“Follow me to greatness. Let me show y’all what therealtalent looks like!”
Isis led the way, like she was hosting a tour of a five-star ski resort sponsored by glitter and main character energy.
When me and Bryce walked into the kitchen, our mouths dropped open slightly. Neither of us said a word for a full beat.
Crystal-clear jars held faux snow and candy canes. Icicle lights draped across the cabinets like frozen lashes, winking in the light. The chairs were wrapped in red velvet ribbon with little gold bells that jingled every time someone sat down. The countertops sparkled with scattered metallic confetti stars and a line of mini nutcrackers standing guard by the spice rack. Even the refrigerator had been dragged into the holiday madness. It was decked out with magnetic snowflakes, a plush Santamagnet, and a crooked paper list labeled “Things We Forgot (Again).” Shimmering placemats caught every bit of glow the lights gave, and the “Nice-ish” and “Naughty-ish” dish towels hung like they had gossip to spill. I didn’t even remember buying half that stuff… but apparently, I did.
I nodded in approval. “Okay, Isis. Décor might really be your thing.”
“Thank you,” she beamed, striking a fake pageant pose.
“Aye!” Adrian jumped in. “I helped too now!”
Isis turned her head dramatically. “Andwhatdid you say while you helped, Adrian?”
He grinned, unbothered. “That my masculinity was being tested by glitter and cinnamon sticks.”
We all laughed.
I lit a nearby cinnamon candle and set it gently on the counter. “Nowit feels like Christmas… a slightly dysfunctional one, but Christmas, nonetheless.”
Chapter twenty-eight
Bryce
“From Spades Smoke to Uno Warfare: When Game Night Turns Personal”
Adrian slammed his cards down on the table like a declaration of war. “Man, hell nah! This some bullshit!”
Isis flinched at the bass in his tone.
We had just finished playing spades, and Adrian’s anger was directed squarely at his partner,Isis, who sat across from him, her expression shifting from confusion to defensiveness.
“You ain’t evencutwhen you had the chance!” Adrian continued to rant, his voice rising.
“I tried!” Isis snapped back, throwing her hands up. “I didn’t know they had the ace in play!”
“Next time, try with somebody else.” Adrian gestured to the air like he was evoking her partner privileges entirely. “On some real shit, that wasn’t even a real L. I damn near carried the whole game like LeBron in 2016! Isis played like she was in a realgame of ‘Guess Who’ instead of Spades, like that was ‘Designing Women: Card Edition.’”
Isis, unbothered and composed, sipped her wine, crossed her legs with practiced elegance, and replied, “And I stand by it. Spades should not be black; that’s visually aggressive. Plus, that little club shape is cuter.”
Chesteria, unable to control her reaction, nearly choked on her cocoa. “Girl… did you just say the club is cuter?”
“I did,” she stated confidently, holding up the club card like it was a fashion accessory, showcasing it to the room. “It’s givingluxurymushroom,” she added with a playful smirk.
“And why would both of y’all—” Adrian pointed between me and Chesteria like we were conspirators in a card-playing crime, “—get on the same damn team, and both of y’all can actuallyplay?! That left me stuck with... with…”
He stalled, clearly offended by his own reality.
“With Isis, Adrian. God said balance,”Chesteria teased with an amused smile on her lips.
“Nah,” Adrian shook his head, throwing his arms out in disbelief. “I was left with bad decisions in thigh-high socks.”
Adrian grabbed his hoodie off the back of the couch like he needed to cool off.
“Oh, wow,” Isis muttered.
“Aight, clearly, that wastoomuch heat," I intervened, attempting to diffuse the tension. "Since Adrian and Isis got slaughtered in spades, we gon’ give y’all a chance to redeem yourselves. Let’s play a morecommongame.”
