Strolson Twins

Chapter XV (Truth of the Dares)

Alex's POV

The next thing I knew was cold. Cold and dark. It swirled around me, soaking me and leaving me blind. I coughed and sputtered, my eyes blinking rapidly in the dark. I then realized that I was blind folded.

Then, I asked myself, who would blindfold me? One answer.

"Asher! Asher, quit it!" I yelled, trying my damnedest to get the blindfold off.

He laughed. "Never!"

I squirmed and twisted my body under the cold spray of water. He made me sit there for several minutes before he finally shut off the water.

When the waterfall of coldness stopped, I looked for the nearest and warmest, dry place. His car.

I looked at him, then at my miraculously dry cast, then the car, then him, then my cast, then the car. Repeat.

"No, not the car. Go inside and dry off first," he said.

I rolled my eyes and pointed at my hot pink leg accessory. Suddenly, it dawned on him that I couldn't get up.

Asher gave a great heave and threw me over his shoulder again. I pounded on his back, yelling random expletive words.

"Dude!" I yelled, "Stop doing that! Put me down!"

He didn't listen.

___________________

"Does he do that often?" asked a voice from behind me.

Asher had set me down on the ground right next to the check out place in the gas station. Using my amazing upper body strength, I had hopped up on the counter of the cash register.

I turned my head sharply to look at a greasy-looking college student, "Who the hell are you?" I yelped.

"Brad Fisher," he said, holding out his hand.

"Alex," I provided no last name.

"So, does he?" Brad was nosey.

"Does what?" I raised an eyebrow (one thing I can do and Asher can't).

"Does your brother carry you a lot?"

I choked on some spit. Coughing and hacking, "No!" I yelled.

"Oh, ok," he said, dropping the subject, "So, why were you covered in dirt?"

Dirt? What was he talking about? Was that why Asher sprayed me? I couldn't remember.

"I don't honestly know," I said, trying to think back but getting blocked for some reason.

(A/N Later it was confirmed that my brain blocked these memories so I wouldn't go into shock)

"You don't know? How could you not know? That's pretty suspicious," Brad was getting on my nerves.

"No, it's not that I don't know, it's that I don't remember," I rubbed the back of my neck, "I might have been drunk or something."

Plausible explanation.

He nodded and changed the subject, "That's a nice car you guys got out there," he pointed at the Camaro.

Yeah, it's Asher's. He never in a million years let me drive. Very over protective of the car, you know?" Alex asked.

'Guy' nodded. "Yeah. Have you ever crashed one?"

"Nah."

"Hmm."

Out of the corner if my eye, I saw Asher standing there. He had a confused look on his face and I decided that it was time for introductions.

"Hey, Asher. This is Brad." I gestured between him and him, "Asher, Brad. Brad, Asher."

"Nice to meet ya, Asher," he greeted, extending his hand for a handshake.

"You too," he replied, shaking his hand with too much force.

Suddenly overcome with burdens, I asked, "Well, what should we do?"

"Truth or dare," Asher opted for.

"Okay," I shrugged, it was better then nothing.

"Well, I haven't got any costumers for a while now, so I might as well," Brad said, lighting a cigarette that he grabbed from one of the shelves behind the counter.

Asher started, "Alex, truth or dare?"

Bad options, "Dare."

"Lick the counter."

Ew. I looked at the gross, dirt smeared counter and sucked in air through my mouth.

"To fuck with it," I said, bent down, and licked the counter.

After that, I bought several bottles of A&W. Counter taste like shit.

Brad seemed happy to sell something, though.

"Well, my turn," I said, throwing (and missing) my empty pop bottle at the trash can and the opposite end of the cash register, "Brad, truth or dare?"

"After that display of nastiness? Truth," he folded his arms.

"Are you a high school drop out?" I asked. (Hey, it was the best that I could think of under pressure.)

Brad turned red and nodded. Asher laughed.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"No," I joined the laughter, "Not really."

Brad's red face slowly faded back to normal, "Asher, truth or dare?" he asked.

"Truth," Asher's voice was hard.

"Ok, let me think."

----------Four Minutes Later----------

"I got it!" Brad exclaimed, "Do you guys know someone named Mable Strolson? Heard on the news a few hours back that her house burned down. She had two of her nephews staying with her and some cats. Only one body was found. Cops saying that the bones were so charred that they had to go by the teeth and dental records."

Burned? Down? Fire?

"Dare!" Asher shouted, "I meant dare!"

Too late, the memories started to pour into my head. I remembered the bits and pieces that I had forgot. The fire burned bright in my mind. The flames, eating away a at mental picture of Mable's mansion.

"Fine, I dare you to answer the question," Brad was being a jackass.

"Yes," I breathed, a single drop of tear fell from my eye and I quickly rubbed it away.

"Asher, where's Dutch? Where's Mable?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly.

Asher stared intently at his hands, "Dead," he whispered.

A foreign, and yet familiar, hate spread through me.