Smells Like Winter

37: Truth or Dare?

They all laughed, but knew it was true. Mia owned it indeed, and Maddy kind of liked that about her. Except for when that bitchy attitude was directed at her.

The game went on, and Maddy was only watching quietly, scared of hearing her name again.

But a bunch of rounds later and Logan had his blue eyes fixed on her.

"Maddy," he started, gifting her with that heart-melting grin. "Truth or dare?"

Truth.

"Dare." She wanted to slap herself, but just bit her lip instead.

Logan wriggled his brows at her. "Drink."

Maddy obeyed, happy it wasn't anything more extreme. It's just a shot of whiskey.

But more shots followed as they played more rounds of the game, and soon enough Maddy was pretty certain she was kinda high, because she was messing her words from time to time, and her laughter was unstoppable.

Mia and Logan's dares had made them quite touchy with each other, and Maddy had noticed the way Sia was taking larger sips whenever her eyes fell on Mia touching Logan too intimately, or vice versa.

After a truth that forced Mia, now blind drunk, to tell them about her very much heated up experience with Isaac Garcia from their high school in the bathtub, and after Logan-edgy all of a sudden-urged her to finish the story which he clearly didn't want to hear, Maddy passed the bottle to Carter-or had he taken it himself from her hands? She wasn't so sure.

"Truth or Dare, princess?" he asked passively.

Oh, no. Hell no.

"Truth," she hasted to answer before the alcohol could say otherwise.

Mia scoffed. "As expected," she mumbled scornfully underneath her breath.

Maddy only bit the inner side of her cheek. She wasn't planning on acting daring with Carter. Didn't trust him enough for that. Didn't even know what to expect from him and his unpredictable, cool demeanor.

Carter pinned her down with his gaze before opening his perfect mouth. "What's your worst fear?" he asked, drinking from the bottle. He didn't even flinch at the strong taste of liquor.

Maddy didn't know what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this.

The dark.

Heights.

Having to be stuck with you for eternity.

So many easy replies. So many easy lies.

Instead, she said, "Death." She didn't know whether it was the whiskey she'd downed, or the simple fact that the game was called Truth or Dare, and not Lies or Dare, but the word she let escape her mouth was the truth.

And even the sound of that word coming from her lips terrified her.

"You're scared of dying?" asked Carter, rather flatly.

"No," said Maddy, shaking her head. The drunkenness was gone from her eyes when she whispered, "I'm scared of watching the people I care about dying."

The air blew stronger as she voiced the words, like in a movie. The mood had gotten way too solemn, way too serious. Maddy had to stop herself before she started reminiscing on her past. On her memories of her older brother, whom she'd watched-

Mia clapped her hands together, and Maddy snapped out of it. "Well, I guess that means we just have to stay alive, you guys," she slurred slowly, smiling sheepishly.