The trip home had us swapping favorite songs, going from connecting from his phone to mine. We both added to our playlists. When we got to the Burathons’, the driveway was already overflowing with cars. Gaze and Ruffian were playing basketball in the backyard. Gaze had been recruited as a second string NBA player, and Ruffian was just enjoying the game, even though he was good at it, too.

“Ah, my adopted brother and his adopted brother.”

I had to laugh at the dynamics of it all. Gaze had been a foster kid in the Burathon home and they eventually adopted him. And then, while Gaze was still in college, his surprise younger brother showed up at the door.

Teddi, Austin’s biological little sister, was now dating Ruffian. It made for some hilarious jokes about the family being related to one another.

A huge van painted with splashes of neon colors pulled up behind Austin and me.

“Well, that’s it, kitten. We’ve got the whole shit show in here now. You ready to have some fun?” He opened his door and mine opened itself. There was a guy dressed from head to toe in cosplay.

“Splatoon?” I took a guess. His eyes widened.

“Why yes? Do you play the game?” He held out his hand and I took it. I watched as Austin and Milt, his middle biological brother, hugged and slapped each other on the back.

“I don’t play. I win, Bama.” I pretended to holster a gun. I knew these guys from all the time I had to squeeze past them on the Burathons’ staircase. They were fun background noise when I had sleepovers with Teddi.

“We got a badass over here!” He pretended his hands were an explosion and a few of the friend group gathered around me.

The trunk on Austin’s CRX popped open. The cosplay guys dipped in and took out our bags.

After a quick head count, eight guys scrambled out of the van. It was the crew I was used to seeing around. Milt traveled in a pack with his friends. They were all wildly talented gamers. We Play You Pay was their business.