chapter one
This & That

"I'm telling you, babe, I can't stand that man. I'm going to make Papa Phil check his ass," I said into the phone, my voice filled with frustration. It was about that celebrity who wouldn't stop bugging me for a date.

"You don't even need to get Phil; I'll check his ass, myself," Zilla shot back, his tone fierce.

I smirked, enjoying the moment. "Damn, that was hot," I replied, and his laughter burst forth, brightening my mood.

"What is wrong with you?" Zilla asked, still chuckling.

I shrugged, trying to contain my amusement. "Just thinking about how ridiculous this whole situation is. Anyway, moving on from that topic, I was thinking about setting up a little Friendsgiving party for the crew."

Zilla's interest piqued. "Where are you planning to have it?"

"I was thinking about my new house," I said, the excitement bubbling up inside me.

"When did you buy a house?" Zilla asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"About two weeks ago. I saw it when I was visiting Tookie, and I thought it was cute, so I bought it," I explained, my heart swelling with pride.

Phil walked by in the background, catching part of our conversation. "I told her to tell you that she bought a house, but she was like, 'Why would he care?' And I told her you would care," he chimed in, leaning into the camera with a playful grin.

"Why you ain't listen to pops? I would care," Zilla replied, his mock reprimand making me roll my eyes.

"Y'all not about to tag team me. I swear you act like Zilla is your son," I shot back, half amused, half exasperated.

Phil chuckled, undeterred. "He is number one on my ranking system."

"What ranking system?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"My children-in-law ranking. Okay, so it's Zilla at number one, then Indria at number two, Jacob at number three, Trinity at number four, and Jon at number five because Tookie is blind to their situation at the moment," Phil explained, his tone serious.

Zilla beamed. "I'm number one!"

I pursed my lips, pretending to think hard. "Why is Indria at number two?"

"Because she's a lawyer," Phil replied, matter-of-factly.

"I can't wait to tell Reeva about this," I said, smirking.

"Reeva knows about it. She's working hard to get Jacob at number one," Phil replied, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

I rolled my eyes. "Not happening," I said, and Zilla echoed me in unison.

"Period," I added, feeling a burst of solidarity with Zilla.

Phil laughed, clearly enjoying our banter. "Speaking of Friendsgiving, what are you cooking, Kayla? I need to know how much weight I need to lose since I'm gonna gain it back with your cooking."

I paused, thinking about it. "I don't know; I have to see what Reeva wants to do. She's been experimenting a lot lately."

"Oh, y'all can cook cook?" Zilla asked, sounding impressed.

"Absolutely," Phil confirmed, puffing up our culinary skills even more than they deserved.

Phil grabbed the phone from me and started bragging about my and Reeva's cooking skills. Just then, April walked in, shaking her head.

"I don't know why you let him take your phone like that," April said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's cute," I replied, smiling at the easygoing nature of our group.

"Until you don't have Zilla's attention anymore because Phil is taking all of it," April quipped, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Phil returned, handing the phone back to me. "Tookie is having triplets," Zilla announced dramatically.

"I knew it," Phil said, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Told ya," April added, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"Poor Tookie, I know she is going through it," I said, picturing my friend juggling three babies with the six she already has. It wasn't easy carrying one, let alone three!

"She'll be fine. She got Jon and Trin," Phil reassured us, waving his hand dismissively.

"Right, but can you imagine the chaos?" I said, shaking my head. "Nine little ones running around?"

Zilla laughed. "You know it'll be a circus, but at least we'll get plenty of hilarious stories out of it."

"True," I admitted.

"Speaking of family, how's Reeva been lately? Still trying to cook her way to the top of your ranking system?" April asked Phil.

Phil nodded, clearly entertained. "You know it. She's been experimenting with all sorts of fancy dishes. Trying to impress me and get ahead of Roland."

"That's going to be a tough one," I said, laughing. "Roland's got some serious skills."

"Exactly! But Reeva won't give up. She's determined," Phil said, shaking his head with amusement. "It's kind of adorable, honestly."

"I love that you're all so competitive about this," I said, shaking my head. "It just shows how close we are."

"True, true," Zilla added. "And it makes family gatherings a lot more interesting."

I paused, my mind racing with ideas for Friendsgiving. "You know, maybe we should have a cooking competition as part of the celebration."

Zilla gasped. "That would be lit!"

"Right? We could set up stations and have a secret ingredient that everyone has to incorporate," I suggested, feeling the excitement growing.

Phil rubbed his hands together, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I like it! It'll be like 'Chopped' but with less pressure."

I chuckled. "Exactly! Just a fun way to bring everyone together and try out new recipes."

"Count me in," Zilla said eagerly. "I'm ready to prove my culinary skills."

"Good luck with that," I teased. "I hope you're prepared to lose."

Zilla huffed. "Please, I'll show you how it's done."

As we tossed around more ideas, I felt warmth spreading through me, picturing the gathering.