Five Minutes

This Is How We Do It

He had gotten into so many arguments on Twitter that he was losing count. He couldn't even keep track of the usernames. Ralston was normally a patient and understanding person, but he'd been blinded by rage.

How could someone so vile keep getting work? Ralston doubted that no one knew what Daniel was capable of.

He kept looking up events that Daniel was attending, which was plenty, but there was no way Ralston could bypass security with no invitation. That was the downside of a man so well protected. Ralston had to think of any instances possible where he'd see Daniel in person and concluded it would be at the Extraneous premier. The film wasn't due for release until another year.

He wanted to ruin this idiot's life, but he couldn't disclose information. No one knew about Veronica's rape. He couldn't say a thing to anyone until she came forward.

Evidently, he was at a loss.

He should have let it go. He kept telling himself that. So why couldn't he? Veronica was right. There wasn't any point in arguing with people who believed Daniel. They could believe him no matter what.

He tried to push this to the back of his mind when they readied themselves for their Labour Day trip.

__________

The cottage Alana rented wonderfully overlooked the lake itself. It provided a lot of serenity and quiet. It also had a private deck equipped with a large hot tub. The cottage itself was very rustic and spacious. The sophisticated furniture offered a modernized feel. The five bedrooms and four bathrooms were enough to comfortably accommodate possibly up to twenty people. So it didn't come as a surprise that Veronica and Ralston were still able to attend on fairly short notice.

Alana and her fiancé, Declan, had already begun to drink after unpacking their bags. One of their other friends, Laura, stocked up on board games that she insisted they'd play after they were drunk.

Veronica only had one glass before stopping herself.

"You don't have to not drink any because of me, you know," she told Ralston. They were both seated on the couch and watching everyone else downing their glasses of wine and vodka.

"You really want to be the only sober person here?" Ralston asked her. "It's really not that fun."

"It's okay. You should get piss ass drunk and be stupid," she said. "I won't get annoyed and I won't judge you, I promise. In fact, I'll be pissed if you didn't."

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing.

She got up from her seat and went into the kitchen to get him a glass of straight vodka. When she returned, she lowered herself on the couch and extended her arm out to hand the drink to him.

He retrieved it from her grasp, taking a large swig. Grabbing a coaster from the table, he positioned it directly in front of him before setting the drink down.

Soon, everyone, with the exception Veronica was on a spectrum between tipsy and full blown intoxicated. In retrospect, being the sole sober person was not enjoyable. Veronica felt out of place and that simply brought discomfort. She sat, occasionally smiling at everyone. Most were too drunk too notice how uneasy she was, except Ralston, who, besides herself, was the least plastered guest.

Alana had put on upbeat music on her iPhone that blared through the house, almost ricocheting off the walls. It was a good thing the cottage wasn't situated near any others.

"We should play a board game!" Laura exclaimed excitedly.

Veronica wasn't up for participating in any games right now. She leaned further back in her seat, silent, hoping it would make her obsolete. An onlooker watching without partaking in any of the activities.

"Pshh. Board games are boring as fuck," Alana said. "I have a better idea. We should play shots or dare."

"I'd rather play board games," Laura commented. "I brought tons!"

"Like what?"

"Cards against humanity. Battle of the sexes. Monopoly. The game of life. Sorry. Clue. What's yours like -"

"Okay, I get it, you have a lot of games," Alana said, cutting her off. "All in favour of playing shots or dare?" She raised her hand and so did nearly everyone else. After they lowered their hands, Alana directed her eyes to Laura and shrugged dismissively, as if to say, See? No one wants to play your dumb board games.

Everyone crowded by the couches, occupying every empty seat and some sitting on the floor around the oak table.

"I guess I'll go first," Alana said.

Veronica's muscles stiffened and she leaned even further back in her seat with her arms folded across her chest, like it would magically make her invisible.

"Ralston," Alana called out, "shot or dare?"

"Uh... dare I guess." He didn't at all hide his lack of enthusiasm.

"I dare you to kiss Laura," she said. "No PG stuff either. You have to use your tongues and everything."

"I, uh..." Ralston trailed off, his face turning red. Veronica assumed he wouldn't have had as much of a problem with it if it was a simple peck on the lips. "I want a shot."

"Are you sure about that?" Alana asked.

Ralston didn't even hesitate before replying. "Yeah, I'm sure."

She shot upward and headed to the kitchen. It wasn't even a minute before she reappeared and handed Ralston her concoction. "Here you go."

He took a few sips, then violently gagged. "Geez, what the fuck is in this?" he asked, wiping his mouth with his free hand.

"Not telling," she teased, smiling. "You have to finish all of it or you have to do the dare."

He managed to empty the drink, but not without gagging a few more times. For a second, Veronica was worried he'd actually puke all over the floor.

They went around through the rest of the group, Veronica apprehensive the entire time, anticipating her name being called out. As more turns passed and less participants were available, she wired herself to be prepared. This was stupid. Were they teenagers daring each other to do things that made them uncomfortable?

"Ronnie!" Grace, one of her and Alana's mutual friends, called out. "Shots or dare?"

"Shot?" she said, her voice rising as if she were unsure of her own decision. "No... dare."

"Okay, well-"

"No, I pick shot," she interrupted. "Actually, dare, yeah... I choose dare."

"I dare you to give Ralston a lap dance."

Veronica stared at Ralston, horrified and wide eyes, then looked at Grace again. "No."

"Then you have to do a shot," Grace said, grinning.

"No," Veronica snapped. "I'm not doing either of those. This game is stupid."

"Oh, okay, you don't have to do either. We're just having fun," Declan said.

"Well, it's not fun. I don't want to play this game or any other game, okay?" She thought she made that clear with her body language. Maybe her friends were too stupid to read into those nuances.