A Room Full of Regret

Disclaimer: This story contains underaged drinking, mean behavior, and a lot of poor decisions. If any of that bothers you, you might not want to keep reading.

"Truth or dare?" Clara asked, incredulously, "What is this, grade school?"

What was she even doing here, she wondered. This whole party was a complete let-down. It might have been better if her boyfriend, Mark, hadn't drunk so much. He was grumpy and obnoxious and seemed to be hitting on every girl in the room, even though most of them seemed to have boyfriends. To make matters worse, she was basically stuck in a room full of people she didn't know very well.

Well, she knew Deirdre and Kathy. They were on her cheer squad, so she had spent a lot of time with them, but that didn't really make it any better. Deirdre was nice enough, but she could be pretty standoffish, even with the other cheer girls. As the only black girl, she probably felt out of place. Clara was sympathetic, but that still didn't make it any easier to be friends with her for all that she'd tried.

Kathy, on the other hand, she couldn't really stand. Just looking at the blond skank made her annoyed. She had tried to make nice with her, but they remained bitter rivals. Kathy was the head cheerleader, and she never failed to lord it over everyone. She particularly targeted Clara, showing her up or causing trouble for her every chance she got. Even now she was openly flirting with Mark, and he seemed to be eating it up.

Men had a way of doing that around Kathy. It wasn't fair that a woman could be that beautiful. She simply outshone other women. Even the other cheerleaders looked dull in comparison. Her face was perfect, with sparkling blue eyes, high cheekbones, puffy lips, and a sharp chin. Even her body was somehow more sexy than the other cheer girls. He legs were more toned. Her breasts were bigger, yet somehow more firm. Her hips, her back, her belly -- everything was flawless. It really wasn't fair. Kathy knew it, and was constantly coming up with new ways to put other women around her down.

So Clara was naturally suspicious when Kathy suggested they do truth or dare. She had to be up to something, but Clara couldn't figure out exactly what it was. SHe felt trapped. If this was actually going to go down, she didn't want to back out and lose face. She was hoping that everyone would agree that it was a stupid idea.

"Why not?" asked Brandon, "What else are we going to do up here?" They had retreated to Josh's room upstairs with a couple of pitchers of beer when the party got just too crowded. Josh, hoping to recruit some new blood, had invited Mark and Deirdre's boyfriend, Malik, along with Brandon, and a couple cute guys she didn't really know.

Delta was a new Frat on campus and was desperate to add more brothers. This was their biggest party so far this year, and it seemed like everyone on campus was there. That might have been fine, but a miserable sleet storm had driven everyone inside. Now the floor was too packed to dance, and you had to make it through a scrum just to get to one of the kegs.

Because there were so few brothers, Josh had an entire suite to himself, and it was probably the best place to be in the house. At least it would have been if there was something to do. Until Kathy spoke up, they had been just sitting around a large coffee table on an assortment of chairs and beds, trying not to be awkward

Kathy was looking for something fun to do, an icebreaker for a group that didn't have all that much in common. She saw herself as a natural leader, and she wanted to stir up some fun. If it made Clara look bad, that would be a bonus. Naturally, Clara was being a wet blanket about it. Well, Kathy would put her in her place soon enough. She always did. Her raven-haired rival was acting jealous of her as usual, the bitch. Of course it would be Clara who would put down her idea. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. Kathy knew that she just needed a few people to like the idea before it would take off. She wouldn't have expected Brandon to be the first to go for it, though.

Kathy didn't really know Brandon very well, but he seemed like a super conservative Christian type. He was sort of cute, with straight, light brown hair and a freckled face. He just needed to loosen up a bit. That he and his girlfriend, Ruth, had come to this party at all was a bit of a surprise, really. Ruth seemed incredibly shy and quiet, and Kathy resolved to coax out her wild side. She had a classic Polish face, with puffy cheeks that dimpled when she smiled, blue eyes, and blond ringlets. It was impossible to tell what her body looked like because she was dressed in a shapeless sweater and long baggy skirt. Kathy wouldn't have expected to find someone like Ruth or Brandon at a big party. They seemed more the type to go to a prayer meeting or something. Did they even have a wild side? Kathy would need to get them boozed up somehow. She was willing to bet that if she could stick enough liquor in them, even Ruth would do something humiliating or stupid.

"I don't know," said Ruth demurely, "I haven't ever played with adults before." The last time Ruth had played truth or dare was in fifth grade. She remembered that she had quit rather than kiss Jack Andrews. "What would the rules be?"

Kathy smiled. Once they asked what the rules were, she knew they were in. She didn't really have a set of rules on hand, but she was a quick thinker and could make them up on the fly, "We can just take turns going around the room clockwise. You pick truth or dare. Anyone can make a truth or dare up. Best one, or first one becomes the official challenge. Nothing too hard and fast about it. If you want to refuse a dare, you have to drink a shot."

"Or a truth," interjected Malik, Deirdre's boyfriend, "Right?"

"Sure, or a truth," Kathy rolled with it. It was always good to let others think they were collaborating on making rules. She went on, "We can give people dares out of turn if it's just too juicy to pass up on, of course. Everyone's got to agree on it, though. We can make up new rules as we need them."

"I've got some shot glasses, said Josh. He could see where this was going. The shots would loosen up with shy ones. He figured he could speed along the process a bit, so he got out a set of extra large shot glasses and started filling them with cheap 151 rum.

"Who goes first?" asked Chris. Chris never talked much, which suited him well. He was big and strong, and was afraid that he would intimidate people if he was too outgoing, so he tended to be more passive socially. This, combined with his incredible good looks, made him almost irresistible to most women. He had short, sandy brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a strong jaw. Because he was so quiet, people often thought that he was a dumb jock, but he was actually a dean's list student, and was very socially aware as well.

His girlfriend, Judy nudged him gently and said, "I think you just volunteered." Judy was not the girl you would have expected Chris to go out with. She looked like a flower child, with big hooped earrings and lots of flimsy scarves. Her hair was loose, and a little unkempt. It was naturally brown, but where it had gotten a lot of sun, it tended toward reddish highlights. Her thin dress did little to hide her willowy figure and high breasts. Kathy couldn't help wondering what he saw in her. He could really do better.

"Do you wrestlers ever get an erection while you're rolling around?" asked Mary playfully. Everyone turned to her in surprise. Josh looked incredibly embarrassed by his girlfriend's question. The two of them had started drinking before the party even started, and Mary was feeling silly. She shrugged her shoulders, "Come on. I've always wondered, and now you have to tell the truth." Her face broke into a wide smile. Mary had a thin face with a big hooked witchy nose, but when she smiled, it lit up the room.

"So, I guess we're doing this," asked Clara. There were a couple of nods and affirmative grunts. No one seemed exactly enthusiastic, but no one was saying "no" either.

"I never pick truth," said Chris, "I always pick dares, but I can do this one. You're not any more likely to get an erection in wrestling than pole vaulting."

"Pole vaulting," giggled Mary. Everyone else laughed nervously with her. Then she persisted, "What if you're gay?"

"I'm not," said Chris calmly, "I'm sure there are gay wrestlers, but it's a sport. You're trying to defeat the other guy. It's about force and technique. We're not just rolling around. I've never seen a wrestler get a woody during a meet, or even a practice."

Kathy had been around Chris in the past, and she didn't think she'd ever heard him say so much in one go. His voice was calm and deep and smooth --- very sexy. She could have just sat and listened to him, but he was done talking, and she wanted to keep things moving so she moved on. "Ruth, truth or dare?"

"Truth." She was afraid of what a dare might be like.

Kathy's mean streak started to show through. She wanted to get the dares going, so she needed everyone to be afraid of Truth. "Who here are you attracted to, other than Brandon?"

Poor Ruth was afraid of offending Brandon. She had almost no experience with drinking, but thought it would be safer than saying anything. Of course, her silence said just as much as words, and she couldn't help stealing a glance over at Chris. She picked up her shot glass and tossed it back like she had seen movie characters do it. A moment later she was gasping and coughing.

When she finally got her breath back, she asked, "What is that stuff? Gasoline?"

"It's just rum," said Josh, not mentioning the strength or the size of the shots, "You'll get used to it."

"You've gotta chase it with something," suggested Mary, helpfully, "Next time take a big gulp of beer as soon as you swallow it. It helps cool it down." Ruth took a long pull from her beer. It did help. Josh, refilled her shot and even topped off her beer.

"Brandon, truth or dare?" asked Kathy, continuing her role of MC.

Brandon was irrationally upset that Ruth was attracted to Chris. He was having second thoughts about being here at all. However, it was rare that he got to hang out with a bunch of cheerleaders, and who knew where some dares might lead? Maybe he would get to see them take their shirts off. It was too good a chance to pass up on. He didn't want to do anything embarrassing himself, so he said, "Truth."

"Have you and Ruth had sex yet?" asked Josh. Everyone was pretty sure that Mary had told him to ask it.

Brandon's face turned scarlet. He shouldn't be embarrassed, he thought, but he was. He knew it was wrong, but he really WANTED to have sex with Ruth. She was just so pure and perfect. Having sex outside of marriage was dirty, but he couldn't help himself. He was constantly pushing her to do more with him. Sooner or later, he thought she would give in and they would lie together in sin.

"No," he finally said, "We're both virgins."

Malik, surprised everyone by speaking first. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, brother," he said, "Respect." There was a quiet murder of ascent. Deirdre felt a wave of love for Malik spread through her. He always found a way to be kind to everyone, even an uptight prig like Brandon.

The respect didn't last much longer. It was Kathy's turn now. Clara took over. "Truth or Dare, Kathy?" she demanded.

"Dare," Kathy had started this game, and was ready to get it moving.

While everyone else was thinking, Mary piped up again, "Show 'em what you've got, girl. Get yer tits out." Everyone laughed for a moment, but as the reality of the dare began to sink in, they quieted down. This was actually a dare, not a joke.

This was really what Kathy had been hoping for. It upped the ante on the game, without making it look like her fault. Anyone who didn't like it could blame it on Mary. "New rule," said Kathy, "No pictures." Then she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She raised her sweater, blouse, and bra up to her neck. Her breasts were flawless D-cups, perfectly round and so firm they seemed to defy gravity. In the absolute center of each was a crinkled nipple standing up pink and proud. The men stared at her in awe. Brandon's mouth dropped open silently. Then realizing what he was doing, he shut it quickly, hoping that Ruth hadn't noticed. Of course Ruth DID notice, and she wasn't entirely happy about his reaction. Kathy turned back and forth for a full minute, allowing everyone to bask in her beauty before carefully putting herself away again.

Kathy put on her most innocent smile and said, "Your turn, Clara, Truth or Dare?"

Clara, afraid of where this was going, said, "Truth." She should have been more afraid.

"Who did you cheat on Mark with?" she asked. Her smile didn't change, but somehow it didn't look sweet anymore. It looked clouded with malice. Clara had walked into a trap.

"You bitch!" Clara hissed. How could she have been so stupid as to trust her hated rival with such a deadly secret? Kathy had promised that she wouldn't tell anyone, but here is was, out in the open.

"You cheated on me?!?" Mark's face twisted with stun and rage. He got clumsily to his feet.

"Wait! It was an accident. It didn't mean anything," Clara stood up and tried to reach out to him.

"Don't touch me you whore," shrieked Mark, his face red. He shoved her away from himself. Clara stepped backward, the back of her leg bumping into the bed behind her so that she tripped over backward. "Don't ever touch me, you slut!" With that he turned and crashed his way out the door.

Tears were streaming out of Clara's eyes. "You promised you wouldn't tell," she wailed.

"I didn't tell anyone anything," said Kathy. Her smile now a mad grin, brimming with delight at Clara's distress, "I just asked a question. You still haven't answered it yet."

What the fuck? Was Kathy expecting her to keep playing this game? Clara struggled to get to her feet.

"Oh, are you going to quit?" taunted Kathy, "We're just getting started."

"No no no," chided Judy, "you are so much better without that man. He is crude and abusive and has the worst energy."

Deirdre came over and gave Clara a long hug. "You are a good person," she said softly in Clara's ear, "Don't let that bitch get to you." Clara had never realized how much Deirdre despised Kathy. Suddenly, she didn't feel so alone any more. She didn't know what Kathy had done to Deirdre, but she could tell it was something awful.

"I'm not quitting. I'm staying."

"Then answer the question," said Kathy. Her beautiful face had a sunny smile, but her voice was iron.

The boy, Henry, had also been cheating. He was one of Malik's close friends, and Clara didn't want him to get caught too. It had been a stupid drunken mistake for both of them. They had been at a party. Mark was at some event, and Henry's girlfriend, Keisha, passed out. Clara had just meant to help him put her to bed. Somehow they had ended up kissing. She had been drunk too, and didn't remember it all that well. Their clothes had come off and she had been on her back with Henry's big, dark cock slamming into her. She remembered the feeling of his powerful body on top of hers.

Afterward, Henry had been beside himself with guilt. She promised that no one would ever know. Kathy had found an empty condom wrapper while snooping through her purse, and forced Clara to admit she had snuck around on Mark. Kathy swore up and down that she would never tell, but now she was ruining everything. There was no way Clara would ever let Kathy know who she was with. She would undoubtedly do something horrible to Henry too.

Clara defiantly lifted her shot glass to her lips. As she tilted her head back, she silently swore she would get even with Kathy if it was the last thing she ever did.

"Holy shit, that stuff is strong!" she gasped after washing away the shot with a large swallow of beer. Brandon gave her a glare for the language, but Clara did not even notice.

The hatred between Clara and Kathy was palpable now. It felt like it took up every corner of the room, threatening to suffocate everyone in it. Mary surprised everyone by taking over the game. "Malik," she said, "Truth or dare?"

"Man," said Malik, "Truth is really dangerous. I'd better take a dare." His wide lips split into a friendly smile. He was trying to lighten the mood. This was supposed to be fun, he thought, but it had been getting more and more serious going all the way back to Ruth's turn. He was considering just leaving, but he was interested in getting into Delta, and it didn't seem like leaving would be the best move.

Deirdre was afraid of what they would have her man do. Before anyone else could call out a dare, she said, "Do a handstand pushup." Everyone in the room felt a sense of relief. Malik in particular was happy. Instead of doing something gross or embarrassing, he was getting to show off.

He set his head and hands down and flipped up into a headstand. The carpet was harder than a proper mat, but together with his thick curly hair there was plenty of padding. With his body upside down, his t-shirt fell down over his face, revealing his stomach and half of his chest. His body was a thing of beauty. His Abs showed clearly through his smooth brown skin, and what you could see of his chest was as perfect as a Greek statue. He pushed himself up into a full hand-stand and then lowered himself back down to his head. Just for fun, he did two more before turning himself upright and sitting back down.

All the women's gaze was drawn to him. Clara's eyes were fixed on him. Her breathing was shallow, and she unconsciously rubbed her palms together. Judy brushed a hand over one of her nipples when no one was looking. Even Ruth held her breath a little bit. "Wow!" Said Mary. Deirdre beamed with pride. Only Kathy seemed unmoved.

"Your turn Deirdre," said Malik, "Truth or Dare."

"Truth," said Deirdre. She didn't think anything too bad was coming. It turned out she was right.

"How do you keep your hands off him?" piped Mary, without thinking about it.

"Oh, I don't!" said Deirdre. As if in confirmation, she reached a hand under his shirt and stroked his chest. She looked over and saw all the women staring at Malik, and suddenly she didn't feel so comfortable and proud any more. She felt like they were looking at him as a curiosity now. Instead of feeling proud of him, she felt a little embarrassed for him. They all just want to try the black man, she thought, and it made her a little angry.

"That's not a real question," complained Kathy.

"Asked and answered," said Josh. Everyone else seemed ready to move on, leaving Kathy to fume.

"Chuck, truth or Dare?" asked Mary. She seemed to be taking over the leadership role.

"Charlie," he corrected. Mary thought is was funny to call him that, but, he hated the name Chuck. He thought it sounded like a lunkhead. Josh had introduced him to everyone as Charles, which was OK, but he preferred Charlie. Charlie sounded like someone fun. He wasn't normally so shy, but being the the presence of three hot cheerleaders was intimidating, even if one was his buddy, Malik's girlfriend. Charlie was Josh's friend, and Josh was trying to get him to pledge Delta. He'd thought a room full of beautiful women might help convince him. Instead, Charlie seemed to have almost vanished into the woodwork. Josh was hoping that a few drinks might loosen him back up to his normal fun-loving self. Charlie knew he was being uncharacteristically shy, and wanted to break out of it. From past experience, he thought it might help to admit something embarrassing about himself. That would let him fall back on his usual self-deprecating sense of humor. "Truth," he said.

Josh had a pretty good sense of where his buddy was coming from. "You're barely put two words together all night," said Josh, "What is going on with you?"