Junk and Other Stories

Do You Dare? (Part One)

"All right, lads," John said excitedly. "Brian has officially left the building!"

Paul glanced up from his magazine. "So what?"

"Let's play a game!"

"What kind of game?" George asked from his spot on the couch.

John's eyes shimmered mischievously. "How about Truth or Dare?"

Paul groaned. "How old are you exactly, John? Thirteen?"

John ignored Paul and turned to the other two Beatles. George and Ringo were sitting side by side, staring up at John with anxious expressions. They knew that John got very excited when it came to Truth or Dare, making the other players perform silly, embarrassing, or downright dangerous tasks. (Paul couldn't have cared less about John's dares, but George and Ringo still shuddered at the memory of John's previous games.)

"Come on guys! It'll be fun!" said John, shifting from one foot to the other.

"I don't know, Johnny," George said slowly. "You tend to go a bit... overboard."

"Overboard?" John repeated.

"Yeah. Sometimes your dares are a bit too, well... ridiculous."

John placed his right hand over his heart and held his other hand in the air. "I swear that I won't go overboard with my dares or be too ridiculous, okay?"

"You promise?" asked George.

"I promise. I'll swear on Paul's grave."

"But I'm not dead!" Paul protested.

"You might very well be if John's the dare master," Ringo murmured.

* * * *

The Beatles were soon seated in a ring on the carpet. John glanced around at each of his band mates, rubbing his hands together and grinning in a very unsettling way. This wasn't a sincere, I'm-really-a-nice-guy grin. It was the sort of grin a cat makes before it pounces on a fledgling. 

"Right," said John, "who's going to be my first victim?"

Everyone else in the circle glanced around the room, trying to avoid eye contact.

"George!" John cried.

George jumped. "Who? Me?"

"Do you see any other Georges in this room?"

George shook his head and sighed.

"Truth or dare, Georgie-Boy?" John asked menacingly.

"Dare," George replied, wondering if he'd come to regret that decision.

"I dare you to choose out of everyone here who you'd make out with." John paused. "Then you must make out with that person."

"What?!" George cried, amazed. "I am not doing that!"

"Ah, but you have to," said John. "It's either that or you have to perform a forfeit."

"I'll take the forfeit," George said briskly. "What do I have to do?"

John's evil grin broadened. "You have to remove a piece of clothing and place it in the middle of the circle."

George's face went white. He wasn't wearing a lot of clothing as it was, just jeans and a T-shirt. His feet were completely bare so removing a shoe wasn't an option. He was stuck in a very difficult situation. He had to make a decision: remove an item of clothing or make out with a band mate.