Charred to Cherished

Eight

That Saturday around midnight, Michelle headed down the street dressed as Michael Cohen. She easily got out of the Glaspy's home, since they were all asleep. She felt very uncomfortable in the strips of bandages wrapped tight around her chest, but after walking awhile she became more use to it. When the house came in view, she suddenly didn't want to do it at all. She didn't want to lie to her brother, she wasn't sure it'd work, and she was afraid.
What in the world am I afraid of?! She thought to herself while sitting on the curb. And then it hit her. She was afraid she'd find her brother doing something, something not quite right, at least as far as her parents had taught her. Well, I'm just gonna have to face my fear, he's not bad.
Thus she walked toward the house. She could hear numerous records playing and people, teens more likely. She slowly opened the door, and stepped in. Looking around, it was hot and stuffy, teens everywhere, all in pairs. She saw Harris in the kitchen making a bunch of people laugh. And Jet, annoying a girl. All she could think of was finding her brother, at least seeing him. No one noticed her/him come in.
She heard people upstairs so she headed up there. Peeping in Dex's room where the most noise came from, she saw Dex, Mark, Bellamy, and a bunch of other guys, some with girls, playing a sort of poker, and smoking. She felt relieved, him gambling and smoking was the last horrible thing she had imagined him doing. She noticed neither him, Mark, or Bellamy had a girl with them, for some odd reason this brought a smile to her face. But before it could fully appear she had to shrug off the feeling and go inside. She had noticed that some were just observing the game so she decided to do the same, until she decided on her next move.
The game went on, and on, and on, and on, and on. She checked her watched when it had been 2 hours. Almost 2 in the morning, she was exhausted. She headed downstairs. She decided to talk to Harris since he was so easy to get along with. First she just moseyed in between people and listened and laughed at his jokes. She could tell he wanted to be a comedian, it glowed off him. After awhile the group split up and he went back to making drinks. She approached him, slowly, casually.
"Hey." He said.
"Hey." She said in the voice she had practiced so many times before she had left.
"Wanna drink?"
"No thanks."
"This your first time here?" He said it as though she were talking to a hotel clerk or a waiter.
"Yeah it is."
"Okay, well there's poker upstairs," Yeah I noticed that! She thought. "There's me, kitchen comedian, and in the living room," he paused with a hint of awkwardness on his face. "There's guys and girls that could have used to taken a room a looong time ago." She laughed lightly. "What's your name?"
"Michael Cohen."
"Harris." They kind of oddly shook hands. At that moment the poker group came down stairs. "Whose the winner tonight?!" He called out.
They all pointed to Bellamy.
After Dex, Mark, and Bellamy had come into the kitchen, Harris introduced them to her. She felt nervous.
"We're going to have a private, and cheap," he glared at Bellamy, "game right now, so others aren't watching." Dex said. "Wanna come up Harris?"
"Is it private so Bellamy can use all his silent tricks?"
"No!" Bellamy replied smiling.
"He doesn't that during a private or public game." Mark said.
"I'll do it cheap, I don't mind losing 200 bucks." Harris said.
"Do you want to come?" Mark asked Michelle.
"How long will this game be?" She asked jokingly.
"Uh it's less players so maybe an hour...or so."
She looked at her watch, 2:08. She was wearing her fathers watch. It was big, but adjustable so it didn't slip around. It was saved because she had used his duffle bag to carry her over night things to Aprils house. He said he'd lost it but she found it in the bag at Aprils. He must had left it in there when he had used the week before for a over night work meeting in London. London was only a 2 hour drive for him. "Okay." She followed them up. She knew how to play poker, her parents and her had often played it with coins. Her mom could never hide when she had good or bad cards. She felt a stab in her heart. It hurt. But right now she had to focus.
She had about 300$ because she had thought that maybe they'd play poker. She knew her parents had taught Dex to play. She had that much because she had quite a lot of insurance money from the house and her parents.