“Do you have it?” Syd whispered to Pinoe inside the van.
“SHHHHH!” Pinoe whispered back, sending Syd an uncharacteristic Pinoe glare.
“God, just checking, geez chill. You’re no fun,” Syd pouted.
“Hey! What are you guys talking about?” Ash asked, turning in her seat to face the two troublemakers in the back.
“Nothing!” they exclaimed, shooting daggers at Ash.
“Mmmhm, sure,” Ash said, turning around.
“Everybody out!” Carli called from the driver’s seat as she pulled into the driveway of the Holiday house.
“Damn! Cheney’s got it rough!” Kling exclaimed as she took in Cheney’s towering Garden District home.
“Basketball pays well,” Moe shrugged.
Syd and Pinoe climbed out from the back row of the van. Pinoe had her hand in her jacket pocket awkwardly, obviously holding something. Syd side eyed her nervously, “Can you be less conspicuous please?”
Pinoe glared at her in response and then whispered, “I’m trying not to crush it, stop being judgemental.”
“This is the last time you are in charge of anything!” Syd whispered angrily as they followed their teammates to the front door.
“Ew! Harsh! And unnecessary, might I add,” Pinoe replied, scrunching up her nose.
“Then give it to me,” Syd whispered as Carli knocked on the front door.
“Yeah, ok, cuz that would be inconspicuous,” Pinoe whispered back, rolling her eyes.
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Kling asked, coming up behind them.
“Nothing, Kling. Nothing,” Syd stated calmly, glaring at Pinoe.
“Ok, not nothing Kling,” Pinoe relented. Syd glared at her and set her jaw. “Syd thinks we should spike the punch bowl and I told her Cheney probably doesn’t have a punch bowl and she disagrees.”
Syd smacked Pinoe’s arm in mock annoyance, her relief evident when she said, “Dude, look at this place! Cheney totally has a punchbowl. It’s probably actual crystal from like Tiffany’s or some shit.”
Lauren opened the door with a warm greeting, eliciting hellos and squeals of delight from her teammates. The team slowly made its way through the pillars and into the entryway of the sprawling house.
“You guys are weird. Cheney will not have a punchbowl out even if she owns a punchbowl because it’s not the 1950’s. For fuck’s sake,” Kling replied rolling her eyes.
“Whatever shorty, don’t hate,” Syd said, poking Kling as she walked by, into Cheney’s house. “I got twenty bucks on a punchbowl filled with some kind of beverage because Cheney is a classy lady.”
“You’re on,” Kling responded over her shoulder. “And remember, I’m cash only!”
The gals carried on into the living room where a table full of drinks awaited them. Syd tugged on Pinoe’s shirt, pulling her aside and taking full advantage of everyone else busying themselves with small talk here and there.
“Let’s get on with it already!” Syd whispered urgently.
Pinoe rolled her eyes at her younger teammate’s lack of chill, “Okay, okay...hmm, where should we put it?”
The mischievous duo scanned the room until their eyes laid on the perfect spot: the door frame between the kitchen and the living room. Everyone was constantly going in and out of the two places, so two people were bound to end up under it at the same time. After discretely wandering over, Syd stood watch as Pinoe fiddled with her pockets. Within minutes, a small, green, and leafy token of Christmas with an inconspicuous red bow hung in the corner of the doorframe.
Pinoe looked up at one of her most prized possessions and smirked, “Now let the festive activities begin…”
Syd frowned, “Do you think they’ll notice it?”
Pinoe shook her head and whispered back, “Nah, they won’t be looking for it- not at first, at least. Plus, I hung it in the corner so it was less noticeable.”
“Syd! Pinoe!”
The duo quickly spun around to face their group of teammates, doing their absolute best to hide the playful smirks on their faces.
“Y...yes?”
Abby motioned for them to join the rest of the team, “Hurry up and grab some drinks! I’m already on my second!”
Pinoe and Syd sent each other a quick look, knowing they were thinking the same thing, Phew! That was a close one. As the two began to pour themselves a drink, they jumped at a sudden voice behind them.
“You two alright?”
Careful with their drinks in their hands, Pinoe and Syd spun around to face their freckled-face teammate.
Kelley raised her eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at her teammates who looked like deer caught in headlights, “You sure? The both of you seem a little jumpy tonight.”
“We’re good!” Syd said, almost too quickly for Pinoe’s liking.
Kelley shook her head, not totally convinced. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
“No, we’re not.” Pinoe’s voice wavered as she tried to keep a straight face.
“Yes, you are...and I want in!” Kelley grinned as she took a sip of her drink.
Before anyone could get another word in, and luckily for Pinoe and Syd, Kling butted into their conversation.
“Hey Syd, I don’t see a punchbowl…” Kling gestured towards the table before them.
“Still doesn’t confirm whether or not Cheney actually has one!” Syd immediately replied, annoyed at Kling’s persistence, but also thankful for the distraction.
Kling chuckled to herself, “Whatever you say, Syd, that wasn’t the bet, but I’m going to track down the lady of the household and ask her myself!”
Appetizers were served and the gals continued to lounge around, eagerly waiting for the announcement that dinner was ready. Crystal wandered over to her two good friends and let out a small laugh, “Your gals’ outfits are on point tonight.”
Alex and Kelley scanned each other from head to toe, and chuckled to themselves. “We did good, didn’t we?”
Ali, who was eavesdropping nearby, pulled away from her embrace with Ashlyn and entered their conversation, “Where did you two even find those shirts?”
Kelley scoffed, “Who wouldn’t already have these shirts? Elf is the best Christmas movie, hands down.”
Heather bounced over, handing her phone to a nearby teammate, “Come on guys, let’s get a picture!”
Pinoe watched quietly from afar until she felt a small nudge to her side. Syd hissed, “No one’s gotten caught under it yet!”
“Patience, my little protege, patience…” Pinoe rolled her eyes for the second time that night.
Syd pouted, “I am not your protege! You know I can come up with…”
“Shhh!” Pinoe’s eyes widened. “Wait for it…”
Leaning against the doorframe was Hope, who seemed to be minding her own business and taking sips out of her cocktail. Completely oblivious, Carli wandered over from her place in the kitchen where she was helping Cheney with last minute dinner prep.
Carli approached her best friend, “Hey, Hope, will you help Cheney and I…”
“HA! YES!” Pinoe shouted and pointed at the pair, causing the rest of the team to turn their heads. “Hook, line, and sinker, babe!”
Syd cackled with laughter, “Oh my gosh, Carli and Hope?! Our first victims! This was so worth it!”
Hope turned to Carli and just shrugged, not thinking much of the situation at hand. Carli, however, knew something fishy was going on. “What now, you two?”
Pinoe bit her lip, barely being able to contain her excitement. Her eyes sparkled, “Look up.”
Hope tilted her head back, afraid of what she might find. Instantly recognizing the small branch above her, she let out a small, “Oh no…”
Kelley had already caught on and exclaimed, “I knew you guys were up to something! That’s a mistletoe, isn’t it?!”
Carli’s eyes widened, “A mistletoe?”
Moe shook her head in disbelief, adding, “Well, this should make for a good story.”
Syd urged, “Okay, you two, pucker up!”
Hope laughed nervously, “Very funny, guys. Good prank. But it’s not going to happen.”
“Yeah, no way,” Carli scoffed, crossed her arms in defense.
“Aww, don’t be party poopers, you guys! Come on, get in the Christmas spirit!” Pinoe countered.
Christie watched from afar, knowing that the two pranksters on the team wouldn’t give it a rest until Hope and Carli locked lips. She rolled her eyes at her immature friends, “Just get it over with.”
“Ohmygod, fine,” Hope relented, grabbing Carli’s mildly horrified face and planting a kiss directly on her lips. Carli flailed around wide eyed for the duration of the kiss, having been caught unprepared for Hope to go rogue. She shook her head and retreated into the kitchen with slightly pink cheeks as Hope yelled out, “You fucking happy now?”
Pinoe laughed loudly as Syd exclaimed, “Yes!” to Hope’s retreating figure. They high fived in celebration.
Kelley nudged Tobin next to her and said, “What I wouldn’t give to have been Carli Lloyd 30 seconds ago.”
“That’s never going to happen,” Tobin said with a smirk into her drink.
Kelley scoffed at her friend’s challenge. “You don’t think that I can get that woman under the mistletoe?”
“Uh, yeah no. She was the first victim, it’s not like she’s going to forget. And you’re not exactly subtle you know that?” Tobin replied skeptically.
“You underestimate me Heath. Never underestimate Kelley O’Hara,” Kelley responded with a sneer.
“Did you seriously just refer to yourself in the third person?” Tobin laughed.
“That’s how you know I’m serious,” Kelley growled, barely containing the laugh underneath.
“Oh my god Kell. I’m walking away from you,” Tobin said, scanning the room for anyone else to talk to. She patted Kelley on the shoulder and headed toward the kitchen where Alex was calling for help.
Syd and Pinoe watched Tobin make her way toward the kitchen. Syd grabbed Pinoe’s arm in hopes that someone would exit the kitchen at the same time Tobin was entering. “Freeze!” they yelled as Ash appeared in the doorway, carrying a stack of plates.
Ash looked at them startled, having nearly dropped the plates. Tobin looked up at the offending mistletoe in the doorway and sighed. She whispered for Ash to look up.
“So that’s what you all were hooting about out here?” Ash asked, shaking her head.
“Yep,” Tobin replied with a shrug. “They’re looking for a show.”
“Then come here buddy,” Ash invited, leaning toward Tobin with her plates still in her hands. Tobin obliged and leaned forward to peck Ash on the lips. Ash nodded at Tobin and continued on her way to the dining room. Tobin entered the kitchen without looking back.
“Well that was anticlimactic,” Syd complained, plopping herself into a chair.
“Damn, they’re too smart for this. They are going to avoid the doorway now and go into the dining room through the kitchen,” Pinoe mused, sitting down in the chair next to her.
“Yeah everyone except Ali and Ash. I bet Ash’s going to drag her over every few minutes so that they can make out,” Syd lamented.
“And does anyone really need to see that? I mean it’s Krashlyn PDA 24-7 around here,” Pinoe added.
“I mean for crying out loud, get a room!” Syd said indignantly.
“Where did you even get that?” Moe asked, standing in front of them.
Pinoe leaned back in her chair and tented her fingers with an evil grin, “I shall never reveal my sources!”
Syd laughed and admitted, “You can find anything in New Orleans.”
Pinoe snorted, “Ain’t that the truth?”
Syd smacked Pinoe on the arm forcefully and pointed toward the doorway. “Called it!”
“Ugh,” Pinoe complained and covered her eyes as Ash led Ali by the hand toward the kitchen. “Tell me when it’s over.”
“No! That means I have to watch!” Syd whined, shielding her eyes with her forearm. “Moe! Tell us when it’s over.”
“You guys are ridiculous. It’s over,” Moe said.
“Really?” Pinoe said, looking up just in time to see Ali and Ash kissing under the mistletoe.
“No!” Moe laughed and walked away.
“Agh! Damn it Moe!” Pinoe called after her, turning her head away from the Krashlyn make out session.
“Is it safe yet?” Syd asked, peeking out from over the top of her arm.
Pinoe looked back at the doorway out of the corner of her eye and sighed thankfully, “It’s over.”
“Fucking Ashlyn Harris!” Syd complained.
“Are you two just going to sit there all night and watch your teammates have to kiss each other?” Christie asked calmly.
“Yep! That’s the plan!” Pinoe grinned cheekily.
Syd nodded in agreement and continued to ask, “So who do you think will-” She was suddenly interrupted by a couple hoots and hollers from no other than Kelley O’Hara.
“Get it, Press! Thatta girl!” Kelley shouted as she pumped her first into the air.
Pinoe and Syd quickly followed Kelley’s line of sight, appalled by the new couple embracing each other under the mistletoe.
Syd scrunched up her face, “Damn it, they’re enjoying it way too much. I’m a little uncomfortable right now.”
Pinoe nodded and narrowed her eyes, “I didn’t even know JJ and Press were a thing…”
Kling, standing nearby, shook her head, “Oh come on, everyone knows they’re the second most disgusting unofficial couple on the team.”
“Unofficial? Who’s the first?” Syd asked, always ready for gossip.
Without saying another word, Kling nodded her head in the direction of Kelley, who was eyeing a certain goalkeeper from afar. She, too, looked like she was planning something.
“If you keep staring at Hope like that, you might just burn a hole through her.” Tobin scoffed at her googly eyed teammate.
Sandwiched in between Tobin and Alex, Kelley frowned, “Leave me alone.”
“You’re practically drooling, Kell.” Alex pointed out, “If you want to kiss her so bad, then why don’t you just walk over and drag her under it.”
“Where’s the challenge in that?!” Kelley looked at her friend incredulously. “I want Hope to be caught off guard.”
“Good luck with that.” Alex shrugged as she watched her friend break away.
“Don’t need any,” Kelley smirked as she sauntered towards the doorway. She shooed her teammates, “Alright, guys, fun’s over! Get a room already!”
JJ reluctantly broke away from Press’s grasp on her, both of them blushing hard as they exited into the kitchen. Kelley took their place and just leaned against the adjacent wall.
Noticing the current happenings with her beloved mistletoe, Pinoe sighed, “Look, now KO is just standing there waiting for Hope to walk past her. This isn’t fun anymore...they’re in control of our little game now.”
Ignoring her partner in crime’s concern, Syd exclaimed, “Wait, this has potential to escalate really quickly...oh, oh...come on….ha, here we go!”
“Wait, Alex, don’t-” Kelley warned, but she was too late. Alex was now standing beside her. She sighed in disappointment, still keeping note of Hope’s whereabouts out of the corner of her eye.
Confusion filled Alex’s face. “What? Cheney told me to grab some napkins from the kitchen and...oh no.” As realization dawned upon her, Alex looked up to see the small twig and leaves staring right back at her. “Damn it, Kelley! If you hadn’t been hovering around here for the past twenty minutes or so then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
Kelley rolled her eyes, “I gotta do what I gotta do! Just give me a quick peck before Pinoe and Syd get on our case.”
Alex scrunched up her face as Kelley leaned in. Before either of them could comment at how uncomfortable that was, Cheney’s voice echoed from the dining room.
“Dinner’s ready, gals!”
“Finally!” Kelley’s stomach growled with hunger as she left her post in the doorway, leaving Alex still quite dumbfounded.
Everyone started to fill the dining room, coming from all directions in the house. Following suit in Kelley’s footsteps was Hope, and before Alex could say anything, the two brunettes stood facing each other.
Pinoe high fived Syd in glee, shouting, “Doubly whammy for Tampax Morgan! Two in less than a minute!”
“And round two for Solo!” Syd added.
Alex helplessly looked up at the taller keeper, who was now starting to fume. “Are you fucking serious? I have to do this again?”
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Pinoe and Syd chanted together.
Alex groaned before leaning in to kiss Hope. Once their little rendezvous ended, she immediately jumped out of the doorway, vowing to never cross it again. Disgust filled Hope’s face as she wiped off yet another teammate’s lip gloss from her own lips. Kelley’s jaw dropped as she watched from a couple feet away. She turned to Tobin, who was failing horribly at stifling her laughter.
“Unbelievable! Alex totally stole my kiss from Hope!” Kelley shook her head in disappointment.
“Don’t worry, buddy. You’ll get your chance,” Tobin shoved Kelley playfully as the two made their way to the dining room.
Once everyone had taken their seat and food slowly got passed around the table, Pinoe and Syd started up another side conversation.
Pinoe whispered, “That whole Kelley, Alex, and Hope debacle was priceless, but I still feel like we need to up our ante.”
“Don’t worry, I’m already one step ahead of you...I was thinking we should move it, perhaps more than once throughout the night. Let’s just see who else we can catch under it if they can’t even keep track of its location.” Syd replied quietly.
“I like where you’re going with this, Syd. Good idea!”
“Sometime during dinner, one of us can leave to go to ‘the bathroom’ and move it.”
Looking at them incredulously from a couple seats down, Hope interrupted their conversation, “No secrets at the table! Who thought it would be a good idea to let you two sit next to each other?”
Pinoe and Syd smiled mischievously at one another, thriving off of Hope’s reactions.
“You two need to take that thing down!” Hope ordered.
“I second that,” Carli added her two cents from her place beside Hope.
“Oh trust us, we will…” Syd smiled, thinking back on her most recent idea.
“There! There’s that expression again! You’re up to something else, aren’t you?” Hope accused her two teammates. “If you two fuckers-”
Cheney threw her hands up in her hair, “For crying out loud, can’t we just get through one team dinner without a string of profanity flowing from Hope’s mouth every few minutes?!”
“No,” half the team responded. Pinoe and Syd cackled with laughter. Hope had the good sense to look penitent at her outburst.
Carli was indignant on her behalf, “What the hell you guys? No one thinks this is funny except for you two-”
“And me,” Kling interjected with a smirk.
“Me too,” Tobin muttered, still trying to contain her laughter from earlier.
“Anybody else?” Carli glared around the table at her teammates. Moe, Crystal, Ash, and Ali all raised their hands immediately. Several other members of the team slowly raised their hands.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Hope scoffed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough ladies,” Christie called. Everyone put their hands down and looked at Christie solemnly. Even Syd and Pinoe swallowed their laughter and turned to Christie. “Let’s remember why we are here shall we? We are here to celebrate each other and the year we’ve had. I know we all love each other and we act like siblings, but let’s be mindful that we are so lucky to be spending this time together and even though the faces around the table will inevitably one day change, we will always be family.”
“Here, here!” Becky said, raising her glass.
“To the gals,” Pinoe called out, raising her glass in toast.
A chorus of “To the gals!” rang out as glasses clinked around the table and cheery conversation resumed.
The mood in the room turned celebratory as everyone finished their meal. “Didn’t you say you had to go to the bathroom?” Syd asked Pinoe casually.
“Hey thanks for reminding me, I totally need to pee,” Pinoe responded with a subtle wink. She pushed back from the table and nonchalantly left the room. Syd turned to HAO next to her and struck up a conversation.
Pinoe returned after a while with a new drink in hand and a ghost of a smirk. “All good?” Syd asked.
“Yep,” Pinoe affirmed.
“Where?” Syd whispered.
“Not telling!” Pinoe muttered emphatically.
“Oh hell no!” Syd turned to her. “Not fucking funny. I will not be caught under that shit dude!”
Pinoe laughed, but relented, “Keep your pants on. It’s in the entryway to the living room. Right where everyone will be congregating after dinner.”
“Dick,” muttered Syd under her breath.
“I heard that and no thank you,” Pinoe replied, side eying her.
Syd snorted into her drink and sputtered as the alcohol splashed back into her face. “I hate you.”
“You love me shut up,” Pinoe replied. “Hey we’re moving, let’s go.” Syd nodded and helped Pinoe clear away some of the plates. They took them into the kitchen and looped around into the living room just in time to see Ali and Becky walking through the entryway with drinks in hand.
“Stop!” Syd told them, putting out her hand. Pinoe pointed just above their heads.
“What?” Ali asked looking confused.
Becky tilted her head at their giant smiles and looked up. “Oh god damn it!” she muttered. “What is wrong with you two pervs?”
“We just want everyone to get a little Christmas action,” Pinoe shrugged.
“Assholes,” Becky stated, shaking her head at them. She turned to Ali, “The longer we drag this out, the worse it will be.”
“True,” she agreed with a head tilt and kissed Becky quickly.
“Hey! Hands off my woman Broon!” Ash shouted across the room.
“No hands involved Ash!” Becky retorted snarkily.
“Fine! Lips off my woman!” Ash growled as she made her way across the room to where Ali was standing under the mistletoe. Becky put her hands up and quickly vacated the area, not wanting to get caught up in any three-way mistletoe craziness.
Pinoe and Syd groaned as Ash pulled Ali in for another long kiss. “Goddamn it, that backfired!” Syd complained loudly.
Pinoe nodded in agreement and sipped her drink. Noticing Kelley approaching the entryway, she sighed and shouted at her teammate, “Oh for goodness sake, Kell, give it a rest!”
Kelley sent a glare back in return. No matter what anyone said, she was determined to achieve her goal for the night. When life throws Hope Solo and a mistletoe into one room, you do not pass it up. You just don’t.
Genuinely enjoying their time together, the team seemed to forget about the craziness brought about by the mistletoe, even with Kelley lingering under the entryway. The night turned pretty low key- until dessert was served, especially when dessert involved a box of highly coveted macaroons.
Moe hugged Cheney and repeated endlessly, “Thank you thank you thank you.”
“Only for you, Moe.” Cheney chuckled softly as she leaned into the embrace with her former teammate.
Kling, who was also hovering over the dessert, teased, “Moe, don’t forget it’s game day tomorrow. You can only have one.”
“You can’t tell me what to do when it comes to my macaroons.” Moe replied in a dead serious tone.
“I’m telling Dawn.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would,” Kling smiled, snatching the box from Moe’s hands and leading her on a chase through the kitchen.
“Hey, come back here!” Moe ran after her friend.
The two chased each other as if they were children playing tag on a playground and before anyone could reprimand them for their childish behavior, they got themselves into a little predicament- one they had been trying to avoid all night.
Kelley’s eyes widened at the sudden presence of the pair of best friends. She hissed, “You idiots!”
Kling cursed, “Oh shit.”
Moe, concerned only with her macaroons, snatched the box back from Kling’s hands. “Give them to me!”
Kling whined, “Moe…”
“What? You know not to mess with me and my macaroons! I can’t believe you would…” Moe’s voice faded as she felt herself follow both Kelley and Kling’s line of sight. Repeating Kling’s exact same words, she muttered a small, “Oh shit.”
“Well what now? What do we do if there’s three of us under this thing?” Kling was genuinely curious.
Kelley suggested, “Maybe if you two quietly sneak away before anyone notices, then…”
“Oh, we noticed!” Pinoe interjected loudly from afar.
“Damn it,” Kelley muttered under her breath.
Moe called out, “Guys, we have to be exempt from this, right? There’s gotta be a rule against having a threesome under a mistletoe!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Her face quickly reddened and she did her best to correct herself, “A three-way kiss. Not threesome. Three. way. kiss. That’s all.”
Kling rolled her eyes, trying not to gag at the thought that Moe had so graciously bestowed upon them. She sighed to herself, “It was bound to happen sometime this night.”
“This is my third time!” Kelley groaned before mumbling to herself, “And not with who I had hoped for either...”
“What was that, Kell?” Moe raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing...nothing. Okay, let’s do this.”
The three teammates quickly leaned into each other, brushing their lips against each other’s as quickly as they could. This sight was enough to make everyone laugh, not just Pinoe and Syd.
Sitting off to the side where they had been judging the rest of their team all night, Hope and Carli couldn’t help but laugh. Hope sighed, “I hate to say it, but Pinoe and Syd are truly winning tonight with this whole mistletoe fiasco.”
“Apart from the two of us swapping spit, I totally agree with you.” Carli took a sip from the glass of wine in her hands and observed, “You know, Hope, after watching this whole thing unfold, I think there’s a special reason for Kelley lingering around that entryway.”
“You think?” Hope replied sarcastically.
“Wait, you knew this whole time that Kell…”
“Oh trust me, I knew the moment I saw her face when the two of us were caught under it,” Hope smirked into her glass.
“Then why haven’t you...oh you’re evil, Hope,” Carli finally caught on to her best friend.
Hope smiled as she watched Kelley look around with boredom displayed all over her face. “I just wanted to see how many people she’d hook up with by the end of the night! Don’t worry, I’ll have my turn eventually…”
“Hey guys, if anyone wants sherbet punch, get it now before it melts,” Lauren announced, placing a crystal bowl of pinkish liquid with floating fruit and sherbet balls on the alcohol table. Christie followed behind her with a tray of clear glasses and a serving spoon.
Syd’s head snapped around at Lauren’s announcement and she grabbed Pinoe’s arm excitedly. “I fucking knew it!” she exclaimed.
“What?” Lauren said, straightening up.
Syd beamed, “I knew you’d have a punch bowl tonight. It’s cuz you’re such a classy lady Cheney. I want to be you when I grow up.”
“Did you not get one as a wedding present? It’s like a given,” Lauren asked.
“Yeah I totally did, but I didn’t know what I’d use it for,” Syd admitted.
“Well now you know,” Lauren shrugged and then turned away. She turned back quickly and pointed her finger at Syd and Pinoe, “Don’t you dare spike this!”
“Yes, Cheney,” they replied, both trying desperately not to smile.
“I mean it!” Lauren called over her shoulder.
Syd turned and yelled, “Kling!” across the room.
Kling looked up with a mouthful of macaroon. “What?” she asked as crumbs shot out of her mouth.
“Exhibit A,” Syd pointed to the crystal punch bowl on the table.
Kling’s eyes widened as they landed on the punch bowl. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
“Twenty bucks, beeyotch! And I only take cash!” Syd cackled.
“Damn it!” Kling muttered, stuffing another macaroon into her mouth.
“You know I get half right? Because that whole punch bowl thing was my idea,” Pinoe whispered, leaning towards Syd.
“Not happening, not after you threw me under the bus,” Syd scoffed, mildly offended.
“I threw you under the bus? When? You said I was never allowed to be in charge of anything again! And look how well this has worked out!” Pinoe argued.
“Yeah, well I made the bet with Kling so you can go-” Syd started to reply heatedly when Pinoe grabbed her arm and pointed toward the mistletoe. Syd turned around quickly, but looked back in confusion, “What? There’s no one there!”
“Dude, Syd, there was. Kelley was right there. She was right there and then she wasn’t,” Pinoe exclaimed, waving her hand at the vacant spot under the mistletoe.
“Pinoe, how much have you had to drink?” Syd asked, side eying her.
“No I swear to god, Kelley was right there and someone pulled her away!”
“Who would-” Syd began and then looked around frantically. “Oh my god! Oh my god where’s Hope?”
Pinoe’s eyes widened and she searched the room, “Oh my god!” she whispered excitedly, setting down her drink and standing up. “Come on!”
Syd followed suit and they made their way across the room to the entryway. They turned the corner to find Hope and Kelley pulling apart from an obvious embrace. Syd smacked Pinoe repeatedly on the arm and yelled, “Oh. My. God!”
Hope and Kelley turned to them. Both wore identical flushed cheeks and slightly dazed looks. Hope slipped her arm around Kelley’s shoulders with a shit-eating grin. “Look up assholes,” she stated calmly.
Both slowly raised their eyes slowly, instantly knowing what was above them. “Shit,” Pinoe breathed.
“Gotcha fuckers!” Hope laughed. Kelley smiled happily beside her, obviously having achieved her goal.
“We better do this quick before everyone notices,” Syd said, turning to Pinoe, who was fuming that she’d allowed herself to get outsmarted by Hope.
“Notices what?” Ash called loudly from the living room.
Syd and Pinoe turned slowly to see the entire team staring at them with amused expressions. They glared at each other briefly before bursting into a fit of laughter.
“Quit stalling!” Hope directed.
“Fine, you guys want a show?” Syd called out. She grabbed Pinoe and dipped her. Pinoe wrapped her arms around Syd’s shoulders and kicked out her leg. They made obnoxious kissing noises as their lips met. When Syd finally pulled Pinoe back up the room filled with cheers and whistles from their teammates.
After the hollering died down, Carli gathered her half drunken teammates and herded them out the door. After the little show Syd and Pinoe put on, she figured it was time to call it a night and leave Cheney in peace. Everyone exited through the entryway, letting out a couple “thank yous” as they passed by their host and former teammate.
Cheney laughed from the doorway and waved them off, “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!”
Carli shook her head smiling and called out, “Thanks again for everything, Cheney!” She quickly got into the driver’s seat in the van and looking in the rearview mirror, she asked, “Alright, does everyone have everything they came with? I’m not driving back here again.”
Pinoe put her hand in her pocket and realizing it was empty, she turned to Syd with panicked eyes, “We left the mistletoe!”
“Seriously? I thought you grabbed it!”
“It must’ve fallen out of my pocket or something.”
Carli rolled her eyes at her two immature friends and suggested, “Just text Cheney to bring it to the game tomorrow.”
“Fine,” Pinoe gave in as she took out her phone.
Just as Carli was about to step on it, Moe perked up beside her in the passenger seat. Carli groaned, “Oh for goodness sake, what now?!”
Kling teased from her seat behind, “Moe, what did you forget now?”
“Nothing, thank you very much!” Moe glared at her friend before turning to Carli, “I would just like to point out that we’re missing a few people…”
Carli frowned, looking in her rearview mirror once again, “Really?”
“Uhm, you guys, where’s Hope and Kelley?” Ash noticed.
Pinoe and Syd looked at each other, quickly put two and two together, and groaned loudly from the back, “Those two won’t ever stop, will they?”
Kling pointed out, “Oh, wait, here they come!”
Just as Pinoe and Syd predicted, Hope and Kelley were walking hand in hand down the front door steps. A small branch was evident in Kelley’s hands.
As soon as the two entered the van, Syd looked at them with disgust, “You two are gross, you know that right?”
Hope shrugged, “Not our fault we got caught under the mistletoe.”
Pinoe sighed, “Will you just give it back to me now?” She held out her hand.
Kelley shook her head defiantly, “No.”
“No? Kell, give it back!” Pinoe insisted.
“Not until you let me in on your New Year’s Eve shenanigans.”
“Who said anything about New Year’s Eve shenanigans?” Syd looked at Pinoe mischievously, already conjuring up more fun and games in their heads.
Pinoe scoffed, “Yeah, Kell, we wouldn’t dare pull off anything in Carli’s house.”
“My house?” Carli asked in surprise from the driver’s seat.
Moe cleared her throat and put a comforting hand on her teammate’s shoulder as she reminded, “Uhm, you volunteered to host New Year’s a few months ago…”
“Yeah, remember?” Pinoe and Syd replied devilishly.
Carli’s eyes widened as she death gripped the steering wheel. She began to shake her head violently, “No! Pinoe and Syd, you’re not invited anymore!”
“You can’t uninvite us!”
Kelley mumbled under her breath, “Geez, Carli is actually the Grinch.”
“That’s it! Everyone out! You all are walking home tonight!”