Realistic or Modern Life Beneath Dreams

[Jupiter]

Once finished, and having Elmore win, there were going to be more competitions, of course. But for now, out of breath and feeling very cheery, Elmore high fived Yab and Stella and Will, and couldn't help but let out a loud woop and clap his hands. But he wasn't a sore winner, thankfully.

"Good game, guys, better luck next time. I was try harding, and after a week of drinking I'll definitely not be in a state to win." He laughed, but high fived Stella again anyway, before following Nolan's lead and heading over towards the jetty.

Most people headed out in actuality, at least all my lot did, headed out and grabbed the towels they'd brought with them, patting themselves mostly dry. At least was the case with Yab. Tate jumped out, his entire body almost dragged down by the weight of the water on his long sleeved shirt and his trunks, but he just sat on the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs, his legs tucked up to his chest.

Stella climbed out after him, grabbed a towel and, instead of drying herself off, laid it out and laid down on it propping herself up on her elbows. "I'm up for more drinking." She laughed. She... well, I'm going to be honest. She was beautiful. She was just lucky, she had the beautiful Italian features and flair, her entire body was toned and well shaped, slim and without flaw - an exercise routine, good skin care, and healthy eating would do that to a person.

Elmore climbed out too, and walked straight over to the towel, draping it around his shoulders and going straight for the bottle of sourz. "We can drink... and play a drinking game." Elmore grinned, mischievously. "Who's up for it?"

"I want to play a game." Yab sinisterly grinned and quoted horror, sitting on the deck and crossing his legs.

"Lets get horrifically personal." Stella laughed.

"And sexual, no?" Yab grinned.

Tate just smiled slightly - not a yes or a no, he'd just go along with the ride.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"None of us will be in a state to win after a week." Jason commented - yes, everyone else got out of the water, too. Once one person got out, that was sort of the signal that it was time to follow in suit. No one really wanted to be swimming alone right now - and everyone most definitely wanted another drink, for sure, so that was exactly what they did from that point in time. They could dry off in the summer sun - on the upside for Tate, at least he wasn't going to get sunburnt, right? He was going to be well-covered with his shirt and whatnot. Regardless, it was time to sit down annnnnnnnnd...

Play a drinking game.

"This can get as sexual as you want it to get, as long as it doesn't involve putting things in my ass or my mouth." Jason winked at Yab and pointed a finger at him. "I'm more in it for the horifically personal, definitely - My only rule is nothing dark or depressing. You can ask about all the times I've shit my pants and things like that, but, nothing... Nothing heavy, alright?" He said, simply. He had a feeling that Nolan or Yab would be the ones to do such a thing.

"Yab, Nolan, here's looking at you." He said.

"Hand on heart, nothing dark." Nolan nodded. "Just good old fun and making you fuckers go red in the face. That's what I'm looking forward to." He said. "So, on the back of that... What game are we gonna' play, game-master Elmore?" Nolan asked, leaning back with his two hands planted firmly on the ground.

 

[Jupiter]

"That wouldn't be a drinking game." Elmore laughed. "That would be something else entirely." He was on about Jason's comment about things in asses or mouths. Did Elmore know he was gay, currently? Of course he did. Did anyone else? Nope. He'd never had a girlfriend, but he'd never breathed a word about the fact that he was actually gay. Why? Well, obvious reasons in a group full of boys.

"Nothing dark or depressing. You got it over here." Yab put his hand on his heart. He was itching to ask all sorts of depressing questions, however, but he figured that he could learn this information when people were drunk, or later in the week when Jason decided to allow the depressing questions to filter through.

Elmore shrugged. "Classic, of course. Never have I ever."

"Ooo, good one." Stella grinned. "I'm up for that."

"Of course, everyone's up for it, so, we're going to sit in a circle. Come on guys, do as I say." Elmore clapped his hands together, and Stella shuffled her blanket into part of the circle, sitting down next to Elmore himself, but also next to Nolan. Tate obviously sat next to Jason, but I like to think Jenna was beside of him, Will potentially next to her completing the circle with Elmore, and Yab sat next to Nolan. So best friends sat next to each other for the most part, but Stella across from Jenna.

If you want to change any of that, feel free.

"So. Who shall begin?" Elmore asked, putting the drinks and the shot glasses into the middle of the circle.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Jason didn't have the slightest clue about Elmore's sexuality - neither did Nolan, or anyone in my lot really. Not that Jason would care either way - he didn't really have a reason to be bothered by that sort of thing, anyway. I mean... During middle school it was a trending joke that his dad was gay, apparently. The look on his face when that was first suggested was quite look of confusion. How? Why? He didn't know. He was a pretty chill kid way back when, though. Nothing really bugged him. He just chilled with Tate and that just about settled it. His mom was always one of the 'just be happy; fuck what others think' kind of people. If there was one person who'd listen to his problems, it was her. She wasn't quite as vain as his dad.

But still, whenever Elmore decides to reveal that... If he reveals it or if he gets revealed by accident, he has nothing to worry about with Jason, or Jenna, or Will. So that sort of leaves Nolan out of my guys - he might get a bit carried away, but, he wasn't going to completely hate Elmore for it.

Jason sat beside Tate in the circle and waited for the drinks to be pouted.

"I'll start..." Nolan said, then looked around for a moment. "Hm, I've got one." He said. He smirked, though, "Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong person." He said. He obviously didn't touch the drinks.

Neither did Jason, Will, or Jenna. They were clean in that department.

 

[Jupiter]

No one drank.

"Lame." Elmore groaned. "Not the question, but the fact that none of us have rebelled enough to send it to the wrong person."

"I came close once." Yab laughed. "It didn't end badly though because I never pressed send."

"Boring. Okay. Never have I ever..." Elmore thought for a moment. "Okay, simple ones to get people to drink, maybe... Never have I ever had a girlfriend."

Yab laughed. "Okay, rude." He drank down a shot of the cherry sourz. "Come on, someone else must have."

"Me." Tate mumbled, but he had a small smile on his face.

"Woah, check saint Tate out, he's had a girlfriend." Yab laughed. "Tell us."

"It was only a middle school girlfriend, it lasted about a week."

"Meh, that can count. I don't care, get drunk." Elmore ruled, and Tate reached out and took a shot of apple sourz.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Jason took a drink, "Yup. I had a girlfriend in the third grade - We were pretty tight for most the year, but then she moved away." He laughed. "Then in the first year of middle school, when I was like... Twelve, I had a girlfriend then. But similar to Tate, it didn't last long. A month at most, I think, but hey." He said.

Nolan drank. "I had one until the end of the freshman year." He said.

Will didn't touch a drink. He just listened to what everyone else had to say.

"Okay, let's see..." Jenna thought for a second. "Never have I ever... Been to school while still drunk, or with a hangover from the night before."

Jason, Nolan, and Will all took a shot. "Really, Jenna?" Jason wiped his mouth. "Never?" He asked.

"Never."

 

[Jupiter]

Elmore drank, and so did Tate.

"Woah, shits coming out that Tate isn't as innocent as he may seem." Elmore laughed. "When?"

"Like, December." Ah. Jason would probably remember that - a bad time. But Tate seemed okay now, just smiling and drinking and not really bringing it up too much. They both struggled down their drink.

Stella didn't, obviously, but of course Yab did too.

"Okay. Never have I ever had a near death experience..." Stella grinned.

Tate drank but didn't say a thing. That could be easy enough to figure out, for Jason. Yab drank too though, and he decided to disclose his information.

"There was a house fire when I was a kid. Traumatising stuff, especially when you're trapped in the attic bedroom, right?" Yab laughed. "It's okay, no one died, but we did lose a chunk of our money and some family heirlooms. I had to use a blanket to get myself out of the building, fell from the first storey but only broke my leg."

"Shit." Elmore laughed. "Hard stuff."

"Awesome though." Yab grinned.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I'm pretty sure my time with that was just after Spring Break," Jason said. "First day back at school and I thought it was a good idea to party the night before. Remember, we went to that one kid's house party in the suburbs? Not far from where me and Tate lived." He said. "It was meant to be a social thing but turned into everyone getting drunk - I drank way more than I was meant to, went to bed at about two-thirty, got up at five-forty-five." He shook his head. "In school that day I don't know how I survived. I think I told them I had food poisoning - they let me take this table in the, um... The exclusion zone thing we have. It was right by a bathroom. Thank god." He laughed.

Next, the near death experience. Will drank, Jason drank. He looked at Tate and was pretty sure he knew what it was.Nolan drank, too.

"Right, let's hear all these stories, then." Jenna said. "Anything interesting?"

"I don't remember it but my parents told me about it. When I was like... Three or four, they took me swimming at this one place. It was pretty quiet there and there was no on-duty lifeguard. I had this rubber ring with me, and, well, I got in the pool even though my mom and dad told me to wait for them to finish getting changed. They come in and find me turned over in the rubber ring, kicking and struggling, but I was well and truly stuck. It was one of those rings with the leg-holes, y'know?" He said. "Either way, no one else had noticed me - don't ask how the fuck no one saw - until my mom threw her bag across the floor and took a dive in the pool with me. She pulled me up and instead of swimming, I spent the next ten minutes throwing up pool water. I don't remember it that well at all - the world must have gone a bit dark for me then."

"Shit." Nolan said. "Will, I'll save the best 'til last. Go ahead."

"Well..." He cleared his throat, "You're not going to believe this, I know it, but, when I was eight or nine I went out to Spain with my parents. We had a beach view from our balcony. One of the railings on our balcony was loose, so, when I was out there and leaning out to look, it gave away and I fell off."

"Bullshit. You fell off a balcony? What floor?" Nolan asked.

"Sixth floor."

"Oh, fuck. Off." He laughed.

"I'm serious," He chuckled, "I landed in the sand, on my back. Apparently the only reason I survived it was because I went ragdoll as I was falling." He explained. "If I'd tensed up, the impact would have killed me. Like Jason, I don't remember it much. All I remember is in the ambulance they gave me a cup of water, and the cup had a little starfish on it. Ask my parents if you don't believe me."

"Shit, dude." Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Sure you can beat that, Nolan?"

"Not really." He said. "Tackled someone wrong in football when I was eleven and nearly broke my neck. That's about as close as I came to death. They thought I'd damaged my spine at first." He said. "Lost the feeling in all my fingers, couldn't get off the floor. It was so painful that the whole memory is blurry."

"We're a lucky bunch, aren't we? Fuck." Jason laughed a little. The shots were hitting him now.

"Alright, my turn." Will said. "Never have I ever shoplifted." He said. "I'm not naming names, but I suspect a couple of you have." He chuckled.

 

[Jupiter]

Though Tate had drank and everyone was telling their stories, Tate didn't tell his. He didn't need to - everyone already knew it had something to do with the hospital, I mean what else could it be, and if he didn't volunteer the information himself then they didn't need to press.

Even Yab didn't press.

And I'm sure the people who had been drinking were feeling it slightly by now.

At Will's turn, there were mixed responses.

"You guys are menaces. So far I haven't drank." Stella groaned. "Come on, give us something good."

"Yeah, guys, something good. Duh." Yab laughed, but took his shot.

Tate took a shot too.

"Woah! You never talk but always are drinking, kid. You've had like four shots now." Elmore laughed. "Story?"

"I stole some, like, food once." Tate shrugged.

"Amateur." Yab laughed. "I've stolen booze, I've stolen food, I've stolen headphones. That, however, was back when I was thirteen, and I can proudly say I now pay for all of my possessions."

"Okay. If you insist." Elmore laughed. "Yab, you go. Think of something you haven't done."

"Okay. Never have I ever... Fucked a dude." He grinned.

None of mine drank.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Jason drank, "I stole some little toy from some store when I was really young. My mom went crazy. I never cried more in all my life. I think I was only five or so, though, so go easy on me. I did get grounded for a week, though, which was the worst part of it all. It sucked - wasn't even allowed to go over the road and chill with Tate. I still haven't forgiven my mom for that." He said.

Nolan drank, "I stole a pack of gum a few years ago. Not a big deal - Yab is the King of Thieves around here."

"Can't say I was expecting Tate to say anything about that. Rebel, Tate." Will nodded at him and winked.

At Yab's, Jason picked up a drink and put towards his lips, but then quickly put it back down. "No." He laughed and shook his head, "I'm just playing."

"Fuck me. I think everyone's heart skipped a beat then." Jenna laughed, "Don't do that. That's just mean." She said.

"You hoping I'm straight, then?"

"Oh, shut up." She reached out and shoved him.

"Truth's coming out now, isn't it!?" He laughed and gently shoved her back. Tipsy is always fun.

No one else drank.

"Well, that sucked." Nolan laughed, "Okay, Jason. We haven't heard from you. Hit us with a good one."

"Okay, okay." He nodded, "Never have I ever..." He paused, "Fuck, most of you wll be sober with most the stuff I can think of." He said. "Okay, never have I ever woken up in a place that I wasn't sure of how I got to."

Nolan drank, of course. He'd gotten blackout drunk more times than he was proud of.

 

[Jupiter]

Tate, Yab and Elmore all drank at Jason's.

"Come on, dude, so many parties in which I've just wandered into someone's garden and slept in their sheds." Yab laughed. "As is the neighbourhood."

"Yeah, parties and things, dude, they always lead to that." Elmore shrugged. "Come on, we need something the girls will drink to, but not something lame like, never have I ever read a book, the only person who couldn't drink to that would be Yab."

"I'll swing first, bitch." Yab laughed.

"Tate, you go."

"Go where?" He mumbled, slightly out of it. Alcohol goes further on people who have thinner bodies, most of the time.

"No, no," Stella laughed. "He means do one."

"I don't want to do anything." Tate was clearly very confused.

"Say a never have I ever, Tate." Yab commanded, his eyebrows raised but a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth.

"Oh! Oh. Never have I ever..." He thought. "But I've done everything."

"There must be something, come on." Elmore grinned.

"Never have I ever smoked weed." Tate shrugged his shoulders.

Yab drank, and, finally, so did Stella.

"Yes! She drank! You go Tate!" Elmore high fived his buddy and then grinned at Stella. "Rebel. I thought you were the pretty girl."

"I've done it once or twice, she laughed."

 

[DrTrollinski]

I think everyone drank on that one. Jason, Nolan, and Will all did.

And believe it or not, even Jenna.

"Uh-oh." Jason looked at Jenna, "Let's hear it. Sure it wasn't oregano?"

"Funny guy. No. It was at a party - some guy I was hanging around while I was drunk offered me a puff on the joint he'd rolled." She laughed. "I tried it, yeah."

"Fair enough. I've done it a few times, myself. Only at parties, though." Jason said.

"Same. Most the times I've done it, I've been with Jason. There was that one time a couple of months ago, though, you remember that?" He asked.

"Yup. Was that the one where Nolan was there?"

"Yup."

"Well, that obviously answers my question for me." Nolan waved a hand. "I've done it more times than I can count. Good shit."

"Phuh. Okay." Jason nodded, "We've got fuckin'... Pablo Escobar with us now. Only he's Canadian. So he's really just a pussy."

"Oh, fuck you. Go bake me a fuckin' croissant." He waved a hand at him.

Jason knocked his head back and laughed. They'd done so many shots already.

"My turn." Jenna said. "Never have I ever... Never have I ever been in a fight." She said. "Come on, surely all of you have - Even you, Stel." She nudged her friend and smiled. "I'm too quiet for fights."

"Too quiet? You ain't shut up today." Jason said, casually laid back on the grass but propped up by his elbows.

She flashed him a middle finger.

Jason took a shot. Shit, he was going down quick. Will took a shot. Nolan (obviously) took a shot.

 

[Jupiter]

"Weed makes you hungry." Tate mumbled, but no one was really listening until he spoke again. "Wait, are we baking croissants?"

"No, hun." Stella laughed.

At Jenna's, Stella didn't drink, but Elmore and Yab did.

"Jen! You know I don't get physical." Stella laughed.

"Well, I do. God, even with Nolan. I remember one time when we beat each other up and the next day we were just chillin' again." Yab grinned.

"That's friendship." Elmore nodded. "I've just been in shitty middle school fights. No big. Alright. My turn again then, god, we've had so many already. I think we're gonna die before lunch hits us... Never have I ever... Let's think of a really fucking good one... In fact, no, wait..."

Tate mumbled something incoherent, and Elmore raised his eyebrows at him. "What's that sorry?"

"Croissants. Are they ready?"

Elmore burst out into laughter. "No one's making them sadly, but I can get us some soon. I'm sure. Now, how about... We play truth or truth. A break on the drinking part but entirely as hilarious."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I've been in more fights than I remember." Nolan said. "Since I moved here kids used to bully me - or try to - over my voice. Not for long. The accent's gone, boy." He said, then looked at Elmore, "We may have had a fight, but, I still love ya', honey."

"Right." Jason nodded, "I was in a fight in... First Grade. We both cried."

Will shrugged, "Start of high school. Got into a fight on my second day." He laughed.

"Sorry, I've filled your head with empty dreams." Jason put an arm around Tate's shoulders and pulled him to his side, grinning. "Croissants soon, buddy. I'll make some the real French way while we're here." He said, then looked off at Elmore. "I say... Truth or Dare. Dares are always fun." He said. "Nothing that involves running around, though, please. I don't think I could handle that all that well." He said, simply. "Drinking, well..." He reached out and grabbed one of the shots, slamming it down. "You ladies can pace as much as you like. Once you've grown a dick, you can let me know." He winked at him.

"Oh, talking smack." Nolan replied, then he put a shot of his own down the hatch. "You don't want to challenge me on this, Jase. I've got more muscle mass than you. You're fucked if you try and drink me down."

"Bring it on, pussy."

"Right, right." Nolan chuckled. "Come on. Elmore, you suggested the game. You go first. Pick your victim."

 

[Jupiter]

Tate pouted. He now wanted something to eat - anorexia forgotten and drowning in the water behind him, claws outstretched for help, but Tate wasn't going to abandon the fun for that shit show.

Elmore shrugged. "Um... Stella."

"Oh, boy."

"Truth or dare."

"Dare."

"Take three shots and catch up with the rest of us, girl!" He grinned, and Stella happily obliged, but took her time about it, shuddering after each apple shot. She wasn't a fan of shooters.

"Gross, and gross. Okay. Um... Nolan. Truth or dare."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I want a... Gimme' a Truth." Nolan replied, simply.

"This should be good." Jason set his head on Tate's shoulder and took a deep breath. What dirty truths did Nolan have tucked away?

Probably quite a few.

 

[Jupiter]

"Truth... Truth... Hmm..." Stella thought for a while.

With Jason's head on his shoulder, Tate smiled. He was quite happy it would seem, forgetting all of his worries. And he was drunk. Forget being tipsy. His alcohol tolerance was lower than bikini bottom, and anyone could see he was clearly getting effected. I mean, he was speaking, for one, which he hadn't done to most of these people since he'd met up with them since yesterday afternoon.

But it was a good thing. Getting him out there.

"Okay. I want to know how many, if any, girls you've slept with. And who."

"Not fair, thats like two questions." Yab intruded.

"Meh, he can answer which he likes." Stella grinned.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, Jesus." He laughed and fell onto his back, looking up at the sky. "Okay, okay, fine. A while ago a football buddy invited me to this party he was holding, right, and there was this girl there." He said. "Now, you guys know this girl - It's only the girl that, as rumors say, hit puberty like... Five years early than she was supposed to, or something. I don't know - never knew her before high school." He said. "Either way, her name's Ruth..." By now, Elmore had to know who he was talking about. He was on the football scene, after all.

".. Greene." He said. "She's one of the cheerleaders." He said. "To be fair, I was off my face. All I remember is we started talking and the next minute we were in this guy's parents' bed."

There was silence.

"Obviously, the parents were out of town." He said.

"I know Ruth, I think." Jenna frowned, "She's the caramel-skinned girl, right? Her dad's from... Christ, I don't know. Israel, or something?"

"Something like that. Can't say I ever asked."

"Well, the more you fuckin' learn am I right?" Jason chuckled. "Who's next? Nolan?"

"Okay, I'll flip this one back on you, Stella. Truth or dare?" He asked.

 

[Jupiter]

"Just one? I thought you would have been more of a player." Stella grinned, and then shrugged her shoulders. "That'll teach me to judge a book by its cover."

"He's probably just not telling you about some." Elmore nudged her, but then grinned.

"Woah, woah, hey you can't ask the same person!" Yab complained.

"Yeah, yeah you can." Stella stuck her tongue out at him. "I just did dare. So truth."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Truth?" He nodded, "Okay, fine, but after this... We've gotta' move to someone else. Both asking and answering parties." He said. "Stella... I want you to tell me the single most embarrassing thing that you've ever done or experienced - There's no limits. I want anything along the lines of sexual, domestic, personal, professional - I don't give a shit. But I wanna' know that one memory that still makes you red in the face when you think about it." He said.

 

[Jupiter]

Stella didn't even have to think twice.

"I full on shit myself at school." She said, straight faced, and then burst out laughing. "Nolan, it's one of the most embarrassing things I've ever done, because everyone noticed, because I refused to admit to myself that I had shit myself at school - I was in elementary school mind you, so I was really shy, and I shit myself and it wasn't pretty."

Yab burst out laughing. "At least you moved to a different state when you hit elementary."

"Managed to leave that name behind. And none of this information ever leaves the group, mind you." She laughed.

"Anything more recent?" Elmore grinned.

"That's another question entirely, sonny boy." She laughed. "And okay, so I'm not asking or answering. Yab, you ask someone, can't be me though, or Nolan."

"Hm. Okay." He thought for a minute.

"Jenna. Truth or dare."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, damn. In school? There is nothing worse." He said.

"You sound like you're talking from experience, Mister Maple." Jason said, picking up another couple of shots and putting one in Tate's hand. "Drink with me, bro." He said, simply. "Cheers." He patted his shoulder and knocked a shot back.

"Me? Not exactly." Nolan said. "You'll have to ask questions, though, if you want to find out." He said.

Jenna looked up at Yab, and she smirked. She even went a little red in the cheeks when he asked the big question, why? Well... It all became clear with her answer.

"Dare." She said.

 

[Jupiter]

Tate happily knocked back the shot and grinned. He was going to be passed out and vomiting within a few more hours of this kind of behaviour. Great. Maybe that's why anorexia was so laid back.

"Okay..." Yab grinned. "I dare you... To kiss whoever you think is the most amazing person here. Heh."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, come on..." Jenna laughed. "Wait... You didn't specify exact terms. You said the most amazing person - You didn't specify who I find attractive, who I think's dreamy in any way-"

"Oh, so that means you do think someone here is dreamy." Nolan said.

"Different question, Noles."

"And Yab didn't specify the type of kiss, so, you know what?" She turned to Stella and pecked her cheek. "My best friend is by far the most amazing person here."

Playing it safe.

"Awwwwww." Jason, Nolan, and Will all said in pure disappointment. "Playing it safe. You boring bitch." Jason laughed. "Okay, okay. It hasn't gone to Elmore yet. Elmo, truth or dare?" He asked.

 

[Jupiter]

"Boring." Yab let out a fake yawn. "Not what any of us wanted to see, but I'll get you next time, you sneaky bitch."

Both Yab and Stella reached out and grabbed an extra shot each.

Elmore shrugged. "Eh, hit me up with a truth."