Truth or Dare

Chapter 1
Getting Older

Chapter Description: Kyle decides to go to his friend Stephen's house to hang out. He doesn't realize what he has in store

Truth Or Dare

I am a very new writer so I would greatly appreciate any feedback both good and bad. I don't mind criticism as it will only help me get better!

Chapter 1 – Getting Older

Kyle was looking at himself in the mirror as he was getting ready to go over to his friend’s house. While still in relatively good shape, he noticed that his body wasn’t as firm as it used to be. Now that he was thirty-one years old, he was starting to observe that his body had a harder time keeping up to his lifestyle. His pecs were not as rock hard as they once were and his tummy was starting to get a bit of flab on it. While you could still see the outline of his abs, they were not as defined as they once were. He was five foot eleven, and still at least tried to keep himself in relatively good shape.

“Getting old sucks” he muttered to himself. It wasn’t just the physical aspect that made of him brood over this idea, but also his life in general. He was working an office job that he didn’t particularly like and he noticed that he could not just go out and ‘party’ like he used to. He felt that his life was slightly muted from where it was only 5 years ago. In the past, he could go out with his friends to the club, hook up with some girls and then get ready for school the next day. Now, he noticed that he could not go on a bender lest he be unable to perform at work. Hell, even hanging out with friends was different. Gone were the days were they would be carefree while playing video games and talking about pointless stuff. Now when he hung out with his friends, it felt that they only discussed more heavy, serious issues. The topics would always range from politics to mortgage or rent payments to talks about marriage or the state of the world.

Kyle realized that he was running a bit late and quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a casual collared shirt. He ran out to his car, adjusted his mirrors, turned on the music and drove off for his friend’s house. Though music was playing, Kyle didn’t hear anything as he was lost in thought. As he was driving to his friend’s house the sun had finished setting leaving darkness in its absence. Thankfully, the air was still warm this time in August. His thoughts were shifting between his student loans, his job that he felt trapped in, his strained relationship with his family and his lack of dating life. “Shit I can’t even enjoy a car ride without feeling anxious. When did life start getting so tough” he thought miserably, “hopefully I can enjoy one night with my friends”. Deep down he knew he was going to be disappointed. Deep down he knew that this night out would make him more depressed that life would never be fun again.

Kyle started pulling up to his friend’s house. His friend Stephen was waiting for him in the driveway with a big grin on his face. Stephen was Kyle’s oldest friend. Kyle’s mom babysat Stephen when he was three so him and Stephen being the same age obviously became friends. Kyle was always the happy go lucky one of the two and Stephen was always the more serious type. While Kyle was always out going to parties and trying to get laid, Stephen was always making sure to get good grades and volunteer at various charities. For these reasons Kyle looked up to Stephen, Stephen always delayed having fun for hard work and now in his thirties it seemed that it was paying off. Still, Kyle had never known Stephen to have such a care free grin on his face like the one he had right now.

“What’s with the shit eating grin?” asked Kyle as he approached Stephen to give him a hug. “Dude, I have the best night planned for all of us tonight!” responded Stephen as he quickly embraced Kyle back.

“All of us? It’s not just me and you tonight?”  

“No, I also invited Charlie, Noelle, Stacie and Jennifer,” Stephen replied, “for what I have planned tonight, more people are going to be better. Besides I’m sure that you and Stacie have a lot to discuss.” Stephen shot Kyle a wink after the comment.

Upon hearing Stacie’s name Kyle started to get a little excited. Everyone growing up has had ‘the one that got away’, the crush or relationship that didn’t go the way that it should’ve. For Kyle, his was Stacie. In all of high school he had become good friends with Stacie.  While Kyle, Stephen and Stacie all hung out together constantly (Stephen’s little sister gave them the nickname of ‘the three amigos’), Stacie and Kyle had started developing something a little bit deeper.  One day Stacie had even written Kyle a note laying out her feelings for him, stating how she wanted to be something more with him and left it in his locker. Kyle, foolish as he was, panicked when he saw it and decided to just ignore the not and pretend that nothing had happened. He even decided to date a cheerleader a couple of weeks later. After that, Stacie and Kyle’s friendship changed. They didn’t seem to be close anymore. A few months later still and Stacie had gotten a boyfriend of her own. It was at this moment that Kyle realized that he had made a mistake. He started longing for his lost friendship with Stacie and was kicking himself for taking her up on her offer. He even called her one night, admitting his mistake to her. She had told him that it was too late. She had told him that she had moved on and didn’t want to relive the pain that she had felt earlier in the year and that she had a boyfriend that she couldn’t leave. For his whole senior year, Kyle longed to have Stacie but it was never meant to be. Now she was here! After thirteen years of not seeing her, he would finally have another chance.

“How is Stacie? I haven’t seen her in ages,” Kyle tried to ask as though he didn’t care. “She’s great man, also she is currently single!” he stated as he put his arm around Kyle’s shoulders as they were walking towards the front door, “she and everyone else are just inside waiting for us. It seems they are all better at showing up on time than you are.” He shot Kyle a toothy grin with that last comment. “Dude, I am only 10 minutes late.” “First, you are 25 minutes late, and second it doesn’t matter because I have a wild night in store for us.” “You keep saying that, what did you have in mind?” asked Kyle suspiciously. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise but just get ready for a good time.”

As they walked in though Kyle’s front door, Kyle took off his shoes and rounded the corner to find the other four friends waiting for them. Kyle eyed Stacie sitting on the couch with her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. “God she still looks beautiful!” thought Kyle. Charlie, Noelle and Jennifer were all standing in the middle of the room talking. The room they were was spacious and had big windows in which you could look out to see the night sky. It had thick, brown, comfortable leather couches a dining table with six seats around it. On top of the table was a wide, but not overly tall wooden box on top of it.

“Would you all please take a seat around the dining table please,” Stephen instructed. The six of them all sat around the table with Stephen sitting in from of the wooden box. Kyle made sure to sit opposite of Stacie so they would be able to look at one another. Stephen cleared his throat once they were all seated and looked at them all with the same grin that he had earlier when Kyle first arrived.

“When each of you arrived, you all asked me the same question,” Stephen said in a hushed but almost practiced tone. “You all asked why I have such a big grin on my face and what I have planned for tonight. What I have planned for tonight is for us all to be young and carefree once more, even if it is only for one night. I am sure you all have felt the same way as I do, that getting older is tough. We all have more responsibilities; we all have more obligations. We have to focus on debts, getting married, our families, if we want kids later, taxes and so on. I always felt that growing up, I never had as much fun as I should have and now that I am thirty, I feel that I have missed out. Tonight, I say, we forget all of that and just have fun like we used to. I say we play a game that we all played when we were younger. I say that we play ‘Truth or Dare’ but with a twist!” Stephen practically shouted the last line with excitement.

“Truth or Dare?” asked his friend Charlie, “that is what you are so excited about? Man, I had higher hopes for tonight. I thought we were going to drink, or get high or something. Not play some dumb children’s game.”

Kyle didn’t know Charlie couldn’t help but agree with him. Stephen had gotten his hopes up that tonight would be an adventure and now he wanted to sit around and play a children’s game. However, Stephen was still Kyle’s friend and he was going to stick up for him.

“C’mon guys,” interjected Kyle, “let’s hear Stephen out. You said there was twist?”

“Yes! I am sure you are all aware of the rules of ‘Truth or Dare’. That when it is your turn, you pick between performing a dare or truthfully answering a question. The person giving out dare to be performed or asking the question will be determined by random draw. Now, when we were kids, you could always lie to the question asked or chicken out from performing the dare. The twist comes from within this box here.” Stephen opened the box and slowly pulled out an old book. “This book, has mystical power. It has the ability to ensure that we truthfully answer the questions asked of us or perform the dare given to us. We will cast a spell from this book to begin the game. The spell will give power to whoever is asking the question or giving a dare to also give out a punishment should the person lie or chicken out. The punishment through magic will be carried out.”

“Stephen, you know magic isn’t real right?” asked Noelle. Noelle was a small kind looking blond girl. She almost seemed embarrassed for Stephen. “Yeah, Stephen” Jennifer added, “I am not sure how much you spent on that book, but I think you got ripped off.”

“Do you all feel this way?” asked Stephen to everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Then tell you what, why don’t we all play one round? If I am wrong, and this book does not work then we can all do something else. Hell, I will personally pay for any other arrangements that we come up with. Sound fair? Do you all want to play one round?”

“For you buddy, anything!” Kyle said wanting to defend his friend. Kyle had no idea what he was getting himself into by agreeing to his friends proposition.