Ethan tried to pull away, but Chloe managed to snatch the card from his hand. She unfolded it and read the words aloud: "Confess your biggest secret."
The room went deathly silent. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances as the weight of the dare sank in.
Lily, who curiously was on the peak, turned to Ethan.
"So? What's the secret?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as if bracing herself for whatever bombshell was about to drop.
Ethan stood frozen, staring at the floor, clearly torn between running and confessing something he had kept hidden for far too long.
*****
Oh, don't make him say it. You won't like what you hear… none of you will.
Secrets are dangerous, sometimes deadly...
*****
Chloe looked at Lily, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. She couldn't find the words at first, then stammered, "What the...?" Her gaze flickered between Ethan and Jake as if waiting for one of them to explain.
Lily frowned, her voice uncertain. "What is it, Chloe?" She glanced at Chloe, then at the boys, feeling an uneasy tension building in the room.
Chloe's hands shook as she handed the card to Lily, her face pale. "You need to see this," she whispered, her voice tight as if even saying the words took effort.
Lily took the card, her expression confused at first, but as she read it, her eyes widened in disbelief. "What!!"
she shouted, her voice filled with both shock and anger. Her gaze immediately snapped to Jake.
Jake shifted nervously, a look of discomfort crossing his face. "What is it, babe?" he asked, though his voice was already tinged with dread.
Lily's hands trembled as she held up the card for everyone to see.
"The card says... you slept with Ethan,"
she said, her voice barely steady, as if speaking the words was painful.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Ethan's face turned ghostly white, the confident mask he usually wore slipping away.
"Lily, it's not true! Someone's playing a sick joke on us,"
he said quickly, his tone desperate, trying to downplay the situation.
Ava, sitting quietly until now, shook her head.
"Yeah, there's no way they'd do something like that. Someone's messing with us," she said, though her voice was filled with uncertainty as if she wasn't entirely convinced.
Suddenly, everyone's phones beeped at the same time, cutting through the heavy silence like a sharp knife.
They all glanced at their screens and saw a message from an unknown number. The message simply read: "LIAR."
*****
Guys... it's not me.
I mean, the unknown sender...
It's someone else...
But...
But... they are boys.
Last time girls, now boys...
Such a messed-up group... Well... they are gonna die... in the end.
*****
The tension in the room instantly spiked. Ava read the message aloud, her voice shaky. "Liar," she repeated, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Lily.
"What the hell? Are you seriously telling me that you and Jake... and Ethan..."
Her voice trailed off, too confused to finish the sentence. She couldn't believe that the guy she liked...was...was not a guy...
He even slept with another guy...
And her mind couldn't even process..what did they do when they slept together?
Sword fighting?
Digging?
Or both...
She didn't even want to imagine it.
...
Jake looked panicked, his face flushed with fear.
"Babe, it's not what you think!" he said urgently, stepping closer to Lily, his hands reaching out as if to comfort her.
Ethan jumped in, his voice even more desperate.
"Lily, I swear, it was a mistake! Jake and I were drunk! We weren't thinking straight, we were out of our minds. It happened once, but I swear, it meant nothing. Please believe me!"
His words tumbled out rapidly, as though if he spoke fast enough, the truth wouldn't hurt so much.
Jake nodded vigorously, backing up Ethan's story. "Yes, babe, we were drunk. It didn't mean anything. I swear I'd never cheat on you. Please, you have to believe me!"
Lily's face crumpled in pain, her eyes filled with betrayal. She couldn't even look at either of them. Without another word, she stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I need to be alone," she muttered, her voice cold and detached, as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Jake tried to stop her, his voice pleading. "Baby, please! You have to hear me out!" he called after her, but Lily didn't stop or look back. She disappeared up the stairs, leaving the rest of the group in stunned silence.
Ava stood up slowly, watching Lily leave. "I'll go check on her," she said softly, before following Lily upstairs.
Once she reached Lily's door, she knocked gently before entering. Inside, she found Lily sitting on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling. Ava's heart sank at the sight of her friend so broken.
She quickly sat beside Lily, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
"Lily, please don't cry," she whispered soothingly, stroking her hair.
Lily sobbed into Ava's shoulder.
"How could he do this, Ava? How could Jake sleep with Ethan? I thought he loved me, but he loved another boy...How do I trust him after this? Is he even straight?"
Ava sighed, her voice soft but firm. "They were drunk, Lily. People make stupid mistakes when they're drunk. It doesn't mean it'll happen again. You have to talk to Jake when you're calm."
Lily wiped her tears angrily, her voice bitter. "So what? Every time they get drunk, I have to worry about this happening again. How is that fair to me?"
Ava didn't have an answer. Instead, she hugged Lily tighter. "Let's just sleep on it, okay? You'll think tomorrow. We'll figure this out together."
Reluctantly, Lily nodded. Ava helped her lie down, wiping the last of her tears. They curled up together on the bed, seeking comfort in each other's presence. Slowly, Lily's sobs quieted, and they both drifted into a restless sleep.