A Hand of Spades

Chapter 12. Party Party Party

"Jane! How's the leg?"

"Way better, thank you." I return her embrace warmly.

"And this must be your sister! Gosh, you two look so alike." 

Blister grins at that. "I'm Bliss."

"She goes by Georgie." Tex soberly informs the group. She giggles and protests, I watch all the unfamiliar faces in front of me soften with instant affection for my sister, and I feel myself relax a little.

They're good people with a bad reputation.

Doc introduces us to the bikers at the table. Daggers looks slightly older than me, maybe in his thirties, with jet black hair and grizzled features. A redheaded woman named Vick hangs on his arm. A younger guy with sandy hair and huge spectacles informs me that he's called X-Ray.

"I'm the one that cleaned your blood off the garage floor." X-Ray grins toothily. "Man you really gave Cash a run for his money, huh? I heard you shot at him."

All eyes are on me, Blister's head whips in my direction. "It was just a warning shot! The gun wasn't loaded."

Blister's jaw dropped. "You shot at somebody?"

"It was a misunderstanding"-

"She sure did." Tex leans down towards her. "Your sister busted into our garage looking for a gun. Cash caught her and she fought him like a tiger. He was so impressed he asked her to join the Spades on the spot."

It's a poor version of what actually happened. "Now you're making things up, Cowboy."

"At least he's telling me something." Bliss sulks. She appeals to the table of Spades. "Jane never tells me anything."

"God you two are so similar." Doc is beaming. "Do you get the attitude from your Mom or your Dad?"

I wince at the question. "I don't really know. My Dad skipped town after I was born, and Blister's didn't stick around either." I often wonder if that is the curse of women in our family, if we are destined to only have each other. It seems we are breaking it slowly, surrounded by new friends.

"You two have different fathers?" Vick asks. "But you could be twins."

I shrug. "Genetics are funny that way. We both take after Mom."

Blister glances up at me, eyebrows twitching with uncertainty. I plaster an easy grin on my face and bump against her shoulder. Doc is watching us carefully all of a sudden, her face deep in thought.

"Blister got all the brains though. Straight As. Always have your nose in a book, don't you?" I gush, wrapping my arm around her slim frame.

She blushes prettily. "I don't know."

"Yes you do. Don't be modest. You're going to do great things once you get out of here."

"You always say that." Blister pulls a face. "What if I want to stay with you?"

"You think I'm letting you rot here like I did?" This isn't the first time that Blister has brought up the idea of staying put instead of going off to college. She flip-flops between wanting to study at Dallas U and wanting to stay in Throckmorton so quickly that the pace of her indecision frequently gives me whiplash. "You're getting out of here, that's final."

Before she can argue,  I slip away to grab another can of soda from one of the coolers. 

"You speak real highly of Blister." Cash's low rumble sounds behind me, making me jump. I hadn't seen him join the group. I wonder when he started listening in on the conversation.