“Pass.”
“Lame.” Louisa rolls her eyes as the crowd chants at me to chug my beer.
I drain the glass, and before I’m even finished, someone’s handing me another one. Sybil goes next, taking on her dare to do the splits with a smile on her face while all the guys ooh and ahh over her flexibility. The circle continues, and I continue to drink from my cup, dreading my next turn. I feel woozy, and I don’t know why I even came here when I’m already counting down the minutes until I can leave. Eventually the circle comes back to me, and this time, it’s Sybil who gets to challenge me, which fills me with a little relief.
“Truth or dare?” she asks.
“Dare.”
She eyeballs Micah and licks her lips, and already she looks a little drunk. “I dare you to swim with me.”
The guys hoot and holler while I bite my lip and consider it. It’s not like we didn’t do this dozens of times over the summer. Sybil is already running down to the pond, stripping off her shirt and shorts along the way. “You can leave your bra and panties on,” she calls over her shoulder.
I chug the rest of my beer for liquid courage and trail after her, stripping off my sweater and then my skirt, leaving them next to hers. I imagine everyone is watching us as I push my way into the water, but my head is fuzzy, and I can’t really seem to care what they think right now.
Sybil squeals when she sees that I’ve joined her, and soon, some of the guys start diving in too. Before long, her lips are locked with Micah’s, and I don’t really know what to do with myself. The pond is too cold to be enjoyable, and I’m already shivering and feeling sick to my stomach from the beer, I think. When someone grabs me from behind and spins me around, I can’t seem to react as fast as I should.
“Hey, slut.” Ethan grins down at me.
“Fuck you.” I try to push him away, but he’s too heavy, and I feel like I’m moving in slow motion. I don’t understand what’s happening, but something isn’t right. My body is too sluggish. I’ve been drunk before, but this is something different and terrifying.
“Quit teasing me,” Ethan growls. “I know you want this.”
Before I can protest, he smears his wet, sloppy lips all over my face, attempting to kiss me as I try to fight him off. Nobody seems to notice, and I don’t know what to do. Screaming for help feels too dramatic, but I don’t want this disgusting oaf touching me.
“Get off me.” I hiss, shoving him with all my might.
He barely budges, and that’s when I know I’m on my own. I try to jam my knee into his groin but even that requires too much effort. So instead, I lean in and bite down on his shoulder until he screams like the little bitch he is.
“What the fuck?” He shoves me away from him, and once my balance is gone, I can’t even seem to tread water.
“What happened?” Josh asks.
“Little bitch bit me. She’s into some freaky shit.”
“Stella?” Sybil calls out from behind me as I attempt to drag my useless body to shore. I don’t even realize that I’m not moving until Micah puts an arm around me and hauls me up, allowing me to take in a long breath.
“What the hell just happened?” Sybil appears in front of me with wide, panicked eyes.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I feel weird.”
“I think she’s drunk.” Micah observes.
“She’s only had two beers,” Sybil protests.
Regardless, they help me back onto dry land, only to discover that my clothes are missing. Sybil mumbles something about Louisa, but I’m only picking up every few words. I can barely keep my eyes open, and now I can’t even stand on my own.
“We need to get her back,” Sybil says. “Micah, can you give her your shirt?”
I try to protest until I realize that I’m only in my bra and panties. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, my delusions take on a whole other level of scary when I hear the furious voice from behind me.
“What the hell is going on here?”
“Holy shit! Run!”
Numerous footsteps scatter into the distance as Mr. Carter’s voice explodes through the trees. “Party’s over. Everyone back to campus, now!”
“Crap.” Sybil and Micah utter in unison as they support my lifeless body between them. I realize I’m holding them back and they are going to get into trouble because of me.