Daydreams

Secrets

Entry for the #JustWriteDay contest by JustWriteIt profile; Truth Or Dare. [Winner] (Story word count: 497)

We all have secrets. Secrets that we guard with our life. Secrets that we take with us to the grave.

And I'm not going to spill them out just because a dumb kid asked me to join him and his "friends" to a game of truth and dare.

The boy is nearly fifteen, I think. His "friends" are two girls, probably of the same age. They don't seem to like him very much. Neither do I.

I can sense the discomfort of the girl with the platinum blond hair. She doesn't like me. That's fine. I never really liked myself either. The other, dark skinned with a mass of dark curly hair, apparently hates the boy too much to give a damn about me. That's fine too.

So far, I have gathered their names. Jason, Valerie and Madison. I loved the death stare Madison gave the boy at the introduction while Valerie was too uncomfortable to pay attention.

"We should go," Valerie says.

Damn smart, girl. Damn smart.

"Chickening out?" Jason asks and laughs.

Oh yes. He is an idiot AND a prick.

"Girls are such babies."

Boy, there's a reason why women live longer than men.

"Jason, I hate you." Madison tells him.

Jeez, I love this girl.

"And you're an idiot."

My thoughts exactly.

"We came up here just because we thought you would stop acting like the jerk that you are. Let's just finish this and leave."

Jason scoffs and turns his attention back on the game. It's my turn now and I don't like it. I have promises to keep. But then there is this side of me that just wouldn't stop telling me to continue this. After all, I said yes when they- correction- he asked me to join their game.

Yes stands for dare and no stands for truth, he had said.

I must choose now.

"C'mon old man," Jason says, "unless you're a chicken too."

"Jason." Valerie hisses.

"Famous last words?" I mumble. Valerie hears me and I feel her tense up. I see goosebumps on her arms.

I feel myself smiling as I make up my mind. I move the planchette to yes.

Dare.

Jason sits still for a moment. He might have expected me to say no. The moment he gathers himself, I feel saying yes might not have made any difference.

He starts to move the planchette.

I-D-A-R-E-Y-O-U-T-O-T-E-L-L-M-E-H-O-W-Y-O-U-D-I-E-D

The girls complain. This is not how it works.

I look at the smug smile on his face. A chance to wipe it off would be extremely satisfying. I put my finger on the planchette and begin to move it across the Ouija board.

W-H-Y-D-O-N-T-I-S-H-O-W-Y-O-U

***********

It was the girls' scream that brought their parents upstairs. Seeing a baseball bat flying across the room smacking the boy's head with a sickening crunch may have been traumatizing enough for them.

Like I said before, we all have secrets. Secrets that we take to the grave...and secrets that take us there.