"Which asshole wants to spin the bottle first?" Nayla smirks.
A spike of anxiety literally jolts through me, and I find myself catching my breath.
"I'll go," Michael answers with a smirk on his face.
"Watch him be a fucking demon," Gina rasps.
"Mike, I swear to god, if it lands on me, you better be nice," Bryan playfully warns.
Dylan devilishly grins. "He can lick the bottom of my shoes which probably stepped on gum, dog shit and vomit earlier so–"
"Fuck you," Bryan flips him off.
"Yeah that's fucking gross, Dylan," Nayla snorts.
He shrugs. "Just throwing out some ideas there."
"Are you dickheads done?" Michael smoothly asks.
I can't believe Amanda is laughing. Does she find them amusing? Or is she laughing in panic? Because I'm scared now.
The prize being some insanely expensive jewels does not sit right with me. I can't imagine how much this pile costs all together. It's insane these rich kids can just easily give these away in a game of Spin the Bottle.
I shake my head; while Michael spins the bottle.
Luckily it doesn't land on me nor Amanda.
It lands on Celeste, whose face falls.
Bryan laughs under breath. And Dylan snickers. Nayla drops her jaw in anticipation.
Celeste glares at Michael who is grinning wickedly. "Celeste. I dare you... to do jumping jacks... naked, and have us record it."
"Michael!" She screams.
"Shit," Nayla nervously laughs.
"Oh he wants revenge," Gina remarks.
Celeste lets out a shaky breath, seemingly panicky. "I'm not going into that fucking closet!"
"Yeah and that's why you're gonna do jumping jacks naked," Michael frostily replies.
"Michael, stop," she shudders. "Give me another dare."
"No." His face stone cold.
"Why can't you go into the closet?" I ask slowly, trying to minimize my nervousness so that my voice doesn't sound shaky.
Celeste scowls at me. "Because I don't like closed spaces, you idiot!"
I widen my eyes in surprise at her tone which felt like a stab. I try not to seem hurt and carefully speak again, "Oh... Okay, then. So... we can change the rule of punishment, right?" I look around the circle cautiously. Something in me snaps when they dare to act like they don't care. I scoff at their silence and coldness. "You're fucking kidding, right?" I unexpectedly raise my voice.
"Nile," Amanda warns.
"You wanna take Celeste's place then?" Bryan asks and I look at him straight in the eye. He seems serious.
My heart beats fast as I try to seem somewhat confident. "You-you can do that?"
"You can't."
My eyes shift to Dylan who'd replied. "Why not?" I quiz.
"That's just part of the game. Not a rule," he casually says.
"Then make the rule!" I snap. "What you just said makes no sense," I say in frustration. Then I look over at Billy, who never looks like he's present, but I know he is a big deal in this friend group. People likely listen to him. "I can take her place," I try to say firmly.
He slowly nods. "Fine."
The rest of the group look surprised.
"You wanna take her place, that's alright," Billy sternly states.
"What?!" Michael straightens. "No one's taking anyone's fucking place! Either Celeste does the dare, or she goes in the closet. She's always been good at taking dares," his tone turns nasty towards the end as he looks back at her.
"No," Billy stubbornly replies, his voice intimidating as it is. "Fuck off."
Michael's shoulders slump.
"What is wrong with you?" I, once again, raise my voice. Because Celeste's eyes are glassy with tears; by body language she's even gotten small, she looks defeated. "Jumping jacks while naked?" I repeat his words in disbelief. "And what were you gonna do with that recording?" I look at Amanda in disappointment as she's still sitting close to Michael. At least she looks appalled, at least.
"I'm the reason why you're even in here!" Michael growls at me.
"You invited me over so I can watch you humiliate someone?" I narrow my eyes with hostility.
Gina sneers at me, "This game has always been extreme, so shut up."
"Enough, girl," Nayla coolly says to me.
"No." I stand up. "Where's the closet?" I throw my hands up.
"Nile!" Amanda widens her eyes.
"You want me to take you there?" Dylan responds to me.
Nayla rolls her eyes. "It's just in here, you don't need to take her anywhere."
Dylan is already standing up, and then he's walking passed me. "Come on."
I follow right behind him as we head to the shelf wall holding together thousands of books. I have to crane my neck up to follow where it ends by the ceiling.
"Do you guys usually dare each other to do stupid shit while being naked and record it?" I can't help but ask once we stop walking.
He presses a little bottom on the study desk. "No," he answers while the lower half of the shelf splits into a small door opening which reveals a literal box that I'm going to be inside of for ten minutes.
"What the hell," I gasp.
He looks back at me with a response to my question, "We do dares like, call our English teacher making sex noise or moaning their name out or some shit. Or we make out with each other. Or, I don't know, drink a whole vodka bottle under a minute. Naked is a first. And Michael's a petty bitch."
"Why? What did Celeste do?" I quiz and I must sound too curious because he frowns at me in what can be annoyance.
His face turns blank, and I can sense his level of patience having already gone. "Get in the closet."
I sigh and follow his command.
I get in, pressing my back against the hung jackets inside. So little space. He looks down his phone and shows me his screen where the timer has already started.
"Have a nice one," he says.
He presses the button on the desk, and I hold my breath as the closet closes.
The soft light in this coffin-like closet stay on. But when I try to crouch down to sit with my knees to my chest, I realize how cramped in I really am.
"Have a nice one," I repeat his words in a mocking tone. "What an asshole." Everyone is. Literally.
I briefly look around the little space I'm in. "What's this design for anyway? Trash." I groan and rest my head against the wall in front of me. I can hear a little bit of chatter, but it's not clear enough.
I sigh and rummage for my phone out of one of the pockets of my dress. It takes an extremely uncomfortable angle to eventually take it and grab it out. I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness I have my cellphone to keep me occupied. Ten minutes will surely feel like thirty.
