Page 49 of Bad Habit
“What are you so zoned out about?” Eli breaks through my thoughts.
“Just trying to figure out who they are going to try and get out first.” I find AJ and Mia sitting in the corner cleaning up pizza boxes. Maxwell is running a game of dodgeball on the mats.
“You are absolutely their biggest target.” Rory comes up behind me. Why is he always just there? It’s creepy.
“How do you know?” Eli questions him. I can hear the caution in his voice. He might not be enthusiastic about winning but he for sure loves beating AJ.
“They told me.” Rory shrugs. He’s wrapping up his hands. We might have all had the day off to play with the kids, but he doesn’t get days off. He has to work drills every day. Training to become a professional fighter is hard. Training to maintain being a professional is critical.
“Did they tell you anything else they plan on doing?” I ask without taking my eyes off of them. They’re two of the smartest people I know and they know how to get us to do anything they want.
“They are pairing up and plan on taking you each out one by one. Then it’s a free for all with them and me. We all agreed that whoever wins we wouldn’t choose the other.” Why is he telling us this?
“Why are you ratting them out?” Eli asks at the same time the question runs through my mind.
“I don’t trust Jude. She loves making me work like a dog.” He shifts closer and drops his voice, “So I was hoping that if I told you their plans then you all would spare me from having to clean. Training is kicking my ass and I haven’t been able to spend time outside of the gym with her as much as I want. If I have to clean for a month, then I definitely won’tbe able to.” He sounds sincere, but my gut tells me to not trust him. AJ would never allow him to be over here talking to us unless she wanted him to. Either he was playing us, or she was.
“The plan is to make Max clean as payback for making us wear these ridiculous chipmunk costumes. So sure, you give us something to help take them out early, and you manage to beat me, then if Oliver wins, he will still only pick Max to do the cleaning.” Eli is such a masterful man. Rory doesn’t stand a chance at beating him. Max and I have been trying for years. Eli is a ghost when he plays this game. But it gives Rory the hope he was asking for. And they go off to a vacant corner and talk.
I cross the gym, dodging small flying balls from the kids as they all try to hit me and find the girls. They’re shoving bottles of water and plates into a trash bag.
“You’re in enemy territory, Ol.” AJ warns me as I approach.
“We all know you will win.” I lean down and kiss her cheek as she smirks. “I come to sabotage and plead my case to be a double agent.” Both girls share a look before Mia stays silent and AJ comes to stand in front of me.
“Absolutely not. You’re all going down.” She declares. I knew that was going to be her answer, but hopefully their attention is on me and not her boyfriend and my brother in the corner.
“You guys take this very seriously.” Mia giggles.
AJ narrows her eyes at me. “I don’t like to lose.” She knows that we are plotting against her.
I shrug and grin wickedly, “We will see what happens.” I dig a roll of cherry lifesavers that I’ve been holding in my hood pocket for the last hour and toss them at Mia. “Can’t be Halloween without your favorite candy.” I wink at her.
“Gross. Don’t suck up to her. She can’t save you. I’m taking your ass out first just for that.” AJ shoves me, hard. But it makes Mia’s chest fill with laughter so it’s okay. I salute AJ before walking over to help Maxwith the next game for the kids. Tonight will be fun. I can’t wait to see what costume Mia shows up in.
Eli is digging out the masks he bought at one of those Halloween stores while Maxwell lines up all the guns he pulled out of storage. He divides out bullets evenly and pairs a color packet with each grouping. I dig the deck of cards out of my back pocket that we use every time we play. I lay it down on the stack. We had to add new guns and colors since Rory and Mia are joining us now. The entire gym is blacked out, only the emergency lights on overhead.
“Everything set up?” Dad yells from the desk. “The girls are here.”
The three of us look up to find AJ and Mia walking in. Per usual, AJ picked a costume that fits her perfectly in every way. She has on a tiny tank top and khaki shorts. Two gun holsters on each hip and her hair in a full french braid and combat boots.
“Holy shit. Rory is going to die.” Maxwell praises AJ. Her viper tattoo is glowing under the dim light and she looks absolutely lethal.
“Not that you don’t look beautiful, as always, but what are you?” Eli asks Mia, who is standing before us in a brown jacket tied at the waist, her signature lips on full display.
She’s looking at me when she answers, “You’ll find out soon.” She’s smiling but the way the hairs rise on the back of my neck tell me it is a threat. Whatever is under that jacket is probably going to make me dig my own grave. She looks between me and my brothers. “What are you all? A black paint color palette?"
“You have a mask kink, Mia?” Max asks her as he pulls one of the LED masks Eli brought for us over his face.
“Don’t talk about kinks while I’m next to you.” Dad reprimands and then goes back to getting the girls’ gear ready. He always dotes on them.
The door opens up again and our final player enters the gym. Rory is dressed the same as us, black henley and black joggers. It’ll play to our advantage when we all split up. Being triplets, we are the same in most ways. Our styles are different and our interests are different but we have the same brown eyes, our mom’s eyes. We have the same shade of brown wavy hair like our dad. We’re the same height and roughly all the same build. But tonight, in the dark, all dressed the same. They won’t be able to tell us apart.
AJ turns around to face Rory and he drops to his knees dramatically. “I surrender now. You win.” He holds his hands up in defeat and winks up at her. She takes one of the guns that Dad handed her and she points it to his chest.
“I’ll make sure it’s a mercy kill.” She promises him.
Dad hands Mia her gun and playing card. Us guys get all of our gear prepped and ready. We all line up and await for him to read the rules out for us.
