UNO. The game that ruins friendships. Definitely a game that Rucker and Yaz shouldn't play together. Ever.

Rucker slammed his wrapped hand on top of the messy pile, causing cards to fly everywhere. "You can't put down two fucking skip cards!"

Yaz pushed her glasses up on her nose, eyes full of malice and challenge. "Yes, you can! They're the same damn color."

"Fine." Rucker put two cards on top of her yellow ones. "I battle your skips with my skip and draw two. Ha."

"This isn't Pokémon, you can't battle a damn skip," Yaz snapped.

"Who says I can't?" Rucker threw down another card. "Draw four."

Yaz narrowed her eyes, throwing down her own card. "You draw four, bitch."

"No, you draw two!" Rucker yelled, slamming down another card.

"You draw four!"

"Two!"

"Four!"

I sat next to both of them, watching them throw down cards like they were feeding bread to psychotic birds. In the middle of it all, I tossed down my red card. "Reverse."

Panting like maniacs, they both swung their heads to me, glaring. "You can't do that," they hollered in unison and resumed their card throwing.

"Uh, where's Khan?" I asked, looking around, trying to find a way out of this unwinnable game, hoping he could save me.

Three days have passed, and we still had no internet and still couldn't request anything. Sebastian still wouldn't talk to us either. He closed himself off in his room, and no one's seen him since he left. We went to his room, but he never answered. Every time we knocked, eerie silence answered. I go back there at least five times a day, trying to get him to listen to me, but I get nothing.

I felt so guilty for not believing him. I wanted to, but I had to do it. I had to question him about his ankle. I did the right thing, right?

She doesn't think so though. She constantly bitches at me to fix it. And she definitely stuck to her word about making me fart in my sleep. She tries to act all uppity and mature, but she's so petty and childish.

I took a page out of Tini's book and started wearing multiple underwear and thick pants when I slept, along with a thick blanket over top. Suck it.

"Khan left early this morning again," Yaz said, placing down two red reserves, making Rucker growl like an angry wolf.

"He's never around anymore," I said, tossing down my cards and petting Duke who was on his back next to me, sleeping.

"You know how Khan is — once something intrigues him, he's gotta figure it out." Yaz flipped down a red six.  "Probably still trying to figure out who the thirteenth contestant is."

"If they even exist," Rucker said, slapping down a green six. "I told him to let it go for now."

Yaz put down a draw four. "Color's blue," she said, making Rucker's jaw twitch. "I don't blame him. We have no cable. No internet. It's fucking boring as shit."

"I hope Seb's okay though," I said, not knowing if he had food. "I hope he's not starving."

Rucker drew four cards from the messy deck pile. "Baguette made his choice," Rucker said, throwing down a blue draw two. "We asked him to show us his ankle. He refused. I wouldn't be surprised if he's plotting to kill us all right now."

Yaz stuck out her tongue and tossed down two yellow draw two cards. "Draw six, bitch."

"You need to draw six new toes," Rucker mumbled, grabbing six cards.

"What you say?" Yaz said, puffing out her chest.

"You need to get six new toes. They're shaped like tree trunks for god sakes," Rucker said, which made Yaz throw an unopened deck at his eye. "So violent. Don't take it out on me because your toenails look like they can handle any natural disaster."

I laughed, watching them argue. Again. I think we're the liveliest ones in the house. It's been really quiet lately, and we haven't seen anyone else. When we leave the base, I've been looking out for Fee.

I know I promised Rucker that I would wait to investigate, but my nerves and racing mind wouldn't let me. They wanted answers now. I needed to know if the thirteenth contestant was real and who Layla's killer was. My gut told me they were the same person and that I needed to look into Fee.

But he never left his room anymore. And by the way the hallway smelled around his room, I still didn't understand how he could survive in there. It stunk. Bad. It was like three-year-old elephant poop met liquid diarrhea mixed with sludgy sewage.

Yaz tossed another deck, missing Rucker's face by inches.

"You gotta chill," Rucker said, picking up his cards again. "I know you were blessed with the feet of a homeless troll, but you'll come to accept them. Remember, as your teammates, we're here for you, Yazzy. Always. Peace and love."

Eyes turning to slits, Yaz flung down two cards. "Uno, bitch."

Clenching his fingers around his remaining cards, Rucker crumbled the cards into abnormal balls, growling.

Yaz flipped down her last card with a smile. "And my feet look better than your ashy ass lips, buddy. Looking like they fuck sidewalks for fun. Chapstick does exist."

I snickered and looked away when Rucker gave me a heated look.

Rucker tossed down his ruined cards. "Just go cook something," he said, tone smugly. "It's your turn."

She shrugged, not bothered. "Fine. I'll make hot dogs again."

"Can you make anything healthy?" Rucker asked hitting his knee.

"No." Yaz pushed the destroyed cards into the overflowing trash can and grabbed the fourth deck of the day. "Healthy, delicious meals are for men who don't steal my thongs."

"For the hundredth time, I did not steal your thongs," he said, wiggling his head at her. "I have my own, thank you very much."

"Yeah, I know," she said, dealing the cards. "You're a gang leader who wears thongs. Please make it make sense."

Rucker snatched up his cards, ignoring her words. "You can't make hot dogs anyway. We ran outta ketchup."

"Who puts ketchup on hot dogs?" Yaz snorted, pulling a card off the top deck, revealing a green four. "What are you, six?"

Rucker threw down a green seven. "Who doesn't? Dry hot dogs taste like boiled skin."

"We have mustard," I said, petting Duke's tummy.

Rucker cringed. "Mustard looks like mold and tastes even worse. It should be banned in all countries."

"We have relish," Yaz said, putting down a green two.

"Too sweet." Rucker puckered his face. "It's like I'm dipping my hot dog in pure sugar."

"We have sauerkraut," I said, trying to offer up another solution.

Rucker coughed, face frowning. "Eck, that shit looks like SpongeBob's sperm, I'm good."

"Thanks for ruining sauerkraut." Yaz sucked her teeth. "I'll make peanut butter and jelly again then."

"Can we please have a meal without bread? You're gonna make everyone fucking constipated."

"Your bowel issues aren't my problem."

"I don't have bowel issues."

"Says the person, who's having trouble shitting because of too much bread," Yaz said, plopping down a draw two.

"I do not—" Rucker started, but a knock at the door interrupted him. We all looked at each other. Everyone on our team had keys, so who was knocking?

I paused at the door. "Hello?"

"It's Chi," she said, voice a bit muffled. "I ran out of milk. Can I borrow some?"

Yaz hurled down some cards. "Who borrows milk? You gonna piss it out and return it to me?"

"I'm gonna shit in your mouth if you keep fucking cheating," Rucker said, slapping the card pile. "You can't skip twice and then reverse."

Yaz thinned her lips. "If they're the same color you can." 

"Who the fuck taught you how to play Uno?" 

Yaz shrugged. "Some girls in juvie."

"Yeah, I bet they were in there for scamming people," Rucker said, slapping down another card.

"I just need a cup," Chi said in a pleading tone. "I'll barter for it. My tongue can do anything."

Rucker popped his head up, lowering his cards. "Hmmm?"

Yaz turned up her nose. "You're so disgusting."

"You know what my tongue can do, Ruckie," Chi said through the door, voice coming out sickly sweet and tantalizing.

I opened the door, and Chi lounged against the doorway wearing a flirty smirk and a paper-thin red robe. It stopped at her upper thigh, giving us a cheeky glance while the top was opened up, revealing a glittery white bra. She crossed her glistening legs, showing off her lean thighs, heels clicking on the floor.

She's so cute! Are those red bottoms? Who cares? I do! You should dress more like that. Why? Because it's better than looking like we're going mud wrestling, or we have six snot-nosed kids and a busted-up minivan. You know what? Go away. Don't get mad at me because you dress like you're homeless. At least, Tini had that sexy edgy thing going on. You dress all frumpy. You're like Anne Hathaway at the beginning of Devil's Wear Prada but worse. And stupider.

I ignored her, blocking her out while looking down at my fuzzy socks, sweatpants, and baggy t-shirt. I looked to Yaz who looked gorgeous in her tight, ripped shorts and cropped baby tee and back at sexy Chi, and then at myself again.

When compared to them, I did look a bit... casual. But we've mostly just been lounging around the last few days. I didn't think I had to dress up to survive and go nowhere.

Chi wiped the corner of her mouth with a finger. "So, can I have the milk?"

"No," Yaz said, pushing up her glasses. "Shit's limited at the moment, and we need everything we got."

Chi looked at Rucker, smiling. "I'll fuck you for it, but I'd do that whether you gave it to me or not."

"Fucking for milk feels weird, and I ain't up for it now," Rucker said, holding up a damaged arm. "Later, maybe."

"At least you came back in one piece," Chi said, placing a hand on her hip. "But when I was watching, they said you lost?"

I forgot that no one else knew what Seb did because the producers cut the live feed when I lost, blocking the other contestants from watching. "We found a loophole. No big deal."

"I hope you can find another one," Chi said, cheeks reddening. "Because it's bullshit that we can't request anything."

"Hopefully, it doesn't last too long," I said with a shrug.

"Can I please have the milk?" Chi asked again in a begging tone. "You can raid my room in exchange if you want. That's all I got."

Yaz's head popped up then. "What's in your room?"

"You shamed me when you thought I was going to let her fuck for milk, but you're just gonna go take her shit?" Rucker said, arching a brow.

"Uh yeah," Yaz said, dropping her cards and picking up her water bottle. "There's a difference. I'm bartering — you're just taking advantage like a creep."

"He's not taking advantage." Opening her robe, Chi licked her red lips, showing off her sparkling white G-string that shined like a Christmas tree in a dark sewer. "I missed baby Spock."

Yaz gargled, spitting water all over the floor. "Baby who?"

Chi curled a red strand around her finger. "His dick."

Yaz flopped back on the floor, body shaking with laughter. "I totally forgot about that. You did not name your junk that." She started to cough, eyes tearing up. "Isn't your pussy named Clementine? So, its acid pussy meets small, galactic dumbass. Perfect combo. A match made in pornhub heaven."

Rucker tossed his cards at her shaking body. "I really don't think you should be talking when you have the ankles of Bambi and your feet look like they went through prehistoric times. Cavemen would probably worship those—"

Yaz whipped her foot across his face, slapping him in the chin.

"Shit, your crusty toes scratched me," he said, holding his face. "I have to get a rabies shot now."

"Good," Yaz snapped, sitting up. "I hope Khan lets me do the shot. I promise to miss and hopefully connect with your asshole." She glanced at Chi. "What do you have in your room to offer? We're not giving nothing away for free."

Chi eyed the ceiling. "Ahh, I have unworn designer clothes, shoes, makeup, beauty products..."

An idea darted in my head from her words, making me blurt out, "How about me and Yaz just come to your room and browse ourselves? We get to take whatever we want."

Chi closed her robe. "Fine by me."

"Wait here really quick and let us get dressed and we'll walk over together," I said before closing the door in her face.

"I don't know why you told her that, you're not going over there without me," Rucker said, folding his arms over his chest.

"This is the perfect time to see if there's a hole in her room somewhere," I said to him. "To see if she's helping the thirteenth contestant."

"We don't even know if there even is a thirteenth contestant," Rucker said. "All we have are theories, which is no reason to risk your life. She could be Layla's killer."

Yaz got up and stretched. "Nah, we're going. When will we ever get another opportunity to see her room again? Never."

Rucker grinned. "Don't worry, me and BS can get in. We can get into a lot of things."

"Yeah, but your stupid ass will be focused on 'getting in' and not the required task," Yaz said, turning up her nose.

Rucker threw off his blanket. "I'm coming then."

"Khan said you can't leave for another few days," I said, waving him off. "We'll be fine. Really."

"I think we can both handle Chi," Yaz said, pulling her hair into a bun.

"What if Aries is there?" Rucker asked, looking from her to me. "And this is an ambush?"

"Two against two then," Yaz said, gripping her hammer and putting it into the back of her shorts. "We'll still be okay."

"I did torture Gmie," I said, making a point.

"That wasn't you though," Rucker said, throwing up his hands. "I mean it was, but it wasn't."

"Are you saying I'm soft?" I said, glaring. "I can handle myself."

Rucker went to say something, but then he saw my angry stare and sighed instead.  "Fine. Just be fucking careful. If you're not back within a half-hour, I'm going over there myself with machetes."

"That works," I said, going to the fridge. We currently had seven gallons of milk left, and the open one only had a quarter left, so I grabbed that one.

"Be careful," Rucker said again when we walked over to the door.

"Always," Yaz said, pointing to the UNO deck. "You should try practicing by yourself while we're gone. Maybe you'll actually get good."

"You're not good, you cheat," Rucker shouted as we walked out the door.

"If I cheat, then your dick's small," Yaz said, pulling the door shut.

"You can't even compare those two things," Rucker roared through the door, making Yaz burst into chuckles. 

When we looked up, Chi leaned against the wall across from us, checking her nails. A bored expression colored her smooth face. Spotting us, she tried to grab the milk, but Yaz snatched it from me and placed it behind her back.

Yaz jiggled the container. "Nah ah, payment first."

"Fine," Chi muttered, strutting down the hall.

"What's our plan?" I whispered to Yaz as we followed behind Chi. "If she tries something?"

Yaz took the hammer from her shorts, holding it at her side. "Simple. You tackle her, and I smack her in the face with the hammer until her nose caves in and deep throats her neck and then we run," she said, nodding. "And if Aries' is there, I'll slam this hammer into his balls until they explode, and you kick the shit out of Chi. Good plan, right?"

"Ah, yeah...sounds good...?" 

"Good," she said, gripping my hand, following close on Chi's heels now.

This was going to be a very interesting trip. 

♟♙♟