Sealed With A Kiss cσмρℓεтε∂

Alice Brown stood outside the coffee shop, her lips still tingling from the kiss she had just given Jack Miller. Jack had smiled at her, but Alice knew the truth-he didn't like her. He never had. He had just wanted to prove something to his friends. Alice could feel it in the way his smile didn't reach his eyes, in the way he talked about her when he thought she wasn't listening. Yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, she kissed him back.

That kiss haunted her as she walked home. The memory of it was uncomfortable, like a scratch that wouldn't stop itching. Two hours later, as Alice sat by her window, watching the rain patter on the glass, her phone buzzed with a message.

It was Emily, one of her classmates. The words on the screen made Alice's heart freeze.

"Jack's been in an accident. He's in the hospital. It's bad."

Alice's fingers trembled as she gripped the phone, the blood draining from her face. She reread the message over and over, hoping she was mistaken, but the words remained the same. Panic settled in her chest like a heavy stone, making it hard to breathe.

No, it couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

She thought back to when she was 16. It was during a game of Truth or Dare. She had kissed Brian Owens, a boy who had spread mean stories about her around school. She hadn't wanted to kiss him, but it was a dare, and she didn't want to seem scared in front of everyone. Just like with Jack, two hours after that kiss, Brian had been in a car crash. He had broken his arm and leg.

Back then, her mother had noticed how strange Alice had become after hearing about Brian's accident. Alice had sat at the kitchen table for hours, her hands gripping her mug tightly, eyes wide with shock.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" her mother had asked gently, sitting across from her.

Alice had hesitated but eventually told her the truth-about the kiss, the accident, and the strange feeling of guilt gnawing at her.

Her mother had looked at her with a seriousness Alice had never seen before. "Alice," she had said quietly, "there's something you should know. Kisses aren't just sweet gestures. Sometimes, they carry more than feelings. You must be careful who you kiss. Never kiss someone who doesn't truly care for you or who you don't care for."

Alice had brushed it off at the time, thinking it was just a weird coincidence, but now, sitting by her window, her heart raced. Jack didn't care for her, just like Brian hadn't. And now, Jack was in the hospital too, just two hours after the kiss. The same as Brian.

She quickly texted Emily back. "What happened?"