Play Your Cards Right

Chapter 16: Elimination Attempt

Thoughts of Harry broken-hearted made me sad. He was one of my best friends, and he didn't deserve to be treated like that. He has to know what happened between Rylee and Niall. He doesn't need to be any more commited into their relationship without knowing. I know if I tell him, he won't believe me. Niall has to do it.

"Niall." I stared across the living room at the blank wall. Niall still had his head on my lap and I was still playing with his hair. His eyes opened immediately as if he was waiting for me to say something.

"Kris." He blinked adjusting his eyes to the light in the room.

"Do you think Rylee is using Harry?" I muttered. The words tasted cold and mean coming out of my mouth. I cleared my throat attempting to erase the sensation. Could she really be using him to get to Niall?

"I don't know." He said quietly. His eyes were looking to the right indicating that he was deep in thought. His silence and uncertainty scared me even more.

"You have to talk to him." I fixed my eyes on the wall. There was no special reason I was staring over there, but it seemed to calm my thoughts.

"Don't you think I already did?"

"When?" I questioned. This is the first time he has mentioned talking to Harry about the situation. I wanted to know what was said between them, but I decided against asking. If he talked to Harry today, then Harry is thinking about what he said and deciding whether to believe him or not, but if he talked to Harry a long time ago...... He didn't change his mind.

"Today actually. At the pool when Perrie, Rylee, and you went inside to fix your cast." He chuckled grabbing my wrist and reading the names of the people who have signed my cast. Thank goodness, he talked to him today. If it was earlier, I don't know what we could do.

I sighed in relief and watched him trace his fingers over the letters of his name. I looked at each name and remembered everyone who signed it. My eyes stop searching it when they wandered onto 'Rylee'. My eyes burned at the sight of her curly handwriting. Why did I let that girl sign my wrist? Ehh. It won't matter, I should get a new cast soon.

The hatred for her still burned in me. She was playing Harry. Woah woah. Calm down. Niall just said he talked to him already. He just hasn't made a decision yet. Thats all. I went over his words over and over again, reassuring myself that theres still hope. Niall said he talked to him when Perrie and Rylee came to help me with my cast---

Wait a sec. She never came inside.

"Rylee didn't come inside with us." I stated turning my attention back to Niall.

"Yes she did. She trailed in right after you guys. She told us she was going to check on you." He said correcting me. I shook my head.

"No she didn't." I looked around us. Fear was evident on his face.

Suddenly, a feeling of being watched was running through me. I felt like she was here just watching. My eyes darted to all the places she could be. All were empty, but it didn't take the feeling away.

"Oh no." He said jumping from my lap and running into the kitchen. What could possibly be in there? Could she be in there? I ran after him.

"Whats wrong?" I shouted as he ran to the fridge. He started picking out foods and throwing them onto the table. Things like jams, lettuce, salads, fruit, cold pizza from a couple of nights ago, and even my tub of cookies and cream ice cream.

"This is no time for eating." I continued. He ignored my sentence and kept sifting through the fridge and into the pantry. He obviously wasn't going to stop until he found the nutella or something. He's going to have to clean it up anyway.

I sat at the chair in front of the table and slumped on my elbows watching him. Might as well have a little snack while he's scouraging in the pantry. I took the strawberry jam on my left and put my hands around the cap. I know eating straight jelly sounds gross, but its one of my favorite things. It was homemade and everything, so sometimes you would get delicious chunks of strawberries along with the jelly.

As the lid made the opening sound, Niall bounded around and snatched it out of my hands.

"NIALL. You know the strawberry jam is mine! Find your own food!" I said yanking the jar away from him. I grabbed the spoon and slipped it into the red jelly.

"DON'T EAT THAT." He jumped onto me pushing the spoon out of my hand. Goodness, he really wants this jelly doesn't he? Well if hes going to tackle me for it, he can just have it! I don't feel like fighting him today. His body was on top of mine and I squirmed under his weight. I felt my wrist begin to throb from its collision with the wooden floor.

"Geez. Why do you have to be so physical? Its just jelly." I said sprawled on the floor. He knocked the jar out of my hand and helped me up from the floor. I rubbed my hand around my cast trying to help with the pain. I don't know why I was even trying. I mean I can't even feel my hand threw the cast.

"That was close! Are you okay?" He answered.

"Peachy." I continued to fiddle with my cast. I could see the reddness of my fingers from the fall. I bended and straightened them making sure I could still move them. They curled relieving me from my worries of more broken limbs.

"What was that for?" I asked angrily.

"Look." He gestured to the open strawberry jelly. I scanned the remains that covered the floor. There seemed to be a strange black material speckled on the jelly. It looked like pepper almost, but a even darker color. I slid my finger across the weird stuff picking up a little. What is this?

"Poison." He stated taking a towel and cleaning up the mess. POISON?!!! Did Rylee do this? Of course she did!

Niall began packing all the food layed out on the table into black trash bags. I guess those were contaminated too.

"Rylee." I gritted my teeth. The hot fire of anger filled me up once again. I knew she was trouble, but I didn't know she would go this far. She must be really obssessed with Niall. Maybe since she couldn't have him, no one could. So she would kill him insuring that no one could ever get him. This was really stupid of her though. A really dumb plan if you ask me. I mean I guess he could of possibly eaten some of the jam or other foods, but it would have most likely gotten to me first.

I refreshed Niall's story in my mind giving me clues to why she would want him gone. Then I remembered. Niall and I are dating. I always knew it in the back of mind. I mean I didn't forget that I was his and he was mine, but I just didn't think of it during this time. Soon, the realization hit me like a freight train.

What if this was her plan all along?

Maybe Rylee's real intentions were to "Eliminate the Competiton"

To Kill Me.