Daddy Issues

54 - Great team

I took a seat next to Avery and, coincidentally, as far away from Yuki as possible. Like Dan said, she hasn't said anything about the kiss or about our friendship being weird or whatever, but I did catch her throwing Dan some sharp looks here and there.

Fortunately, right now, everyone's too focused on the game to have any kind of difficult conversation anyway.

'Oh my God,' I say, grabbing the next card from the pile. I'd never played 30 seconds before and though it's fun, it's also nerve-wracking. I do a quick scan of the card, but only recognize two of the subjects.

'Go!' Avery yells at me. That girl gets really fired up about board games.

'Okay, this is a fish! And he's like, looking for his dad-'

'Finding Nemo!'

'Isn't the dad looking for Nemo?' Pete interrupts. He immediately earns a slap to the shoulder from Avery.

'Shut up!'

'Okay,' I say, focusing on the card again. 'This is a chef! Like a really mean chef.'

'What?'

'Idiot sandwich!' I yell out, suddenly remembering this meme I saw. 'Idiot sandwich, he says idiot sandwhich!'

'Gordon Ramsey!' she yells out, slapping the table.

'Yes! Fuck, I don't know the others.'

'Let me see.'

Carlos, sitting across from me, leans over the table, so I let him take a look at my card.

'Carlos, what are you doing?' Dan, who's in a team with him, calls out.

'Singer of Aerosmith,' Carlos tells Avery, ignoring Dan.

'Fuck, Emma, you don't know Steven Tyler?' Dan asks, exasperated.

'Steven Tyler!'

Avery claps her hands in excitement while she calls out the answer.

'Time!' Pete calls out. 'Seriously, Dan, you're giving them away now?'

'Oh, it's my fault?'

'That one doesn't count.'

'Of course it does,' Avery says, resolutely pushing our token three steps forward. 'It's not our fault Dan can't keep his mouth shut.'

'If that's how you wanna win,' Pete mumbles with a sour look on his face. That guy does not take well to losing.

I feel the urge to laugh, but press my lips together so I don't make anything worse. But Dan catches my eye and I can't help but chuckle at the look of indignity still on his face.

'Don't tell me you don't know Aerosmith.'

'I've... heard the name,' I shrug.

'One of America's greatest rock bands, and she's heard the name,' he splutters.

I roll my eyes and laugh, but then, Yuki calls out from across the table.

'You keep forgetting the girl's half your age, Dan. She didn't grow up in the seventies.'

'Neither did I,' he mumbles in return. As always, offended whenever someone calls him old.

'What do you guys even talk about?' Yuki asks, her tone suddenly sharp. 'Do you have anything in common?'

I look over at Dan for comfort, but clearly, he's uncomfortable too. I don't know what to say. He said she wouldn't say anything to me about our friendship, but here she is calling us out in front of everybody.