Sins of Sisterhood

18. Shots and Secrets

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~ 18 ~

Rule #18: Only Play Games You're Ready to Rig

"A maniac is hidden behind that lovely smile
Trapped in a strangers skin and got left behind"

Mother's Cake - 'Toxic Brother'

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"I won't get drunk in places that serve beer in plastic cups," Jade announced with all the superiority of someone who probably shits gold bricks.

And that's how we ended up in this pretentious-as-fuck rooftop bar where even breathing probably costs more than most people's student loans.

We're playing poker and everything past my nose is a fancy blur because I haven't put in much effort to get glasses.

But hey, after twenty-something years of squinting at these two across poker tables, I could probably read their tells blindfolded.

Jade gets this tiny wrinkle between her perfectly shaped eyebrows when she's bluffing – seriously, who the fuck has perfectly shaped eyebrows at midnight? – and Raven... Christ, Raven's about as subtle as a crack addict at a pharmaceutical convention.

"Double or nothing," Jade says, sliding her chips forward with that irritating grace that makes me want to accidentally spill something on her thousand-dollar dress. "Unless you're scared?"

"Scared?" I snort so hard my drink nearly goes up my nose. "Bitch, please. The last time I was legitimately scared was when someone–" I pause eyeing Raven accusingly. "–brought a knife to my bedroom for funzies. Oh wait. Let me get more specif—"

"Shots!" Raven practically screams, her voice hitting that pitch that makes dogs in the next county cover their ears. She's already waving down some poor waiter who probably didn't sign up for this level of family dysfunction. "We absolutely need tequila for proper poker!"

Jade does that thing with her eyebrow that makes her look like a disapproving queen. "Traditional rules?"

"Yeah, yeah, loser drinks, winner picks the next game and gets to lord it over everyone until we all want to push them off this fancy-ass roof," I confirm, watching Raven twitch like she's being electrocuted.

Some things never change – like her poker tells, her inability to handle her liquor, or her recent hobby of trying to murder family members.

I toss my cards down with a flourish that would be way more impressive if I could actually see what I'm throwing. "Read 'em and weep, bitches."

Jade leans forward, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against her glass. "A straight flush? When you can barely see your own hand? That's..."

"Fucking impossible?" I finish for her, grinning like crazy. "Welcome to twenty-two years of playing poker with you two predictable assholes. I could read your tells in a blackout during an earthquake."

Three rounds and enough shots to kill a horse later, Raven's cackling at absolutely nothing like a hyena on speed... I know she's taken something aside from the drinks. Jade's sipping some cocktail, and I'm trying to remember if this is whiskey number four or five. Like it fucking matters at this point.

Raven downs another shot, her mascara slightly smudged under one eye.

"New game!" she declares. "Truth or drink!"