Awkward Meet Normal

Chapter Ten

Dash

Ryan and Annabelle were very good at Poker, and I had previously played with some celebrity poker players.

The twins had been on their phones half the night. I think I had come across their blog on betting before, it was exciting stuff, and I was hoping to get a chance to talk to them about it.

Dave, who seemed past the point of sleep exhaustion, was lying on my outdoor couch, his eyes closing several times. Tyler was going to put something on his face, and Annabelle snapped at him. Instead of telling her to shove off like most guys, they listened to her. They all seemed to hold a certain level of respect for her.

Even with the story of Ben and Annabelle side-swiping his car, usually, it would be the woman to leave the group, but they stood by her and kicked Ben out. Ryan seemed to have her back without a fault, and I wondered what it would be like to have a friend like that. I had family, but I never found an outsider like what appeared in Annabelle and Ryan.

"How long have you two been playing Poker?" I asked. It was down to myself, Ryan, Annabelle, and Kyle.

If Kyle did not win this next pot, he would be out in the next two hands, if not one.

"They had a round-robin Poker ring going on at college," Kyle said begrudgingly. There had been a couple of times through the night that Kyle seemed jealous of Ryan and Annabelle. I could not tell if it was for Annabelle's attention or Ryan's. "Even though I work at a bank all day, I cannot get the hang of Poker."

Annabelle looked up from her cards; she was thinking about something. "You won"

"Once," Ryan and her both looked at Kyle and smiled.

"Oh, shove off," Kyle said, going all in.

Annabelle matches what he put in. "I'm calling your bluff, Kyle boy."

"Of course you are," he grumbles, throwing his cards over.

A pair of Kings was Kyle's cards. He starts grabbing the chips until Annabelle flips over a pair of Aces.

"Bull shit," Kyle jumps out of his chair. "Bull shit."

Annabelle and Ryan must be used to this reaction as they sit back and watch Kyle's minor breakdown.

"How?" Kyle is standing, looking down at the table.

He should have been used to this by now as well, shouldn't he have?

"I'm not playing with you two anymore. Bunch of crooks." He grumbles.

Ryan stands up at this point. "Come on now. You know we do not cheat. Never have never well."

Annabelle looks up and Ryan and then over at Kyle. "Well, Ryan hasn't, but you will never know with me," and then she winked at him.

"Unbelievable," Kyle said, grabbing his beer and walking off to the sofa with Dave. Dave sits up more and makes room for him. He pats his shoulder.

The twins, who had been on a betting app all night, look up from their phones. "He never gets used to losing," the brown hair twin said.

"Never," the blonde hair twin said. I would have to ask Annabelle who was who.

"How do you know Kyle?" Annabelle asked, handing the deck of cards to me. My thumb grazing her hand, she drops the cards in my hand and leans back.

"His Freshman year and my Sophomore year, we were college roommates." In my Junior and Senior years of college, I transferred to California. Only to come straight back to the City after I graduated. There was something to it being hot all year round. I needed the seasons even if I got seasonal depression when it started dark out at five pm.