Chapter 5 (Part 2)
After everyone had finished dinner, Ashley and Larry were ready to jump onto a game of Super Smash Bros. Sal had another idea in mind as he stood in front of the TV and tilted his head to the side, I could see his eyes squinted in a smiling manner. "I have a better idea. Why don't we properly induct Poppy into our little circle, by playing a game of Uno?" While he pitched the idea to be friendly, it came off more mischievous as he held up a deck of Uno cards. Ash and Neil were the first to speak up as they got the table ready. Todd seemed to chuckle to himself as he looked over at Larry, who looked displeased. "What's wrong? Don't like Uno?" I raised a brow. "Oh, I love Uno! There's no better game to test the limits of friendship while still fucking each other over. But with Sal, I swear he cheats every time." Larry complained as he glared at Sal, who was unbothered and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like the words of a sore loser. I can't help you end up with a book by the end of the game," he chuckled behind his prosthetic. "He has a point, Larry. It's all luck base. There's no way for Sal to cheat, it's just unfortunate that you tend to be the victim of all the consequences," Todd added in a matter-of-fact tone. Larry rolled his eyes as he got up to his feet with a huff. "Whatever, get the cards goin', and for the love of God, don't put me beside Sal!" I laughed at his childish demeanor as I called after him. "Can you grab me a beer?" Larry lifted his thumb into the air, showing he heard me.
Neil began shuffling the cards, making sure the deck was thoroughly mixed. As Larry came back, he handed me the cold beer and took the seat beside me on the floor. The seat order is as follows; Todd, Neil, Sal, Ash, me, and Larry. Everyone was dealt 5 cards and at first, things were pretty cordial after the first round of cards being placed, however, chaos rapidly descended when Todd threw in the first draw 2. My ears rang from all the swearing and laughing in the small apartment, but the pain in my cheeks overshadowed it. A wide smile stretched my lips to the ceiling, my cheeks reddening like apples as laughter erupted from my belly, threatening a side cramp.
Finishing 5 games of Uno, tensions were pretty high with friendly competitiveness. By the final round, Todd had won twice, Neil, Sally, and Larry once. Now, here I was, sandwiched between Lar and Ash, both of who had one card left to victory. The side glares they were giving each other were creating a heavy strain of competitiveness, almost suffocating me. I watched as Sal proudly tossed down a wild card and changed the color to red, much to Ash's dismay, glaring at the azure-headed man. "God dammit Sal, really?!" Rolling her eyes, she pulled up a card from the deck and, like a switch, her mood immediately changed. Turning towards me, she presented the sweetest smile she could offer, yet her eyes read trouble. "Pops, you know you're my girl. I adore you…so it pains me to do this…" She slapped a wild draw 4 onto the table. "Uno, the color is yellow" Ash wiped one eye dramatically like she was shedding tears. "Damn that's rough, Pops. Don't worry, I can win this for you." Lar flashed a smooth smirk, ready to accept the ultimate win. However, we were playing by stacking rules. What everyone didn't know was that a tiny devil was plotting in my ear. Sure, I could be nice and accept the 4 cards that Ash lied out for me, but where was the fun in that? "Lar, I hope you can forgive me…but this is the only way…" Pulling off the best puppy dog pout I could, I placed another wild draw 4. By stacking rules, meant that Larry had to draw 8 cards unless he had the same card, but by the look on his face, he didn't. His expression was blank, like he was stuck in shock. "Holy shit! Pops, you got him!" Sal laughed, as did the others. Frankly, a small spark of concern filled me as I watched Larry, but when he tossed his singular card up in the air and fell back to lie on the floor, with his arms spread out, my concern sizzled out as fast as it came.
"Our group is rubbing off on you Pops. Stone cold, but nicely done" He turned his face toward me with a beaten yet pleased grin. "I think now is the perfect time for a group phone!" Ash sang as she grabbed her phone from the couch. Sal, Neil, and Todd gave mischievous glances to each other as they grabbed all the cards and began "making it rain" on top of Larry's defeated figure. "Man, fuck you guys," Lar complained with a chuckle as the cards showered down, earning a laugh from the group. Placing the camera in selfie mode, Ash lifted her arm up in the air, gathering everyone in the frame. "Say cheese!" The boys looked towards the camera, showing their joy through toothy smiles. Sal and Lar held up "devil horns" with their hands. Ash gave a cheeky wink to the camera, and I grinned, gesturing two peace signs. The night was a perfect way of sending off the summer before the school year began. Anticipation for the year ran wild in my mind. I looked forward to encountering new adventures, forging new relationships, and learning new lessons. With my new friends, I was ready to face the challenges ahead.
(A/N: Sorry for the much shorter chapter! I meant to have this with the first part of Chapter 5, but oh well. Chapter 6 is coming very soon! Thanks everyone! )