“Spin the bottle,” Gianna announced as she planted one of the empty bottles in front of them. “Spin the bottle? Really, Gia?” Josiah snorted, the fake blades of his Freddy costume scraped the floor. “Shut up, Krueger,” she shot back, flicking the bottle into a spin. It whirred, clinking against the concrete floor before stopping on Shannon who was wedged between Donovan and his brothers’ rusty bikes.
Everyone hooted as she rolled her eyes playfully. Gianna leaned forward and planted a loud, theatrical “mwah” on her cheek, leaving behind a glittery smudge. “Your turn, Hot Topic.” Gianna teased. The circle whooped as Shannon took over. She spun. The bottle wobbled before stopping on Donovan. The group erupted in lazy “ooohs”. Stephanie gripped Judah’s arm as she squealed. “It’s just like the show!” Donovan gave a lazy half smirk. “C’mere,” he chuckled as he leaned up. Nothing wild. Just enough to make the crowd cheer.
Donovan grabbed the bottle next. He gave a half hearted spin. It spun unevenly and finally stopped on Judah. It was dead quiet for a beat. Then the garage detonated, laughter and squeals bouncing around the cracked brick walls. Josiah actually toppled backwards, laughing harder than he had all night. “Real kiss, boys!” Gia shouted over the chaos. Donovan laughed too loud. “Nah…I’m good,” he deflected. Judah raised his hands in surrender. “We can just move on to the next person.” He said with a nervous laugh.
“Rules are rules!” Stephanie howled. “We need to see fangs!” Josiah leaned back up. “Don’t be a little bitch.” He squeezed out between laughs. Judah’s eyes flicked to Donovan’s. A spark. A dare. “Whatever,” Donovan sighed. He reached out, cupping the back of Judah’s head. Their lips met in a deliberate kiss that lingered just a little too long. They pulled apart. Judah’s hand brushed Donovan’s jaw before dropping. The circle exploded once more as Judah sat back down, looping his arm around Stephanie, hoping she couldn’t feel his heart hammering as she rested her head on his collar. He smiled a warm, mischievous smile across the circle where Donovan wiped his mouth. Donovan’s eyes locked on his. A look. Quick. Loaded.
“Next!” Gianna cheered, pushing the bottle in front of Judah. The group remained oblivious as the game spun on, but under the flickering lights two boys sat feet apart, concealing a secret they just showed everyone.
