Free Truth or Dare by Barbara Dee

didn’t look.
    â€œWe’re satisfied,” Abi announced. “Okay, Marley. Now you get to ask Lia.”
    Marley snatched her bra from Jules and headed to the bathroom. “What if I don’t want to ask Lia?”
    â€œYou can forfeit your turn, then.”
    â€œGreat! Go ahead without me!”
    Makayla shrugged. “All right, Lia, so which do you choose?”
    â€œTruth,” I said. I mean, all I had on under my top was one of those lame no-boob training bras. Marley had gone out and bought some real bras, apparently. Maybe in Chicago this summer—or after I’d lied to her about “shopping.” It was weird she hadn’t even mentioned it to me. Was she afraid I’d accuse her of copying, or something?
    Mak, Jules, and Abi huddled. All of my saliva dried into dust.
    Then Jules smiled sweetly. “So, Lia,” she said. “Here’s your question. Have you ever kissed a boy who wasn’t your brother?”
    â€œOh, sure,” I blurted.
    Jules looked surprised but quickly recovered. “Who was it?”
    â€œHis name is Tanner. He’s a freshman in high school. I met him this summer up in Maine.”
    â€œSeriously,” Abi said. It was more of a comment than a question. “So what did he look like?”
    â€œIncredibly cute. Brown eyes. Dark hair. Nice teeth.” Which was all true.
    â€œYou just walked up to this strange boy and kissed him?” Makayla asked, her eyes wide.
    â€œNo, of course not. I met him when my aunt invited his family over for dinner.” Also true. “And afterward we took a walk on the beach. And we kissed.”
    Which of course wasn’t.
    â€œOn the mouth? ” Jules was gaping.
    â€œYeah,” I said.
    â€œFor how long?”
    â€œI don’t know. A minute, maybe?”
    Makayla’s eyebrows rose. “An entire minute ?”
    â€œOkay, no. More like twenty seconds, maybe. Or fifteen. I wasn’t counting.”
    â€œHuh,” Abi said. She glanced at Makayla. “Were your eyes closed?”
    I nodded.
    â€œWere his?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œHow do you know that if your eyes were closed?”
    I swallowed some saliva dust. “I mean, I assume they were. I’m not positive.”
    â€œSo what did his lips taste like?” Jules asked.
    â€œChili. My aunt made veggie chili for supper. It was pretty good. Not too spicy. Although she did add some maple syrup—”
    â€œWho pulled away first?” Makayla interrupted.
    â€œMe. Although sort of both of us.”
    Makayla, Abi, and Jules looked at each other. Something was communicated, a secret silent code you could decipher only if you went to their camp, swam in their lake, got stung by their mosquitoes.
    Finally Abi took a tiny bite of cupcake. “And was there an exchange of spit?”
    Jules and Mak both went, “ Eww. ”
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Abi asked, laughing. “It’s a totally fair question.”
    â€œYou think so?” Now Marley was back, smoothing the front of her jersey. “Because in the version of Truth orDare I played with my cousins, you weren’t allowed to ask a bunch of follow-up questions.”
    â€œWell, this is our version,” Makayla said.
    â€œBut it’s still Truth or Dare, right? Not A Million Truths We Get to Keep Asking Lia About. So I’m pretty sure by now it’s Abi’s turn. Isn’t it?”
    Abi did her laugh. “Fine,” she said. “I choose dare. Lia, go ahead, dare me.”
    Everyone looked at me, waiting.
    I was too jittery to come up with a good one. So I dared Abi to sing a Disney song out the window, and she screamed “Let It Go” at the top of her lungs.
    The whole time I kept replaying our game and what I’d just said, wishing I could somehow hit the Delete key.

Nothing’s Off-Limits

    I’D LIKE TO TELL YOU that I didn’t sleep that night, and that all of