It Doesn't Even Matter

Let's stop dancing

"Uno!"

"That's not fair you have to be cheating!" I say giving my best dirty look to Brit from my spot next to her on Oliver's living room carpet.

"Uuugghhhhh." Leah growns across from me throwing her cards down. "She's not cheating, it's just stupid luck. How the hell would she even cheat at uno anyway? Let's do something else, truth or dare?"

"I don't like the sound of that, last time you had me jumping off the roof of my house into my pool, my mom killed me." Ty says shaking his head at her.

"You made your choices." I let out the beginning of a laugh quickly stopping to cover it when Ty starts to glare at me. I have enough to make up to him without laughing at him now.

"I say we do play truth or dare that way I can ask Oliver about his pyromaniac phase." Jake rubs his hands together looking at Oliver dead on and I know there's absolutely no way that Oliver ever admits out loud to them anything having to do with him being a pyromaniac.

"It wasn't a phase! Nothing even-"

"It's not a phase Mom! It was never a phase, it's who I am!" I throw out pointing at him and falling over laughing. Everyone else joining in after me. This, this feeling right now, the ability to just be yourself with a group of people, I haven't felt it in so long. My chest and cheeks feel a little bit warmer thinking about it.

"So what you're saying is that he IS a pyromaniac still? Oliver how come you never shared with the group your fire fetish." Ryan stands poking at the fireplace in the room with his foot on his way into the kitchen.

"I'm going to kill you."

"You can try if you'd like but I think my girlfriend might be a little devastated if you did." I feel Brit shift so she's sitting up from where she's sitting against my arm and wondering if I shouldn't have said that.

"Oh my god! You two are officially dating now! Brit! How come I didn't know that? How come you didn't tell me." Leah says looking offended for some reason.

"I don't know, I just sort of assumed you knew and we aren't exactly... close." I watch her shift, pausing on her sentence and the room now feels a lot more awkward. It's suddenly got a lot more quiet and weird in here. I sort of wish I hadn't said anything to begin with and I don't even know why things are like this now. Did they not like each other? I guess I never noticed until Brit said it but they really don't talk that much.

"How would I have known since you never said." She has a bit of a bite to her tone now.

"So congrats guys, how long has it been official," Ryan says from behind us reentering the room.

"Did Sofie know?" Now I really wish I hadn't said anything.

"It's not that big of a deal, is it? I didn't realize I needed to make some big announcement to you about it."

"So she did know then," Leah says moves her eyes in Sofie's direction and I watch her shrink. Think, how can I bring the conversation back to truth or dare.

"OK Leah truth or dare, ask me anything or give me something to do!" She turns to me eyes narrowing and I immediately regret all of my choices up until now.

"You don't really want to play this game with me do you Max."

"I'm fine, come at me." I squeak out watching the guys try to hold together straight faces completely failing to hide their excitement around whatever she's going to say.

"Max, what is something big you regret and wish you could change?" My heart is pounding in my ears even though I know I don't have to answer.

"Shit Leah give him a break seriously that's your opener?" Oliver looks mad on my behalf not like he looks sometimes when he's a little frustrated with her but still sort of making puppy eyes, no now he looks royally pissed.