They'd brought down the mattresses off of Lauren and Amy's beds and the spare room, and covered them with pillows and blankets. The big flat screen from the basement had been brought to the main floor, too. It was sitting directly on the floor in front of the more Farrah approved tv and stand. What looked like halo was being played, apparently an xbox had been hooked up too.
"Hey!" Shane came over and gave Karma a big hug. "So we figured we'd just have a giant sleepover." He hugged Karma, who was still trying to take in the whole scene. "We've got everything we need, junk food, pizza, movies, xbox. I even found an old twister game in Amy's room." Liam and Felix hung back, both trying not to overwhelm Karma.
"This is amazing, guys," Amy said. "I'm impressed," said Lauren. Another compliment from Lauren, I don't know what to do with myself, thought Felix. He caught Amy's eye, she smiled at him. He felt his stomach do a flip. Then Amy's focus switched back to Karma.
Lauren shot a do-something-she's-not-talking, look at Amy. This got her brain back into gear, "hey Karms, lets go upstairs and get some pjs on, then we can try some of those great smelling cookies."
"Sounds good," Karma squeezed Amy's hand and walked toward the stairs, "but maybe cookies first," she said as she stopped at the counter full of chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Everybody laughed and gathered around the counter. Liam grabbed milk out of the fridge and glasses.
As they all munched on cookies and milk, Shane asked Karma how her dad was doing. She explained what the nurses and doctors told her. Lauren cut in a few times to explain the technical details of the tests and procedures Lucas went through. This annoyed Amy, Lauren cutting in on Karma, but Karma didn't seem to mind.
"Amy and Lauren were great in the hospital, I'm so glad you two were there," Karma side hugging Amy and raising her milk glass in Lauren's direction. "And you guys doing all this, and Felix bringing food, thank you." Amy caught Felix blushing a little bit; he's so shy. It's sweet, he's so different than Liam or Shane. Are they friends? Boy friendships, apart from the Liam/Shane bromance, are pretty hard to read. I hope it wasn't awkward for him, stuck here with those two. It would be cool if they could all become friends. Her 90s sitcom fantasies were rudely interrupted by a whining Lauren.
"So, is my mattress part of your little blanket fort?" Lauren asked, her tone a little bit of a downer on the let's-cheer-up-Karma mood. "Uh..." Shane started to explain, but Felix cut in. Taking the heat. Acting like it was all his idea, even though in reality, he and Liam had acted as furniture movers carrying out Shane's vision. Lauren got more mad as Felix explained how they had looked through her closet for more pillows. Felix's floundering cracked Amy up, and she started giggling, which started Karma giggling. Then Shane and Liam caught the bug too.
"What's so funny?" Lauren demanded. If looks could kill, Amy would be dead, buried, and covered in mushrooms. What happened to supportive, I've got your back, Lauren? "Oh come on, Lauren. First of all you know this was obviously Shane's doing. Felix and Liam probably spent the entire time schlepping furniture wherever Shane pointed. Secondly, what could they have seen in your closet?" Amy took a breath. "And thirdly," Amy saw Lauren's dramatic eye roll, but pushed on. "This isn't about you or me or Shane and Liam, or Felix, it's about Karma." Lauren stormed off up the stairs. Amy made a move to follow her, then decided against it. She apologized to Karma and everyone else.
"Oh, it'll be fine, she'll come around. I think you're finally starting to understand my fights with Zen now." Her and Lauren were becoming more and more like siblings. Hopefully, they end up in a better place than Karma and Zen, Amy thought. Then she realized no one had called Zen."Wait, did you tell Zen about your dad?"
"Of course," Karma said. Molly had called Zen first Karma explained, and she'd gotten a text from him that he'd be in town tomorrow afternoon. They continued working their way through the tray of cookies for a few minutes, then Liam challenged Felix to a milk chugging contest, who could down a glass fastest. "I accept, but only if Amy joins us," Felix replied.
"O boys, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Amy said, refilling her glass. "We'll see. Count us off Karma," Liam said, very seriously. Amy wasn't sure what this was all about, but she imagined it had something to do with Liam feeling like Felix was invading his turf somehow. And Felix was probably trying to impress Amy. Or something, who knows? Either way, there was no way she was going to let either of them win.
"Alright, first to finish the entire glass wins, Karma breaks all ties," Shane said looking each of them in the eye. "Okay, three, two, one, go!" Karma yelled. Amy tipped the glass back and swallowed the milk in one gulp and returned the glass the counter before either Felix or Liam had gotten half way through theirs. Amy spun in a circle with her arms above her head. "Three time Camp Kichi-Wawa milk chugging champ! Bow to your queen, gentlemen, bow to your queen." Liam and Felix fake bowed in Amy's direction, and they all fell into another giggle fit.
After Amy caught her breath, she figured Karma needed a break, and she needed to check on Lauren too, "so, PJs?" Amy asked her. Karma nodded, but before they headed up, Liam asked Karma for her movie choices. Something really funny was all the instructions he got. "We can work with that," Felix said. And the three guys began to put together an epic comedy playlist, with a "girl" and "boy" comedy from every decade back to the 60s.