Truth or Dare? [REWRITTEN]

¤Chapter 36¤

¤Chapter Thirty-six¤

»»PRESENT DAY««

"Uh... earth to Madi" Brittney waves, snapping me out of my retrospective daze. I glare at her crystal blue eyes as I try to focus in on reality.

"Huh?" I ignore everyone watching me.

"Truth. Or. Dare?" Her voice comes out sharp and crisp.

I stare blankly at my feet. She knows I don't like this stupid game. A gust of wind blows fiercely, swinging my ponytail to the side as a pampered hand reaches out to gently squeeze mine. I don't have to look to know it's Amy. She also knows of the anxiety I get from playing this game, the others do too. They know of the pain I struggle to endure after hearing those two words together out loud.

Because of him.

"She's not going to play, Brittney," Amy responds in the same direct tone. "She just wants to watch"

"Bullshit" She snaps coldly. 

I look up immediately. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me Madison." She snickers. "What will it be Ms. I-think-I'm-better-than-everyone —Truth or dare?"

I ground my teeth, trying to block out the darkness that threatens to take over again. It has been weeks since I last had a flashback and I'll be damned if I allow myself to suffer because of her. Right now, grabbing Brittney and throwing her into the cold ocean is more preferable than letting her get the best of me. It also sounds more fun. 

"Madi, like I said earlier, you don't have to play" Owen shakes his head, glancing worriedly at my friends. I try to hold back a smile when I notice his hair is the only one not disheveled in this savage wind.

Yup, he definitely uses some type of gel.

"Bore-ing" Brittney yawned, undoubtedly trying to get under my skin even more. 

"Dare" I say suddenly, glaring at her. I'll show her boring.

Aside from her shameless taunting, I need to prove to myself that bad things don't always happen when people play Truth or dare —when I play Truth or Dare. If I can't do that then everything that has happened up to the point is practically meaningless. How can I move forward if I'm always looking back?  

Brittney smirks triumphantly and the fact that I just walked into a trap finally dawned on me. It's too late to back out now but still,

I should've known better.

"I was hoping you'd let pride win that internal battle of yours and it looks like it did" She laughs, throwing her head back. "You've gone soft Madi and that will be your downfall"

I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm. No matter what trick she pulls, I can handle it. Owen grabs my free hand in his and interlock our fingers. His expression is unreadable but I can sense a trace of anger from the strength of his grip.

"This is just a game. Let's not make things personal, okay?" He regards Brittney expectantly.

 "How naïve can you be?" She sneered, finally acknowledging his presence. "Wake up and smell the piss Owen —it has always been personal." A few people recoil from the vivid imagery and I lean in front of Owen to get her eyes focused on me again. I'm the enemy, not him.

"Let's just get it over with" I match her intense stare with mine, making sure she knows I won't back down.

She typed a quick text on her phone then slipped it in her purse before plainly saying, "I dare you to call your ex-boyfriend."