The stars were finally out.
No moon yet, just velvet dark and little lights scattered across the sky like secrets waiting to be told. The lake had gone still, and the only sound left was the soft crackle of the fire they built from dry twigs and teamwork. Kinda. Lucas mostly just complained about mosquitoes and threw snacks at people.
But right now, everything was… quiet.
Not awkward quiet. The kind of quiet that feels warm. Safe.
Mia sat with her arms tucked around her knees, lazily tossing mini marshmallows into Lucas’s mouth while he pretended to be a professional athlete. He only caught two. One of them bounced off his forehead and landed in Scarlett’s drink. She didn’t even blink—just sipped it like it was planned.
“I don’t know who raised you people,” Bianca said dryly, holding her cup like royalty, “but I refuse to believe manners were ever discussed.”
“I was raised by vibes,” Lucas replied proudly. “And chaos.”
Bianca side-eyed him. “Explains everything.”
Cassidy and Scarlett were laughing way too hard over that. Aiden leaned back against a log beside Skylar, his head tilted up at the sky. His silence had weight—but never in a bad way. It felt like comfort. Like he didn’t need to speak to be understood.
Skylar smiled at that without even realizing.
---
Eventually, someone passed around the marshmallows and sticks, and even Bianca took one after enough aggressive peer pressure and a quiet stare-down from Aiden.
Scarlett threw a blanket over Mia and Lucas like they were a pair of squabbling children, then snuggled next to Cassidy. The fire cracked again, soft orange dancing against their cheeks, casting warmth into places that had been cold for too long.
And then… someone said it.
“I wish this could last forever.”
It wasn’t clear who said it. Could’ve been Mia. Maybe Cassidy. Maybe Skylar herself, thinking it too loud.
But it lingered. Like a spell.
---
Bianca was still looking at the fire when Jace sat beside her. Close, but not too close. Just enough that she could feel it—his presence, always steady. Always there.
“You didn’t have to come today,” he said quietly.
Bianca didn’t look at him. “Yeah, I know.”
“But you did.”
She bit her lip.
“I thought Aiden would get all pouty if I didn’t,” she mumbled, brushing ash off her jeans. “And you know how I hate emotional blackmail.”
Jace chuckled under his breath.
They sat there in silence for a beat.
Then Jace spoke again—so softly it nearly disappeared into the night.
“You needed it, too.”
Bianca’s hands stilled.
And in that moment, something in her cracked. Not broken. Just… loosened.
She didn’t know how to reply, so she didn’t.
---
Nearby, Skylar turned to Aiden, the firelight flickering in her eyes.
“Can I ask you something weird?”
Aiden glanced sideways. “Weirder than usual?”
She nudged him, but her voice was softer now. “Why do you never talk about yourself?”
He blinked at her, surprised.
“I mean,” she added quickly, “you’re always there for other people. Quiet. Kind. Protective. But… I don’t know much about you.”
Aiden looked at the sky for a long time.
Then, he whispered, “Maybe I like people not expecting much from me.”
Skylar tilted her head. “But why?”
He finally turned to look at her.
And for the first time… his mask slipped.
“Because then they can’t be disappointed.”
Skylar’s heart ached a little at that.
“You’re wrong, you know,” she said gently.
Aiden smiled—but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I usually am.”
---
Meanwhile, Lucas had taken it upon himself to lighten the mood by butchering the lyrics of a love song no one gave him permission to sing. Scarlett joined in with bad harmony, Mia covered her face with a pillow, and Bianca declared she was legally dead from secondhand embarrassment.
But Skylar was smiling again. And laughing.
And Jace?
He looked at Bianca.
And for once… she didn’t look away.
---
The night was winding down, the fire just flickers now, glowing low like a heartbeat settling after a rush. Someone yawned. Someone stretched. The leftover snacks were mostly crumbs. Lucas was poking at a burnt marshmallow like it personally betrayed him.
“We packing up?” Jace asked, standing and brushing ash off his pants.
But before anyone could answer—
“Nope,” Scarlett grinned, popping up like she just had three energy drinks. “You all thought we’d leave without playing something fun?”
Cassidy popped up beside her. “We demand Truth or Dare.”
Lucas groaned. “We’re not twelve—”
Scarlett threw a stick at him. “Don’t be a coward, Hotdog Boy.”
Skylar laughed so hard she nearly choked. “What even—”
Bianca, of course, stood up and dusted her jeans. “No. Absolutely not. This is where friendships die.”
“Too late,” Cassidy winked. “Circle up, soldier.”
---
They sat around the fire again, a little tighter now, closer because the night invited it. The stars blinked above like they were listening in. The lake was calm behind them, dark and deep.
Scarlett clapped her hands. “Alright, rule twist—no stupid dares like kissing or ‘what’s your crush’ crap. We’re making this epic.”
“Epic how?” Jace asked, amused.
“No rules,” Cassidy grinned. “You either do it or you jump in the lake.”
Bianca narrowed her eyes. “I’m not diving into that cursed water for your entertainment.”
“You say that now,” Scarlett teased. “But wait ‘til you’re dared.”
---
First up: Lucas.
“Truth,” he said too confidently.
Scarlett grinned like a villain. “Okay. If you could swap lives with anyone here for a week, who would it be and why?”
Lucas paused. “Ooh okay. Honestly? Aiden.”
Everyone blinked.
Lucas shrugged. “I wanna know what peace and mystery feels like. Plus, maybe then I’d know why girls keep staring at him like he’s a walking poem.”
Aiden actually looked up, surprised. Then blushed.
Skylar tried not to.
---
Then came Mia.
“Dare,” she said without blinking.
Cassidy cracked her knuckles. “We dare you to freestyle a love song about your ‘not-crush’ in this circle.”
Mia glared. “That’s evil.”
Lucas clapped. “DO IT.”
Mia grabbed a stick like a mic. Pointed at Lucas. “Roses are red, your face is too loud, you trip over air and make your mom proud—”
Everyone howled. Even Bianca cracked a laugh behind her hand.
---
Next: Bianca.
Everyone leaned in.
“Truth,” she said slowly.
Scarlett leaned forward. “What’s the one thing you swore you’d never tell someone here?”
Silence.
Bianca didn’t speak right away. Her eyes dropped to her hands.
Then, Jace spoke. Calmly. Softly.
“You don’t have to answer if it’ll hurt you.”
That single sentence?
It hit like a quiet storm. It softened the weight.
Bianca looked up at him. Their eyes met.
And she whispered, “Pass. I’ll jump.”
Everyone blinked. “What?”
Bianca stood. Tossed her jacket off. “You said the rules.”
And before anyone could stop her—she ran.
Straight into the lake.
A perfect splash. Water exploded like the sky had cracked open.
“MIA’S DAUGHTER IS UNHINGED!” Lucas yelled.
Skylar and Mia screamed. Scarlett cheered.
Bianca popped up, hair stuck to her face, flipping them all off while laughing. And something in her—something heavy—was lighter now.
---
It was Skylar’s turn.
She stared at the fire for a long moment.
“Truth.”
Cassidy softened. “Okay. What scares you most right now?”
Skylar hesitated. Then her voice came small.
“That I’m… not strong enough for everything coming.”
Silence.
Aiden moved beside her. Quietly. “You don’t have to be.”
She turned.
He looked at her with a softness she hadn’t seen before. “You just have to let people carry some of it with you.”
Her chest clenched.
---
The game winded down.
Someone started humming again.
Then Scarlett yelled, “GROUP PHOTO!”
Bianca rolled her eyes, drying off. “Not it.”
“You’re the only dry one now!” Cassidy shouted.
Bianca grumbled, grabbed Mia’s phone, and stepped back.
“Alright, say ‘we survived emotional trauma and bad dares!’”
Everyone laughed.
She clicked the picture.
And when she looked at it again… she saw something different.
Not just people.
Not just chaos.
But pieces fitting. Wounds softening.
Hearts starting to believe in warmth again.