𝖫𝗈𝗏౿ᑲ𝗈ოᑲ -𝖤ᥣꪱᜒ 𝖬𝗈ડƙ𝗈⍵ꪱᜒ𝗍ʑ

5.5

Johnny had told Hazel that after the water park, Miguel and Robby had a fight. In an effort to mend things, she planned a lunch at an Italian restaurant, but it ended in disaster.

Her next plan was simpler: invite Miguel to Johnny's house and force them to resolve things. As they walked in, Johnny reassured Miguel, "Relax, I told you Robby's not home."

"Okay," Miguel said, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked around. Near the hallway leading to the bedrooms, there was a makeshift door made from a pizza box labeled "prison," through which Johnny had just walked. On the wall, there were two cardboard cutouts resembling Robby and Miguel with "Wanted" scrawled across them.

Hazel laughed. Miguel asked, "What is this?" She shrugged, saying that she and Robby were just bored the night before during dinner. It was a lie, but definitely something they would do.

Robby emerged from his room, headphones on, and nodded at Hazel. She smiled back.

"You literally just said he wasn't here," Miguel said, looking at Johnny with frustration.

Hazel laughed, and Miguel pointed at her. "Don't play innocent, I know you're in this too."

"We just lied again. Not our fault you fell for it twice," Hazel said, raising her hands defensively with a smile.

Johnny admitted, "You guys are right. Tricking you into lunch wasn't my best effort. So I did some interneting. Found strategies for building trust and teamwork through cooperative exercises. The least lame one is called an escape room. How it works..."

Robby interrupted, "I know what an escape room is. I'm not doing it," rolling his eyes.

"That goes double for me," Miguel said, trying to open the door but failing.

"We reversed the doorknobs. It's locked from the inside," Johnny explained. Hazel approached him, high-fiving him. "We are smart, aren't we?"

Miguel sighed. "And this is the only key." Johnny showed the key and dropped it into the sink waste disposal.

There was a metal clanking sound. "Glued the windows shut too. No one's getting out unless you work together." Johnny then started explaining the theme and plot of the escape room challenge, emphasizing the need for cooperation to solve it.

"This is the plot of *Young Guns 2*," Miguel said, annoyed. Hazel frowned, looking at Johnny.

"Really?" she asked, since Johnny was the one who had come up with the whole plot.

"Shit. You saw it?" Johnny's eyes widened at Miguel.

"With you," Miguel continued. Hazel slapped her forehead with her hand, regretting not overseeing the plot herself.

"Dad, you're missing the point. You could lock us in forever, and we're never gonna be friends," Robby said, looking at his dad and then at Hazel with an apologetic expression. He knew how important it was to her that they got along, as she had told him many times.

"Why are you suddenly pushing this so hard?" Miguel asked angrily.

"Because me and your mom... We're all sort of on our way to becoming a family," Johnny said quietly, trying to explain.

Miguel and Robby started arguing, screaming over each other. But Hazel was focused on what Johnny had just said. Was her mom pregnant with Johnny's child?

"No, not any kind. You two have your thing, whatever. Me and Hazel have our thing, but if you keep forcing this, all you'll do is get his ass kicked," Robby said angrily, directing his frustration at his father.