Never Winter Again

Chapter Eight - Truth or Dare

20 February 2020

Mark

Score: Truth or Dare - Emily Osment

I push past Lydia and the Baby Lord and walk into the room.

"No," I say. "I told you, I'm not taking part in you kids getting alcohol poisoning. And, Truth or Dare? Are you fucking serious? What are you, twelve?"

"Come on!" Gloria literally stomps her foot. "It's gonna be so much fun!"

"So, you are twelve," I sneer and sit down on an armchair.

"Marco," I hear a voice to my right. I turn in the direction of the voice to see the guy who was glued to Gloria's face mere minutes ago. I recognize one of the barmen, working in the bar downstairs. He is extending a hand to me. I just look at it, but don't take it.

"Mark," I say and the guy's face splits into a massive grin. He taps his hands on his chest and says "Marco", then he extends his arms towards me and says "Mark", and then laughs.

"Yeah, yeah," I wave him off. "Aren't you going to lose your job, or something, selling alcohol to underage girls, not to mention making out with guests of the hotel?"

Gloria looks annoyed.

"He didn't sell me the bottle, asshole!" she says. "He bought it himself. And, for the making out bit, I'm sixteen and it's very much consensual."

I scrunch up my nose.

"I don't want to know. What is wrong with you, people? Last night Alex and Nate can't keep their hands off of each other and Lydia gets blind drunk, and now you? I didn't realize I was here to babysit a bunch of horny teenagers!"

"Don't act all grown-up and shit, bro," Nate walks into the room, hand in hand with Alex.

I wonder whether they heard what I said about them. I hope they did. This whole trip was a mistake! The situation is getting worse by the minute! And I thought my main point of concern would be Patrick! He's actually the least pain in my ass right now.

"Well, stop acting like fucking children, then."

"OK, OK, who wants to play, stays here and plays, who doesn't want to play is free to do whatever the fuck they want." Gloria lifts her hands in the air.

I watch as Patrick moves around the coffee table and sits on the sofa next to Marco. Lydia glances at him and then sits down on the armchair opposite me. So, she's in? After last night? Oh, stupid Lydia!

"There's not enough space to sit," Gloria says. "Let's clear some space and sit on the floor."

I sit back in my armchair and watch as Patrick and Nate push the armchairs back to the walls and scoot the coffee table closer to the sofa. Then Gloria, Nate, Alex, Lydia, Patrick, and fucking Marco sit on the floor in a circle. This is going to be fun.

"I'll go first," Gloria says. "Nate, truth or dare?"

"Dare." He says without hesitation.

"Twenty push-ups," Gloria says. "And take your t-shirt off."

Alex frowns at Gloria, but Nate goes on to take his t-shirt off and does twenty push-ups. Show-off!