Prologue

My heart thrummed violently, my fast breath reaching my ears as I walked through the hallway, my hands sweaty and trembling along with my body. My eyes searched for people, one after another, hoping, counting, and internally crying. My heart raced faster with every number closer I got to my demise. I should never have agreed to join, but it wasn't something I could back down from.

Since we were kids, we have always played a game. Whenever a new semester began, we took turns establishing rules. Like in the previous semester, everyone came to school dressed like a flamingo—courtesy of my request—and the semester before that, we resumed school with a pogo stick and dressed in flamboyant and absolutely crazy boho clothes. Every new semester came with something either more or less exciting, but this was the most outrageous ever asked. The twentieth male you see in the hallway should be kissed, regardless of whether it's a teacher or a janitor.

The rules weren't adjustable. We made it so no one could back out and I contributed most to the rules. Never in a million years did I think that what I created would be used against me. I never imagined that he would come up with something bizarre. The most painful part was that it was only bizarre for me. I was the only one suffering from it.

Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…

I stopped dead on my tracks, my jaw instantly slacking. If my heart was beating fast before, it went feral. The sudden acceleration of my heart almost made me collapse. “No, no, no, it can't be! Please, no!” I grabbed my hair, clutched it, and dropped my head, tears brimming in my eyes.

God, please, change my fate. It can't be him.

I turned around to make a run for it, but my witness was standing there, watching me with a smirk on his face. He made the semester request, but I knew it was a pure coincidence that the person I had to kiss was him. There was no way my witness would be able to manipulate the situation because that meant manipulating 'him', and that was widely known as impossible.

I gave my witness pleading, tearful eyes, but he scoffed, rolled his eyes, and pointed at my destination. The message was clear and so were the consequences. If it was last semester, I would have been able to back out and face the penalty, but the rules changed and I instigated it. I never imagined that I would be thrown into a chaotic situation, especially with 'him'.

I looked back at my friend, silently pleading for mercy but his determination was unwavering. I had only two options: do it or face the penalty which is running around naked in the boys' locker room. That's like inviting people to rape me. No backing out, no turning back, or you are out of the friend circle. That was the second penalty option.

Who came up with this stupid thing in the first place?… Oh, me. It's not my fault I wanted to make our school days more exciting. I am so freaking finished. I looked back at who I had to kiss, my lifetime heart abductor. Standing with his body leaning on a locker, smiling partly as his brother raved on and on about something; his hands tucked into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie, one leg stylishly—god so sexily—pushed back. His face, Lord, his very face was enough to send me to an early grave. His winter gray eyes glimmering with emotions that I could never tell but made his eyes so sparkly. His baby smooth bisque skin made him look like he was glowing. As usual, his jelly roll fade was neatly maintained, some curly cinnamon brown curls covering his right eye.

God, why is he so beautiful?

How am I supposed to survive kissing him and living like it never happened?

I gulped and looked back at my friend, hoping he would have mercy, but there was no mercy for someone like me. I looked back at him, almost dying when he rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the locker to leave. If he left without me kissing him, I would have to run naked at the first football game of the semester. It was now or never.

I rubbed my sweaty palms on my thighs, breathing heavily as I glanced back at my friend ready to get it all on video. Hey look, he's wearing ripped jeans too! No, now's not the time to fangirl. My life was on the line because if he found me out, he'd end me. It wasn't figurative. There was a time a girl lied about having a one-night stand with him and the consequences of that were expulsion from school, a sack letter from her part-time job, and social status death. I couldn't imagine what he'd do to someone who stole a kiss from him. Even if he didn't do anything, my heart was at risk.

A great idea suddenly jumped into my head and I quickly acted on it. Pulling my headband off, I scattered my hair all over my face but left enough room for my lips. Focusing on the adrenaline from my fear and nervousness, I leaped into action. I ran towards him and tapped him. Immediately he turned, I grabbed his cheeks, pulled his face down with my eyes closed, and slammed his lips on mine.

My spirit died there, like die, die, die!

Only his lips tasted like raspberry and apricot, soft and tender like…like… I don't know, tender. I almost gave in to the urge to swipe my tongue over his lips, to get more of that… okay, I was already doing it. I knew I shouldn't stay so long, even if I wanted to. He could snap out of the shock first, or his brother and then I'd be dead. The kiss only lasted for six seconds before I pulled away and bolted, never looking back, never bothering to find out if what I did started a whole new story for Zayne Verlice and me.