For Rylie

Chapter 5

I woke up for the sixth time that night at 8am. 

Groaning, I sat up on the side of my bed with my legs dangling towards the floor. 

I picked up my phone off my bedside table and switched the alarm off, not needing it anymore. 

Looking out the window I saw the clouds looming across the sky like a blanket. I opened my window to see what the temperature was like and I shivered. It was colder today than it had been nearly all week, so I decided to dress in my denim skinny jeans with rips in them, my gray Coldplay t-shirt and a  hoodie. 

I showered quickly then got dressed and picked up my bag to take to the front door. 

It was strange not having school on a Friday but Dad still had work so he was sitting at the counter with a coffee, like he did every morning. 

I dropped my bag at the front door then sat at the counter with Dad. 

I wasn't very hungry so I  just grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl. 

"Hey kiddo, excited about your camping trip?" Dad asked, closing his newspaper and replacing it with a deck of cards that he now held in his hands. 

I nodded enthusiastically as I had just taken a bite of my apple and couldn't talk over it. 

"Want to play spit?" Dad asked, holding the deck up for emphasis. 

I swallowed my apple and smirked. "Are you really up for losing?"

Dad's laugh rang through the kitchen. "Are you?"

He gave me half the deck and we set it up, sort of like solitaire. 

We put the remainder of our decks in the middle to the side and flipped a card over each.

It was chaos. 

Cards were being slammed on the table and flipped over and flying everywhere and it was awesome!!

I only had three cards left so I picked them up and held them in my hands. Dad had seven cards so he had to leave his face up on the table. 

I put down two of my cards and just as I saw Dad lapse in conceantration I put my last card down and slapped the smaller pile. 

"Yaaay I won!" I exclaimed, poking my tongue out at him. 

"Again?" Dad asked, smiling challengingly. 

As we were setting it up I thought I heard someone come down the stairs, but I wasn't sure. 

"And go!" Dad exclaimed, flipping over his card. 

"Hey I wasn't ready!!" I cried, rushing to catch up. 

After a minute neither of us could put any cards down so we flipped over another from the deck. 

It was an ace which was perfect for me. 

When I had three cards I picked them up into my hand. 

Dad also only had three so it was dead even. 

I knew from the look on his face that he couldn't put anything down, and he looked up from the cards and raised his eyebrow. 

I could feel someone's gaze on me from behind but I was too into the game to turn around. It probably would have been Charlie anyway. 

I put down one of my cards on one pile and another on the other, meaning I only had one card left. 

I could put it on one of the piles and I think Dad realized, as he took his hand away from the deck and put it dangerously close to the smaller pile.