Short Story : Truth Or Dare?
Adrian stood on the edge of the bridge, looking down into the swirling water below him. His day hadn’t been particularly wonderful, though there were undoubtedly people in the world who had experienced days that were far worse.
But to him what had happened couldn’t have been worse.
He’d tried to do something brave and admit to his feelings for once in his life, and it had blown up in his face.
He’d never done anything brave before; never done anything to stand out from the crowd. He’d much rather stick to the shadows and let life flow over him, carry him on at the pace of whoever else might be there to take his hand and guide him onwards.
He wished he’d stuck to the shadows and remained a sheep.
A shadowy sheep that no-one ever noticed.
But he couldn’t go back there now.
He’d already been noticed. And he didn’t like being noticed.
He continued to look down as he thought back on his day.
His last day.
*
“Okay class,” Ms Crawford smiled, “Today I was thinking we'd have a bit of a celebration, what with the end of term looming just around the corner.”
“It's not a childish game, is it?” June complained.
“Um, no.” Ms Crawford frowned, “It's a variation on pass the parcel.”
“So it is a childish game.” June rolled her eyes.
“Cool.” Wayne smiled, “This should be good.”
Ms Crawford rummaged through her drawers and pulled out a parcel. She handed it to Maria, who shook it roughly;
“What's in it?” she asked.
“Well, in the middle there's a prize,” Ms Crawford said, “But before you get there, there are some forfeits.”
“Forfeits?” Lola asked suspiciously, “What kind of forfeits?”
“It's kind of like musical truth-or-dare pass-the-parcel.”
“Okay,” Diana raised an eyebrow, not impressed with Ms Crawford's description of the game, “If you say so.”
Ms Crawford sighed and turned on the stereo she'd brought in as the school children formed a seated circle on the classroom floor. The music that blared out was ‘Love Fool’ by The Cardigans, one of her favourites. Most of the kids in the class were too young to remember it the first time around, but Ms Crawford had loved it. She swayed her head side to side as the music played.
The parcel slowly, and unenthusiastically, began to move around the room. Then the music stopped;
Diana held the parcel.
“Open it then.” Ms Crawford encouraged.
Diana sighed and started to tear lamely at the first layer of newspaper. A Quality Street and a piece of paper fell out.
“Read the paper.” Ms Crawford goaded, getting incredibly overenthusiastic about the whole thing.
Diana picked up the crumpled piece of paper and read it out loud, “ ‘You must kiss the person on your left',” she read, then turned to her left. Lola sat there.
“Obviously this would have worked better if there were more boys in the class,” Ms Crawford explained, “But rules are rules.”
“Are you allowed to do this, miss?” June asked, “Make your students kiss each other? Isn’t it a bit weird?”
“Shut up, June,” said Wayne, leaning forward in his seated position, “I want to see this.”
Diana looked up at the ceiling, giving it a ‘Why Me?’ sort of look, then pecked Lola on the cheek.
“Oo er.” Wayne sniggered, “Somebody call DH Lawrence.”
“Shut up.” Diana warned.
“Okay,” Ms Crawford switched the stereo back on, “Let's keep passing it around. There are more sweets and forfeits to come.”
The parcel began to move around the classroom again, this time slightly quicker as no-one wanted to get a forfeit. Then the music stopped;
“Oh God.” Wayne sulked, realising he had the parcel.
“That'll teach you.” Diana sniggered.
Reluctantly Wayne began to open the next layer of the parcel. Another sweet fell out, with another piece of paper. Wayne stuck the sweet in his mouth and looked at the piece of paper;
“Oh God.” he repeated, then read out what it said, “ ‘Do an impression of Linton from Wuthering Heights when he is having an epileptic fit’?” Wayne crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it to the floor, “You can't be serious, that’s a little un-PC?” he said, addressing Ms Crawford.
Ms Crawford looked at him with an ‘Of course I'm serious’ look. Wayne rolled his eyes;
“Okay everyone, make some room.” Wayne gestured space with his hands, and everyone moved aside. Lying down on the floor, Wayne began to jerk around, pretending he was having a fit. Everybody burst out laughing.
“Satisfied?” Wayne smiled, sitting back up again and straightening his shirt.
Ms Crawford sniggered as she turned the music back on and the parcel continued around the room.
This time it stopped on Maria.
“I hope this is a good one.” she smiled, “That is, one that isn't too embarrassing.”
She tore at the paper and, as before, a piece of paper and a sweet fell out. Maria picked them up, pocketing the sweet, and looked at the piece of paper.
“It's blank.” she exclaimed, “Cool. Does that mean I don't have to do anything?”
Ms Crawford smiled, “Not quite.”
Maria frowned, “What does it mean then?”
Ms Crawford's smile widened, “It means you have to do a truth or dare.”
Maria's face dropped, “Oh no, do I have to?”
“Alright.” Sandra beamed, “Can we ask her to do anything?”
“Within reason.” Ms Crawford cautioned.
Sandra sat up straight, “I dare you...” she began, “...to give Wayne a lap dance!”
Wayne beamed at Sandra, “You are definitely going on my Christmas list!” he chuckled.
Maria shook her head, “I’m not doing that,” she said.
“Oh, go on,” Wayne grinned, “you know you want to.”
Maria rolled her eyes, stood up and shook her bum once in Wayne’s face.
“Happy?” she asked.
“Ecstatic!” Wayne replied.
Ms Crawford switched the music back on and the parcel began to wing its way around the room once more. As the music stopped the parcel found its way into Adrian's lap.
“Oh, not me.” he whined, “I don't want to do a dare.”
“Too bad.” Ms Crawford said, “Open it.”
Adrian reluctantly ripped the newspaper from the prize, and another sweet and piece of paper fell out. Adrian looked at the piece of paper.
“It's another blank one,” he said quietly, “Does that mean truth or dare again?”
“I'm afraid so.” Ms Crawford said.
“I've got one for you.” Wayne grinned, “Who, Adrian - and I'll repeat that - who would you most like to take to the prom out of everyone in this room?”
Adrian's eyes widened and darted about the room, “Hang on, hang on,” he shouted, “Maria didn't properly do her forfeit.”
“Yes I did,” Maria rolled her eyes, “Just give us an answer.”
Adrian squirmed, looking around at everyone in the room. Wayne knew damn well who Adrian wanted to take to prom, but Adrian had never had the courage to ask her out. Why was Wayne doing this? Was he trying to help? Did he know something that Adrian didn’t? Maybe he knew that the girl in question was interested and might say yes.
Taking a deep breath, Adrian continued to look around the room at all the expectant faces watching him squirm.
Finally his eyes fixed on Sandra;
“It's Sandra, okay.” he replied, “Happy?”
Sandra arched her neck and went slightly red. Wayne leaned into Adrian;
“What are you thinking, man - saying Sandra?.” he whispered, “Don't you know she has a boyfriend now?”
Adrian gulped slightly, “Er, no. I didn't know that.”
“I thought you'd have said Ms Crawford or something.” Wayne mumbled, “I was trying to help you out with an easy one.”
“Well it bloody well backfired, didn't it.” Adrian spat back, “You knew I liked Sandra.”
“Oh, well I'm sorry,” Wayne said, moving back to his normal seating position.
Adrian stared down at the floor. He looked like he was going to cry.
Ms Crawford looked around. Thinking it best to break the silence, she switched the music back on.
“Okay everyone,” she said, “Let's carry on passing the parcel.”
Adrian sadly and slowly tossed the parcel into Wayne's lap. Then the music stopped again.
“I've already opened it before.” Wayne complained, “Can't someone else have a go?”
“The music stopped on you.” Ms Crawford pointed out.
“Yeah, and who stopped it?”
“That's neither here nor there.” Ms Crawford shrugged, “Just open it and take your forfeit like a man.”
Wayne muttered to himself and tore slowly at the newspaper that stood between him and... and whatever lay underneath the paper. The paper fell away and Wayne smiled.
“Ha. A box of chocolates.”
Ms Crawford looked up at the ceiling, “Damn.” she cursed quietly.
“Yum yum.” Wayne snickered jokily, “Lovely lovely chocolates. All for me.”
Adrian sighed as Wayne opened the box of chocolates and began to eat some of them, then passed the rest around the classroom.
“What have I done?” Adrian thought to himself, feeling his whole world come crashing down around him.
*
The wind gently blew Adrian’s hair as he continued to stare blankly into the water. The one time he’d actually got over his anxiety and practically asked a girl out – in front of other people no less – and everything had gone wrong.
Sandra had a boyfriend, everyone had laughed at him, and now there was nothing left for him to do.
Some people would tell him just to get on with his life; move on to the next day, that everything that had happened in the past was in the past.
People would say it was all just water under the bridge, but Adrian couldn’t believe that.
The only way it could possibly be water under the bridge would be if he were to join that water. At least then it would be over, and he wouldn’t have to live with the knowledge of what had happened; the knowledge that everyone would always be laughing at him.
Well, no-one would be laughing soon enough.
Adrian closed his eyes as he stood on the bridge, and then stepped off...
Originally Posted 16/4/2015
Result - Joint 4th Place
But to him what had happened couldn’t have been worse.
He’d tried to do something brave and admit to his feelings for once in his life, and it had blown up in his face.
He’d never done anything brave before; never done anything to stand out from the crowd. He’d much rather stick to the shadows and let life flow over him, carry him on at the pace of whoever else might be there to take his hand and guide him onwards.
He wished he’d stuck to the shadows and remained a sheep.
A shadowy sheep that no-one ever noticed.
But he couldn’t go back there now.
He’d already been noticed. And he didn’t like being noticed.
He continued to look down as he thought back on his day.
His last day.
*
“Okay class,” Ms Crawford smiled, “Today I was thinking we'd have a bit of a celebration, what with the end of term looming just around the corner.”
“It's not a childish game, is it?” June complained.
“Um, no.” Ms Crawford frowned, “It's a variation on pass the parcel.”
“So it is a childish game.” June rolled her eyes.
“Cool.” Wayne smiled, “This should be good.”
Ms Crawford rummaged through her drawers and pulled out a parcel. She handed it to Maria, who shook it roughly;
“What's in it?” she asked.
“Well, in the middle there's a prize,” Ms Crawford said, “But before you get there, there are some forfeits.”
“Forfeits?” Lola asked suspiciously, “What kind of forfeits?”
“It's kind of like musical truth-or-dare pass-the-parcel.”
“Okay,” Diana raised an eyebrow, not impressed with Ms Crawford's description of the game, “If you say so.”
Ms Crawford sighed and turned on the stereo she'd brought in as the school children formed a seated circle on the classroom floor. The music that blared out was ‘Love Fool’ by The Cardigans, one of her favourites. Most of the kids in the class were too young to remember it the first time around, but Ms Crawford had loved it. She swayed her head side to side as the music played.
The parcel slowly, and unenthusiastically, began to move around the room. Then the music stopped;
Diana held the parcel.
“Open it then.” Ms Crawford encouraged.
Diana sighed and started to tear lamely at the first layer of newspaper. A Quality Street and a piece of paper fell out.
“Read the paper.” Ms Crawford goaded, getting incredibly overenthusiastic about the whole thing.
Diana picked up the crumpled piece of paper and read it out loud, “ ‘You must kiss the person on your left',” she read, then turned to her left. Lola sat there.
“Obviously this would have worked better if there were more boys in the class,” Ms Crawford explained, “But rules are rules.”
“Are you allowed to do this, miss?” June asked, “Make your students kiss each other? Isn’t it a bit weird?”
“Shut up, June,” said Wayne, leaning forward in his seated position, “I want to see this.”
Diana looked up at the ceiling, giving it a ‘Why Me?’ sort of look, then pecked Lola on the cheek.
“Oo er.” Wayne sniggered, “Somebody call DH Lawrence.”
“Shut up.” Diana warned.
“Okay,” Ms Crawford switched the stereo back on, “Let's keep passing it around. There are more sweets and forfeits to come.”
The parcel began to move around the classroom again, this time slightly quicker as no-one wanted to get a forfeit. Then the music stopped;
“Oh God.” Wayne sulked, realising he had the parcel.
“That'll teach you.” Diana sniggered.
Reluctantly Wayne began to open the next layer of the parcel. Another sweet fell out, with another piece of paper. Wayne stuck the sweet in his mouth and looked at the piece of paper;
“Oh God.” he repeated, then read out what it said, “ ‘Do an impression of Linton from Wuthering Heights when he is having an epileptic fit’?” Wayne crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it to the floor, “You can't be serious, that’s a little un-PC?” he said, addressing Ms Crawford.
Ms Crawford looked at him with an ‘Of course I'm serious’ look. Wayne rolled his eyes;
“Okay everyone, make some room.” Wayne gestured space with his hands, and everyone moved aside. Lying down on the floor, Wayne began to jerk around, pretending he was having a fit. Everybody burst out laughing.
“Satisfied?” Wayne smiled, sitting back up again and straightening his shirt.
Ms Crawford sniggered as she turned the music back on and the parcel continued around the room.
This time it stopped on Maria.
“I hope this is a good one.” she smiled, “That is, one that isn't too embarrassing.”
She tore at the paper and, as before, a piece of paper and a sweet fell out. Maria picked them up, pocketing the sweet, and looked at the piece of paper.
“It's blank.” she exclaimed, “Cool. Does that mean I don't have to do anything?”
Ms Crawford smiled, “Not quite.”
Maria frowned, “What does it mean then?”
Ms Crawford's smile widened, “It means you have to do a truth or dare.”
Maria's face dropped, “Oh no, do I have to?”
“Alright.” Sandra beamed, “Can we ask her to do anything?”
“Within reason.” Ms Crawford cautioned.
Sandra sat up straight, “I dare you...” she began, “...to give Wayne a lap dance!”
Wayne beamed at Sandra, “You are definitely going on my Christmas list!” he chuckled.
Maria shook her head, “I’m not doing that,” she said.
“Oh, go on,” Wayne grinned, “you know you want to.”
Maria rolled her eyes, stood up and shook her bum once in Wayne’s face.
“Happy?” she asked.
“Ecstatic!” Wayne replied.
Ms Crawford switched the music back on and the parcel began to wing its way around the room once more. As the music stopped the parcel found its way into Adrian's lap.
“Oh, not me.” he whined, “I don't want to do a dare.”
“Too bad.” Ms Crawford said, “Open it.”
Adrian reluctantly ripped the newspaper from the prize, and another sweet and piece of paper fell out. Adrian looked at the piece of paper.
“It's another blank one,” he said quietly, “Does that mean truth or dare again?”
“I'm afraid so.” Ms Crawford said.
“I've got one for you.” Wayne grinned, “Who, Adrian - and I'll repeat that - who would you most like to take to the prom out of everyone in this room?”
Adrian's eyes widened and darted about the room, “Hang on, hang on,” he shouted, “Maria didn't properly do her forfeit.”
“Yes I did,” Maria rolled her eyes, “Just give us an answer.”
Adrian squirmed, looking around at everyone in the room. Wayne knew damn well who Adrian wanted to take to prom, but Adrian had never had the courage to ask her out. Why was Wayne doing this? Was he trying to help? Did he know something that Adrian didn’t? Maybe he knew that the girl in question was interested and might say yes.
Taking a deep breath, Adrian continued to look around the room at all the expectant faces watching him squirm.
Finally his eyes fixed on Sandra;
“It's Sandra, okay.” he replied, “Happy?”
Sandra arched her neck and went slightly red. Wayne leaned into Adrian;
“What are you thinking, man - saying Sandra?.” he whispered, “Don't you know she has a boyfriend now?”
Adrian gulped slightly, “Er, no. I didn't know that.”
“I thought you'd have said Ms Crawford or something.” Wayne mumbled, “I was trying to help you out with an easy one.”
“Well it bloody well backfired, didn't it.” Adrian spat back, “You knew I liked Sandra.”
“Oh, well I'm sorry,” Wayne said, moving back to his normal seating position.
Adrian stared down at the floor. He looked like he was going to cry.
Ms Crawford looked around. Thinking it best to break the silence, she switched the music back on.
“Okay everyone,” she said, “Let's carry on passing the parcel.”
Adrian sadly and slowly tossed the parcel into Wayne's lap. Then the music stopped again.
“I've already opened it before.” Wayne complained, “Can't someone else have a go?”
“The music stopped on you.” Ms Crawford pointed out.
“Yeah, and who stopped it?”
“That's neither here nor there.” Ms Crawford shrugged, “Just open it and take your forfeit like a man.”
Wayne muttered to himself and tore slowly at the newspaper that stood between him and... and whatever lay underneath the paper. The paper fell away and Wayne smiled.
“Ha. A box of chocolates.”
Ms Crawford looked up at the ceiling, “Damn.” she cursed quietly.
“Yum yum.” Wayne snickered jokily, “Lovely lovely chocolates. All for me.”
Adrian sighed as Wayne opened the box of chocolates and began to eat some of them, then passed the rest around the classroom.
“What have I done?” Adrian thought to himself, feeling his whole world come crashing down around him.
*
The wind gently blew Adrian’s hair as he continued to stare blankly into the water. The one time he’d actually got over his anxiety and practically asked a girl out – in front of other people no less – and everything had gone wrong.
Sandra had a boyfriend, everyone had laughed at him, and now there was nothing left for him to do.
Some people would tell him just to get on with his life; move on to the next day, that everything that had happened in the past was in the past.
People would say it was all just water under the bridge, but Adrian couldn’t believe that.
The only way it could possibly be water under the bridge would be if he were to join that water. At least then it would be over, and he wouldn’t have to live with the knowledge of what had happened; the knowledge that everyone would always be laughing at him.
Well, no-one would be laughing soon enough.
Adrian closed his eyes as he stood on the bridge, and then stepped off...
Originally Posted 16/4/2015
Result - Joint 4th Place
No comments have been added yet.
