Jake had only known Dani for a couple of weeks—she sat in the back of his English class, always chewing gum, always wearing ripped jeans and a smirk like she knew something no one else did. She was the type of girl who didn’t care what anyone thought. The type who whispered answers during quizzes and drew skulls in the margins of her notebook. Everyone at school knew she was trouble… but there was something about her that pulled people in.

One afternoon, Dani caught up to Jake by his locker. “You ever smoked?” she asked out of nowhere, flipping her lighter in her hand.

Jake blinked. “What? No.”

“You should try it. It’s not that big of a deal,” she said, casually like she was offering gum.

“I’m good,” Jake said, closing his locker. “Not really my thing.”

Dani raised an eyebrow. “Lame.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But I kinda like being alive.”

Later that night, Jake was almost asleep when his phone buzzed. It was Dani.

Dani: Sneak out. Meet me at the park. 3 AM.

Jake: Why??

Dani: Because you need to stop being boring.

He hesitated… but something about her made it hard to say no. So, against his better judgment, he climbed out of his window at 2:50 AM and made his way to the park, hoodie pulled up and heart racing.

Dani was already there, swinging lazily on the old rusted swings. “Took you long enough,” she said.

“This is sketchy,” Jake muttered.

She smirked. “It gets better.”

That’s when they saw it. A beat-up white van parked just outside the park, with a cardboard sign in the window: “Free Cigarettes.”

Jake froze. “That’s messed up.”

Dani, on the other hand, started walking toward it.

“Dani. No. That’s literally how horror movies start,” Jake said, grabbing her arm.

She pulled away. “Relax. I’m just looking.”

Before she could get too close, the back door of the van slid open with a creak. A man stepped out—tall, scruffy, shadowed in the dark.

“Hey,” he said. “You kids want something?”

Dani took a step back, eyes wide now. “Nope. We’re good.”

The man suddenly lunged forward. “Come here!”

“RUN!” Jake shouted, grabbing her hand.

They tore across the park, hearts pounding, the man chasing after them. Dani tripped but Jake yanked her up, both of them sprinting into the trees and zig-zagging through the field until they finally lost him behind a fence.

Breathing hard, Dani leaned against a tree. “Okay… that was not smart.”

“Told you,” Jake panted. “Worst idea ever.”

She looked at him—actually looked scared for once. “Thanks… for not leaving me.”

Jake nodded. “Next time, don’t call me boring when I say no to stuff like that.”

“Deal,” she muttered.