BANE OF HIS EXISTENCE

Chapter 7: A GAME OF TRUTH OR DARE!

MAYA.

I maneuvered through the crowd of enthusiastic partygoers, I approached Eric and Sasha, only to find that they were completely engrossed in whatever was happening behind them.

It caught me off guard that my friends, who usually are so aware of their surroundings, hadn’t even noticed me standing right in front of them. I couldn't help but wonder what could be so captivating that they missed the chance to greet their fantastic best friend.

So, being the overly dramatic bitch I am, I grabbed hold of Eric's baseball hat and whacked him on the head while smirking in satisfaction when an ''Ouch!'' sound came from him before asking...

“What are you fools gossiping about?”

Eric winced, his cheek flushing as he instinctively rubbed the spot where my playful slap had landed. I shot him a mock-serious glare, unable to suppress a chuckle at our banter.

“Gossiping?”

Sasha exclaimed, her voice rising with indignation. “Did this bitch just say we’re gossiping? We don’t gossip!” She threw her head back, her long hair cascading like a waterfall, as her eyes sparkled with a mix of disbelief and challenge.

"What do you take us for?" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with theatricality as she struck a pose, her hands on her hips. I rolled my eyes at her melodrama.

Did she think I was naive enough to fall for their games?

"Oh?" I replied, feigning interest as they both leaned in closer, their eyes wide and bursting with anticipation, as if I were an unsuspecting prey about to be ensnared in their web of deception. At that moment, an idea sparked in my mind.

"Alright then, enlighten me. Who is that blonde girl over there, the one plastered in makeup like a living doll?" I asked, gesturing casually toward the girl they had been stealing glances at only moments before. Sasha's gaze flickered to Eric, her expression suddenly resembling a deer caught in the harsh headlights of an approaching vehicle, before she finally stammered...

"Oh, that girl over there? That's Stella, though most people know her as Ella," Sasha remarked, her eyes flickering with a mixture of admiration and judgment. "Her dad happens to be the current minister of education, which gives her quite a lot of social power around here. Oh, and she's a second-year student in our school, just like us."

"Really? What’s so fascinating about her?" I asked, my curiosity piqued but tinged with skepticism.

Sasha leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Rumor has it that she’s been linked romantically to, like, half of our school's population. Can you believe it?" The idea made my stomach churn; it seemed so disgusting.

"And there’s more! It’s said that she’s currently dating Drew," Sasha declared, her expression a mix of excitement and disbelief as if she was revealing a scandalous secret. I couldn’t help but scoff; of course, she was.

"Alright, alright... it's not gossiping if it’s true, right?" I teased, half-laughing at the absurdity of it all. Sasha gasped dramatically in response, her hand flying to her chest as if to emphasize the weight of my words.

“Hey! There’s a significant difference between gossiping and simply staying updated, alright?” she exclaimed, her eyes glinting with mischief. The last part of her sentence dripped with spite, but it didn’t rattle me—in fact, it only fueled my triumph.