Truth or Dare (6 page)

Emerson laughed. “Come on, Marta. You don’t really believe in all that Lost Girls crap, do you? Nicole Mayor didn’t die because of some ‘curse.’ ” She paused to air quote. “She was murdered.”

“I don’t know, Em,” Tricia mused. Lowering her voice, she wiggled her eyebrows at Marta. “Maybe it’s like everyone is always saying: Pretty girls come to Echo Bay to drown….”

As Marta’s face went white, Tenley turned to Tricia. “You swam out to the Phantom Rock once and you didn’t drown,” she pointed out.
Tricia stared at her blankly. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember,” Tenley said with a laugh. “We were down at the beach? I dared you?” She trailed off as an idea suddenly struck her.

She looked around the room, surveying the scene. It was a good party, but she didn’t want good. She wanted
legendary
. Come Tuesday, she wanted everyone to be talking about this party… and her.

She elbowed Caitlin in the side. “What do you say,” she said teasingly, “to a little game of truth or dare?”

“I’m in.” Caitlin thrust her glass excitedly into the air. “So old school.”

“Old school
when
?” Emerson looked doubtful. “Fifth grade?”

“Well… yeah.” Caitlin looked over at Tenley and they both burst out laughing.

When they were younger, Tenley and Caitlin had been known throughout Echo Bay for their outrageous games of truth or dare. Tenley could still remember some of their best dares: the time she’d videotaped Marta kissing Hunter Bailey, or the time they’d filled Mr. Curtis’s mailbox with thongs, or the time Caitlin had put on a strip show in the mini-mart, or—the crowning glory in Tenley’s opinion—the time she’d dared Fatty Patty (
Tricia
, she corrected herself once again) to swim out to the Phantom Rock during Fall Festival, to the very spot where Nicole Mayor had died.

“Believe me,” Tenley told Emerson, “truth or dare isn’t just for fifth-graders. It can make for some”—she paused, searching for the right word—“
unforgettable
nights. Especially if the stakes are high enough. So what do you say, you guys in?”

Marta leaned over Emerson, several strands of fiery red hair tumbling into her face. “Sounds better than kings.”

Tricia tossed her cards onto the table. “Agreed.”

“Em?” Caitlin knocked her knee against Emerson’s. “I’m telling you, it’s fun.”

Emerson wrinkled her tiny nose. “I think I’ll sit this one out, Cait. I know I said I was over high school, but I didn’t mean I wanted to go back to
grade
school.”

Tenley tensed. Who was Emerson to act all high and mighty? So what if she’d lived in New York for a summer and had her face in one commercial on TV? The video wasn’t even online. (Not that she’d ever admit she looked for it.) Tenley had spent last summer securing the just-as-prestigious title of Miss Teen Nevada.

She smiled tightly. “Totally fine if you want to sit the game out,” she said. Grabbing the remote off the coffee table, she tossed it to Emerson. “Feel free to watch a movie while we play,” she added quickly.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “She is
not
watching a movie.” Her voice sounded louder than usual, and looser, too. She was definitely feeling the drinks. “Just play, Em,” she persisted. Letting her head drop onto Emerson’s shoulder, she smiled up at her. “Pleeeeease?”

Emerson sighed dramatically. “Okay, fine. I’ll play.”

“All right!” Caitlin cheered. She straightened up, meeting Tenley’s eyes. “Should we gather the masses?”

“Leave that to me,” Tenley said. Walking over to the pool house’s marble bar, she grabbed on to the edge of the countertop and hoisted herself up on her butt. “Listen up, guys!” she yelled from the top of the bar. The room fell silent. Everyone turned in her direction. “We’re going to play a little game called truth or dare,” she announced. There were some moans and a few cries of
What the hell?
, but mostly people just looked intrigued. She had their attention. “I’m not talking the truth or dare some of you might have played in fifth grade.” She gave Caitlin a little smirk. “I’m talking a game that gets a little… wild.”

“I’ll get wild with you, Tenley!” a random guy called out. He had pale skin and a headful of blond curls. With some hair gel and a tan, he might have been decent looking—but the
SUPERHERO-IN-TRAINING
T-shirt he was wearing screamed
nerd
.

“I bet you would,” she answered, smirking. “Anyway, if anyone else wants to play, we’ll be out back on the deck.”

She hopped down from the bar and, beckoning for Caitlin to follow, wove her way out to the deck overlooking the pool. As she squeezed onto a lounge chair with Caitlin, she watched the rest of the party file out behind them. “Looks like Ten’s Commandments are back in effect,” Caitlin whispered.

“Looks like it,” Tenley said, unable to keep the pride out of her voice. She just wished Guinness were still there to witness this. But he’d stayed for a full hour at least, drinking her lemonade and—she swore—touching her on the arm way more than necessary.

“Okay,” Tenley said, as everyone got settled in. “I’m assuming you all know the rules of the game. But just a warning. If you lie during a truth, and someone catches you: Watch your back.” She let her eyes wander over to the pool, which was glowing brightly in the darkness. “Retribution is expected,” she continued. “And believe me, it’s a bitch. So make your truths
good
.”

“Like how-many-people-have-you-slept-with good?” a girl Tenley vaguely remembered as Karen asked.

“Too many to count,” Hunter Bailey yelled, slapping hands with Nate Roberts.

Tenley shook her head. “The whole point is to ask questions people don’t
want
to answer. Here, I’ll give you an example.” She gave the group a quick scan. “Let’s say I was to call on Emerson, and she was to
choose truth. I might ask her, let’s see…” She rubbed her hands together. “Who she cheated on Scott Ratner with, for example.”

Emerson’s eyes widened. Behind her, someone let out a gasp. The gossip had been all over town since Tenley returned. Just yesterday she’d heard two younger girls chattering about it at the salon. According to them, Emerson and Scott, a yearlong couple, had split because Emerson had strayed. The thing was, no one seemed to know who, exactly, she’d strayed with.

“Good thing I always choose dare,” Emerson said coolly.

Tenley met Emerson’s eyes. Thanks to all the pageants she’d competed in over the years, she was good at staring people down. She expected Emerson to back off quickly, look away. But she didn’t. She kept her eyes locked on Tenley’s, blazing with an expression Tenley couldn’t quite read. “Good thing,” she agreed at last.

“I’ll start,” Hunter cut in eagerly, drawing everyone’s attention away from Emerson. He looked at Tenley questioningly, and she nodded. “Okay. Audrey.” He leaned forward in his chair, training his bright blue eyes on Audrey Miller, a sporty-looking girl who in middle school had been the star of the field hockey team. “Truth or dare?”

Audrey blew out a breath, thinking for a moment. “Dare,” she decided at last.

“Niiiice,” Hunter cheered, making everyone laugh. Hunter looked around, his eyes landing on a guy in a tight white T-shirt whose dark brown hair was buzzed short. “I dare you to… give Blake a lap dance. In your bathing suit.”

The dares only got wilder from there. Marta faked an orgasm. Tim Holland dialed 1-800-STRIP4US and sent Destiny, a “fun-loving contortionist,” to the gym teacher Mr. Stark’s house. And at three
AM
Tricia rang the doorbell of Simon Howe—a local newsman and Tenley’s neighbor—and asked him ever so politely if he would mind sucking on her big toe.

Several rounds into the game, Emerson called on Tenley. “Dare,” Tenley decided. She wasn’t worried. Emerson was a total novice at this game. She’d probably end up daring Tenley to post a weird status on Facebook or something lame.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Emerson ran a hand through her glossy black hair, smiling sweetly. “I dare you to kiss Calum Bauer.” She paused dramatically. “With tongue.”

Tenley choked back a laugh. A
kiss
? Just like she’d thought: a total novice. Though that name did ring a bell. Bauer… of course. Calum must be that billionaire tech wizard’s son, the one her mom wanted so desperately for her to hook up with. Well, it looked like her mom was going to get her wish.

“No problem,” she said easily—just as a guy sitting in the corner leaped to his feet. She winced when she saw his
SUPERHERO-IN-TRAINING
T-shirt.
Crap
. It was Ultimate Nerd Boy. Forcing a smile onto her face, Tenley stood up. “Hi, Calum,” she said loudly, circling the fire pit to get to him. Keeping the smile glued on her face, she stopped in front of him, leaving only centimeters between them. Up close, his skin was a little less pale than she’d thought, and he smelled faintly of chlorine.

“We could go somewhere private,” he offered earnestly. “If you don’t want to—”

Not bothering to let him finish, Tenley grabbed the cuff of Calum’s shirt and pulled him to her. He let out a noise of surprise as she kissed him, his hand finding her back. His mouth was surprisingly soft, and Tenley found herself parting her lips, letting his tongue slide in for a second longer than necessary.

“Yeah, Calum!” someone shouted as people hooted and whistled around them. Satisfied, Tenley pulled away, shooting Emerson a haughty look as she headed back to her seat.

“My turn,” she declared. She dropped back down next to Caitlin, letting her eyes run over the group. She could choose Emerson, but that would seem too bitter now. And everyone had been called on at least once—everyone, she realized, except Calum.

“Calum,” she said. He had just sat back down, looking dazed. At the sound of his name, his head snapped up. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Calum answered immediately. He had a fervent look in his eyes, as if he was hoping for another kiss.
Right
; when frogs turned into princes. A litany of Tenley’s favorite dares ran through her mind. It didn’t take her long to settle on one. “I dare you to jump into the ocean,” she said. “Naked.” Calum’s face collapsed in disappointment. He clearly realized he wasn’t getting lucky again.

“
Naked?
” he muttered, sounding incredulous.

Tenley stood up, pulling Caitlin with her. “Cait and I will come along as enforcers.”

As the three of them made their way to the rocky beach that bordered Tenley’s front yard, Calum kept up a steady stream of chatter. “I love these Dune Way houses, how close they are to the ocean. I tried to get my dad to buy one when I first moved back home, but he likes his privacy, which is why we live out on Neddles Island. He’s kind of a misanthrope, my dad, doesn’t really like people, which is kind of a joke considering—”

“Do you always talk this much?” Tenley cut in.

Calum nodded, making several curls flop across his forehead. “Sorry, I tend to ramble when I’m nervous. My dad calls it my own personal kryptonite. You know, Superman’s one weakness—”

“It’s fine, Calum,” Caitlin said soothingly. “Tenley was just joking around.” She elbowed Tenley in the side. “Right, Ten?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tenley said. “Sure.”

The sky seemed to grow darker as they neared the beach, night coiling itself around them like a snake. Tenley blinked several times, letting her eyes adjust. On the other side of the narrow street, the ocean lapped gently against a thin strip of sand. Kicking off her shoes, she climbed up onto the tall rocks that jutted out into the water, the perfect jumping-off spot. “All right, Calum,” she called out. “Show’s on.” As Caitlin joined her on the rocks, Calum walked past them, out to the edge. Taking a deep breath, he began to pull his shirt up. “Bet he glows in the dark,” Tenley whispered to Caitlin.

He stepped out of his cargo shorts, revealing a pair of boxers covered with penguins in top hats. Tenley was surprised to see that he didn’t look half-bad half-naked. His stomach was flat and defined and muscles rippled down his shoulders. “Boxers, too, Tenley?” Calum asked. She realized she was staring, and quickly looked away.

“Have you ever been naked before, Calum?” Tenley joked. “Never mind, I don’t think I want to know the answer to that. Yes, boxers, too.” The wind at the edge of the ocean carried an autumn chill, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was waiting for the high—that rush of excitement she always got from the game. But as Calum pulled at the waistband of his boxers, it didn’t come. He just looked so
nervous
up there, pale and wide-eyed as he watched the waves crash lightly against the rocks. “It’s pretty dark out there,” he said uneasily.

“Didn’t I hear someone say you were a lifeguard?” Tenley asked.

“Yeah.” Calum swallowed loudly. “At a
pool
.”

“Poor guy,” Caitlin murmured next to her.

“I bet I know what would make him feel better.” As Tenley turned to face Caitlin, she could feel that rush of excitement finally starting to tingle in her stomach. “Caitlin Thomas,” she said slowly. “I dare you to jump in with Calum.”

“Hell, no!” Caitlin screeched. “How about I dare
you
to jump in with him?”

Tenley met her eyes. “Fine.” She broke into a smile. “I dare us both to jump in with him.” Calum stepped out of his boxers. Tenley arched an eyebrow at Caitlin. “What do you say? Want to take a swim with Casper the Friendly Ghost?”

“You know,” Caitlin said, laughing, “I think a swim is exactly what this night needs.”

Giggling, Tenley shimmied out of her dress. Next to her, Caitlin unbuckled her belt, then let her own dress fall to the ground. All around them, the world seemed to wake up. The waves crashed faster and a seagull let out a squawk and somewhere far in the distance, a boat revved. The moon coated the rocks in a ghostly white film, and for a moment it made Tenley think of the Lost Girls, made her wonder if their ghosts were out there somewhere, trapped in the water.

“What the…?” Calum stammered when he caught sight of Tenley and Caitlin. His hands flew to his more
private
parts to cover up as his eyes darted from Tenley’s red lace bra to Caitlin’s pink silk one.