8 8. Gaming, Movies and Pizza (Man)

BM

"I'm going to get a drink, anyone want anything?" I asked getting up from the lounge.

"I want my food," Jae stated loud enough for Thea to hear him.

"She's cooking it," I defended.

"Slowly," he stated still making sure he could be heard.

"If you don't shut it, you're not getting food," she called from the kitchen.

"You can't not feed me, it's literally in your genes to mother us,"

"Can you two shut up, we're in the middle of a game. Jae focus I don't want you to accuse me of winning because you were distracted," Charlie snapped.

"You're not going to win,"

"I always win,"

We'd decided to have a game night, Sam had only gotten back this morning, he'd been in the hospital for four days, the tear apparently hadn't been healing but he was okay now. Even so, we didn't want to go out so instead we are staying at home where there is little stress, well if you don't count Thea and Jae but he was used to them by now. Come to think of it game night may have not been the best idea, sometimes there is yelling or insults. Thea isn't allowed to play at all which is why she is currently cooking dinner. Her temper is too short-fused to let her play the types of games we do.

"Sam?" I turned to Sam who was sitting in the corner of the lounge with Volk curled up next to him

"I'm good," he shrugged, he was probably sick of being coddled.

"Bring me snacks," Jae called as I was halfway down the hallway.

"Wait for dinner," Thea yelled back.

"Let the boy eat," I walked in behind her as she was crossing the kitchen with a bowl of rice.

"He can, in about 10 minutes" she nodded placing the bowl next to the stove.

"Come on, be nice," I stated, pulling out the orange juice from the fridge and pouring myself a glass.

"I'm making him food, how much nicer do you want me to be?" she raised an eyebrow but didn't look at me, she was looking at her phone.

She's basically had that thing attached to her since Monday when that Jackson guy finally messaged her back. He had some excuse about dropping his phone in cement, I wasn't so sure about him, he sounds a little weird to me and given Thea's track record, I wasn't sure this was going to end well. But it was too early to tell and definitely too early to say anything to her about it.

"You're making everyone food," I pointed out.

"Yeah but I don't have to feed him," she shrugged tapping away at her phone.

"You're so mean sometimes," I muttered making my way back to the lounge room.

"Can you take that with you?" she looked up nodding towards the breakfast bar.

She's put a glass serving bowl with a packet of Doritos and M&M's sitting in it.

"If you'd already pulled out snack food why didn't you just tell me to shut up?"

"Oh that's not for Jae," she shrugged smirking.

I swear the only way those two could actually be nice to each other was to not be nice at all. Generally, that wouldn't make sense to someone, unless you knew Thea and Jae, they have basically frienemies since they met.

JACKSON

Jackson: Game night sounds fun, why are you cooking instead of playing? Don't you get tired of cooking after having to do it all week?

Thea: I get too frustrated at the game, and I really only do it for two days. Cooking dinner is nothing compared to working in an industrial kitchen. If it got boring I wouldn't be doing it as a career.

Jackson: That's a good point, so how is your friend?

"Yo dude, are we going to get food or what?" Mark frowned at me.

"Yeah let's go," I nodded standing up as my phone buzzed letting my know my battery was low.

"Come one then," he headed towards the door.

"Ah, yeah one second,"

"What?"

"My phones going to die, I just have to let Thea know and go put it on charge,"

"Do you want to just stay here and I'll get it to go?" he rolled his eyes.

"No, it's cool just give me a second,"

Thea: He's okay, just resting.

Jackson: Hey I'm just going to dinner and my phone's going to die, I'll text you later.

"Okay, let's go," I stated after I'd plugged my phone in.

"Are you sure you're not going to get separation anxiety from being away from it? I mean it's been part of you for the past three days," he stated.

"Jealous? and it's been just over two days, I didn't get my phone until Monday night," I shrugged.

She was just so easy to talk to and we didn't even have to talk about anything in particular, mostly we just talk about what we've done that day. In fact, I hadn't actually learned that much about her except that she's in a cooking school and is so lovely.

SAM

"I swear if you touch this before I get back I'll break your fingers," Thea glared at Jae as she placed a large tray of her homemade fried rice on the cleared off coffee table.

"You're so violent," BM frowned at her.

"Shut up, there is more so if you can wait 30 seconds then you can eat all you want," she warned.

"Besides, Sam eats first," she stated as she left the room.

"Dude, I'm starving," he whined.

"Dude, you just ate an entire bag of chips," she mimicked his voice.

"Whatever," he muttered caving instantly.

They've all been weird since I got home this morning, Thea is playing the mother, BM isn't much better, Charlie is consistently keeping an eye on me and Jae was just awkward not really sure what he could do or say. It was like I was some kind of terminally ill person they all had to step lightly around.

"I'm not really that hungry, you don't need to wait for me," I stated when Thea came back with bowls and a plate of grilled pork belly.

"All the more reason for them to wait, Jae will inhale all of that in the time it takes us to blink. You eat first so you can eat something before it's all gone,"

"Can I eat now?" Jae complained.

"No," she smacked his hand away.

"There's more?" BM frowned.

"There is soup because I wasn't sure how well this would go with your stomach," She gestured to the food on the coffee table.

"You can all stop coddling me, I'm fine," I sighed.

"It's just one more thing, then you can eat," Thea shrugged my comment off.

"Guys, seriously,"

"Anyone want a drink?" Charlie asked getting up, not really waiting for a response before she followed Thea down the hallway.

"Dude, the smothering and coddling is more for our own piece of mind, I know it's probably annoying you but it's making us feel better," BM stated.

The girls came back and finally sat down Thea placed down a small pot of soup, I wasn't sure what kind but it smelt sort of like miso, Charlie had a bottle of sprite and a stack of glasses that she placed on the table.

"Now can I eat?" Jae huffed.

"Sure," she shrugged after looking over at me for a moment.

Pretty much everyone but Thea started serving themselves something to eat. BM frowned and started plating her up some food as well. This is how dinner usually went when Thea cooked, she would pick and snack at things while she cooked and then wouldn't really be hungry when she served it all, BM would make up a plate and insist she needs to eat, they would bicker and about 15 minutes later she would eat the plate of food. BM has stopped fighting her on it and just makes the plate up leaving it there until she decides she's hungry.

Charlie put her small portion in her bowl and sat back into the lounge next to me, if anyone else saw how little she ate they would think she had an eating disorder or something, they definitely wouldn't be able to survive on her diet. Usually, her meal consisted of a side dish or rice bowl size, maybe two if she was really hungry which compared to Jae was basically a snack. When we go out to eat the girls usually share a meal and even then they don't always finish it, one of us will.

I really wasn't that hungry and as much as I loved Thea's rice I wasn't sure I could deal with eating that right now. So I poured myself a bowl of soup, mainly so I didn't upset Thea who had gone to the trouble of cooking and because I probably should eat something.

The tear in my stomach wasn't that big, but it still hurt and apparently it could take up to 6 weeks to fully heal, I just wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activities. This meant that if I went busking I wouldn't be able to carry my equipment.

"Is it okay?" Thea asked. She was like that, she faked all the confidence she could but when it came down to it she still needed some kind of verification or assurance.

"Nope, it sucks," Jae muttered with a mouth full of food.

"Yeah well, you eat anything put in front of you so what would you know?" Thea rolled eye eyes.

"Tastes good to me," BM shrugged.

CHARLIE

Sam had a bowl and a half of soup before putting it down. I can't imagine having a stomach tear would make eating pleasant. No one said anything but there was a concerned atmosphere in the air.

Once everyone had finished eating Thea started to clear the table, BM helped and Jae and I got back to our game. Sam was texting, and judging by the eye roll and sigh it was Bianca who had been trying to talk to him since he finally broke up with her.

Honestly, I don't even think it was because she broke his necklace, I mean he was seriously mad about it but when he confronted her she denied everything and made it out to sound like we were all against her and trying to break them up. Not to say we weren't all against her but we wouldn't make up a ploy or lie about something to get him to do it. Besides, he wanted to break up with her, he just needed an out. So he told her they were done and she left crying, then messaged him an hour later saying she was sorry she lied and that they fought, it took him almost three hours to get her to realize that he was seriously breaking up with her.

"Where's Coco?" I frowned at BM as he came back into the room, I had only just realized she hadn't come home, it was also a little to distract Jae from the game, he tensed up but didn't say anything.

"She's having a girls night with Tina," he shrugged.

"Do you think there will be boys?" I teased mostly to screw with Jae but a little to get a reaction out of BM. Jae pulled a face but stayed silent.

"She's an adult," BM shrugged.

"As long as I don't know I don't have to beat anyone up," he continued.

"Oh please if there are any boys they will be her guy friends who are basically girls anyway. At the very least they're part of her Minion crew so she doesn't see them as real men," Thea came in behind BM getting the last of the dishes then retreating back to the kitchen.

"Hey aren't you apart of the minion crew?" I turned to Jae.

"No, I'm here with you guys so either I'm not or she didn't invite boys," he mumbled. I'm not sure what he would rather.

"Do you guys want to watch a movie after this game?" Sam asked dropping his phone on the couch cushion. It started buzzing, he sighed and rejected the call.

"Sure, what should we watch?" Jae shrugged, two seconds later Sams phone started ringing again.

"Give me it," I stated, pausing the game.

"It's fine," he shrugged rejecting it again.

"She'll stop eventually," he added.

"No she won't, she's a persistent idiot," I stated as it began to buzz again. I picked it up from the cushion and answered it before he could do anything.

"Hello, Sams phone he's currently recovering from almost dying how can I help you?"

"Charlie?" she sounded confused.

"No, it's Santa Claus,"

"Funny, where's Sam?"

"Recovering from the brink of death,"

"I'm serious, I need to talk to him,"

"He went to Jamaica to get away from a crazy woman who tried to kill him,"

"He's in Jamaica?" she sounded stunned.

"No, he just doesn't want to speak to you,"

"Give him the phone," she demanded.

"I can't he's busy,"

"Doing what?"

"Ignoring you,"

"This isn't funny, let me talk to my boyfriend,"

"You don't have a boyfriend, he broke up with you,"

"You're not funny,"

"You know what is funny?" I countered.

"What?"

"How incredibly stupid you are, the fact that you're clearly not understanding the concept of a break-up, the fact you were under the impression that he loved you, I could go on but I'm almost certain you didn't understand any of that,"

"Our relationship doesn't have anything to do with you," she huffed.

"Sam is unavailable and if you keep ringing I'll get in my car and come see you,"

"What are you part of the mob?" she asked sarcastically.

"Keep annoying me and find out," I stated, hanging up.

"You're a psycho," BM raised an eyebrow.

"She's not even being a psycho yet," Thea commented.

"Let's just watch the movie," I shrugged.

THEA

I didn't really know what movie they had decided on but it was Jae's turn to pick so it was probably something I would hate knowing him.

The opening credits started and the song sounded familiar so I relaxed a little if I'd already seen it then it couldn't be that bad.

"What's are we watching?" BM asked raising an eyebrow towards Jae, I didn't take too much notice I'd picked my phone up to check if Jackson was back yet, he wasn't.

"A movie Thea is going to Love," he smirked, that caught my attention.

I looked up and realized why I knew the song.

"Are you serious?" I frowned.

"You said you weren't fazed when you re-watched the original, so I figured we could test out your fear," he shrugged.

"Wait, is this the IT remake?" Sam asked.

"Yeah,"

"You're an asshole," I sighed slouching back into the couch scooting a bit closer to BM.

"You don't have to watch it," Charlie stated.

"I don't want to sit in my room by myself, and now I'm kind of curious," I muttered.

"Well, if you can't sleep later that's on you, you can't go blaming Jae," she stated.

"I see whose side you're on," I pulled a face.

"I'm not on a side, you're choosing to sit and watch it so you can't just blame Jae,"

"Yes I can, he put it on," I defended.

"Let's just watch the movie," BM ruffles my hair as my phone buzzed.

"I really wish you would stop doing that," I sighed rolling my eyes.

"You're not going to hit me?" he asked, I just shrugged looking at the message I just got.

Jackson: I'm home :) have you finished cooking?

I sat there for a minute wondering if I should reply straight away or if I should wait a few minutes so it didn't seem like I was waiting by my phone. Because I wasn't it was just always with me, I don't wait by the phone for guys.

"You okay?" BM frowned.

"Yeah I'm fine," I nodded.

"Are you going to watch this?" Jae asked pausing the movie.

"Yes, I was just replying to a message," I rolled my eyes again.

"Well can you do it quietly," he huffed pressing play.

Jackson: Yeah we're watching a movie now. How was dinner?

Thea: They all seem to think it was okay. We're watching IT 😩

Jackson: You don't agree? And is that the horror movie, the one with the clown??

Thea: I haven't eaten yet, yeah it's the horror movie with the clown

I looked up at the screen in time for my least favorite scene in the original. When Georgie is playing with the paper boat and it floats down the storm drain, my whole body tensed as I waited for him to get to the drain.

Let me just clarify that the original movie literally gave me a fear of clowns. I used to make fun of people who were scared of clowns, I just didn't get it until I watched that stupid movie and recently I re-watched it and defense the first time I watched it I was probably too young to do so. After re-watching the original my fear kind of subsided but the remake clown is so much scarier and I'm not quite numbed to his face so he is still hella scary.

I had to resist the urge to block my ears, the suspense was building, and then my phone buzzed and my reaction was the scream, then I screamed again when Pennywise literally rips the kids arm off.

"What the hell, you don't see that in the original!!" I yelled hiding behind BM's shoulder.

"We also live in 2017, we can do more," Jae started through his laughter.

"Shut up asshole,"

"This movie is going to be awesome,"

I just ignored him and looked down at my phone to check the message that had come through and scared me half to death.

Jackson: I don't like horror movies that much. Why haven't you eaten??

Thea: Neither do I, and I'm scared of clowns. Smart move huh? And I was eating while I was cooking, so I'm not really that hungry, my friend put food aside for me to eat later.

CHARLIE

Bianca had stopped calling after I more or less threatened her. But about halfway through the movie, she started messaging her him. Which had woken him up, he kept dozing off and then Thea would scream and wake him up. She was currently cowering behind BM, every now and again she would curse at Jae who would be laughing at her. Honestly, I don't think she was far from crying.

Sam checked his messages sighed and put his phone back down getting comfortable in his seat, he closed his eyes and dozed off again, I reached over and took his phone from his lap turning it on busy mode before putting it back.

BM

The movie finished and Thea had ended up crying a little, she was terrified and clung to me from about a third of the way through, right after she jumped just about out of her skin throwing her phone halfway across the room and screaming the house down.

Sam had fallen asleep on the lounge and no one wanted to move him but it was also only 9 and there was no way Thea was going to go to sleep after watching a horror movie.

"Should we watch another movie?" I asked looking over at Sam.

"He's basically out for the night now, and he won't wake up unless Thea screams again," Charlie shrugged.

"That was hilarious," Jae stated still laughing.

"I hate you," Thea glared at him getting up from the lounge to get her phone.

"How is that different from any other day of the week?" He shrugged.

"I don't want to stab you in your sleep every other day," she muttered.

"You're going to be too scared to get out of bed, I'm not worried," he shrugged.

"Why don't we watch a comedy? Or a chick flick?" I suggested trying to defuse them.

"I don't care, I want tea," Charlie shrugged getting up.

"So are you all ready for the bar opening?" Thea asked trying to change the subject.

"Yeah they are going to be finished the bathroom tomorrow morning so we can get live there again, and then we're ready for the bar opening tomorrow afternoon,"

That was another reason that we were doing a movie night, sort of like a last night together thing, which is sort of weird considering how frequently we see each other. Charlie had even called in sick with her volunteering at the Zoo to be here, but I think that was more for Sam than us leaving.

JACKSON

"Do you want to order pizza?" Mark asked as he flicked through the channels.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. He just looked at me a shrugged.

"We had dinner like three hours ago,"

"And I'm hungry," he shrugged again.

"How are you not fat," I huffed.

"Don't get moody at me because she hasn't messaged you back," he rolled his eyes picking up his phone from his lap.

"I'm not getting moody," I muttered.

"Sure, do you want a pizza or not?" he asked dialing the number as my phone vibrated in my hand.

"Whatever," I waved him off looking down at my message.

Thea: Hey sorry, I temporarily misplaced my phone 😅

Jackson: Where was it?

Thea: By temporarily misplaced I mean I got scared and threw it halfway across the room. Haha 😳

Jackson: Oh, why did you watch it if it scares you?

Thea: Half because I'm stubborn, half because when I start something I have to find out how it ends.

Jackson: That's a little weird, do you have much planned for the weekend?

Thea: Not really, probably working. My friend is opening his bar in Fremantle tomorrow, so I'm helping him out until I find another job.

"Hey, where was that bar BM invited us to go to the opening of tomorrow?" I slide glanced at Mark who was just getting off the phone.

"Fremantle somewhere. It's near Fremantle markets I think," he shrugged.

"What's the name of it?"

"Uh, Coco Story, I think, why?"

"Thea's friend is opening a bar tomorrow night,"

Jackson: What's it called, maybe I can check it out the next time I'm in Fremantle?

Thea: Coco Story, because his sister's name is Coco and it's a two-story building, something like that honestly I was only half listening to him when he was explaining it to me.

"No way," I frowned.

"What?" Mark asked, mostly to be polite because he didn't sound the least bit interested.

"Thea's friend is BM,"

"Seriously? Small world,"

"Oh my god," I had a sudden realization.

"What now?"

"Thea was the drunk psycho," I frowned.

"Seriously?" he gave me a look that insinuated he didn't believe me.

"The girl from the other night sounded familiar and I couldn't figure it out, Thea is going to be working at her friend's bar opening tomorrow night in Fremantle called Coco Story. Put two and two together and what do you get?"

"That she's friends with BM and girls sound similar," he shrugged.

"Seriously?"

"What? It's coincidence,"

"How is it a coincidence? It makes sense,"

"You're making it make sense,"

"How?" I frowned.

"You're wording it to fit your theory," he shrugged.

"I'm not,"

"What are the chances of you meeting this same girl three times in just under two weeks? Besides she said she was friends with BM, the drunk girl was his best friend and if she was going to be at the bar don't you think she would be drinking not working? The psycho definitely likes to drink,"

"I guess," I shrugged as the doorbell rang.

I got up from the lounge checking to see who it was before opening. I'm not sure why I already knew it was Jooheon.

"Yo," he greeted when I opened the door. He wasn't dressed in his delivery uniform so I was assuming he had finished work and this was his last delivery.

"Are you done with work?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Come in, unless you're in a hurry to get home,"

"Not really," he shrugged walking into the apartment.

Jooheon was our regular pizza delivery guy. We had befriended him about a year ago and every now and then when he finishes work he has his break we let him chill with us and eat.

"So what are we talking about?" he asked putting the pizza boxes on the coffee table in front of make.

"Jackson's ability to find drama in something,"

"Like?" He raised an eyebrow.

He explained the situation making my assumptions sound completely ridiculous, even to me.

"It is possible though," Jooheon stayed with a shrugged.

"Don't encourage him," Mark sighed.