10. Blyss Monroe
Blyss Monroe
T he Mirror Me potion was actually working.
Kase’s entire personality had been rewired, his whole damn vibe flipped like a glitchy video game.
He was still fine, still walking like the sidewalk belonged to him, but now he was blurting out random facts and doing nerdy shit like asking if caffeine affected REM sleep.
So, when Tuesday told me that Jace and I were still on for Topgolf, but that Kase decided to tag along, I couldn’t stop laughing.
Not because he liked golf. Hell no. But because I knew exactly why he wanted to come, because of the potion.
Honestly, I couldn’t wait to see what other corny, potion-soaked behavior was about to unfold.
I mean, I still liked him, but that was beside the point.
This was for science. I was documenting a case study called“ When the Hood Turned Wholesome .”
I adjusted my fanny pack, pushed open the library door where they agreed to pick me up from work, and instantly had to bite my lip not to fall out laughing.
Kase was leaning up against his car like he was posing for an off-brand cologne ad.
He wore a black hoodie and charcoal joggers.
It was weird seeing his pants not sagging.
But it was theglassesthat had me grinning.
Jace and Tuesday were standing nearby, but I was so distracted by the transformation that I forgot to hug them first. I gave everyone a quick greeting, but when I reached Kase, I made my hug last longer, just to see if he’d say something slick.
He didn’t move away. In fact, he hugged me like a gentleman.
“You really showed up,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “I remember one time you told us you would never play this boring-ass crap.”
He nodded, dead serious. “I gave you my word. And being truthful is everything.”
Tuesday blinked like her contacts glitched. “I’m sorry, what now?”
Jace leaned in, squinting. “Man, please. You don’t even believe in callin’ women back after you smash. You okay, bruh?”
“So now we’re honest, on time, and emotionally aligned?” I teased. “What’s gotten into you?”
He scratched his head. “Shit, I don’t know. I just been off. But I’ll get back to my dog ways soon.”
“Mmhmm.” I pointed at his glasses. “And that? Fashion statement or personality rebrand?”
He looked sheepish. “Lost a contact. These my backup pair.”
I tilted my head. “Wait… I’ve never seen you wear glasses. I didn’t even know you had bad vision.”
“Right before I met y’all in high school, I got contacts,” Kase said, adjusting them like he was trying to look cool and nerdy at the same time.
Jace smirked. “Yeah, that nigga can’t see shit without ‘em. Used to copy off my tests in middle school, couldn’t even see the damn board.”
Kase shrugged. “And I still passed.”
Tuesday gasped. “Oh my God. BLYSS . Is this how Clark Kent started? This fool has turned into a rom-com lead.”
Then it happened. Kase laughed and snorted. We all froze.
“WAIT. Did you just SNORT ?” I clutched my chest.
Kase looked horrified. “Nah, chill. That was… allergies.”
“Negro, you don’t got allergies!” Jace yelled.
Tuesday spun in a full circle. “Nope. I’m not doin’ wholesome Kase. I need a refund on reality.”
Kase looked down like he was trying to reload his old personality, but the update failed.
Then we all got into his car. Usually, Kase drove like he was auditioning for Fast & Furious .
But with the damn potion in his system, he was doing the speed limit like a PTA mom with a crockpot in the backseat.
“Sir… are we floating ?” Tuesday looked around the car. “You drivin’ like Ms. Daisy. Did you take the scenic route to avoid potholes or trauma?”
“Shut up,” Kase said, blinking slow. “Y’all dramatic.”
Jace leaned forward. “Nigga, you in a sports car doing twenty in a thirty-five. I can hear the engine crying .”
“My tires are sensitive,” Kase said, dead serious.
I choked on my spit. “Did you just say that sentence out loud?”
He was going so slow, it was disrespectful to horsepower. Both hands on the wheel, eyes forward, seatbelt tight, humming softly like he was the damn traffic safety mascot. We hit a red light when an old lady in a champagne-colored Buick pulled up beside us, looked over, then squinted hard.
“Lord have mercy,” she said, rolling her window down. “You got a baby in the car or a Bible in your lap?”
Tuesday screamed with laughter.
Jace was dying in the backseat. “Yo, she really called you out!”
Kase frowned, confused. “Ma’am, I’m just obeying the law.”
“Oh, baby, the law don’t need you goin’ 22 in a Ferrari with your shoulders clenched,” she fired back, shaking her head. “You drivin’ like you on your way to repent.”
I had to turn my face toward the window before I choked on my laughter. Tuesday had tears running down her face.
The old lady kept going. “Whatever sermon your lil audiobook preachin', speed it up. My arthritis movin' faster than you.”
Then the light turned green and she sped off like a retired getaway driver.
Kase sighed and blinked again. “She was kinda aggressive.”
“She wasn’t wrong, though,” I said, wiping my eyes. “You drivin’ like you scared the gas pedal got feelings.”
“That was uncalled for,” Kase shook his head in disbelief
Tuesday wheezed.“Uncalled for?” Tuesday gasped. “She read you like a bedtime story!”
Kase adjusted the mirrors. “I just don’t like rushing anymore.”
Tuesday stared at him. “Nigga, since when?! You usually drive like you in Mario Kart.”
“I’m evolving,” he said calmly.
Jace leaned forward. “Nah. You tweaking. What’s next? You gon’ start volunteering at libraries and takin’ vitamins? Something not right with you. You been off.”
Kase kept his eyes on the road. “I’m chillin’. Y’all doing the most.”
Tuesday laughed. “Nah, he got the nerve to be soft-spoken and slow driving? Something is definitely wrong.”
I just smiled and shrugged like I didn’t know a damn thing, knowing exactly what kind of magic was working overtime in that front seat.
I was watching the potion do its job, turning the most reckless man I knew into a full-blown safety patrol officer with feelings and fun facts.
And me, I was documenting everything. We got to Topgolf, and from the jump, I knew it was gonna be a disaster.
Kase stepped up to the tee like he was about to knock a baseball into orbit.
His stance looked like he was bracing for a fight.
“Hold up,” I said. “Why you standin’ like you tryna throw hands with the ball?”
“I’m locked in,” he muttered, rollin’ his shoulders like he had beef with gravity.
When he swung, that golf club flew straight out his hand. Spiraled in the air like a ninja weapon. Some poor man had to duck like he was in a Marvel movie.
Tuesday screamed. “HE GOT GOLF PTSD!”
Jace hollered. “Kase, what in the windmill-assault was THAT?”
Kase just stood there, arms limp, lookin’ like the turf betrayed him. “Ain’t no way. This place rigged.”
I pulled out my phone. “Didn’t even hit the ball, but the club got airtime. Iconic.”
Then it got worse. Jace turned to walk back and tripped. He hit the turf hard, like the ancestors yanked him down for disrespectin’ the game.
“Oh my God!” I screamed, laughing so hard my knees buckled. “You good?!”
He stayed on the ground like a sad Sims character. “I’m straight. Just lettin’ the earth hold me. It’s cool.”
Tuesday bent over. “Y’all. Is THIS what growth looks like? I’m scared.”
Jace wheezed. “Bro… you takin’ drugs? You need help? Should I call Mom?”
Kase looked genuinely lost, like he couldn’t figure out why his swag left the building.
“You want help?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
“Hell no. You gon’ laugh if I mess up?”
“Absolutely.”
He sighed. “Aight. Bet. But don’t tell nobody.”
“Nigga, we can SEE you got no game,” Tuesday cackled. “Mr. My Ass Hit the Turf.”
Kase ignored them while I stepped behind him, adjusted his grip, and talked soft in his ear like I hadn’t been his invisible crush for years. Then he hit the ball. It rolled, maybe twelve feet. But you couldn’t tell him nothin’.
“Told you I had it, Blyss,” he grinned, throwing in a wink.
The wink didn’t wink.
“Nigga, what’s wrong with your eye?” Jace burst out laughing.
“Nothing,” Kase smirked. “I killed that shit.”
I raised a brow. “Boy, that was basic.”
“Basic but effective,” he nodded like a motivational speaker.
We were actually having a decent time, until one of Kase’s old flings strutted over in a crop top and leggings so tight they looked airbrushed.
She leaned over the booth, cleavage out, voice sweet, laugh faker than a press-on nail.
The old Kase would’ve had her giggling in 60 seconds.
But potion-Kase? Whew. He was a mess. He tried to play it cool, but keptsnortingmid-sentence.
Then he knocked over a drink trying to gesture smooth, spilling it right onto her phone.
She jumped back like he’d thrown acid and stormed off, cursing under her breath.
Kase just stood there looking crazy because he had never been rejected by women.
We were crying laughing as he came back over, looking dazed and wounded, like a puppy that got kicked at prom.
He leaned toward me, desperate. “Is my breath okay, Blyss? Or do I got a fever? Cuz I’m out here doing dumb shit.”
Boy, I thought, you ain’t got flavor—you got confusion . These hoes don’t want your soul. They want your pockets . But I kept it cute.
I leaned in, fake-sweet. “I can’t tell. Come closer.”
He tilted his head. I sniffed. His breath? Perfect. Then I touched his forehead, knowing damn well he didn’t have a fever.
“So, what the fuck is wrong then?” he whispered. “I been messin’ up with the ladies.”
I shrugged, playing innocent. “I don’t know. Come here. I’ll help you.”
Even though I knew he was on the potion, I took my shot. He was so disoriented, so crushed from being curved, I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in as my glasses bumped my nose. So, I said screw it and stuck my tongue in his mouth.
Tuesday shrieked. “I KNOW Y’ALL NOT MAKIN’ OUT AFTER A BOGEY!”
Jace threw his hands up. “Nah. Now I KNOW he’s on drugs. Kissing Blyss in public ?!”
“What you tryin’ to say?” Tuesday snapped. “My cousin is a prize, fool!”
I pulled back and Kase looked at me with wide eyes. With a smirk, I picked up a golf club and went right back to hitting balls like nothing happened.