20. Dare Night
It is a family tradition here at the Jensen household for a dare night on Christmas Eve.
We all write ridiculous dares and put them in a hat, and split up in pairs. Rebecca is of course on my team because we're gonna win this year.
Once we are in our teams, we select five dares from the hat and the first team to complete all five with video evidence before one, gets to pick the family event for the evening. The losers aren't so lucky, they will all have to complete the same horrible dare as punishment.
Last year we had to run in the snow with only our underwear and bras on. Cars driving past were very confused.
Rebecca and I carefully pulled out our five dares.
"Okay, ready?. Set. Go!" Logan screamed, sprinting out the door along side his dad.
Rebecca and I took the backyard exit and ran as fast as we could in the snow. Which was almost impossible.
Once we slid into my car, which I've missed so much, we looked at our first dare.
"Get a tattoo." Rebecca chuckles to herself.
"Well, I'm the only one eighteen here," it is legal to get a small tattoo at age eighteen without parents consent.
I sigh before backing out and heading to the closet, but nice, tattoo shop near us.
We ended up going to a place called Ink, it was like the café all over again.
I approached the man with a full sleeve of tattoos at the front desk. There was a lip piercing which I could never pull off.
"Welcome to Ink what you looking for?" He asked.
"I want to get a small tattoo." I smile friendly.
"What you looking for exactly?"
"Can I see what tattoos you offer?" I ask.
He nodded and walked over to a binder filled with tattoo designs. Handing it to me.
He also handed me all the papers I needed to fill out. I filled them out, showed him my ID stating that I'm eighteen years old, and went to take a seat next to Rebecca.
"I can't believe you're doing this." She whispered to me.
"I am determined to win this year." I smile, looking through the selection of small tattoos. Looking for something that has a deep impact on me.
There was nothing that caught my eye.
"How about this one?" She pointed at a little outline of a mountain with a quote, look for adventure in calligraphy letters.
I smiled at it. Thinking about the time I went to the mountains with Blake for the first time in my life.
"Okay."
I walked over back to the man, showed him what I wanted and he went to work on the outline for me.
That took about twenty minutes which gave me enough time to decide where I wanted it.
He pressed it on my ankle and asked me how it looked.
I examined it in the mirror and smiled. Now I can't believe I'm actually doing this.
"It's perfect." I smile.
"Take a seat while I go prepare everything." He pointed to the tattoo chair and walked off to the back of the shop.
I got as comfortable as possible, awaiting his return.
"You sure about this?" He asked once again.
"Yes." I say with as much fake confidence I could find.
Please don't screw up. Please don't screw up.
It felt like a needle constantly stabbing my skin, which exactly what it is.
Rebecca held her phone out to record the whole process.
It seemed like forever, which was only ten minutes, until the tattoo was completely finished.
I jumped off the chair and checked it out in the mirror. It was beautiful, I almost wanted to cry.
"Thank you so much. It's awesome." I tell him.
We wrapped up the tattoo, payed the fee, and walked out. Ready to complete the next dare.
"What's next?" I ask anxiously. Only because Rebecca has agreed to take on the next dare face first
"Kiss a complete stranger." She finally blurts out.
"Oh my god." I break out in an uncontrollable laughter. "That is the best thing I think I'll ever see."
"Just park." She groans.
I find a spot and both of us walk out into the shopping district. Looking for a potential kissing partner.
"Okay I found one." Rebecca said before walking off. Determined to complete this dare.
I yanked out my phone and started to record, by the time I looked up, she was already giving a full lip action to some blonde kid with a familiar touch to him.
She pulled away and began to walk back towards me, causing the stranger to look to see what direction she was heading.
When he looked up, we made eye contact and I tried my hardest not to laugh.
"You get it?" Rebecca asked me. Driving my attention back onto her.
"Uh. Yeah." I chuckle slightly.
"What's so funny?"
"Julia!" Theo called to me.
Rebecca turned around to see the guy she just gave an amazing make out session to. Jaw dropping. "Oh my god."
"Rebecca. Theo," I bite my lip holding back laughter. "Theo. This is Rebecca."
"So you are the best friend of Julia." He grins at her, "much more fun than her that's for sure."
"Theo!" I yelled.
"You know Blake around here somewhere." Theo changes the subject.
"You know I'd really love to chat, but Rebecca and I have a competition to win."
"Competition?" Blake's voice came from behind.
I whipped around and saw him standing there with a bunch of shopping bags from various stores.
"Yes." I glare. "Family tradition."
"Theo you down for a competition." Blake asks.
"You know it." Theo grins.
"No." I quickly say.
"Yes." Rebecca counters.
I gave her one look while she gave me another. Mine was suppose to mean they-are-not-coming-with-us type of looks. Her's was the complete opposite.
"Fine." I groan.
"Weird." Blake mumbles to Theo.
"Come on." I command walking away with Rebecca so we can complete the next dare.
"Julia got a tattoo!" Theo yelled from the backseat. Rebecca has been explaining the whole game to both of them the entire time as we tried escaping this traffic mess.
"Yeah right on her ankle." Rebecca says excitingly.
"I'm impressed." Blake says.
"Why? Didn't think I had it in me?" I joke. Eyeing him through the rearview window.
He didn't say anything, just stared at me.
"So how many dares do you got left?" Theo asks, ignoring the exchanging of looks Blake and I were giving.
"Two." I say before Rebecca with a smile.
"Can I have the honors of choosing the next one?" Blake volunteers.
Rebecca handed him the hat we've been using and he pulled out a bright pink paper.
"Try the hottest pepper in the world." He tells us.
"Oh hell yes!" Rebecca shouts.
"Why are you excited?" Theo grins.
"Because it's Julia's turn." She tells them.
"Oh my god!" Theo breaks out into a laughing fit.
Blake and Theo did the honors of buying a ghost pepper since we couldn't find the hottest pepper out our local grocery store. They also bought a gallon of milk and ice cream for my sake.
"Dude they had to make sure we were adults to buy it." Theo tells us.
"They also gave us the type of looks where they think we're idiots." Blake grins. Carefully pulling out A ghost pepper with a napkin.
"Ready?" Rebecca asks with a giant smile. She's gonna enjoy this just like everyone else in the car.
"Nope." I glare, grabbing the pepper from Blake.
"Go." Rebecca tells me and the sound of the video starting clicked.
I took a normal sized bite from the pepper, regretting it immediately.
"Damn girl!" Theo calls.
"That is the face of bravery and stupidity at the same time." Blake added.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" I hiccupped in between every hot. "God! God! Hot!"
"The lord can't help you now." Theo jokes. I wanted to punch him.
I grabbed the milk carton and began to chug it. For a split second it seemed to help, than the burning feel in returned.
There were no words to describe the active volcano forming in my mouth. I could feel my eyes watering from how hot it was, my tongue trying to retract it self, and the back of my throat feeling like a blowtorch.
"Well. This was funny at first, but now I feel bad." Theo says after a good ten minutes of me suffering.
"What's the next dare?" Blake takes the words right out of my mouth.
Rebecca pulled from the hat and face dropped when she read the dare.
"Go ask an elderly person for their number."
"That's nothing compared to what Julia had to say." Blake grins.
I nodded in agreement since my throat was on fire.
"There!" Theo shouted.
I pulled the car to the stop and began to record Rebecca as she got out of the car and asked the elderly man for his number.
"That was horrible." She glares at all of us.
"I think it's time for the final dare." Blake grins.
"She's doing it!" I quickly shout. Even though my throat was on fire.
"Only because I love you." She grins.
Blake grabbed the last piece of paper and read it out loud.
"Donate blood at your local hospital." He smiled.
"No. No. No. No. No." Rebecca told us.
"It's for a good cause." Theo grins.
"I have trypanophobia." She tells us.
"Too bad." I smirk. Driving towards the hospital.
"No." Rebecca said again as if it would make a difference.
"Come on Rebecca we could win." Theo grins even though he's not apart of this.
Because of Theo, Rebecca finally came to her senses and agreed. Both Blake and I had a sly smile after that.
Rebecca was as nervous as me going on rollercoasters. And the fact that she'll be donating one pint of blood.
She squeezed my hand so hard when the nurse stuck the needle in, I thought it was gonna break.
"See that wasn't so bad." I smile once we were done and on our way home.
"And it was for the greater good." Theo joins in.
"And they gave you a sucker." Blake adds with a smile.
"I hate you all." She mumbles, staring at her bandaid as if it was gonna jump out and kill her.
"Come on, we are so winning this." I smile.
We were the first team to arrive home with all five dares complete. My grandparents greeted us and inspected the videos, all shocked that I got a tattoo of course.
With us winning, that means we gotta pick the punishment for the other teams. We all had an evil smile while deciding.