’t end up killing one of us’.

A lot of things about our made-up holiday have been adjusted over the years, but those two remain untouched. Even with each year, as we change as individuals, those boundaries do not.

Von for instance had been reserved at one time because she hadn’t known much English. She’s lived in France for most of her life, so she hadn’t been here from the very beginning; seventh grade, when we were just a threesome and created something that made us step out of our comfort zone even if it’s just once a year.

She joined us in ninth grade, and with every challenge we’ve faced on May first ever since, we all became more open, dependent, and trusting of one another.

“Okay, break!” She claps and we all laugh before turning toward the school entrance and following the crowd into the building.

The worse thing about today—well, I should say every day for the past couple of weeks—is that I’ve had gym for first period.

Of course, I tried everything to get out of it, or even switch it to another time during the day, but then that would’ve messed up all my other classes.

I have amazing classes besides my first, and not the subject themselves but who are in those classes. Switching everything around would’ve ruined that and that’s not something I looked forward to, especially with just a few weeks left of school. Therefore, I took the hour and forty-five minutes of running around in the hot sun and sweating through my clothes. Torture.

But it was worth the rest of the day. I did get to take a quick shower every morning when I went back to the locker rooms, so it wasn’t that bad. And Kellan has gym the same time I do so it’s been fun. That only sucks a little because he enjoys it—being an athlete and all. He's the quarterback of the football team, so gym class is a minor workout for him.

My second class of the day is Earth and Space Science, a class that’s enjoyable by subject as well as my classmates.

I walk into class with a grin on my face, already spotting Gina at our lab table across the room. Her hair is already up in a messy looking bun because of lab rules. When she spots me coming over, she drops her head on top of her arms, making some interesting sounds.

Laughing, I place my books on our table across from her and hop onto my stool. “What?”

She sits up and scratches at a spot in next to her ear—something she does when she’s anxious—and waves at me nonchalantly. “Dish it. What am I doing?”

Huffing playfully, I rest my elbows on the dark surface of the lab table. I don’t really have a dare for her. Sure, the night before I’d written down what I could dare all of them to do, but it’s hard when I only get one dare each.

For Gina, I’d written to have her finally get that tattoo she’s been wanting. Her parents are on the stricter side and even though she hasn’t asked them yet if she can get a tattoo, we all know they would be against it. We tell her that we're behind her one hundred percent if she decides to do it. She’s eighteen, dammit, she doesn’t need permission! But we don’t encourage her not to tell her parents or go against them. Not outright.

“Nothing yet, you’re off the hook,” I lie, smiling when her eyes narrow at me. “Cross my heart.” I do the cheesy gesture and she smiles.

“I don’t believe you.” We both laugh and she continues, “You’re always ready, and have your dares written down.” She leans across the table to emphasize her point.

I shrug, flicking my pen as I feign boredom. “Something better might come up.” She hums, still not buying it, and she shouldn’t. “What about you? Have anything exciting planned for me today?” I grin, clasping my hands under my chin.

I’ve always been nervous and giddy with anticipation, waiting for my three dares. With every one I feel a new part of me being unlocked. I become fearless and open to every possibility, even if I’m dared to eat mud or something just as gross.

Her light brown eyes avert from me and she sings out a, “Maybe…”

Loud talking takes my attention from my best friend and toward the classroom door.

“You know you people can be quiet sometimes,” the blonde in the group says. I think her name is Julia. I’ve heard it enough from people in this class that I dream about the girl sometimes.

Even with what she just said, she’s smiling widely, and saying something over her shoulder to the guys standing in the door, all of them grinning at her.

The tallest guy walks into the room but not after her like I think he will. He makes his way over to our teacher who’s sorting papers at his high table and throws his arm around his shoulders like they’re old friends.

“Thion, go to class. The late bell’s about to ring,” Mr. Rogers says, not looking away from what he’s doing.

Thion readjusts and places his palms flat on top of the table, peering down at the papers and saying something that I didn’t care to strain to hear. My eyes go back to the entrance of the classroom the same time another familiar face comes into sight.

Reese Jamison. The bane of Davenport High.

I almost fall into a full-on daze at the sight of his smile and dimples. He stops at the door with the other two guys who’re waiting on their friend, engaging in conversation.

Maybe there are popular kids here. I hate the term but ‘well-known’ is equal to it, right?

It’s hard to tell if I’m staring or glaring at his stupid head. No matter how hot he is, with his dimples and perfect smile and curly blond hair, and hazel eyes and-

“Kira?” My head snaps back to Gina. She reaches up by the corner of her lips with a smirk. “You’re drooling.”

My hand is halfway to my face before I realize what I’m doing and drop it, glaring at her. She giggles while I try my hardest not to look back at the door.

“Let’s not,” I say, my eyes widening at her.

Even knowing what happened between Reese and I freshman year, my friends still tease me about him. It’s mostly my fault with my tendency to get caught up in his face. Looking at him is like a death trap—one glimpse has me zoning out seconds later and forgetting everything else.

Before I can help it, I’m glancing back at the door, only catching a glimpse of his eyes before looking away.

Freezing, I do a mental double-take.

Is he looking at me?

“Gina?” I say sweetly and she looks up at me. Whatever’s on my face makes her sit up straighter and lean across the lab table toward me.

“What?”

I look down at my phone naturally, just in case his eyes are still in this direction. Cursing myself for putting my hair in a fishtail after gym, I tap in the passcode to my phone to make it seem like I’m actually doing something.

“I want you to look over at the door as naturally as you can and tell me the first thing you notice.” I keep my fingers busy and my posture relax even though my heart and every pulse point in my body want to dislodge and do all sorts of acrobatics under my skin.

She hums and I keep my eyes on my phone for another second before moving my attention to my books instead. I pull my textbook in front of me, still keeping my cool.

Gina giggles. “Jamison was looking over here, but he looked away when I caught him.”

And just like that, I damn near die.

My textbook has been too close to the edge of the table and right when she says that my hand presses down on it a little too firmly and the heavy book flips over the edge, almost bringing me with it, creating a loud sound when it meets the tiled floor. If the empty stool next to me hadn’t been there, I’d be on my face right now.

My cheeks burn in embarrassment when the room goes silent. I know everyone is staring in this direction. Specifically, at me.

I turn to glare at Gina who’s snickering behind her hand. “I hate you,” I grit out, but seeing her laugh is enough for some of my embarrassment to melt away. Soon enough I’m pressing my lips together and we’re both trying not to laugh too loudly and draw any more attention.

“You said I should tell you the first thing I saw,” she says with a mocking grin.

My retort dies on my tongue at the sound of Mr. Rogers’s voice. “Everything all right back there, girls?”

I meet his gaze and nod enough times that I have to curse myself to stop. “Yeah, the book- it-” I point at the object on the floor, already sliding off my stool, “-fell. No big deal.” I smile as best I can with the sick feeling in my stomach and the heat spreading from my face and down my neck.

My eyes roam the rest of the class in one quick sweep and even though most of the kids have already gone back to their previous activities, a number of them are still staring. Including Thion, and his friends in the doorway. And Reese.

I quickly stoop to pick up the book and as soon as I’m hidden behind the lab table, I facepalm. I contemplate staying there until the bell rings for class to start, or for the entire class period.

Releasing a calming breath, I stand with my textbook and set it in the middle of the table this time. The smug look on Gina’s face makes me want to chuck something at her, preferably said book, but I hold back my violent urges. I only show them outside of school unless necessary.

“Smooth.”

“F you,” I reply, not wanting to get in trouble if our teacher happens to still be looking and is excellent at reading lips.

“You haven’t talked to him since freshman year, have you?” She says as if she doesn’t already know that. If I’d ever spoken to Reese after that first time, they’d be the first to know.

“Why would I?” I retort, getting back on my seat again and crossing my legs. “I think I remember telling you guys I’m never talking to him again. I wasn’t joking.”

“I mean…” She makes a suggestive face but I’m already shaking my head before the next words leave her mouth. “Kira, you were kids back then. Maybe if you talk to him now-”

Shaking my head, I say firmly, “JoBeth, I am not speaking to him. Not now, not ever.”

She props her elbow on top of the table and drops her chin into the palm of her hand. “Do I need to dare you?”

My body tenses and my eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t.”

Smirking, she shrugs, her eyes not leaving my face. “Maybe… maybe not. As far as I know, no one’s been dared yet and this seems like a nice way to get things started.”

“I will ruin you.” My voice comes out deeper and slower than I expect it to.

She rolls her eyes at my dramatics and I watch her reach into her bag and pull out a stick of jerky. “Calm down, I’m kidding.”

“I don’t believe you,” I respond before she’s even done talking, unknowingly mocking her words from earlier.

Not even bothered, she bites into her snack with a grin even though she’s not supposed to be eating in here. And I didn’t say anything, hoping Mr. Rogers will catch her. She deserves it after threatening me.

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