Truth or Dare (Ch. 14: Two Can Play)

I answered.  “Hello?”
“Brie!  Are you okay?” my dad’s panicked voice rang through the receiver.
“What?  Yes I’m perfectly fine,” I said.  He had caught me off guard.  Could Lauren really have told him already?
“Lauren said you passed out before Algebra today.  Are you sure that you’re alright?” he pushed.  So Lauren really had told him.
“Yes, Dad.  I’m fine.  I just fainted, that’s all.  I must’ve stood up too quickly, and I rushed to class.  Don’t worry,” I explained lying.
“Are you sure it had nothing to do with that new boyfriend of yours?” he pushed.  Lauren obviously told him about Jayden as well, and he was going to want details.
“Positive, Daddy, I’ll let you meet him later tonight if there’s time,” I said in a cheerful voice, but anger was stuck to the tip of my tongue.
“Okay,” he said obviously glad that he would get his turn to interrogate my first boyfriend so early in relationship.  “Are you on your way over now?”
“I have to go home and get my stuff first, but then I’ll be there,” I said.
“Okay.  See you in a few.”
“Oh… but Dad!” I stopped him before he could hang up.
“What?”
“I have plans for dinner tonight with Jayden and his family, so I will be leaving right away.  But don’t worry, I’ll be home by 9:00, and you can probably meet him then.  Okay?”
He hesitated, and I got the feeling that he would tell me I couldn’t go.  I decided to add something quick before I got a ‘no’, and I said, “Please, Daddy?”
It was his weakness when I called him Daddy, and I knew it.  “Okay, Brie, I guess,” he sighed.
“Okay, thanks, Daddy.  I love you, and I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
We hung up the phone.  I was in shock at how cool my dad was actually being about the whole thing.  He didn’t ask any questions.  I began to rethink Lauren’s whole plan.  Maybe she was smarter than I thought.  Maybe her plan went deeper than I could suspect.
I kept driving and finally pulled up at my house.  With my key, I opened the door and let myself in.  Before I even reached the stairs, I saw that we had missed calls on the machine.  I pushed play.
The first one was from my aunt wishing my mom a good trip.  A second was from Cameron reminding my mom about the time he’d pick her up.  Those were nothing to me, so I simply deleted them, assuming that my mom got them already.  But then came a third message.  “Be careful.”  That’s all it said, and I didn’t recognize the voice at first.  Then I heard the laugh, it was my mom.  I was being too paranoid.
My heart began to beating again as I stepped up the stairs and went into my room.  In my darkly colored room, I grabbed my bag and took it into the hallway.  Before I started down the stairs, I figured that it would be smart for me to change while I was there.  I slipped out of my school clothes and put on a semi-casual black dress that was form fitting and small black heels.  Then I decided to straighten my hair and curl it so that loose spirals hung at the bottom. 
Admiring myself one last time in my mirror, I smiled and grabbed my bag from the hallway.  I went down the stairs and left, locking the door behind me.  I got in my car.  Once I had started it and backed out of the driveway, I picked up my cell phone and dialed Jayden’s number.
“Hey sexy,” his voice seductively answered after only one ring.
“Oo la la,” I replied.  He seemed to be in a really good mood.  “What’s up?”
“I got your text.  Where are you now?”  I could hear wanting in his voice, and I began to laugh.
“I’m driving to my dad’s to drop my stuff off, and then I’ll be over to your house,” I said, not taking my eyes off the road.
“Okay.  You’re sure?”  He was still worried about me.
“Babe, I promise I’m fine.  We’ll deal with it together.  See you in twenty minutes.”  I hung up the phone with a laugh.
I pulled up and parked on the street in front of my dad’s house.  Turning off my car, I looked around and saw Sarah’s car parked in the open garage, but Laruen’s car was no where to be seen, and my dad was at work.  With a sigh of relief, I got out of the car and went inside.  I could easily handle Sarah when she was on her own.
“Lauren?  Brie?” Sarah called from the kitchen.
“Yea, it’s me.  I’m running my stuff upstairs.  Be back down in a minute,” I replied, heading gracefully up the stairs and down the hall into the room that was claimed to be mine for the next two weeks.  Once I was through the door, I looked at the pink bed, fluffy decorations, and pink walls.  I wanted to gag at the girly decoration.  I set my stuff on the bed and went back downstairs.
“Hi, Sarah,” I said as I entered the kitchen, hoping that she wouldn’t want to talk too much.
She had a smile, but it was fake.  I got nervous butterflies in my stomach.  What had Lauren told her?  “Why are you so dressed up?” she questioned.
“I’m going to my boyfriend’s house for dinner tonight to meet his mom,” I explained.
“Oh, Jayden,” she said knowingly, her eyes turning cold.  My heart sank.  Something was going on here.
“Yea.  Did Lauren tell you about him?” I asked.
“Listen, girl,” she started, and I knew Lauren had told her something, but that something was not a good thing.  “You stole my baby’s boyfriend.  I demand that you break up with him, or these two weeks will be the longest two weeks of your entire life, I promise.”
I glared at the threat, then managed my own fake smile.  “Oh, Sarah, you see, Jayden isn’t the one Lauren flirted with or even wanted for that matter.  She’s all over his twin brother, Craig.  Her and I have talked about this, she wants him, not Jayden.”
Sarah’s snarl turned into a slightly embarrassed smile.  “Then what would she have mentioned Jayden for?”  I had to stop and think for a moment to come up with a good answer.
“We’re… uh… having a double date this weekend… well more of a triple date because Nat and her boyfriend are going too.  She probably mentioned his name because they’re becoming friends.”  Lauren wanted to play games, so be it.  The game was on, and I would play for the win.
“Oh.  I guess I was confused.  I’m sorry, Brie,” Sarah apologized.  Then I got an evil idea once she continued.  “I think it’s good that you and Lauren can talk about everything and get along so well.”  A light bulb lit up over my head.
I smiled as convincingly as I could.  “Yah, me too.  I was so relieved when she told me that she slept with that older guy at the college party she went to last weekend.  I want her to be able to confide in me like that.”
Sarah’s smile disappeared.  “What college party?”  Her told was sharp and angry.
“Oh, oops.  I thought she told you about that.  She and Brittney went to a party with a couple of guys from the college.  They met at a club awhile back.  Lauren said both guys were just so cute she couldn’t choose.  I thought she would’ve told you how much fun she had with both.”  I decided that I had a little more time before I had to leave for Jayden’s.  I wanted to score some major points in Lauren’s little game.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, I could have sworn she told you all of this.  Don’t tell her I told you, please?” I begged falsely.  Her mom was falling under my spell, just as I planned.  Now who was in control, Lauren?
“Thanks for telling me.  What time are you leaving?” she changed the topic.  I hoped Lauren would get in trouble when she got home, and I almost regretted leaving and missing the show.
I made a production out of looking at my little silver watch.  “Actually, I should go now.  I’ll be back around 9:00.  Bye.”
Without another word, I got up and left the kitchen.  I went outside and got in my car.  I kept giggling all the way to Jayden’s house.  I couldn’t wait to tell him.
When I pulled up, he came out of the house and walked to my car.  He had changed as well and was in jeans and a black long sleeve shirt that fit him perfectly.  Like a gentleman, Jayden opened my door for me and grabbed my hand to help me out.
His jaw dropped when I stood in front of him.  “Brie, you look…”
“…good enough to eat?” I interrupted, watching his eyes travel my body.  I smiled.
“Mmhmm,” he murmured, pressing me into the side of my car and catching my lips with his.  He kissed me long and hard until another figure appeared in the doorway.  Neither of us noticed until they spoke.
“Jayden, would you let that girl breathe?”  The voice belonged to a woman, and Jayden chuckled.
I began to blush when Jayden said, “Of course, Mom.  We were just about to come inside.”  I couldn’t believe his mom saw that.  She probably thought I was easy.
“Sure you were,” she joked.
Jayden grabbed my hand and walked me up to the door.  His mom stood there waiting.  “Mom, this is my lovely girlfriend, Brienna.  Brie, this is my mom, Scarlett.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Smith,” I greeted.
“Oh honey, call me Scarlett.  There will be no Mrs. Smith here, okay?”
“Okay, Scarlett.”  I reached out to shake her hand, but she pulled me into a hug instead.
I felt comfortable with his mom.  She put her arm around my shoulder and said, “Brie, Jayden has told me so much about you.”  When I shot Jayden a nervous glance, she added, “All good things of course.  I don’t think there’s a bad thing to say at all.  Just look at you.”
Jayden and his mother led me into the living room, where we sat on the couch, one on either side of me.  I felt comfortable at their house, and we sat there just talking.  For awhile I forgot about everything.  Then his mom got up and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.  It was then that I noticed Craig wasn’t even there.
“Where’s Craig?” I asked.
“You’ll laugh at this,” Jayden began, “he went out for the night with Lauren.”
I giggled and said, “Speaking of Lauren, I decided to fight back.”
“What did you do?” he asked, looking at me.
“I told her mom that she slept with a college guy last weekend when she snuck out to a college party instead of staying at Brittney’s house.”
Jayden laughed and pulled me into his arms, holding me close.  “You are one devious girl, you know that?”  He kissed my cheek.
“Yes, I do.”
We laughed and just sat there in silence for a few minutes.  Finally, his mom came out of the kitchen, saying, “Dinner is served.  Come on love birds.”
I laughed, and Jayden whispered in my ear.  “She likes you, Brie.”  I turned and kissed him quick.
With a smile, we took our seats at the table.  I was ready to take on the interrogation, but dinner went by mostly in silence with a few laughs at some jokes Scarlett made.  She didn’t interrogate me at all.
Jayden and I did the dishes when we were done eating.  He kept putting soap on me and tickling me until Scarlett came in and told him to cut it out.  Once the dishes were done, Jayden and I went into their warmly decorated den.  I kept looking at all of their pictures as Jayden explained them to me.  Time ended up passing fast, and I had to leave.
After thanking Scarlett, I went out and got in my car.  Jayden got in his car as well, and he followed me back to my house so that he could meet my dad.  I pulled up by the sidewalk, Jayden right behind me, and I saw that Lauren’s car still wasn’t there.  A smile pulled at my lips.
Hand in hand, Jayden and I walked up to the front door.  I opened it, and my dad immediately rose.
He gave me a hug and stuck out his hand to Jayden.
I made quick introductions.  “Daddy, this is Jayden.  Jayden this is my dad.”
“Hi, sir.” Jayden acknowledged.  “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.  I just want you to know, take good care of my daughter, or you’ll be sorry.”
I giggled at the threat, knowing Jayden would think nothing of it.  He already treated me perfectly.  I knew my dad wanted to interrogate Jayden, but I didn’t want that.
Jayden sensed it and said that he couldn’t stay because he needed to do some studying.  He leaned down and kissed me lightly, then left.  I told my dad and Sarah that I would be in my room because I was exhausted.  After hugging each of them, I went upstairs. 
I opened the door to my room and stopped short.