Page 1 of Kiss Me Again

PROLOGUE

MIA

One and a half years ago

"It's elementary, Mia," says Chad, tongue-tied from all the booze he's been drinking all evening. "The game is called 'truth or dare,' and you chose truth, so you're going to tell us about the first time you were kissed and by whom. It's a simple question."

A simple question. Simple for whom? For Chad? He’s probably kissed so many girls that he’s lost count. Does he remember his first kiss?

I feel how sweaty my palms are, and I think I will faint right onto this Persian carpet from the eighteenth century. I already regret that I declined to drink liquor tonight. The alcohol would've relaxed me a little.

"Or I can give you an indulgence, and you can change your truth to dare," he continues as everybody keeps watching me, drinking and laughing. I know they’re mostly laugh because they’ve drunk too much, but for some reason, I feel awkward, "You can kiss me instead."

He sticks out his tongue and wriggles it like a snake, thinking it must be funny, but it's so gross. His best friend Kevin, who now sits to his right, extends a hand for a high five, and when Chad responds to him, they both start laughing. I nervously swallow, feeling a massive lump in my throat.

I knew coming here was a mistake. I was against it from the beginning. I wish I had stayed home with a book instead of playing this stupid game. But my best friend, Diana, convinced me to do it.

At first, she tried to persuade me, saying, “We're going to meet all of my brother's teammates: hot, sexy, older guys.”I laughed then, not only because she said 'old' when her brother is only a year and a half older than us, and his teammates are approximately the same age. But mostly I laughed because she thought that that would convince me to trade my new smutty romance novel for a bunch of so-called 'young men' who say stupid things and look incredibly ridiculous after only a drink or two.

And that's when Diana started to plead, saying that it was her only chance to party with those guys before they go to college, just like her brother. She used her best friend card and made those begging puppy eyes I can never resist.

That's how I agreed. And then I got onto that same trick again when Di asked me to play this stupid game. “Will you make me be the only girl?” she’d asked and made these eyes again. And now I'm screwed. I have no choice but to kiss Chad. It's kissing him or humiliating myself, confessing that I've never been kissed.

I hate Diana. Yes, she's my best friend, but right now, I hate her, getting redder with each second from fury mixed with embarrassment.

I don't want my first kiss to be with a guy like Chad, who won't even remember my name tomorrow. I also don't want to confess to all of Ben's football team that I've never been kissed. They will all start to laugh, and somebody is bound to remember my revelation tomorrow.

"Or you can kiss me instead if Mia doesn't want to play this game any longer," Diana says unexpectedly, and I almost can't believe it.

I look at my best friend with a question mark on my face, and she gives meanIt's okaylook in return.

That's it. That's why I can't be mad at Di for long: no matter how much she screws up, she always does her best to make it right.

"That wouldn't be fair," Chad says hesitantly, turning his gaze between Diana and me, unable to decide.

Then his gaze travels to the farthest corner of the room. And I know why. James Thunderstone is also here. James is the youngest but the most talented member of the team, having been accepted when he was barely sixteen. He transferred from England last year. Even though his father is a multi-millionaire, James is here on a scholarship because of his athleticism. And more importantly, James is Diana's ex.

They only dated for a couple of weeks, but Chad knows kissing his teammate's ex is forbidden and definitely out of bro code.

As if he didn't hear us, James demonstratively turns to his right and starts kissing Regina, the girl he came here with. Diana's face changes from excited to...disappointed? But it was she who broke up with James. She found out that he cheated on her. Even though there was no evidence and James denied everything, Di didn't want to listen and ended things immediately without giving him a chance to redeem himself.

"Don't you want a kiss from me?" Di insists, looking away from James immediately, peering at Chad and trying to smile, even though it's obvious she isn't very excited about the prospect. That tequila shot she took earlier relaxed her more than I thought.

I don't know if it's the liquor or that James started kissing another girl. But Chad nods in agreement and gives a satisfied smile.

He wouldn’t be a bad person to kiss. He's fairly handsome. But right now, being drunk and acting stupid, I don't find him attractive, and I honestly wouldn't want him to be my first kiss.

"I guess the game is over for me, so I'm going to grab some water," I say, and Di looks at me with approval. I whisper, “Thank you” and get up.

Sitting on the floor is exciting for the first few minutes, but after half an hour, your body starts to ache, so I can barely stand up, even though I wasn't even drinking.

They start kissing, and Chad places one of his arms on Di's thighs. She doesn't resist it, and I know why: even though she can't see it, she knows that James is watching them. He doesn't stop kissing his girlfriend, but his eyes are fully open as he watches Diana kissing Chad.

A shiver goes down my spine as I see the fury in James' eyes. I turn away and walk to the kitchen.

I exhale loudly after drinking a whole glass of water and breathe heavily as if I have just run a sprint.

"Hard day?" I hear a low voice which makes me jump as I turn around and see Ben and all of his six-foot-four inches.

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