A Dare is a Dare
Mikey regretted agreeing to the dare almost immediately. Actually, no, he regrated playing the game all together. And now, thanks to the terrible honor system teenagers seemed to live by, he was stuck doing the dare instead of watching someone else make a fool of themselves. Push someone into the lake seemed simple in theory. Absolutely awful in practice.
The problem was that Mikey actually didn’t want to ruin someone’s day for no reason. He’d spent the entire walk down from the castle trying to think of loopholes that still technically counted, but every idea felt like cheating he already knew his friends would call him out for it immediately. Which was how he ended up standing near the edge of the lake looking deeply disappointed in himself.
The air was cool enough to make the water look darker than usual, small ripples moving across the surface whenever the wind picked up. Mikey shoved his hands deeper into the pockets he walked along the shoreline, still debating whether maybe he could just throw himself into the lake and claim it counted somehow.
A figure near the water caught his attention before he could spiral further into bad planning. A girl stood near the shoreline, tall despite looking younger than him, her long brown hair falling straight down her back while the breeze tugged lightly at the ends. Even from a distance, the green of her eyes stood out once she glanced slightly toward the lake again. Mikey slowed. She looked so peaceful, and that somehow made this worse.
For a second, he considered turning around entirely and just accepting whatever social death came from backing out of the dare. This was stupid. He forced himself forward, trying and failing to look casual about any of this. “Hey,” he called once he got close enough not to shout. The girl looked over and immediately Mikey felt worse. There was about half a second where he almost apologized in advance. Instead, he stepped closer quickly before he could lose his nerve entirely.
“Listen, I need you to know this is…” Mikey reached for her hands suddenly. “…not personal.”
And then he pulled. One startled movement, one very immediate realization that this had been a horrible idea, and then the sharp splash of cold lake water swallowing both of them whole as they fell in.
The problem was that Mikey actually didn’t want to ruin someone’s day for no reason. He’d spent the entire walk down from the castle trying to think of loopholes that still technically counted, but every idea felt like cheating he already knew his friends would call him out for it immediately. Which was how he ended up standing near the edge of the lake looking deeply disappointed in himself.
The air was cool enough to make the water look darker than usual, small ripples moving across the surface whenever the wind picked up. Mikey shoved his hands deeper into the pockets he walked along the shoreline, still debating whether maybe he could just throw himself into the lake and claim it counted somehow.
A figure near the water caught his attention before he could spiral further into bad planning. A girl stood near the shoreline, tall despite looking younger than him, her long brown hair falling straight down her back while the breeze tugged lightly at the ends. Even from a distance, the green of her eyes stood out once she glanced slightly toward the lake again. Mikey slowed. She looked so peaceful, and that somehow made this worse.
For a second, he considered turning around entirely and just accepting whatever social death came from backing out of the dare. This was stupid. He forced himself forward, trying and failing to look casual about any of this. “Hey,” he called once he got close enough not to shout. The girl looked over and immediately Mikey felt worse. There was about half a second where he almost apologized in advance. Instead, he stepped closer quickly before he could lose his nerve entirely.
“Listen, I need you to know this is…” Mikey reached for her hands suddenly. “…not personal.”
And then he pulled. One startled movement, one very immediate realization that this had been a horrible idea, and then the sharp splash of cold lake water swallowing both of them whole as they fell in.
Reducio
@Briar Anderson
A Dare is a Dare
Interacting with: @Mikey Forville
WC: 508
Outfit-
Mikey, Briar
Banner by @Lily ClarkeIt was a peaceful da- wait no, scratch that, it was way too peaceful....she had to start up some chaos and catch up on her detentions soon. She and Axel were competing to see how many they both could get in a month. In fairness, the month had just started so it won't be too long until Bri caught up.
She walked out into the grounds, wanting her eyes to capture some scenic beauty before she would go back to her common room and rot because she had no homework. For once, she had actually completed it. Rose would probably give her a pat on the back. Except, she would get a slap back
She adjusted the sleeves of her top, her brown air swaying in the wind. The Great Lake reflected in her eyes, all the different colors in the horizon seeming like a huge canvas on which someone had created a masterpiece of colors, it was truly amazing. It reminded her of the time when her parents and her had gone to India, in a small state called Goa. The beaxhes there were mesmerizing. She had also gone to South Korea, a really beautiful country.
Back to causing chaos. Had she pulled off any pranks lately? Had she sneaked out somewhere? Where would she sneak off to? She didn't even have her fake permission form for Hogsmeade yet, though she was planning on somehow acquiring it soon. The whole prospect of going with her friends, and Rose, if she had the guts to do it, just sounded thrilling overall.
She was deep in thought about this, playing music in her mind, when she saw a boy coming near her. She had seen him once in the Ravenclaw dormitory, his face felt familiar. Maybe he was a second year? Yes, that would be it.
As he came closer, Briar stiffened, a faint smile on her face.
"Hey", the boy said, slowly advancing on her. She moved back a couple steps unintentionally, the grass touching her legs.
"Hey! I'm Briar Anderson, nice to meet you, and yo-?"
She was just about to complete her sentence, when the boy cut across her.
"Listen, I need you to know this is...not personal.”
As he said these lines, Bri's mind started racing, wondering what prompted him to say this. Suddenly, he grabbed hold of her hands and pushed her in the lake.
Bam! She was pushed into the lake, the sudden movement making her loose her senses.
Darkness.
Darkness.
And air, as Bri pushesd herself up. Those swimming lessons had come in handy, hadn't they?
She gasped for air and looked around to see the boy swimming away.
"HEY!", she shouted, taking big breaths in between. "COME BACK!"
She was completely drenched as she somehow came out, her hair, her clothes, everything was soaked.
She was supposed to be mad, wasn't she? Yet, she could feel a smile tugging on the corner of her lips. She marched up to the boy, water dripping off her face and hair.
"I demand an explanation."
| They say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good | All the right guys promised they’d stay | I know that you’ll never feel sorry, for the way I hurt | Don’t you forget about the way you betrayed me | You watch me bleed until I can’t breathe |
A Dare is a Dare
Banner by Hazel Nelson
Mikey stopped a few feet away when Briar marched up to him, soaked from head to toe and very clearly waiting for an explanation. “I demand an explanation.” Honestly, he deserved one. Mikey just hoped she wouldn’t hate him for how stupid his explanation was. He let out a breath, pushing wet hair back out of his eyes before lifting his hands slightly in surrender.
“Okay, yeah,” he admitted. “That’s completely fair.” For a second he looked like he didn’t even know where to start. “It was a dare,” he said finally, wincing almost immediately afterward. “I lost a game and they dared me to push someone into the lake.”Even to him, that sounded unbelievably stupid out loud. “I swear I tried thinking of a way out of it,” he continued quickly. “Like the entire walk down here I was trying to figure out how to technically complete the dare without actually ruining someone’s day.”
His eyes flicked briefly toward the lake before settling back on her again. Mikey rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, guilt written all over his face now that the adrenaline from actually doing it had worn off. “And then I saw you standing there and panicked because I’d already committed to doing it,” he admitted. “So… here we are.” A small, apologetic laugh escaped him before he shook his head at himself. “I really am sorry though.”
Only then did he seem to properly notice that water was still dripping from her sleeves and hair. “Oh hold on.” He quickly pulled his wand from his robes, pointing it carefully toward her. “Aer Calidus.” Warm air flowed from the tip of the wand almost immediately, soft at first before steadily drying the soaked fabric and water clinging to her hair. Mikey moved the wand slightly so the warmth spread evenly instead of just blasting one spot. “There,” he said once most of the water had disappeared. “That should be a little better at least.”
He lowered the wand again, still looking mildly horrified with himself. “You handled that way better than I expected, by the way,” he admitted. “I genuinely thought there was a good chance I was about to get shoved back in.” After a second, he glanced back toward the castle before looking at her again. “I can walk you back up there if you want,” he offered. “Feels kind of wrong to throw someone into a lake and then just leave them here afterward.”
Reducio
@Briar Anderson
A Dare is a Dare
Interacting with: @Mikey Forville
WC: 302
Mikey, Briar
Banner by @Lily ClarkeShe listened to his explanation, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. She stared at him as he stammered about his so called dare. She had to admit, though she was annoyed, it was a good prank, nicely executed. She hadn’t suspected a thing.
And she did understand what he meant about dares, she had gotten some pretty wild ones before. So much that her parents and teachers had gotten sick of her always doing that kind if stuff, and they would often complain and remind her of her responsibilities.
Did she give a damn? No.
As her clothes and hair got dried, she started thinking on ways to get him back. She wasn't going to just let him go like this. He probably would get detention...but first, he was going to face her. All of her.
Her mind started racing, thinking about all the pranks she could pull, about what she should do. They would all be much better than whatever nonsense that was, she was sure of that. It might increase her streak as well too! Hitting two birds with one stone. As she listened to the boy drone on and on and on, she zoned him out and only came back when he was talking about being pushed back into the lake. Well, it was a beginner level prank, but it wouldn't hurt to do it right? Tit for Tat.
She gave him a sugar sweet smile, "It's alright, I forgive you." As he volunteered to walk her down the corridor, she agreed.
As soon as they finished 6 steps, she stuck out her leg and he stumbled, instantly falling into the lake. There, that was how it should be done.
"Trust me, it's nothing personal."
| They say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good | All the right guys promised they’d stay | I know that you’ll never feel sorry, for the way I hurt | Don’t you forget about the way you betrayed me | You watch me bleed until I can’t breathe |
A Dare is a Dare
Banner by Hazel Nelson
Mikey had exactly enough time while thinking he never introduced himself to realize what was happening before the ground vanished under him. One second he was walking beside Briar, still trying to recover from the embarrassment of the whole situation, and the next he was stumbling forward with a very undignified, “Wait!” Cold water hit him all at once. Again.
Mikey resurfaced a second later coughing slightly, completely drenched for what had to be the second time in less than 5 minutes. Wet hair hung into his eyes as he stared at Briar from the edge of the lake in complete disbelief. Then he let out a laugh.
Not annoyed or angry. Just genuinely caught off guard. “Oh, that was planned,” he said, pushing water out of his face. “You absolutely decided to do that the second I explained the dare.” He dragged himself back toward the shore, climbing out with water dripping from his clothes and shoes making awful squelching noises against the grass. Honestly, he probably deserved it.
Mikey looked down at himself briefly before glancing back up at her again, shaking his head. “I really walked straight into that too,” he admitted. “That’s the worst part.” There was still laughter underneath his words as he reached up to push his soaked hair back again. When Briar repeated his own line back at him, he groaned. “No, see, that’s terrible,” he said immediately. “You can’t use my own apology against me. That feels just feels wrong somehow.”
He pulled his wand back out a second later with a sigh. “I cannot believe I’m doing this spell twice in one night.” “Aer Calidus.” Warm air flowed out around him, slowly drying the water from his clothes and sleeves. Steam rose faintly from the fabric as the charm worked. After a second, Mikey looked back over at Briar again, still smiling a little despite himself. “Alright,” he admitted reluctantly. “That was actually a pretty good comeback. Im Mikey by the way.” He said as he reached out his hand to shake hers.
Reducio
@Briar Anderson