As any writer can attest, there's a lot we create which never sees the light of day. In writing my first full-length novel, there have been many things that have ended up being cut because of the editing process. Both story ideas that have veered off into other directions or tangents that took on a life of their own. Truth or Dare is one example of that. 

This chapter of my book is one that I fell in love with while writing, but was forced to cut to make the story more cohesive. Still, I didn't want the chapter to go to waste. As such, I have reworked it into a stand-alone short story. Elements were changed and things reworked to make the story work, but I find myself pleased with the finished result. Someday I may write a prequel to my book, where this chapter and the others like it can have the space to be told completely.

16-year-old Chance Baker has never been kissed. Being gay and closeted certainly hasn't helped. What's even worse is that along the way, he's developed an unrequited crush on his best friend, Nick, who remains the only person he's confessed his deepest, darkest secret to.

One night, while cleaning up after their family's summer barbecue, Nick suggests a game of truth or dare. Nick has always been the outgoing one between the two, but thanks to a pilfered bottle of tequila, Chance is determined to prove that he can be just a daring as his best friend. As the dynamic between the two begins to shift, might Chance receive the very thing that he's been longing for this entire time?