Page 56 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“It’s likeSquid Game,” I tell him in a stage whisper. “Once you’re in, there’s no getting out.”
“Let’s play!” Lisset says.
Tess rubs her hands together on the way to the dining room. “All right, people, ready to be vanquished?” She looks over at me. “Wait, if I’m the vanquisher, would that make you the vanquishee? Is that a word? It should be a word. It’s now a word.”
I massage my temples. I can’t help but wonder sometimes if she’s secretly adopted. It seems inconceivable I share genes with her.
The game starts off slow. We’re struggling to buy any properties, the four of us landing on Chance and Free Parkingand other insignificant squares at an improbable rate. Slowly, though, the game begins picking up speed.
Lisset is the first one to fall. Unfortunately, she played too conservatively at the start and then compounded the error by going for utilities above properties. Her bottom lip quivers as she declares bankruptcy and has to drop out of the game.
Aaron’s brow is furrowed as he watches her turn in her meager assets to the bank. “Maybe we could let her stay in.”
“No!” Tess and I protest at the same time, aghast he would even suggest it.
Aaron levels a reproachful look at me, as though to remind me I’m a mother and not Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games.
I swallow my sigh. Right, right. I rearrange my face and turn to Lisset, offering her a brief pat on the shoulder. “Well done on losing graciously, Lis. And you’re never too young to learn a key lesson on real estate investments.”
We take a quick break to settle Lisset in front of the TV. I grab another coffee to keep me sharp and we return to the board.
Aaron lucks out by landing on the orange properties and buying all of them. Statistically, along with red, they’re the ones people land on the most. Now he’s trying to buy up all four of the railroads, while Tess and I are in a race for the rest of the properties. The board is getting crowded; houses are everywhere.
I throw the dice and land in jail.
“Hah!” Tess crows.
When it’s my turn again, I study the properties loaded with houses waiting to bankrupt me if I land on any of them. I pick up the dice, hoping I won’t roll a double, which will get me out of jail.
Tess frowns at me. “Don’t roll. Just pay the fifty-dollar fine and get out of jail.”
“No.”
“Come on, pay.”
“No. I don’t want to pay hundreds in rent. I’ll ride it out in jail for a while.”
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“What does it look like? I’m playing it safe.”
Tess is silent. Her expression tells me she’s holding something back. Unease stirs inside me. “That’s boring, Kate.”
“It’s a smart play,” I argue.
“No, it’s not. There’s no risk.”
“Exactly. I don’t mind staying in jail.”
“No one should want to stay in jail.”
I have a feeling we’re no longer discussing Monopoly.
“Uh, Tess,” Aaron tries, “maybe we should let Kate make her own choices here.”
But my sister steamrolls ahead, like she always does, leading with her mouth, while her brain scrabbles to catch up. “The Old Kate was gutsy enough to pay the fifty dollars.”
The implication stings. My jaw clenches in an effort to hold in my temper. “The Old Kate is gone.”
