Ice cream, Teasing and Awkward Situations

Chapter 14

I never should have agreed to play this stupid game. What the fuck was April's problem? 

You don't just dare two friends to kiss each other for no apparent reason. It's not that hard to think of normal non-sexually orientated dare for Christ's sake! 

I really didn't want to kiss Ben. He was just a friendly face at work, just someone to keep me from scratching my own eyes out while I suffered through working at that awful place. 

 Ben had finally made his way over and was knelt out right in front of me. I could faintly hear the sound of whistles and cheers, from the other drunk party guests who were egging us on. My anxiety felt like it was going through the roof. 

I badly wanted to refuse to comply with the dare and shuffle the hell away from him. 

But I couldn't. I didn't want to seem rude or make things awkward the next time I had to see him at work. 

Besides, it was just a stupid dare. 

It's fine Mia. You can do this. You can do this. 

Ben gave me an awkward tight-lipped smile and cupped my cheek. His face then started to move slowly towards mine and on reflex, I closed my eyes.

I had barely closed my eyes for a second before I heard a loud thud, followed by a groan of pain. I snapped my eyes open immediately and took in the sight before me, with widened eyes.

 What the hell? 

Ben was no longer kneeling in front of me but instead lay sprawled out on the floor and looking arguably as shocked as me. Ethan had abandoned his place in the circle and was now standing intimidatingly over Ben's body with a murderous expression on his face. He looked like he was seconds away from attacking him. 

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Ethan said with a harsh chuckle. The sound of which caused a chill to run down my spine. He sounded so angry and unlike himself, that it was kind of scaring me. 

"Don't you ever touch her." Ethan spat furiously, in a tone that was laden with an incredible amount of threat. 

 "Jesus Christ, it's just a dare. You need to chill the fuck out dude." Ben stammered out as he stared up at Ethan in both fear and confusion. 

 "I don't give a shit if it was a dare. You don't touch her like that. Ever." Ethan hissed in between gritted teeth. 

"Look man, I didn't do anything wrong. Mia was cool with it, she didn't exactly push me away, did she?" Ben argued back.

 His comment seemed to rub Ethan the wrong way, and there was a momentary flash of pain in his eyes before his expression hardened.

 Abruptly, Ethan lunged for Ben and lifted him up by the scruff of his t-shirt, before roughly slamming him back down on the ground again. Ben groaned upon the impact and looked up at Ethan with widened and terrified eyes. 

Just as Ethan was about to throw a punch to Ben's face, Lucas leaped to his feet and caught Ethan's arm. Lucas tried to tackle him away from Ben, but this seemed to piss Ethan off even further and he kept fighting back with an unquenchable rage. 

"Ethan calm down. You're making a scene. He's not going to kiss her anymore, okay?" Lucas explained in between heavy breaths as he struggled to restrain his sharp movements. Ethan seemed to visibly relax upon hearing his words and gradually stopped trying to attack Ben. As though he was worried, he might change his mind, Ben immediately scrambled off the ground and returning to his seat in the circle. Far, far away from Ethan.