GameDay1

Chris sighed dramatically, his hand resting on his cheek as he looked over the little letter stand in front of him. He moved the letters around several times, but couldn't come up with a single word. He sighed again and sat up, a pout forming on his lips.

"I hate this game," he whispered to Justin, who was sitting on his left.
"Scrabble sucks major pickles."

Justin laughed. "Pickles, Chris? Something you want to share with us?"

Chris made a face and stuck his tongue out. "Eww no! It's just, I *never* win! How can anybody possibly *like* playing this game?"

"Yes! Another thirty-three points for me!" yelled Lance, his arms in the air and a wide grin on his face. "I *love* this game!"

Chris rolled his eyes and Justin laughed.

"I hate this game," said Chris loudly, the words coming out as one big whine. "It sucks."

"You only hate it because you aren't winning," said JC, his eyes never
leaving the letters in front of him.

"Exactly!" said Chris. "Lance over there gets words like 'congestion' and
'incomprehensible.' You know what my last word was? Cat."

The guys laughed and Chris slumped further in his chair, his arms crossed in front of him in protest. Joey grinned and shook his head.

"Your turn C," he said, slapping JC on the back playfully. "Whatcha got?"

JC bit his lip in concentration. He chewed on his nails slowly, mixing up a few letters and shaking his head. He stratched his chin and switched a few more, looking at them carefully. He shook his head and shrugged. Chris looked at the clock and tapped his foot quickly.

While JC was rearranging his letters, Chris pantomimed knitting something. Justin, Lance and Joey looked at him strangely. He continued to sew the air with precise stitches. Holding back his "masterpiece," he grinned and nodded, slipping it around his neck. He pulled it up tightly to his neck like a tie, and proceeded to pantomime hanging himself with the noose.

The guys laughed and shook their heads, turning back to JC when he sighed.

"What've you got Jace?" asked Lance.

JC shrugged and took the bag of letters. "Nothing. I'm trading some in."

Chris shot up like a rocket, his eyes wide with an incredulous look.

"Are you fucking serious?" he yelled, half laughing half crying. "It took you *that* long to realize you had *nothing*?"

JC nodded and put four of his letters in the bag, shook it, then drew four new ones out. Chris was still in shock when Justin nudged him.

"Your go Chris."

Chris sighed and put his letters on the board. "There," he said proudly.
"D-U-L-L. Dull. Like this game."

Lance rolled his eyes and chuckled, adding his letters onto the end of
Chris's cat. "There," he said. "C-A-T-A-L-Y-S-T. Catalyst."

Chris banged his head on the table and pretended to sob. Getting up from the table in Lance's dining room, he headed straight for the kitchen.

"God, I need a fucking drink."

~*~
After a few drinks, beers and shots, the guys were beginning to like the game a lot more. Their words were becoming stupider, but they were too drunk to care.

"There!" slurred Joey. "S-E-X! Sex! Mah *favorite* word!" He laughed at himself and threw his hands up, almost causing his chair to tip over. "A thousand points fer me! Woohoo!"

"Big deal," scoffed Justin, his eyes narrowed in concentration at the game board. "Check this out, yo. G-H-E-T-T-O. Ghetto! Like me!" He leaned back in his chair and propped one foot on the table.

Chris pushed his foot off, causing Justin to stumble forward slightly. "Pig!" he said.

Justin loooked at him with half-shut eyes. "I am not!" he protested.

Chris shook his head put his letters on the board with sloppy fingers. "See lookie," he said, "P-I-G. Pig!" He giggled into his hand. "That deserves another shot!"

Lance laughed, and after several tries, managed to get his letters in order
on the board. "D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T," he said with a slur. "Difficult."

Chris took a long swig straight from the wine bottle, glaring at Lance over the rim. He slammed the bottle on the table and got in Lance's face, slowly squeezing the younger man's cheeks together and making a fish face. "I hate you," he said playfully. "How can you spell so good when yer drunk?"

Lance grinned, looking like a buck-toothed fish. "I got skills!" he yelled,
causing Chris to wince and then burst into giggles.

Lance laughed with him, supporting his friend's weight as they laughed. He looked over at JC, the only one of them that was still slightly sober. He was staring at his letters again with a strange look.

"Jace! Jacyeeeeeee!" he said loudly. JC slowly turned to face him. "You're turn buddy!" said Lance, slapping him on the back.

JC nodded and sighed. Looking at his letters one more time, he took a deep breath and slowly started to put them on the board. By now, the others had calmed down some and were quiet as they watched the letters take shape on the board. Joey spelled them out as they were laid down.

"I ... M ... G ... A ...Y."