Jackson was quiet that night, the kind of quiet that made you feel like the whole world was holding its breath. The four of you—Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and you—were huddled up in the corner of the barn behind your grandparents’ house, the glow from the lantern casting soft shadows on the old wooden walls. You had swiped a little jar of your grandfather Eugene’s prized stash earlier that day, thinking it would make the night even more fun. In hindsight, maybe that wasn’t your brightest idea. Weed plus your friends usually ended up being the definition of chaos.

Ellie was sprawled out across a hay bale, legs dangling, smirking like she was plotting something. Dina sat cross-legged on the floor, absently braiding strands of her own hair, while Jesse leaned lazily against a post, trying not to laugh at every little thing. You, on the other hand, were beginning to regret everything as you sat on an old blanket with the jar of weed and a lighter sitting way too close to Ellie’s grasp.

“Okay,” Ellie said, her voice dripping with mischief, “truth or dare?”

You exhaled dramatically, your nerves already tingling, but you’d been having too much fun to back out now. “Dare,” you said, the word leaving your mouth before you could take it back.

Dina snorted like she knew you were about to regret it. “Oh no,” she muttered under her breath.

Ellie’s smirk widened as she sat up straight. “Perfect,” she said, dragging out the word just to torment you. “I dare you…” she paused dramatically, tapping her chin with her finger, “to ask Ashley Anderson on a date.”

Your whole body froze. “What?!” you squeaked, your voice cracking in a way that made Jesse burst out laughing.

“Yup,” Ellie said, completely unapologetic. “Ashley Anderson. You’re always staring at her like she’s gonna disappear if you blink. It’s about time you do something about it.”

You shook your head so fast you felt dizzy. “No, no, no, that’s a terrible idea! She’s Maria’s head of security! She’s, like… super scary! She could crush me with one hand!”

“She’s not scary,” Dina said, though her amused smile said otherwise. “She’s just… intense.”

“Intense?” you repeated. “She’s ripped! She’s basically a more terrifying version of Abby, and Abby already scares me sometimes! Ashley would eat me alive.”

Ellie leaned closer, eyes glittering with mischief. “That’s not a no.”

“Yes, it is!” you argued. “Besides, I don’t even know if she’s into… y’know… girls. What if she laughs in my face? Or worse—tells Maria?”

Jesse wiped a tear from the corner of his eye from laughing so hard. “Maria would probably just pat you on the back for having the guts,” he said, not helping at all.

You buried your face in your hands. “This is the worst dare in the history of dares.”

“C’mon,” Ellie said, nudging your knee with her boot. “You can do this. And trust me, you’ll thank me later.”

You peeked through your fingers at her. “Why do you sound so sure of that?”

Ellie just shrugged, her smirk softening a little. “I have my reasons.”

That made you even more suspicious, but there was no way Ellie was backing down. “Ellie…” you groaned.

“Nope,” she said, cutting you off. “You picked dare. That means you gotta do it. No chickening out.”

Your stomach twisted. The thought of walking up to Ashley Anderson—towering, muscular, no-nonsense Ashley who could make raiders cry—with your awkward crush felt like a death sentence. But Ellie was looking at you like she knew something you didn’t, and the weight of her confidence made you hesitate.

Dina grinned knowingly. “I’d pay good money to see Ashley’s reaction,” she said.

“Not helping!” you hissed, but they all just laughed.

You tried to come up with an excuse, any excuse, but all you could manage was a weak, “This is such a bad idea…”

Ellie leaned back, satisfied. “Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “But trust me, you’ll survive. Probably.”

You groaned again, burying your face in your hands, but deep down, you knew you didn’t have a choice. Ellie had you cornered, and the worst part was… a tiny part of you wanted to see what would happen.