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The tension in the air thickened as Ethan's grin spread, as if he knew the universe had just handed him the perfect opportunity to torture a nerd. I almost heard the music in the background sway toward inevitable disaster.

I blinked, and in that split second, I realized my palms were already sweaty, and my stomach twisting. Every fiber in my being yelled at me to refuse—to walk away and pretend I wasn't here—but Joy was already laughing, the green in her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"You know," she said, heavy with sarcasm, "this is the kind of dare that makes all the awkward moments worth it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered, but I didn't move.

Ethan stepped forward, hands sliding casually into the pockets of his leather jacket.

He looked so at ease, so damn sure of himself, and I hated it.

There was amusement in his ocean-blue eyes, but underneath that, something else—something challenging.

He thrived off this, off the way the room was waiting for me to react.

"Don't worry, Clark," he said smoothly, his voice low. "I'll make it quick. Wouldn't want you to suffer more than you have to."

"Trust me, you're not doing me any favors," I shot back.

But he wasn't listening. He was already too close, barely a foot between us. The air shifted, and suddenly, the whole room felt smaller, the space between us buzzing with something I refused to name. For one long second, I swore time itself held its breath.

Then he leaned in.

Nope. Nope. Absolutely not. ABORT MISSION.

I jerked back so fast I nearly knocked over the table. "Nope!"

Silence.

Painful, suffocating silence.

Joy froze, mid-sip of her drink, eyes wide. Shun's eyebrows shot up so high they almost left her face. Max looked personally offended.

Ethan blinked, tilting his head. "No?"

"No!" I repeated, probably too loudly. "Not doing it. Pick another dare. Or better yet, let's just forget this ever happened and scrub it from existence."

Joy choked on her laughter. "Clark, are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious. More serious than I've ever been in my whole life."

Max groaned. "Dude, every chick in this school would die to have this dare, and you're declining?"

"Yes, because I have something called self-respect," I snapped, crossing my arms despite my face being on fire.

Ethan just exhaled, slow and dramatic, like he was dealing with a particularly difficult child. "Wow. And here I was, ready to be generous."

"Generous?" I scoffed. "What, like charity?"

His smirk deepened. "I mean… if the shoe fits."

I turned to Joy. "Can I change my dare?"

She snorted. "Not exactly, but you can drink an entire tumbler of vodka instead."

I glared at her, then at the tumbler, and then back at Ethan's insufferable face.

I swear this party was out to get me.

"I'll drink the vodka," I said before my soul could yeet itself into another dimension.

The reaction was immediate.

Max whooped. The jocks cheered, hyping me up like I was about to do something heroic instead of something deeply regrettable. A tumbler was shoved into my hands, the liquid inside sloshing ominously.

"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"

This was it. My villain origin story.

I took a deep breath. Steeled my nerves. Raised the glass to my lips.

And then—

Oh.

Oh, this is awful.

The instant it hit my tongue, my entire being rebelled. It tasted like liquid fire mixed with poor decisions and regret in an instant. My throat was on fire, my eyes were watering, and I was pretty sure my ancestors looked on in horror.

"Why do people drink this?!" I wheezed, voice at least three octaves higher than its normal pitch.

The crowd? Losing their minds. Max was howling. Joy was clutching her stomach, barely breathing through her laughter. Shun looked like she was considering adopting me out of pity.

Meanwhile, I was dying.

I forced another sip—it seemed like I had to finish it—and my tongue promptly went numb. My stomach was certain it had been poisoned.

Ethan leaned in slightly, his voice oozing amusement. "You okay there, champ?"

"Do I look okay?" I rasped, clutching the glass like it was the only thing tethering me to reality.

Max clapped me on the back—way too hard. "You're doing great, buddy!"

No, I was not doing great, Max.

By some miracle, or pure stubbornness, I drained the tumbler. Setting it down, I let out a very dramatic gasp as the room tilted a little. The crowd went wild-cheering, like I'd just taken the Olympic gold medal in Miserable Life Choices.

"Never again," I wheezed.

The floor wasn't exactly spinning, but I swear it was considering it.

Joy wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh my god, that was the best thing I've ever witnessed."

"Glad I could suffer for your entertainment," I muttered, rubbing my temples. My face was hot, my throat still on fire. Was this how I died?

The game moved on before I'd fully processed my life choices.

Dares blurred together in a whirlwind of laughing and shouting, the challenges becoming progressively more outrageous.

A vampire had to confess their darkest, deepest secret; it was that they actually enjoyed garlic—apparently quite the scandal.

A werewolf had to howl the school anthem.

Joy had to dance with a floating broom for a full minute, her eyes never leaving it.

And then—

Ethan's turn.

The crowd hushed. The parchment floating in air shimmered.

DARE: PICK CLARK UP FOR THREE TUESDAYS.

Silence.

Then—

Max shrieked. Full-volume, stadium-level shrieking. The jocks went berserk. Shun and Joy fell into each other wheezing. Someone actually tumbled off his chair.

Meanwhile, I could feel my soul leave my body. Who comes up with this dares?

"You gotta be kidding," I croaked.

Ethan, the nuisance that he was, just grinned. "Well, well, well."

I groaned, already regretting every decision in my life.

"Three Tuesdays," Ethan mused, tapping his chin. "I think that means I'm officially your chauffeur now, Clark."

"Absolutely not," I said immediately.

"Absolutely yes," Joy corrected, grinning.

Ethan turned to me, smirk downright insufferable. "Better clear your schedule, nerd. Tuesdays are ours now."

I wanted to die.

The crowd loved it. The game continued. But for the rest of the night, I could feel Ethan's eyes on me, far too entertained by my suffering.

This was it.

My new worst moment in life.

The rest was a blur. Let's call it the side effects of drinking a whole tumbler of vodka for the first time.