"Dare" Stefan answers before I even ask him.
What should I dare him to do? I know he will do whatever it is just because that is how he is. "I.. hmm. I dare you to.."
"To what?" He says impatiently. I almost dare him to say something nice about each person in the group but I decide against it, however amusing it would have been.
"Take your shirt off and keep it off the entire game" Vicki says for me and I am glad. Not because Stefan will be taking his shirt off of course, but because I couldn't think of anything for him to do.
"How juvenile" he says but lifts his shirt over his head. My eyes go directly to his long torso. He has six pack abs and a rose tattoo on his shoulder. He looks like a Greek god. I kept staring at him. Katherine nudges me an I tear my eyes away from him praying that no one saw me staring. The game continues and Vicki kisses Liam and Damon, Katherine tells us about her first time having sex and Tyler and the new girl kiss. How did I find myself in the middle of this group of hormonal college students?
"Elena, truth or dare?" Liam asks.
"Why even ask? We know she will say truth" Stefan interrupts.
"Dare." I say, surprising them and myself.
"Hmm.. Elena, I dare you to take a shot of vodka," Liam smiles.
"I don't drink."
"That's the point."
"Look, if you don't want to do it.." Tyler starts to say and I look over at Stefan and Vicki sharing a laugh at my expense.
"Fine, one shot." I say and Stefan's eyes met mine. He gives me a strange look.
Seconds later I am handed the clear bottle of vodka. I mistakenly put my nose against the top, smelling the foul liquid. It burns my nostrils and I scrunch my nose, trying to ignore the chuckles behind me. I try not to think of all the mouths that have been on the top of this bottle before I tilted it back and take a drink. The vodka feels hot and burns my tongue all the way down to my stomach but I manage to swallow it. It tastes horrible. The group claps and laughs a little, except Stefan. If I didn't know him any better I would think he was mad or disappointed? He is so strange. I can feel the heat in my cheeks and a small amount of alcohol in my veins that grows with each round that I am dared to take another. I oblige, I have to admit I am pretty relaxed for once, I feel good.
"Same dare" Damon laughs and takes a drink of vodka before handing me the bottle for the fifth time. I don't even remember the dates and truths that have been happening around me for the last few rounds. This time I take two big drinks of vodka before it is ripped from my grasp.
"I think you've had enough" Stefan says and hands the bottle to Tyler, who takes a drink. Who the hell is Stefan to tell me when I have had enough? Everyone else is still drinking so I can too. I grabbed the bottle back from Tyler and took a drink again, making sure to give Stefan a smirk as the bottle touches my lips.
"I can't believe you have never been drunk before, it's fun right?" Damon asks and I giggle. Thoughts of irresponsible flood my mind but I pushed them back. It's only one night.
"Stefan, truth or dare?" Vicki asks. He picks dare of course.
"I dare you to kiss Elena" she says and gives a fake smile. Stefans eyes go wide and I want to run away.
"No, I have a boyfriend." I tell them, making them laugh at me. Why am I even hanging around with these people?
"So.. it is just a dare. Just do it" Vicki pressures me.
"No, I am not kissing anyone" I snap and stand up. Stefan just takes a drink from his cup. I hope he is offended, actually I don't care if he is. He hates me and is rude anyway. As I get to my feet, the full effect of the vodka hits me. I wobble but pull myself together and walk away from them. Through the crowd, I manage to find the front door. As soon as it opens, the fall breeze hits me. I close my eyes and breath in the fresh air before going to sit on the familiar stone wall. Before I realize what I am doing, my phone is in my hands, dialing Matt.
"Hello?" He says, the familiarity in his voice makes me miss him more.
"Hey.. babe" I say and laugh. We do not call each other ridiculous pet names.
"Elena, are you drunk?" His voice is full of judgment. I shouldn't have called him.
"No... of course not" I lie and hang up the phone. I press my finger down on the power button, I don't want him to call back. He is ruining the good feeling from this vodka.
I stumble back inside, ignoring whistles and crude comments from drunk frat guys. I grab a bottle of brown liquor off the counter in the kitchen and take a drink, too big of a drink. It tastes worse than the vodka and burns even worse. My hands fumble for a cup of anything to get this taste out of my mouth. I ended up opening the cabinet and using a real glass to pour some water from the sink, making sure to put the glass in the sink afterwards.
"Excuse me," a girl with an attitude pushes past me and tosses an empty cup into the sink.
The water helps the burn a little, but not much. The group of my friends are still sitting in a circle playing their stupid game. Are these my friends? I don't think they are. They only want me around so they can laugh at me. How dare Vicki tell Stefan to kiss me, she knows that I have a boyfriend. Unlike her, I don't go around kissing everyone. I have only kissed 10 boys in my life. Would Stefan have went along with it? I doubt it. His lips are so pink and full, my head plays an image of Stefan leaning over to kiss me and my pulse begins to race.
What the hell? Why am I thinking about kissing him? I am never drinking again. Minutes later, my feet lead me upstairs to the bathroom and I sit in front of the toilet, expecting to throw up. Nothing happens. I groan and pull myself up. I am ready to go back to the dorms but I know Katherine won't be ready for hours.
Before I can stop myself, my hand is turning the knob on Stefans bedroom door. It looks the same as before only this time the room is moving around beneath my feet. The copy of Wuthering Hights is missing from the shelf where it was but I find it on the bedside table, next to Pride and Prejudice. Stefan's comments about the novel replay through my mind. He has obviously read it before, and understood it which is rare for our age group. Maybe he had to read it for class before, that's why. But why is the copy of Wuthering Hights out? I grab it and sit on the bed, opening the book halfway through. My eyes scan the pages and the room stops spinning.
I am so lost in the world of Catherine and Heathcliff, that when the door opens, I don't hear it.
"What part of no one can come in this room did you not understand last time?" Stefan says. His angry expression surprises but humors me at the same time.
"S.. sorry. I."
"Get out" he spits and I glare at him. The vodka is still fresh in my system, too fresh to let Stefan yell at me.
"You don't have to be such a jerk!" My voice coming out much louder than I had intended.
"You are in my room, again after I told you not to be. So get out!" He yells, stepping closer to me.
"Why don't you like me?" I am not sure what possessed me to ask him this. I don't think my already wounded ego can take the answer.
