<Change the game, don't let the game change you - Macklemore>

|28|

"WE'RE HERE?" I asked Kian when he drove through the clearing to park the car in front of a cluster of cabins. Exactly at 3pm. The guy was a stickler for arriving right on time.

"Yup we are. Beautiful place isn't it?" Kian inquired, shutting down the engine and clicking on a button to unlock the doors.

"Yes, it's pretty cool," I acknowledged as I still sat in the Audi, taking in the quiet--- except for the chirping and cawing of birds--- and cool scenery before me.

In the afternoon sunlight, stood, a distance away, tall, evergreen trees, glittering leaves fluttering in the mild wind. Creepers clung to their woody stems, a handful of shrubs grew in the spaces between huge buttress roots and wild flowers added a touch of raw and untamed beauty to the already alluring environment. They enclosed around the cabins forming a fence of some sort.

The cabins, situated in the middle of the trees, which at first glance had seemed to be a cluster, were just six in number and built very close to each other. Sturdy and moderate with shingle roofs, their exterior was made of timber planks and a small veranda on which I could see a couple of people milling around, occupying the front, most dragging their luggages with them inside.

All in all, it appeared to be the perfect place to spend a three days holiday. Woo hoo!

"Come on." He was already moving out of the car as he talked, going over to the rear. I came out too but instead of joining him, stretched my arms up towards the cloudless blue sky. I had been cooped up for so long sitting down.

"Here are your belongings, Jamila. I'll not be coming along yet, I need to go see to some things first." He handed me a key after he'd finished setting my bag on the neat sandy ground which would soon be littered by some teenager's excesses, like a crumpled booze cup for one.

"That's the key to room five, located by the left once you go in. Room five is reserved for you, Jayden, one other girl and I."

He must have seen the look of disbelief on my face because the next thing he said was, "Yes, we're sleeping in the same room and please stop with the face. Surely you can't expect to be given one room all to yourself."

"What?! No I don't expect that. How can I when everyone in senior year is coming? The reason for my face is because I wasn't aware girls will be sharing a room with the boys!" My brows shot even higher on hearing him confirming my thought.

"Mhmm, you're aware now aren't you? And don't worry, Miss Prim and Proper, there's a bunk bed available for each of us and a separate bathroom too."

"Still," I complained. "I haven't slept in a room with other people, most especially people of different gender before. It kinda feels weird to me."

"Okay Miss Weird Prim and Proper, there's another option but not one I know you'll like. If you prefer to be alone, I can arrange a separate room for you. But then, I would have to stay with you. And there's only one bed. And a bathroom. Your choice."

A smirk curled along his lips until the level of my heated stare made him raise his hands in surrender, an innocent mien stealing the smirk away. "Chill will ya? I told you that you wouldn't agree so I guess you'll be staying with us or you can hightail it back to Penfield. Come on, staying with us won't be that bad. So just relax and try to have fun Jamila. Catch you later."

He chuckled, a low mocking laugh--- probably at my statement that I couldn't sleep with others--- then walked away whistling, my glare targeted in his direction.

Conceited feather brained boy. Hmmph. He had the nerve to insinuate that I would want to share a room with him. Tch, in his dreams only. Like that would happen in the real world.

"Trouble in paradise already?" Jayden said, coming into view with his bag slung across his shoulders.

"You can say that." I pursed my lips and hefted my suitcase up. "Let's go in. We've got some unpacking to do." Jayden nodded and we stepped inside cabin number one.

Spacey, brightly coloured and clutter free, with a wooden table placed in the center, a sprinkle of armchairs and a huge plasma television hung on the mantle, the living room was the first part of the cabin's interior we came across.

"Nice place," said Jayden while we went into the next doorway. I shook my head in agreement.

We stood at the edge of the doorway, our gazes on the brightly lit hallway looming ahead. On each side were five closed steel doors, making it a total of ten rooms. Every entrance had a welcome carpet and a room number stuck to the door.

"Which room's mine and which is yours?" Jayden asked.

Of course, he wouldn't also know we were staying together. Very convenient of Kian not to tell us earlier. Asshat.

"We'll be staying in the same room. You, Kian, one other girl and I." I couldn't help the acidity in my tone.

"Okay." He didn't bat an eye like I did when Kian had informed me of our sleeping arrangements.

"Which room is ours then?"

I pointed to the left even though there wasn't any need. "The fifth room on the left."

"So this is it," I said to Jayden as he helped me unfold the last of my clothes into the girl's wardrobe. He'd already finished doing his and offered to join me in mine, making me quickly sneak all my undergarments out of sight. There was no fracking way he was seeing them.

"Mhmm," he replied, a distant look on his face.

"Hey, what's up with you? You don't seem to be here." I flopped down on the last bed in the bunk and looked up at the glazed timber ceiling.

Our room was fair enough I supposed. Simple, light and airy, it contained two standard bunk beds opposite to each other, a pink and blue wardrobe---for the boys and a center rug between the beds. Further left in a corner, were the two bathroom glass doors Kian had mentioned earlier.

Well, so far so good. There wasn't going to be any invasion of privacy, I thought, spying a mirror and dresser placed near the wardrobe.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to here yet." I turned my gaze away from the ceiling to him. He gave me a tiny grin tinged with nervousness.

I walked over to the other side of the room and sat down beside him. He'd also chosen the last bed in the bunk.

"I know how you feel, Den. This is my first time going out and I feel awkward too. But I guess it's not gonna be so bad."

He shrugged, looking out of the window that allowed one a panoramic view of the woods. "Maybe yes. Maybe not."

It was six pm and dinner time. Sitting down around the bonfire were animated and excited grade twelve students, people I had never ever talked to. I silently listened to the meaningless conversations from these strangers schooling with me and the chirpings of the crickets, letting the warmth of the fire envelope me in a pleasant cocoon.

Finished eating--- a meal consisting of barbecued chicken, baked beans and sweet potatoes---I slowly roasted my idea of a dessert, two marshmallows stuck on a stick, in the fire.

"Great place huh?!" A familiar voice shouted over the din. Replies came in immediately and I raised my eyes up to the person standing in the center of the gathering. Two people were actually standing but I riveted my gaze to the human being I've been looking for quite sometime now. Kian.

He and Noah stood, the firelight illuminating their handsome smiling faces as they asked questions about Montana Woods. I let my gaze wander down. An empty wine bottle and two big bowls containing what I didn't know were placed next to Noah's left foot. I wondered about their contents but it wasn't for long.

"Okay people!" began Noah. "It's time to spice things up by playing spin the bottle!"

Cheers and roars of agreement filled the air. He put up a hand and the noise lessened.

"We all know what spin the bottle is all about so I'll skip that part."

Noah pointed to the mystery bowls which didn't seem so mysterious now. "In these bowls are the truths and dare you'll get when the bottle is pointed to you. And this isn't your normal game of truth or dare where you get to choose. If a person has already chosen and answered a truth then you will have to do a dare irrespective of what you want. That clear?!"

"Yes!" people screamed, no doubt eager to play the game. I sighed. Of all games, it had to be this one. The ugly memory of the last game I had participated in reared it's ugly head in my mind but I tossed it away. Game or no game, I was here to have some fun.

"If you fail to do your dares and answer your truths, which in other words means you want to be a chicken, then you'll have to drink a glass of vodka. Agreed?!"

"Agreed!" they replied.

Something in the pit of my stomach churned uneasily and bile rose up to my mouth. The cause for this was because I had seen somewhere that vodka was very strong and contained about forty percent alcohol. I fervently hoped my questions or dares were good. I didn't want to get drunk. Not at all.

Noah nodded. "We'll start then." He squatted, then placed the bottle horizontally on the ground. With a flick of his hand, the bottle began spinning. There was a hush now and only the crackle and snap of the burning wood mixed with the evening sounds were heard.

The bottle stopped spinning and came to a stop. It pointed towards a geeky white boy, Harold. His eyes were wide open in shock, no doubt unused to too many eyes staring at him. This was probably the most attention he'd gotten in all his years as a high school student. Poor boy. I was surprised he was here and not somewhere else tinkering with computers.

Without wasting time, Noah prompted, "Truth or dare Harold?"

Harold gulped and even from the distance I could see a pearl of sweat roll down his forehead. Poor boy, I thought again, to be anxious because of a simple game. But then, I wouldn't blame him. I was anxious too. Perhaps more than him.

"Truth."

"Okay." Noah turned to the truth bowl and picked out a piece of paper, holding it out. "You'll read your truth out loud."

Harold stood up and walked to get the paper. He pried it open from Noah's fingers and read aloud, his voice shaky, "Have your parents ever walked in on you doing it?"

Eruptions of laughter and gay howls rented the air at the question and Harold turned a blood red instantly. I shook my head, not seeing how funny the question was. Stupid dirty truth questions.

"No," he finally answered in a trembling voice and returned to his sitting position, obviously relieved the spotlight were about to shift off him.

Noah spinned the bottle again and it spun in the direction of Maude. He didn't need to ask her truth or dare 'cos it was already an automatic dare.

Maude sauntered over to him and took the paper. Her bold countenance went green once her eyes took in the words written. "I dare you to pick the nose of a person of your choice."

"Eww," came the voices of some girls. Absolutely disgusting, I thought but she deserved her dare and I couldn't wait to see who she would pick.

Of course, there was no way Maude was ever going to do that---I was very disappointed--- so she gulped down a glass of the alcoholic drink.

The game went on this way. One nasty dare or truth after the other and I munched on my marshmallows, thanking the Lord that goddamn bottle hadn't pointed to me.

I thought too soon.

"Jamila!" called Noah, a faint sneer coating his tone.

I whipped my head up immediately, heart pounding hard and prayed it wasn't an automatic dare.

"Truth or dare?" His sneer told me he had wanted me to automatically get a dare. Well, too bad.

"Truth." I veered to his side, everyone staring at my profile and I knew how poor Harold had felt on being the recipient of all these stares. Terrible.

At least it's only a truth question, I said to myself. It can't be that bad.

I took the paper Noah almost threw in my face but caught himself in time. Pretty sure he must have remembered Kian's threats.

"If you have to flash a person in this gathering, who would it be?"

I refrained from rolling my eyes and answered, "Nobody."

Silence. Then people began snickering. Bunch of idiots, the whole lots.

Crumpling the paper to the ground, I made my way to my seat and sent a grateful prayer to God for making my truth simple even if it was a dirty one.

Returning to my marshmallows, I again lost interest in my surroundings.

"Jayden! An automatic dare." My interest piqued, I shifted my eyes to where he sat on the other end watching him watch Noah. His stance reeked of reluctance and I knew he didn't want to be here.

He stood up and ambled over to Noah. "I dare you to kiss the girl on your right."

Jayden circled his head to where he sat, staring at the girl on the right. Katharina. She was smiling in anticipation.

I didn't know why but my guts tightened painfully at the thought of Jayden kissing Katharina, even if it was a dare. And I hoped, even though it was a lost cause 'cos Katharina was a very beautiful girl and most boys would give their right arm to touch her, that he would reject.

His gaze left hers and met mine. I willed my eyes to speak to him across the distance between us, that he shouldn't agree, then he turned away but not before his gaze dropped on my lips. It was so fast that I knew I had imagined it.

My shoulders drooped in defeat as he returned to his seat. No! I couldn't look so I turned my face to the left. Kian's slightly amused face met mine but I was too sad to ask him when he'd come to sit beside me.

It was weird, this pang crisscrossing my veins, knowing Jayden was kissing Katherina. Perhaps I was just disgusted by her and wouldn't want my closest friend to kiss her. Yes that explained it. There was definitely no other reason for the ache welling up deep inside me.

I sighed, my eyes still locked on Kian's facial features. How long did it take to kiss someone?

"Give me the alcohol." Jayden held out a paper cup.

Yes! I sat up and immediate joy thrummed through my veins once I realized Jayden had gone back to get a paper cup because he didn't want to drink with the glass others had used earlier.

Happy he'd turned down the dare, I went back to my marshmallow roasting. But before I did that, I gave Katharina a look.

She didn't seem happy at all and I reveled in her unhappiness. Nmeh! I had the childish urge to stick my tongue out at her.

The boring game, it was boring to me now, went on and while it seemed people weren't getting tired of it, me on the other hand was very exhausted.

Another yawn escaped me and I had to blink rapidly to avoid falling to sleep and tumbling down to the sandy ground.

"Kian, truth or dare?!"

Although I wasn't interested in what his would be while I still battled with sleep, my ears picked up what he said. A dare.

Of course, I thought drowsily, he would want to be dared.

"I dare you to kiss the girl on your right."

The girl on the right. . . my sleep deprived mind made out sluggishly. Girl on the right, it repeated again and my eyes flew open, all atom of sleep disappearing from them.

I was the girl on the right!

A/N: E don happen! So what dyu think? Will she allow Kian kiss her? And let's not forget, someone's jealous of Jayden *smirks*

Nmeh: Used to signify sticking out your tongue at someone or a word used to make a person feel the sting of what he did or what was done to him.

Nita.