Viara's pov
The Christmas holidays had finally arrived, but the festive cheer at my house felt heavy with unspoken tension. As evening fell, everyone gathered to play Truth or Dare. It was a large circle—Elvric, Keilan, Alley, and all our other friends, including my cousin Jessica, who had come over for the holidays. We sat on the floor, the spinning bottle reflecting the twinkling Christmas lights.
The game started with silly dares, like ringing neighbors' doorbells or telling embarrassing secrets, but the atmosphere shifted when the bottle landed on Viara. Elvric leaned in, his eyes fixed on me. "Truth or dare, Viara?"
"Truth," I spoke simply.
"Then tell us," Elvric said, a smirk playing on his lips, "Do you like someone? Is there anyone who actually holds your heart?"
"No," I replied immediately. "There's no one."
Suddenly, Jessica let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Oh, stop lying, Viara! Have you forgotten about Ash? You were obsessed with him in school."
My blood ran cold. The mention of Ash brought back the worst memories of my life. In the school, my "friends" had tried to be matchmakers by giving Ash expensive gifts in my name. It had backfired horribly. Ash didn't just reject the gifts; he had humiliated me in front of everyone, saying he would never like someone llike me. The whole school had laughed at me for weeks and when I complain about it even my teacher doesn't believe me and all the boys think me of a girl who chased boys for nothing, it was the worst memories ever.
"Jessica, stop it," I whispered, my hands trembling.
But Elvric's expression turned cold. "So you're a liar? You acted like you were so above everyone else, but you were actually chasing some guy who didn't even want you? That's pathetic, Viara." He laughed, and the sting of his words hurt worse than the school memories.
The night ended abruptly when a neighbor, who had been watching us from a distance, went to Elvric's parents and told "You should keep your daughter and son away from chidrens they were playing with because they aren't so good and today they where playing the game truth and dare and They aren't in the right age to ask or have girlfriends and boyfriends and also they always makes noise and disturbs everyone but your both childrens are nice but whom with they play aren't that much nice so told your children's to keep some distance with them" willy told their parents with smirked playing on her lips .
After some time elvric get back to his home and I headed towards my home with my sisters.
After few minutes elvric dad suddenly asked "which game did you both was playing today with you group?"
Elvric look at his dad but there eyes were already on them so elvric told everything to them sincerely but then his dad scold him "Did you think you're in right are to play the game to knew about your secrets and is this your age to have girlfriends and boyfriends? that's how you play games everyday? I am giving you warning just don't play with that childrens! Nor talk with them or nor seat with them! Understood!"
"Yes dad" Elric and kiara agreed to their dad.
The day after he was scolded, he headed out in the evening, appearing as though he was going somewhere specific. I noticed him and called out his name, but he didn't stop. I called out his name a second time, and this time he finally halted—yet he refused to look at me or even acknowledge My presence before he started walking again. Acting on instinct, I reached out and grabbed his hand, demanding to know what had suddenly happened and why he was behaving so coldly. At that moment, he violently jerked his hand away. He looked at me with disdain and told me "i am not interest in talking to people like you anymore, and you know what you were all 'spoiled' and your social status was far beneath than me, so there was no reason for me to associate with all of you, so please just leave and don't talk to me ever again". After those stinging words, he walked away, leaving me standing there in shock. Though I was deeply hurt, I choose to keep the encounter a secret from the group; I simply told the others that they should no longer speak to elvric and her sister."
The next day, Elvric was nowhere to be seen; his parents had grounded him and scolded him severely for the "trouble" he was getting into with Viara's group.
Two days later, Elvric's little sister Kiara came to the park where everyone was hanging out. "Can I play with you guys today?" she asked softly.
I am still hurting from Elvric's insults, looked away. "No, Kiara. Go back to your brother. You guys only come around when you're bored, and then you show us so much attitude. We aren't your toys."
Kiara's face fell, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you mad." Seeing the young girl's genuine sadness, my heart softened. "Fine, you can stay and play."
Just then, Elvric walked toward us. He stopped in his tracks when he saw everyone laughing and playing without him. He wanted to join, to apologize even, but his parents' warnings echoed in his head. He stood far away, watching us like an outsider, the distance between him and I growing wider by the second.
For the next few days, we didn't speak. We wouldn't even look at each other, though we both caught ourselves stealing glances when the other wasn't looking. To hide his guilt, Elvric started a cruel trend. He told all his friends to tease me. "Hey, Ash's girl!" they would shout. "Did you send any more gifts today?"
The breaking point happened during an event at Elvric's house. As I was walking home alone, Elvric and his friends stood on the porch, laughing and shouting that name again. "Hey Viara, Ash is calling you!"
I stopped and turned around, my eyes burning with tears and rage. I walked straight up to Elvric. "I told you to stop," I said, my voice shaking. "You have no idea what I went through because of him. You think my pain is a joke?"
"It is a joke, just like you—" Elvric started, but he didn't finish.
My hand flew out and landed a hard, stinging slap across his cheek. The sound echoed through the yard. Everyone went silent. Without a word, I turned and walk to my house.
When she burst through her front door, her parents were waiting. "Why were you shouting outside? What's going on?" her mother asked.
I cried as I told them everything—the teasing, the bullying about Ash, and how Jessica had betrayed my secret. But Jessica stood there with a calm, innocent face. Then my dad spoke "Then why did you told her about your secrets" I brust into cries and said "Because she's my older cousin sister and I trust her as me own older sister that she will understand me but she told everyone about my secret" Then suddenly Jessica defend herself saying "I didn't tell them anything, Uncle. I swear! It was one of the boys in the group who told Elvric about Ash. Viara is just lying to get me in trouble because she's embarrassed."
Viara looked at her cousin in shock. "Jessica, how can you lie like that?"
But my father's face was dark with rage. "You hit a boy and then you lie about your cousin, first of all it was all your mistakes, second, you shouldn't be oversmart all the time and last you don't use your brain, no one is going to believe you and that boy and his family is ridiculous don't you know that huh?" He stepped forward and delivered a hard slap to my cheek. "You are a disgrace."
"Uncle if she want me to take all the blame then I'll ready for it but believe me why I'll do that? She's my sister afterall, I won't think like this about her!" Jessica sobbed
"Disgusting viara, now she's crying because of you! you're just mess from your little and now you, Tara and nisha are grounded because of you, don't go to play anymore, nor talk to anyone understood, I don't want anymore trouble now. " my dad scold me.
He slapped me again when i tried to defend myself. Even though my mother and sisters tried to intervene, believing her daughter and their sister , the rest of the family turned their backs on me. I felt completely fool of myself. I walked out to the balcony, the cold winter air biting at my skin. I didn't have the strength to go to her bed. I curled up on the freezing floor, crying silently until i fell into a restless sleep under the dark, lonely sky.
– – – – – – – – – – –