the return

Chapter 25

After plenty of catching up and laughter, Patricia and I decide to wear our matching pajamas. Before we both moved, we had ordered minion onesies. At first, Patricia suggested the pajamas as a joke, but I was totally serious about buying them. So, we bought the matching minion onesies and adore wearing the. 

I hop onto the couch next to Patricia.

"What would you do if Tanner asked you on a date?" Patricia asks randomly, catching me off guard.

"We're still on the Tanner versus Kai drama?" I question, feeling exasperated.

"Aurea, of course, we are! Let's just pretend for a second," Patricia says, getting off the couch and grabbing my wrists, pulling me up. "Pretend I'm Tanner." She clears her throat and, in the most over-the-top country voice, says, "Hey there, pretty girl," she pauses and winks, "Care to join me for a night on the beach?"

I try to look angry but can't help but smile. "Um, no," I fake push 'Tanner' away from me. "I actually have another beach bum I go to the beach with." I give her an annoyed smile.

"Ugh, Aurea! Please just play along! It'll be fun." I groan and muster up a lot of energy.

"Oh my gosh, Tanner! How're you doing? How's Texas?" I say.

Patricia whispers, "That's better," and gets back to her acting. "Awww, gee shucks. Well, you know what they say about Texas... you can take a boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas outta a boy." Patricia gives a country shrug as she pretends to have a piece of wheat in her mouth.

"Oh, really? I've actually never heard that, especially since we were both born and raised in Florida."

"Oh... well, anyways pretty pony girl, would you care for a beach date?" Patricia starts trying to rizz me up, to which I push her away.

"Tanner, why are you touching me so weird? But I guess I can give you a try."

"Aw, thanks, baby girl. Hop into my big red pickup truck." She winks.

"Pat, he doesn't have a big pickup truck. He has some sort of Nissan."

"Aurea, shh..." Patricia places a finger over my mouth, "You're no fun. Just play along."

"Okay fine. I'll get into your red pickup truck."

"That's a good girl." That sentence grosses me out, but I shrug it off.

"Tanner, what type of music do you like?"

"I love myself some good ol' country music. Country roooaddd, take me hooommeeee, you sing along!" Patricia wraps her arm around my neck and pulls me close.

"Um, to the place I belooong?" I mutter, not really sure of the lyrics to any country song.

"So, Aurea, what type of music do you like?" Patricia does her stupid eye-wiggling thing.

"Oh, I like pop music. You know the famous Taylor Swift?"

"Hahaha, of course I do! I love her country stuff like 'Our Song.'"

"OOOh! I love that song, Tanner. Our song is slamming screen doors, finish the lyrics." I sing the Taylor song with an obnoxious country accent.

"Uh, uh, uhhh..." Patricia trails off. She doesn't know the lyrics because she was never a die-hard Taylor Swift fan. I wasn't either, but you have to know her popular songs.

"Never mind, Tanner. I don't think we can date. You can't finish the lyrics." I give a dramatic frown and pretend to open the big red pickup truck's door.

"NOOOOOO!" Patricia lets out an even more dramatic screech to which I throw a pillow at her.

"Ow," she says while catching the pillow and throwing it back at me.

"Oh, you want to fight now, Tanner?" I say jokingly.

"Tanner doesn't want to fight. I do," she smirks and starts throwing her throw pillows from her couch. We haven't had a pillow fight since we were in elementary school, but now, I have to assert my dominance.

Swiftly, I aim for her torso, and as I go to throw, my face gets pelted with a hard pillow.

"Ow, what the hell?" I practically screech.

"Oops," Patricia shrugs and laughs maliciously. I shake off the pain in my face and run across the room. Patricia is standing on the couch but quickly jumps off to chase me. Smartly, I throw a pillow at her feet which helps trip her, and she falls.

"HAHA!" I echo out as I steal her pillows and chuck them at her.

"AHH!" Patricia yelps and acts dead. I walk away thinking I just defeated my best friend, but all of a sudden, I hear a rustling sound. I turn around, but my body fails.

As I try to get up, a pillow hits me so hard I almost get winded.

"OW. Okay, you're done. I'm done." Somehow, I manage to get that out without there being a wheeze.

"I'm not done! You are! HAHA! I win, you lose." Patricia is making an L with her hand and dancing around my half-way deceased body.

"Unfair game." I pretend to cough out blood.

"Whatever, loser." She walks into the kitchen and pulls the ice cream out of the fridge. Instantly, I get up from my spot on the floor and sprint to the kitchen.

"Vanilla," I say excitedly to which Patricia rolls her eyes.

"Oh, shut up and find something to watch."

I fling myself onto the couch and open a streaming app for movies. I scroll through the countless options of movies. Loud action, cheesy reality TV, unrealistic romance, mind-boggling horror—the choices are endless.

At last, I find the perfect movie. *Napoleon Dynamite*.

"Again? We almost always watch this one," Patricia says as she walks over with two bowls of ice cream and bags of candy.

"And you almost always die of laughter." She rolls her eyes and plops down right next to me. We snuggle up close like how we would when we were younger and begin the movie.

Before I know it, the movie is over. I look over at Patricia, but she is passed out. So, as a best friend, I do the only reasonable thing. Shake her until she is awake.

"Patricia! You're going to be late for Tokyo!" Patricia shoots up, all panicked.

"Where am I? I need to go, Aurea." I am clutching my stomach, crying. She looks around and realizes she's back in America.

"Okay, I'm going to bed." I'm still laughing and sobbing, but I follow her to her room and lie down next to her.

"I'm so funny."

"You're alright."

"Awww, you love me, Pat."