Somewhere In Brooklyn

Chapter 37

December 16, 2017

"You know Twenty Questions, right?"

Dale heard Althea as he flopped down on his bed, limbs dangling over the edge. They've been texting each other nonstop since they got home from their date yesterday, but this was the first time they heard each other's voice over the phone. He called her right after his mom left to work, not wanting to let her hear him talk again.

"Th-that game where we uh, a-ask q-ques... questions to... g-get to know each other more?"

"Yeah, no. I meant this game where I would pretend as someone or something or someplace and you win by guessing what I am under twenty questions."

"What if... I-I-I lose?"

"Then... uh, I guess I'll dare you to do something? Also vice versa. That seems to be a fair punishment, right?"

"S-Sounds fair," he agreed. "B-But what if we t-t-try to co-combine both games? L-Like we think of um, s-something or someone or some-p-place th-that's co-connected to us and uh, after the g-guessing, whether win or l-lose, we sh-share a s-st-story behind it?"

"That kinda seems hard, but also brilliant! Okay, 2 out of 3 rounds? Or 4 so we both got a couple of turns?"

Dale agreed to the latter and offered Althea to start the game first, so he would guess. "Got it! Game," she announced a few seconds later.

"D-Do you... uh have a life?" Dale started.

Althea instantly laughed. "What kind of question is that?"

"Th-The kind of a uh q-question th-that would, uh um... make me r-rule out a p-person or uh an animal," he paused and groaned. "J-Just answer, p-please."

"No, I don't have a life," Althea continued to laugh.

The first round went on for almost ten minutes, but Dale didn't guess the answer which was ballet shoes. Althea used to take ballet lessons when she was little. She easily won the second round by guessing San Francisco where Dale grew up until they had to move in New York city because of his mom's job. Dale got one point when he guessed who's her fictional crush which was Percy Jackson. But Althea won the game when she guessed The Smiths which was one of Dale's favorite bands because they were playing on the car radio during Dale's first drive.

"I-I c-can't believe you easily g-got th-that one."

"Yeah, well, remember the first time we shared an earphone and you made me listen to their song - There Is A Light That Never Goes out," she sang out, "and you told me that that was your favorite song. So, I just kinda assumed that they're also one of your favorite artists." She proceeded to sing the rest of the song, and Dale was sure that hers was his favorite version of that song.

"Well, you g-got me," he admitted. "You win. What um... what's m-my d-dare?"

She giggled nervously. "Well, there's this party the next day and I want you to come. With me. If you want to, of course. Wait, no — you have to, because it's a dare, of course. I dare you to come. With me, at the party."

"You d-don't need t-to d-dare me. I'll uh, c-come."