Returning Red

#12: Spite.

"Okay, May?" Julie asked tapping the table.

"I'm out," May said bored. She threw her cards on the table and pouted. "I hate this game,"

"Oh, I hate it too," Liam muttered throwing his cards away too. "I'm out."

Julie shrugged and continued putting in the last of her chips. She sipped her wine and cocked her eyebrow at Austin. He took the challenge.

"Cody?" He asked glancing beside him.

"I fold," Jason said pouting.

Chloe and Brittney discarded their cards as well. It was down to only Austin and Julie. I watched how they stared at each other, intensely smirking.

"I'm calling your fifty. What do you got?" Julie said holding her cards and curiously staring at his stack.

Wrong move. 

He smiled, looking down. He looked back up scratching his eyebrows. I noticed how Austin wasn't stopping his smile. He turned to me and his eyes continued to linger his gaze on me.

He turned his cards around, "Straight flush," he muttered. 

"Damn it," Julie yelled throwing her cards.

"How is he so lucky all the time?" Jason cooed. "We're always dealt with such shitty cards and he gets a royal flush?"

Because he makes all of his bluffs look like legitimate bets and no one sees through it. 

"Fate." Brittney shrugged.

"You know what they say, the better the gambler the worse the man," Chloe smirked at Austin. I agreed to that statement, except I didn't want to spike something new again.

They all stood up and May hugged me, fake crying that she lost. I hugged her back.

"Oh, I disagree." Austin shook his head at Chloe. "Miss Cosmo is the worst gambler and still the worst person there is." 

He was so wrong when he called me the worst gambler. 

May's grip tightened around me. She immediately pulled back and glared at him. "She is not the worst person. I will kick you if you don't stop this."

"It's okay." I assured May, "I'm fine. It doesn't affect me."

"Of course it doesn't, I see your silent reaction and raise you a fuck off," Austin wasn't laughing either. He was just trying to make me react and I know I wasn't going to.

Jason punched Austin's shoulder and shook his head. Austin just shrugged.

"I think you're pushing it, Austin," Chloe whispered to him. "It doesn't seem funny anymore to anyone."

"Who said it was supposed to be funny?" Austin was quick. "It was never funny, I was always being serious."

"She's not giving a reaction. That should hint you something?" Brittney whispered to him.

"That's because she's guilty. To name a few reasons why, oh, where do I even begin with--"

"Oh, come on," Jason shook his head ask him to let it go.

"But well, we should have known, how they were raised is how they will love," Austin glowered at me and I heard a few gasps and curses.

My jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists. I closed my eyes trying to push it away but he'd just gone too far. It was fine with him insulting me but he dragged my family and I couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, it disgusted me.