Photo by Hybrid Storytellers on Unsplash
Priscilla grabbed the talking stick from Gary. “My turn. What superpower would you want, invisibility or teleportation?”
“Invisibility, duh.” Hands freed, he grabbed the bowl of chips and refilled his plate on the red paper plates leftover from his parent’s Christmas party.
“Why?”
Gary smiled lusciously, “Girls bathroom.”
“Of course.” Pris rolled her eyes. “How about you, Lou?”
“Easy, teleportation.”
Tilting her head, Priscilla looked closer at the third wheel of their friendship group. She and Gary had dated until they stopped dating, but they still went to prom together. The breakup had been more about going to separate colleges than any real change in their feeling about each other, though after a semester off at college she realized their feelings were never suitable for marriage no matter how many hearts she had drawn on her notebooks with their initials. Through their three years of high school dating, Lou had remained friends with Gary and became friends with her. “Okay, why teleportation?” she asked.
“Well, right now the work commute is nearly an hour by bus since I don’t own a car. Teleportation would save two hours a day.” Lou moved some of the fruit slices they had raided from the party trays Gary’s parents had in their guest refrigerator onto his plate. “Then there is needing to help with Mi-mi now that Pop-pop had his stroke. Also I could visit you guys. Also, you know, the family in Chile. Be nice to see the cousins and family on that side. Travel just takes so much time.”
“Fair.” She passed Lou the talking stick.
He rolled it between his right and left hands, staring down at it, before shrugging. “What are your favorite colors?”
“Oh no you don’t.”—“Dude, that is like a sophomore question.”
“Hey, it might have changed while you guys were off at college.” Lou defended himself.
“No change.” Pris said.
“Ditto,” Gary agreed. “Green for Pris here, red for me, and lavender for you, unless you changed. Try again.”
Lou looked over at Gary. “Still like lavender. Looks good against my skin and makes me stand out in the white-black-gray boring world.” After causally glancing around the white and black walls, furniture, and carpeting of Gary’s family home, he dropped his eyes back to the black stick he was rolling in his hands. He peeked under his thick black eyelashes once at Priscilla.
“Do a good one,” she encouraged.
“Alright,” Lou returned his eyes to the stick, his cheek reddened slightly, but it was hard to tell under his olive complexion and the dark lighting they had for their private hanging out the night before New Year’s Eve after all their family obligations had been fulfilled and they could just be friends hanging out one last time, once more time, before Priscilla had to fly back to the East Coast on New Year’s Day to get back for a special class on the third.
“Um, okay got one.” He lifted his closely shaved head, his dark eyes darting to Pris before quickly shifting to Gary. “If only once in your life, you can make your face do the big Cthulhu thing, like all tentacles bursting out—” Lou raised right hand in front of his face and wiggled his fingers, “—when would you do it?”
Giggling, Priscilla laid sideways on the sofa. “God, I missed you.” She smiled softly at Lou.
“Tough one.” Gary tapped his chin. “Hmm. Maybe….nah. Give me a moment. Priscilla, you?”
“Nope, you first.”
“You don’t know yet.”
“I don’t know yet, and you go first. You had a lousy answer last time. Invisibility to sneak into girl’s bathrooms. What a creeper answer.”
Chopping on the potato chips, Gary considered. “Okay, I would use it on the turnpike one night, just out of the blue, on a cashier.”
“What a waste.” Priscilla complained. “They might not even react. Those guys see everything.”
“But imagine it.” Gary raised his greasy hand into the air. “Foggy night. Quiet night. Just past the witching hour. A white compact pulls up. You ask for the dollar and turn and a bunch of tentacles jump out at you.”
“Still lame.” Lou said.
“And you can do better?” Gary challenged his best friend from middle school. He was still surprised they managed to remain friends through high, but here they were. He wasn’t sure how much longer they would be together but was glad for this last hurrah. He ignored the stab in his gut and chest at the thought.
Lou shrugged. “My question. I don’t have to answer it.”
“Well, I can.” Priscilla said. “You know when your parents say, ‘Don’t cry or I will give you something to cry about?’”
“Yeah”—“Sure.”
“Then. I would do it then. Only, you know, after I had the third child. When everyone was there, but only the kids. I would do it then.” The evil smile sent shivers down both the guys’ spines. “Thereafter, I could give them the ‘mom’ look, and maybe whisper, ‘do you want to cry’?” Her voice hissed in the room.
Gary looked at Lou uncomfortably and gulped. Lou sat up straight, carefully straightening his plate and napkin on his lap for balance, before placing the talking stick on the coffee table and declaring, “You win.” The guys genuflected her dominance.
(words 887; first published 3/16/2026)