The Baker apartment was LOUD.Too loud.The kind of loud that meant only one thing:
Cash Baker was planning something stupid.
"CYPRIANA!" Cash yelled from the living room. "Get in here! It's IMPORTANT!"
I slowly poked my head in.A camera was set up.Lights on.Ring light glowing like the sun.And in the middle of the chaos?
A giant, homemade, glitter-soaked…
DARE ROULETTE WHEEL.
"Oh no," I whispered.
"Oh yes," Cash grinned, spinning it dramatically. "Welcome to The 100K Dare Roulette Challenge!"
Maverick sat on the couch, arms crossed, looking done with life.But he also looked… curious.
Mychael had the camera ready like a National Geographic documentary.Paige, Cailee, and Harper were already eating snacks like this was Netflix.
I pointed at the wheel. "Cash. What is that."
"It's beautiful," Paige whispered."It's dangerous," Harper corrected."It's illegal," Cailee added."It's awesome," Cash finished.
Maverick sighed. "This is the stupidest idea you've ever—""—THANK YOU," Cash beamed.
I scanned the wheel.Every single dare was written in chaotic handwriting:
ICE BUCKET DUMP
BLINDFOLDED TRUST FALL
MYSTERY SMOOTHIE
CONFESS A TRUTH
DANCE BATTLE
KISS SOMEONE'S CHEEK
HUMILIATING OUTFIT
PRANK CALL A CELEBRITY
CASH DOES YOUR MAKEUP (NO)
DEAD SERIOUS MAVERICK DARE (TERRIFYING)
HOLD SOMEONE'S HAND
SHOCK BUZZER CHALLENGE
SERENADE SOMEONE BADLY
EMBARRASSING PHOTO POST
All of them.ALL. OF. THEM.
I facepalmed. "Cash. You can't be serious."
He held up his phone.The livestream already had 34,000 people watching.Comments flying by like chaos birds:
"SPIN IT!!""TEAM CYPRIANA LETS GOOO""MAKE CASH DO SOMETHING DANGEROUS""WHERE KATE???""MAV LOOKS JEALOUS OMG"
I choked.Maverick glared at the comments like he wanted to fight the internet.
"Ready?" Cash said."No—""YES SHE IS!!!" the entire room yelled.
And the wheel began spinning.Fast.Wild.Like it wanted blood.
🎯 DARE 1 — ICE BUCKET DUMP (on Cypriana)
The wheel stopped.
Everyone screamed.
Cash grabbed the nearest bucket.It was enormous.Full.Freezing.
"Cash—WAIT—"SPLASH.
I screamed so loud the neighbors probably called the cops.Paige fell off the chair laughing.Cailee filmed everything.Harper wrote "Cypriana = drowned rat aesthetic" in her notes.
Maverick...stood up.
His jaw clenched.
"You're an idiot," he told Cash.Then he grabbed a towel and threw it over my shoulders like I was a wet kitten.
My heart did something stupid.
🎯 DARE 2 — BLINDFOLDED TRUST FALL
The wheel spun again.It landed on TRUST FALL.
Cash tied a bandana over my eyes."OKAY FALL!!!" he screamed.
"Into who?" I asked.No answer.
I fell.
Strong arms caught me instantly.Warm.Steady.Familiar.
I inhaled sharply.
Maverick.Holding me.Holding me close.
"Of course it's me," he muttered. "Cash would drop you on purpose."
Cash: "FALSE. I would drop you on accident."
🎯 DARE 3 — MYSTERY SMOOTHIE
The girls put everything disgusting in a blender:
pickles
mustard
Cheetos
orange juice
expired yogurt
probably poison
Cash handed it to me like it was holy water.
I drank it.
I gagged.
Cash gagged watching me gag.
The chat went CRAZY.
Maverick whispered, "Spit it out—"I swallowed it.
"I'm dying," I said."You're dramatic," Harper noted."YOU'RE A LEGEND," Paige screamed.
🎯 DARE 4 — CONFESS A TRUTH
The wheel stopped.Everyone oooooohed.
Cash held the mic like an interviewer."Cypriana. Tell the world… a truth."
My heart stopped.The room got quiet.
I looked at Maverick.Then Cash.Then away.
"…I didn't move to LA for school."
The room froze.
Everyone leaned in.Even the chat exploded.
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??"
Maverick stared at me.Really stared.
But I wasn't ready to explain.
Not yet.
🎯 DARE 5 — DANCE BATTLE
Music blasted.Paige pushed me into the middle.Cash started doing the world's WORST dance.Harper filmed with meme-level energy.Cailee tried to do TikTok moves and hit Mychael in the face.
I danced. Badly.Maverick laughed so hard he almost fell off the couch.
It was perfect.
🎯 DARE 6 — KISS SOMEONE'S CHEEK
Paige screamed.Cailee screamed.Harper wrote "PLOT TWIST INCOMING" on her notebook.
Cash stuck his cheek out dramatically."Come on, Cypriana. For the fans."
I started walking toward him.
Then—
A hand closed gently around my wrist.
Maverick.
"No," he said quietly. "Pick someone else."
Silence.Paige mouthed: OH MY GOD.
I kissed Harper on the cheek instead.Harper turned pink.Cash looked betrayed.Maverick looked satisfied.
🎯 DARE 7 — HUMILIATING OUTFIT
They put me in:
a banana costume
sunglasses
a feather boa
mismatched Crocs
Maverick refused to look at me.Cash was dying.I regretted everything.
🎯 DARE 8 — PRANK CALL A CELEBRITY
Cash made me prank call some YouTuber.He picked up.I panicked and pretended to be a pizza place.
It was awful.It was iconic.
🎯 DARE 9 — CASH DOES YOUR MAKEUP
I became a clown.A literal clown.There was glitter in my nose.
🎯 DARE 10 — MAVERICK'S DEAD SERIOUS DARE
Maverick took the wheel.The room went silent.Even Cash got nervous.
Maverick walked toward me.Slow.Serious.
Everyone held their breath.
His dare?
He brushed a piece of hair behind my ear and whispered:
"Don't look at him. Look at me."
I forgot how to breathe.
🎯 DARE 11 — HOLD SOMEONE'S HAND FOR 60 SECONDS
Cash screamed, "CYPRIANA HOLDS MY HAND!"
But Maverick grabbed my hand first.
Sixty seconds.
Sixty seconds of pure electricity.
I couldn't look at him.
He didn't look away.
🎯 DARE 12 — SHOCK BUZZER
Cash zapped himself on purpose.Screamed.Fell.Died dramatically.We ignored him.
🎯 DARE 13 — TERRIBLE SERENADE
Cash and I sang horribly.Windows cracked.Birds fled.Dogs howled.
It was beautiful.
🎯 DARE 14 — EMBARRASSING PHOTO POST
Paige posted the WORST photo of me ever taken.It got 40K likes in six minutes.
I suffered.
⭐ KATE'S ENTRANCE (THE MOMENT EVERYONE WAITED FOR)
The wheel slowed.The noise faded.Everyone was laughing, yelling, still buzzing from dares.
Then—
DING.
The elevator.
Everyone turned.
Out stepped Kate Marie.
Hair messy.Clothes rumpled.Phone dead.Face serious.Eyes locked on me.
The room went silent.
Cash dropped a spoon.Paige choked on her snack.Harper froze mid-note.Cailee gasped.Mychael slowly lowered the camera.
And Kate said, breathless:
"Cypriana. We need to talk.Now."
Everyone screamed.
Livestream chat exploded.
Maverick stepped in front of me, protective.
Cash yelled, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THREE DAYS???"
Kate ignored them.
She looked right at me—
and smiled like she knew something nobody else did.