Tightrope

We Had a Gun to Our Head

It was interesting that the consumption of alcohol was somehow infinitely more fun when you were forced into it by the abstract rules of a game. Somehow, it was considered punishment in most games to drink, when that was the primary goal and exactly what I wanted to do anyone.

But as soon as I suggested that we play drinking games, the rest of our friends scooched into a neat circle with copious amounts of liquid intoxication in front of them.

"What drinking game are we playing?" said Kaelin, collapsing next to me on the rug with Julian on her other side. She was carrying a 4-pack of Cruisers with her, like the basic white bitch she was.

"All of them!" Daria squealed, kicking her legs enthusiastically into the air. Alcohol made Daria even more adorable than she already was.

Julian looked mournful. "I can't drink," he said, reproachfully.

Daria looked positively devastated with sympathy at this revelation. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. Julian was wearing a small smile at her seriousness. "And you are so brave for that," she said.

Julian laughed. "No, I have to drive home tonight to help Elena set up for the wedding."

My cousin Elena, one of Julian's close friends in their small country town, was getting married next week. I was to be a bridesmaid, which practically made me feel like a princess. Knight was set to accompany me to the wedding as my plus one, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her.

Daria pouted. "You're so responsible, Jules. You're so good for our Kaelin. We love you."

"Thank you, Daria," said Jules.

"Let's play Paranoia," I suggested.

Holland clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, yes!"

When I'd been to some of the bigger parties with the rest of the year, they played games more like Spin the Bottle or Seven Minutes in Heaven or Truth or Dare. Our group wasn't big on hook up culture—watching Cady hook up with Alex, or some random pairing like that, wasn't really fun for anyone.

"What's Paranoia?" Harry asked.

"This is why we don't invite children to our parties," I said. "No children zone."

Harry chugged quickly and enthusiastically from the vodka bottle, as if to prove he was very cool and adult. He was definitely the kind of kid who did Pingers in Year 7 just to seem way more edgy and grown up then he ever would be.

"Paranoia is a drinking game," Alec explained. "Essentially, one person whispers a question that refers to people in the room. Like, who's the hottest person here or if you had to punch someone, who would it be? And then that person has to say the name of the person out loud, and then if the person whose name they call wants to know what the question was, they do a shot."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay."

With a big group like this, I foresaw many shots being thrown back in the name of curiosity. Besides, a shot was hardly a punishment in my opinion. Callie proved that point by voluntarily swigging straight from Daria's bottle of vodka. It made me slightly concerned for their respective states of intoxication post-Paranoia.

Daria was bouncing in her seat. "Me first, me first, me first!"

No one could refuse Daria.

With a goofy smile, she leant in to whisper to Holland. After a few moments, Holland looked upwards contemplatively. "Hmm. Lena."

I immediately downed a shot. Curiosity, and arrogance, always got the better of me. I had never refused the drink; I had to know what people were saying about me. Besides, alcohol gave me the good spins and that was always nice on a Sunday afternoon. I liked the good spins.