Truth or Dare

INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM - EVENING A group of four young adult friends sit cross-legged in a circle upon a carpet. Theyre all slightly drunk and enjoying a casual, middle-school-esque game of truth or dare. PETE and NATASHA are cuddled up, while their friends AIDEN and JESS sit across from them. They all speak with an almost cartoony level of enthusiasm. JESS Okay! So....Pete! Haha, alright Pete, are you ready for this? Truth or dare? PETE Hmmm...dare! JESS Okay, I DARE you...to lick your own foot! Aiden and Natasha are slightly grossed out. Pete shrugs as if saying no big deal. Pete than attempts to lift up his left foot up to his mouth, struggling with his lack of flexibility. The others find this quite amusing to watch. Eventually he reaches his mouth and gives the bottom of his foot a nice tender lick. PETE Mmmmm...Tastes like Natashas cooking! NATASHA Hey! PETE Im just kidding sugaplum! NATASHA I know, hunnybunny PETE Aww, ooga booga NATASHA Moewmeowmeowmeow Pete attempts to one-up his girlfriends cutesy pet sounds by hissing like a tiger, flicking a hand like a claw. Its pretty awkward and over-the-top. Everyone kind of just cringes and pretends it didnt happen, including Natasha.

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2.

PETE Alright Aiden...your turn! Truth or...dare! AIDEN Okay then...truth! PETE Who...was the last person you kissed...? Aiden is uncomfortable and spends a second thinking to himself. AIDEN Cassandra. PETE ...are you sure? You had to think about that for a minute. JESS Yeah Aiden, you guys dated like a year ago. She cant be your last kiss. AIDEN Umm... PETE Aiden! This is truth or dare...it requires 100% honesty! You cant break the rules of truth or dare. AIDEN Youre right Pete. I cant let myself lie in a game of truth or dare. Silence. AIDEN Natasha. PETE What? AIDEN Natasha. Natasha was the last girl I kissed.

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3.

PETE My girlfriend? Everyone is silent. Pete turns around to look Natasha directly in the eyes. PETE Natasha...is this true? NATASHA Um, its not my turn. PETE Natasha! NATASHA Um...yeah. Aidens telling the truth. But listen! It was months ago, before we started dating, I was drunk, he was sad, nothing else happened. Pete is completely crushed. There is a full minute of silence and it is incredibly awkward for everyone. PETE Your turn, Natasha. NATASHA Okay. PETE Truth or dare. NATASHA Truth. PETE What did Aiden taste like? NATASHA .....Pete, are you kidding me... PETE Natasha.... NATASHA Chocolate cake. He tasted like chocolate cake. JESS Guys why dont we just...

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4.

PETE Chocolate cake, eh? Why would he taste like chocolate cake? JESS I dont know, Pete. It was someones birthday. AIDEN It was my birthday party. The one you couldnt make it to cause you were sick. Silence. PETE (COMPLETELY DEADPAN) That was on February 28th. I remember because Elliot was voted off American Idol. He was my favourite. He sung like an angel. AIDEN Does any of this even matter? PETE Natasha and I started dating on valentines day. Everyones shocked. Jess almost spills a bottle of wine. JESS Oh fuck. Okay, guys, lets not do this. Please, lets not do this. Im going to call a taxi, its late and we all have work tomorrow. PETE Aiden, I dare you to kill yourself. AIDEN (beat) What?! PETE I. Dare. You. To. Kill. Yourself. AIDEN Pete... PETE Kill yourself Aiden! You have to! I dared you!

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5.

The lights all cut out except for slight illumination on the faces of Aiden and Pete, as if it was the climax of a violent thriller. Think "Se7en". AIDEN Pete, its just a game. PETE This is not a game. This is TRUTH or DARE. NATASHA Peter! Stop it! Guys! Stop it! PETE I dare you to kill yourself, Aiden. AIDEN (Almost at the point of tears) Aw Pete, come on. PETE You have to follow the rules of the game, Aiden! Its all in the rule book! Peter reaches underneath a coffe table and pulls out a book titled "Truth or Dare: Official Rule Book. He opens to the middle of the book and points to a heading that says "All dares are final". JESS What the fuck?! Theres a rule book for fucking Truth or Dare! AIDEN(ADMITTEDLY) There is...I....I used to play competitively. PETE As a competitive player you of all people should know the rules, Aiden! Aidens crying now, shaking his head. NATASHA Competitive truth or dare...are you guys hearing yourself?! PETE Would an all-star like you really want the reputation of a rule-breaker, Aiden? (CONTINUED)

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6.

AIDEN (BAWLING) No! Silence as Aiden pulls a handgun out of his pocket. The girls scream. JESS Dont do it Aiden! NATASHA Its just a stupid game! PETE I dare you! Aiden slowly raises the gun to his head. The girls are horrified. Pete wears a devilish smile. After one final whimper, Aiden pulls the trigger. Blood flows down his head. Everyone in silent. Aidens falls flat upon the living room floor, staining the rug. The lights turn back on, and the atmosphere returns to how it was at the beginning of the story. PETE Alright then! Jess...truth or dare? Jess remains silent, completely shocked by the disturbing turn of events. PETE (Upbeat and enthusiastic as if nothing even happened) Im going to take that as a truth. What...is your BIGGEST...guilty pleasure? FADE OUT: