Starboy

Chapter 51: Girl Talk, Boy Talk

Brandy

I wake up with a slight hangover, but that's not the worst part. Guilt and humiliation are what make me feel awfully sick this morning. I roll out of bed, hop into the shower and attempt to start off the first day of 2006 well.

Benji is over the kitchen island, brewing coffee. I go over to hug him as he stirs his drink. He kisses me and hands me a cup.

"How did you know I was up?" I ask as I take a well-needed sip of coffee.

"I heard the water running," he answers. "Eat this," he demands as he passes me a stack of buttered toast. "It will absorb all of that alcohol. I'm surprised you didn't throw up."

I sit down at the table. "I didn't drink that much," I lie. "Thank you for this, by the way."

Benji sits down next to me. "Are you feeling better now?"

I shrug. "Physically, yes. Mentally, no. I feel so stupid," I confess.

"Do you feel like explaining what the hell happened last night?" I hear the worry and confusion in his voice.

I sigh. "As you know, Miles invited me to this party at Columbia, right? Anyway, he convinced me to play this messed up card game with his friends. I think it's called Dark Card."

"Dark Card?" His jaw drops. "You played Dark Card?"

"You know it?"

"I've played it before last year. Thank God I wasn't the loser because that guy ended up doing some fucked up things," he explained.

"You've been to a Columbia party?"

"A couple of times. But I never played that game again after seeing what the loser ended up doing. Why did you play that stupid game, B?" He asks. "Did Miles force you?"

"No," I say quickly. "It was my choice. My stupid, stupid choice."

"Do you remember what I told you last night?" I ask him, wondering if it was all a dream.

"You mean the cheating thing?"

I sigh. "Yes," I say. "This sicko dared me to kiss somebody in the room or else I had to pay a bunch of money. So naturally, I was thinking about kissing Miles because we know each other and everything," I explain. "But I really didn't want to, and obviously I didn't."

He laughs to himself. "Miles must have been so disappointed he didn't get that kiss."

"Actually, Miles was trying to convince Tim to change his dare. He kept telling everybody that I have a boyfriend and that the dare was completely fucked up."

"Hmm," he says. "Alright, I'll give him that. That's respectable," he adds.

"I'm sorry, babe, I feel so stupid. I shouldn't have played that game. I literally had to run around that place in my fucking underwear!" I start to laugh at the situation. "Flashback less than twenty-four hours, I was saying that my body was for your eyes only. And there I was, half naked in front of a hundred people."

He laughs too.

"You're not upset?" I ask again.

He shakes his head and holds my hand over the table. "I've done stupid things, too. Don't worry, I won't hold it over your head. You're allowed to party, you know, and when you party, chances are you're going to do something stupid."

"Thank you for being so understanding." I kiss his cheek. "I just wish I didn't feel so sick right now. This is not how I wanted to spend the first day of 2006."