Full House by Pete Hautman

Author:Pete Hautman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2010-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

Gary Phillips

Gary Phillips writes crime, mystery, and other sorts of stories in various mediums. He’s working on a coming-of-age graphic novel; co-editing the Darker Mask, a collection of edgy superhero prose stories; and editing Politics Noir, an anthology of tawdry stories set in the most vicious arena there is. Alas, his experiences with poker inform him he’s not an able player, but he just can’t stay away from the chips and cards.

THE ROYAL COUPLE

by Mary Logue

“I got a tell on you, Kendra.”

“Sure, Buddy,” I baited him. I was helping him carry the poker table down the stairs to set it up in the basement. I had come over early to help him and his sister Shelley get ready to host the weekly Texas holdem poker tournament.

“No, you give yourself away.”

“Really?” I acted disinterested.

“Yeah, you wiggle your pinkie finger when you’ve got a good hand.” He lifted his hand away from the poker table and showed me how I wiggled my finger.

I couldn’t believe he told me my tell. What an idiot—a six-foot-tall idiot that I had a major crush on. But even as much as I liked him, I would never tell him that he scrunches his eyebrows together when he’s got something good.

Buddy Walker was a senior at Mounds Park High. With dark brown hair that swung like a mop in his eyes, long eyelashes and a knockout smile, he was a handsome nerd, an unusual combination. What made him even more attractive was he didn’t know how cute he was. He was the brother of my best friend, Shelley, which is how I got invited to join the Friday night poker game. Needless to say, I was the only girl in the game.

I’m a junior. I’m too smart for my own good, which makes me a bit of a geek. Boys tend to be intimidated by me. I’m okay-looking. Not great. I’ve got that long, thin, gangly look that some guys like. I haven’t really had a boyfriend. I’m the kind of girl that guys like to hang out with, but don’t usually ask out.

My main problem is I tell it like I see it. Guys don’t always like that, I guess. I can’t seem to help myself. If I know something I don’t try to hide it and play dumb.

“Hey, Kendra, you doing anything tomorrow night?”

Buddy’s question stopped me in my tracks. I was immediately suspicious. “Why d’you want to know?”

“I was just wondering.”

“Why?”

“You want to do something?” Buddy asked me.

I just about dropped my side of the poker table. “Tomorrow night?” Why did I repeat that? “I think so . . . sure . . .”

“Great. Put those legs down.” Buddy instructed as we started to set up the poker table.

Buddy had just asked me out. I had been playing poker with him for two months hoping this would happen. I’d been studying the game, trying to learn the chances of getting a pair, a flush, a royal flush. One in something like 30,000. I figured that was just about the same as the chance of Buddy asking me out.

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