Dared
Title: Dared
Author: why_me_why_not
Summary: Written in response to snarkyroxy's Verse 2, Line 1 challenge ... Two unspecified characters
Disclaimer: Don't own the wizarding world or its inhabitants
A/N: Written for snarkyroxy's Verse 2, Line 1 challenge. Some of the punctuation, etc., is a little off b/c this is a stream-of-consciousness type thing.
The Challenge:
Following in the footsteps of the Page 394 challenge...
Pick five songs.
Take the first line of the second verse of each song.
Write a story using each of the lines in the story text.
Don't forget to credit! Post each line, the song title and artist/lyricist at the end of the story.
This is not a songfic challenge in which the characters sing to each other! I despise fics like that with a passion, but stories based around song lyrics can be interesting and moving.
Happy writing!
All it takes when you're eighteen is your buddies' double dare. And a little alcohol. Well, maybe a lot of alcohol. And apparently a lack of coherent thought. Anyway, the point is that it doesn't take much to make a fool out of yourself, which is what I'm about to do.
They didn't think I'd do it. My friends, I mean. They didn't think I'd come talk to you. They all think they know me so well-and maybe they do. Five years, and there's no doubt that I'm just as intimidated by you now as I was then. I'm just as infatuated with you. It probably would have been longer if I wasn't so stubborn. I haven't told you before; I would never have had the courage. I've done my best to avoid you at all costs, actually. But I can't back down from a dare.
So I cross the room, determined to talk to you despite the fact it's almost a foregone conclusion that I'll embarrass myself. I hate the way I am around you. I'm always nervous, afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing. Afraid I'm going to say the right thing and give myself away. So when you're around, I'm loud. And awkward. And probably rude. I do it to cover up my true feelings, but I'm sorry about all the lies.
And I have lied to you, if not in words then with actions. The entire time, I was also lying to myself. I even lied to others about my belief in you. I've always known we were on the same side, even if it wasn't obvious to everyone else. This is exactly what makes secrets hard to keep. You don't know how many times I wanted to shout out your secret, give away your truth. Just so everyone would know that they were wrong about you. And that they were wrong to shake their heads at me for loving you.
But there are no sides now. The War is over, and War never determines who is right, only who is left. Cliché, I know, but it's true. And you and I are left. And you are here tonight-in the same pub as me and my friends-sitting alone at a table meant for two. There is a sadness in your eyes that mirrors my own. We have both lost. We are both lost.
My friends expect me to back down from their dare, but I have liquid courage. And I have loved you far longer than I have actually known what love is. So I guess there's only one thing I can do…
"Is this seat taken?"
Songs (in order of use):
"All it takes when you're eighteen is your buddies' double dare" Nothing But Cowboy Boots - Blue County
"Five years and there's no doubt" Something More - Sugarland
"I hate the way I am around you" You Make Me Feel Like a Whore - Everclear
"I'm sorry about all the lies." Cold - Crossfade
"What makes secrets hard to keep" I'll Be Guilty - World Without Sundays
A/N: No, I didn't indicate a pairing…I'll leave it to you do decide who it is.
Author: why_me_why_not
Summary: Written in response to snarkyroxy's Verse 2, Line 1 challenge ... Two unspecified characters
Disclaimer: Don't own the wizarding world or its inhabitants
A/N: Written for snarkyroxy's Verse 2, Line 1 challenge. Some of the punctuation, etc., is a little off b/c this is a stream-of-consciousness type thing.
The Challenge:
Following in the footsteps of the Page 394 challenge...
Pick five songs.
Take the first line of the second verse of each song.
Write a story using each of the lines in the story text.
Don't forget to credit! Post each line, the song title and artist/lyricist at the end of the story.
This is not a songfic challenge in which the characters sing to each other! I despise fics like that with a passion, but stories based around song lyrics can be interesting and moving.
Happy writing!
All it takes when you're eighteen is your buddies' double dare. And a little alcohol. Well, maybe a lot of alcohol. And apparently a lack of coherent thought. Anyway, the point is that it doesn't take much to make a fool out of yourself, which is what I'm about to do.
They didn't think I'd do it. My friends, I mean. They didn't think I'd come talk to you. They all think they know me so well-and maybe they do. Five years, and there's no doubt that I'm just as intimidated by you now as I was then. I'm just as infatuated with you. It probably would have been longer if I wasn't so stubborn. I haven't told you before; I would never have had the courage. I've done my best to avoid you at all costs, actually. But I can't back down from a dare.
So I cross the room, determined to talk to you despite the fact it's almost a foregone conclusion that I'll embarrass myself. I hate the way I am around you. I'm always nervous, afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing. Afraid I'm going to say the right thing and give myself away. So when you're around, I'm loud. And awkward. And probably rude. I do it to cover up my true feelings, but I'm sorry about all the lies.
And I have lied to you, if not in words then with actions. The entire time, I was also lying to myself. I even lied to others about my belief in you. I've always known we were on the same side, even if it wasn't obvious to everyone else. This is exactly what makes secrets hard to keep. You don't know how many times I wanted to shout out your secret, give away your truth. Just so everyone would know that they were wrong about you. And that they were wrong to shake their heads at me for loving you.
But there are no sides now. The War is over, and War never determines who is right, only who is left. Cliché, I know, but it's true. And you and I are left. And you are here tonight-in the same pub as me and my friends-sitting alone at a table meant for two. There is a sadness in your eyes that mirrors my own. We have both lost. We are both lost.
My friends expect me to back down from their dare, but I have liquid courage. And I have loved you far longer than I have actually known what love is. So I guess there's only one thing I can do…
"Is this seat taken?"
Songs (in order of use):
"All it takes when you're eighteen is your buddies' double dare" Nothing But Cowboy Boots - Blue County
"Five years and there's no doubt" Something More - Sugarland
"I hate the way I am around you" You Make Me Feel Like a Whore - Everclear
"I'm sorry about all the lies." Cold - Crossfade
"What makes secrets hard to keep" I'll Be Guilty - World Without Sundays
A/N: No, I didn't indicate a pairing…I'll leave it to you do decide who it is.