Take out your own flask and offer it in exchange

Like clockwork, you procure your own flask, swap, and both take a long pull. You smile, the familiar burn of alcohol on your tongue — Templeton Rye — the same exact thing that’s in your flask. The same thing you’ve drunk ever since that first night together so long ago. They smile that big, wide grin that melts your heart to pieces even now. You couldn’t leave if you tried.

“Long time no see”

“That’s all you’ve got to say”

You re-exchange flasks, noticing yours is quite a bit weightier.

“You have plans for the evening?” you ask.

“If I had any, do you think I’d be here?”

You smile, falling right back into the same old comedic rhythms. But there is something you need to know. Something pressing. “So you’re married?”

“Was”

“Was?”

“Was”

“Divorced?”

“Dead”

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be”

You offer your flask as a sign of condolence. It is greedily accepted.

“It was me”

“What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t cancer or some tragic accident, it was murder, and it was me”

The moonlight reflects off of that manic smile, the one you thought was hot as hell just a minute ago. You can hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears. Can this be true? Why? How? Do you even care? You’ve trusted them with everything before, but this feels different, somehow.

A) Run

B) Stay and hear the rest of the story

Stay and Listen to the Story

Look– they’re one of your oldest friends. And no matter what happened (or didn’t happen) between you romantically, you never thought they were a psychopath. They just weren’t interested in you like that. With a deep sigh, you look them right in the eye, give a smile you hope looks supportive, and ask, “what happened?”

The story that spills out isn’t pretty. Their partner was a real piece of shit — abusive, needy, and, in the end, murderous. And yet, your best friend was ready. They were never one to go down without a fight. And as they get to the climax of their story, you see a fire in their eyes that you’ve never seen before. A passion and drive, not just for life, but for you.

Their story is over, and there is no sound but your shared breathing, heavy and passionate. Their eyes are practically all you can see in the moonlight. Into you. They look at you in you that jacket. You can see their eyes running up and down your body. Can see their lips just starting to curl into a smile.

“I knew I could trust you with this.” They say, their breathing calm. “I needed to get it off my chest. And you’ve always been there for me.”

“Yeah…” you say, shifting closer.

“Always…”

They leap at you and, like that, you’re both tumbling through the grass — laughing, smiling, loving. It’s the only thing you’ve never done together, best friends finally becoming something more. Who cares that they murdered their last partner. Red flags are for suckers, and, for the first time in your life, that’s not you. Right?

YOU LIVED!

Try again?

Credits

Stay and Listen to the Story

The story that spills out isn’t pretty. Their partner was a real piece of shit — abusive, needy, and, in the end, murderous. And yet, your best friend was ready. They were never one to go down without a fight. And as they get to the awful climax of their story, you see a fire in their eyes that you’ve never seen before. A terrifying vengefulness. The beginnings, you realize with a deep unease, of a monster.

Their story is over, and there is no sound but your shared breathing, heavy and passionate. Their eyes are practically all you can see in the moonlight, the whites shining but the pupils dark. Staring right at you. Into you. They look at you in your dumb, frumpy winter coat, their lips curling into the slightest snarl.

“I knew I could trust you with this.” They say, their breathing suddenly calm. “I needed to get it off my chest. And you’ve always been there for me.”

“Yeah…” you say, starting to stand.

“Always…”

They leap at you, hands tightening around your neck with impossible speed and power. You can barely fight back, your arms stiff in the thick winter coat. And it’s in this dumb, ugly coat, neck snapped, that the rescue team finds you in the morning, all alone in the glen, a hand stuck luridly down your pants. They’d rule it an accidental suicide.

Tough one. Try again?

Credits

Follow Xavier

Sure, it’s a little weird, but you’re generally into surprises. You follow Xavier as he walks towards his car in the parking lot. The wind is starting to pick up, and what had been a comfortable sprinkle is quickly turning into a storm worthy of naming. He gets in the car, and indicates you do the same. Still kinda weird, but better than braving the onslaught of rainy wind. You notice a rather large knife in the cup holder, but he’s a tradesman after all so you shrug it off.Especially after he reveals the reason he brought you out here. A rather large blunt, particularly for two people. He sparks it up as the rain patters the windshield. It’s a quiet smoke session, other than the occasional cough (side bar, can mute people cough?) You smoke until the horizon looks slanted. After giving yourself a second to recover, you suggest re joining the party. But the storm is nasty now, and you’re getting more and more paranoid by the second. The tree branches scratching the roof sound like demon’s nails, and you’re seeing shadowy objects appear in your periphery. You eye the knife, and suggest taking it. Xavier shrugs.

5A Take the knife?

5B Trust that your risk of danger now is lower than ever in human history?

Go find the gang to pitch the musical reunion

You go meet up with the gang at the bar. They’re somehow way further ahead of you in drink count, and you see this as the perfect opportunity to take charge. You make an eloquent speech about how art is the only truly beautiful thing left on this fragile planet, and you can see the youthful glint return to their eyes. That look that says I can make a difference. You know, the look that naive people whose dreams haven’t been trampled yet have. They’re eating out of your hands as you spoon feed them enough hope to fatten up a piggy. You reach the grand finale; we should put on a show to rekindle the love of art, playing our old songs from years before. But it will take some rehearsing. It’s been many years after all. Seth suggests the teacher’s conference room, which has a music set up as mandated by the local Teacher’s Equal Rights to Jam act of 1969. Friggin hippies, gotta love ‘em. Danica suggests the gym, which has great acoustics.

A) Go to the conference room?

B) Go to the gym?

Stay with Xavier

Sure, as a mute, Xavier doesn’t talk much. But the quiet is just what you’re looking for right now. Seeing youth slip into the abyss before your very eyes has your mind racing and nerves on edge. You grab two mystery shots off a passing by waiter’s tray, and toast with your new found old friend. Before the waiter has a chance to leave, you grab a second pair. You can see Danica giggling at Seth’s jokes, and you think maybe a second shot will push down the jealousy bubbling up. But it just causes your inner thoughts to spill out all over Xavier. He’s a good listener after all. After tolerating your whining for a while, he walks towards an exit, and motions you to follow.

A) Go find the gang to pitch the musical reunion

B) Follow Xavier

Try to explain to Danica.

You were just trying to help the kid after all. She’ll understand, right? Wrong. And now you look even worse for trying to defend your ego, instead of running after and apologizing to the guy you actually wronged. She shakes her head and huddles with Seth. You still stand by what you said, but maybe you didn’t take the best approach. You go to the bathroom, look yourself in the mirror, forgive yourself, and rejoin the party.

Get back with the gang.

Walk back inside

Eff that shit. Not your problem.

You rejoin the group.

Tell him he stinks

You’ve had enough. If this kid hasn’t found a shower in twenty years, somebody has to be the one to tell him to look harder. You want to bring it up delicately, but you’re already irrationally angry (and getting more so with each of Danica’s giggles). You ask “Do you have a disease or something, because you still smell exactly like you did at age 15. I’m trying to enjoy my whiskey but I feel like I’m living on Planet Your Ballsack and it’s been raining piss for three weeks straight.” You’re suddenly yelling. Your fellow former students are hushed and looking at you both. Ian’s face goes flush and he runs out of the room. You look at Danica’s disappointed look of disgust, and your dream of reigniting the old flame starts to extinguish. Do you?

A) Run after Ian

B) Try to explain to Danica

Go to the bar with the gang

You could use a drink. Being around all these old faces gives you anxiety you haven’t felt since puberty had a fiery grasp on your genitalia. You say goodbye to Xavier and head towards the bar. Seth is making Danica giggle in front of you, and you can’t help but feel jealous. Ian is parsing out the particulars of particle physics while you try to eavesdrop. Danica’s laugh is just infectious as you remember it, Ian’s personality just as grating as his body odor. You all order drinks, the bartender has a heavy hand and pours them strong. Seth still has Danica rolling over in laughter, while you’re having a hard time not telling Ian that he smells like a fire that somebody pissed on. Do you..?

A) Tell him he stinks

B) Continue about your business