Charms or Banjos?

Chapter 19

Once the four teenagers were back at Paige's house, they headed upstairs to Paige's room to play poker. "Come on Alex, you know I can beat you, that's why you don't want to play." Paige claimed as she dealt the poker chips out. "For one, you can't beat me and two, I'm only not playing this game so I can help Jess learn." Alex responded, wrapping his arm tighter around Jessica, grabbing the chips Paige had dealt and explaining to her what each chip was worth. Paige smiled at this, Jessica knew how to play, but she was simply just faking it to make Alex drop his guard when this game was over. "Alrighty, starting bets please guys." Paige announced, placing one chip worth ten into the middle. Everyone else followed suit, checking their cards. Jessica had a three and a five, not much but it could be something; Paige had an ace and a king, once again not much but could help her win; meanwhile, Sam had two tens, already something. Paige dealt three cards into the middle, one queen, a three and a four. Sam raised by 50, Paige following suit. "Should I raise?" Jessica whispered softly to Alex, to which he replied with a small nod. Paige then placed another card in the middle, a jack. (For those of you who don't know how to play poker, this was pivotal, the queen was already good for Paige, but the jack meant that she could get a royal flush, if a ten was the next card, Jessica had a two pair with the threes whilst Sam was still stuck with his two tens.) Having seen the cards displayed before them, Paige fake pouted at her cards, not raising the bets in hopes of the others doing it for her. Jessica once again turned to Alex, who told her to stick. And Sam raised the bet once again but this time, only by ten. Paige followed suit and so did Jessica. The final card was dealt and low and behold, it was a ten. Paige concealed her smile, placing down two chips worth a hundred each. Sam did so too. "Fold Jess, clearly Paige has something." Alex whispered in Jessica's ear. Jess nodded meekly in response, placing her cards face up like Alex told her to. Sam, thinking he'd won, turned his over and went to grab the chips from the middle, underestimating his little sister. "Wait, you haven't even seen what I've got Sammy." Paige said as she placed her cards down, a smug smile on her face that only grew when she saw the look of horror on her brother's face. "How in the Hell did you manage that Paige? Last time we played, you went bankrupt in the first round." Alex asked half amused. "Just lucky I guess." Paige responded, placing the chips in piles and collecting the cards. At the end of the game, Jessica had lost, getting out in the third round whilst Sam won the game overall. As Paige began to deal for the second game, Alex whispered to Jessica, "I'll go easy on you, don't worry my love." Jessica nodded and smiled, turning to look at Paige, grinning like the Devil. "Starting bets guys." She announced, placing a chip worth ten into the middle; everyone else followed suit, placing their chips in the middle before looking at their cards. Sam had a two and a queen, Alex had a ten and an eight, Paige had an ace and a ten whilst Jessica had a queen and a king. Jessica looked up at Paige, smiling to let her know the plan had worked.

Before the four teenagers had gone upstairs to play poker, Sam and Alex hung back downstairs to get drinks. That was when Paige and Jessica devised their plan to humble the boys. The girls decided they would rig the second game, but let the first play out normally. Jessica would pretend not to know anything about poker to let Alex drop his guard. Then because Paige was the dealer, she would change cards when the boys weren't looking to fall in their favour. It was a good plan, and foolproof. Alex would be too bothered trying to take things easy on Jessica and Sam was pretty simple anyway, always on his phone between his turn. So when Paige dealt another ace, a jack and a nine, she knew one of the boys would raise the bets, making the bet seventy per person, Sam folded, knowing he had pretty much nothing but the girls followed Alex in the raise. Then Paige dealt a ten. Alex, smiling down at his cards, raised the bet again to one hundred whilst Jessica made a face of mock confusion and thinking whilst looking down at hers. Paige placed down the chips, waiting for Jessica to do the same, which she did. Paige placed down the final card, a seven and watched as Alex's face broke out in a grin. He placed more chips into the pile, taking the bet up to three hundred per person, which Paige folded out of, but Jessica matched the bet and watched as Alex placed his cards down, making a break to grab the chips from the middle. "Alex, stop, you haven't seen what Jess has." Paige said, trying to sound as though she didn' know exactly what she had. "Let's see then, but, no offence my love, I doubt Jessica has much of anything." Alex replied, leaning back all smug. "I don't know, I think a royal flush might be something." She said, smiling. "You rigged it, you had to have." Alex exclaimed. "Or maybe you're not as good as you think you are." Paige said, smirking. Alex huffed and leaned back in his seat, groaning and making evil eyes at Paige. The rest of the game went by the same, Alex getting beaten by Jessica.

When Alex's mum shouted up for him to go home with them, Jessica walked him downstairs to say bye. "Just to let you know Alex, me and Paige did rig the game, I know how to play poker. It was my idea, just to see if you'd bite and flip. Plus, I realised something, Paige was right, you're not as good as you think." Jessica told him, teasingly. "I am great at poker, thank you." Alex responded, smiling playfully. "Mhm, I'm sure." Jesscia said, leaning in to kiss his cheek before saying goodbye.