Shades Of Blue

15. Spin

*WARNING FOR SMOKING AND UNDERAGE DRINKING*

Benjie

August

Age 17

Each person in the circle took their turn in seven-minute intervals, playing normal spin the bottle in between. The bottle landed on Neel twice, resulting in him receiving four kisses from four different girls. It landed on Benjie once.

The girl who had spun the bottle that pointed at Benjie crawled across the carpet to meet him halfway in the middle of the circle. Benjie pressed his lips to her's in a chaste peck. When he settled back into his spot next to Neel, it was his turn to spin and go into the closet. Reluctantly, he spun the empty beer bottle, sending it around and around until it began to slow, staggering past Benjie, then Neel, landing on Moira. Fuck, he thought. He let out an anxious chuckle. "I forfeit my turn."

Neel elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't be weird. It's just a game."

Moira had already gotten up from the circle and was now grabbing Benjie's hand to tug him into the closet with her. As soon as the door closed, darkness swallowed them both and the tension set in.

Benjie let out a long sigh. "This is weird."

"Yeah," Moira replied, sorrow weaved through her tone. "What do you wanna do?"

"Stand here until they open the door?"

He could see the shape of her nodding her head as his eyes adjusted. "Good idea," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the closed door. Through that door, they could hear the party go on, unaffected by their absence. "So..."

Benjie snapped the blue elastic band around his wrist repeatedly, his muscles tensing as he realized how trapped he really was. He hoped he wouldn't start shaking.

"How's Amina?" Moira wondered.

Benjie shrugged, although she probably couldn't see it. "I dunno. She's in Muskoka for the summer."

"She gets back soon, though, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Cool. Maybe we can all go on a double date. Neel would love that."

Neel would not love that. "I dunno if she'd be into it."

"Awe," she mock-pouted, "sure she would. We'll go bowling or something, it'll be fun."

Realizing Moira wouldn't relent, Benjie tried to fake a grin like Neel could and said, "maybe. I'll ask her when she gets back."

"That's awesome," she cooed. "I can't wait."

I can.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He stayed silent, knowing she would ask no matter what he said.

"What does Neel say about me when I'm not there?"

He wanted to tell her the truth, that Neel never talked about her, but feared that would get his friend in trouble. Benjie didn't like them being together, but it didn't mean he wanted to cause the destruction of Neel's relationship. "He says a lot, what he likes about you and stuff." It wasn't very convincing, but Moira wanted to believe him.

"Like what?"

He thought on it, trying to find what was closest to the truth. "He says your sweet. You make him laugh," Benjie said, the boulder in his chest twisting. "That's important to him."

Time dragged. After the longest seven minutes of Benjie's life, the door opened, and they were freed from the closet. Claustrophobia swallowing him whole, Benjie stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed for the front door. He needed a few minutes to have a cigarette and decompress.

He walked past a few other partygoers on the porch then stood at the end of the driveway to add another layer of seclusion. His hand grasped the cigarette pack in his pocket and pulled it out along with a tiny lighter. He lit his cigarette, then stared up at the night's sky, beholding a full, blood red moon. He wondered if the coloration was due to the light pollution encasing the city.

Out of nowhere, Benjie was violently shoved forward, causing him to drop his cigarette. He turned to his attacker in surprise and shoved Neel back. "What the hell?"

"You just gonna ditch me, asshole?" Neel accused bitterly, having grown furious in the less than eight minutes they had been separated.

"Chill the fuck out. I'm having a smoke," Benjie stated, speaking slowly like he would to a child. "I was coming back."

"Bullshit," Neel spat.

Benjie looked his friend over with a raised brow, noting his leaning stance and the slur in his speech. "You're wasted."

Neel lifted his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. "It's a party." He approached Benjie and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You...You're cruel."

Benjie's eyes widened. "What the fuck did I do?"

Neel's dark eyes were now glaring at him, accusing him. "You know what you did."

He had no idea what Neel was going on about so, with a long, frustrated sigh, Benjie wondered, "are you ready to leave yet?"

Neel nodded that he was, then started the journey back to his house with Benjie lagging behind him. By the time they reached Neel's front door, he had his arm slung around Benjie's shoulder to keep himself from stumbling.