Finally, all three were swallowed. Haley opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue to show me. I clapped.

"Very impressive. Shall we continue?"

"You got it. I’m going to get you for that."

"Just try it."

You played hard, Andi. You played hard. No matter how many times I told myself that, I still couldn’t believe Haley had beat me. At my own damn game!

I looked at her, waiting to see what horrific task she’d have me perform. She looked at me, chewing on her lip as she decided.

"Okay. Follow me. Oh, and lose the shirt." She stood and headed for the stairs. I looked down at myself, brows drawn in dread and confusion.

Haley stood at the garage door, her finger on the electric opener.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking out into the front yard, which was a light blue from all the snow, and the falling sun.

"It’s not a matter of what I’m doing, but what you’ll be doing. Soon." I stripped my shirt off, immediately starting to shiver. "Okay. You have to run out to the street and back."

"Like this!?"

"Yup. Like that." She looked down at me, then to my face and smiled. I took several deep breaths, trying to get myself ready, and praying that my nipples would not freeze into rocks and fall off.

I ran into the garage, and hopped over the snow wall, and made my way through the freezing snow, made somewhat hard by the rapid drop in temperature, so it was easier to run along the top couple layers of it. I screamed as I hit what was normally the curb, and turned to head back. I was so damn cold I could cry.

Haley was laughing when I got back, holding my sweatshirt for me. "Come here, you." I was shivering so bad, my teeth felt like they’d break from chattering. I clung to the warmth of the soft material of the sweatshirt, glad when Haley closed the big garage door, then the door to the house. "You okay?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Rrround th, th, three." She chuckled, and we headed downstairs, though somehow by the grace of Satan we were right back upstairs within ten minutes.

"Hmm. Let’s see," Haley, smug as ever, looked around the kitchen, looking for that perfect stunt for me to perform this time. She opened the cabinet above the fridge, and called out in joy. "Okay. Come here, Andi."

"Yes, mom."

"Now, now. No sore losers."

"No, just cold ones."

"Well, I think this will help warm you up." She showed me the bottle of Vodka that she held, and I shook my head.

"Unh-uh. I don’t drink."

"Come on. It’s a dare, Andi. Be a good sport." I sighed and nodded.

"Fine. If I die, you get to explain why." She smiled as she grabbed the shot glass I handed her. I watched with dread as she poured the clear liquid. Never in my life had I done a shot of anything, and really didn’t want to start now.

"Here you go. Just down it all in one shot, and you’ll be okay."

"Bottoms up." I raised the glass in salute, then down it went, burning a nice path all the way to my toes. I coughed, nearly dropping the glass. Haley took it from me, and put an arm around my shoulder, rubbing the back of my neck.

"You okay?" I nodded as another coughing fit attacked. I took several deep breaths, feeling a weird heat rising all the way up to the roots of my hair. "How are you feeling?" she asked, looking at me with concern.

"I’m okay. That stuff just really sucks." Haley smiled, nodded.

"I know. You should see your face, it’s so red."

"Great. Come on, you. I’m going to go," I reached out to grab the counter. "Whoa."

"You okay there, stud?" Haley grinned, grabbing my arm to steady me.

"Unh, huh. Just peachy keen." I grinned, already feeling the effects of the strong liquor. "Come on, so I can kick your ass."

I hurried down the stairs, nearly falling down the stairs, in my haste to beat Haley and have her do some stupid monkey trick like I was having to do.

Ten minutes later, Haley turned to me. "You happy now?" I grinned and nodded.

"Oh, yeah." I stood, and looked down at her, looking her over. She stood, her eyes on me.

"Okay, what’s going through that brain of yours?"

"Follow me." I hurried up the stairs, back to the kitchen, and turned on the backyard light. It was dark now, but the light illuminated the entire yard.

"God. What do I have to do?"

"Strip."

"What?"

"I want to see you in just your skivvies and bra."

"Well, Andi, why didn’t you say so earlier?" She looked at me, giving me one hell of a sexy smile as she removed her flannel pants and tank, then her socks. "So? Now what?" looking at her, standing before me like that. Oh, the things that went through my brain, especially since the Vodka was already in there playing.

"Now I want you to run out back, do a full snow angel, and come back."

"Like this?" She indicated her lack of clothing. I nodded. "Oh, you are cruel. Okay." She took several deep breaths, readying herself.

"Just think of yourself as an honorary member of the Polar Bear Club." I grinned. She glared at me, and headed to the sliding glass door, unlatching it, then opening it. The cold blew in, chilling you to the core.

"Here I go." She ran out, and I ran to the living room, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch. Haley was screaming obscenities at me as she did her snow angel, then popped back up out of the snow, and ran back into the house. I immediately felt horrible, as she was blue, and her teeth were chattering far worse than mine had been after my stunt.

"Come here." I quickly wrapped her up in the blanket, holding her to me to give her some of my body heat, and began to rub her arms and back. "You okay?" She nodded, but was still shaking. "Come on." I grabbed her clothes, and pushed her downstairs, sitting her on the hearth of the fireplace. I flipped the switch, and the gas fireplace whooshed to life.

"Oh, that feels so good," she moaned, basking in the warmth.

"I think we should stop, now." I plopped down on the couch, my head still doing cartwheels on me.

"No. One more try. I’ve got to beat you one last time," she said, beginning to gain some semblance of a normal color.

"You sure, Haley? It’s getting late,"

"No. I want to play one more time."

"Okay. Your call. Just tell me when you’re ready."

"Load them up, chief."

I stared at the controller in my hand, trying not to break out into an all-out grin, but it wasn’t working too well.

"I don’t get it!" Haley looked at me, the blanket barely around her shoulders now after that intense, winner take all, three rounds. "Even slightly looped you still manage to beat me. It isn’t fair."

"Rules are rules, Haley, and you made the rules."

"I know." She tossed the controller to the floor and stood. "Okay, what now?" I could tell she was frustrated, but still enjoying herself, so I thought I’d have her do something amusing.

"Come on. Grab your clothes." She did, and we headed up stairs to my mom’s bedroom. "What do you think of cheerleaders?" I asked as I opened my mom’s closet door.

"I like them just fine. Kelly’s a cheerleader."

"Well, good. Then you’ll feel right at home." I brought out my mom’s cheerleading outfit from college, and tossed it at her. "The skirt may be a little short as you’re taller, but other than that, it should fit okay."

Haley looked at the outfit in her hands, then up at me. "What, do you have some sick fantasy about cheerleaders?" She raised an eyebrow, and I grinned.

"Not exactly. I want you to do a cheer for my winning the final game of Mortal Kombat." She chuckled, then began to dress in the uniform.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this." She muttered, then looked at me once she was fully dressed. I couldn’t help my snicker. She looked so funny, barefoot, with the pompoms hanging lifeless at her sides. The skirt was a bit short, but showed her legs off nicely, and the shell of the uniform was a tad loose as my mom was a bit larger on top. "I’m telling you right now, I feel like a complete ass."

"Duly noted."

"So?" She stood, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What shall I do for you, ma’am?" She grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"Cheer."

"What?"

"I want you to do a cheer for me; for my victory." She chuckled, looked toward the window.

"Don’t worry. This is a second-story window, and I don’t imagine there’s much in the way of activity in the streets."

"Okay, okay. Let me think for a sec." She tucked her bottom lip in, and began to chew on it as she thought. I thought she looked adorable. "Okay." She lifted the pompoms up over her head. "A-N-D-I, PlayStation queen, PlayStation queen. A-N-D-I, makes you gamers want to cry. Yaaaaaay, Andi!" She yelled out and jumped around, kicking her leg into the air, then the other one, like a can-can girl. I was dying laughing by this point. Though the Vodka had loosened me a bit, I was still quite aware of hilarity when I saw it, and I had just witnessed it.

Haley put the pompoms down, and walked over to me, sitting on the floor against the wall, still laughing, about to slump over onto the floor.

"So how was that, stud?" She knelt down, a smirk firmly in place. I held up my hand, giving her the thumbs up. "Well, I’m glad you’re pleased. But," she tossed the pompoms to my mom’s bed. "I think my cheerleading days are over." She sat next to me, then lowered herself so she laid on her side, holding her head up with her hand. I slid down so I was laying on my back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Did you have fun today?" I asked, glancing at her. She nodded.