Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-36393004-20181228225151

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 and that is the Old Morrison Plantation. 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 to make a good impression on them. Up until tonight, you have been invisible to them but tonight is your night.

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 not be awed 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 busy 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 pulls 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 search the room for that one specific person. Your search takes you into the kitchen where droves of people swarm in and out grabbing various forms of spirits. Several young men crow around a large keg, taking turns doing 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 but you do not see who you are looking for.

Someone recognizes you and shoves a plastic red cup in your hand full of beer. You had never liked 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 continue to 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 before realizing 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 simply nod sheepishly, wanting to be closer to them but unsure of what to say. You are lead 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. None of them possibly knew 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. 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 takes 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. 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 heavier boy with glasses says, “Never have I ever had a homosexual encounter.” Several of the occupants of the room snicker at the phrase but you are shocked with the 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. It burned on the way down and caused you to cough. That combined with your confession generates laughter but by 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. 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. 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 between turns but you feel far drunker than you should be. You try to focus on the next person speaking but your vision begins to blur. A muffled voice speaks, “Never have I ever mutilated a body for pure enjoyment.” 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 and you feel hands grasping at your arms. You try to form words but they only garble. You want to scream for help but it is no use. You feel your body being placed on a hard surface under bright blinding light but that does not matter when you finally fall unconscious. 