Back to Square One

Three nights before we were supposed to leave, we all had a barbeque at the rooftop once again since Nate and Sandra had to get back to the city to prepare their wedding that was to take place a week and a half from now.

After we ate, my sister suggested an activity that made me want to punch her.

“Let’s play truth or dare!” she quirked up from beside Tristan.

“That sounds good,” Leslie nodded with a smile.

“I don’t mind,” Sandra said. Both Nate just ‘ehh’ed at it with a shrug. All eyes then landed on Hazelyn and I.

“No,” we both said sternly at the same time.

“Too bad. We’re doing it,” Stephanie said sticking her tongue out at me and stood up to grab the glass bottle and set it on the coffee table that was in the middle. “Ready?” she asked in a giddy tone. Everyone just nodded, except for Hazelyn and I of course.

Why we’re so not into my sister’s games of Truth or Dare? Well, let’s say that she asks the craziest questions. And her dares, well let’s say that they’re just as crazy as her questions. But none of the others knew that.

“Who wants to spin first?” Tristan asked.

“I will!” Stephanie quirked up.

“Shit,” Hazelyn mumbled. I looked at her and she just frowned and cuddled herself closer to me.

The bottle landed on Nate, and Stephanie frowned. “Truth or Dare?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Dare.”

“I dare you to drop a piece of barbeque in the ocean and eat the whole thing,” she smiled.

“What the hell?! You’re not making him staple his hand or something?!” I complained.

She stuck her tongue out at me and Nate just shrugged and went to do it. He came back a few minutes later, and we continued on. He spun the bottle and landed on Leslie.

“Truth or Dare mom?” he asked.

“Truth,” she answered

He thought about it for a minute. “What was the wildest thing you’ve done in your life?”

Leslie laughed and looked at all of us. “When I was a senior in high school, I snuck out of the country with your dad and we went to Vegas and attempted to get married,” she said.

Nate choked on his food and Tristan spit out his beer.

“What?!” Hazelyn laughed.

“Seriously!” she smiled. “We were still 17 and we were drunk. We got arrested, and got taken back home.”

“Your turn mom!” Stephanie cheered and Leslie just rolled her eyes and awkwardly spun the bottle. It landed on Hazelyn, and the eyes of the girl that I had my arms around went wide.

“Truth or Dare?” Leslie asked.

Hazelyn squirmed, and held onto me tighter. “You okay?” I asked her. She shook her head no.

“She gives horrible dares,” she whispered to me.

“Pick truth,” I shrugged.

“I’d rather not.”

“Hey, lovebirds - we’re waiting here,” Leslie said impatiently.

Hazelyn bit her lip, and looked at her mom. “Truth,” she finally picked.

Leslie laughed and thought about it for a minute. Then her eyes lit up. “What do you love the most about Ryan?” she asked.

“Mom,” Hazelyn blushed as she buried her face on my chest.

“Hazelyn, come on. You’re together anyways, don’t be shy!”

“Yeah!” Stephanie clapped.

“Don’t lie,” Lesile warned.

“It’s called truth,” Hazelyn mumbled.

“So, what is it?” her mom insisted.

She looked up at me and gave me an awkward smile. “Well,” she started. “that’s a tough question,” she admitted softly, not taking her eyes off me. “Everything. There isn’t a thing that I hate about him,” she whispered almost inaudibly. “The color of his eyes are electrifying, his hair is always perfect, the way he smirks when he knows he’s right, the way he makes fun of me because he’s bored. When he gets so annoying that the only way I could shut him up is by kissing him, and the way that he looks at me with that twinkle in his eyes and the way he smiles at me when we wake up in the morning,” she said very softly, the entire time looking into my eyes.

Everyone was quiet, stunned probably. Because hell, I knew I was.

Tristan cleared his throat, and snapped everybody back to reality. The reality that this was all an act in front of Leslie. Hazelyn blushed furiously, and gave me an awkward smile, not exactly sure what it meant. I hugged her closer to me, and she surprisingly didn’t pull away.

Our game went on and we eventually retreated to our own rooms. Hazelyn was a bit awkward for awhile, but once we were on the bed, she spoke.

“That wasn’t getting carried away, just to let you know,” she mumbled.

My heart sunk. “Yeah, I know,” I told her, trying to keep the disappointed tone in my voice.

“Good,” she said and turned of the lights.

~~Hazelyn POV~~

“What the hell is wrong with me?!” I asked myself once I turned off the lights. I’m the one that’s getting carried away. I don’t like him. I don’t love him. I hate him. Right?

Fuck.

I couldn’t sleep because of the irritation that was running through my veins because of the words I let slip out of my mouth, so I decided to get up and take a walk at the beach.

I slipped on my robe and walked barefoot out of the room and through the halls. I heard murmuring and decided to walk towards it.

“Do you think she was serious?” I heard my second eldest brother’s voice.

“She seemed like it,” my sister-in-law replied.

“What’s going on guys?” Nate asked confused.

“Don’t tell Hazelyn, okay?” Stephanie bargained.

I decided to creep closer and listen, why cant they tell me?

“Why would I tell her?” Nate scoffed.

“Good. Well, everyone’s in the plan of making Jay and Lyn to act like a couple and maybe make them feel what they felt years ago you know? So, everyone’s in on it. It’s all just for Lyn to realize it,” Stephanie said.

“What do you mean by everyone?” Sandra asked slowly.

“Everyone,” Stephanie replied very slowly.

What the fuck?! So Ryan knew about this whole shit?! And he didn’t tell me?! I’m fucking over with this. Maybe I was feeling something, but I guess that’s all gone now and replaced with irritation and anger.

All he does is lie to me and hide stuff from me. This is why we broke up in the first place. If he wanted me back, then he shouldn’t have done the same damn thing that was the reason of our break up!

I stomped back to the room, not bothering to be quiet - knowing that everyone in that room heard me. I heard the door open halfway up the stairs.

“Hazelyn?” Stephanie squeaked.

“You bastards,” I growled at them and went into the room, throwing the door open and turned on all the lights. “Hey asshole, wake up,” I growled, making Ryan jump from the bed.

“What?” he asked confused.

“Don’t you what me, idiot. You made me look like a fool. What are you fucking thinking? Making me act like your girlfriend in hopes of getting me back?! Oh right, you don’t think. The fucking same reason why I broke up with you. Because your brain isn’t what you use to think. What? What’s up with the whole act of not sleeping with that slut?” I laughed dryly.

“What are you talking about Haze?” he asked confused.

I laughed again. “You’re a good actor Ryan. You really are. Is this what you’ve been working on for the past 3 years? To lie to me again and make me look like a fucking fool? Well, I’m glad I found out before you do something that would actually hurt me, Dolciani,” I spat as I grabbed my purse and rushed towards the door. “Contracts done, broken, over with. So leave me the fuck alone.”

“Hazelyn!” Tristan called out.

“Leave me alone you traitors!” I shouted at them.

“Hazelyn! Listen! You’ve got it all wrong!” Nate argued, but I kept making my way towards the jet skis.

“There’s nothing to understand, Nathan!” I shouted before I sped off despite their calls.

~~Tristan POV~~

“What do you mean by everyone?” Sandra asked slowly.

“Everyone,” Stephanie replied very slowly.

“As in?” Nate asked.

“Mom, everyone back home,” I said.

“Does Jay know?” Nate asked.

“No,” Stephanie said. “He’d kill us. Plus if he was in this, Hazelyn would trip,” I explained then I heard footsteps outside the door, making us all jump and run for it and we saw Hazelyn go up the stairs. Stomping up the stairs.

“Hazelyn?” my wife squeaked.

“You bastards,” my sister spat at us before starting a yelling match with Jay. Before we could get up there, Hazelyn was already heading for the garage. By the words she shouted at all of us, she for sure thinks that Jay knew about this whole thing. Shit! Shit! Shit!

“Hazelyn!” I called out.

“Leave me alone you traitors!” she shouted at us.

Fuck Fuck Fuck!

“Hazelyn! Listen! You’ve got it all wrong!” Nate argued, but she kept making her way towards the jet skis.

“There’s nothing to understand, Nathan!” she shouted before she sped off despite our loud calls.

“What the hell happened?!” Jay asked us once he saw Hazelyn speed off.

“Shit happened bro,” I mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”

Shit's about to go down.