Amy loved the party atmosphere. The slightly illegal drinking going on downstairs, the floor beneath them thudding to the bass heavy music; this was the energy she thrived on. Rory, on the other hand, found the cacophony of such loud house parties unbearable. But he'd willingly bear anything for Amy's sake.
Rory found himself sitting on the floor of the upstairs bedroom with his best friends Amy and Mels. Along with fellow classmates, Jeff and Laura. Jeff was you classic attractive jock and Laura was the loudest out and proud lesbian in school. Rory loved his friends. He loved Mels in the sort of way a protective brother might watch over his troubled sister. And boy did she have her troubles. She'd seen the back of a cop car far too many times for the average 16 year old. But Rory loved Amy in the sort of way too impossible to put into words. It made his stomach hurt, or maybe it was the beer he'd just been dared to chug in 10 seconds.
It was Mel's turn. "This one's for Jeff, truth or dare." Mel smiled mischievously as Jeff picked dare. "I want you to say the alphabet backwards while doing jumping jacks. Shirtless."
The girls whistled and Rory shook his head as Jeff complied complete with slow striptease. Jeff had nothing to be embarrassed about. He was the athletic type and he knew he looked good. But he wasn't the brightest tool in the shed. His attempt at saying the alphabet backwards had everyone chuckling for a solid 3 minutes. Jeff sat down and put his shirt back on when he finished. "Now it's Amy's turn." He spoke half out of breath.
"Ok, Truth or Dare, Rory?" Amy asked.
Having been dared by Laura to chug that beer earlier and certainly not being up for anything involving jumping jacks or stripping, he decided truth would be a safer choice.
Amy smiled mischievously. "Have you really never been kissed?"
Rory's face turned red. "No..."
"Are you the only virgin in this room?" Jeff chuckled.
"Shut up, Jeff. It's not your turn to ask questions." Rory shot back.
"Right. It's Rory's turn now." Amy chuckled. "Go ahead, Rory."
Rory looked at Amy and his stomach knotted. "Truth or Dare?" He asked. Amy chose dare. Perhaps it was Jeff's little taunt that pushed him or the buzz from the beer setting in. But Rory felt an overwhelming sense of courage come over him. "Kiss me." He said it clearly and with confidence. He'd never sounded so demanding.
Amy was almost taken aback but she seemed pleasantly surprised. She leaned in and planted a strong kiss on Rory's lips. Surprisingly, he kissed back. Amy rested her arms over Rory's shoulders and kissed him deeper still. When Amy finally pulled away Rory was left with his mouth agape, half smiling.
"Well, looks like everyone had their partner for 7 minutes in heaven except me. The lonely fifth wheel." Laura rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't worry, darling. There's plenty of Mels to go around." Mels winked.
Jeff chuckled excitedly. "Nice."
"Wanna get out of here?" Amy smiled at Rory.
Rory's heart was pumping so fast he could hear it in beating in his ears. He could only whisper out a yes.