Jazz Up

Lie Detector

It was so cold outside! I had some lights in my hand helping my parents decorate the house for Christmas. They didn't have work today, so my mom thought it would be a great idea to decorate the house since we're in December. I like the decorations we put up, but I feel like my mom likes to go overboard. You would think my dad and I like to decorate, but my mom goes all out. She always takes it too seriously because all the other moms around the neighborhood go all out. My dad and I sometimes don't be in the mood to put up more decorations, but she always guilts trip us.

The worst part is when we have to take it all down. We usually put up lights and then the blowups. My dad was handling the blowups since it took a little strength to set them up. I was putting the lights on the bushes and also untangling them. My parents say once I do that then I can have my own personal time to spare. I was almost done with my part of the job which I was a bit happy about. I saw Hiro and Ceasar's car pulling up into a parking space by Freeman's residents. I wonder what's going on?

I saw Ceasar, Ming, and Hiro look my way while I was putting the lights on the bushes. Ming ran towards me and I didn't know how to react. She did a little jump when she got to me and smiled. "Hi Ming!" I smiled at her. "You coming over to play the game with us?" she asked me. "What game?" I asked finishing the lights on the bushes. "I don't exactly know, but it's Riley's turn to pick the game," she said a bit unsure. "This will be a surprise," I mumbled under my breath. "Yeah, but are you coming over?" she asked again.

"Coming over where?" my dad asked overhearing our conversation. "To Huey and Riley's house, we're all doing our monthly game night," she smiled. "Game night...that sounds fun! Jazmine, why don't you go over there with your friends to play your monthly game night," my dad told me.

"Okay, I'll just go put the boxes in the house," I told him. "Ok, have fun!" he smiled. I went inside the house to put the boxes up. When I was done I took my phone and left with Ming towards Huey and Riley's house. "Dude your dad is so chill, he's not as strict as my parents, " Ming had whispered to me.

"Yeah, he's not as stuck up as people think. As long as I keep everything in check I'm good with both of my parents, " she seemed a bit surprised. "It's hard to please my parents, they're all about competition, " I kinda feel bad for her. Her parents are a bit strict with her. They don't approve of certain things she does, for instance, her dating Hiro. Ever since they found out Hiro wanted to be a DJ they didn't approve of her dating him. The only reason they're not complaining is that he's not as much of a distraction they thought he would be.

Her parents especially don't like it when she hangs around Cindy and Riley. It's clearly an obvious guess on why they don't want her around Cindy and Riley. The reason why is because the two of them are trouble makers (I will admit). They know they do stuff around the neighborhood which why they don't fully agree with her hanging around them. Ceasar and Huey are semi-approval. I remember she told me they were a little upset that Huey fractured her leg and they're a little afraid that Ceasar might twist her ankles. It's kinda weird how they weren't afraid of her going up against competitors until that sudden injury she and the other players had in the game.

In the beginning, I didn't understand why her parents didn't mind her hanging around me. I wasn't into contact sports like Ming was. I was more into the arts with a peaceful environment. Then I thought they allowed Ming to hang around me because of what my parents' jobs were, but then I come to realize that I was a great influence on Ming. I didn't do anything bad and I was very focused on my education. They always invite me to their celebrations like 'Chinese New Year's!'. It's very fun and cultural!

When Ming and I made it inside the house I saw the others in the living room. Riley was opening up a game I guess he had just bought. I was a little curious about what was in the box. When he pulled out the object it seemed like that fun lie detector test some influencers use on their channels. I thought about buying one, but I felt like it would cause drama and be a waste of money.