Butterfly Effect ⌯ Heartstopper

[12] birthday invitations

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄
birthday invitations

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( friend; pt. i )

Sleepovers weren't an often occurrence with the group, as much as they wished it so. Maybe if they weren't a group of five, their parents would let it happen more often. But they made the most of it whenever the opportunity came around, and with Elle in a different school now, it meant they had things to talk about that not all of them already knew.

It's almost midnight now and the group are still stuck on their game of Monopoly. Isaac got out a while back and decided to lay down, resting his eyes —— there's always one friend that falls asleep before the others. Elle found herself gaining a Go To Jail card, her skateboard piece stuck watching the three remaining boys laugh in each other's faces whenever the other landed on a property.

Reggie had become focused on the game a while back after Marcie went to sleep and they ended their conversation, but fell short when the last of his money went to Charlie and his three airports. He was a little reluctant on playing Monopoly because of how long the game can take —— they'd been playing for nearly four hours already —— and how last time Tao became bitter, coming in second place, losing to Reggie, giving him the silent treatment for a day.

So now it was just between Tao and Charlie —— Elle finding herself in prison again after her roll landed on the demanding corner square —— Reggie taunting Tao with his inevitable loss. Everyone waits in anticipation when Tao rolls his dice, Reggie quickly calculating in his head the space he'll land on. He looks over to Charlie when he sees, Charlie looking at him with a sly smile, also having seen his victory.

"Oh, no," Tao realises, placing his token down. "No!"

"Hand it over," Charlie laughs, Tao forced to give up the last of his money. "Thank you."

"It's nearly midnight, can we please call it a draw?" Elle asks, Reggie lazily points over to her in agreement with his index fingers from the hand he's using to prop up his head.

Tao gives her a look. "No, because I'm clearly winning. I just have unlucky rolls."

"No, I'm winning because I have more money," Charlie argues, showing off his neatly organised piles of money.

"No, the winner is the superior businessperson," Tao retaliates, pointing towards himself. "And that's me."

"No, I'm the superior businessperson seeing as I have more money which is the goal of Monopoly," Charlie rants heavily and Reggie points his free hand over to him, eyes drooping from boredom.

Tao gestures to Charlie accusingly. "You have more money 'cause you know the Monopoly cheats."

"You can't cheat at Monopoly," Charlie says as Reggie lets out a groan, leaning over to rest his head on Elle's shoulder. She pats his head in comfort.

Ending the argument ( and the game ), Isaac's foot sweeps the board off the mattress, onto Tao's lap. "Oh, whoops." He quickly gets back into a comfortable position to drift off to sleep again.