DIGGY's POV
It was the beginning of spring break week and I was planning on throwing the most slammin' party tonight. Everything was ready. The food, the music, the decorations, the location (my house). There would be no parents and no annoying younger siblings. Just me, a group of friends from school, and a big old house all to ourselves. What could possibly go wrong?
"Dana..."
"Hey, boo. I mean, Diggy. Did you miss me?" She asks while posing at my doorway wearing a tight little red dress that stops just above her knees, along with some heels and a sweater to match. She stuntin' on 'em, I can't lie.
"I mean, I've been alright. Thanks for asking," I reply as she steps into the foyer of my house as I close the door behind her.
"Ugh, just say yes. It's okay. I know you did..." Dana replies while facing me and undressing me with her eyes. I bite my lip at her intense stare. "How do I look? I look good, don't I?"
She does... she really does...
"You look great. Thanks for coming," I reply with much control. I can't be over here drooling at her, even if her skin looks extra shiny and her cleavage is playing peek-a-boo with my eyes. I clear my throat and focus on the task at hand: being a good party host. "You're the first one here. Let me show you into the kitchen and get you a drink."
"Don't mind if I do..." She replies as she follows me into my kitchen, which has been decked out in party decorations and a huge sign that says 'Happy 19th Birthday, Diggy!'. A row of hot food rests in warming trays on the counter, and on another table is a row of sodas, juices, and some alcohol-free wine coolers. I may not be able to legally drink yet, but I can still get it fake poppin'.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Mm... are you on the menu?" Dana says while biting her fingernail.
I roll my eyes and chuckle at her antics. "Girl, if you don't stop flirting and answer the question. Or I'm gonna give you some water."
"Fine!" She smiles. "I'll take a wine cooler-- ooh, and it's peach flavored! I love peaches."
"There you go." I expertly open the cold bottled drink and hand it to her.
"They're so juicy... like me..." She giggles while taking a long sip of her drink, never breaking eye contact with me. "So what should we do to pass the time until your guests arrive, birthday boy?"
"Well, we could talk..."
"Watchu wanna talk about?" Dana puts her hand on her hip.
"Do you have any plans for spring break?"
"Not really. But this is a nice start to the week..." She smirks and takes a sip of her drink, glancing around the room until her eyes land on the DDR floor mats and projector set up across the room. "You got Dance, Dance Revolution? That looks fun. What else you got planned?"
"I got some video games set up in the living room, I have music, and maybe a few other games we could play. I just plan on keeping it chill and fun," I reply while rubbing my hands together. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Oh, someone's here. You can chill right here by the refreshments or take a seat over there. Enjoy the music. I'll be right back."
I leave the kitchen and walk to the front door. I open it and see Khalil and Becca with welcoming faces. Seeing two of my closest friends puts a smile on my face. We haven't been hanging out like we used to because of school responsibilities and drama surrounding a certain person, so I was glad to see them here at my house to celebrate my birthday.
"Hey!"
"Yo! My brotha..." Khalil steps inside and we do our handshake before hugging each other. "What's up?"
"Nothin', bro. Good to see you," I reply with a smile before turning to Becca. "What's up, Becca?"
"Hey, Diggy," she replies in a sweet tone, hugging me. "Happy Birthday!"
My face lights up as I see her pull out a small, thin gift wrapped in light blue wrapping paper with a letter attached. She hands it to me.
"Just a little something from me and Khalil."
"Ah, thank you. Come on in..." I shut the front door and follow them into the kitchen. "Dana's also here. You guys are the first ones. We're just kinda chillin' until everyone arrives."
Dana flashes a smug grin as she rests her hip against the kitchen counter. "Well, look who it is... hey, y'all." The three of them greet each other and choose their drinks of choice as we chill and listen to the music before the doorbell rings once again. I invited Chris and some of the guys from the basketball team, and it seems like they invited some other girls from school. I didn't expect a group of eight people at my door but the more the merrier, I guess. I greeted everyone and let them inside, and it noticeably got noisier inside the house.
"Ayo, Dig, thanks again man for inviting me. You're cool peeps!" Chris exclaims with the biggest smile.
"No problem, man. But... you could've given me a heads up about inviting other people," I reply while watching the large group mingle with my other friends.
"Aw, man. I'm sorry. I just figured you'd be cool about it, and you are, right? We homies, we all friends here."
His confident attitude was slightly annoying, but I shook off the feeling. "Yeah. It's cool. Don't worry about it. There's, uh, drinks on the counter and--"
"Don't mind if I do. Nice home, bro! Aye, you got DDR?!" Chris' voice trails off into the other rooms as I release a deep sigh and begin to close the door. But the sound of the doorbell forces me to open the door again. This time, Julie was standing on the porch with her hair in a bun and a bit more make-up than she usually wears these days.
"Julie. Hi!"
"Hey... happy birthday!" She says as she steps inside the foyer. Similar to Becca, she hands me a card and a lime green gift bag.
"Wow. You didn't have to get me anything."
"I couldn't come here empty-handed. It's just something small..." She shrugs as her relaxed eyes set on mine, radiating a feeling of warmth.
"Thank you."
"It's good to see you feeling better, too."
"Yeah. Those caramels really saved me," I chuckle softly. "I think I finished the box by Friday."
"Dang!" Julie chuckles. "Good thing I bought you some more."
My jaw drops in excitement as I look at her and then down at the lime green gift bag. "Word?"
She nods her head with a grin.
"You just made my whole week..." I reply, which causes her to giggle.
We enter the kitchen and all eyes are on us. "Hey, everyone. Julie's here." I set my gifts to the side as they greeted her, but when I turned back to Julie, I found her gazing toward Chris' noisy posse with a skeptical, bewildered look in her eye. I whisper to her, "Julie... you okay?"
Julie squeezes her balled-up fist and nods her head without a word. I eye Chris in the corner sipping on his non-alcoholic wine cooler with a prideful smirk on his face before he looks away.
"Julie, over here!" Becca calls from the other side of the kitchen. She shoots a friendly grin toward Julie who unfreezes and walks over to where Becca and Khalil stand. I spot Dana giving Julie a judgmental glance. I hope there's no drama between them or anyone else.
"Yo, Dig! When do we get to eat?" Chris calls from across the room.
"There's two more people I'm waiting for... but you know what? We can start without them."
Cheers from Chris' corner ring out as I take the tops off the food containers, revealing a delicious feast of chicken wings, barbeque meatballs, french fries, chips, cookies, candy, and other goodies.
"Let's eat!" I declare.
***
A little bit later, Sam and Jake arrive at the party. They hand me birthday cards and I show them into the kitchen where everyone is eating and dancing to the music. A few people have already started to play DDR in the far corner of the room, moving their feet in beat with the light-up footpad.
"Sorry, we're late..." Jake says.
"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're here," I nod toward Jake while giving him some dap. My eyes turn to Sam who's expressionless while looking ahead. "Sam... what up?"
"Sup..." She replies.
I glance at Jake and then clear my throat. "We got some food and snacks, so feel free to make a plate and mingle. There's music and a few games set up, so have fun."
"Alright. Thanks..." Jake nods while looking around.
"Sam! You came!" Becca squeals as she notices them walk in. Sam casually walks over to Becca, who gives her a side hug. Jake follows and says hello to Khalil. I release a delighted sigh as they all mingle with one another.
***
SAM's POV
"You're here!" Becca squeals while carrying a plate of food in one hand.
"Yup..." I reply with noticeably less enthusiasm than her.
"I'm glad. And Jake too! Of course, the two lovebirds..."
"Becca..." I groan, feeling a bit embarrassed. At that moment, I notice that Julie is standing quietly next to Becca, looking out of place. Who invited her?
"What? You two are adorable, don't act like you don't know. Also, Julie is here; she's gonna hang with us. It's like the lunch table gang," Becca chuckles. She's very talkative and expressive, as usual. "And you two are cousins now. That's exciting."
I raise my eyebrows and sigh, looking away in annoyance.
"Have you two done anything fun as a family yet? Like, with both your dads?"
"Stepdad..." I correct Becca.
"Uh... not yet," Julie speaks up. She seems a bit hesitant to talk. "My parents mentioned wanting to plan something though, maybe in the summer."
"Aw, that'll be so nice. I didn't get to talk to you much during the reception, but wasn't the wedding so nice? Everyone was so beautiful!" Becca gushes as the others nod their heads.
"It was nice," Julie agrees.
"And your dress was gorgeous, Julie. I saw you at your table looking like a model," Becca chuckles.
"Oh, so were you. Everyone looked very nice."
As they gushed about the wedding and made random short talk, I glanced towards the other side of the room at the group of familiar-looking teens chatting around Chris. They were laughing and eating. Diggy was among the crowd while Dana kept sending googly eyes his way. Ugh, I can't believe he actually invited her here. But I'm not surprised since he seems to value her friendship more than mine.
***
DIGGY's POV
"So what's the deal with you and Julie? I thought y'all broke up, but every time I look around, y'all hanging around each other..." Chris comments, nodding toward Julie, who is standing among my other group of friends, with a disgusted expression.
"Right? They even eat lunch together like she didn't cause all that drama last term," Dana adds with a salty expression, finishing off her wine cooler.
"Thought she'd be old news, but I guess boy can't get enough," Chris smirks.
"Yo, I don't know what y'all are talking about," I reply. "And I told you, Dana, that me and her just friends. We have a couple of classes together and we talk." I shrug my shoulders.
"Whatever you say, man. But it's not a good look carrying baggage around. Especially a thirsty, lying female like that?" Chris shakes his head while staring dead in my face. "It's bad news, Diggy. I mean, how other shorties gonna know that you're single when you still got ya ex-b*tch on ya arm every time they look around?"
"Aye, language, bro. Don't call girls out of their names."
"Oops. My bad!" Chris and his posse chuckle like I just told a joke. "I'm so sorry. It'll never happen again, Mr. I Respect Women."
I grind my teeth in irritation. "And who said I was even looking for a girl? I'm focused on me, man," I let him know.
"Yeah. Diggy doesn't have time to be messing with these fast little girls..." Dana speaks up while walking my way and grabbing onto my arm, giving me a seductive wink. "He needs a woman."
"Mm... and God knows you a whole lotta woman," Chris whistles at Dana while eyeing every curve of her form. A few of the homies from the basketball team rub their hands and stare at Dana like she's a piece of meat, and she's just eating up all the attention. Alright. These fools are making things a little too uncomfortable now.
"Aye, can we talk about something else? Anything else?" I complain.
"Alright. Don't be so sensitive, player!" Chris pauses and then nods towards the other group again. "You and Sam... y'all still cool?"
I look towards Sam standing near my other friends while chatting. I look back at Chris. "I mean, we good. Why?"
"I was always curious... did you ever feel some type of way since she left you for Jake? Like, I swear when you and that lying trick broke up, you'd get with Sam. That was the whole reason me and her dated in the first place: to make you jealous so she could win you back."
Dana pulls away from my arm. "Ugh. You mean when you and Sam pretended to be in a relationship? That whole scheme was destined to fail. It was such a lie," she says.
Chris frowns. "Lie or not, Sam talked about you all the time when we were together, Dig. I was just curious if you ever tried to pursue that. It's obvious she only had eyes for you. Probably still does."
Chris' revelation fills me with confusion. The fact that he and Sam lied about their relationship back then was always weird to me, but did they really fake being into each other to make me jealous? Why would I be jealous of them? I actually supported her and Chris when I found out about their dating news. Also, what does he mean Sam had eyes for me?
"What are you talking about, man? And why are you talking about this here, right now?" I ask with a confused chuckle.
"I just see Sam and Jake coupled up, and I don't know how that happened, but it ain't gonna last. Jake's cool but... if she was really feelin' him, how come she done glanced over here five times already in the last minute?" Chris shrugs while stuffing some chips in his mouth.
"Ugh, can we stop talking about her? This is Diggy's birthday party. Let's turn up!" Dana whines.
Chris ignores her and continues his illogical rant, leaning down and whispering to me. "Aye, I'm just letting you know what's up in case you were tryna shoot ya shot."
I shake my head. "Nah, man. That's my friend. I've never even looked at her that way..."
"Never say never, partner," he bumps my arm with a smirk.
I shake my head and glance over at my other group of friends, and this time, I make eye contact with Sam. Her expression looks bored, as usual. I haven't seen her look happy too much when I'm around. Not since last semester. Ain't no way Chris is trying to insinuate what I think he is. That somehow Sam has eyes for me. Just thinking about it makes me shiver with disgust. We may be close since birth, but I've never thought about her in that way. Plus, she has a boyfriend, and I respect that. I'm not interested in trying to get between her and Jake, so... that's that.
***
SAM's POV
"Aye, y'all better make a plate before Chris and his gang go back for seconds," Khalil suggests as he sits near the wall in a folding chair with his plate of food on his lap. "The chicken wings are slammin'."
"Word? They look good," Jake responds. "Sam, let's make a plate."
"Okay..."
I walk four steps to the kitchen counter and select some food to put on my plate. As I'm making my plate, I peep Diggy walk from Chris' group of friends over to Becca, Khalil, and Julie with a friendly smile on his face. I easily overhear him asking if they're enjoying themselves and assuring them they can eat as much food as they want before making small talk.
"Did y'all do anything fun this past weekend?" Diggy asks.
A collective group of "no's" is heard.
"It was super cold, so I stayed inside," Becca remarks.
"Yeah. Video games and sleep for me. Honestly, that's what my whole spring break finna look like," Khalil adds with a chuckle.
"Man, I hear you," Diggy replies. "It was freezing last week, but I had to take my little sister to her soccer tryouts and we were standing outside the whole time."
"Ooh. That couldn't be me," Khalil says.
"I hope you had your coat and hat this time..." Julie remarks.
"Ahh... I did. Thankfully," Diggy chuckles at whatever inside joke. Me and Jake walked back to our group of friends with our plates full of food, interrupting their conversation.
"What did we miss?" Jake asks before biting into a chicken wing and looking at Diggy.
"I was just asking them if they did anything this past week."
"Oh. Not really... a couple of weeks ago, I went down to BMCC for a campus tour. That was fun," Jake reveals, wearing a proud smile.
"Oh, word? Is that where you're gonna go?" Diggy asks with intrigue.
"I think so. The campus is great, the staff seems friendly, and the view is nice. Wasn't it, Sam?"
"Oh, you two visited the campus together?" Diggy asks, with what sounds like a hint of disappointment in his voice. Strange.
Since Jake was stuffing his face with food, everyone looked to me to answer. "Yeah. It was a nice campus with a lot of space."
"Nice..." Diggy nods his head with a forced grin.
"So..." Jake begins after chewing and swallowing. "I'm gonna register with them, get my finances together, and I'll be good to go."
"Good for you, man!" Khalil congratulates him.
"Yeah! I'm happy for you, Jake!" Becca says with a supportive smile.
"Thanks, I'm excited. Not too excited about being away from this girl, but..." Jake bumps my arm and winks at me. "We'll get through it. Plus, we still have the summer together before she leaves."
Diggy clears his throat while Becca squeals. Feeling embarrassed, I focus on my plate of food.
"You two are so adorable!! Stop!" Becca screams.
Diggy awkwardly chuckles and redirects the conversation. "Julie, um, did you do anything fun this past weekend?"
"Besides taking care of my sick friend, nah..."
"Ha... ah. Okay," Diggy chuckles silently and I notice Julie does the same. There's some weird tension between them, like a familiar tension. Like I missed out on something. But whatever, I might have to keep an eye on the two since they keep grinning at each other. Ain't nobody got time for all that.
"Hey! We're gonna do a DDR game tournament! If y'all wanna play, come over here and write your name down on this piece of paper!" Chris yells from the other side of the room as his posse gathers around the game area.
"Ugh, I wish he wasn't so loud..." I mumble while shoveling food into my mouth.
Diggy clasps his hands together and shrugs. "I guess we're playing DDR."
***
DIGGY's POV
Everyone participated in the idea of a DDR tournament, and it seemed like everyone was having fun. Julie loosened up a bit as she went up against Becca, and Sam even showed a smile when she went up against Khalil. Everyone was chatting and cheering each other on, grooving to the game's music. In the end, Dana was the one who won the tournament, beating out everyone's scores, and crowning herself as the best dancer. Allegedly, it was all thanks to her cheerleading skills, her flexibility, and her hips. I, for one, cannot deny that. She showed out and did great.
After everyone took a break and hydrated themselves, we decided to play a game where we could sit down and regain our energy. So we decided to grab more snacks, place some chairs in a circle beside the kitchen area, and play a classy old game of Truth or Dare.
"Who wants to go first?" Dana asks while looking around the group. She sat to my right while Becca was on my left. We decided to sit alternate boy, girl, boy, girl; because of this rule, I was facing Julie straight-on since she sat across the circle from me.
"I'll go first, then we can go to the left..." Chris volunteers.
"Alright. Truth or Dare, Chris?"
"Dare, of course."
"Wait, who's gonna give him a dare? Just anyone? Or should we have the person next to us ask?" I question.
"Anyone can ask, but I'll start," Dana replies. "Okay. Chris, I'll keep it sort of easy for now. Since you got a big mouth, let's see how well you use it..."
Her statement causes everyone to raise their eyebrows. This could go left real quick.
"I dare you to put as many grapes in your mouth as you can in 10 seconds..."
Chris scoffs. "Girl, that's lame."
"Just do it!"
Chris grabs a handful of grapes from his plate and stuffs them easily into his mouth as Dana countdowns. After 10 seconds are over, his cheeks are full, mimicking a squirrel. A few chuckles erupted throughout the circle.
"Aye, that's a good look on you, Chris!" One of the basketball players joked.
"Shut up! Let's keep it movin'... Dana, truth or dare?"
"I choose... Truth."
One of the female cheerleaders volunteered to ask her the question. "Where's the weirdest place you kissed or hooked up with someone?"
Dana smirks. "Ooh, juicy! Okay. Let me think. Maybe... my grandma's room."
"Whoa! What the heck?"
"She was out of the house and we was having a little pool party! And she's the only one who got a water bed... hehe. So I asked the guy if he was up for an experiment, and he said yes. So we stripped down to our bathing suits and we rode the waves, baby!" Dana replies while gyrating her body while sitting.
"Aye, not gonna lie, that sounds kinda fun," Khalil comments while glancing at Becca who shakes her head.
"Oh, it was!"
"Okay. My turn. I pick Truth since we're just starting," I say while rubbing my hands together.
"What's one secret that you've never told anyone?" Jake asks from across the circle.
"Um... I don't really have secrets."
"Stop lying!" Chris blurts out.
"I'm serious!"
"Everyone has secrets, bro..." Chris says.
"Um... well, I tell my friends pretty much everything so... I guess the only thing I can think of is... I cheated on a science test in middle school--"
"Booo!!!" Chris groans as the basketball players join in jokingly. "Seriously? Gonna play the goody-two-shoes card? That's the worst you can think of?!"
"The man's a saint..." Jake jokes.
"Alright. Alright. I told y'all I don't have any juicy secrets. I be chillin'..." I explain while chuckling.
"I know you're hiding something, Diggy, but we'll let that one go..." Becca jokes. "Is it my turn now? Because I pick Dare!"
"Finally! Aye, someone do a fun one please before I die of boredom," Chris exaggerates.
"Aight, babe," Khalil starts while turning towards Becca. "I dare you to take a shot of mayonnaise and wash it down with some good old pickle juice."
"Ew, gross!" Becca slaps Khalil on the arm, instantly frowning with disgust. "I'm not gonna do that."
"It's a dare. Let's go! In fact, lemme help you out." Khalil runs to the fridge and finds some mayo and a jar of pickles. Grabbing two plastic cups, he scoops a tablespoon of each into the bottom of the cup before running back over to the circle with a devilish grin. "Here. I only put one scoop in there. You have to eat them both."
After some more groans and whines, Becca completes her dare and then chugs her bottle of water. "That was horrible! Ugh, I'm gonna be sick..."
"I'm up next. I pick Dare," Khalil says with a huge smile.
"You look a little too happy about this," I remark while chuckling.
"I ain't scared of nothing."
"Word? Then I dare you to lick someone's feet..."
"What?! Hell nah! You trippin'." He replies as the room bursts out in laughter.
"Come on, babe. I thought you weren't scared of anything," Becca teases.
"I'm not, but that's nasty. I wouldn't even lick your feet!"
"Well, you gotta choose someone... who do you think has the tastiest feet in the group?" Becca chuckles.
I expected Khalil to chicken out, but... he actually did it. Well, to himself, which I'm not sure counts, but I was even surprised he was that flexible. Everyone's eyes went wide at the side of him bending forward and cradling his crusty foot in his arms before taking one long lick from heel to toe. I didn't know my mans was kinky like that.
"Brotha, that's fishy... and I ain't talking about the smell," Chris says while sending Khalil a judgmental look.
"You are definitely not getting any more kisses until next year..." Becca says in disgust.
After that insane moment, it was Sam's turn. I was curious about what she'd choose and how invested she would be while playing.
"I'm gonna choose Truth because y'all are playing too much tonight," Sam says, which causes Jake and half of the crew to laugh.
"I have a question..." Dana speaks up. "What would you say is a deal breaker in any relationship?"
"Wow... pulling out the deep questions," Becca looks towards Dana with surprise.
"I'm just so curious about Sam's philosophy on relationships and friendships... since she seems to move quickly through them..." Dana says in a snarky tone.
"Hey, chill..." I say to Dana. I don't need any drama starting between them yet again.
"You know, that's a great question. And I could see why you'd want to ask me for advice given that you've never seemed to keep a relationship yourself," Sam replies with a similar snarky tone. Chris stifles a laugh as Dana grinds her teeth in annoyance. "To answer your question, I think... maybe dishonesty. Telling someone you're gonna do something, or that you'll be there for them, or that you truly care when you don't..." Sam tilts her head in a sassy way while glancing between me and Dana. "Another deal breaker is someone who's super clingy. You know, they wanna know where you are, who you're with, whining about how come you didn't invite them. That type. They even try to keep you from hanging out with your friends... I bet that sounds familiar."
"Okay. She answered the question... let's keep it going," I say, trying to ignore the tension radiating between the two. "Jake?"
"Yeah. Uh, I'll pick Truth."
"Let's keep it juicy," Chris starts, "Have you ever told a girl you was with that you loved her but didn't mean it? Like you was telling shorty all these things she likes to hear, right, just to get in her pants."
"Uh... yeah," Jake replies with downcast eyes. His response causes all of us to gasp. I peeped Sam widen her eyes and glance at him before glancing at Becca with a worried expression.
"Oh, man! I knew you was a player! You be trying to act like a gentleman--" Chris laughs in his dramatic way.
"No, no, no! I mean-- first of all, it was a past relationship," Jake clarifies while directly looking at Sam, kind of like assuring her that he wasn't talking about her. "I haven't lied to a girl just to get in her pants. I was saying yes that I've told an ex-girlfriend that I loved her when I didn't mean it."
"Why did you tell her if you didn't mean it?" Sam immediately asks, side-eyeing Jake.
"Honestly? Back then, I think I was just going through the motions. I thought that saying 'I love you' was just a part of the rules, along with holding hands, carrying her bags, and acting all lovey-dovey... even if it felt forced," he reveals with a sigh. "But I'm more mature now, and I don't do or say anything in a relationship if I don't truly mean it. Believe that."
"Mkay... that's mature of you. And the boyfriend of the year award goes to..." Becca comments while clapping her hands.
"Hey. I'm right here," Khalil says with a frown.
"Yeah. But Jake didn't lick anyone's foot..."
As my friends jokingly bicker amongst each other, I nod toward Julie who's been silent the entire game. "Alright. Julie's turn. Truth or Dare?"
"I'll pick Truth."
"The irony..." Chris mumbles to his posse.
I glance at him and clear my throat. "Anybody have a question for her?"
The circle is silent. All that's heard is the rumble of the heater and a car passing the house outside.
"Okay. Guess I'll ask one," I volunteer. "How about... what was your biggest childhood fear?"
Everyone waits quietly as Julie thinks about how to answer the question. I notice that she is twiddling with her fingers in her lap. "Um... I think my biggest fear was failure." She gulps before she continues, looking at me. "I was an only child and my parents poured their all into me. I was their proud possession. I felt pressured to be well-behaved, get good grades, and stay out of trouble so I wouldn't let them down. I didn't really have any complaints, but looking back, I realized how restricted I've been living. Sometimes it's like I have to walk on eggshells or completely mask my true self in order to make my parents happy... and that sucks..."
"Oh, Julie..." Becca comments in a soft voice, pouting.
"I really didn't know that... that sounds like a lot of pressure," I reply. I'm genuinely surprised to see Julie open up and be vulnerable like this about herself, especially with other people around. It was enlightening to see. I thought I knew so much about her, but clearly, there's a lot more that she's hiding.
"Yeah. It's whatever though."
"Okay. Thanks for sharing that," I say. "And if you ever need to vent... I got you."
Julie's face brightens at my words. "Thanks..."
"Me too. I'm here for you, chica..." Becca says in support.
***
After a couple more rounds, it was back to Dana's turn. Chris decided to give her a dare.
"I dare you to bite the neck of someone that you think is the best kisser..."
"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Dana bounces with joy. "Who should I pick...?"
"I mean, the obvious choice..." Chris pops his collar with a cocky grin. I roll my eyes.
"Who's the best kisser?" Dana looks directly at me, which causes panic through my body. I know we've kissed before, and I should be flattered if she chooses me, but I only see her as a friend. Plus, if she kisses me, people might speculate that we're a thing or something. So I immediately break eye contact with her and rub my neck. I hear her chuckle.
"You know... I've always thought this person was cute, and I've imagined what it would feel like to make out with him. So..." We watch as Dana crawls across the circle directly in front of Jake, who looks surprised. "I choose you..." A few hoots and hollers are heard from Chris' posse as she slowly leans closer to Jake's face, tilting her head and opening her mouth to plant some teeth marks into his neck.
"I don't think so." Sam grabs Dana by the neck with her left hand and pushes her away from Jake. Dana scoffs dramatically while rubbing her neck.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You're not touching my boyfriend. Choose someone else," Sam says on full defense.
"Why?! You can smash all of Diggy's friends but I can't?"
"Yo, chill!" I say.
"You keep spreading this same lie... is that all you got?" Sam says.
Dana snickers. "You talked about someone being clingy, but look at you! It's just a game. Jake doesn't mind it, do you?"
Jake throws his hands up in defense. "I--"
"Well, I mind it. And I don't want your nasty, thirsty *ss hands, or chlamydia *ss mouth on my man--"
"Keep talkin', b*tch! You got the wrong one--" Dana yells while getting up in Sam's face. Jake tries to separate the two in front of him with the help of Khalil who was sitting beside Sam.
"Yo, chill," Khalil groans.
"What are you gonna do about it?!" Sam says, provoking her.
"Hey! Y'all gotta knock it out. What's the problem with you two?" I yell while standing to my knees.
"Diggy, I've been trying this whole night to be nice, but I'm not doing this anymore," Dana complains while taking off her earrings. "She ain't gonna call me outta my name and get away with it!"
"You keep talkin' trash. So what?" Sam yells back.
"You shouldn't have said anything in the first place," I say to Dana.
"What did I say?"
"The same stuff you keep saying about Sam smashing the whole crew? You know that's a lie--"
"How is it a lie? She was all about you, and then she was all about Chris for two seconds, and now she's all about Jake. Like, can't you see she lovin' the crew? But I'm wrong for calling it out?"
"You're super out of line and you know it, Dana," Becca comes to the defense. "You always have something to say about everybody else and I'm sick of it. I mean look how you treated Julie. You acted like she was your best friend when she was on the cheer team, but as soon as you found out she was--" She pauses while staring at Julie, biting her tongue. "As soon as you found out she was struggling with some personal stuff, you abandoned her and treated her like crap. And you spread rumors about her. That's not okay."
"Shut up, Becca. I don't know why you're defending Sam when she'll probably be all over Khalil in two weeks. Just watch!" Dana yells back while stumbling to her feet.
"I'm defending Sam because she's my friend, and she's been attacked by you for too long now. That's what real friends do. They stand up for each other but they also call them out if they're crossing the line, Dana."
"Oh, put a cork in it, Becca."
"Make me, Dana!"
"Alright. Let's chill..." Khalil grabs Becca's arm in an attempt to calm her down.
Dana huffs and looks at me with erratic eyes. "Diggy, are you gonna just let them talk about me like this? Are you gonna let Sam call me out of my name?"
"Sam was wrong for calling you out of your name, but you were also wrong for starting stuff in the first place," I shrug and release a sigh.
"So this b*tch can break the rules--"
"Dana! Enough!" My voice echoes throughout the house, making everyone jump. "I'm really tired of this. No matter how hard I try to be friendly - I invite you to my party, I hang out with you - you completely disregard other people's feelings. I know you're mad, but so am I. Every time I give you a chance, you break my trust. You call yourself a friend, but you're badmouthing the whole crew. You're not even trying to make the situation better or see how your actions affect other people."
Dana scoffs while walking toward me, rubbing her hands over my chest as I stand to my feet and look away. "Diggy... I really tried to be nice. But she pushed my buttons--"
"You're grown. You're about to graduate, Dana. We all are. But you act so childish sometimes..." I reveal while getting a bad taste in my mouth.
"Diggy, I'm just trying to look out for you! Sam isn't who you think she is. I mean, how could she call me those names and say I have chlamydia?!"
Chris holds back his laughter, and Dana glares at him.
"That's not funny!"
"I'm sorry, but you're not who I thought you were, Dana. You used to be so chill, or so I thought. Now every time I bring you around my friends, there's always a fight. Sam didn't even talk to you this whole time until you said something. She was only defending herself from your lies."
"So you're gonna... you're gonna take Sam's side?" Dana asks with a distraught look on her face.
"Always. Because at the end of the day, that's my best friend. I owe more loyalty to her than to you," I reply while looking at Sam who seems tired and tense with her fists balled up. "I think I forgot all that she's done for me... and I took advantage of our friendship. I should've known she wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction; I mean, she was right about pretty much everything that has happened this year. I should've listened to her and been less selfish..." I admit.
Dana looks between me and Sam, shakes her head, and stomps out of the circle. "If that's how you feel... then okay." She grabs her purse and coat with anger. "I won't bother you anymore. I thought we were friends, and I really liked you, Diggy. But I see some things never change..." Dana says before dramatically stomping through the kitchen and out of the house.
Once she leaves, my chest falls with a deep sigh. I look around at the others still sitting in a circle. Suddenly, Chris claps with a huge smirk.
"That was impressive, bro. Standing up for ya own. I respect that..." He nods to me while chugging his third wine cooler. The other basketball players and cheerleaders in his posse nod in agreement.
"Yeah. You let her have it, bro," Khalil says with his arm around Becca.
"That was so stressful..." I fall to my knees and sit down, in thought.
"You're a good guy, Daniel. You did the right thing standing up for your friends," Julie adds with a friendly grin. I meet her gaze and grin.
"Thanks..."
"And you too, Becca. Standing up for me about the cheerleading thing..."
"Oh, don't mention it. She had it coming. I really wish you were still on the team," Becca replies with regret in her voice.
"It's fine. Everything happens for a reason."
"Alright. If we're done with all the drama... who wants to play another game? I got the perfect one to get our hormones going," Chris says.
"Oh lord... that's all you think about," I reply.
"Aye, they don't call me Party Master for no reason."
"Nobody calls you that..." Jake comments, earning some chuckles from Chris' posse.
"Just listen. 7 Minutes In Heaven. I'll spin the bottle, and the two people it lands on have to spend seven minutes alone in a dark room. What goes on in the dark room stays in the dark room, ya dig?"
I look around the circle and ask everyone if they're okay playing another game. They all nod their heads, and then Chris spins his empty wine cooler bottle. It lands on Sam for the first spin, then the second spin lands on me. I look at Sam who crosses her arms, and Julie who appears worried.
"Haha! That's what I'm talkin' about. This should be interesting. The two childhood buddies left alone in a dark room together... Diggy, remember what I told you." Chris winks at me.
"Actually, I'm gonna forfeit this one..." I quickly speak up. There's no way that me and Sam are gonna go in a dark room and do anything like Chris is assuming. "But... Sam, can we actually talk for a minute?"
I stand to my feet hoping that Sam follows my lead, and with the encouragement of Becca and Jake, she does.
"Hey, Chris, have someone else go in our turn, okay? We'll be back," I tell him before walking out of the kitchen area and into the foyer. As me and Sam walk past the front door to go upstairs, I can hear the cold wind outside howling.
"Hey, Daniel..."
"Julie?" I turn around the see Julie walking up behind us with her coat on. "Are you leaving?"
She grimaces. "Yeah... I'm sorry. I kind of don't feel so well. I have a headache thanks to certain people... um, so I better head home."
"Man, I'm so sorry. Today did not go like I expected it," I reply with a sigh, thinking about all of the drama that unfolded not too long ago.
"But it was still fun," Julie smiles while sending a shy glance between me and Sam. "Thanks for inviting me, and happy birthday!"
"No problem. Let me at least walk you out--"
"No! No. It's fine..." Julie glances toward Sam again with pressed lips. "I'll catch you later."
"Alright."
Julie waves goodbye and leaves through the front door. I turn back to Sam who looks disinterested and bored.
"Let's go to my room..."