A Gilmore's Return

Chapter Eleven: Monopoly Madness

The evening had settled in, and the small dorm room buzzed with laughter and lighthearted tension. The three of them-Riley, Alessia, and Beau-were sprawled around the coffee table, the oversized Monopoly board set in front of them. The colorful paper money and property cards were scattered across the table like they had just survived a chaotic, high-stakes battle.

"Alright, Riley," Alessia said, her voice thick with amusement as she casually placed a hotel on Boardwalk. "That'll be $1,500. Hope you've got some cash left."

Riley groaned, his shoulders slumping as he glanced at the stack of money in his hand-barely enough to cover the rent on the last property he'd landed on. "This isn't fair. You're practically swimming in cash, and I'm about to go bankrupt!"

Alessia shot him a look over her sunglasses, an exaggerated, smug grin spreading across her face. "Well, maybe if you hadn't bought every property on the board and then ran out of money for your own survival, you wouldn't be in this situation."

Beau, who had been quietly observing the chaos with a raised brow, finally chuckled. "She's got you there, man."

"I didn't ask for advice from you, thank you very much," Riley retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He tossed a handful of bills toward the board, watching as they scattered. "I'm pretty sure this is illegal. You can't just keep getting the best properties."

Alessia laughed, flipping a hotel card over and adding it to her impressive pile of real estate. "Welcome to the world of capitalism, my friend. It's cutthroat."

Beau, sitting across from Riley, leaned back in his chair, taking stock of the situation. He wasn't doing great, but at least he wasn't on the verge of bankruptcy like Riley. "I think we should all be more concerned with Riley here, guys," he teased. "He's literally one bad roll away from losing it all."

"Don't remind me," Riley muttered, eyeing the dice with suspicion as if they might betray him. "I'm gonna go broke and you're all gonna be laughing."

"I wouldn't say I'm laughing," Beau said, his voice calm as he adjusted his position. "But I'm definitely not feeling sorry for you. You brought this on yourself."

Riley made a face, throwing a glare at Beau. "You're not exactly killing it either, you know."

"True," Beau shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. "But at least I'm not losing everything on luxury tax and rent. I think I've got a fighting chance."

Meanwhile, Alessia was practically floating in cash. Her properties were stacked with hotels, her utility companies raking in rent from Beau and Riley at every turn. She was thriving in a game designed for ruthless capitalism, while Riley was nearly begging for a bailout from the banker.

"You know what's funny?" Alessia mused, tapping a stack of cash against the table. "I could buy this whole game at this point. Riley, if you want, I can loan you some money to keep you in the game. For the right price, of course."

Riley narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, now you want to be generous? No thanks. I'll go down in flames on my own terms."

Beau, grinning, leaned toward Riley. "I think we both know how this ends, babe. You've got about two turns before you're out of the game. Might as well just sell your properties now."

"I'm not selling," Riley snapped, his pride still intact, despite his dwindling funds. He glanced around at the hotel-filled board, grimacing. "I'll fight until the bitter end."

Alessia couldn't help but laugh, adjusting her sunglasses dramatically. "Fighting the inevitable, huh? I respect it. But we both know you're about to lose, and I'm going to collect all of your properties once you do."

"Yeah, well, maybe you'll land on my hotel," Riley shot back, attempting to make a comeback. "And you'll be the one begging for mercy."

Beau raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'll just be here, calmly managing my moderate collection of properties while you two fight to the death."

Riley and Alessia both turned to him, their expressions unreadable for a moment before they burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"This game is brutal," Riley admitted, shaking his head, still holding on to a sliver of hope that he could turn it around.

"Brutal and hilarious," Alessia added with a wink, counting her money as if she were already spending it on her victory lap. "But hey, don't worry, Riley. You're good at something, right?"

"Yeah," Riley muttered, "I'm really good at losing."

Alessia raised an eyebrow. "At least you're winning at that."

Riley stuck out his tongue, rolling the dice in his hands. "This next roll's going to change everything."

"Well," Beau said, glancing at the board, "as long as you don't land on Boardwalk, you might survive the next round."

"Don't jinx it," Riley groaned, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'll be fine. Just watch."

With the next roll, Riley tossed the dice across the board, praying for a miracle. He glanced nervously at the outcome. The dice clattered, then stopped.

It was a three.

And of course, that three was right on Boardwalk, where Alessia's hotel awaited.

Riley let out a dramatic sigh, throwing his head back in defeat. "I'm done."

Alessia clapped her hands together in mock enthusiasm. "I knew it. You were doomed from the start."

Beau laughed, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Alessia wins. I think we can all agree it was only a matter of time."

Riley leaned back in his chair, raising a hand in defeat. "You know, I'm never playing Monopoly again. This game should be banned from dorms."

"Next time we'll play something less violent," Alessia said, eyes sparkling with triumph.

"Sounds good to me," Riley muttered, giving up with a grin. "But next time, I'm winning."

And with that, the three of them leaned back into their chairs, laughing, already looking forward to the next round of whatever game they'd choose.

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