The Fire of Ares

CH19- Never have I ever

Max.

"Alright then, who's going first?" Elio speaks up after a moment of silence while everyone drinks.

"I'll go," I say, might as well get this over with. I hum, thinking about what to say, feeling a slight buzz from chugging my first drink. "Never have I ever been skinny dipping."

Alex is the first one to take a drink, followed by Chris and... Elio? I laugh. "Elio, really?" He just shrugs, smiling like he's reminiscing. I half-expect Ares to drink, too, but he doesn't. "That's surprising," Ares holds back his smirk. "Why?" This time I just shrug.

"Alright, my turn," Chris half-shouts. We all know those drinks are already making his brain have its own party; he's probably going to be the first one to get absolutely wasted. He holds his cup up, nearly spilling the liquid. "Never have I ever been in love."

This time, Ares is the first to drink, then Alex and Elio. Alex has always been in and out of relationships, so we all knew that. But with Elio, he had mentioned having a crush on someone from our school yet he never reveals who it is. We've tried guessing for years, but he never gives in.

"You've been in love before?" Alex asks Ares. Ares nods. "Last year, and to be honest, it was rough, so I don't like talking about it." Ares continues, "I don't want to ruin the mood, so—never have I ever stolen something." He changes the subject.

This time, Chris and I are the ones to drink. I laugh. "Chris, what have you stolen?"

"Gum," he smiles, chugging more of his drink.

Ares's eyebrow shoots up. "And what have you stolen?"

Like Chris, I chug more of my drink before thinking of a smart-ass answer. "Everyone's hearts," I joke.

They laugh, knowing damn well I'm kidding, but Ares doesn't let it go. "Other than that?"

My smile slightly falters, knowing he won't drop it. "Nothing big; I'm not some burglar; it was before I met these fools." I say avoiding his question. I was stealing small stuff from either stores or people at school. It was also around the time my dad left. I don't know how it started, but I guess it was for attention. The attention never came, at least not from the person I really wanted it from; my mom, on the other hand, made us move here because of it.

"I can't picture you stealing at all; you're too vanilla," Ares insinuates, tilting his head as if he's genuinely trying to picture me in that moment.

Chris and Alex burst out laughing at Ares's comment, and Elio is trying to hold back his. "Damn, he burned you," Chris snorts, holding his stomach. I roll my eyes, trying not to be offended. "HA-HA."

"Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender," Alex blurts out. Here it comes, the inevitable.

I feel my face heat up as I look down at my drink. When I look back up, everyone but Alex and I are drinking. Alex looks shocked. "Luckily, I'm not the only one who hasn't—" he starts to say, but I raise my glass and drink. Alex's face falls again. "Why am I the only one who hasn't?! Who are you all?!"

I turn and look at Elio, surprised by him; he never told me he had kissed a guy. He never said anything, even when I told him about Ares kissing me. "Who have you kissed?" Alex asks Chris.

"I party a lot; I drunkenly kissed so many people all the time," he shrugs as if it's nothing. "You, Max, when have you ever kissed someone?" Alex gasps.

I want to shrink into the couch; I want the world to open up and swallow me whole. But it never does when I need it to. I huff, "Can we talk about Elio kissing a guy? Now that's surprising." I say, trying so hard to change the topic, but Elio glares at me.

"Hey! Don't try to push this onto me," he accuses, his face getting just as red as mine.

"If he won't tell, I won't either." I look at Elio, begging him not to say anything so I don't have to. Ares is drinking his drink, holding back what I know is a smirk, probably thinking of our kiss. 

"This isn't over; we all want to know," Chris says, smirking and looking between Ares and me suggestively. "We'll find out eventually."