Short of Guts

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Okay, now that we've settle down, let me get a bottle and something slippery for it to turn on." Cassie said as she ran towards the food area.

Almost everyone had gone home and they'd just finish tidying up. While all the older folks decided to rest or reflect upon the emotional day, the younger ones decided to unwind with a game at Cassie's urging.

The lot of them, Holly, Shaun, Jake, Sam, Cassie and Melanie sat down on the grass patch just outside the cabins exhausted from the day's events not sure if they wanted any part in Cassie's game 'Truth or Dare'. Holly leaned against the railings behind her while Shaun lay down on the grass between Jake and Melanie who was slurping the last of her soda.

"Found it!" Cassie shouted while running towards them holding a beer bottle and a book. She put the hard-covered book on the grass and placed the beer bottle on top.

"Okay, who wants to go first?" Cassie said smiling slyly.

"I do." Shaun smirked stretching from his languid position. He spinned the bottle and it pointed toward Cassie.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Shaun's perked his eyebrows at Cassie and rubbed his hands together anticipating the fun he was going to have.

"Truth or Dare?" Shaun asked.

"Dare." She pronounced earning whoops from the rest of them.

"Ooohh feisty eh? Okay then, I dare you to be my girlfriend for tomorrow."

"What kind of dare is that? I'm not even going to be here tomorrow ", Cassie retaliated.

"Well then you will have to be my girlfriend from the time you wake up till the time you leave."

Cassie giggled at that and twirled her hair around her index finger before saying "Deal."

This earned an eye roll from Holly. Jake frowned at Shaun and turned to look at Holly's reaction but Holly didn't notice.

"My turn." Cassie said excited at the happenings the game initiated. She spunned the bottle and this time it pointed at Sam. Sam looked askance not sure if he wanted to play the game.

"Truth or Dare?"

After a brief hesitation and seeing Holly's jeering face he answered "Dare."

"Good choice. I dare you to...take off your shirt and walk around pretending its normal".

"Too easy." Sam said cockily unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Holly quickly put her hands over Melanie's eyes. He took off his shirt revealing his full six packs that made Cassie stare while the other guys whooped.

"It took him 10 years to grow that." Holly announced in a bored tone.

"Shut up Holls, it's not like it didn't take you 10 years to have boobs." That comment made Cassie and Shaun snort.

"Okay, go towards the crowd". Cassie said in a demanding tone.

Sam walked towards the elders in deep conversations. Mrs Schuster spotted him and choked on her drink. Grandma Schuster who was conversing with her dropped her tart. Sam cheekily flexed his muscle until he heard, " SAM SCHUSTER! PUT ON A SHIRT THIS INSTANCE OR I WILL HAVE YOU THROWN OFF A BRIDGE!" Michael Schuster shouted from the next table.

"Dang." Sam ran back towards the patch of grass where everyone has burst out laughing. Holly was rolling on the grass laughing until tears came out of her eyes along with the rest.

"Great job Sam!" Cassie said smiling mischievously.

Next was Jake and he picked dare as well. "Anyone got any ideas?" , Cassie asked all of them.

"I dare him to kiss Holly for a full 5 minutes," said Shaun quickly. They didn't know whose face was more comical. Holly, whose round eyes was all that anyone could see behind the hand that she had clasped around her mouth or Jake who looked desperate to get out of there.

"Whoa, lets not go over board here", said Jake who despite wanting to get back at Holly could not tolerate any kind of physical pass against his sister.

"You see my Dad over there, Jake here is going to get more than an earful if he sees what he intends to do",said Sam. Melanie giggled while both Jake and Holly suddenly found their voices to agree whole heartedly with Sam.

"O alright you spoil sports, then it will be a truth!" Cassie declared wriggling her eyebrows in cohorts with Shaun.

"I know! Do you like Holly, Jake?" Melanie asked suddenly jumping into the game.

"O no!" Jake groaned.

"Well, do you? Cause I see a sketch of a girl just like her in your room".

" MELANIE, what were you doing snooping around my room?" Jake was both embarrassed and incensed at her question and the extra information. He couldn't look at Holly or Sam.

Holly was flabbergasted and embarassed at the revelation. Her whole face turned red and she got up and left mumbling something about having to pack. Jake looked at her retreating form not sure if he should go after her and explain but Sam's murderous look stopped him.

"Now, we are having fun!" Cassie clapped her hands in excitement.

"So are you going to answer the question or not?" Shaun deliberately intervened drawing both Jake and Sam back to the game.

"I don't think I want to play any more, come on Melanie we better go pack".

He passed Sam, who got up and growled for his ears alone.

"We need to talk, bud".

Jake nodded resignedly and dragged a confused Melanie behind him.

"So, that leaves the both of us, then" said Shaun to Cassie.

"Yeah, I guess so. A pity it had to end like this".

"Yeah, I know you hoped they'd both reveal what they were hiding?"

"Well, if you want an answer to Melanie's question, I have one for you" Shaun leaned back down on the grass as he began to confess his attraction to Holly. Cassie couldn't have been more intrigued and envious.

"I've been in love with Holly since the first summer she spent here. I have a wall full of pictures we took at camp since she grew out of her pig-tails.

"Eeww, were you stalking her?" Cassie asked with disgust.

"No, it's not like that", Shaun denied it vehemently. You should come see the wall in my room back home.

Cassie didn't comment and allowed him to reminiscent without disrupting him.

" I remembered how she would try to follow on every trip Sam and I decided on when we met at this camp. And wasn't one to give up easily," he recalled with a laugh.

"You mean she doesn't know about it?" Cassie asked.

"She does now", he answered abruptly.

"And...", she queried.

"I guess you've heard it all before. She just wants us to be friends".

"Aw...that's too bad." replied Cassie in her fake apathetic way.

"I don't need your pity or your scorn Cassie!"

"O don't worry I wasn't giving it. I was just thinking this means I will stand a chance".

Cassie followed the statement with a cat-got-the-cream smile which she directed at Shaun who hesitated before returning her smile.

"It will be an interesting tomorrow", he said.

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Heyyy guys! Sorry if its a really short chapter! I'm leaving the good parts for the next one! I promise, the next one will be a long one! Are you all sad that they r leaving soon? I'm too:( well, I've to tell u that, the last chapter will be Chapter 30! It's gonna be great! Thanks for reading! VOTES, COMMENTS and FOLLOWS will be greatly appreciated! Thanks:)