GAME ON

Chapter 32~ Welcome Home

»»»»»»»»»» Two Weeks Later»»»»»»

JASMINE'S POV

It's been two weeks now with Connor and I sneaking around. It's been so much fun honestly. Connor has been coming over more than usual , he and Jake usually play games and I just watch them _Connor actually _ from the kitchen while I pretend to be making something to eat.

I usually sit with them when they're watching movies which Jake termed 'Unusual' but I brushed it off saying I liked the movie too , even though I was sneaking glances at Connor throughout the whole thing.

It's few weeks to Christmas break and I've never been happier. John will be coming over for the holidays and the family will be complete.

"We all know about the forthcoming Christmas break which I'm sure excites you" Mrs Willows glares at us as she speaks, that's the second thing she says as she walks in with lots of papers in her hand. I'm guessing it's our essay.

Quick recap on Mrs Willows again

Mrs. Willows is our English teacher.

She hates gum, hates talking during class, and has never once smiled in front of us. We're pretty sure her face is stuck in "disappointed substitute for the IRS" mode.

So when she walked in today holding a stack of graded essays and said, "Sit down. Now," we all braced for impact.

The room went dead quiet. Even Bryan who usually spends English class testing how loud he can whisper "beep boop" before getting caught, shut up.

Mrs. Willows set the essays down. She adjusted her glasses. She stared at us like we'd personally canceled Shakespeare.

Then she said, "Before we begin, I... I need to say something."

The class collectively froze. Connor dropped his pen. Jayden actually looked up from his book. Felix and Sam stopped trading Pokémon cards mid-trade.

"I graded your creative writing assignment last night," she continued. Her voice was still flat, still terrifying. "And I expected... well, I expected the usual."

Connor mouthed 'we're doomed' at me.

"But," Mrs. Willows said, and she paused. Like, a dramatic pause. In English class.

"I was proud of you guys."

The silence that followed was so loud I could hear the clock sweating.

For a full 4 seconds, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Then Felix whispered, "Is she okay? Should someone call the nurse?"
Sam nodded seriously. "She's never said 'proud' and 'you guys' in the same sentence. This is a medical event."

Connor actually stood up. "Mrs. Willows, are you being held hostage? Blink twice if you need us to call the principal."

Mrs. Willows blinked once. Slowly.
"Connor. Sit down."

But the damage was done. The class was losing it.

Jayden, who hasn't said more than 5 words in a row all semester, said, "I'm having an out-of-body experience."
Even Courtney pulled out her phone. "I'm recording this for history. 'The Day Mrs. Willows Smiled Internally.'"
I was too busy staring to stop her.

And then-then it happened.

Mrs. Willows' mouth twitched.

Just a tiny, microscopic twitch at the corner of her lips. It was gone in 0.3 seconds, but we all saw it.

The class gasped like she'd levitated.

"That," she said quickly, clearing her throat, "is why your essays are due again next Friday. Don't get comfortable."

She turned to the board and started writing, but I saw it. The faint pink on her cheeks. She was embarrassed.

Mrs. Willows, embarrassed, because she accidentally showed she cared.

The rest of class was chaos. Everyone was whispering, making bets on whether she'd ever smile again, and Bryan was trying to sell "I survived Mrs. Willows' Compliment" merch on a notebook page.

I just sat there, still shocked.

Because if Mrs. Willows can say she's proud of us, maybe there's hope for Courtney's spelling. Maybe there's hope for anything.

I'm definitely writing this in my diary, I'm naming today "The day Mrs Willows broke character "

I actually never thought I'd live to see this day.

_____________________________________

Mom and Dad haven't been home all
day , they went to visit Nana Vera, but they will be back by 8:00pm. So before my dear parents left in the morning earlier today, they said "order pizza, we'll Venmo you". That was a mistake. A beautiful, catastrophic mistake.

It's 7:15 PM. We have exactly 45 minutes before they get home and 6 people who all want different toppings. This is where things go wrong.

Jake grabs my phone first because he's the oldest now mom and dad aren't home and thinks that makes him CEO of Pizza Night.
"Okay, we're getting one large pepperoni, one veggie, and that's it. No arguments."
Classic Jake. Dictator energy.

Jeremy immediately snatches the phone back.
"Actually, we're getting a large with pineapple, extra jalapeños, and gummy bears on top."
"Gummy bears aren't a topping!" I yell.
"Not with that attitude," he says, already typing.

Jason and Jaxon start fighting over whether we should add a second pizza.
"We're six people! We need two!" Jason argues.
"We had two last time and ate half of one!" Jaxon argues back.
They're identical twins and they still fight like they're strangers.

Jayden is in the corner with headphones on, eating a granola bar he smuggled from his room. He doesn't even look up.
"Jayden, what do you want?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Surprise ." He replies blandly
Helpful. Really helpful.

Meanwhile, Jeremy has ordered the pizza.
"Done. One large, pineapple, jalapeños, gummy bears, extra cheese, and I added 'extra chaos' in the notes."
Jake looks like he's aged 10 years.
"You can't order gummy bears on pizza!"
"Watch me," Jeremy says, grinning.

The doorbell rings 12 minutes later. Way too fast.

It's not the pizza guy. It's the neighbor's dog. Because of course it is. Jeremy left the front door unlocked "for the vibes."

The dog comes in, heads straight for the kitchen, and knocks over the entire bag of chips I was saving for later.
"NO!" I scream.
Jake's trying to catch the dog. Jason and Jaxon are arguing about whose fault it is. Jayden just moves his granola bar out of reach and keeps eating.

Then the actual pizza guy shows up.

He's holding the pizza, staring at the dog, the chips on the floor, Jake yelling "SIT! BAD DOG!", and Jeremy offering him a gummy bear.
"Sir... is this the gummy bear pizza house?" the guy asks.
"Yes," Jeremy says proudly.
"No," Jake says at the same time.

I grab the pizza, pay, and shut the door before anything else explodes.

We open the box.
It's pineapple, jalapeños, extra cheese... and there are exactly 7 gummy bears melted on top.
Jeremy did it. He actually did it.

Jake takes one bite, makes a face, and says, "This is illegal."
Jason and Jaxon are already fighting over the last slice.
Jayden picks the gummy bears off, eats them, and goes back to his corner.
I take one bite and immediately regret everything.

The front door opens. Mom and Dad are home early.
The house smells like burnt chips, dog, and questionable pizza.

Mom looks at the chaos, then at us, and says, "What happened here?"

We all point at Jeremy.

He just grins and says, "Welcome home."

Someone is so getting grounded again.

Mom pinches the bridge of her nose and dad just lets out a deep sigh and closes the door.

With that look on her face I'm very sure that we're in for a lecture tonight.