Brightly Grim

John: Truth or Dare

I don't know if it's been a moment or an hour as I snap out the trance of Jessica's body dancing up to mine. Our eyes are locked, her lips smiling.

"You're finally waking up, Johnny. I missed you."

I turn her around by the hips, finally stopping their motion against me.

"What game are you playing at Jessica?"

"I think you know by now." She looks up at me in amusement, passing a stroke on my chest as she breaks away. She walks across the living room, grabbing a bottle of vodka from the table, then shutting off the music.

She gains everyone's eyes, and some raised eyebrows as she walks in the center of the room.

"Alright everybody, grab a seat, we're playing truth or dare!" Jessica announces, shaking up the bottle.

She's crazy. I tense my lips to hold back a laugh.

"You're crazy." Cassie laughs. "We're adults."

"Are you, Cassie?" Damien asks, staring at her judgmentally from the couch by Lora. Cassie pokes her tongue out at him.

"Now that sounds like fun." Seth says, having crawled back and taken his slouching seat on a couch when I haven't noticed.

"For sure." Lizzie agrees, taking Joey to share the couch with her and Seth.

"Could be interesting." Peter says with a shrug to Cassie's questioning look.

"Alright fuckers, let's play." Cassie claps her hands once, and takes her seat. Stephanie follows her lead without thinking twice.

I take my seat in the armchair, trying to hide my fascination. I can't believe she's pulling this shit off.

"I'll spin first." Jessica puts down the bottle, gives it a rapid spin, and goes to sit in the couch next to Damien and Lora - right in front of me. There's a moment of silent  suspense as we all watch the bottle slow.

"Cap asks, bottom answers." Jessica announces, and the bottle stops.

"Truth or dare?" I ask Lora.

"Truth." She answers, meeting my gaze. I smirk back at her.

"Was it better to have Cassie and Stephanie at the same time, or to have Damien?"

Jessica, Lizzie, and Seth start laughing. Damien sits up, Stephanie clears her throat, and Cassie hums to herself.

"Damien." Lora blushes and digs her head in his chest. I clap my hands and laugh. Cassie and Stephanie share a dissatisfied look, while Damien is beaming with newfound confidence.

"Alright John, you spin." Jessica beacons me up with a curl of a finger. I get up, crouch to spin the bottle, then sit down in the armchair.

"Truth or dare, Stephanie?" Damien says as the bottle stops.

"Truth." She answers, and Damien glances at me with a gleam in his eyes.

"Who's better, Cassie or John?" He asks, and Lora slaps his shoulder. Nobody else dares to comment. I lean back into my chair, shifting my stare to Stephanie, and Cassie on the couch next to her. She looks more curious than I am.

"Can't really compare this..." Stephanie looks away from both of us.

"Sure you can. You just gotta tell the truth." Damien answers.

"It's so different..." She drags on.

"Stephanie. Answer the question." I say, and she bites down on her lip.

"Cassie."

"Oh damn!" Damien claps his hands several times, his O echoed all across the living room. Cassie just leans back, smirking at me in triumph.

Hah.

"Damien, excellent question. Go and spin now." Jessica says, her voice almost singing with happiness.

At least someone's happy.

Stephanie gets up to get another bottle of vodka from the table.

Damien gets back in his seat, and the bottle spins around to a stop.

"Truth or dare, Peter?" Jessica smiles across to him.

"Truth." He answers.

"How many of your patients have you slept with?" Her question puts a different kind of silence in the room.

"Two." His gaze lowers to the floor, and Cassie's eyebrows raise as far as her forehead would allow.

That's fucked up...

Jessica crouches to spin the bottle, and I can't hold my eyes from running up her legs. She gives me a sly, knowing look as she sits back down.

"Oops, me again." She smirks. "Truth or dare, Cass?"

"Dare." Cassie answers fast.

"Kiss your favorite girl here."

Cassie grabs Stephanie beside her, and shoves a tongue in her mouth. Stephanie moans in surprise. My gaze glides on to Jessica quicker than they stop. She's covering her mouth beneath her hand, but I can see the smile in her eyes.

Jessica spins the bottle, and I can feel it'll land on her again even before it stops.

"Truth or dare?" Cassie asks.

"Dare." Jessica answers, unable to stop her eyes from flickering to me.

"I dare you to stop playing this game and put the music back on."

I start laughing, and the others join me. Jessica gets up, hands Cassie the bottle from the floor, then clicks for the music to blast through the house again.