The Lying Game

37.

E M A N I

"Okay, you've been singing since you were a kid. You're from another country but still live here. You're married to a hot model. You had a falling out but found jesus... and Kanye West."

"Justin Bieber?" Jasmine asks.

"Yes!" Phoenix exclaims. Jasmine quickly swings the phone down from her forehead. The phone dings and their time is up. Phoenix jumps from the couch to Jasmine to see how many they got right.

"15 we're in the lead baby!" He picks up Jasmine and spins her around. Phoenix turns to us. "Try and beat that suckahhhss" He waves his hand in his face while him and Jazz dance back to their seat on the couch.

Facing William, unphased. "Shall we?"

He smirks and, looks back at Phoenix calmly, answering me "We shall" I take my cue and remove my legs from on top of his and stand up from the loveseat.

"Go get him son" Mr. Harrington says in a not-so-loud voice on the opposite side of the table between us. He holds out his hand and William happily slaps it.

Phoenix throws his hands up in the air in protest. "Aye pops, I thought you were on our side?"

"I'm not your pops Phoenix" Mr. Harrington remarks without even looking at him.

Phoenix waves him off. "Traitor." Mr. Harrington doesn't try to hide the smile from his face at Phoenix's silliness.

Mrs. Harrington holds out the phone for William. "Okay your random category is Pop Culture." William holds up the phone to his forehead.

"We got this." I say rubbing my hands together.

He nods "Eye of the tiger."

"Grr!" We both say in unison.

"What kind of shit was that?" Phoenix comments.

Jasmine laughs and hits him in the chest. "Phoenix stop."

It's family game night at our house. I came up with the idea as a way to come together at the end of the week and just gave funwith each other. What I noticed in contrast to my family is that they didn't know how to have fun together. Everything was all serious and business 24/7. It's like they didn't have anything else to talk about or do. Thus, family game night was born. The feedback has been positive so far as it's our 3rd week doing it. The first time we had it, Mr. Harrington and Phoenix accused everyone of cheating in monopoly and required we all come next week to replay.

"Oh don't forget movie night at our house on Wednesday '' Ms. Harrington notes to Jasmine and Phoenix. Before we did game night, we had movie night. It was off to dry start as no one talked through the movie. With game night, movie night has been better and more lighthearted. Now they can't shut up during the movies.

"Beyonce's other quarter"

"Jay-Z"

"Three hour commercials and 1.5 hour sports."

"Super Bowl"

"Don't forget to?"

"Vote."

"The movie you can never watch without crying."

William deadpans me."The pursuit of happiness." The clock ends. William looks at the phone. His eyes rise up to me.

"Well?" I ask in anticipation.

"18!" He screams. I cheer in excitement. We both do the running man and robot in celebration.

"Will," Phoenix interjects. "How can do the running man offbeat?" He could barely finish his answer before busting out into laughter and falling on his side on the couch. Will grabs a throw pillows by his parents and chucks it straight at Phoenix. Phoenix screams in a high pitched voice and protects his body from the pillow. William runs to grab it as it fell onto the floor and tries to stuff Phoenix's face with it.

"Help! Help!" Phoenix calls out.

Jazz and I both shake our heads. "They're a mess." Jasmine moves away further from them on the couch.

"I agree, you've been rubbing off on Phoenix." I lightly shove her with my shoulder . "He's got jokes 24/7 now"

"I need to stop taking him to the hair salon." Jasmine pinches the bridge of her nose with her freshly manicured finger nails. "That's where he gets it from."

"You take him to the salon with you?" Slightly shocked, slightly impressed. Jasmine usually doesn't people see her until after her hair is done.

"Yes, he brings in more customers because all the ladies fawn over him." She rolls her eyes. "Retta gives me a discount for every new customer I bring." Jasmine sticks out her tongue and runs her hair through her newly bleached curls. The bell rings causing all of our attention to turn and the boys to stop fighting.

William looks around waiting for someone to speak up about who it might be. "I'll get it." He gets up from off of Phoenix and leaves to go to the door. Phoenix sits back up straight, bug-eyed and hair all disheveled.

"Come here love let me fix you up." Phoenix comes closer and Jasmine smoothens out his shirt and hair.

"I couldn't breathe mi amor." He says while his chest rises up and down dramatically.

"I know mi principito" The language rolls off her tongue effortlessly and catches me off guard. Jasmine took french all throughout high school and college and here she is speaking spanish.

"Has he been lifting?" Phoenix looks up to ask me, still panting hard.

"N-" The sound of two bodies approaching closer makes me look up.

"Hey Everyone, Sarah's here." William walks in with Sarah in towe. She shly waves to everyone while she's carrying a big grocery bag with onearm. .

"Welp, time to call it a night." Jasmine hits Phoenix again. "Ow!"