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Charlie wasn't sure whose idea it was to play Truth or Dare, but he and Nick took their places in the circle alongside everyone else. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to play, but it would have looked strange if they hadn't. And it was fun hanging out at a party with all their friends. He didn't want to be chased away by his own anxieties.

They used the half-full bottle of alcohol to determine whose turn it would be, and every time it spun, Charlie held his breath, hoping it wouldn't land on him.

When it was her turn, Tara had to drink a whole plastic cup full of that digusting punch and alcohol concoction, while everyone chanted "Chug! Chug! Chug!" at her. Tao chose truth when it was his turn, and they asked him if he and Elle had gone all the way yet. Since they'd only been together for a day, no one expected him to say yes, but he refused to answer at all, shouting "That's personal information! I'm not going to say that."

On Isaac's turn, it was clear no one knew quite what to ask him, so eventually they told him to name his celebrity crushes. He looked surprisingly uncomfortable—Charlie wasn't sure he'd ever seen Isaac flustered before—and stammered that he didn't have any.

"Ah, come on," Imogen called. "Everybody has a celebrity crush."

Charlie half-expected Isaac to name a long-dead author, but instead he just shook his head and looked down at his feet. He didn't even lift his book.

Darcy wanted to push the issue, but a warning look from Tara made her spin the bottle again.

On Sahar's turn, she was asked about the time she'd been most secretly hurt and hadn't told anyone, which felt to Charlie like a surprisingly sophisticated question. She cleared her throat and looked awkwardly across the circle, as if she wasn't going to answer, but then she said, "Imogen got a boyfriend last year and then stopped texting me." Imogen frowned at her and she shrugged. "That's what happened."

"Uh, no," Imogen protested. "You stopped texting me."

They looked at each other, both certain their interpretation was right, and Darcy, again urged by Tara when she would have pushed the issue, moved on, spinning the bottle again.

The bottle landed on Tao, and he was dared to kiss someone in the circle. Everyone of course expected it to be Elle, but instead he looked across the circle. "Charlie! Come on. I know you've loved me for years."

Charlie couldn't help laughing, especially when Tao crawled across the circle toward him on all fours, making the most ridiculous faces, while everyone screamed with laughter. "Oh, my God!"

It was a very quick kiss, their lips barely touching, but it got squeals from the whole circle. Tao took a bow before returning to his seat.

So far, it had all been good fun, and so Charlie was able to laugh when the bottle came to him. One of the girls looked at him thoughtfully. "I dare Charlie … to kiss … James."

Charlie met James's eyes. He didn't know what was up between James and Isaac, but he knew James didn't want Isaac to see him kissing someone else. And Charlie didn't want to kiss anyone else, either. Not in a way that might make anyone think there was something between them. Tao had played it for laughs, but no one was laughing now.

"You're only saying that because of the hickey rumour, and … it wasn't James."

"Yeah," James agreed. "I mean … I don't care, so …" He smiled awkwardly, but it was clear to Charlie that he did care.

"Fine," the girl said. "I dare Charlie to kiss … Ben."

After the scene with Imogen and Ben at dinner the other night, and the fact that Charlie had gotten dragged into it, Charlie found the dare in very poor taste. This girl seemed to want drama, and she wasn't going to stop until she got it. The rest of the circle had gone quiet—no one was having fun right now.

"Come on!" Imogen shouted. "Like, we've literally—we've literally just broken up!"

Someone else spoke up, scornfully. "Come on, it's just a dare."

"No," Charlie said. This wasn't happening. "No way."

Ben shook his head. "That isn't even funny. I barely know Charlie."

"Don't be boring!" one of the boys said.

"It's a game," someone else pointed out.

Except that it wasn't a game right now. It had been, before, when everyone was laughing, but now it was more like … more like bullying. And Charlie had experienced more than enough of that for one lifetime.

"No." Ben got to his feet. "This game is so stupid. I'm tired anyway."

As he left, the boy who had told him not to be boring shook his head. "Always making a scene."

"Boring," someone else said.

Ben bumped against Nick on his way out, the door clicking shut behind him. Charlie and Nick glanced at each other, but neither of them knew what to say.

To get the game back going, Charlie looked at the girl. "Can I do a truth instead?"

"Okay, then. Who gave you the hickey?"

He should have known she wouldn't let it go.

"What? Can we just move on from this?" Elle asked.

"It's too personal," Tara said. "Someone might get outed."

"What's the point of Truth or Dare if we're allowed to keep secrets?" the first girl said. Charlie didn't know what her problem was, but he wished whatever it was, she'd get over it and stay out of his personal life.

Then, out of nowhere, Nick spoke up. "I know who it was."

Charlie looked at him, startled and concerned. He didn't want Nick to feel like he had to do this. Not this way, not to satisfy some rude girl they barely knew.

But when Nick met his eyes, he saw that it wasn't like that. Nick was doing this because he wanted to, because he really wanted to tell them. He reached his hand out, and Charlie put his in it, lacing their fingers together.

Nick looked round the circle, and said it, very quietly. "Me. We're dating."

"Oh, my God," said the boy. "I called it!"

Someone else smiled at them. "That's really cute."

Two others were whispering somewhere to Charlie's left. "It was him?" "Nick?" like they couldn't believe it. Well, they'd have to, now.

"How long have you been going out?"

"A few months," Charlie told them. It was weird having all of them look at him and being glad to be the center of attention, being proud to be sitting here with Nick Nelson holding his hand.

"We were saying it the other day," one of the girls said, smiling.

"I never would have guessed Nick was gay!" The first girl looked round at her group of friends, laughing.

"I'm—"

"He's—"

And they finished together: "Bi, actually."

"But, yeah," Nick said, holding Charlie's hand tighter.

"Do you want us to keep it a secret?" James asked them.

Charlie looked at Nick, and Nick looked at Charlie. He was smiling, comfortable. Happy. "We're okay with people knowing."

So okay. So very, very okay with it, Charlie thought, beaming.

"I'm sorry to ruin this lovely moment, but …. I think I'm gonna be sick." Darcy dashed past them toward the door.

Nick and Charlie hastily got out of her way, while everyone shouted and laughed.

Tara took Darcy by the hand and rushed her down the hallway, shouting for Mr. Farouk, with Nick and Charlie right behind them, and Elle and Tao bringing up the rear.

Mr. Farouk was standing in his doorway when they finally reached his room, and they rushed Darcy past him.

"She thinks she's going to be sick," Tara said.

He frowned down at her, in her wonky party hat. "I'm going to pretend I believe you have food poisoning."

Mr. Ajayi was sitting next to her, his voice calming, as always. "Just try and take some deep breaths. I'll get you a sick bag—"

But he was too late. His bedspread ended up being Darcy's sick bag.

"Why did I get into teaching?" Mr. Farouk asked the universe.

Mr. Ajayi rubbed Darcy's shoulder. "It's okay. It's okay."

Turning on the rest of them, Mr. Farouk kicked them out, telling them they had Darcy well taken care of and she did not need an audience.

Nick patted Tara on the shoulder as they left. "Text me if you need me, okay?"

"Okay."

And then it was just Nick and Charlie and Elle and Tao, in the hallway.