Chapter 20: Truth or Dare... Namine goes crazy!
I smiled a little. "Are you kidding me?"
"No. Truth... or dare?"
"Kazi. I do–"
"Truth or dare?"
"Namine, it doesn't look like he's changing it. Just pick." Kairi said, smiling, and sipping her hot chocolate.
I sighed. "Fine. Um... I guess it's safe to go with truth." What could go wrong, right? I mean, they obviously all knew who I liked.
"Any suggestions?" Kazuki asked.
"Hey!" I objected. "You can't do that!"
"Actually," Roxas said, putting his head on my shoulder. "he can."
I groaned and leaned my head back onto him once more. "Ooh! I've got one!" Selphie yelled.
"Go for it." Kazuki said, motioning toward me. I stuck out my tongue, smiling at him.
"If you had to kiss any guy in this group other than Roxas, who would it be?"
"What?" Roxas and I asked dryly together.
"I wouldn't." I answered. "Besides, I haven't even kissed Roxas yet."
"So you really don't want to answer?"
"I really just can't."
"Then you have to change to dare." Olette said, sounding sorry.
"What?" I didn't like the way they played...
"It's a rule. And now it's too late, it's dare. Go ahead Kazuki. Dare her."
"Um..." I could tell he had gotten uncomfortable. "I..." He looked at me with compassionate eyes. "I dare you to..."
"Spit it out already! The first snow day only lasts until tomorrow!" Hayner said, growing impatient.
He took a deep breath. "I guess I dare you to... tell us your favorite color?"
"Aw!" Everybody yelled. "What is that?"
"Sorry. I can't really do anything to Namine. She's like my sister."
"Um... white or light blue I, guess. Roxas, truth or dare?" I looked over his shoulder, looking at him upside down, and smiled.
"Dare."
"OOOH!" Everybody yelled. Roxas just smiled.
"Roxas never picks dare first time around!" I looked at him weird.
He shrugged. "I trust her."
I smiled. "I'm not very good at these. I dare you to..."
"Well," Selphie said. "He's your boyfriend and you've got him on dare. You might as well do something sweet."
"Roxas does sweet things for me on his own." Hayner tried to keep in laughter, and Olette lightly hit him.
"Just get it over with." He said.
"I dare you to tell us your most embarrassing thought?" I said, regretting it soon after. His face turned a little red and he shifted under my weight. It got quiet. Freakishly quiet. Even Selphie said nothing. I could read it on their faces. What they were thinking.
Are you kidding me? Roxas doesn't get embarrassed. But they didn't know that side of him, like the side that was sweet, the side that showed when he was with me. But only one of the sides I fell in love with.
I guess he was trying to make it sound like they were right, that he wasn't embarrassed about anything. But saying what he said, he really couldn't have. "I'm jealous of Kazuki." And there it was, because they thought he didn't get jealous either. It was just a part of him that nobody knew. "Hayner, truth or dare." He didn't want to linger, and the others understood. But Kazuki, stared wide-eyed, open jawed at Roxas. Roxas didn't look at him, but he knew he was gaping. I reached out to Kazuki, brushing his arm a little, and motioned for him to look forward, and nervous, he did.
"Dare."
"I dare you to admit the rule that you broke before the snowball fight even officially started and who it involved."
Everyone looked over at him. "You broke a rule?" Kairi asked.
"Someone's in trouble..." Selphie remarked.
"I threw a snowball at Namine before she threw one at me. It's no big deal." Everyone shifted a little and Olette scooted further away from him, depressed. It seemed like, because it was made regarding something that had happened between them, she was sensitive about it, like he didn't care or something.
"Did you forget why we made that rule?" Kairi asked, a little mad that he had hurt Olette's feelings by making a stupid choice.
"Especially that you would break it. You of all people, Hayner." Now he was getting dirty looks from the three other girls, and the guys just didn't really look at him.
"Um... yeah. Sorry. Selphie, truth or dare." It didn't even sound like a question, but then, he wasn't really in it. He was watching Olette.
"Dare." She said, without looking at him.
"Kiss someone." Still didn't care. Selphie shrugged, put her hands on Tidus's cheeks, pulled him in and kissed him for a good three and a half seconds. Everyone was kind of weirded out because of how fast she did it, and how she acted like she hadn't. "Olette, truth or dare?"
"Truth." She was still trying not to look at Hayner, because he was still staring at her. Tidus was kind of still... dazed. And smiling like an idiot, which I don't think Selphie noticed -or cared about.
"Name off the guys in the group in order of date-ability."
"What? I can't."
"Why not?" Selphie asked, as if there was nothing warped about the question.
"I refuse to put someone last."
"Fine. Top three."
"Um... in order?"
"Yeah."
"Preferred to... least preferred?"
"Yeah."
"Like–"
"Yes! Do it! NOW!"
"Oh. Sorry. Um... I guess I should just say it... Hayner, Roxas, Pence?" What? Her number two was Roxas? Why Roxas?! My Roxas?! But... Olette... was so much prettier than me... and so much smarter, and nicer... and she knew Roxas for so much longer...
"Oh, Olette! My heart's desire!" Roxas stood up, letting me fall to the ground. "How long I've waited to hear you say that! I love you Olette! I love you!"
"Oh, Roxas!" Then they kissed, and ran off together towards the setting sun, leaving me all alone, stranded. Without the boy I loved. Olette, how could she? She was always so nice and innocent. And Roxas... I really thought he cared about me. Now what... Would I have to date Hayner, now? Is that how this worked?
Hayner started to walk toward me, arms outstretched. He was devastated by the loss of his love, Olette, and now, he needed comfort. Of course, I normally would have hugged him, but I knew how this would end! We would have to live somewhere out in the desert country, with two old rocking chairs on the porch, the kids running around the house. We would watch the sun rise and set every day and wait for our beloved ones to come back.
"Namine, honey," The old and half-dead Hayner would coo. "I'm so sad you aren't Olette. And apparently, Roxas was, too. What are you even good for, ya ol' coot! Nobody loves you! And you don't have anything Olette had, why, she was beautiful," A twinkle in his eye. "And smart, and... if I hadn't thrown the snowball!"
Woah. Now snapping out of twisted weird fantasy thing. I looked into my mug, and drank some more. The cold must have been making me delusional. "Hayner, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw this out there." Now I was really going crazy. "Maybe you're right." Everyone looked at him. "Maybe Olette is prettier, and smarter than me. And maybe Roxas did leave me for her, and maybe he never loved me to begin with. And now we're married?! But this is all your fault you know. You and your stupid vengeful snowball!" It got silent, as I became aware of what it was I had just said. Hayner cocked a brow, Olette was looking at Roxas weird, and considering I was still on his lap, I couldn't see his expression, but I could picture it perfectly. I bit my lip. "I forgot my something inside. Excuse me." I silently excused myself and walked into the house, turning completely red once I had.
What kind of psychotic idiot?!?!?! How could I even come up with that retarded fantasy, let alone believe it for a split second! After a clear minute, Roxas, Olette, and Hayner rejoined me in the house. "Namine," Olette said sweetly. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Namine, I don't know what you were listening to... or if you're psychic or something and you just saw your sad, bleak, hopeless," Olette hit him. "Gah! Whatever! Um... I don't think I'd ever marry you..." I turned away. Insensitive jerk. Like I wasn't embarrassed enough. I could hear Olette get angry with him under her breath. "No! I swear that's not what I meant! I mean... you're my best friend's girlfriend. Otherwise, you're really cute and I'd probably be all over you." My face turned pink and I let my face fall into my hands.
"Hayner!" Roxas and Olette yelled together.
"No wait, Olette! That didn't come out right! I... you... Augh! Roxas, you tell her what I mean!"
"Namine," He was speaking softly to me, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay? I'm worried about you. If there's anything wrong, you know you can tell me. Right?" I nodded, but didn't lift my hands. I was so stupid! And I was almost crying. I mumbled something into my hands. "Huh?"
"I want to talk to Kazuki." I said. "Can you get him?" He removed his hand from my shoulder and I heard the door open and close. I looked up and behind me, Roxas was looking at me, Olette and Hayner had gone. He sighed, and left the house, then Kazuki entered.
"Namine...?"
"Kazuki, why am I so stupid?! I had this weird imagination thing with disturbing little images and..." I explained it all to him, and although he was so obviously... utterly disturbed... he listened patiently and hugged me as he did so.
"Okay. I get it, but... why couldn't you tell Roxas? I mean..." I looked up at him. "He would have done the same thing for you and there's nothing there you need to hide from him. You wonder why he's jealous of me? This is it, right here. Don't get me wrong, I'll listen to you, and talk to you, but... don't ever choose me over him, okay?" He stood up. "You wouldn't in anything else, but this is what really hurts a guy."
I felt bad, and that didn't make me feel better. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes. Every word. The only thing that I could even imagine you'd keep from him this early is that you love him, but I know a few things that he thinks about you, too. Even if you'd said you loved him, flat out in that story, he'd be too distracted pulling your dreams back for you... that he wouldn't even have noticed. Namine, tell him what you think. Tell him how you feel. Tell him... the reason that you tell me."
"Kazi...?"
"I'm sending him back in, because you need to talk. Okay? My gosh, I swear, nothing with me and Fae is ever this dramatic." And then he left me, all alone. Waiting for my beloved to come back.
---
"Are you kidding me?"
"No. Truth... or dare?"
"Kazi. I do–"
"Truth or dare?" He said firmly.
"Namine, it doesn't look like he's changing it. Just pick." Kairi said, and then drank some of her hot chocolate.
Namine sighed. "Fine. Um... I guess it's safe to go with truth." Safe? And then... what was she expecting if she'd picked dare?
"Any suggestions?" Kazuki asked.
"Hey!" She pretty much yelled, pulling forward, and her hand out of mine. "You can't do that!"
"Actually," I moved my head up near her face, trying to calm her down a little, after all, it was just a game. "he can."
She made it obvious that she didn't care whether or not he could. "Ooh! I've got one!" Selphie yelled.
"Go for it." Kazuki said, motioning toward Namine. He smiled at her after, so I assume she gave him a look.
"If you had to kiss any guy in this group other than Roxas, who would it be?"
"What?" We're not even dating a day... and here Selphie permits her to kiss other guys? What is it with this game?
"I wouldn't." She answered, and I hid my smile. "Besides, I haven't even kissed Roxas yet."
"So you really don't want to answer?" Oh no...
"I really just can't." Don't go there. She doesn't know how we play...
"Then you have to change to dare." Olette said, sympathetically.
"What?" She wasn't happy...
"It's a rule. And now it's too late, it's dare. Go ahead Kazuki. Dare her."
"Um..." He didn't want to. That was good, because usually, the dare had something to do with the truth... and who needs that, right? "I... I dare you to..."
"Spit it out already! The first snow day only lasts until tomorrow!" Hayner said, he really never was that patient of a person. It's amazing we all put up with him...
He inhaled deeply. "I guess I dare you to... tell us your favorite color?"
"Aw!" Everybody yelled. I smiled. I'd have to tell him thanks later. "What is that?"
"Sorry. I can't really do anything to Namine. She's like my sister."
"Um... white or light blue I, guess. Roxas, truth or dare?" She tilted her head back, looking at me upside down, and smiled.
"Dare." I said.
"OOOH!" Everybody yelled. I smiled. Idiots...
"Roxas never picks dare first time around!" She kind of searched my face.
I shrugged. "I trust her." And that's why I picked it. Plus... I kind of wanted to see what she'd do.
She smiled. "I'm not very good at these. I dare you to..."
"Well," Selphie said. Here we go. "He's your boyfriend and you've got him on dare. You might as well do something sweet."
"Roxas does sweet things for me on his own." I blushed a little and Hayner laughed, earning a small scolding from Olette. Ha, sucker.
"Just get it over with." I said.
"I dare you to tell us your most embarrassing thought?" Dang. I guess she felt like changing the worlds outlook on me today. My friends... were strictly my friends, except Sora... he was my cousin. But then... even my family hadn't really gotten to know all of me... Only Namine had.
I tried my hardest not to sound completely embarrassed, because I didn't want to think much of it, but I knew I had to be honest. "I'm jealous of Kazuki." Maybe I couldn't trust her as much as I thought... Note to self... "Hayner, truth or dare." Kazuki, like an idiot, was just staring at me. He knew I meant I was jealous of him and Namine, but not many of the others really picked up.
"Dare." He was so stubborn. He just couldn't lose to me.
"I dare you to admit the rule that you broke before the snowball fight even officially started and who it involved." I wanted the attention to be on something other than my confession, but maybe I shouldn't have gotten everyone kind of upset with him. The girls were very protective of each other... and Olette was sensitive, especially with Hayner. What was I even thinking?
Well, I got what I wanted. Hayner was the center of attention. "You broke a rule?" Kairi asked.
"Someone's in trouble..." Selphie sneered.
"I threw a snowball at Namine before she threw one at me. It's no big deal." It got weird between things.
"Did you forget why we made that rule?" Kairi asked. It was a bad thing for me to have done. But it had already been done.
"Especially that you would break it. You of all people, Hayner." Dirty looks, and avoidance.
"Um... yeah. Sorry. Selphie, truth or dare." I knew that he would try to do the same thing I did, but he made a mistake picking a girl to do it with.
"Dare." She said, angrily.
"Kiss someone." She shrugged. This just gave her an excuse to finally kiss Tidus. "Olette, truth or dare?" Trying to fix what was done wrong, huh? I knew these guys too well, it was almost boring.
"Truth." She was still facing away from Hayner, she must have felt lonely in the snow.
"Name off the guys in the group in order of date-ability."
"What? I can't." Too kind-hearted, but then, this was probably Selphie's plan.
"Why not?" Selphie asked, in a fake innocence voice.
"I refuse to put someone last." I smiled.
"Fine. Top three."
"Um... in order?"
"Yeah."
"Preferred to... least preferred?" You can't hold it off forever...
"Yeah."
"Like–"
"Yes! Do it! NOW!"
"Oh. Sorry. Um... I guess I should just say it... Hayner, Roxas, Pence?" I guess... maybe... I didn't know them... that well. I thought for sure she'd say something like... Hayner, Pence, Sora. But... me? Me... I shook my head a little, but it didn't really bother me. Just because she put me second, it didn't mean she'd ever date me.
But Namine didn't know that.
I didn't want her to freak out, so I let go of her hand and kind of hugged her from behind, wrapping my arms completely around her, but she didn't really react. She was kind of dazed. I sighed, I might as well not bug her, so I let go.
All fell silent. The boys she had named were thinking about why she named them, and the boys she hadn't were comparing themselves in their heads. Now more than before, she refused to look at Hayner, but Hayner... didn't do ignored.
"Olette..." He started, and I think I was the only one... momentarily sane, so I was the only one listening. "If I had to do that..."
"Hayner, just don–"
"You'd be my number one." She tensed, clenching her hand into a fist in the snow. Her head fell forward and she didn't look back. I glanced at Hayner, then back at Olette, then again to Hayner. "I think... that the others... wouldn't really measure up. I mean, they're nice and all but... something about you..." Olette took a deep breath and held it. That was exactly how I felt about Namine, but who knew that Hayner could put it so well? I guess we didn't know his other side either...
Namine moved a little, and I looked down at her, everyone finally snapped out of whatever. She sipped her hot chocolate and then... craziness. "Hayner, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw this out there." I guess all that silence was the calm before the storm, but I had never seen -or heard- Namine this rash. "Maybe you're right." Everyone looked at Hayner, confused. "Maybe Olette is prettier, and smarter than me." When did he say that? "And maybe Roxas did leave me for her, and maybe he never loved me to begin with." What?! "And now we're married?!" WHAT?! "But this is all your fault you know. You and your stupid vengeful snowball!" She silenced, and everyone stared at her, I mean, was this a joke? "I forgot my something inside. Excuse me."
We all exchanged glances. What again just happened? Hayner, Olette, and I finally jumped up, all at once, and hurried into the house. "Namine," Olette said kindly when we got in. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Namine, I don't know what you were listening to... or if you're psychic or something and you just saw your sad, bleak, hopeless," Olette hit him. "Gah! Whatever! Um... I don't think I'd ever marry you..." She turned away. What was he thinking? To think for a second I thought he could be considerate... Olette got a little mad at him. "No! I swear that's not what I meant! I mean... you're my best friend's girlfriend. Otherwise, you're really cute and I'd probably be all over you." She got embarrassed, and Olette and I... equally mad.
"Hayner!" We yelled together. All over my girlfriend?!?!
"No wait, Olette! That didn't come out right! I... you... Augh! Roxas, you tell her what I mean!"
I sighed. "Namine," I put my hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? I'm worried about you. If there's anything wrong, you know you can tell me. Right?" She nodded, but didn't look up. She mumbled something quietly. "Huh?"
"I want to talk to Kazuki." She said almost harshly. "Can you get him?" I looked at her deeply, and my hand slipped off of her shoulder. After a minute, she turned to face me. I couldn't stop the emotions running through my head, let alone... through my heart. I left, and then Kazuki went in after.
"Roxas," Olette said. "Please, try to see." She looked at Hayner for support, he was leaning against the house, and he just turned his eyes away. "Namine is–"
"Don't worry about it. I... I know that we're different to her. He's like... I don't really know. They're just closer, it's okay."
"You know what?" Hayner said, kind of butting in. He sounded mad. "It's not okay." His face was a little red, and Olette stepped away. "You don't–" He looked back and hushed his tone. "You don't get it, do you? You don't see what everyone else sees in her eyes when she looks at you." He exhaled sharply. "You know, Roxas, I always thought that out of us, you were the smarter, and you were the stronger. The braver, the nicer, the deeper. You were the better one of us. But if you don't plainly see what it is you have with Namine... you really are so much stupider than I'll ever be." He shook his head and walked away. It had never really been in Hayner to snap.
I just looked at him, shocked and confused. While I... was jealous of Kazuki... Hayner... jealous of me? That was kind of his way of telling me that he wanted what I had. I... guess I'd never really thought about it. What I thought I had, was Namine. I thought I had the girl of my dreams, the girl with the beautiful smile, the heart of gold. The princess that was understanding enough... to fall in love with the frog. What I didn't realize... was what we shared. What feelings we both had for each other. What secrets we hid, even though we knew it was completely obvious. You know, things like that.
"I... Hayner..." My breathing kind of broke up, even though he had walked away. He turned back to me.
"What are you still doing here? You need to go talk to her, before she tells him something that can only be said once." He nodded toward the door. "Go. She's waiting for you."