Chapter 5 

He suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing his girlfriend was still there. With a jolt, he pulled his arm away from Kate’s waist and took a couple of steps back. Shawn’s buddies followed his gaze and, noticing Allison, jumped in to smooth things over. 

“Let’s keep the fun going, shall we? Kate, if your stomach’s feeling off, skip the booze. If you lose, just pick truth or dare instead.” 

“Sounds good. Let’s go with truth or dare.” 

Once Shawn got a grip on his emotions, he made his way back to the couch. He figured Allison would be jealous and maybe throw a fit, but she kept quiet. Her detached attitude stirred something unsettling in Shawn. It felt like Allison was different somehow. 

An awkward silence spread between them. Shawn hesitated and thought about explaining, but the group’s cheers cut him off. 

“Kate, you lost again. Truth or dare this time?” 

Shawn’s attention drifted back to Kate, his eyes glued to her. 

“I choose dare,” she said, turning towards Shawn with a mysterious smile. 

“Alright, alright, the dares are right here. Pick one.” Someone handed over a stack of cards. 

Kate casually picked one. As soon as someone read it, their eyes went wide, and their gaze flitted between Kate, Shawn, and Allison. 

A curious girl leaned over to peek. “What does it say?” 

A gasp followed as she read the note. Everyone was buzzing with curiosity. 

“What did she get?” 

“Yeah, spill it!” 

“Kiss a random guy in the room,” announced a guy, sneaking a glance at Shawn. Shawn’s face instantly turned to stone, and the room’s temperature seemed to plummet. 

Unfazed, Kate got up with a grin and walked over to a cute guy nearby. “Colt, mind if I give you a kiss?” 

Colt shot a nervous glance at Shawn, whose look promised trouble, and he stayed silent. When Colt hesitated, Kate leaned in, wrapped her arms around his neck, and was about to kiss him. 

“Enough!” Shawn yelled, unable to hold back any longer. He stormed over, grabbed Kate’s hand, and dragged her outside. 

The rest exchanged awkward glances, finally turning their sympathetic gazes to Allison. Allison picked up her juice, took a sip, and smiled casually. “Why are you all looking at me?” 

The group quickly shifted their focus, with some sipping drinks and others chatting, pretending 

1/2 

Chapter 5 

like nothing had happened. Allison drank her juice, feeling her heart grow colder with each sip. 

She’d always thought Shawn was indifferent to everything. This was the first time she’d seen him lose his cool. When her juice was finished, she headed to the bathroom. 

Behind the door, she overheard some girls talking by the sinks. “Shawn’s lost it. He ditched his girlfriend to run off with Kate.” 

‘Guess it shows Kate’s the one he really cares about.” 

“Did you see his face when Kate almost kissed Colt? He looked furious.” 

Totally. His girlfriend’s really got it rough. She had to watch him act up over another girl.” 

‘Poor thing, she’s just a backup.” 

“If you ask me, Shawn and Allison are on the verge of a breakup. Everyone could see Shawn’s heart is with Kate.” 

“Yeah, I also…” The girl clammed up when she saw Allison walk out of the stall, their eyes meeting in the mirror. She quickly went quiet. 

The other girls noticed Allison, too, said nothing more and hurriedly left with their heads down. 

Allison calmly washed her hands in the sink, glaring at the mirror. 

Indeed, she and Shawn were close to breaking up. But he didn’t get to be the one who brought it up. She no longer loved him, and it was gonna be she who dumped him up.