Get Your Kicks

I tugged my hood further forward and leaned my forehead against the seat in front of me. I could hear Zayn’s horrible idea, even with my hands pressed against my ears. I hated truth or dare. I mean, I liked having fun and goofing off but nothing good ever came from a game of truth or dare. So I pressed my hands further to ears and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the moment they would give up on the boring game.

”Aw come on babe…it’s just one drink, live a little…come on, come on.”

“Schmidt! Schmidt! Schmidt!”

“She’s alive!” Healey laughed, catching my attention.

I was sitting straight up again and the hood of my sweatshirt had fallen off. I pulled it back up and pulled my legs up onto the seat, trying to stop the pounding in my chest. I couldn’t close my eyes for a minute.

“Good, it’s your turn then!” Brenna was grinning from ear to ear, “truth or dare?”

“Dare,” I shrugged. I always picked dare. I couldn’t stop now.

“Finally, boring other people,” Brenna shot everyone a look and they laughed, Harry laughing especially hard.

“Next car that passes,” she started.

“Which will be never,” Darcy cut her off.

“Shut up Darcy,” Brenna smiled, a sing-song tone in her voice, before continuing, “you have to flash the next car that passes us.”

“Brenna!” Ellie was blushing red in the face like someone had made it her dare to complete.

“Fine,” I didn’t care, “but bra only…I’m not whipping out the girls on a drive by. What if it’s some prevy old man? Or Harry watches.”

“Ah you’re hysterical,” Harry drawled.

“I know,” I nodded and smiled, “since it’s my turn…oh well, hello there Liam, truth or dare?”

“I’m not playing,” Liam muttered. I was going to ask why he was sulking next to me but I realized I had his phone in my bra.

“You know…this thing vibrates an awful lot…I mean,” I made a face and Healey laughed, nearly knocking Zayn.

Liam only glared at me.

“Just pick truth or dare or your phone is going in places synonymous with your behavior next time.”

“Where?” Niall looked over at me, his adorable face twisted up in confusion.

I just pointed down. He nodded and Liam, who hadn’t quite understood the threat, looked highly disgusted.

“Fine, truth.”

“Good, you picked dare,” I smiled.

“I picked truth.”

“Well, that was the wrong choice…so I’m picking for you.”

“There is no wrong choice and I picked truth.”

“Taylor just give him truth and move on!” Darcy called, sending me a look.

“Taylor just…no. Dare,” I snapped, “I dare you to go two days without your phone or anyone else’s.”

“Though you obviously don’t need your dignity I need my phone,” Liam answered.

I put my feet on the ground, holding on to the back of the seat in front of me and climbing over. I stepped over until I was second to the front, sitting against the window on the other side of Ellie.

“What are you doing?” Brenna laughed.

“Well I have to loose what’s left of my dignity eventually so I figured I should be in a good spot when that happens. Wouldn’t you agree Liam?” I retorted, glaring at the boy in the back seat.

“Absolutely…They might not be able to see what you claim is a chest from all the way back here.” Liam crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat.

“You are such a jerk!” I fished his phone out from under my sweatshirt and held it out so he could see it, “have your stupid phone back!” and then I threw it.

I used to play T-ball when I was younger. I always got distracted when I was on field and could never take the game seriously but I was a damn good pitcher. I threw his phone like I was playing T-ball again and watched it sail passed him before he could grab it. The slim iPhone, lacking a case, hit the back door of the van, just below the window and everyone heard the sound it made as it cracked and fell to the floor.

“Oh my god,” Ellie’s hands covered her mouth and slowly everyone but Liam turned to look at me. Thankfully the van wasn’t moving or there would have surely been an accident.

“Taylor…” Darcy trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Liam had crawled into the back space and was picking his phone up off the ground. It was a minute later that he pushed the door open, climbing out and turning back to look at all of us. “You,” he pointed right at me, “outside.”

He reminded me a little of my dad, preparing to yell at me for being rash or irresponsible. It was only supposed to be a joke. That was how everything started with me though. Everything was just a joke until it got out of hand and then it was a lot of apologizing and me swearing I didn’t mean whatever I did. Except this time I would throw his phone all over again.

Brenna pulled me from my seat and made me get out of the van, sliding the door shut behind me. They were all at the window then, staring at us standing on the side of the road, at night, in the dark. Liam was clutching his broken phone in his hand and I was sure part of it had probably cut him, even just a little.

“You broke my phone!” He started off angry.

“You were being an ass.”

“So you break my phone? What are you, two? This has all my contacts on it!” He held the phone up so I could see it, “all my information, my schedule, my whole life. And you completely destroyed it!”

“She’s sorry!” Healey shouted from the passenger side window.

“No I’m not!” I yelled, then turned back to Liam, “I’m not sorry! You don’t need your stupid phone and you make enough goddamn money to buy yourself a new one. Hell, you could probably buy yourself five.”

“I don’t even know where the next town with a store is! Do you know how long it is going to take to go through that process? There are important people that I care about and this phone is the only way to talk to them right now! What should I say when it finally gets fixed? Sorry some mental girl decided to break my phone for no reason!”

“You don’t need it every waking second of your life! There are people right here that you can talk to!”

“Like you? I’ll pass!” Liam shoved the sliding door on the van open and climbed back in, slamming it behind him before I could make it. I was about to grab the handle when I saw headlights down the road.

“Your dare Schmidt!” Darcy shouted, leaning passed Healey.

“No, I just want to go.”

“Come on! Live a little…right?”

I frowned, squeezing my eyes shut for a second and trying to make the memory go away. It never did though. So I walked to the edge of the road, just like Brenna had dared me to, and, just as the car approached, I lifted my sweatshirt and tank top. My neon pink bra felt like it was glowing in the light and I yanked my clothing down as the car passed fully. I stood there for a second until I realized their red lights where on and they were pulling onto the curb.

“Fuck!”

I ran around to the sliding door and climbed in, slamming it closed and getting in the back.

“Someone drive the hell away!”