Expelled

You're the Only One

ONE MONTH LATER

"Truth or dare?"

"No," I deadpanned. "That game is more like Interrogation or Abuse."

"Please? I have a really good date for you," Louis begged.

"Hey, we never played that game of ping-pong you promised me," I reminded him, mostly to veer off the subject he was currently so set on.

A mischievous smirk crept across his face and my heart sank. Louis stood up and fetched two red paddles from under the sofa, wielding them like a weapon. "All right, Megan. You beat Liam in a table of table tennis and we don't have to play. You lose and I have to give you my dare."

"That's unfair on the poor girl, Lou." Liam's smug tone drifted across the room. "She's clearly never going to beat me."

My competitive streak rising, I got to my feet, shaking off Harry's hand from mine. "You're on."

"Meg," Harry coughed back a chuckle, "Liam really is a good pla —"

"Hand me that paddle, Louis."

Ten minutes later and Liam and I were engaged in an intense match, and I had to concede that he really was good. I was down three points to four, and the first to five won.

"Yes, Liam!"

Louis, Zayn and Niall stood behind their bandmate, acting as his little support group and it was all around distracting when the Irishman leapt into the air every time Liam hit a particularly good ball.

Meanwhile, Harry and Eleanor chose to back me, Eleanor's head bobbing from side to side as she followed the ball with her eyes. Every time Liam whacked the plastic sphere, my paddle collided with it and sent it right back, heart doing mini cartwheels every time I nearly missed.

"Yes!" I cheered, hands flying into the air in a victorious motion. "You missed, it's four all, sucker!"

"Lucky fluke," mumbled my opponent, serving the ball again and sending it over the net. All was going well and we were hitting the piece of plastic between us at the speed of light, when suddenly I felt lips on my neck.

"Harry..." I whispered. "You're distracting me."

"Can't help it," he muttered back, kissing me all over my neck and turning my knees to jelly. "Hurry up and win."

"You're making that very difficult," I complained half-heartedly, nearly sending the ball into the net.

Liam sent a hard return and my paddle collided with it and sent it flying wildly. He quickly dodged it and it flew out of bounds, hitting Zayn on the forehead.

"Out!" Louis hollered, thumping his mate's back and bringing him in for a celebratory hug. "You lose, Megan!"

"Harry!" I shrieked, swatting him away, "Cheaters forfeit! He was cheating! That's not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war," Liam reminded me and I scowled at him. "Just another day at the office."

I stuck my tongue out at him and huffed childishly. "All right, Louis, what's the dare?"

Fifteen minutes and a dose of humiliation later, I was in the comforting arms of Harry, cuddling on the sofa. The image of myself pathetically dancing like a deranged chicken on the street whilst hopping on one leg, the others hooting with laughter and pointing burned in my mind.

Well, that wasn't at all degrading!

"Carlos posted a video on Instagram," I pouted. "The world is going to think I'm an idiot."