I stared at my phone, waiting for Maya’s reply, half?expecting the screen to stay blank forever. The idea that she might actually say “yes” to Chloe’s stupid dare?for?fame scheme was absurd, yet the prospect gnawed at me. I’d told Chloe that if Maya went for it, I’d jump in too, more out of loyalty than conviction. Maya is Chloe’s best friend, sure, but even she has a line she won’t cross. I’ve always admired Maya’s quiet dignity; she’d never put herself on a livestream for a gaggle of anonymous trolls just to chase a few viral likes. She’s never been the type to crave the spotlight.

  Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Chloe was trying to pit us against each other, coaxing us all into a reckless game that would end with us looking foolish. The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became with Chloe’s relentless push. The little quirks that once made her charming now felt like grating habits I could no longer ignore. Maybe breaking things off with her wouldn’t be such a disaster after all.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  I shot off another quick text before I let my thoughts turn to anxiety.

  “Hey, are you really going to do those online dares with Chloe? If you’re in, I’m in too, but I need to know it’s actually your choice, not something she’s pulling you into. I know she tends to bulldoze over you.”

  Just as I hit send a text came through, Chloe. I rolled my eyes letting out a heavy sigh.

  “Goodnight call?”

  The simple question pissed me off more than it excited me. The nightly ritual of calling and setting goals for the next day and planning down to the second what we were going to do was exhausting. I ignored it, something I knew I would pay for tomorrow but or now I just wanted peace. Something I had once found in her but now she was the disturbance.