Cliché [COMPLETE]

Ch. 37 - She Dead Now

AN: Picture of Bernie up there. Extra long chapter and some surprises and major shade at the end of this chapter ayeeee.

Everyone in my house was celebrating about the news, Carlos started a conga line that was going through my small living room, Georgia was in the kitchen with the moms sharing recipes with one another, Bernie was playing with the kids, and I was at the table with all the guys playing poker.

"Alright, I'm done." I sighed, laying my cards flat out on the table as I rose from my seat, tossing the money I had lost in the bet as the men laughed in a playful manner.

"Come on Nat, where's your game face, that was the fourth round you lost." Buck teased, greedily swiping the cash from the table towards him as I snatched the cigarrette from his lips.

"No smoking in my place." I reminded him with a small smile, waving the cigarrette in front of his face before tossing it in the trash.

I tried maneuvering pass the dancing grandmas in my living room, Carlos cha chaing with all of them as I tried to make my way to my kitchen for a drink before I spotted a little boy in the middle of the hallway, a lolipop in his mouth with a nerfgun tucked in the band of his shorts.

I froze, narrowing my eyes at him as a slow challenging smile spread across my face and I held my ground while he glared at me.

"Stick em' up!" I said, taking out my pointer fingers making a make-shift gun with both of my hands before the kid took out his nerf gun and shot a styrafoam pellet at my stomach.

"I'm hit!" I screamed dramatically, clutching at my pretend wound and falling to the floor as Bernie marched into the hallway, dragging a handfull of neighborhood kids who were clinging onto his limbs and ankles, looking like a large jolly giant with children all over his back.

"Natalie!" They all screamed in unison making me laugh as I pretended to crawl away in fear when the kids jumped off Bernie and tackled me, creating a dog pile on top of me.

"There you are Nat! What are you doing down there? Get your stinky bodies off the poor girl, I just made beignets in the kitchen, go help yourselves." Georgia said, shooing the kids off me as Bernie took a seat on the hallway floor, letting out a loud sigh as he rubbed his pot belly.

"What's this I hear about you losing to Buck and the guys in poker hmm." Georgia said, giving me a playful nudge as she joined me on the floor.

"Natalie losing at poker?" Bernie added, turning to exhange looks with Georgia as I rested my back against the wall.

"I don't know, I just, I wasn't really thinking-"

"You're thinking about Harry still aren't you honey." Georgia cut in, putting a comforting arm around my shoulder as I leaned into her.

"He just, he didn't look so well was all. Just wanna know he's okay." I shrugged, picking at the fabric of my oversized jeans as she rubbed the side of my arm.

His cheeks were flushed, and it wasn't like the cute normal blush he had whenever he was embarrassed, it was different.

Almost unhealthy even.

He also had these dark circles under his eyes.

I should've just ignored his protests like I usually did and should've checked if he was okay, but he told me to leave and he was leaning back into Kathy.

"I know Harry's been a jerk to you lately but he did save our shops and cancelled everything." Bernie pointed out as we watched Carlos stumble out of the living room, lipstick stains all over his face and neck from the grandmas in the living room as he snapped his fingers at them.