Troubled

TWENTY FIVE

CORA PHILIPS

For the first time it wasn't my disasters that was ruining the day. It was an actual natural disaster.

I picked up my phone and dialed my mother's phone number immediately the announcement ended.

She picked up on the last ring. I walked away from them, inching towards the kitchen as she picked up the phone.

"Mom, I saw the announcement. I wanted to let you know that I am safe in my friend's house." I say quickly.

"Friend?" She was more shocked than concerned. She was probably thinking what i***t would want to be friends with someone she wanted to get rid of.

"Yeah, two actually. We are safe." I add Kyle just to spite her, two people are handling what you cannot mother, and they aren't even related to me by blood.

"Are you safe?" I ask because the line was quiet.

"Yes. I'm at home."

"And Cory? Dad?"

"Both here."

"Okay."

The line went silent for a while before she hung up. She was even tired of hearing me breath.

When I walked back to the Kyle had this huge smirk plastered to his face. I wanted badly to scratch across his face with my nails, his face stupid.

"I heard you tell your mom I was your friend."

I should have known that was going to bite me back later.

"Why did you eavesdrop?" I ask instead.

"So am I your friend?" The stupid smirk was still in place.

I dip my hand into the pack of chips that Xander was eating and take a handful.

"Not even in your dreams Kyle."

He only laughed. He seemed to do that a lot, he laughed like there was nothing wrong in the world. I wondered if I was allowed to laugh like that. Probably not, if a hundred things were wrong with the world, I was eighty five of them.

"Where did Xander go?" I ask, he was the good thing that I could see and talk with to wipe away my negative thoughts.

"Why? Want to make out now that the recital isn't showing?" The stupid smirk was on his face again.

I grit my teeth in annoyance. The boy must think everyone made out at the slightest chance they got. Just like everyone around him. It has to be a product of too much sports, hitting his head during practice and during the games must have made him loose a few screws.

"There are different ways I would like to slam your head against the way." I say lowly.

He laughed again. He held his stomach as he laughed. I was started to get irritated by his laughs.

"He went to call his parents." He said after laughing.

"Won't you call your parents?" I ask as I plop down on the furthest sofa from him.

He looked surprised, I was surprised too that I cared.

"They work indoors till evening, I know they aren't back yet, plus they don't accept calls while working. They probably didn't even know about the warning." He chuckled. It had no hidden meaning, he didn't seem sad while he talked about them.

Xander walked in with another bag of chips.

"Can you believe they postponed the recital? I was really hyped about it."

Kyle's eyes flickered to him.

"You are the one that wanted to watch the recital?"

Xander nodded.

"Yeah, I'm a pianist and the person playing is like my role model, I wanted to watch her play so bad."

Kyle nodded.

"What can we do till they say it's safe to go outside again?"

"Let's play a game." Kyle proposed.

"What kind of games do you have here?" I asked Kyle.

He shrugged his shoulder.

"Video ones?"

"I can't play those."

"Then let's play the typical truth or dare game." Kyle suggests.

"You are always so predictable."

He grins anyway, like I complimented him.

"I'll go first." Xander offered. I'm sure he just wanted to please Kyle.

"Wait, let's set the rules. First, if you don't want to do the dare, or say the truth. What will be the punishment?"

His eyes glistened at the word punishment.

He only wanted to punish me I was sure of it, he knew I wasn't going to play his games.

"How about we all have just one pass, you can use it on your dare or truth, but you can only pass it once." Xander offered.

Kyle nods in affirmation.

"As for the punishment, you will be drinking from this." Xander goes into the kitchen and brings out a bottle of alcohol and three shot glasses.

"Whoa!! Xander my boy, you know how to party." Kyle was grinning.

My heart was thumping. I was scared. If I did drink, I don't know what could happen to any of them. I remember the dream about the eye. I couldn't drink. I had to stay in control.

"Is it okay if I drank something else?"

They both look at me like I was crazy.

"You want to chicken out?" Kyle dared.

For some reason his taunt overrides my sense of control. I wasn't a chicken, I wasn't going to back out of anything with Kyle. He couldn't win two times a day. Especially after my embarrassing loss in the shopping mall.

"I thought so." Kyle said as he set the bottle and the shot cups.

I grab my chip bag to hide my unease, after all, even if I was in control, the disasters took control.

"I'll go first. Kyle you can ask me." Xander was almost too excited.

"Truth or dare?" Somehow Kyle's voice had grown mysterious.

"Dare."

I snort silently, of course he picked dare, he wanted to show Kyle he was not a chicken.

"I dare you, to.." Kyle's eyes roamed the property.

"Take a dunk into the swimming pool with your clothes on."

Xander looked white.

"You're not going to take a video and show your friends right?"

"What? No, this is just between us, no phones or videos." Kyle assured.

Before I could slip a word in, he dove into the water with his clothes on.

Kyle hollered at him, Xander hollered back. I went back to eating my chips. Two of them were beyond crazy.

"It's your turn now." Kyle said facing me as Xander came out of the water.

"Truth." I wasn't jumping into the water like a moron.

Kyle smirked.

"Who had the eye in the drawing?"

I eyed the alcohol. Before he could stop me I took a shot.