Page 20 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

Her eyes glistened. “Really?”

“Stop being a perv.” I threw her own fry at her.

“What about Nicky? Does he forget the towel sometimes too?”

I tipped my head back laughing. “Stop. You are hanging out too much with Aisha.”

“Oh yes, you should save me. Will you go with me to the party this Friday?”

“No. Now eat your lunch.”

“Ifold. Fuck you, King.”

Nick was the worst bluffer I’d ever seen. Jason was way better than him. But when I won yet again, there was no stopping his bad mood. Jason chuckled as he shuffled for us once more.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Nicky.” I snickered, taking a swing of my beer.

I planned for a relaxing night. Playing cards with them at first, and once Jason left with the girls for the party, I was parking my ass in front of the TV. Nick changed the game a little when he brought home beer, but my relaxing night was still in the cards. As long as I didn’t go to the party.

“Anyone home?” I heard the voice calling from the front door.

“Kitchen!” I hollered to Aisha, smirking and eyeing Nick.

Not that he was going to admit it, but I knew had a massive, embarrassing crush on Aisha. He never made a move and seemed to be happy in never making one which made the whole situation more intriguing.

Jason was placing the cards in front of each one of us, when his movements stalled. With a dramatic sigh, he brought a hand over his heart.

“Are you trying to kill me, woman?”

Wearing a skintight black dress and the highest heels I’ve ever seen, Aisha looked hot as fuck entering our kitchen. She chuckled and waved Jason away. “This old thing?” she asked, giving us a twirl.

“Be still my heart!” Jason kept going, and I wished he’d stop. The look Nick was giving him was enough to kill one hundred men.

“Causing trouble?” I asked her when I didn’t mean it as a question. She was causing trouble right now. She just didn’t know.

“Always, Z.” She winked at me and then turning to Nick she sent a small nod his way. “Hey, Nick.”

They were going to bang. It was plain as fucking day.

Aisha teased everyone but him. I knew she was into him more than she cared to admit. It was going to be great to watch it unfold. As I played around in my head if I should say something to Nick, or let him suffer, Jason was busy running his mouth.

“Come here, sweetheart. I’ll teach you to play poker. You can sit on my lap.”

I groaned.

Aisha laughed like it was the funniest thing she ever heard.

“I can teachyou, Jay. Will you sit on my lap?” she asked back.

Jason rolled his shoulder. “Hey, we can go your freaky way. I’m into role playing.”

“Deal the fucking cards, Barlowe.” Nick gritted.

Jesus. So that was how Jason would die. By Nick’s hand. He had an interesting life, I supposed. His dads would be devastated. I glanced over at Nick, trying to convey some secret message for him to calm his jets. It was obvious they were just playing around. That was what Jason did the best. He flirted with everyone and said a bunch of things with very little meaning. There was no heat behind it. But I guessed Nick was too much in his own head to care.

Jason widened his eyes dramatically but shared the cards between us without another word. Aisha stood there and watched us play, leaning on our fridge with a hand to her hip. Now and then, Nick looked in her direction, like he wanted to check if she was still there. A round came and went, Nick lost again and I couldn’t blame the bluff anymore. It was all on Miss Long Legs behind us.

I shuffled the cards, my old bedroom door opened and Maddie came to the kitchen.

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