TRUTH OR KISS
Maureen looked at herself in the mirror and twirled around, examining her outfit. She wore light colored, skinny-leg jeans that were tucked into her knee-high black boots. She also wore a long blank sleeveless tank top and her hair was up in a high ponytail accented with a sparkly pin. She couldn't wait to go out with Mimi and Roger and... Joanne. They were going on a sort of double date, sort of just all going out to dinner because they were friends. It hadn't been a double date originally. Mark and Collins only weren't going because Mark was going to be spending the night working on his new documentary, and he had mentioned that he could use some help with it. Collins was "the nice one" of the group, so he was staying behind.
She glanced at her silver watch. 7: 32. Oh crap, she thought, I'm gonna be late! They were supposed to meet at the Life Café at 7:40! She hurried out the door. Thank God Joanne isn't home, she thought as she grabbed her coat off the hook by the door and rushed into the hall. If she weren't coming straight from work and we were going to be this late, I don't even want to think about how mad she'd be. She ran to the elevator, pounding the down button repeatedly until it finally arrived. She jabbed the button for the lobby with her long nails the moment she was inside the small space and tapped her foot the whole way down.
When the doors finally opened, she sprinted through the shabby lobby, attracting many stares as she hurried past everyone in the large room, breathing heavily already, not only with exertion, but also with stress. Pushing the door open, she ran as fast as she possibly could down the New York street, getting even more odd looks as she panted along in her sleeveless shirt and bouncing jewelry. Even at this speed, it would take her ten minutes to get to the cafe. She couldn't stay at this pace, and it was fifteen minutes later that she was finally pulling the door of the Life Cafe open.
"Hey, guys, I'm here!" she gasped bursting as she made a grand entrance, bursting into the Life Cafe, out of breath. All of her friends were gathered around a small table, Joanne with her head tipped back staring at the ceiling and Mimi and Roger staring at each other blankly. Not romantically, really, just blankly.
"Hey Maureen," Mimi said, big eyes still glued to Roger's face. "Maureen, you're late." Joanne tapped her watch impatiently.
"Yeah, like, five minutes late," Maureen snorted.
"Well, I'm not going to argue. Just, thank God you are here. These two have been in a never ending staring contest since we got here." The lawyer motioned towards Mimi and Roger. Mimi tore away from his glare and smiled at Maureen.
"Hi," she muttered, embarrassed. "What's up, Maureen?" "Oh, nothing. Just being bored at home. You know. The usual," Maureen answered, putting her purse on the table and sitting down next to Joanne "So, what's up with you two?"
"Oh- nothing," said Roger quickly. Maybe a little too quickly.
Mimi quickly cut in. "So, the waiter already came by and asked for our drink orders, but we told him to come back in five, 'cause you weren't here yet."
"Wow that was quick," Mimi muttered. "Hey, Roger, I'm going to go to the bathroom." she got up daintily from her seat."I'll come with you," Roger said, leaping up from his seat.
"No, stay here and order my food," Mimi directed."What do you want?" Roger asked helplessly."Surprise me" Mimi said flatly with a sigh, shaking her head and leaving the group.
Roger shook his head. "Why is she being so difficult?" he asked himself aloud.
"I donnou. Maybe she thinks you should know her better," suggested Maureen.
"But she's got to be realistic! We've only ever been able to afford this place once! How should I know what she usually orders here?" cried Roger throwing his hands in the air.
"Are you sure this isn't part of a slightly bigger problem than not knowing what to order her?" asked Joanne suspiciously.
"I'm not even sure," said Roger exasperatedly, putting his head in his hands.
"Well, Roger, don't let your relationship problems stress you out!" Maureen offered with smile.
"I don't have relationship problems!" Roger protested.
"Keep telling yourself that," Maureen shook her head. The waiter quickly bustled over to their table and asked for orders. "I have a good idea" Maureen whispered. "How about we all just order the same thing? Then if you get her the wrong thing it is just 'cause we all decided to get the same thing."
"O-kay ..." said Roger slowly. "Then I guess we'll all have the ... meatball subs." The waiter nodded and wrote down the order. Roger shook his head at Maureen. "You're extremely bizarre, you know that?" he said, half weirded out and half admiring.
"I know," said Maureen airily, and promptly began staring at some point on the ceiling, her eyes glassy. Roger let out an involuntary snort.
"All right then." Mimi came around the corner and slid back into the booth next to Roger. Roger quickly looked away from her and stared at the ceiling with Joanne and Maureen, clearly not seeing whatever it was that they were seeing.
"What are you guys looking at?" Mimi asked curiously, craning her neck and looking at the cracked plaster. "This is kinda boring. One of the worst dates I've ever had," she glared at Roger.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"Why don't we play a game or something? Like... a truth or dare game?"
"Maureen." Joanne stared at her incredulously. "You don't play truth or dare on a date." She turned to Mimi and Roger, giving them an apologetic smile. "Sometimes I think I've taught her nothing ..."
"That's because you haven't. I was serious. Let's play truth or dare," insisted Maureen.
"I ... guess ... we could," said Mimi, confusedly. "But ... why? I haven't played truth or dare since I was, like, fifteen."
Maureen gave the table at large a devilish grin. "Then you'll absolutely love my version, Mimi," she said ominously. "This is like, extreme truth or dare," Maureen continued, raising her eyebrows, her eyes flickering between Roger and Mimi, both looking away from each other. She had to hatch the perfect plan to get them talking, or looking at each other again, or whatever. "Um ..." said Maureen, stalling for time. She had to come up with a really good dare to start with if this was going to work. "Here's how it works. You can dare whoever you want to do absolutely ANYTHING. Anything that is notone hundred percent guaranteed to get them killed. All right?" Everyone's eyes widened, the minds behind them wondering what they had gotten themselves into, but they just nodded. "So," said Maureen slowly. "Who wants to go first?" No one said anything. "All right, then. If that's how you want it, that's how it's gonna be. Roger's first."
"Um, can I do a truth instead?" Roger asked. "I can't think of a good dare."
"Sure, I guess, but that is SO not as fun," Maureen pouted.
"Alright, then, I have to ask a truth of..." he looked frantically around the table and finally his eyes settled on Mimi, whose eyes widened in fear. Roger grinned, wondering what he could do with this opportunity. "Mimi,"
"Wait," said Mimi. "What are the rules for the truths?"
"Gimme a minute," sulked Maureen, "truths are so incredibly boring that we've never even done one in extreme dare before." Everyone waited awkwardly as Maureen fixed her eyes on the ceiling once again and stared off into face, a teasing smile on her face. It must have been a full two minutes before she finally focused back on the real world and snapped her fingers. "I've got it," she said, an impish grin on her face. "Well, my rules are that you can ask a question as personal as you like, as long as you don't drive them to tears. And they HAVE to tell the truth, or... or else they have to kiss you." Maureen said maliciously, knowing that if either way, this should help get Roger and Mimi closer than ever. "Now, Roger, ask Mimi a question." she ordered. Mimi let out a whimper and Roger narrowed his eyes, scratching his chin and looking around the room, as if searching for a good question. But before he could, Mimi began squinching up her eyes.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, with laughter in his voice.
"Trying to cry, now shut up," muttered Mimi.
"Cheater!" protested Roger.
Maureen looked torn. "I'm not sure if that's cheating ... tears are tears ..."
Suddenly Mimi opened her eyes. "Waiter!" she called. The waiter, remembering the incident earlier, hurried to come back. "Do you have any pepper spray on you?"
"Um ... no," said the waiter, glancing at Roger. "Is he bothering you?"
Mimi sighed. "No, no. It was for me. Never mind, then."
Roger cleared his throat and rested his eyes back on Mimi, staring her straight in the eyes like a bull ready to charge. Mimi looked away, trying not to laugh at his intense death-stare. "Mimi, this is a very serious question," Roger began. "That I've wanted to ask you for the past... fifteen minutes. Did you REALLY have to go to the bathroom?" The girls burst out laughing and Roger folded his arms across his chest. "I'm serious here," he said, though it was obvious he was having trouble keeping a straight face. Mimi, who was laughing harder than Maureen or Joanne, took a long time to calm down.
"Um, no," she said when she could finally speak, and the table burst into a roar of laughter again.
"All right," Maureen choked out. "Now it's your turn to ask someone a question or dare them to do something completely outrageous." It was obvious which one she would have picked.
"All right," said Mimi deviously, "I think I'll ask a truth from Roger." Roger looked like he wanted to jump up out of his seat and run off like a kitten who had just been barked at by a Great Dane.
"W-What?!" he stuttered, looking at the table.
"So, Roger," Mimi smirked "Did you hate me when we first met?" Roger leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, pondering how he should answer.
"No," he said flatly after a moment of silence, a smile teasing and the corner of his lips. Then suddenly Roger leaned forward and kissed Mimi softly. She didn't pull away until a few moments later.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" She gasped, turning away and fighting the urge to slap her boyfriend across the face... if that made any sense at all.
"Well," said Roger with a smirk, "I lied."
"Why?" asked Mimi.
"Why what?" asked Roger. "Why did I lie or why did you hate me?"
"Both," answered Mimi, looking frazzled.
"Well, I hated you because you used, and I lied so that I could kiss you," answered Roger matter-of-factly.
"Okay," said Mimi slowly. "Well ... thanks for lying, I guess?"
Maureen and Joanne snickered and grinned at each other. "It worked!" muttered Maureen.
"What was that?" said Roger unbelievingly.
"Uh-nothing," said Maureen quickly.
"No, I heard you," said Roger. "And ... I don't care." He shrugged. "Well, I have a question for you," he grinned. "Have you ever kissed a guy?"
"Uh, no." Mimi said quickly. "Wait-- but you just--" Roger began, confused. Then, Mimi kissed Roger back. Maureen and Joanne continued grinning.
"I," said Maureen "am a genius."
"And so am I," replied Mimi.
"Yes. You're both geniuses," replied Roger, looking dazed.
"So ... can I-" began Joanne, but Mimi interrupted by saying,
"Okay, now, I pick Roger. And my question is ... um ..." She looked helplessly at Maureen and Joanne. "I can't think of a question. Help me come up with a really good dare. Please?"
"Dare Roger to run around the outside of the cafe screaming and only wearing a-" Maureen began, but Mimi cut her off.
"Okay, Roger, I dare you to kiss me." Mimi chirped, leaning forward for a kiss, which Roger gratefully supplied.
"Okay, guys, if you are done can Maureen and I-" Joanne started, only to be cut off by Roger saying, "Okay, Mimi ... um ... I dare you to ..." He paused for dramatic effect, then grinned. "Follow me," he said.
"Okay," agreed Mimi, getting up and taking his hand as he led her towards the door of the café. Maureen and Joanne turned around, and their eyes followed Mimi and Roger out of the café.
"Should we go after them?" asked Maureen, puzzled.
"No," said Joanne emphatically. "I ... I just don't want to know."
A/N: Thanks for reading! LIke it? Well, there's lots more where this came from! E and L, the two authors of this chapter, wrote a whole story together with their friend S. It's called Broken Chorus! Read it now! C'mon, you know you want to! PS: PLEASE REVIEW! WE LOOOOVE REVIEWS!