Quinn shook Jackson’s arm. “Loosen up, dude, it’ll be fun! And a certain someone will be there.” Quinn wiggled his eyebrows.
Jackson glared, pulling on his button-up shirt. “Are you sure this isn’t a wimpy shirt?”
Quinn gasped dramatically. “That’s my shirt you’re talking about. Call it wimpy again and I’ll make you eat lunch with the theater kids.”
“Oh god no.”
Quinn smirked, a foreign glint sneaking into his eyes. “Great. Now let’s go in! I have an amazing night planned.” His face sharpened slightly. “It will be very productive.” He knocked on the big red door six quick times.
Jackson grabbed Quinn’s wrist. “No this was a mistake — ”
“Welcome to the party!” April threw the door open.
“Hey beautiful.” Quinn let April quickly kiss him.
“I see you dyed it again,” April said, giving Quinn’s dark pink hair a small tug. “Oh, nice shirt, Jackson. Come on in!”
Quinn mouthed “told you so” to his brother before following April inside. Jackson sighed, but dutifully trailed behind. He walked in to find everyone laying over the couch, crunching on popcorn.
“Wow, Jackson. I didn’t know you liked pink,” Gabe called from his pillow.
Quinn frowned.
“Don’t be a jerk, Gabe. That’s clearly Quinn.” Mars flicked him. Jackson coughed, trying to hide his blush. The teasing brown of his brother's eyes informed him that he failed.
Mars kept talking, oblivious. “They don’t even look that similar. Different postures, different shades of eyes, Jackson has a small freckle under his left eye, and only Quinn dyes his hair.”
Pearl quirked an eyebrow. “You sure know a lot about Jackson, Mars.”
Mars gave a shy smile. “I’m very observant.”
“Alright, let’s save Mars and Jackson from their suffering and play a game,” April said.
Quinn laughed creepily as he leaned on the wall. “I vote truth or dare.”
Everyone nodded their agreement except for Jackson. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean — ”
“Truth or dare it is!” Gabe announced. “I’ll start. April, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” she said.
“What is your biggest fear?”
She considered it for a moment. “That my parents will catch me shoplifting. Or that a tiger is going to eat me.”
Gabe snorted. “How?”
“They have been known to break out of zoos!” April huffed.
“I’m pretty sure — ” Gabe started but April cut him off.
“No more questions. Pearl, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” she said, leaning against the wall beside the light switch.
“Alright.” April thought for a moment. “How many people have you dated?”
“Eleven.”
“Mars, truth or dare?” Quinn asked.
“Dare,” they said.
“I dare you to play seven minutes in heaven with Jackson.”
“Huh?” Jackson looked like a frightened child. “But — ”
“A dare is a dare?” Mars said, looking hopefully at Jackson. He turned bright red, but nodded. He followed Mars to the hallway closet. He heard the telltale click of a lock behind him. He heard Quinn whisper “perfect” before leaving them.
“So. . . .” He stared at the floor.
“So,” Mars repeated.
Jackson dropped to the floor, sitting criss-cross applesauce. Mars sat on a stool.
They sat in silence for two minutes, a smell of burnt toast creeping under the door. Jackson sighed, slightly wishing he was eating toast, even if just to have something to do with his mouth. Anything other than saying what’s on his mind.
“Do you like me?” Mars asked suddenly.
Jackson pulled his brown hair lightly. “Yes.”
“I like you too.”
Jackson looked up. “Really?”
They smiled sheepishly, skin tinting red once more. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
Jackson felt a bead of sweat run down his face. He heard faint laughter but couldn't focus on it.
“Is it just me, or is it kinda warm in here?” Mars pulled down their hood.
Jackson shrugged. “I haven’t noticed.”
The background noise got louder. It didn’t sound like laughter anymore.
“So what now?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Their mouth twitched. “Wanna go out?”
“Sure!” Jackson jumped to his feet.
Mars laughed. “I didn’t mean right now.”
“Why not? I didn’t really want to come to this thing anyways. I just wanted to see you.”
“Okay.” Mars stood up too. They reached for the door handle. Their eyebrows drew together. “The handle.”
“Oh right, someone locked the door behind us.”
“It’s not that.” They shook their head. “It’s hot.”
“What?” Jackson touched the metal, then hissed with pain. “Weird.”
The screams got louder.
“Do you hear that?” They shared a look. Jackson started to push on the door but Mars pushed him gently away. Then they angled their foot near the doorknob and kicked. The door opened and Mars caught themself quickly.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Jackson asked.
Mars chuckled. “Tumblr.”
Jackson looked past them to the hallway, seeing the flames lick the walls. Mars took off.
“Mars, wait!”
“People could be getting hurt!” They shouted, continuing to run. Jackson followed them. What else could he do?
They suddenly came to a stop. Jackson crashed into them, but Mars stayed standing.
“Oh my god,” they gasped. Jackson followed their gaze, tracing past the bodies and fire. There, in the center of it all, Quinn stood grinning at the surrounding chaos, blood spattered on his face.
“Oh Jackson,” he tsked. “You were meant to stay safe in the closet.”
“What?”
“They’re all sinners,” he said sadly, but there was no emotion in his eyes. Only red. “And now you know too much.”
Jackson glared, pulling on his button-up shirt. “Are you sure this isn’t a wimpy shirt?”
Quinn gasped dramatically. “That’s my shirt you’re talking about. Call it wimpy again and I’ll make you eat lunch with the theater kids.”
“Oh god no.”
Quinn smirked, a foreign glint sneaking into his eyes. “Great. Now let’s go in! I have an amazing night planned.” His face sharpened slightly. “It will be very productive.” He knocked on the big red door six quick times.
Jackson grabbed Quinn’s wrist. “No this was a mistake — ”
“Welcome to the party!” April threw the door open.
“Hey beautiful.” Quinn let April quickly kiss him.
“I see you dyed it again,” April said, giving Quinn’s dark pink hair a small tug. “Oh, nice shirt, Jackson. Come on in!”
Quinn mouthed “told you so” to his brother before following April inside. Jackson sighed, but dutifully trailed behind. He walked in to find everyone laying over the couch, crunching on popcorn.
“Wow, Jackson. I didn’t know you liked pink,” Gabe called from his pillow.
Quinn frowned.
“Don’t be a jerk, Gabe. That’s clearly Quinn.” Mars flicked him. Jackson coughed, trying to hide his blush. The teasing brown of his brother's eyes informed him that he failed.
Mars kept talking, oblivious. “They don’t even look that similar. Different postures, different shades of eyes, Jackson has a small freckle under his left eye, and only Quinn dyes his hair.”
Pearl quirked an eyebrow. “You sure know a lot about Jackson, Mars.”
Mars gave a shy smile. “I’m very observant.”
“Alright, let’s save Mars and Jackson from their suffering and play a game,” April said.
Quinn laughed creepily as he leaned on the wall. “I vote truth or dare.”
Everyone nodded their agreement except for Jackson. “Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean — ”
“Truth or dare it is!” Gabe announced. “I’ll start. April, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” she said.
“What is your biggest fear?”
She considered it for a moment. “That my parents will catch me shoplifting. Or that a tiger is going to eat me.”
Gabe snorted. “How?”
“They have been known to break out of zoos!” April huffed.
“I’m pretty sure — ” Gabe started but April cut him off.
“No more questions. Pearl, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” she said, leaning against the wall beside the light switch.
“Alright.” April thought for a moment. “How many people have you dated?”
“Eleven.”
“Mars, truth or dare?” Quinn asked.
“Dare,” they said.
“I dare you to play seven minutes in heaven with Jackson.”
“Huh?” Jackson looked like a frightened child. “But — ”
“A dare is a dare?” Mars said, looking hopefully at Jackson. He turned bright red, but nodded. He followed Mars to the hallway closet. He heard the telltale click of a lock behind him. He heard Quinn whisper “perfect” before leaving them.
“So. . . .” He stared at the floor.
“So,” Mars repeated.
Jackson dropped to the floor, sitting criss-cross applesauce. Mars sat on a stool.
They sat in silence for two minutes, a smell of burnt toast creeping under the door. Jackson sighed, slightly wishing he was eating toast, even if just to have something to do with his mouth. Anything other than saying what’s on his mind.
“Do you like me?” Mars asked suddenly.
Jackson pulled his brown hair lightly. “Yes.”
“I like you too.”
Jackson looked up. “Really?”
They smiled sheepishly, skin tinting red once more. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
Jackson felt a bead of sweat run down his face. He heard faint laughter but couldn't focus on it.
“Is it just me, or is it kinda warm in here?” Mars pulled down their hood.
Jackson shrugged. “I haven’t noticed.”
The background noise got louder. It didn’t sound like laughter anymore.
“So what now?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Their mouth twitched. “Wanna go out?”
“Sure!” Jackson jumped to his feet.
Mars laughed. “I didn’t mean right now.”
“Why not? I didn’t really want to come to this thing anyways. I just wanted to see you.”
“Okay.” Mars stood up too. They reached for the door handle. Their eyebrows drew together. “The handle.”
“Oh right, someone locked the door behind us.”
“It’s not that.” They shook their head. “It’s hot.”
“What?” Jackson touched the metal, then hissed with pain. “Weird.”
The screams got louder.
“Do you hear that?” They shared a look. Jackson started to push on the door but Mars pushed him gently away. Then they angled their foot near the doorknob and kicked. The door opened and Mars caught themself quickly.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Jackson asked.
Mars chuckled. “Tumblr.”
Jackson looked past them to the hallway, seeing the flames lick the walls. Mars took off.
“Mars, wait!”
“People could be getting hurt!” They shouted, continuing to run. Jackson followed them. What else could he do?
They suddenly came to a stop. Jackson crashed into them, but Mars stayed standing.
“Oh my god,” they gasped. Jackson followed their gaze, tracing past the bodies and fire. There, in the center of it all, Quinn stood grinning at the surrounding chaos, blood spattered on his face.
“Oh Jackson,” he tsked. “You were meant to stay safe in the closet.”
“What?”
“They’re all sinners,” he said sadly, but there was no emotion in his eyes. Only red. “And now you know too much.”