Page 204 of Rock Me All Night
Meg pushes off of Miles with a desperate sigh. She makes a circle with her finger like she's deciding who to pick. It stops on Pete. "Pete, truth or dare."
He pulls his hoodie up over his head with a sigh. "You pick."
Meg frowns. "Uh, I guess truth. Why do you choose to live with Tom? I don't think I've ever seen you doing anything but fighting." She slaps her hand on the table. "And don't say it's because you're brothers, because I had a sister, and I know how that relationship actually goes."
Pete sits back in his chair. "He's a better friend than he seems."
Tom beams, proud of the compliment. He shifts back into mayhem mode. "The game is only fun if people pick dare."
"The game is only fun if you're fourteen," Drew says.
Tom holds his gaze. "Okay, Drew, I have a dare for you. Kiss Kara."
Is this Tom's idea of helping? If the angry look in Drew's eyes is any indication, it's only making things worse.
I guess subtlety and drumming don't get along too well.
"You can't just dare someone to do something," Drew says. "Those aren't the rules."
"Okay, fine. Truth or dare," Tom says.
"It's not your turn," Drew says.
Pete shrugs. "He can have my turn."
Drew shakes his head. "Truth."
"Pussy." Tom smirks.
"Fuck you," Drew says.
Tom's eyes narrow. "Okay, I have a question. Why didn't you pick dare?"
Drew's gaze fixes on the table. It's almost like he's nervous. He mutters under his breath, pours a shot, and slams it. "You're so fucking immature."
Gee, great. I'm that appealing.
Attention is divided. Half on me. Half on Drew. I maintain my happy face. No way I'm going to allow all the pity in the room to land on me.
Drew presses his palm against the table. "Tom. Truth or dare."
"Truth."
"Why are you such a miserable piece of shit?" Drew asks.
"I was born that way." Tom turns to me. "Kara. Your turn."
No sense fanning the flames here. If I act like this is cool, everyone will calm down. This will all be okay. "Truth."
Tom lowers his voice. "Were you hoping Drew would pick dare?"
My lips feel heavy. No way to pry them apart. I push myself out of my chair. "Drew should do whatever makes him happy."
Drew is staring at me, this strange mix of anger and concern.
"You know, I just remembered. I have a paper due Monday and I haven't even started. I should get to that." I take another step toward the stairs. "It was great to see you guys. Have fun."
Drew's eyes find mine. Something passes between us, but I haven't got a fucking clue what it is, why we're both dodging these questions.
