Max came running down the stairs. “Hey Ria, anyone here yet?”

“Nope.” Maria turned and walked into the living room. She plopped herself down on the couch and used the remote to turn on the stereo system. She was jammin’ to Linkin Park when the doorbell rang. She jumped up to answer it. Isabel, Michael, and Tess came in, carrying all their stuff they would need for the night.

Maria led Isabel and Tess up to her room to dump their stuff on the floor, while Michael went in search of Max. They all met up in the kitchen. Maria had made homemade pizzas, which were staying warm in the oven. She pulled them out and the party got started.

Everyone started eating and they were all having a good time. Max stood up to get some more soda, and knocked his plate of pizza right onto Isabel. She gasped, and then, not knowing what else to do, threw her soda in Max’s face.

“FOOD FIGHT!!!” yelled Micheal, throwing popcorn into Tess and Maria’s hair. Everyone started throwing food, until everything was either on the floor, or on a person. After everyone thought it was done, Michael sat down…right on a cake.

Maria burst out laughing. Michael stood up and the cake was sticking to his butt.

After everyone got calmed down again, they all went off to get changed, and since Maria and Max’s parents were rich, they lived in a house with three full bathrooms, so in no time at all, everyone had showered and met back up in the living room. “So, what now?” asked Tess, still chuckling about the food fight. “We could dance, or watch a movie, or-”

“I have an idea,” said Michael. “Let’s play truth or dare.”

“Oh come on Michael!” said Isabel. “We aren’t in junior high any more…that game is so immature.”

“Actually,” said Maria. “That game sounds like fun right now. I’ll play!”

“Yeah, me too,” said Max and Tess at the same time.

“Fine,” grumbled Isabel.

“Ok,” said Michael. “I’ll ask Max first. Let me think…I have to make this really good…oh, I’ve got it! How far have you gone with a girl and with who?”

Max blushed and said, “Dare.”

“Damn,” said Michael. “I wanted to know. I dare you to run around the house six times making monkey noises.”

“Um…ok,” said Max. “Is that it?”

“You have to do it in your boxers!” said Tess, causing all of the girls to giggle.

Max sighed and stood up. Ok. I’ll just go in the front hall and…um…get myself ready. When I start running around, you can all come outside and see me….just, please, no cameras!”

Max jogged to the front hall and kicked his shoes and socks off. He stripped his shirt off, looking in the golden edged mirror on the wall to admire his muscular frame. He took his pants off and took a deep breath. ‘This is going to be so damn embarrassing!’ he thought. He pushed open the front door and started to run. As he ran past the living room window, everyone saw him and got up, running for the front door.

“Ooooo…ooo…eeeee…eeee…eeee…ooooo!” He tried his hardest to sound like a monkey but it was hard to do without laughing. He could hear his friends cheering him on from the front yard. He ran around the back and to the side, making more noises. As he reached the front yard again, Tess and Isabel whistled. He grinned and kept running. Finally, he had gone around six times, and he collapsed onto his front porch.

Everyone applauded and they went back inside. He got dressed again, and joined the group in the living room. “All right,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to torture someone. Maria, do you like Michael?” He burst out laughing, knowing that his sister did like Michael, in fact, she was obsessed with Michael.

“I’ll take the dare please,” she said, casting a dirty look at Max.

“I dare you to kiss Michael…with some tongue.”

Maria stared at her brother and wished she could kill him. He knew how much she liked Michael! How could he embarrass her like that? Besides, it wasn’t nice to push it on Michael like that. He didn’t like her…

Maria stood up and quickly kissed Michael. “What was that?” asked Isabel playfully. “That was just a peck. Come on, Maria, really kiss him.”

Maria groaned and leaned down to kiss Michael. What she totally wasn’t expecting was when Michael grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto him, so that she was straddling his lap. He bit at her lips playfully until she opened her mouth wider, letting his tongue in.

No one else in the room had been expecting Michael to do that either, so they all looked away in embarrassment, even though they all wanted to comment on it and laugh.

Finally, Maria had to come up for air. She gasped for breath and looked into Michael’s eyes. ‘Wow. That was great!’ she thought. Then she realized what position she was in on Michael, and stood up. “Um…ok,” she said, trying to look like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. “So, um…Isabel….I have a question for you. Have you ever used your powers to try and seduce a guy?”

Isabel laughed mysteriously and said, “I want the dare.”

Maria had to think for a little while before she came up with the perfect dare for Isabel. “I dare you to ask out Alex Parker.”

Everyone stared at Maria like she had grown a second head. “I’m sorry,” said Isabel. “Can I have a different dare?”

“Nope,” laughed Michael. “Don’t you know the rules? You have to answer Maria’s question or do her dare. Pick one.”

Isabel looked around at everyone and said, “But I don’t think it’s fair to Alex, you know? I mean, asking him out…he’d probably have a heart attack. And even if I actually went out with him once, I wouldn’t go out with him twice…that really would ruin my reputation!”

“Don’t be such a baby,” said Tess. “Just ask him. If you wanna make it funnier, actually go out with him and then dump him. It’s not like he really matters…he’s a geek!”