Truth or Dare: Truth
(AN: There is drinking and swearing in this chapter. This chapter is the reason for the rating. Please be advised. That said, enjoy!)
The next day, a Friday, Near went back to her room to build a puzzle after her last class. It was relaxing enough, she enjoyed sifting through and organizing her mental energy by working logically and manually at the same time. Sometimes, working on a puzzle would increase tension and mental progress, but today she aimed for a relaxing tone. She couldn't dwell on L's treachery against her. She was the best in the investigation class! She knew it! So did L! But this calm, Friday afternoon was not a time for that. Not when a break was coming up, and homework was light. Tomorrow she would drown her anger in work, but tonight was a time to calm down, to block out the fire in her mind. Alone.
And she was alone, for a little bit. Until Matt came by her room. That was a weird choice for him – Near had only ever spoken to Matt a few times, and had been curt enough to hopefully get the message across that she hadn't wanted to make a habit of talking to him. But he came by, speaking in the clipped tones of someone who is focusing on something else (the gameboy, or whatever the hell it was, in his hands).
"Near. Have a message from Mello. No hard feelings about yesterday, and stop by our room at 8 tonight. He has a sort of party planned, all three of us. He's getting ready for it now, that's why he's not here himself. See you then, I guess." Near nodded, with a slightly incredulous look. Matt left, staring intently at the gaming device in his hands instead of looking where he was going. Near smirked at the thought that he might end up knocking his brains out walking into a wall.
So, Mello has a plan for once. That's interesting. Usually it was the girls who planned social gatherings – Near had been to a few of them. They were not tremendously fun, but not painful either. Near had always been friendlier with the older group than her own group, and thus had a harsher, relatively curse-laden way of speaking that alienated many of the girls in the younger group. Near was interested to see what Mello would come up with – he could be a loose cannon sometimes, and considering that he was probably still angry with her about yesterday's situation with L… Well. The "no hard feelings" was probably a lie. There was, in fact, around a 90 chance that it was. Mello could hold a mean grudge. But, with the non-aggressive Matt around, Mello would not try to physically harm Near – he would only pull things that would not necessarily get him caught, and even Matt would try and stop Mello from doing something like that, and might call in the teachers, or Roger.
Near reached a stopping point in the puzzle at two minutes to 8:00 PM, which was perfect. She quickly ducked out of her room and walked down the hall to Mello's room, where Matt and Mello were excitedly talking.
"So you really got it, then?"
"Did you doubt me? Of course I did. Wasn't too hard."
Mello was flaunting a bottle of vodka, and three shot glasses were on the ground in front of him. Near walked in with a quizzical look.
"Remember how we used to play Truth or Dare when we were younger, but got bored of it because it's a mindnumbingly boring game? Well, I've come up with a way to raise the stakes. You can't answer the question, or do the dare, you take a shot. You in, Near?" Mello's look was as expressive as a sixteenth-century slap of a glove across the face – he was challenging Near, with the very spirit of competition.
Without a word, she sat down and put one of the glasses in front of her. It was not going to be harmful to drink if she was careful and logical, as always. She was determined to take at least one shot before the night was out, curious as ever to find out why Mello was so inspired, and what vodka tasted like. This was an interesting strategy on Mello's part, if he wanted to get back at her. This could be fun (Near grinned inwardly at the idea of a drunk Mello). This was hardly revenge – yet.
"How'd you pull this one?" She started in, twirling a lock of hair.
"Can't reveal my sources. You weren't going to tell me about your conversation with L, were you? So I won't tell you who's treating me like an adult."
"Fine," she said neutrally, and narrowed her eyes.
"Here are the rules: We go counterclockwise, taking turns. We each pick the question, or dare, and make the other two answer, or do it. Sound agreeable?"
Near and Matt both nodded, eager to show the firecracker in their bizarre "social group" that they were as up for a good fight as he was.
Over the next few hours, they toyed around, and most of the questions and dares were as silly as the questions from back when they were younger and playing with a larger social circle. Everything seemed edgier, though, since the alcohol was there. However, these were intelligent kids, so they weren't drinking too much – by two and a half hours in, Matt and Near had only taken one shot each. Mello had taken two, but was eating chocolate nearly constantly, so wasn't actually as tipsy as his friends (which could also have had to do with his more advanced age, and experience with alcohol).
With a barely perceptible slur, which was probably just excitement, Mello unraveled his Truth question to end all Truth questions. He had the giddy air of a circus entertainer unveiling his most exotic act.
"What is your real name? Double or nothing – one shot for either first or last name not revealed." He shot a glance at Near, but Matt was the first to respond.
"Mail. I'll take one shot, no way I'm telling you my last name!" The gamer downed the shot.
"For now, that's fine. Near?" Mello locked in his gaze, which became an imperious stare. "I want to know your name."
Near filled the shot glass, and downed it.
"No last name," she rasped, trying to ignore the awful taste.
She considered telling Mello her first name – what could he do with her first name? Surely he couldn't identify her with that. But with the Kira case going on, was it wise to have her name floating about? And why was it taking her so long to think?
"N…"
"Well, I'm waiting."
Near looked back at her glass, and Mello's temper, fueled by the vodka, flared wild – "No! Don't even think about flaking on this question! I want to know, you selfish bitch! If you would slink away, I want to keep you here! I want to make sure that I have something on you! Now say your name!"
Near was getting a little nervous, and considered the "double or nothing" rule that Mello had proposed for this question. She was already having trouble thinking, so another shot might not be possible. She refilled the glass, and Mello knocked the bottle out of her hand, but too late. She set the glass down on the floor, unsure of what to do.
"N…Na-…" Near stammered, and Mello's eyes widened in triumph.
"No!" She cried out, louder than she would have sober. She downed the shot and then stood shakily and walked to the door.
"Good night. Matt, you've been pleasant as always," she said with a heavy dose of irony. "You, Mello, can go to hell."
Well, that was liberating. I don't normally explode at people like that. Maybe being drunk isn't so bad…
Near dismissed that thought almost immediately, as a wave of nausea hit her, nearly doubling her over. She sat down, leaning against the wall outside Mello's room, trying to steady herself for rise to a standing position, and the subsequent walk back to her room. In the meantime, she overheard a very angry Mello, and a definitely sloshed but calmer Matt.
"Man, calm down, calm down! She's just slightly loopy because of the drinking, man, you know we haven't ever drunk before!"
"Fuck her! Fuck everything! She doesn't care about anyone! Just a logical, cold, heartless bitch. I always knew it. People, emotions, everything, just part of her fucking puzzle." Mello turned to face away from Matt, trying to hide the angry, drunken tears coursing down his face.
"Come on man, let's get back to the game. We don't need her. Besides, I'm curious to know your name now."
Near perked up outside the room, almost happy despite her physical instability and the verbal insults being thrown at her in her absence. She would have something on him, instead of him having something on her, if he conceded to Matt's challenge.
"Matt, you know what, I'm not afraid of you knowing my name. I know some of yours – you can know all of mine. Mihael Keehl. You know that this stays between us, of course."
"Yea, of course. You know it!"
After getting to her feet, Near made it back to her room, trying to stave off the effects of the three shots and thinking angrily all the while. No way I'd ever tell that jackass my name! What is he playing at! Why would he do this to me? We're friends, I thought! Is he really that upset at the idea that I would go work with L without him? God, it's not like it even happened!
She arrived back at her room and stumbled to her bed, removing her contacts shakily, trying not to poke herself in the eye with unsteady hands. She was almost too scared to sleep; she knew to wait until the drinks wore off, so there was no chance of her vomiting in her sleep and dying – that would be some way to show L she was smart enough to work for him... It took until 5:00 AM for Near to finally relax into some sort of sleep, all the while thinking of why on earth that stupid wretch was so upset at her. For wanting to leave? Didn't he want to leave? And it's not like they were so touchy feely as to have to do everything together. Please. Most facets of this place were dog eat dog. The investigative class was more so than most. The older group, rumor had it, had completely failed to produce someone in whom L would place his trust. They were all going off to college within the next few years, and of everyone skilled enough to jump directly into the workplace, not a single one had been picked up by L and Watari. Mello had to know that there was a competition between them for this impossible honor, right? Mello and Near would have to oppose each other at some point. But surely being opponents did not necessitate being enemies?
