It was easy for me to shake off the weird encounter that I had with that creepy guy back at the warehouse party because I'm currently on my way to making big money to prove to a stupid boy that the devil doesn't exist.

"You know these silly stories aren't true, right?" I look up and meet Andrew's challenging green eyes in the rearview mirror after he parks on the side of the deserted road. "There is no way to summon the freaking devil! How can you when he doesn't even exist?"

"Doesn't exist to you," Andrew retorts. He turns around to look at me in the backseat, smiling like he knows some big secret that I don't. "Are you stalling, Maggie darling? Don't tell me you want to back out. Not after talking mad shit back at the party about how you wouldn't be scared to go into the forest alone to do the ritual..."

"I'm not scared! And I'm not trying to back out," I cut him off, rolling my eyes. "I'm just saying that anyone who actually believes in this stuff is stupid. Period."

"Okay, Ms. I'm-So-Brave. Since you apparently don't believe in anything and fear no one, I think it's safe to assume this will be an easy dare for you to complete, yeah?" Andrew argues.

"Yes. And for the record, while I may be a little skeptical when it comes to God and Lucifer and all that, I do believe that there is a higher power out there somewhere."

I shudder to think what my uber Baptist parents would say had they been around to hear me tell Andrew that. Little do they know my brother and I are borderline agnostic.

"Don't let him hype you up, Mags. He's just talking shit," Johnny says from the passenger seat. He rolls his window down and flicks his cigarette out before turning to look back at me as well. "You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to, right? There's no pressure."

"And, I don't know about you guys, but can I just say that that party has completely worn me out?" Krista adds, shifting in the backseat next to me. "I'd much rather be at home in bed than out here parked next to this creepy ass forest at almost one in the morning. Why couldn't this have waited until the sun was out, Andrew?"

"You're only complaining because you're not the one getting paid $200," Andrew replies. "Maggie has already agreed to do the dare, so why not get it done while we're already out? Stop your whining and get back to your nap, princess. I promise I'll get us home shortly."

Before I can jump in to tell Andrew to back off talking to my best friend like that, Johnny ends up putting him in check for me.

Personally, I never really cared for Andrew Kline.

Johnny's friends are all rough around the edges, but Andrew? He's the most troublesome of the bunch. I don't see how Johnny has put up with him for all these years. Then again, me and Krista are the annoying little sisters that he never asked for. We've been getting on Johnny's nerves for ages and he's yet to drop us. He must have the patience of a saint or something.

"Are you sure about this, Mags?" Krista whispers to me. "I don't feel comfortable with you going out there by yourself. What if you take the wrong turn and end up getting lost? So many things can go bad."

"I'm aware, and I totally understand your concerns, but... I could also really use the money," I whisper back, trying to talk the worried look off her face. "I'm taking the bag of supplies that Andrew bought from the store, and I'll also have my cell phone with me. If I lose service, I'll just pull out the map. No matter what, nothing is going to happen because this ritual stuff is all fiction." I lower my voice even more while pointing in Andrew's direction. "I'm basically robbing this idiot blind."

Krista laughs, nodding. "Yeah, you kinda are."

After she's back on my side, I turn and look out of the window, seeing nothing but tall trees engulfed in darkness. Brinton Forest is one of the largest forests in the world, and according to the rumors that float around my small town, Brinton Forest is also a place where the devil can be summoned.

Crazy tales about people trying and failing have been told for decades, even as far back to when my parents were kids. If it's one thing that they yell at me and my brother about, it's for us to never get too close to Brinton Forest. But between friends and family, I've always been the odd one out because I've never fallen for the hype. I don't believe in any of it because it doesn't make any sense to me.

People say the forest is supposed to be cursed but no one knows why. As for the ritual, it's said that if you travel to the center of the forest, you'll come across a huge clearing that you're meant to stand in the center of. Then, you draw blood and spill six droplets on the ground while chanting Lucifer's name twelve times. After that, he's supposed to appear and will grant you one wish in exchange for your soul. Sounds ridiculous, but for $200, I certainly don't mind making a fool of myself to prove that none of this is legit. 

After all, I'm just a struggling college kid who's back home on summer break with her best friends. I'll take whatever easy money I can get.

I know my parents will always be there for me whenever I need them, but at my big age of twenty-one, I feel like I've grown out of depending on them for money. It gets embarrassing to have to ask. So, while I currently look for a new job to hold me down this summer until I go back to school in the fall, this is ultimately what I've resorted to in the meantime.

Taking $200 dares to find out whether the devil is real or not.

"Okay, okay! I'm going," I mutter after Andrew teases me again about how I'm stalling for time. "You better have my money ready for me to snatch out of your hands when I come back."

"I'm always ready, gorgeous." Andrew winks at me.

Everyone gets out of the car to walk me up to the edge of the forest. Andrew looks way too excited about all of this; Johnny looks indifferent; Krista looks scared to death.

What a comforting sendoff.

"I'm really feeling the love from you guys right now," I say sarcastically, part of me starting to wonder if maybe I am stalling on going through with this. "Hey, Krista? Mind if I borrow your scarf? I underestimated how cold it's gotten and I'm not trying to freeze to death before meeting Satan. I'm sure he prefers his women hot and ready."

"Like a Little Caesar's pizza?" Andrew immediately cracks up. "That's what it says on their pizza boxes, right? Hot-N-Ready?"

Johnny laughs, then shakes his head at me. "Mags, for the love of whoever you believe in, please never in your life try another lame joke like that again."

"You guys are trash. Goodbye." I spin on my heels and head into the forest after Krista lends me her thick scarf. I walk until I no longer hear the voices of my friends.