STRANGER - CAITLIN CLARK

CHAPTER FOUR

「 ✦ STRANGER ✦ 」
CHAPTER FOUR

AUGUST 15TH, 2019

"truth or dare?" rory asks isabella.

what was supposed to be a fun friend sleepover between the four of them has now turned into a stupid game of truth or dare; aka caitlin's worse nightmare. the last time she played a party game was during sophomore year. the forbidden spin the bottle where the bottle landed on her and drew callahan. that night single-handedly changed caitlin's high school experience forever.

"truth." isabella decides. "i want to play it safe the first time around."

"hm, okay." rory thinks. "when was the last time you kissed someone?"

isabella furrows her eyebrows. "the day i left?" she says uncertainly.

josie laughs. "why'd you say it like a question?"

"well cause i'm not sure it counts as like a real one."

"why wouldn't it count?" josie asks.

"cause it was just like a friend kiss, you know?" isabelle says.

caitlin narrows her eyes in confusion. a friend kiss? what in the hell is a friend kiss?

"no i don't know, what in the hell is a friend kiss?" rory asks.

caitlin laughs at how rory somehow managed to say exactly what she was thinking outloud.

"yeah no i'm not out and about kissing my friends." josie adds in. "though i am intrigued so go on."

"well kissing in italy isn't always such an intimate thing. sometimes it's kind of like a hug." isabella says.

rory nods along. "uh huh, right. so you gave your friend a goodbye hug but in the form of a kiss?"

"yes exactly." isabella says. "my last real kiss though i'd say was about a year ago."

isabella goes on to tell them the story but all caitlin can still focus on is the friend kiss. she can't help but watch isabella's lips as she's speaking, imagining what it would be like to kiss them goodbye. in a friend way, of course.

"earth to caitlin." isabella laughs waving a hand in her face.

"oh sorry." caitlin apologizes. "what'd you say?"

"i said truth or dare?"

caitlin thinks for a second. "uh, i'm gonna go truth too."

"lames." josie mutters under her breath.

"since everyone wants to know mine, when was your last kiss?" isabella asks.

caitlin sighs now knowing she will have to reveal perhaps the most embarrassing fact about herself.

"never." she says quietly.

"what?" isabella asks seemingly genuinely shocked.

rory and josie burst out laughing causing caitlin to hide her face in her hands.

"are you serious?" isabella asks again.

"okay in her defense though," rory says between laughs. "it's not like people haven't tried."

"okay that's enough." caitlin groans. "yes i'm serious."

"maybe isabella could give you a friend kiss and you can just get it out the way." josie jokes.

caitlin doesn't find that very funny though, feeling her face begin to burn at what feels like a million degrees.

"guys stop it." isabella says. "it's really not that embarrassing."

"okay i don't wanna play anymore." caitlin huffs standing to her feet.

"no caitlin stop we're sorry." rory attempts to apologize but is unable to stop her laughter.

isabella watches as caitlin storms up the stairs wanting to know why the girl hasn't kissed anyone.

✦

caitlin was humiliated. it's not like she was embarrassed or ashamed in the fact that she's never kissed anyone. that's the least of her worries. she was more humiliated at the fact that isabella now knows. she's not too sure why it bothers her as much as it does. caitlin figures it's probably the fact that the only person in west des moines who didn't know anything embarrassing about her does now.

though she just met the girl, isabella was like a clean slate for caitlin. an escape, you could say. she could get to see caitlin for caitlin and not an unkissed basketball prodigy who has no inkling of what a normal life is. caitlin feels her phone buzz from beside her and hesitantly picks it up to check the notification.