Page 8 of Prayer of the Damned

I discover the answer much faster than I’d anticipated, because in the very first round the bottle points to me and Trent, and he smiles that fucking panty-dropping smile of his. I try to swallow the lump in my throat as all eyes turn to me.

“Truth or dare, Bella?” Trent asks. Kelly’s got a scheming smile on her face.

Damn, which one’s less bad? Will they make me kiss someone? I’ve never kissed anyone. God, how pathetic is that.

“Truth,” I answer. Truth is probably the lesser evil here.

“Is it true you’re still a virgin?” Trent asks, and a stream of beer bursts through Kelly’s lips. Okay, maybe that really wasn’t the lesser evil.

My face burns with shame, and it feels like an abyss has opened up beneath me when I realize the answer’s spread all over my blushing face. Laughter explodes from the peanut gallery.

“Stop, don’t be assholes!” Trent calls between the laughs. He’s protecting me, and I smile shyly at him. I don’t know why I thought he was a bastard; He seems really nice. “Shut up already!” He hits Leo, who’s standing next to him, in the shoulder, and the latter almost chokes from the strength of the blow.

“Alright, alright,” Kelly says, wiping away her tears of laughter.

“I personally think it’s charming, it’s old-school,” Trent says, and I screamthank you!in my heart.

“Oh, look, look!” Kelly clucks her tongue. I raise my gaze to see she’s managed to spin the bottle again, and it’s pointing at me and Trent again. What the fuck is happening here? Is this bottle magnetically drawn to us?

“Truth or dare, Bella?” he asks, and this time I consider my answer more carefully. Okay, I’ve already said the most embarrassing thing about me, it can’t get worse than that.

“Truth,” I answer.

“Is it true you’ve never been kissed?” he asks, and Kelly and Tiffany quickly shut their mouths before another wave of laughter bursts out of them.

So it turns out it can be worse after all. Ugh, how did I find myself in such an embarrassing position again?

Before my face can give away my answer again, Trent leaps from his spot and walks up to me with a determined look. My brain can’t process the speed of events when he grabs me by my cheeks and presses his lips to mine.

Trent fucking Gibson is kissing me.Holy. Shit.

He moves his warm lips over mine and I choke – because who wouldn’t react the same way? Trent uses my momentary choke to slip his wet tongue into my mouth, and I let out a groan when I realize how much he turns me on. My guts twist and squirm as he completely takes my breath away.

I have nothing to compare this kiss to, but damn, I understand why everyone my age is constantly making out during recesses.

I could totally become addicted to this.

When he steps away from me and looks into my eyes, I blink like a complete idiot with my mouth hanging wide open.

He doesn’t say anything, and goes back to where he was before, like nothing just happened and he hadn’t just given me my first kiss. The best kiss in the world!

“Okay, now that we know the answer to that question, let’s move on.” Kelly spins the bottle again, and it seems like Trent cheating on her right in front of her face doesn’t bother her at all. Which is weird, isn’t it? If Trent were my boyfriend and he’d kissed someone else in front of me, I’d have murdered both of them. Maybe they split up, or they’re in an open relationship? It’s pretty common nowadays, and becoming more and more acceptable.

But in all the years those two have been together, I’ve never seen them with other partners. Finally I realize – better late than never, right? – that something fishy is going on here. And as soon as the bottle stops on Trent and me again, I realize I have to get the hell out of here.

“I-I think I’d better go, I’ve got an early flight to catch tomorrow…” I turn to the door.

Leo hurries to cut me off and block the door. “Where do you think you’re going,Bella?” He rolls my name on his tongue with an exaggerated flair I don’t like at all.

“Home,” I answer assertively, and reach for the doorknob.

“I don’t think so,” he challenges, and my stomach turns. “Hey, Trent, didn’t you say you roofied her? It sure doesn’t look that way.”

“Let me go or I’ll scream,” I threaten, putting my hands on my waist and adopting a serious expression.

“Go ahead, I love making women scream. Besides, the music’s so loud no one out there will hear you.”

His answer makes my eyes widen in terror. “W-why are you doing this?” I ask.

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