Hey guys! Apparently I'm going to be busy for the next few days putting together a music video for class, so I decided to post a chapter now instead of like, a week from now. So I hope you guys like it—I think it may be a touch dramatic for a game of truth or dare, but I've done pretty much all I can to de-dramatify it, so I hope you guys like it okay :) ALSO, I've changed the name of the story! I feel like the previous one was too intense/vague...it doesn't change anything, but I hope it's still obvious that it's the same story, that it doesn't make anything difficult for you guys :P
I did want to address a review I received from a guest—usually I like to do so in a pm, but I couldn't do that with a guest review, sorry D: Anyway, I realize your concern, and I know it might have gotten a little different tone-wise for a bit there—I wrote it and then hated it, and then went back and edited the hell out of it, so there must have been a few parts I didn't get to, which I'm really sorry about :( I do want to thank you for taking the time to put together such a well-worded review and letting me know about the pacing issue :)
I think there's been a slight misunderstanding about the climax/reveal, though—that wasn't the big reveal scene at all, don't worry. We're not even to Comuket yet, and I don't see the story ending any time in the near future. The thing is, I don't write plans out or whatever for my stories before I write them—I write what I feel like and what feels right, because if I try to go along with a set plan, I get bored and my ADD kicks in and the story goes to shit…ANYWAY, long story short, I'm sorry it felt rushed; I should have edited it better than I did, but I've been overloaded with school for the past week (trying to figure out how to properly put together a music video with all the audio and techy-tech stuff is hard enough; try doing it when nobody else seems to realize that shooting a great one is more than just a fast, one-shot affair Dx). But that's totally my bad, and I will definitely try to do better in the future. Main thing is that the previous chapter wasn't meant to be a big reveal—it was just a more revealing chapter than the previous ones, as this one will probably be as well. I was also afraid that I was getting TOO detail-oriented and spending too much time on it, making the story boring for you guys, so I got a little paranoid and I guessed ended up going to the other extreme Dx So I'm sorry it turned out poorly and rushed, and I hope this one is a little better (although I think I missed the point of truth or dare xP). Thanks (to all of you!) for leaving a review and sharing your opinion with me! I'll be more careful in the future :)
Also, the cliché was intentional ;P It sets the groundwork for some self-discovery coming up soon :)
Even the Stars Grow Older
Five: The One With Truth or Dare
"Alright, spin!" Kyouko narrated goofily, as she set the bottle in motion with a firm flick of her wrist. It circled two or three times before slowing, and finally coming to a halt on…
"Chinatsu-chwaan~"
"Don't," the pinkette immediately retorted, accurately predicting the impending glomp as Kyouko outstretched her arms, "even think about it."
The blonde pouted for only a moment before brightening again. "Truth or dare, China-chuu?"
"Don't call me that," Chinatsu corrected, blue eyes flashing. She leaned back, her back finding the leg of the table she'd been sitting at just a bit ago, and crossed her arms confidently over her chest. "And truth."
Beside the pinkette, Akari was trying not to sway too close to her best friend, despite the tugging inside of her that kept urging her to do just that. It had only been a single shot, but Akari hadn't eaten much that day due to the long car trip, and her poor body had never encountered a drop of alcohol her entire life. If she hadn't downed it all at once, maybe… But Kyouko had complained loudly when she'd tried to sip it, and despite the immediate tongue-lashing the blonde got from an overprotective Chinatsu (sweet, Akari thought, though ironic, given that Chinatsu had slammed her own shot back like a pro. But sweet nonetheless), the redhead had given in to the minimal peer pressure, not wanting to be boring and fade into the background as she was so prone to doing.
She'd taken a deep breath and thrown back the rest of her drink as quickly as possible, as if the liquid were some nasty, 'cherry' flavored cough syrup, wincing as it burned on the way down. God, how could people like that stuff? It tasted like something she'd find on a shelf in an auto-shop!
Shaking her head and instantly regretting it when the room itself tipped slightly, Akari brought herself back to the present just in time to hear Kyouko's question.
"Alright…tell me the truth, China-chuu," Kyouko said, blatantly ignoring Chinatsu's request (read: demand) that she not call her the cutesy nickname. "We all know you're a hit with the boys," here she winked, "but have you ever…you know…done anything about it?"
"Done…?"
"You know," Kyouko continued, "like, done?" She positioned her arms as if she were holding onto something in front of her and thrust her hips crudely, causing Yui to facepalm and an already blushing Ayano to nearly go into cardiac arrest. "Like, done the nasty? Screwed the pooch? Have you ever fu—"
"I'm pretty sure she gets it, Kyouko!" Yui interrupted, flushing fairly darkly herself, before Kyouko crossed the thin barrier that separated inappropriate from outright sexual harassment.
All eyes fell to Chinatsu, who didn't seem fazed at all. Glancing over at Akari, who was watching her with wide eyes, as if expecting her to explode at any second, she shrugged. "I was expecting a lot worse." Turning back to Kyouko, her pretty features morphed into a deadpan expression. "Yes, Kyouko-senpai, I've had sex with a boy."
Kyouko's jaw dropped, and Yui's eyes widened in shock, not so much from the confession itself, but from Chinatsu's casualty in giving it. On the other side of the circle, next to Chinatsu, Akari's reaction seemed tame by comparison. To the redhead's right, however, Himawari made the keen realization that the redhead was not actually breathing, and placed a concerned hand on her lower back, not knowing what else to do without alerting the rest of the room. On the bluenette's other side, Sakurako frowned at the gesture.
She's…she's had…I mean, she's not a virgin, Akari thought, unable for some reason to bring herself to say the actual word. I mean…it's not like it's surprising, Chinatsu's always been very sexual, even back in middle school, but I never…I'm surprised, but…but why do I feel like crying?
She felt as though she'd been punched in the gut; like she'd swallowed a rock, making it impossible for her to breathe. Vaguely, she registered Himawari's gentle touch, though she didn't fully equate the hand with the girl it belonged to. Her brain felt like it was short-circuiting—every time she started a thought, it was cut off, interrupted by another, or it simply broke off, floating away into nothingness. Her brow was furrowing and her eyes felt hard, like they would burst from the pressure of the restrained tears she didn't know why were there to begin with. The raucous sounds of the game around her registered as little more than muffled laughter as she spun deeper into her thoughts, until…
Suddenly the room came back to life as another hand made contact with her body, around her wrist this time. Akari felt herself being literally pulled from her thoughts, the hand tugging at her wrist, almost as though it was pulling her back up, up, up into the noise and bright lights.
Chinatsu, who'd been questioned tirelessly by a nosy Kyouko, had finally grown tired of the harassment and had turned to garner a bit of sympathy from her best friend, only to find Akari staring down at her lap, Himawari's hand pressed comfortingly to the redhead's back. Something deep inside of her growled at the sight, but the feeling was gone a second later, whatever had protested buried so deeply inside of her that Chinatsu had barely registered it at all. Still, her body didn't seem to forget so easily, and without thinking, she reached out and grabbed Akari's wrist, pulling the redhead just the tiniest bit closer to her (and, by default, away from Himawari, who raised both eyebrows and retracted her hand, holding it up and away from their mutual friend in a subtle show of submission, having witnessed the half-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it glare in sharp blue eyes). She leaned forward as she did so, effectively bringing their faces so close that they were sharing the same air.
"Akari?" she questioned, frowning in concern, having already forgotten about the inconsequential truth Kyouko had forced her to reveal. It had been a one-night thing, after all—less than nothing to Chinatsu, who had just been curious as to what it felt like (and wanted to know if she really was gay—turned out, she was). Losing her virginity really hadn't been a big deal to her, odd though it may sound. "What's wrong?"
The redhead glanced up, finding herself dangerously close to stunning blue eyes and pursed pink lips. The air around her smelled like peppermint, with just a hint of rum, and it confused her already muddled mind until a burst of warmth against her lips made her realize it was Chinatsu's breath mingling with her own. God, was Chinatsu always getting this close? She hadn't noticed…
And then further furrowing of perfectly sculpted brows jolted her back to the present. Right. She'd asked her a question. But…
I don't know.
Help me, Chinatsu-chan. I'm afraid.
I think…I think I'm falling in love with you.
"Nothing," Akari said with a reassuring smile that masked the massive, system-wide shock her poor body had just endured. Hidden in her lap, away from the group's attention, her small, suddenly clammy hands curled into weak fists. She dug her nails into her palms, as if to remind herself that she was still here—that this was, in fact, her life. The universe, it seemed, had gotten bored with the perpetual joke that was her life—now, apparently, it was time for her to develop hopeless feelings for her more than unattainable best friend. "I just spaced out a little bit, that's all."
Chinatsu rolled her eyes in a long-suffering way, not noticing the way her friend's lips had trembled ever so slightly. "Geez, don't scare me like that, Akari-chan," she said, stretching her arms out behind her, eliciting several satisfying pops.
There was something Akari wasn't telling her, she knew that much, and that bothered her more than she could say, but she wouldn't push it—not now, at least—but she wouldn't let it go forever. Letting one of her arms fall lazily behind the redhead in an unconscious gesture of protectiveness, Chinatsu returned her attention to the game, as the excitable Kyouko finally calmed down enough for them to continue.
Fifteen minutes in, most of truths and dares had been relatively minor, from Kyouko being asked what her sexuality was (a fairly tame truth, given the recipient of the question, who gladly came forth as an ardent admirer of the ladies), to Yui being dared to talk 'like a girl' for the remainder of the night.
Unfortunately for most of the group, this meant that the blonde was only getting more and more restless.
"Alright, enough with the baby stuff," Kyouko finally declared after Chitose had been dared to walk around the room on her hands. She commandeered the bottle from Akari, who'd seemed slightly subdued since the game had begun, before Chitose could reach for it, and spun it hard enough to send it flying into a table leg.
"Calm down," Yui stated, deadpan, retrieving the bottle and handing it back to Kyouko. Chitose was mildly disappointed at her turn having been taken from her, but quickly returned to her serene state of people-watching. It was Kyouko, after all—Chitose didn't need to have a turn as long as somebody was getting to the good stuff, and the blonde was sure to provide.
Kyouko did as Yui said—or at least, enough so that she didn't send the bottle rocketing out the window—and spun again. The bottle came to a stop with its neck pointing directly at Akari, which failed to produce anywhere near the reaction Kyouko had been hoping for. She thought for a moment—she was beginning to worry about her friend, but she was also incredibly bored with this tame game of truth or dare. Then her eyes brightened, and an imaginary light bulb flashed on over her head. Who said she couldn't cheer Akari up by getting her into the spirit of truth or dare? "Truth or dare, Akari?"
"Um…dare, I guess," Akari replied. She'd chosen truth the past two times that the bottle had landed on her, and she really wasn't in the mood to put up any kind of argument. Kyouko's face split into a shit-eating grin.
"Alright…I dare you to…" She tapped her chin for a long moment, pretending to contemplate Akari's fate, amused by the glare she was receiving from Chinatsu.
Kyouko was far from as stupid as she behaved—while she did love slacking off and playing around, it didn't mean she couldn't be insightful, too. Growing up had only served to further develop this trait in the blonde, much to the ire of most of the other girls.
Chinatsu, she'd noticed, was incredibly protective of Akari—had been ever since the two had begun to grow closer in their second year of middle school (she'd really noticed a change after hers and Yui's eighth grade field trip). It was Chinatsu's nature, Kyouko had decided, after the pinkette had nearly neutered a boy back in freshman year, all for calling Akari forgettable (as they had all done once or twice or a bunch of times, but apparently it wasn't okay if it wasn't Chinatsu or someone else in their tight-knit group of friends), and it was quite entertaining to watch, despite the substantial health risks teasing that part of Chinatsu brought with it. "Kiss Yui," she finally declared, deciding she'd tortured Akari enough.
"W-what?"
"Kyouko!"
"Kyouko-senpai!"
Kyouko grinned—she'd netted triple points for that one. Yui seemed more concerned with Akari's relative innocence than anything else, while Akari was utterly mortified at having to do something so intimate with one of her close friends (or at least, that close friend, smirked Kyouko to herself). Chinatsu had leapt to her feet, eyes narrowed and jaw set, and Kyouko took a moment to admire puberty's work in the pinkette. It was especially evident in the bone structure of her face—in her cheekbones and jawline. But she only took a moment to do so, because while Kyouko would never outgrow Mirakurun (she shuddered at the thought!), she had more or less outgrown her crush on Chinatsu, and now periodically chased after her for amusement purposes more than anything else. The blonde had her bright eyes set on somebody else now, anyway.
"Is there a problem, Chinatsu-chan?" Kyouko asked innocently, mischievous finally drifting up to meet angry as blue eyes clashed. She ignored the glare Yui sent her way. The brunette really didn't want to have to deal with a possessive Chinatsu right now (or ever), and she'd really thought the pinkette had backed off significantly up to this point. There went that…or did it?
"Can't you see that Akari isn't feeling well?" Chinatsu snapped in reply. "If you're going to target someone for one of your weird dares, at least have some sympathy!" Akari flushed even darker at this.
"Chinatsu-chan, it's really okay…"
"I dared her because I want her to cheer up, Chinatsu-chwaan~," Kyouko sang, winking at Akari, causing the redhead to flush even darker, and the pinkette beside her to twitch. "And what better way to cheer someone up than with a good old-fashioned make-out session? But if you're going to be such a killjoy…I guess it doesn't have to be Yui she kisses," the blonde amended innocently. "Sorry, Akari-chan…how about me, then?" Kyouko puckered her lips in an exaggerated fashion, pointing her finger to herself.
From beside her, Ayano opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, looking to be in utter despair.
"Are you deaf?" Chinatsu's tongue, sharp as usual, had apparently not been silenced by the change of plans. "You don't really think putting her in an uncomfortable situation is going to cheer her up, do you?" the pinkette snarled. "Akari," she turned to her best friend, who was now beet red. "You don't have to go along with this, you know."
Akari wanted to smile, to allow Chinatsu to protect her as the pinkette had done unconsciously so many times over the years. She really, really did. But now that she knew why it felt so good when she did… And the night's revelations were still fresh, like an open wound. Chinatsu's avid protesting against the original dare was like salt mercilessly rubbed into it. The pinkette hadn't backed down even after the dare had been amended, but at this point, Akari was too upset and overwhelmed by the crushing realization that she was in love with her absolutely unattainable best friend to allow herself even the slightest glimmer of hope.
"It's fine, Chinatsu," she replied, pasting on a remarkably believable smile. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm really okay with it. And it's not Yui anymore, so Chinatsu-chan should be okay with it as well, right?"
That might've been just a hint of bitterness seeping through, but she'd only make it worse by acknowledging it, so…
Chinatsu physically recoiled, as if Akari had slapped her instead of thanked her. The redhead had never had a problem with Chinatsu's protectiveness in the past, and she'd certainly never denied the pinkette's help in such situations before now. Did Akari really think she'd only said something to keep her from kissing Yui? Did Chinatsu really seem that shallow still, after all this time?
Probably, she thought, frowning.
Chinatsu having been all but forced to bite her tongue (and clearly hating it), Akari was now determined to enjoy the game and the trip despite these new-found feelings that she would need to make disappear. The redhead crawled over to Kyouko's side of the circle, and the blonde grinned, in full view of Chinatsu's infuriated expression unlike Akari, easily pulling the redhead the rest of the distance by the small of her back. She paused for just a moment to gently touch Akari's cheek, making sure she was really okay with it, and then crushed their lips together in one swift, easy motion.
Something buried deep (but not quite so deep as before) inside of Chinatsu growled once more.
So, Akari's finally accepted these feelings she's been having in regards to Chinatsu, and Chinatsu's feeling…well, something. I'm sorry for the length of this—I know truth or dare is supposed to be short and sweet, but it seems I can't even write a cliché properly :P What'd I get, two dares in 2000 words? :/ ANYWAY, there's part 2 next, so please bear with me! I'm sorry if this is going either too fast or two slow or if it seems abrupt—I've never been good with pacing and honestly I'm just writing this for fun, so I'm just going with what feels right…
Thanks to all my reviewers for hanging in there with me, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the pacing was better this time, because sometimes I really do have issues with that. Please review; you guys really do motivate me to keep writing when you do so, and I feel like it really does make me a better writer! :)