Page 32 of Half Baked

“Poppy, is that okay?” I ask.

“Sure, like they said, you’re involved with the show too.” Her tone is even, impossible to read.

Tripp and I exchange a glance. Looks like we are joining girls’ night.

I swing a leg over the bench and sit down as Stevie motions to a pitcher and stack of plastic cups in the center of the table. “Have a drink.”

“We’ll switch up our trivia partners. We can’t leave the guys on their own,” Wren suggests.

“It isn’t one big team?” Tripp asks, pouring beer for himself and then passing one to me.

“Teams of two. And if you notice, this is a fairly female dominated competition pool tonight.”

“What’s the theme?” I glance around the brewery, looking for any signs or decorations that hint at it. Instead, I’m greeted with the typical barn wood and glass industrial doors. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“The TV show,Friends.” Stevie grins knowingly at me and I immediately smile back, an unspoken memory passing between us.

“Ivy will take Tripp, of course. But you’d better not be expecting me to take Hayden,” Poppy says.

There she is. That’s my girl. I stifle a chuckle and shake my head. “Don’t worry, ladies. Tripp and I will be partners. We’ve got this.”

“We do?” He looks up from his beer with a frown.

Stevie and I exchange another glance as she says, “I think you’ll be just fine, Tripp.”

Poppy

We’re in the final round of trivia—general show facts—and it’s clear that Hayden has an absurd knowledge ofFriends. He has gotten nearly every question correct. It seems there is no end to the many tricks he has up his sleeve, and I wonder if I really know him at all.

The biggest mystery though is his motivations. That’s a card he’s yet to play. Because it’s clear it’s not a coincidence he is here right now. He heard me talking about this. If he had always planned to be here tonight, he would have spoken up at the bakery. But, if he’s here to mess with me, it seems like a bit much. Even for him.

“Next question,” the moderator calls into the microphone. “What is the name of Ross’s son?”

I scribble down the name on our white board and show it to Wren to confirm. Across the way, Tripp doesn’t even bother to answer. He sits back and watches Hayden write something.

A buzzer goes off and the moderator calls out, “Show ‘em!”

I flip the board around and hold it up just as Hayden does as well. He’s writtenBen. Right again.

“Next question, how many sisters does Joey have?”

There is no way he gets this one. I grin to myself as I write down the number. Looking back up, I see him watching me with a smirk of his own. “Got this one?” Hayden asks.

“No talking between contestants,” I shoot back.

“That’s not a rule,” Stevie points out, taking a sip of her drink. The buzzer sounds as I glare at her, and I jump to flip my board. Hayden holds his up with one hand, throwing back his beer with the other.

Seven. He’s right again.

“How do you know that?” I groan.

“Regretting not taking me as your partner?” he asks with a wink.

I open my mouth to snap back at him when the moderator booms into the mic. “What is Monica’s biggest pet peeve?”

Hayden drops the board and writes furiously. Tripp looks over his shoulder and laughs. “Howdoyou know all of this?” he asks.

Shrugging at Tripp’s question, he looks at me and says, “Better hurry and get your answer down, Pop.”

---