Siblings Night

After Blake’s defeat, the group played a few different games. Street fighter, mario party, wii sports… But eventually it was time for Nick and Ethan to leave.

“Bye! See you tomorrow at 10” said Blake

“Bye” Nick and Ethan responded

When Blake closed the door, Claire told him: “Let’s go to the basement.”

When they got down the stairs she added: “Want to watch a movie?”

“Okay, but please no rom-coms” answered Blake.

“You’re no fun,” said Claire with a pout, “but okay, what do you want to watch?”

“Action?” Blake asked hopefully.

When she agreed they settled onto the couch, a soft blanket draped over Claire’s lap as Blake queued up a movie. The room, now quiet, glowed with the soft blue light of the screen.

“You’re seriously putting on The Matrix again?” Claire teased.

“It’s a classic,” Blake shrugged.

Blake sat besides Claire and they draped the blanket over them.

The basement was quiet except for the soft hum of the credits rolling on screen. Claire was curled up on one end of the couch, legs under a blanket, eyes still on the TV even though the movie had ended minutes ago. Blake sat on the other end, arms crossed, head leaning back, staring at the ceiling like it had answers.

Claire broke the silence first. “Still hits hard,” she said, nodding toward the TV

Blake gave a small smile. “Yeah…”

A pause. Not awkward—just full.

Claire turned to him, voice a little softer. “You want to talk about it?”

Blake didn’t answer right away. He stared straight ahead. “We lost by one point.”

Claire nodded, letting him continue.

“It was right there. We had the lead in the last minute. Then they got the drive, and—boom. Two points.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I should’ve caught the mismatch. I saw it starting to happen and just… froze. I could’ve called for help, but I didn’t. I hesitated. That’s on me.”

Claire shifted, sitting up a bit straighter. “You’re not the only one on the court.”

“I’m supposed to be the leader. The guy who reads the plays, knows what’s happening before it happens. That’s literally what Coach trusts me with. And I choked.”

“You didn’t ****,” Claire said. “You made a mistake. It happens.”

He looked over at her, frustrated. “Yeah, but my mistake cost us the game.”

She didn’t argue right away. Instead, she leaned her head back and sighed. “You know, I still think about the first time I failed a test at uni. Thought my whole degree was over. Turns out one test doesn’t define your whole future. Same goes for one game.”

Blake was quiet again. Then: “It just sucks.”

“Yeah. It does.” She smiled gently. “But you’ll bounce back. You’re stubborn like that.”

He smirked. “You sure it’s not just a family trait?”

“Obviously. I’m the queen of resilience,” she said, tossing a pillow at him.

He caught it, finally laughing.

Claire stood, stretching her arms above her head. “Alright, mopey. We’ve done our emotional bonding. You want to start something else or call it a night?”

“How about a rematch?” Blake asked.

“You want to play pool?” asked a surprised Claire.

“Not exactly” he said as he went towards the board game cabinet “let’s play UNO” he announced as he grabbed the cards.

Claire raised an eyebrow as Blake set the UNO deck on the coffee table.

“UNO? You sure you want that smoke?”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Blake said, grinning as he shuffled the cards with exaggerated flair. “I’m in my redemption arc now.”

They dealt their hands and sat cross-legged on the carpet, blanket tossed aside as the battle began.

At first, it was neck and neck — back-and-forth skips, color changes, and playful trash talk.

“You’ve got way too many greens,” Claire accused after Blake dropped his third green in a row.

“Just strategic luck,” he replied smugly.

Halfway through, Blake began pulling ahead. He emptied his hand down to two cards, one of which he proudly revealed with a smirk.

“UNO,” he declared.

Claire looked up sharply. “You didn’t just say that.”

“I did. You’re toast.”

On her next turn, she slapped down a Switch Hands card and traded her bloated hand for Blake’s card.

“What—hey!” he cried. “You just robbed me.”

Claire grinned. “You snooze, you lose.”

For a moment, it looked like she had the win in the bag. Blake grumbled as he sorted through his new mess of cards.

But then…

He narrowed his eyes. “Alright. You wanted war.”

On his next turn, he slammed down a Draw Four.

Claire groaned. “Nooo.”

“Choose red,” Blake said.

Claire drew her four and gave him a **** glare.

Then came a Reverse. Claire narrowed her eyes.

Next turn — Skip.

“Blake—”

“Shhh,” he said, holding up a finger. “Let it happen.”

He followed it with a Draw Two, and Claire reached dramatically for her growing stack.

Then came the final card — a red six.

“UNO!” Blake shouted.

Claire blinked. “Wait—what?”

He dropped his last card onto the pile. “Boom.”

Silence.

Claire flopped back onto the carpet. “You’re kidding me.”

Blake leaned back, arms behind his head. “Never underestimate a redemption arc.”

Claire stared at the ceiling, then laughed. “Okay, I’ll admit — that was kinda beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“But you know this means war, right?”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Blake said, already reshuffling the deck.

They played a few more times until midnight, each of them winning another 2 times.

When the game was finished Blake glanced up, looking at the clock. Noticing the time he said: “Claire, it’s midnight, we should go to sleep. Or are you going to pull an all-nighter?”

“That sounds like fun,” Claire said with a smirk as she stood up, “but you’re right, we really should go to sleep” she said as she yawned while stretching her arms.

Blake turned off the lamp beside the couch, the basement dipping into a cozy twilight. He started gathering the UNO cards back into the box, Claire helping him without a word.

“You’re not just here to crush me in games and give motivational speeches, are you?” he asked, flashing a sideways glance.

Claire smirked. “I mean, those are perks. But no — I came because I knew you’d need someone.”

Blake paused, then gave a quiet nod. “Thanks.”

She nudged his shoulder. “What are sisters for?”

With the cards packed away and the movie long over, the basement felt still — not empty, just peaceful.

They headed upstairs together, footsteps soft on the carpet.

At the top of the stairs, Claire gave him a gentle punch on the arm. “You’re gonna be fine, Blake.”

He smiled. “Yeah. I think so.”

“Good,” she said with mock seriousness. “Because if you mope again, I’m showing up with a karaoke machine next time.”

Blake snorted. “Noted.”

They split off — Blake toward his room, Claire to hers.

As he pulled his door closed, he looked back down the hall and called out softly, “Night, Claire.”

“Night, dork,” she called back.

The house fell quiet.

Upstairs, lights flicked off one by one, and Resin Grove slipped into sleep — one late night, one tough loss, and one small win at a time.