The Band Dude

Chapter 3

Most of the night flew by after that, until we came to the idea of playing truth or dare. Childish, yes, but it was entertaining and we were incredibly bored. Well, it was actually Aurelia who came up with the idea.

"What shall be do now?" Jolie complained, hanging off Savannah's bed," This is soooo boring."

"I know," Aurelia suggested, her eyes gleaming cunningly in the dim light coming from Savannah's light," Lets play truth or dare."

"Why?" I moaned," That's so old. I haven't played that since year seven."

"We'', it's time to play again," She looked really evil now," And who knows what truths will come out?"

Eventually, we all agreed to play, and we sat on the floor in a neat circle.

"I'll go first," Aurelia decided," As it was my idea. Eden, truth or dare?"

"Um, truth?" Eden sounded as though she was questioning her choice, even as she said it. There was something dangerous about Aurelia right now, bordering even to manic. She was acting weird.

"Who was your first kiss?" She asked, innocent enough. But if there was one thing I knew about Aurelia, was that if she started minor, she would build up to major. It was just part of her personality.

"Uh, this boy I met on holiday one year," Eden stammered," I can't remember his name. It was a few years ago."

"Was he fit?" Savannah leaned forward, her face cradled in her hands, a slightly dreamy expression on her face as she fantasised about some silly holiday romance.

"I guess," Eden was looking a bit scared now. She obviously hadn't expected us to be asking anything else," Anyway, I've answered the truth. It's my turn now."

"Whatever," Jolie rolled her eyes," Just get on with it."

"Savannah," Eden chose," Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Savannah said quickly, probably assuming that the dare would be something rude.

"Have you ever smoked?" She asked. I wouldn't be too shocked if Savannah had. Innocent as she was, there were some things that seemed unavoidable in the life of a teenager.

"Once," Savannah blushed rosy pink," I felt like a right idiot. Everyone else was totally professional, blowing smoke rings and everything, and I was hacking my lungs up."

"Who were you with?" I asked, my interest kind of attracted.

"Just some of my brothers mate," She said quickly," It was a mistake, I guess. I was just caught up in the moment. Older boys, wanting to spend time with me. And one of them was dead fit, as well. I'm not that stupid now, obviously."

"Hmm," Jolie echoed," Obviously."

"Hey!" Savannah yelped," Anyway, it's my turn. Jolie, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Jolie answered immediately, popping a huge bubble with her gum.

"Um," Savannah hesitated. She'd never been any good at making up dares, and when she did, they were mostly dead naff. I didn't know why she chose Jolie, who had never backed away from a dare in her life.

"I don't know!" Savannah cried helplessly, throwing her arms up," Guys, help me!"

She could remove a piece of clothing?" I suggested, not really concentrating. Aurelia snorted.

"As if," She rolled her eyes," That's way too easy. You need to choose something more challenging, Savannah."

"Like what?" Sav raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I dunno. Something that she hates. Jolie, what do you hate?" Aurelia asked, a wild grin painting her lips manically.

"Like I'm going to tell you," The pink haired girl rolled her eyes once again, snapping her gum with a loud crack that jolted me back to the real world;

"She despises being cold," I recalled," Remember that time we made snowmen when were about ten, and Jolie refused to join in because she didn't want to get covered in snow?"

"God, Brooke, how do you even remember that properly," Jolie drawled," It was like, five years ago."

"Well done, Einstein," Aurelia teased," There you go then, Savannah. Something cold."

Savannah continued to look deep in thought for another moment, then her eyes brightened and she beamed at us in pride," Wait there! I'll be back in a minute!"

She pulled her fluffy pink bunny slippers onto her feet, and sprinted out of the door, a huge squeak erupting from her slippers with every step because of the squeakers that had been placed inside them.

"She's probably getting ice," Eden smirked, revelling in the opportunity to make Jolie squirm. Normally, she was a pretty chilled character, reasonably timid and unsure of herself, but she must've finally gotten sick of Jolie's constant jibes, because she snapped up the chance to get back at her.

"Yeah," Aurelia joined in the taunting," Imagine that, Jolie. Freezing cold, melting every moment and chilling water trickling down your neck, spreading numbness. Are you excited?"

"Shut up," The punk girl growled, grabbing one of Savannah's fluffy cushions and smacking Aurelia viciously with it. The victim released an astounded shriek, then grabbed a matching pillow and thumped her back with it, a forest fire blazing, untamed in her eyes.

It was supposed to be a joke, a play fight on a sleepover. But as they both engaged in a mini war, exchanging blows with various pillows and shrieking when the hits lost their breath, I saw something that scared me in Aurelia. She didn't really look, well, sane; she was baring her teeth like an animal, growling dangerously, with her eyes alive with a carnival of flames, alerting me to the hell that was exploding from within. I blinked furiously, over and over again, until they eventually stopped, and Aurelia seemed to have returned to normal. I must've imagined it. My best friend wasn't a monster. She was just annoyed that Jolie had hit her. Anyone would be. I would've returned it, so what was I so bothered about?

Savannah returned, as predicted, with a large bucket of crushed ice, droplets of molten water streaming down the sides.

"Tuck your shirt in, Jolie," She instructed.

"Why?" Jolie mumbled, but shockingly obeyed without argument. She tucked her shirt neatly in, and Savannah stood over her with the bucket of ice.

"I'm going to pour this down your neck, okay?" She grinned," And you're going to keep the ice there for the rest of the game."

"The rest of the game?" Jolie yelped," How long are we playing for?"

Aurelia shrugged," ntil we get bored. And in this case, I don't think we're going to get bored for a very long time."

Her voice was laced with malice as she said the last part, but I dismissed it as excitement for revenge on the pillow fight.

Jolie grimaced as Savannah relentlessly emptied the tub of ice into her shirt. I pitied her slightly, as her shirt was now bulging with heaps of frozen water. She kept squirming as the ice chinked about in the folds of fabric.

"Brooke," Jolie decided, attempting to ignore the discomfort she was experiancing," truth or dare."

"Um," I briefly considered my choices. Jolie was good at making up dares, amd her truths didn't tend to be as scary," truth."

"What is your honest opinion on our very own Shadow, otherwise known as Oliver Oakley?"

Her question made me falter. I knew that they expected me to brush it off, to say that he was a pain, a nuisance, invisble except for when we chose to torment him. But my stomach chirned with explosive butterflies as I thought of him.

And for once, I didn't know.