the utilities, and the light-blue properties (Vermont, Connecticut, and Oriental Avenues).
The problems with his strategy, in my opinion, were many. First of all, it was incredibly annoying to play against him. Second, it seemed like it had to be insanely boring for him. Third, it felt like his strategy to only buy the light-blue properties was really shortsighted and somewhat stupid but he would always land on them. I mean, of the maybe fifty games we’d play each summer, I’d only get the chance to buy a light blue maybe three times. But the biggest problem about his inane strategy was that he’d often win.
For example, he won the first game.
I got him on the second, however, when he hit my hotel on New York.
Game three, our big tiebreaker, was ended prematurely by the smell of pizza.
It smelled delicious and I sort of jumped up.
It had occurred to me that maybe Astrid was feeling better and had made us all lunch.
“When we come back, I’m going to destroy you,” Alex said.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Water Works.”
* * *
It was only Niko, though. He had figured out how to run the Pizza Shack ovens. He had cooked a bunch of pizzas and lined them all up on the counter.
The smells had not only drawn us—all of the little kids were there, and so were Jake, Brayden, and Sahalia.
Jake, Brayden, and Sahalia were sprawled out in one of the bigger booths. There was something in the way they were slouching and the way the little kids were looking at them that made me know immediately what was wrong.
They were drunk.
They had three big slushies in front of them and, as I watched, Jake took out a hip flask of some kind of alcohol and poured a shot into his cup.
Sahalia giggled and leaned across Brayden, putting her straw into Jake’s cup.
“Hey, girl, keep your straw to yourself!” Jake half shouted, smiling.
“It’s just a little sip,” she crooned.
“No, no,” Jake said. “It’s the last straw!”
They thought this was hilarious.
Max and Ulysses also laughed, in that dumb way kids laugh when grown-ups do, just to be in on it.
Niko looked at me and Alex pointedly.
“Dinner’s up,” Niko said. “Everyone come up and help yourselves.”
“You heard him!” Jake said with a grin. “Chop, chop! Everyone get up there!”
“Brave Hunter Man has spoken,” Brayden said.
“You’re not the boss, you know,” Sahalia said to Niko with a roll of her eyes.
“Can it, Sasha,” Jake said.
A nickname. Awesome. The senior had given the sexy thirteen-year-old a pet name.
“Come on, guys.” I tried to break it up. “The pizza’s hot. Let’s eat.”
Everyone sort of ambled up into a line for the food.
“I’m not eating sausage,” Max protested. “My mom says sausage is made of pig bottoms.”
“Your mom, your mom, your mom,” Sahalia mocked. “You little kids are always talking about your moms! Enough already with the moms. They’re not here and they’re not coming anytime soon!”
This was a dumb thing to say and she didn’t even notice.
The twins started to cry and Ulysses was right behind them with his jelly-bean tears.
Niko stepped in front of the counter and addressed the group, trying to get things back on line.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “With Jake’s permission, I have a plan for us to get some structure in place here.”
“‘With Jake’s permission,’ that’s bull,” Brayden said, his voice too loud. “You want to take over.”
“I don’t want to take over. But I do think we need some clear plans—”
“You know what, Niko?” Jake said. “I know you have good intentions, but we just, like, went through a terrible thing, you know? The world outside is a total disaster and we don’t know what’s going to happen. I think we deserve a little break. A little chance to just like, relax and, like, chill out and even enjoy what we got here. Let’s hang for a while. I mean, truly, honestly, what’s the harm?”
“We’re going to fall
The problems with his strategy, in my opinion, were many. First of all, it was incredibly annoying to play against him. Second, it seemed like it had to be insanely boring for him. Third, it felt like his strategy to only buy the light-blue properties was really shortsighted and somewhat stupid but he would always land on them. I mean, of the maybe fifty games we’d play each summer, I’d only get the chance to buy a light blue maybe three times. But the biggest problem about his inane strategy was that he’d often win.
For example, he won the first game.
I got him on the second, however, when he hit my hotel on New York.
Game three, our big tiebreaker, was ended prematurely by the smell of pizza.
It smelled delicious and I sort of jumped up.
It had occurred to me that maybe Astrid was feeling better and had made us all lunch.
“When we come back, I’m going to destroy you,” Alex said.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Water Works.”
* * *
It was only Niko, though. He had figured out how to run the Pizza Shack ovens. He had cooked a bunch of pizzas and lined them all up on the counter.
The smells had not only drawn us—all of the little kids were there, and so were Jake, Brayden, and Sahalia.
Jake, Brayden, and Sahalia were sprawled out in one of the bigger booths. There was something in the way they were slouching and the way the little kids were looking at them that made me know immediately what was wrong.
They were drunk.
They had three big slushies in front of them and, as I watched, Jake took out a hip flask of some kind of alcohol and poured a shot into his cup.
Sahalia giggled and leaned across Brayden, putting her straw into Jake’s cup.
“Hey, girl, keep your straw to yourself!” Jake half shouted, smiling.
“It’s just a little sip,” she crooned.
“No, no,” Jake said. “It’s the last straw!”
They thought this was hilarious.
Max and Ulysses also laughed, in that dumb way kids laugh when grown-ups do, just to be in on it.
Niko looked at me and Alex pointedly.
“Dinner’s up,” Niko said. “Everyone come up and help yourselves.”
“You heard him!” Jake said with a grin. “Chop, chop! Everyone get up there!”
“Brave Hunter Man has spoken,” Brayden said.
“You’re not the boss, you know,” Sahalia said to Niko with a roll of her eyes.
“Can it, Sasha,” Jake said.
A nickname. Awesome. The senior had given the sexy thirteen-year-old a pet name.
“Come on, guys.” I tried to break it up. “The pizza’s hot. Let’s eat.”
Everyone sort of ambled up into a line for the food.
“I’m not eating sausage,” Max protested. “My mom says sausage is made of pig bottoms.”
“Your mom, your mom, your mom,” Sahalia mocked. “You little kids are always talking about your moms! Enough already with the moms. They’re not here and they’re not coming anytime soon!”
This was a dumb thing to say and she didn’t even notice.
The twins started to cry and Ulysses was right behind them with his jelly-bean tears.
Niko stepped in front of the counter and addressed the group, trying to get things back on line.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “With Jake’s permission, I have a plan for us to get some structure in place here.”
“‘With Jake’s permission,’ that’s bull,” Brayden said, his voice too loud. “You want to take over.”
“I don’t want to take over. But I do think we need some clear plans—”
“You know what, Niko?” Jake said. “I know you have good intentions, but we just, like, went through a terrible thing, you know? The world outside is a total disaster and we don’t know what’s going to happen. I think we deserve a little break. A little chance to just like, relax and, like, chill out and even enjoy what we got here. Let’s hang for a while. I mean, truly, honestly, what’s the harm?”
“We’re going to fall
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