24 True Stories Of Spin The Bottle & 7 Minutes In Heaven

Games like spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven feel like the stuff of coming-of-age legend. Usually played at the threshold of puberty, they're simultaneously explicit and innocent. Stereotypes would have you believe that, for every cool kid who used spin the bottle as an excuse to practice French-kissing, there was a shy kid who hoped and prayed he'd just get one kiss from his crush.

But are those tropes the whole story when it comes to hookup games? We wanted to know what it was really like to play these slumber party standbys — so we culled 24 anecdotes from R29 staffers, readers, and anonymous Reddit users to get a better idea.

While we did find a few stories involving cool kids and crushes, we also came across some childish name-calling, a few very encouraging parents, and one kid who had to kiss a dog. These probably aren't the adolescence-defining learning experiences we may have imagined, but they are certainly indicative of just how awkward those preteen years can be.

Ahead, we present you with 24 true stories of spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven. Prepare to be transported back to your BFF's basement.