TRUTH OR DARE.

EPISODE 2

The next morning came too soon.

The alarm on my phone buzzed at 6:30 a.m., but it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. My head was still heavy from last night, from Nicole’s words echoing over and over like a curse that refused to fade.

> “Hook up with Kai. And I want the s*x tape of it.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Even the memory made my stomach twist.

Meilin stirred in the bed across from mine, groaning as she threw her blanket off. Her long black hair was a tangled mess, and her eyeliner from last night smudged around her eyes like bruises.

“Morning,” she mumbled, rubbing her face.

“Barely,” I muttered, already sitting up on my own bed.

The dorm room was small but neat…two narrow beds, a study desk, a shared wardrobe. It was simple, nothing like the luxury most of our classmates lived in, that was across from our building. Sometimes, I’d pass by the girls’ dorms with velvet curtains, chandeliers, and imported perfume bottles lined up like trophies on their dressers. Ours smelled faintly of detergent and instant noodles.

Meilin sat up properly, watching me for a moment. “You didn’t sleep, did you?”

I shook my head, staring at the sunlight filtering weakly through our thin curtains. “Couldn’t. I kept thinking about what she said.”

Her face softened. “Cesca, don’t let her get in your head. Nicole feeds on that. She wants you to break.”

“But she knows everything,” I whispered, picking at a loose thread on my blanket. “She knows about the drug thing, Meilin. If she tells the school, that’s it. I’ll be expelled. My mom will…” My voice trailed off.

Meilin got up and sat beside me. “Then we won’t let her. You hear me?”

I looked up at her. “And how exactly do we stop someone like Nicole? Her dad’s a governor. Her ex is the most powerful student on campus. I’m nothing.”

She frowned. “Don’t say that. You worked to get here. You earned this. Nicole was born into money; you built yourself out of nothing. That’s what she hates about you.”

I smiled faintly. “You always make it sound like I’m some movie hero.”

“Maybe you are,” she said lightly. “A really broke one, but still.”

That actually made me laugh…a small, broken sound, but it was better than silence.

We got ready in quiet companionship after that. Meilin blasted soft pop music from her phone, and I slipped into my uniform..

a crisp white shirt and a pleated navy skirt that somehow made me feel even more like an outsider.

Tied my hair curly hair in a messy bun and looked at myself at the mirror. I looked too beautiful for a black girl in china. Yeah, I'm black, I mean life was more easier for us back in California but here… sigh…

We stepped out of the dorm building, the sight of the campus still made me breathless, even after months of being here.

The place looked more like a luxury resort than a college. Marble walkways glistened from the morning dew, the lawns trimmed perfectly like green velvet. Fountains sparkled in the sunlight, and tall cherry blossom trees lined the paths, their petals floating gently in the cool Beijing air.

Luxury cars were parked near the main hall…sleek black Audis, silver BMWs, even a red Ferrari that I was sure belonged to one of the “executives.” That’s what we called the elite students here…those from powerful families who basically ran the social order.

Meilin nudged me gently as we walked past the fountain. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said under my breath.

She chuckled, then wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. “You’re too tense. Just survive today, okay? Nicole probably forgot already.”

But she was wrong.

Because as soon as we entered the glass building that led to the Arts Department, whispers started.

“She’s the girl from last night, right?”

“Yeah, Nicole dared her…”

“…to sleep with Kai, I heard…”

I froze mid-step, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. My heart pounded so loud I thought everyone could hear it.

Meilin noticed immediately. “Ignore them,” she muttered, tugging my wrist gently. “They’re idiots.”

I kept my head down and walked faster, but the voices followed, low and sharp like invisible knives.

“…she actually thinks she can pull it off?”

“…Kai doesn’t even look at girls like her…”

“…Nicole’s going to destroy her…”

Each word dug deeper.

By the time we reached the hallway outside our lecture room, I was shaking.

“Cesca.” Meilin stopped me, turning me to face her. “Hey. Look at me.”

I did.

“You survived worse than this, okay? You’ve been through hell to even get here. Don’t let them win.”

I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Thanks.”

The first lecture passed in a blur. Professor Zhang was talking about visual composition and lighting balance, but my brain was somewhere else entirely. I stared at the screen, pretending to take notes while Nicole’s voice echoed again and again in my mind.

> “You’ve got one week.”

“I want proof.”

I caught myself doodling her name in my notebook before scratching it out so hard the paper nearly tore.

When the bell finally rang, I packed up quickly.

“I’m starving,” Meilin said beside me, stretching. “Wanna grab something before our next class?”

“Sure,” I murmured, though my stomach was in knots.

The cafeteria was huge…glass walls, marble tables, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling like something out of a royal palace. I could smell freshly brewed coffee, buttery pastries, and grilled beef.

Students were chatting in groups, laughing, taking pictures. Everyone looked like they belonged in a fashion magazine.

And then there was me…wearing the same shoes from last semester, holding a meal card that barely had enough credits left for lunch.

Meilin waved at someone and then frowned when I didn’t respond. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

She sighed, taking a sip of her bubble tea. “Look, Nicole won’t do anything yet. She likes to play slow. Just act normal. If she thinks you’re scared, she’ll double down.”

But I was scared. Terrified, actually.

I was halfway through my sandwich when the cafeteria doors opened, and silence swept through the crowd like wind.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Everyone’s head turned. Phones came out. Girls straightened their hair.

Kai Qin had arrived.

He walked in surrounded by two guys from the sports faculty, his presence somehow commanding without trying. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t even talking…but people looked at him like he was something out of a movie.

He wore a black hoodie and dark jeans, casual but expensive. His hair was slightly tousled, his jaw sharp, his skin smooth under the light.

I’d seen him before, from a distance. In photos, in corridors, during events. But never this close.

Up close, he was unreal. His features were sharp but not harsh…the kind of beauty that made your breath catch without warning. Those Chinese genes evident on his face. His eyes, dark and clear, held a quiet intensity. His skin was pale under the soft sunlight coming through the tall windows,

And now, for the first time, he was walking right past our table.

I froze.

Meilin nudged me with her elbow. “Don’t stare.”

“I’m not,” I whispered, though my eyes refused to look away.

Kai stopped briefly near the food counter, speaking to one of his friends in Mandarin. His voice was low, calm…something about it made my chest tighten.

Then he looked up for a split second. Our eyes didn’t meet, but it was close enough to make my stomach drop.

“Okay, that’s enough fangirling for today,” Meilin muttered. “Let’s move before Nicole sees you drooling.”

I shot her a glare, but she was right. Nicole was across the cafeteria, sitting with Genevieve and a few others, watching me. That smirk was still there.

I stood quickly. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Meilin said, already slinging her bag over her shoulder.

I turned hurriedly with the smoothie in my hand.I wasn’t looking. I was too lost in my own head, imagining what Nicole would be thinking of right now…

And then I bumped into something, more like someone… the smoothie escaping my hand and landing on the person's shirt…

Everyone in the cafeteria suddenly gasped in unison…

Then when I looked up, Oh My Freaking Gosh… it's Qin Kai…

And then I looked back at his ruined designer's clothes, and back to his face, I gulped…

A very mean and angry look on his face, like he was going to explode any minute. I wanted to apologize but couldn't form the words…. All eyes in the cafeteria were on us… especially Nicole's.

Someone, please kill me with a stone…