"Okay, its something you drink out of," Dylan said quickly, looking at his teammates expectantly.
"Cup!" Jim shouted in his deep voice.
"Glass?" said Joe.
"The toilet!" said Brian, trying to throw everyone off-track.
The Starkid boys were playing a late night game of Catch Phrase. It was Brant Cox, Brian Holden, Joey Richter, Joe Moses, and Nick Lang versus Dylan Saunders, Matt Lang, Joe Walker, Corey Lubowich, and Jim Povolo. Fast-paced and heated, Catch Phrase was one of their favorite games. They were sprawled around the den of Starkid Manor, munching on Red Vines and chips.
"It usually holds some sort of alcohol," added Dylan, trying to get his team to guess. The room fell silent as the boys tried to think. Dylan searched his brain for another clue.
"Mad-Eye Moody drinks from one!" Dylan said desperately.
"HIP FLASK!" everyone exploded at once.
"Yes!" squealed Dylan, smacking the button and handing it off to Nick.
After glancing at the machine, Nick said, "Um, its written on traffic signs."
"Speed limit!" guessed Joey.
"Graffiti?" said Brant.
Nick shook his head. "Its what you do when you come to a light that's red."
"GO!" screamed Brian.
Everyone turned to stare at him, then the room exploded in laughter. Brian realized what he had said and tried explaining that he thought Nick was going to say "green", but the boys were too busy cracking up. Every time it would start to die down, they would see Brian's protesting face and dissolve into laughter again. Finally, everyone stopped, red-faced and gasping for breath.
The timer must have gone off during all the noise so Jim turned it over and the game continued uneventfully until it was Joey's turn. The clock was ticking and the pressure was on. Perfect, thought Brian. If I can pull off a last minute win, I might manage to regain my dignity.
"Okay, she's an actress," Joey started.
"Angelina Jolie."
"Shirley Temple."
"Beyonce," said Nick.
"She's a singer, not an actress!" protested Matt. Nick just shrugged.
"She's always thought of as very beautiful," added Joey.
"MEREDITH," screamed Brian suddenly. For the second time that night, everyone's heads swiveled towards him. Brian's cheeks flushed. The boys were surprised. Where had that come from? "Uhhhhhh…Meredith um Smith, you know her right? She was in, uh, that one movie?" Brian mumbled pitifully.
The time ran out and the buzzer rang through the stunned silence. Wordlessly, Joey slammed the button and passed it to Joe Walker. Shaking his head, Joe said, "Alright, um, when you're really embarassed, you…?"
"Hide," said Jim, bringing the game back to high-speed.
"Blush!" said Corey.
Brian blushed as Corey side-glanced at him. Meredith? Where had that come from? It was like that word had just appeared on his tongue. What did Lauren call it? Word vomit? Yes. Brian had just word vomited. He couldn't help think of Meredith, who word-vomited more than anyone else he knew. But that wasn't bad, was it? Brian shook his head and tried to focus on the game again. It was his team's turn again, and Brant had the disk.
Brant glanced down at the word and grinned. "What Brian's gonna get when he runs a red light."
"ARRESTED," stated Jim. The room erupted in laughter yet again, but this time Brian joined in. Whether it was the huge amounts of sugar they had consumed that night or the fact that they were together, the friends laughed for a good 10 minutes.
Finally, tears welling in his eyes, Brian stood up and said, "I gotta pee!" A few more laughs burst from his lips as his scurried to the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, the room went silent.
"Sooo…Meredith?" said Joey, voicing all of their thoughts.
"I knew it. I knew it! Mere and Brian, sittin' in a tree…" Joe Moses started.
"Shut up!" Joe Walker scolded, his eyes flicking to the bathroom. "But seriously, Brian and Meredith."
"Cutest couple ever," Nick said firmly.
"Do you think they really like each other?" asked Corey.
Dylan nodded. "I think they're just too scared to admit it."
The boys sat in silence for a few moments while the toilet flushed, then Joey asked, "So how do we get them together?"