Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
CARTER
"You have to be cheating," Justin yells.
Everyone in the kitchen is laughing. The type where you hold your stomach because you can't control it.
Except Justin. He's staring at the table in utter disbelief.
"There's no way in hell you made it clear across the table to get the spoon without me noticing. "
"You have to be paying attention," Tiffany sing-songs, "you shouldn't be surprised, though. I haven't changed since we were kids. You know damn well I'm ruthless."
"And that is why I admire you, Tiff," I say before taking a sip of my beer, "anyone who can knock Mr. Perfect down a peg, is pretty amazing if you ask me."
"Hey," my best friend scoffs, "I'm not perfect."
Corinne shakes her head. Stella and Johnny are between us, and I wish like hell she would have picked the seat beside me. I don't blame her, though. Not completely. Especially after that almost kiss. Maybe I took it too far. She didn't exactly back down, and that's enough to give me hope.
"Are y'all ready for another round?" Tiffany holds her hand out for all the spoons, "except you, Justin. You're officially out of the game."
"I hate this stupid game." He gets up and walks to the fridge. "We are grown ass adults. We should be playing something like poker."
"Except that isn't any fun." I add to the smack talk. "I'm pretty sure I won't be far behind you, buddy. I barely got the last spoon, and I think Tiff is going to knock us all out before it's said and done."
"Literally," Corinne snickers. "I thought this was supposed to be a non-violent game?"
"Clearly, you've never played with these three," Justin points toward the table. "They get downright dirty. When we were teens, I saw Tiffany pull Stella across the table until she held the last spoon in her hand."
"Damn, that's brutal." I shake my head. "You are definitely not someone to mess with."
"It got pretty intense when we were on the ski trip, too." Johnny groans. "I played football in high school, and I'm not exactly tiny. She ripped that spoon out of my hand like she had super powers." He shivers and I can't comprehend this small redhead besting Johnny. He's definitely not small.
"How do you know I don't? I mean, there's a reason other than my stunning looks that Spencer fell for me." Tiffany pours herself another margarita and sits down at the table. "Now, who is ready to lose?"
Spencer mutters something under his breath, but I can't make it out. I don't miss the smack on his shoulder, though. It must have been pretty bad. Everyone gets ready for the next round. There's no telling how this is going to turn out, but I'm almost certain Tiffany will come out on top.
One after one, people leave the table. First, it's Stella, then Johnny. Audrey has to leave the table next. Spencer holds out until close to the end, but now there are only three of us left. Me, Corinne and Tiffany.
We all had to move close together so we could be equal distance from the two spoons on the table. One of us has to get Tiffany off the leaderboard. There's no way she's winning the whole thing. Corinne gets antsy in her chair. The anticipation is too much for her to bear.
Her leg brushes against mine, and I lose all focus.
My hand reaches under the table, wondering if she did it on purpose.
Her leg is still against mine, and I can't think.
I make it seem like I'm brushing a crumb off my pants.
Anything to hide my true intentions. My pinky gliding across her knee.
It has to be subtle. Everyone is looking this way, trying to see who the victor is going to be.
That distraction cost me. I look down and both spoons are gone. "You cheated," I whisper to Corinne.
"No, sweetie, I distracted you. There's a difference." She winks and then hands me the spoon. "It's time for you to join the loser's circle."
Damn, and I thought Tiffany was ruthless. Corinne knows how to knock a man down. Not that I didn't know that before. "Fine. But for that, I'll be cheering for her." I point the spoon at Tiffany.
"I don't need your cheering, Carter. I have practiced skills." She beams at me. "Now, run along and refill our drinks, please."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you're trying to get me drunk." Corinne laughs. "You realize I can drink just as much as you and still keep up with the game, right?"
Tiffany shrugs. "It's worth a shot."
While Tiffany shuffles the cards, I grab their glasses and fill them with the last of the margaritas. After setting them in front of the two women, I join the losers' circle. All of our attention is on the table. I'm pretty sure most of us are hoping Tiffany will lose.
Tiffany deals the cards, and Corinne is studying them like it's a final exam.
In a way, I guess it is since she's trying to knock her off her high horse.
The game begins as Tiffany picks up a card and passes another along.
This game is as much about bullshitting the person you're playing against as it is about quick reaction times.
The only caveat, you can't let them know you're going for the spoon.
Otherwise, a war ensues. At least, that's been the case playing against Tiffany.
All of us have our eyes glued to the table as we watch cards being passed, but not one person going for a spoon.
Tiffany is showing signs of frustration, and a quick peek over Corinne's shoulder tells me why.
Tiffany keeps discarding numbers she most likely could have used.
Corinne has four of a kind, and she's biding her time.
While Tiffany's focus is on her cards, Corinne's hand slowly goes toward the center of the table, and lifts the spoon, before quietly bringing it in front of her.
Holy shit, how did Tiffany not notice that. Maybe the alcohol consumption helped in Corinne's favor this time around. After a few seconds of discarding, Tiffany reaches for the middle of the table and realizes the spoon is gone. "What the fuck?"
Corinne shows her cards and the spoon with a wide grin. "Read 'em and weep." She sticks her tongue out at Tiffany and jumps out of the chair. "Victory is mine!"
"You must have used some type of magic, there's no way I would have missed the spoon leaving the table."
"Except you did." Justin laughs. "Now's not the time to be a sore loser."
"Whatever," she rolls her eyes. "I think I'm going to bed."
Her cousins laugh and shake their heads. I'm guessing this is normal behavior for her. Though the thought of falling asleep does sound appealing. "I think I'm going to hit the hay as well. I have a feeling I'll need the energy for tomorrow."
"Why? What are we doing tomorrow?" Corinne sets the spoon on the counter and leans against it.
"According to Johnny, cooking out with some of their friends here and playing cornhole." I head toward the stairs. "That is a game I can definitely win."
"In your dreams, buddy," Justin follows behind me. "You're going down."
He's the one dreaming. Out of all the years we've been friends and played at various events, he's always lost against me.
I wave goodnight to him as I enter the room I'm sharing with his sister.
Turning the light on, I'm slightly shocked.
The air mattress is up and Corinne made the bed up for me.
I lift the corner of the blanket and see a fitted sheet covering the mattress.
For someone who claims she despises me so much, she went through the trouble of doing this for me.
It's the little things that give me hope we can have a future together. All these things are adding up and it's proof I'm not as out of her mind as she claims I am. I kick off my shoes and undress. Grabbing the basketball shorts off the dresser, I slide them on before turning off the light.
I flop on the air mattress and immediately regret it.
I can't remember the last time I slept on one of these, but it's not comfortable.
Maybe the couch would have been a better idea.
This bed is stiff and squeaks with every move I make.
I hear the knob turn and go still under the blanket.
Maybe she'll think I'm asleep when she comes in.