Ella and Lottie

Truth or Dare

Chapter 6

Lottie

Catching up with my friends on Monday gave me a shocking revelation. I needed to spend more time with them. So, I and Ella agreed that we would spend the week with our other friends. We spent the week at an arm's length from each other. It hurt but it did help us reconnect with our other friends. Yet on that Friday, I had to break the rule.

"Hi," I said as I took her out of the small gaggle of friends she was conversing with at lunchtime. Eliza (I think that's her name) whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. A surprising pang of jealousy stung me. The bitterness coursed through my veins and I realised how bad this jealousy could be if I found that she was dating someone or liked someone. But when she saw me her face lit up. The special ray of sun that was her smile melted the bitterness out of me.

"Lottie," She gave me a bear hug that knocked all the air from my lungs. For someone so small she was surprisingly strong.

"Hi, I just had a question," I looked down at my feet. "Are you going to the party for the 9 & 10s tonight?" I mumbled to my scuffed shoes.

"Depends, are you going?" She raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if we could go together. It wouldn't be as fun with anyone else," I blushed, a little. Darn Ella, only you can make me blush so often. For nearly no reason too.

"What about Bertie?" She asked, an edge as sharp as a knife in her tone. Ahhh, Bertie, I had forgotten about Bertie this week but since Saturday I'm pretty sure he would want to find another fake girlfriend.

"That's done now," I said, brushing it off. "Sooo?"

"Course I'll go with you," Ella beamed.

"See ya then I guess," I said.

"We can hang out until classes if you want," Ella sensed my unwillingness to leave her and supplied an excuse to stay.

"Got nothing better to do," I smiled. I swung my arms around her narrow shoulders, a friendly gesture, not a romantic one but my waist felt electrified when she responded with a light hand on my hip securing me next to her.

Ella

When Lottie's mum's car pulled up at the edge of the forest with a crunch of gravel. Lottie squeezed my hand as we jumped out of the car together. I've never been to one of the annual end-of-year parties before but since Lottie wanted to go - I couldn't say no.

"Nervous?" She linked arms with me as we approached the green gloom of greenery.

"A little," I admitted. My eyes were on the ground as we talked, my feet picked through the rocks and roots that threaded the narrow pathway.

"I'll be with you all night," she promised sincerely.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I teased but it was true. It was Lottie that made me feel like elephants were stomping around in my stomach. She contributed more than half of my nervousness. She elbowed me in the ribs. A sharp jab purposely aimed not to do that much damage but to produce a slight sting.

"Oww!" I pushed her elbow away.

"Hey! Ella!" Eliza jumped up and waved her arms as we entered the fireplace circle. Walking towards Eliza, who had procured a quiet area near the other end of the circle and out of reach of the billowing smoke, we passed the boys at the fateful party. They jeered and whistled, calling out our names but I grabbed Lottie's hand to control myself. It took all the self-control I had not to punch them, it helped when I consoled myself that it would hurt me more than them if I did. I just had to focus on Lottie to get through the night. When we finally reached Eliza the music was blasting so loud that it was hard to talk but Lottie grabbed a bunch of crisps and snacks from the snack table. So instead of chatting, we huddled together against the chill of the wind, we ate from our stash of chips, pizza and cookies (Someone's parents had brought a tray of vegetables with hummus but they lay off to the side untouched) and swayed to the music.