Hate to Admit

Lauren stretched out on the couch, her eyes glued to a cheesy Christmas rom-com she had begrudgingly turned on for background noise. Sophie was playing quietly with her dolls on the floor. For once, peace had settled in their little corner of the house. Lauren dared to let out a contented sigh.

"You're really just gonna sit there and watch this?" a familiar voice broke the tranquility.

Larry leaned casually against the doorway, arms crossed, his stupidly perfect smirk making an appearance. He looked like he just stepped out of an advert, sweatpants slung low, hoodie slightly unzipped to reveal a fitted black shirt beneath.

"Do you always barge into rooms uninvited?" Lauren shot back, muting the TV. "Some of us are trying to keep a kid entertained."

Larry glanced at Sophie, who was now fully focused on their exchange, her little head swiveling back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.

"Entertained? You call that entertainment?" Larry pointed at the screen. "No wonder she's bored out of her mind."

"I am playing with my doll!" Sophie piped up.

"Uh-huh," Larry said, dropping down onto the carpet beside Sophie. "How about we make things a little more fun?" His tone dripped with mischief.

Lauren narrowed her eyes. "What does fun mean to you? Because I don't think anything fun with you can be safe."

Larry ignored her, turning his attention to Sophie. "You ever pulled a prank before?"

Sophie gasped dramatically. "A prank? Like on TV?"

"Exactly," Larry said, leaning closer to her like he was sharing a top-secret plan. "And you know who’d be the perfect target?" He tilted his head in Lauren's direction.

"Don’t you dare," Lauren warned, sitting up straighter.

"Too late." Larry grinned at Sophie. "You in, kid?"

Sophie clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up. "Yes! What are we gonna do?"

Lauren groaned, already regretting every life choice that led her to this moment. "Sophie, don’t listen to him. He’s a bad influence."

"Relax, Lauren," Larry said, standing up and cracking his knuckles like he was preparing for battle. "We are just trying to have fun.”

Lauren watched warily as the two conspirators huddled together, whispering in tones too low for her to catch. She pretended not to care, turning back to her movie, but her ears were on high alert.

A few minutes passed. Too quiet. Lauren’s instincts kicked in. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing!" Sophie called out sweetly.

The fact that her voice was dripping with innocence made Lauren more suspicious. She glanced over her shoulder, only to find Larry and Sophie gone.

"Guys?" she called out, standing and walking toward the kitchen. "This isn’t funny."

No answer.

She rounded the corner and froze.

There, standing on the counter, was Larry. In his hand, he held an entire can of whipped cream, aiming it at Lauren with the precision of a sniper. Sophie stood at his feet, giggling uncontrollably, holding an open bag of marshmallows.

"Don’t you dare," Lauren said, pointing at him like she had any real authority here.

Larry grinned, finger hovering over the nozzle. "You should’ve seen this coming, Lo."

Before she could protest, a jet of whipped cream shot through the air, landing squarely on her shoulder.

"Are you serious?" she screeched, staring at the mess on her sweater.

"Perfect shot!" Larry fist-bumped Sophie, who was laughing so hard she was practically crying.

"Oh, it’s on," Lauren muttered, rushing to the kitchen and grabbing the perfect weapon, a half-full bag of flour from the counter.

Larry’s eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, let’s not escalate this…"

But Lauren was already tearing the bag open.

"You want war? You’ve got war."

She flung a handful of flour at Larry, who ducked just in time. The cloud of white powder exploded in the air, settling over Sophie, who squealed with delight.

"Collateral damage!" Larry shouted, scooping up Sophie and spinning her around to shield her from further attacks.

"Put her down, you coward!" Lauren demanded, grabbing a handful of marshmallows from Sophie’s stash and pelting them at Larry.

Larry dodged most of them, but some landed squarely on his forehead. He paused, staring at Lauren with mock offense. "You’re gonna regret that."

"Oh, I’m shaking," Lauren shot back, reaching for more ammunition.

But before she could throw anything else, Larry lunged toward her, still holding the whipped cream can. Lauren tried to back away, but he was faster, pinning her against the counter with one arm while he sprayed a line of whipped cream straight down her face.

"You’re insane!" she yelled, wiping the cream from her eyes.

"And you’re losing!" Larry teased, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

Lauren grabbed the flour bag again, determined to get the last laugh. She tore it open, this time dumping the entire contents over Larry’s head.

For a moment, the room went silent.

Larry stood there, covered head to toe in flour, looking like some deranged snowman. Sophie was doubled over, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

Lauren crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face. "Looks like you’re losing now."

Larry wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing the flour around but not doing much to clean himself up. "Okay, truce," he said, holding up his hands. "Before you destroy the entire kitchen."

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean that, or are you just trying to get close enough to attack again?"

"Scout’s honor," Larry said, grinning.

Lauren rolled her eyes but lowered her guard. "Fine. Truce."

The second the word left her mouth, Larry reached over and smeared the remaining whipped cream from his hand onto her cheek.

"Seriously?" she groaned.

"Never trust a hockey player," he said with a wink.

Sophie clapped her hands, still giggling uncontrollably. "That was the best prank ever!"

Lauren sighed, glancing at the disaster that used to be a clean kitchen. "You’re cleaning this up," she said, pointing at Larry.

"Fair enough," he said, still grinning like he’d just won a championship.

As Lauren turned to go back to her room, she couldn’t help but smile. She’d never admit it out loud, but for the first time in a long time, she was actually having fun.