Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

51. Overdue

Richard spun the empty glass sprite bottle, the group of teens watched it twirl like a ballerina before it slowed to a halt landing between Nia and Emily. Nia quickly grabbed the bottle and pointed it at Emily making everyone laugh. " Richy like my brother girl ew," Nia said, scrunching up her face as she popped her bubble gum.

Emily's cheeks instantly began to heat up as all eyes were now on her, flushing red tone with embarrassment. " He's like mine too," Emily said sheepishly, looking at him from where he sat on the floor across from her.

" Girl boo— go in there with him!" Nia instigated, pushing Emily roughly. " Y'all have to, that's how the game goes!"

" If she don't go in there with him I will," Asante, another girl at the party said as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger staring Richard down seductively with her feline like eyes.

" Go bitch," Nia mouthed as Emily looked back at her with uncertainty.

Hesitantly, Emily rose from the ground swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat walking to the walk-in closet in Nia's room. Richard made a smug look as Emily walked past him, getting up himself and following her into the closet and closing the door behind him.

" Time starts now!" Nia yelled from the other side of the door as the group of teens snickered.

" Why you look so nervous?" Rich asked, leaning against a tall stack of Nike shoes boxes.

" I'm not," Emily protested defensively. " I've just never played this before— have you?"

" Yea— once," He replied coolly with a shrug,  running his hands through Nia's hung up clothes.

" What are we supposed to do anyways?" Emily asked, looking around the inside of Nia's closet awkwardly.

Though her and Rich were close friends, best-friends even, and hung out often, they'd never been together in this type of light— trapped in a room playing seven minutes in heaven together.

" Shit— touch each other," He said nonchalantly.

" What?" Emily asked jerking her head back.

" I ain't gone touch you, I don't even like you like that anyway,"

" Good— because I don't like you like that either," Emily said sassily making Rich chuckle as he stared at Emily from across the small cramped space, watching her nervously tug on a loose string on the hem of her Tommy Hilfiger shirt.

" You ever kissed a girl before?" Emily asked after a moment, looking up meeting his hazel eyes.

" Duh— what you take me for, a square?" He laughed.

" I'm just asking," She said, placing both hands on her hips.

" What about you— you kissed a nigga before?" He asked, nodding his head towards her.

" No," She said quietly.

" Like ever?" Richard laughed teasingly. " You ain't never kissed nobody before?"

" No!" Emily laughed embarrassedly, her cheeks heating up as she blushed. " Stop being so loud before they hear us!"

" What you askin for then— you wanna kiss me or somethin?" He teased with a sly grin.

" Do you wanna kiss me?" Emily countered sassily.

" Na— I asked you first,"