Make Believe: A Novella Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Aww, can’t you take a hit from a girl?” she asked with an evil grin on her face.
                  “Back in a minute,” she said and got up and left the room.
                  “OK, so how are we going to split up the teams?” Mom asked.
                  “Girls against guys,” Jess taunted Anthony.
                  “Yeah, at least you get a chance of winning on my team!” Aiden said, tapping Anthony’s shoulder.
                  “Shut up, dude,” he replied.
                  “Wait, how many people per team, then?” Jinnie asked no one in particular.
                  “I’ll figure it out,” I said as I scanned the room.
                  “Right, there will be Anthony, Aiden, Taise, Uncle Harry, Bob and Kyle on the men’s team….”
                  “Wait, where’s Murphy?”Anthony asked.
                  “I don’t know, but he’ll be on your team, too, so that makes seven. Now, the girl’s team will be me, Jess, Jinnie, Mimi, Marissa, Mom, and Grandma. Oh, and Crystal when she comes back,” I said.
                  “Yeah, but you guys have got an extra team member,” Anthony said, complaining again.
                  “Yeah, but I’ve got baby brain, so it doesn’t count,” Jess said, and “anyway, you will have more later when the rest get here.”
                  “Fine,” Anthony agreed, reluctantly.
     
    * * *
                  An hour had gone by, and I am proud to say the girls were winning by four points, much to Aiden’s dismay.
                  “Let’s take a time out. I need a drink,” Aiden said, heading off to the kitchen.
                  “That sounds like the best idea anyone has had all night,” Mrs. Staples said as she and Grandma got up to follow Aiden. It was nice to see Grandma smiling tonight. Gramps had passed away two years ago, and since then, Mrs. Staples and Grandma had grown closer. I guess they understood each other’s pain. Even though it was a difficult time for us as Gramps got older and completely forgot who we all were, we stayed strong for Grandma. And through this all, Gramps taught us a very meaningful lesson: that we should celebrate life and not mourn death. We all were so blessed to have known and loved him that we shouldn’t be sad now that he’s gone.
                  “Looks like someone isn’t used to losing,” Mimi noticed.
                  “No, he isn’t,” I said, chuckling to myself. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around at all of the happy faces.
                  The night was going great so far, and we were all having a fun time. While it was pretty cramped in the living room right now, I was thrilled to have all of the people I loved the most in one room. Everyone had arrived by now, and it was noisy. Kyle’s parents arrived about twenty minutes ago, which sparked the first argument of the night. They thought Mimi hadn’t invited Tommy because she was embarrassed by them being at the party, and since she isn’t exactly the most patient person, you can imagine how that argument ended. Luckily, Kyle diffused the situation so the rest of the night they tried to be civil to each other, but I’m guessing there will be a part two when they get home.
                  Unfortunately, Aiden’s dad couldn’t make it since he, Kate, and Caitlyn were on vacation for two weeks but they did call this morning, which was nice. Aiden’s dad has been alcohol-free for four years now, and their relationship is better than ever. We don’t get to see them as much as we’d like since we live a good forty-minute drive away, but we do try to get together as often as we can.
                  “Want me to get that?” Mimi asked me, interrupting my thoughts.