Mum made the cake, and Claire prepped the living room for sleeping bags. They’d all been so busy lately, but she knew Monica would love the snacks, Liz the horror movie. Hopefully, Kim would zip their bags together like last year.

Claire waited with perfumed wrists.

The doorbell didn’t ring.

Em Arata-Berkel enjoys creative writing, picking their own fruit, and hosting tabletop roleplaying games.