Chapter 1

The new transfer student, Sophie Lane, lost a game and chose the dare.

She was dared to choose a boy right then and there to be her boyfriend for a whole year.

Sophie picked Ryan Evans, my childhood friend.

Ryan crossed his legs casually, looking completely unfazed. "Sure, whatever. It's just a game."

The whole crowd went wild. "Whoa, a dare to date? This is totally like playing house!"

"Even if it's just a game, you gotta make it look real!"

The group started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!"

"Make it a real kiss."

I stayed quiet, looking down at my phone.

There were messages from Lucas: [I just took last year's SAT practice test. Scored 1400.]

[Scrappy, I'm catching up to you.]

[Don't back out now. You know the rules.]

I was fuming.

"Scrappy" was the nickname I had at my grandma's place, ancient history from when we were little.

Only Lucas would dare mess with me like that. I shut off my phone in a huff.

I glanced up and saw Sophie sitting on Ryan's lap, her hands resting on his shoulders while his hands wrapped around her waist.

They kissed with the kind of skill that made it look almost too real, completely wrapped up in each other and impossible to pull apart.

I just stood there, stunned and silent, like I didn't even exist—totally shut out, just one more face in the crowd cheering them on.

My fingers were freezing, and it felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart.

Just before senior year started, Ryan and I sat together at the very top of the Ferris wheel. He held my hand tightly and confessed his feelings.

"Emily, you know I've always liked you. On my eighteenth birthday, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, full of hope.

His birthday was right at the end of the semester, and I couldn't wait for that day to come.

But then Sophie Lane transferred to our school, and all my anticipation started to disappear, like sand slipping through an hourglass.

Sophie was drop-dead gorgeous, carried herself with an easygoing charm, and had this air of grown-up confidence that made her seem like she didn't even belong in high school.

Everyone was dying to know more about her. She was from Chantonelle and suddenly showed up in our second-tier town. She was dripping with mystery.

When Sophie introduced herself at the front of the class, I caught Ryan watching her, his eyes sparkling in a way I'd never seen before.

Right then, I could feel something precious inside me slowly vanishing.

After just a month into the semester, they'd already grown close.

Ryan was used to having everything done for him, never lifting a finger.

But once time, Sophie casually mentioned wanting ice cream, he'd be downstairs buying it for her in no time.

He stopped walking home with me after school, and I barely saw him on weekends.

I'd catch glimpses of Sophie's posts popping up on my feed every now and then.

She was always showing off—thanking Ryan for cleaning up for her, or for playing tour guide and taking her around every must-see spot in Eastivelle.

It was laughable. Whenever it was Ryan's turn to do classroom chores, he'd just park himself in his seat and play games like he didn't have a care in the world.

One rainy afternoon, when Sophie was feeling under the weather, Ryan and the driver personally drove her home.

There was still plenty of space in the car, but they acted like I was invisible.

That was the moment the hourglass shattered, and time stood still.

A buzz from my phone snapped me out of it. I slumped down, feeling utterly defeated.

Lucas: [Scrappy, Scrappy, come in.]

I didn't respond, and soon he called me directly.

As Ryan and Sophie pulled apart, everyone went wild, cheering and yelling like crazy.

"Damn, that was one steamy kiss! You two totally rocked it," one of the classmates yelled.

"Dude, if I knew taking the dare meant making out like that, I would've chosen romance over singing that lame song," someone else shouted.

"Sophie's got guts. Daring to play romance games? That's just insane," another student chimed in.

"But Ryan's glued to Emily every single day. How can we tell if you two stick to the rules?" one of the classmates piped up.

"Let's make a group chat! They gotta check in daily, share the juicy details, spill where they go and what they do on every date. No secrets allowed," another chimed in, totally pumped.

My phone kept lighting up with calls. I grabbed my backpack and slipped out, desperate to escape all the noise and drama.

They discussed more tensely.

"I swear, that's the first time I've ever seen Emily lose her cool. Usually, she's all chill. Is she jealous or what?" someone muttered.

"Who wouldn't be? Her childhood friend is finally getting with someone, and it's not her. Bet she's off somewhere crying her heart out," another added with a sigh.

Sophie, genuinely surprised, said, "Seriously? It was just a game. Can't believe she's being such a sore loser about it."

Ryan just laughed it off, "Emily's not the jealous type. If she really gets upset, I'll just win her back in no time."

The group started hooting and teasing, making the whole room erupt with playful noise.

Standing outside the club, I finally answered the call. A deep, easygoing voice came through. "Scrappy."

The heaviness in my chest cleared away. Pure, righteous fury surged up inside me.

Gritting my teeth, I snapped under my breath, "Spike, call me that again and I swear I'll block you."

He pleaded, putting on his best puppy-dog voice, "I'm sorry, Emily. Don't block me, please.

"Did you check out my scores? There's still almost a year left. I'll definitely pull them up."

"So, any chance you'll spill which college you've got your eye on?"

I glanced at my scores, still not totally sure myself. Dodging the question, I teased, "Talk to me when you break 1500 on your SAT."

He sounded dead serious. "Just watch. I'll make it happen."

He prodded, "What are you doing right now?"

I took a look down the club hallway. "Just stuck in one of those dumb romance games."

The line went quiet. I thought he might've bailed, but then he scoffed, "A romance game? What even is that supposed to mean?"

I couldn't help giving a dry laugh.

Just then, Ryan came out of the private room. "Ryan's here. Gotta go," I said quickly.

Ryan's lips were still damp, and his bottom lip looked a little raw from being bitten.

His brows were relaxed, the corners of his eyes softened; he looked like he was in a fantastic mood.

Ryan stood in front of me, reached out to ruffle my hair, and then leaned in close, tilting his head. "Not happy?" he asked.

"It was just a dare game. She put me on the spot in front of all those people. I couldn't let myself chicken out," Ryan explained.

"A real man never backs down, right? If I did, how could I ever deserve a girl like you, Emily?" he teased.

"Relax, our plan isn't changing," he assured me.

"On my birthday, you'll be my official girlfriend. We'll head off to Eastivelle University together, and maybe take some trips," Ryan promised, a sparkle in his eye.

I pushed his hand away, and a soft, flirty voice called out, "Ryan, what are you doing?"

Sophie came out, stood beside Ryan, and held onto his hand.

Her chest pressed right up against his arm.

She flashed a dazzling smile. "Emily, since I lost the game, I'm borrowing your childhood buddy for a whole year. You're cool with that, right?"

I suddenly remembered that yesterday, Ryan had flashed a similar mischievous smile at me.

I kept my voice cool. "I don't mind." Getting worked up because of a game would just make me look like a loser.

Sophie grinned. "Great. We're heading out for our very first date."

Ryan's grin was unstoppable as he added, "They're making us check in with updates in the group chat every single day."

"Driver's coming to pick you up. Text me when you get home," he said, giving my hair a playful ruffle. "And don't go snitching to my parents, alright?"

Then the two of them walked off together, looking all lovey-dovey.

Spike sent me a message again: [Got a secret for you. I'll spill it face-to-face but only after SAT.]