"Would you please just chill out?"

"Would you please just chill out?" I mean, honestly, I was just here to have some fun and she was really making it stressful.

Her brow furrowed, then her posture shifted. She slouched back on the futon, relaxing her arms and shoulders, her grip on the controller loosening. I had to myself not to lose focus on the game as her entire demeanor changed. She even let go of the controller with one hand to take a sip of her lemonade, leaving her completely open to my attacks.

I won that round, and the next, unleashing my final attacks easily. She'd stopped using combos against me, attacking using only the basic strikes and simple side-to-side movements. It was like fighting an npc. Her well of jabs and insults had run dry, too, and we sat there in a dull silence until the victory screen appeared.

"Ha!" I said, "I win! Take that!"

Jess rolled her eyes at you. "Whatever, Rick, it's just a game. Chill out."

Okay, this was definitely different. I'd known Jess for a while now and this was entirely different from her normal vibe. Hell, I didn't even know the word 'chill' was in her vocabulary.

"Okay... I just want to hear you acknowledge me as the superior fighter. Admit it, I'm better at this game than you," I said.

"Nah. I don't feel like it."

Dammit, I'd forgotten the magic word. "Jess, please admit that I'm better than you."

"Rick, you're better than me. I'm, I don't know, worse than you? Is that what you want to hear?"

"I mean, yeah, but I was hoping for a little more enthusiasm."

"Well, tough." She looked over at Ron. "Babe, do you mind skipping the movie tonight? I have to just chill."

Ron looked up from his phone. "Sure, I get it. Rick asked you to chill, so I know you have to. Don't worry about it."

I was astonished. The dream had been real, very real. Jess was doing exactly what I said, to the letter. She was just chilling.