Dash's house only has one bed and we wanted to have a sleepover so were doing it at my house. There's still only two beds but three of us. I ask my mom what we should do. You see me and dash used to have sleeping bags when we were kids, but we outgrew them. And we didn't ever buy new ones because, my mom bought dash his own bed for my room seeing as though we were always having sleepovers, mostly at my house, but when we did sleep at dash's we shared his bed. Mom says, " Why don't you let peter sleep in dash's bed and you share yours with dash." And usually I would agree but I don't want to make it awkward, and seem like me and dash are together, (to outsiders it may look intimate but for our family's it's more normal than breakfast), because... well because, you know.. what if peter likes me but thinks i'm taken.

 Not that i'm Desperate or anything. 

So in Desperate hopes I begged mom to buy a blow up mattress for peter. In the end she agreed only if I did the dishes after dinner and made sure we all went to sleep at 12:00 pm latest, and whole list of rules that I know she doesn't really expect me to follow. I hug mom before she goes out the door to Walmart to buy some snacks and a blowup mattress with some bedding. While she was gone we made dinner as a special surprise for her even though neither of us were good cooks, he made bread-sticks, cheesecake, lemonade, and sauteed green beans, and I made spaghetti. Yeah he did most of the cooking being the better cook of us both. Peter helped, being taught good manners, cook and clean up afterwards. Surprisingly peter is even a better cook than dash. Scratch that he's an Amazing cook.

 And i'm not just kissing up because of my maybe-likely-possibly crush on him. Dash agrees that if peter hadn't been there to help ,the cheesecake would probably be runny, the bread-sticks would be crunchy on the outside and raw inside, and the spaghetti would've been burnt. We all high five, then celebrate with candy. At which point mom came back and dad pulled up the driveway from work. Once everyone is inside we eat dinner. It was delicious. When everyone was done I took and did the dishes. Mom has a book club meeting tonight so we're expected to keep it down until it's over At 9:30. And it starts at 7:45. I was putting the last dish in the dish rack when the doorbell rang. And moments after mom opened it her friends come piling in. Me, dash, and peter head up the stairs before someone can comment on how big we've grown, or ask peter a bunch of questions for forever about how life is treating him here, or worse give us relationship advice, yuck. Once upstairs I pull out the Twizzlers, and we start a game of truth or dare, every time someone completes the dare they get a Twizzler, If they chicken out, they miss out. If they do it three times they're out the game. Being the daredevils we are dash and I are mostly going to be choosing dare as per usual, but who knows what peter will choose.

 I start off the game, "Okay, truth or dare... peter." I choose peter first to find out if he's a truthful or daredevil. "Dare." Peter says. I close my eyes and nod, taking my time thinking carefully, finally 15 sec later I present my dare. "I dare you to kiss Mrs. Filch's hand she'll be the oldest woman downstairs with her hair dyed bright orange." Dash's eyes widen, looking at me, because he knows and I know that Mrs. Filch has rough yet slimy hands ALL THE TIME, and a cat so her hands always smell like tuna. Kissing her hand would be like, kissing a wet fish fresh out the ocean. Me and dash wait on the stairs in the blind spot where we can make sure that the dare is completed but hidden from view from anyone. Peter seemingly unfazed heads down the stairs with his head held high but before he steps out into the den he pulls something from his jacket pocket, it looks like a tube, rubs it on is lips and continues to Mrs. Filch he makes some idle chat, two minutes later, he bows and kisses her hand like a gentlemen and heads back up the stairs. That when I see the gloss on his lips. "Hey that's no fair." I groan, disappointed that my dare didn't go the way I wanted. Peter just leans against the wall "All is fair in love and war, doll." Peter says. I kick him lightly in the shins. He fakes moaning and gropes his leg rolling on the floor crying out, "Me leg, me leg, shes broken me leg." In an English accent. Dash and I and even peter burst out laughing, until mom yells for us to be quiet, then we all look at each other and burst out laughing again making a dash for the bedroom before my mom can come and scold us. Then we resume the game after rewarding peter for his courage with a Twizzler. Next it was peter's turn. He directs his attention toward dash. "Dash, TRUTH or DARE." He pronounces each word in all caps. Drawling out the sound of each letter, loudly. Dash gets that dare devil face and I know which one he's going to choose, but I had already knew before his turn ever came. Dare.

"Dare." Dash says. I totally called it. Peter gets to his feet, all the while going Tsk tsk, with his eyes closed shaking his head as if dash had made a terrible mistake. And for a moment I wonder if maybe he did until I remember who we're talking about. "Okay I dare you to stick your hand down a rain drain." The expression on dash's face is unreadable. His face shows no emotion other than cockiness, like he has it made. Peter leads dash to the drain he wants him to stick his hand in, peter pulls a flashlight out of his pocket and gets on his stomach scoping out the interior for dash. For a minute the beam of the light stays in one position for a little to long, and I think peter might have found something, but then the light shifts and peter stands flashing a bright smile and a thumbs up.

 All clear. Well of anything dangerous anyway but I saw a lot of sludge. Today was a bit gloomy and peter said looked like it was going to rain. None of us had our coats on so before dash could stick in his hand and complete his dare we go inside, grab our coats. But on the way to the door something outside flashes so bright it's blinding and we hear a boom so big we almost fall, then the rain comes crashing down. Pouring from the sky like a waterfall. Me, dash , and of course peter head back upstairs till the rain stops. To start our movie marathon peter offers we watch IT. "I know what your trying to do, you think i'm stupid, get me scared about the rain drain before I stick my hand in so that i'll wuss out. Well let's watch the movies, cause it won't work." Says dash. Peter shrugs his shoulders in a way that says, Hey man, I wasn't thinking that at all. But I know he was. When we finish the last movie it's darker than dark but the rain has stopped so the dare must be done. We all brought coats this time and flashlights. Dash rolls his shoulders cracks his knuckles and jogs in place then transitions from a jog to lying on his stomach quickly and fluidly, he sticks his hand as far down as his hand can go then clicks on his light, we all scream as we hear a cackle and see the face smeared dripping face of IT, then I realize that it wasn't IT it was just a photo that someone took and my suspicions are confirmed as peter starts laughing, and then making that same bone chilling muscle snapping cackle. I am so mad at him that I kick him in the shins with as much force as I can for real this time. And this time when he falls to the asphalt road groaning I don't think he's pretending. 

I help dash fish out the picture of IT and his flashlight that he accidentally dropped when his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his heartbeat pumped so hard it busted through his chest. Fortunately dash and peter pulled themselves together, and all of a sudden I start giggling again, I stop myself and stop in my tracks dash stopping as well and peter following suit me and dash look at he each other and burst out laughing, then peter, heaven knows why, starts wiggling like a worm, (I find out the next day he had an ant in his pants.)I start laughing so hard that imaginary milk squirts out my nose and my brain flies out. When peter finally stops wiggling he starts laughing too and so does dash. We all laugh like half-wit crack pots on the very short walk back to my house. I guess all that adrenaline needed a way out laughing like loons was the best way to do it. 

When we make it back to the house the book club has already ended people slowly dissipating as the minute passes. Mom hardly notices us walk in as she is deep in chatter with Madam Wigsby, the loudest person in our block, and the biggest gossiper in all of the city. And she always dresses like shes nineteen instead of fifty-two, today she was wearing a black dress that let so much boob to spill out that she might as well be topless.Me and dash nudge each other with elbows and snicker while sticking out our butts and chest as much as possible strutting down the hallway up the stairs past mom and Madam Wigsby. But peter didn't get it. When we reach the bedroom we all fall onto the nearest piece of furniture.

 Unfortunately for dash and peter, the closest furniture to each of them happened to be the same one so as soon as dash fell onto his bed peter crashed on top but once peter was down he couldn't sit back up his legs tangle in the race car blankets of dash's bed. "Peter get OFF me NOW!" Shouts dash from underneath. I can't help the hysterical laughter that escapes my throat. "Rain, come help this instant!" commands dash. "Oh I don't know i wouldn't want to get in the middle of ya'll relationship." I reply. But begin to make my way over to help anyway. "Ha Ha Ha." Dash Laughs sarcastically. But peter smiles and thanks me for my help. "I should have took pictures first, you guys looked so precious together. Whens the wedding?" Peter smiles, picking up on my joke, answers "Thursday, it's gonna be huge!" Dash cocks a small smile. "Can I be your bridesmaid?" I ask bouncing my eyebrows. Dash burst out laughing peter smiles real big before replying, "No I gave that title to the dog, you can be the foot stool." And we all burst out laughing gasping for air clutching our stomachs as if that was the funniest thing we ever heard. Truly i'm not sure but whenever I think about that moment I laugh. So yeah. 

It's 12:25 pm when I suggest that we go to sleep, dash groans and peter gives me the puppy eyes so I sigh and relent saying we can stay up only, ONLY, half an hour longer. And that's when peter says, "Hey Aaron, you haven't gotten a dare yet." I flush embarrassed, hoping that they don't think I was trying to skip out. I mean I really wasn't, but that won't stop them from thinking so. Fortunately neither of them mentioned anything like that. With that dash gives me his dare. "Go tell your parents you've fell in love and your running away, then run out the door and stay hidden for fifteen minutes..... Juliet." I laugh nervously, and get ready to walk out the door to my parents room but before I can dash grabs my wrist, not hard but firmly, "Wait! Not like that." Dash rifles through my bags and drawers and closet stumbling upon things of our past, until. "Aha!" Shouts dash in triumph of his discovery, in a small plastic pencil case dash finds a makeup kit my Grampa bought me for my fourteenth birthday that I only used the lip gloss and occasionally the blush. Dash gets out mascara bright red lipstick, blush eyebrow liner then peter works his magic. 

Pulling off my cap, moving the hair out of my face, pampering, puffing, prodding, brushing, blending, until the final transformation, dash reaching into the farthest end of my clothes drawer finds a black cut-off shoulder dress I wore to my middle school prom the end's of which flared in a ball gown like manner. The dress had been loose and annoying the whole time of the prom, and no one had asked me to prom, so I wasn't going to go until dash said he would be my date then cracked jokes about how my oversized baggy dress was perfect for guys like him who wanted to get a peep. And then dash had actually looked down it. And I remember clearly taking off one of the white elbow gloves mom had found in grandma's attic, and with it slapped him. Shouting in mock outrage "WEll I NEVER!!, You good sir are unwell." And then holding up the ends of my dress started to run while dash chased after me shouting "But miss I have yet to kiss the slim fingers of your possession!" And I replied with "I'll have to declined good sir." And we carried on that way running out of the school all the way to his house where we danced to ballroom music for the rest of the night till twelve before dropping off to sleep.

 Now in the dress again two years later it fits snugly to my body. I stepped out of the bathroom where I changed into the dress to escape the prying eyes of peter. When I step out peter and dash sit blubbing like fish out of water. Peter whistles and dash says, "Wow Aaron you look like a total babe." Peter nods in agreement. Seeing PETER agree with dash that ME tomboy of the century looked like a babe gave me me goosebumps. Imagine that, Peter thought I was hot. I had to see for myself, peeping in the mirror And what I saw stopped me in my tracks, I was drop dead gorgeous, who was this girl in the mirror could it be possible that it truly was me? I turned and posed feeling empowered in a way I never had before. Dash comes up to me looking so deep into my eyes for a split second I'm worried, then he looks down at my wrist and presses there with his thumb before stepping back and looking using his hands to focus on me like he's a big shot producer looking for the perfect girl to star in his new film. After a second or two of doing that, he steps back and whispers something in Peter's ear. I don't catch what they say but by the smile on peter's face, I'd say not good. Before I can react, peter has me pinned against the wall his lips on the side of my neck placing the softest kisses and I melt in his arms. It was only a few kisses, but when he pulls away I feel hot, and faint. Dash was watching the whole time and when peter stops, Dash says "Holy crap, that was hot. I'd pay to see that shit again." Then he comes and steadies me placing his fingers on my wrist again, that's when I realize he's checking my pulse! I shoot him a dirty look. "What the hell was that for!" Never in my life had I felt so ashamed or humiliated, had he done it just to get a reaction out of me, or did he know somehow that I had a crush on peter? "Rain chill out we got to make your leaving look realistic if you were really running away I think you'd be a little flustered wouldn't you? Trust my artistic vision." Ugh the moron. But when I think about it, I realize he's right. So, I apologize to him and peter for getting so "riled up". Peter shrugs as if to say 'whatever were still cool'. And Dash takes a seat on the bed kicking back, "No prob rain, that's exactly what I wanted." I give him a mock scowl before grabbing a backpack filling it with clothes allowing some to slightly spill over the unzipped side of it. Then grab a purse. I've got to sell the act. It was 12:45 pm, and just as I was heading out the door Dash calls out "Oh, one more thing, tell them you fell in love with peter." Suddenly I want to march back into the bedroom but I can't be labeled wuss, so I keep going. I hear the closet door close as I walk away and hear peter exclaim "Why do I have to be in here!" So, that my parents don't see him here when I am supposedly running away with him. I think to myself. 

When I reach my parent's bed-room they're in the middle of a game of twister. Oh my god Ew, aren't old people like them supposed to be asleep at this time. Oh well, a dare is a dare. I take a moment to imagine the neck kiss and I'm hot all over again, I slightly tussle up my hair to give the appearance of flustered and disheveled, pinch my cheeks to make them appear more flushed than they already are, then rush into the room. "Mom, Dad, I'm running away with peter, I am in love, so i'm going to start a new life with him!!!" And then I add just in case, "WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BABIES AND START A NEW FAMILY!" Then I'm there just long enough to see my parents eyes bulge and them topple to the ground an inseparable mass of legs and arms. I am in the house long enough to hear my mom scream "Nathan SHES RUNNING AWAY!!! DO SOMETHING!!! " And my dad holler "BABIES!?! BABIES!?! CAROL DID SHE SAY BABIES!?!" In my purse are the keys to Dash's motorbike, all a part of the act.

 I hop on and rev up the engine so that my parents are sure to hear it and then take off. I stop at a convenience store and buy myself some gum and a sandwich, then set a timer for fifteen minutes while I sit outside and eat. When the timer goes of iv'e already finished and I hop on and take off down the street back to my house when I come back my parents are still frantically shouting to each other in the kitchen. "WE SHOULD CHECK THE CONVENIENCE STORE FIRST!" says mom, "DON'T BE A CRACK POT IDIOT CAROL! WHY ON EARTH WOULD SHE GO SOMEWHERE SO PUBLIC!! SHE IS OBVIOUSLY ALREADY ON THE HIGHWAY!! SHES GOT A BLASTED MOTORCYCLE!!!!" "DON'T CALL ME AN IDIOT! YOU FAT FACED NINNY!!!"

 I intervene slamming the front door and yelling at the top of my lungs, "I'm home!" in a sing song. Both of my parents come crashing into the living room. My mom comes wrapping her arms around me crying out,

 "Aaron where have you been! I've been worried sick about you! Honey don't ever do that again if your ready for a relationship just say so!" At that I pull away, "Ew mom, first of all I have no interest in something like raising a family, on my own may I add, nor do I want to discuss the particulars of any relationship of mine or your own with you, B A R F. And guys it was a dare." Let's just say due to my dads relief that I wasn't having any children yet, and mom's relief that I wasn't running away with a boy I hardly knew, I got off easy. Extra chores for six months. Dash promises to help and so does peter. But even with their help that's about still two months work of chores. Ugh, honestly. But I completed THE dare of the night so I won the whole bag of Twizzlers. But that would have to wait till morning, mom sent us all straight to bed. At 1:05 am. 

When I wake up I hear the shower in my bathroom on, I look to my side and see peter is still sleeping. I sit up and study his face, his mousy brown golden hair, the rounded point of his chin, his delicate lashes, his eyes flutter open. I sit up hastily. But it's too late he's seen me watching him already, and I have a feeling he knows why. "You okay?" I hope doesn't think i'm a creep or something. "No yeah, i'm just gonna go use the bathroom."

 I rush into my bathroom instantly choking on steam. Dash always showers with really hot water. Another one of his daredevil habits. "Hey Rain that you?" Asks dash from behind the shower curtain. "Yeah it's me." "Can you hand me my towel?" I grab his towel and hold it out as he turns off the shower water. I look up at his face and hand him the towel when he steps out. Waiting till the towel is wrapped securely around him before letting my eyes leave his. "You came in here for any particular reason. Or you just wanted to gape at the babe magnet that is my body." He smiles as I hit him over the head with a towel. "No you idiot, I came to use the bathroom." He smiles big and wide "Oh don't mind me then. I'll just watch quietly." I open the door and smile shoving him out. "Oh no you wont, out you go mister." And close the door behind him. still smiling I make my way over to the toilet. Might as well.

When I come out five minutes later dash is already dressed and downstairs, but peter is there waiting. "Oh hey did I take long?" He chuckles half heartedly. "No not really just wanted to ask you something." And I put all my focus on him. "Yeah sure. What's up?" He walks up to me, and slowly the room seems to close in on us, and places kisses my neck, (again) his hands on my hips, mine hanging awkwardly to my side, my skin is on fire, I gasp. Then he pulls away, his eyes twinkling with stars, "I think you're kinda cute. Will you go out with me?" I can't think straight yet somehow the words escape me. "Yes." I whisper. He cups my chin and places a single soft kiss on my lips. Then walks away as if nothing happened.