Until Dawn

Last year

  On that night, my brother and sisters friends decided we should party for our last night on the mountain before we all headed home in the morning. There was the usual loud music, games, and lots of drinking. The only thing I drank for a duration of the night was soda or water. I went over to the dart board, getting almost every dart at the bullseye.

                    "Woo! Skills!" Jessica cheered.

I sheepishly smiled at her. She came up to me, putting her hand on my shoulder and got close to my ear.

                    "How is your first weekend on the mountain without parents?" she spoke over loud music.

                    "It's all right!" I answered.

Jessica then started handing me an unopened glass bottle. 

                    "You should at least have one drink!" she says.

                    "No, I don't think I should!" I said.

I'm fifth teen and my parents always tell me how they'll kill me if I ever drink. 

                     "Oh, come on! You're going to be one of the big kids tomorrow when you turn sixteen!" Jessica says.

                      "That's still not the legal age, Jessica!" I said. "What's even in the bottle?"

                     "It's a simple beer! Nothing too crazy for your first!" She said.

I look around the room to see if my sisters or brother are watching, their not looking at me. I take the bottle and open it. Emily runs up to us out of nowhere, looking excited.

                      "Our little girl is drinking for the first time?" He says.

                      "Shut up, Emily! They might hear you!" I scold her.

Emily makes a zipper motion on her lips, promising to be quiet. Hesitantly, I bring the beer to my mouth, as soon as it hit my taste buds, I spat it out. 

                        "Oh, come on! Drink it!" Emily said.

                       "No! It's gross!" I said.

Emily digs in her pocket to get her wallet and pulls out a ten.

                        "I dare you to drink it! It's yours if you do!" She says.

I cross my arms, giving Emily a look. I don't think I'll drink this for ten dollars. Then Jessica takes out a ten. I think I can do a twenty.

                         "Will you chug for twenty?" She asks.

                          "Let's find out!" I said.

Jessica and Emily watched as I force myself to drink the beer in one go. Through sheer will I did it, the girls cheered. They handed me the money, Emily wraps an arm around me and points at me.

                          "You're alright, kid!" She says.

                          "Don't tell my family!" I told them.

They agreed and then walk away. I threw away the bottle before any of my older siblings see me with it. When I turned around, my brother Josh stumbled over to me, drunk to high heaven, holding a cake.

                            "Hey, hey, baby sis!" His speech very slurred. "Happy birthday!" 

                            "You're a day early!" I tell him.