Playing With Fire

This is my fist story on Wattpad. Enjoy :)

                                                             ONE

"...and then Britney was like, hell no, and I was like, hell yeah-- Snap!" The kitchen table erupted in groans and I yelped as cards flew at me in retaliation. "What?"

"I swear she's cheating," my brother Mark muttered. He met my eyes with a silver scowl. "Your're cheating!" He crossed his arms over his wide chest and looked away with a huff.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm playing the world's smallest violin." I gathered up the cards and started shuffling.

"Do you even know someone called Britney?" I smiled at Darren, my eldest brother, and relaxed back into my chair as I got ready to deal.

"Of course. I'm not prattling on about her for no reason. She was my roommate and, FYI, a total bitch--" I jumped as a crate of beer crashed onto the table. I craned my neck up and grinned at a dripping Morgan--another brother of course. I was the only female in a house of males. With my three older brothers and Jacob, who was younger than me by a couple of minutes, and not to mention my father, I was out gender-ed five-to-one. "Something bothering you, Mama Bear?"

He cringed at the nickname and the others laughed. "You're here two days and already I want you gone."

I smiled. "Am I making you go a bit cray-cray?"

He grumbled something under his breath and I squealed as his fingers jabbed at my sides as he tickled me mercilessly. "I die a little inside every time you say that," he grunted when I managed to elbow him in the stomach.

"What? Cray-cray? Or FYI? Or was it TBH--"

"All of them!" I laughed. Morgan was an English Literature college student and consequently hated slang. When we were younger he used to nag us all to do our chores, taking on the role of our dead mother, and so the nickname Mama Bear came about. As well as Nag. And Clean-Freak. And...

"Alright, who's playing?" I asked as I gathered the cards back up.

"Not you," they all shot back.

"Why?"

"Because you're cheating!"

I rolled my eyes and started dealing. "Fine. I'll sit this one out."

I smiled as I watched them, relaxing into the playful atmosphere. We didn't normally spend our time playing snap together, but we were having a three-day celebration of sorts. I'd finally come home. After being away at boarding school for three years it was nice to be back--and know I was staying. It was easy to fall back into the swing of things, a lot easier than it had been falling out of it, and I welcomed the constant banter that circulated round the house. It engulfed me like a blanket and felt like home.

"Remind me again why we are playing snap?" Darren asked.

"Cause Molly tricked us into it," Morgan and Mark said together.

"I did not trick," I muttered defending myself, "I offered you a challenge. It's not my fault you lost every round."

"You were cheating!" They yelled at me.

I smiled innocently. "Whatever lets you sleep at night." They ignored me and went back to their game.

I couldn't help but laugh a little while watching them. They were all so focused, each of their brows drawn in concentration, their lips pursed as each of their right hands hovered ready to call snap. It was funny watching three boys, two of which were in college, get so worked up over a child's game.