The Rich Boy's Deal

Chapter Three | Poker Face

Chapter Three

| P O K E R F A C E |

It's been a week since I've last spoken to the boys. With each passing day, either Taylor or Cole have tried their hardest trying to get me to hang out with them. They have tried and tried and tried and tried, but their pleading worked to no avail. I just wasn't having any of it.

Even if my social life is thinner than a single sheet of white lined paper.

I was a strong, independent girl who doesn't need friends. When you have friends, you rely on them to support you and help you. So, in the end, when they disappoint you or something breaks out between the two, you're left with this gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Having a mind, it instantly over thinks and over analyzes the situation. It was what the human brain consisted of. The brain recollects memories throughout the day, sends your body working by telling it what to do, and sends it into overdrive.

Without the brain, we'll be a bunch of clueless idiots roaming the Earth like a bunch of zombies. Probably even dumber than them.

I mean, at least zombies have brains.

Walking into the school library, I waved a hand to the librarian, Ms. Othen. She was a sweet old lady, with gray hair always tied back and hazel green eyes. She was probably the closest person I considered a relative.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" Ms. Othen smiled at me, sending a shaky hand to rest on my upper arm. She was nearing her early nineties.

"I'm good, Marissa. How are you? Still grooving those hips at those bingo parties?" Winking her way, Ms. Othen let out a hearty chuckle followed by a cough. My hand instantly went to guide her as she collapsed onto the chair behind her. "Whoa, Mary, are you okay?"

She must have noticed my concern expression, because she tried brushing my worry with a wave of her hand, "I'm fine. Just, you know, not functioning as I used to when I was eighty." Mary let out a poor excuse of a laugh, trying to disperse the tension in the air that enveloped around our small bubble.

"Enough fussing over me, dear. What did you come here for this time?" Mary raised a knowing balding eyebrow, while my ears blushed because I've been caught red-handed.

"Nothing," Fortunately, my voice was as normal as ever, but Mary knew me too well, she picked up the lie beneath the word. Mary knew me so well that I should be scared of what is to come. I hate to admit it, but she was not only the closest person I considered a relative, but the closest person I considered a friend. And friends do not always end well.

"Tell me." I kept my expression neutral, void of any wavering emotion settled onto my facial expression. I've been practicing for years, and I thought I mastered the art of it. I thought my cold and blank exterior was impossible to break or tremble. I was clearly not good enough, due to the stern look Mary sent my way.

"I'll most likely be dead by the time you tell me." Mary sighed, her attention now focused on the table granite in front of her. "What a shame."

"I can't. I just can't."

Mary looked at me sympathetically, giving me the excuse to not accept her as a friend. That was all what's needed for me to leave the table and not look back. Even her last set of words didn't halt me for a second, even if they stung me.

"If you ever want friends, learn how to open up."

—-

"Thought I'd catch you before you left the school." I didn't bother turning to see who replaced the empty space beside me, letting out an annoyed sigh in the process. "And boy was I right. Even if running across the school was worth it."