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Game night is a Molina family tradition.
Once a month, they all gather in the living room in their PJs with way too much take out and take turns choosing a game to play. They stay up as late as it takes to play through everyone’s choices, and whoever’s won the most games by the end of the night gets five dollars and bragging rights for the rest of the month.
It used to be one of Julie’s favorite things. Her dad always chose Trivial Pursuit 80s and 90s Edition and then never won anything. Carlos always chose Monopoly and insisted on being the banker, even when he was too young to count any of the money without an adult’s help. Julie used to cycle through their big cabinet of board games and take the better part of an hour picking something out and then make everyone listen as she read the instructions aloud, even if it was a game they’d all played before. When Tía Victoria was able to join them, she cheated terribly, but she paid for the food, so no one could complain.
And every Game Night, every month, without fail, Mom won. Every game sometimes, but at least enough of them to take home the crown at the end of the night. She always cheered and put on her favorite Selena album for a dance party while they cleaned up, and then she gave Carlos and Julie exactly two dollars and fifty cents each, claiming, “It’s not about the money, mijos, it’s about being proud of yourself!”
They haven’t had a game night since she got sick. The last one was three weeks before her diagnosis, and she’d been tired and distracted the whole time, making stupid mistakes, letting Carlos and Julie win. She went to bed the minute they finished the last game, and Julie and her dad cleaned up the board games in silence.
By the time Rose Molina has been gone a year and a half, and Julie’s made some new friends, joined a band, and somehow brought three ghosts back from the brink of non-existence, Julie’s mostly managed to forget about their game nights. They’re just another one of the many things—like Mom’s chuletas and her Selena CDs and her fantastic hugs—that Julie’s had to push to the back of her mind just to keep herself from falling apart.
But then, she walks into her living room after school one day, eager to shower and change her clothes before going to find the guys, and finds the guys—crowded around the game cabinet (Luke is actually sitting on top of it, because he has the height issues of a feral cat), arguing about something or other, pieces of various board games scattered across the floor around them.
“What are you guys doing?” Julie says, and all three ghosts jump (Luke startles so badly he poofs out and then reappears on the floor between the other two, leaning so far into his “act natural” pose that he almost knocks Reggie over). Julie raises an eyebrow, silently repeating the question.
The boys exchange wide-eyed looks, and then Alex sighs. “It’s dumb.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”
When, still, no one offers up an explanation, Julie crosses her arms over her chest and trains a sharp look on each of them in turn (it’s a look she definitely picked up from her mom). “All right. Who’s going to tell me what’s going on here? Reggie?”
He ducks his head, hands in his pockets, like if he can’t see her then she can’t see him. Julie rolls her eyes and moves on to who she thinks will be the easiest to crack. “Luke?”
He blushes and steps forward, gesturing wildly as he stammers out, “Well, you see, boss, we were just—and actually it was Alex who—and then Willie said—”
Julie holds up a hand. “Stop. Don’t strain yourself. Alex?” She gives her third and final bandmate a pleading look.
Alex heaves a great sigh, resolutely looks Julie in the eye, and admits, “We were looking to see if you had Pretty Pretty Princess.”
Julie blinks, baffled. That was not at all what she’d expected him to say. “Can I ask why…?”
“It was Alex’s favorite back in the day!” Reggie says, grinning now that he’s not trying to keep things from her anymore. “We used to play it with his little sister, and Alex would get the crown every single time.”
Alex shrugs humbly, smirking. “What can I say? I knew my talents. Luke, on the other hand, always lost.”
“I didn’t lose,” Luke protests. “I chose to give up because I looked badass in the black ring!”
“Anyway, so Willie told Alex they’ve never played it,” Reggie cuts in before Luke and Alex can get into an argument. “So we were trying to see if you had it so we could all play together.”
That’s when Julie remembers—game nights with her family, her mother’s frankly ridiculous winning streak—but instead of it making her sad, the memory sends a smile spreading across her face. “You know what, Reggie? I think that’s a great idea. Alex, go get Willie. I’ll call Flynn. It’s time I introduced you boys to Molina Family Game Night.”