Clarissa took a deep breath, her fingers curling around the dice as she stared down at the board. The game already felt off—Amelia’s valley-girl transformation had been unsettling enough—but part of her refused to let herself believe it was real. It couldn’t be. It was just an elaborate gimmick, right?
She rolled the dice, watching as they bounced across the board before finally settling on a five.
Amelia, still fiddling with her hair in that now-unavoidable valley girl manner, peered over Clarissa’s shoulder. “Oh my God, you, like, landed on a pink space!” she squealed, leaning closer. “That’s, like, the sex one, right?”
Clarissa groaned. “Fantastic.” She reached hesitantly for the pink deck, her fingers brushing against the silky finish of the cards before pulling the top one free. As she flipped it over, the crystal ball in the center of the board shimmered to life again, its glow casting eerie shadows on the dorm walls.
The elegant pink lettering on the card made her stomach twist with unease. She cleared her throat and read aloud:
"Your senses awaken to their fullest potential, leaving you on the edge of a heightened experience. Control is fleeting, sensation lingers."
There was a pause. Then, Stacey snorted. “That’s… cryptic.”
Clarissa laughed nervously, setting the card down. “Yeah, I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.” She shifted in her bed, but before she could process the implications, a strange warmth began to bloom deep in her chest, slow and insistent.
It wasn’t immediate. At first, it was just a soft tingle, like standing too close to a heater on a cold day. Then it spread—crawling over her skin, seeping into her muscles, coiling tight in places she didn’t want to acknowledge. The heat pooled low in her stomach, buzzing faintly at first, but quickly escalating into something far more intense.
Clarissa swallowed hard, shifting slightly as a wave of prickling awareness washed over her. Her hoodie, which had always been a comforting, oversized shield, now felt suffocating, the fabric clinging in ways it shouldn’t. She could feel every fiber of it pressing against her, brushing over her skin, igniting a frustrating, restless energy she couldn't escape from.
She crossed her legs tightly, hoping the pressure would subdue the sensation, but it only heightened it. Her skin tingled, hyper-aware of every movement, every shift of her sweatpants against her thighs. A shaky breath escaped her lips before she could stop it.
Amelia, sitting cross-legged on the bed, tilted her head. “Uh, Clarissa? You okay? You’re, like, totally sweating,” she said, twirling a strand of hair nervously.
Clarissa laughed it off, though it sounded far too forced. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just warm in here.” She pulled at the neckline of her hoodie, trying to get some air, but nothing helped. The warmth wasn’t just external; it was inside her, humming beneath her skin like an overcharged wire.
Ethan, lounging against the desk, smirked. “Wow, the game’s really getting to you both, huh?” he teased. “Can’t handle a little change?”
Clarissa shot him a glare, but it lacked her usual bite. “Shut up, Ethan,” she muttered, her tone slightly changed from her earlier teasing, trying to ignore the way her pulse was pounding in her ears. She shifted again, subtly adjusting her position, but the persistent thrum of awareness remained.
Amelia, biting her lip nervously. “Like, you don’t look fine,” she said, her voice dripping with its unintentional perkiness. “You’re, like, all fidgety and stuff.”
Clarissa gritted her teeth, digging her nails into her palm beneath the table. “It’s nothing. Let’s just keep going,” she snapped, trying to keep the frustration from creeping into her voice. But the truth was, every second felt like a battle against her own body. Her skin buzzed, her breath came shallow, and no matter how hard she tried to push it aside, it refused to fade.
Stacey raised an eyebrow, watching her closely. “You sure? Because you’re acting kind of… weird.”
Amelia’s eyes flicked to the board, then back to Clarissa. “Like, I totally knew this game was, like, cursed or something,” she said in a panic. “I mean, you saw what happened to me, right? I can’t stop talking like a ditzy mall girl! And now you’re, like, all flushed and—”
Clarissa cut her off with a shaky laugh. “I am not flushed.” She could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks, the pulse in her neck betraying her.
Ethan, clearly enjoying himself, grinned. “You sure? You look a little flustered there, Clarissa.”
Clarissa narrowed her eyes. “I said I’m fine.” Her voice came out sharper than intended, but she couldn’t help it. Every tiny movement—crossing her arms, adjusting in her rear, even breathing—sent another wave of unwanted sensation washing over her. The worst part was that it didn’t feel entirely bad; it felt... Like longing. Too much. And she didn’t know how to make it stop.
She reached for her water bottle, taking a long sip in hopes that the cool liquid would ease the burning warmth inside her. It didn’t.
Amelia again, her wide blue eyes filled with concern. “Clarissa, babe, like, for real, we should, like, totally stop. What if this game is, like, messing with our brains or whatever?”
Clarissa forced herself to exhale slowly, placing her hands inside her hoodie pocket placed them together tightly. “No way. We’re not stopping. I’m fine.” She glanced at the board, trying to focus on something—anything—other than the unbearable tension in her body.
Stacey leaned back, shaking her head. “Your call, but you seriously don’t look okay.”
Amelia sighed, her lips pursed in thought. “Like, if you, like, start taking off your clothes, I am so not gonna deal with that,” she said, pointing a finger in warning.
Clarissa groaned and rubbed her palms together in her pocket. “I’m not gonna strip, Amelia,” she muttered, her voice strained.
But deep down, she was getting more and more anxious. What if Amelia was right? What if this game was doing something to them? The thought sent another jolt of awareness through her, and she clenched her fists tighter, determined to push through it.
Ethan tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth from staceys snack selection, clearly enjoying the show. “I dunno, maybe it’s just you both are really good at messing with our heads.”
Clarissa inhaled sharply. “Yeah, sure, That’s totally it,” she muttered,
Amelia kept stealing glances at the crystal ball in the middle of the board, biting her lip nervously. “This game is, like, seriously sketchy, you guys.” She crossed her arms, her usual playful demeanor momentarily slipping. “I don’t, like, wanna keep playing if it’s gonna keep doing... this.”
Clarissa shot her a look, trying to muster some level of reassurance. “Look, it’s fine, okay? It’s just a game.” But even as she said it, she wasn’t sure if she believed it.
Amelia didn’t seem convinced, but she reluctantly leaned back and watched Stacey pick up the dice. “Okay, fine. But I totally call dibs on quitting first if anything else gets weird.”
Clarissa forced a laugh, ignoring the way her heart was still racing. She could get through this. She had to. It was just a game. Right?
As Stacey rolled the dice and the game continued, Clarissa sat stiffly in her chair, trying to mask the growing discomfort thrumming inside her. She clenched her fists and focused on the numbers in front of her, but in the back of her mind, a nagging voice whispered: