Never Have I Ever

The night you have waited for all year has arrived. It is one week from graduation and your days of studying, and tests are over. Everyone knows that there is only one place to be tonight. The Old Morrison Plantation was a popular place for the fraternities and sororities to have large scale bashes. There is always a big party thrown by the senior class, and it is tradition to attend.

You have spent your entire night making sure you have made the right choice in clothing and are perfectly clean. A certain person is there and this might be your last chance. You just have to make a good impression on them. Up until tonight you have been invisible to them. Tonight is your night, at least, that is what you keep telling yourself for confidence.

The music can be heard from where you park your car. You have a bit of a walk amidst the sea of vehicles that have occupied the old corn field in front of the massive house. It is hard to be unawed by the sheer size of it and even from where you stand you can see the masses of drunken party goers. The stoners hang from the porch railings, smoke wafting from around them. Groups of college kids huddle and chatter, making all sorts of noise.

The jocks busied themselves tossing a football across the spacious front yard as you cross into the gate. You have to squeeze past those who still occupy the steps leading toward the door. Your hand rises to knock, almost out of instinct, but it swings open before you do.

The sound of the ruckus within is almost deafening but a cheery and laughing figure hauls you inside and welcomes you to the party. Body shuffle about and bump into each other while singing, dancing, genuinely being wild. You cannot help but laugh at the scene as your eyes examine the room for that one specific person.

Your search transfers you into the kitchen where droves of people swarm in and out grabbing various forms of spirits. Several young men crowd around a large keg, taking turns performing handstands over it to see who can last the longest. A group of cheerleaders are being coached on the rules of beer pong in the adjacent dining room. You step inside but you do not encounter who you are looking for.

Someone instantly recognizes you and shoves a plastic red cup in your hand full of beer. You had never enjoyed the taste of the stuff but after a few nudges from your friend you decide to take a sip. This was a party after all and your nerves could use calming with the power of alcohol. Your search continues through the hallway past couples darting into bedrooms for privacy.

You nurse your drink as your eyes scan your surroundings. Between being bumped by every person who passes and the debris upon the floor you find yourself stumbling and spilling your drink. You curse at your misfortune and attempt to stand.

A hand grasps your arm and helps you up. You thank the person for assistance. Suddenly you realize that this was the person you had been searching for all along. They smile at you and you become weak.

This person had been hidden away in the basement with a group of their friends, which you are invited to join. You merely nod sheepishly, wanting to be closer to them but unsure of what to say. You are led down a dark stairwell that opens into a dimly lit room filled with folding chairs. People occupy most of them and great you as you enter.

You do not recognize any of them from campus but they all appear to be college students. It was a rather large school and it was possible to meet new people every day. None of them possibly recognized you, your secret crush barely knew your name so why would they?

You silently take a seat beside the one who had invited you as you are handed another plastic cup to drink from. This drink smells stronger than the previous one but it was definitely some sort of alcohol. You ponder this until someone starts talking to you. The group informs you that they are playing a game called, “Never Have I Ever.”

Considering you had never been to a party like this in your short time alive you are ill informed of the rules. Your crush leans over and tells you that you can watch for the first round to get the hang of it. A thin Asian girl across from you begins her turn and states, “Never have I ever stolen a car.”

You watch as two guys to your right laugh slightly before taking a gulp from their respective cups. A few of them seem genuinely shocked, as if learning something new about one of their friends Laughter ensues, and several of them ask questions about the circumstances.

You hear a story about a dare that went horribly wrong, involving a stolen BMW that had belonged to one of the parents of the two. Apparently both of them had been left to spend the night in jail to teach them a lesson. It was not until the next day their parents bailed them out.

You laugh, covering your mouth in hopes of not offending these strangers. Again, your crush leans over and asks if you understand the rules. You nod quietly again as the round continues with the person to the right of the Asian girl.

A Hispanic girl with crimson dyed hair popped her bubble gum and smirked while saying, “Never have I ever had sex.”

The entire group took a drink and your crush leaned over raising an eyebrow as if questioning you. You have no choice but to take your first drink and a few of the people remark, “Perfect!”

You blush at the thought of the room knowing your secret. Your embarrassment leads to believe you may have been better off upstairs but the gentle smile of the admired beside you keeps you seated. A gentle hand rests on your shoulder, and you decide to stay awhile longer.

The red haired girl bumps a boy beside her to get his attention. The bulkier guy finishes his drink before lowering the cup to reveal his thick glasses before speaking, “Never have I ever had a homosexual encounter.”

Several of the occupants of the room snicker at the phrase. Then Asian girl takes a sip of her drink and smacks the guy on the arm. She chastises him for telling the room her secret but they all get a good laugh at the situation. The game continues this way with more embarrassing confessions from the room and eventually it becomes your turn. You ponder for a moment, wondering what would make this game interesting.

Finally, you blurt out, “Never have I ever slept with a teacher.”

Your face flashes read as you cover your mouth, almost trying to put the words back inside. You are even more shocked when half of the room turns up their cup for a drink. They begin sharing their common stories about perverted professors and squeezing out that extra grade. You never knew a game like this could be so much fun.

A short blonde girl next to you takes her turn saying, “Never have I ever ate dirt.”

You think for a moment and remember the time when you were five and you had been dared to do just that. You know that if you do not take a few more drinks then you will seem odd, so your cup rises and a gulp is heard. You gasp a bit, realizing that this was not beer but some sort of hard liquor that burned the whole way down.

The unexpected flavor caused you to cough. Your reaction to the drink combined with your confession generates laughter from the group. This time you have started to feel more comfortable with the group. You tell your childhood story and all of them can relate in some way and that eases your mind even more. Maybe they are not so bad, you tell yourself.

The turns continue until the last person among you sits forward. Your eyes fall upon a dark-haired young man, possibly late twenties and clothed entirely in black. He seems to eyeball everyone in the room, and you notice each one begin nodding to him as if agreeing with whatever he may be thinking. His voice is low, almost as if telling a secret, “Never have I ever drugged someone.”

The entire group drinks except you. There are no funny stories that follow this but suddenly you notice they all seem to be looking directly at you. You squirm a bit in your chair, feeling uneasy. You are not sure if it is a chill or your slowly numbing senses but your body tingles. The Asian girl takes another turn, “Never have I ever killed a person.”

Each one of them takes another sip, still watching for your reaction. By this time you have finished only half of your cup but you begin to feel lethargic. You try to focus on the next person speaking but your vision begins to blur, causing to you to rub at your eyes. You turn to the person beside you, wanting to let them know you do not feel well but the next person makes a statement that causes your words from a lump in your throat.

A garbled voice speaks, “Never have I ever performed a human sacrifice.”

You hear the sickening gulp of alcohol being consumed and the tiny clinks of plastic cups hitting the floor. You try to rise from your chair, but your legs are weak and buckle under you. Before you know it your body crashes into the floor. You try to pick yourself up but it is no use. Your entire body feels as though it is made of lead.

Your mouth moves to speak but the words are garbled. You want to scream for help but the sound you make is more like gurgling. Your sight is blurred even further by tears forming in your eyes as hands begin to lift you. You hope they are going to help you. You hope that is a very cruel prank.

The voices seem to be laughing and discussing something but your ability to comprehend the words is slowly fading. You feel your body being placed on a hard surface under a bright blinding light, but that does not matter when you finally fall unconscious.