𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 ⇒ 𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳

𝙩𝙬𝙤

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

F L A S H B A C K
summer thirteen

"Truth or dare?" Steven directed his question at Taylor, who sat in the sand twirling her hair around her finger.

All of the Fisher and Conklin kids, plus Vera and Taylor who was visiting Cousins, sat in a circle around their own little fire on the beach, Belly and Vera wrapped up in the same blanket. The sun had set about an hour ago and they were in a competitive game of truth or dare. Every time someone chickened, they needed to take a shot of the Smirnoff vodka that Conrad swiped from Susannah and Laurel's alcohol cabinet that they didn't think the kids knew about.

None of them had ever drank before, so the unopened bottle sat there untouched, the kids warily glancing at it once and awhile. No one had chickened yet.

"Dare." She raised a brow.

Steven turned towards the ocean with a smirk. "Swim out to the buoy and back with your clothes on."

"No, are you crazy?" Taylor laughed nervously, "It's night, do you know how dangerous that is?"

Steven shrugged, eyes shifting over to the still untouched bottle in the sand. Taylor took a deep breath before picking it up, untwisting the cap, pressing the bottle to her lips, and taking a giant gulp. Her face scrunched up and she shook her head in disgust.

Laughs broke out among the group, Jeremiah curiously asking how it tasted. "Like hand sanitizer." Taylor replied breathing heavily.

"Ok Tay, your turn." Steven told her, her eyes searching around the circle for someone to ask the question.

"Truth or dare?" She asked as her eyes met Vera's.

"Dare." Vera straightened her spine and tucked her hair behind her ears, waiting for the question.

"Kiss..." Taylor's eyes wandered about the group again, between Steven, Conrad— and she finally said, "Jeremiah."

Vera's eyes met a smiling Jeremiah, who sat directly to her right. She'd never admit it, but she always had a crush on him ever since she could remember. Her heart pounded against her chest. "No." She shook her head. There she was, with the golden opportunity to kiss Jeremiah Fisher. But she decided if she was ever going to kiss him, it was going to be real. "I can't."

"Why not?" Taylor asked with a short laugh.

Vera looked at Jeremiah again, who's smile had faded. "I just can't." Not there, not at that moment, in front of all their friends in a game of truth or dare.

"Well then here you go." Taylor handed Vera the bottle, who untwisted the cap again and held it away as soon as she smelled it.

"It smells like hand sanitizer, too." she stated.

"You have to drink it." Taylor pressed. Vera held it to her lips again, but pushed it away in nervousness. "It's the rules."

"The rules are stupid." Jeremiah jumped in, "She doesn't have to drink it if she doesn't want to."

"Yeah, just don't drink, Veralynne." Conrad tried to grab the bottle from her, but she pulled it away from him. "I'm being serious, I don't want you to drink it." Conrad has always acted as an older brother to her, being protective at times.