The Summer Reunion (unedited version)

16| Truth or Dare

All the kids gathered around the campfire playing games and swapping scary stories. Once a week we had a big campfire for everyone to sit around and eat smores, and this was the first one of the summer.

As the night carried on kids trickled off to bed, worn out and paranoid from the tales told earlier. This left only the counsellors to be seated on the wooden logs, smuggling six-packs and coolers down after everyone went to sleep. Someone had started a game of truth or dare that made its way around the circle.

Drew held a can of beer in his hand, taking gulps between sentences "Tosh- " he downed the last of his drink and gestured in her direction -beer still in hand-, "I know you're fucking around about doing those flip things."

She jumped up across the circle, "I never lie!" she laughed, already tipsy. Her eyes were bright with spirits, and clearly overconfident. 

"Then I dare you!" he stood up as well, stumbling over to the patch of open field a few feet away. "Do it right now!" he challenged her.

Oh Drew. How naïve he was, believing Tosh wouldn't show him up. She was about to teach these guys a lesson they would learn soon enough. Never doubt Tosh's abilities, even drunk.... Especially drunk.

I looked up at her from my seat as she threw down her empty can and stepped in front of the small crowd forming around the edge of the trees. She stuck one leg out, outstretched her arms above her head, and did a sequence of flips across the field. She finished with a wide smile as the other counsellors cheered her on.

Her proud smile turned into a nauseated, and drunken, stupor. No one noticed her dive off into the bush however, because some guy dared a girl to jump half-naked in the lake. Everyone rushed down to the dock to watch the scene as Tosh rushed off to the sideline.

I reluctantly wandered over to her unwelcoming sounds of sickness and found her keeling over in a bush. I cleared the hair off her face as she began to heave and wrapped it into a bun behind her head.

"Maybe next time-" I ducked my head into my elbow as she hurled again, "don't attempt an Olympic routine five coolers into the night."

I rubbed her back lightly with my arm outstretched as far as it went. She stood straight and leaned her back against a tree, wiping her mouth.

"Fuck." She rested her head onto the bark and closed her eyes, "I feel like shit."

"I don't want to be insensitive but.." I pursed my lips to hide a smile, "you really put the bile, in Simone Biles.

She smiled and smacked my arm weakly, "you bitch."

Grayson walked up from behind me, staring at Tosh's disheveled state. "Seems I'm missing all the fun."

Tosh bent down, settling her hands on her knees. I could hear her labored breaths from where we stood, "So much fun," She wheezed.

He walked closer, "Is she going to be okay?"

she waved her hand in the air, "I'm fine" she yelled up to us, still bent over.

His brow furrowed in concern, not convinced. "I'll walk her back."

"You don't have to do that. I can take her."

"It's fine," he nudged his head towards the lake, where the screams of counsellors carried its way through the trees, "you go down to the dock with everyone else."

Tosh stood up and slowly wobbled her way over to us, taking her longer than it should have.

"Alright..." I relented, "if you're sure."