Aces Up

  Finally, around two o’clock, they combine the tables again, and I end up at a table with Michelle. Basically, if we’re in a hand together, one of us should fold, and if we’re not, we should signal to each other what to do. For the first few hands, neither one of us sees any action. And then, finally, I get dealt queen, king.

  I bet into the pot, and the flop comes queen, nine, five.

  Michelle signals at me not to bet. That must mean she has something and wants me to stay out of the pot, so that we’re not competing with each other and scaring people off. But normally, I would bet here, and her signal is so clear that I think if anyone was to watch the tapes later, they would know. So I bet. I watch as Michelle frowns and then rolls her eyes and looks at me with disgust. I can tell by the expression on her face that she thinks I forgot the signals. I guess that’s one good thing about her hating me—she already thinks I’m dumb, so she won’t be too suspicious.

  Sure enough, when we get up for the next break, she gives me a poke in the side on her way to the bathroom. “You’re misreading the signals,” she says, and gives me a look like she thinks I’m stupid. “I told you to fold.”

  “Oh,” I say, blinking really fast. “Sorry, I thought you said to bet. I thought you were supposed to be taking my chips.” I shrug, and she rolls her eyes at me again and then takes off. I turn on my heel and go to find Max and Robyn.

  ? ? ? ?

  “Okay,” Robyn says, “just breathe. Honestly, it’s going to be fine.”

  “No, it’s not,” I say. We’re in the back hallway, outside the ballroom where the tournament’s being held. I’m sitting on one of the folding chairs against the wall, and Robyn is standing next to me. She gathers my hair into a ponytail and starts fanning the back of my neck with her hand. Like I said, up until this point, I’ve kind of been avoiding Max and Robyn, since a) I need to keep my concentration, and b) I don’t want Cole to think anything’s up when he sees that I’ve brought friends with me. But this was just too much to handle on my own.

  “They’re going to know.” I lean forward in my chair and try not to faint.

  “What do you mean?” Max asks, frowning.

  “I mean,” I say, “that they’re going to realize that I’m pretending to go along with it, but that I’m really not.”

  “No, I know that’s what you meant,” Max says. He sits down in the chair next to me and takes my hand, rubbing my forearm. “I just mean what specifically makes you think they’re going to realize what you’re doing?”

  “They’re assholes,” I say, “but unfortunately, they’re not stupid. And eventually, I’m not going to be able to pretend anymore.” I tell him what just happened with Michelle.

  Max studies me for a long moment, and then he nods. “Did she believe you when you said you misread the signal?”

  “I think so,” I say. “But she might not for long.”

  “I’m late!” someone yells, tearing through the crowd. I look up to see Mackenzie, dressed in her work uniform. “I’m supposed to be working this tournament, and I’m late!” Her face is all flushed, and her high heels are slipping and sliding into the plush carpet. “I had a late night,” she explains, and then gives me a wink. I can only imagine what that means.

  “Hi,” she says, putting her hand out to Max. “How are you doing, Max?”

  “I’m good,” he says.

  Then Mackenzie turns to Robyn. “And you,” she says, narrowing her eyes, “must be the sister.”

  “Yeah,” Robyn says. “How did you know?”

  “Just had a feeling,” Mackenzie says. She and Robyn size each other up for a second, and I can tell what each of them is thinking. Robyn’s wondering how Mackenzie could have worked with me all this time and let me fall into such a dangerous situation, and Mackenzie’s wondering why Robyn would have made such a big deal over me doing something as silly as gambling.

  But I don’t have time to get caught up in any drama.

  “Guys,” I hiss. “What do I do?”

  “Relax,” Max says, reaching over and squeezing my hand. “You’re going to be fine.” And then … He. Doesn’t. Take. His. Hand. Back. Max Heller is holding my hand. In front of everyone here. In front of hundreds of people, he is holding my hand like it’s not a big deal. And then there’s a tap on my shoulder.

  I turn around. Cole.

  “Oh, hello!” Mackenzie says brightly. I drop Max’s hand like it’s poisonous or something.

  “I need to talk to you,” Cole says, ignoring her.

  “Sure,” I say confidently. I follow him to the side of the casino.

  “What the hell is going on?” Wow. He’s really angry. I’ve never seen him this angry.

  “Wow,” I say. “I’ve never seen you this angry.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe that’s because you’ve never done anything this stupid.” And then I see something shift in his face. It’s like he goes from what he’s really feeling (anger and like maybe he wants to wring my neck) to some kind of mode in which he realizes that’s so not the way to get what he wants from me. “Sorry,” he says, reaching out and running his hand up my arm. I shiver. And not in a good way. Then his face changes again. “Look,” he says, “what are you doing?”

  I take a deep breath and summon up my resolve. “Playing poker,” I say.

  “Michelle said you weren’t listening to her signals,” he says. He’s smiling, but his eyes are cold.

  “You can’t listen to the signals,” I say. “They’re nonauditory.” Wow. I didn’t even know I knew that word. Nonauditory. Sounds like something a very smart person would say, one who’s a force to be reckoned with.

  “You know what I mean,” he says. He’s still moving his hand up and down my arm, so I lean into him.

  “Not really,” I say. “And I just got confused.” I give him a pleading look. “There were so many things to remember, and I didn’t even get to go to any of the last few meetings.” I pout my lips out and try to seem like I’ve missed him these past few weeks.

  For a second, he looks at me skeptically, and I’m positive he’s going to tell me he knows I’m not that stupid. But then his face softens. “Ooh … so that’s what this is about.” He breaks into that cocky grin of his and leans back against the wall.

  I frown. “That’s what what is about?”

  “You’re jealous.”

  “Jealous? Of what?”

  “Of Michelle,” Cole says. “Look, there’s nothing going on between me and her.”

  Ohmigod. I can’t believe it! He thinks I wasn’t paying attention to Michelle’s signals because I’m trying to get back at her for flirting or something equally ridiculous. I’m so shocked that for a second, I can’t talk, and Cole takes my “you’re so crazy I don’t even know how to respond” silence as my agreeing with his stupid theory. “Did Logan tell you we hooked up?”

  “Did Logan tell me who hooked up?” This is all getting way too confusing.

  “Me and Michelle,” Cole says. “We did hook up, but it was, like, forever ago.”

  Ohmigod. Not that it’s a big surprise. I mean, from the beginning, it was totally obvious that the two of them had some sort of history. And actually, they probably have some sort of present, as well.

  My blood starts to boil and I want to do something bad. Like maybe slap him or something. Or throw a drink in his face, like they’re always doing in movies. But all I do is say, “Well, it would have been nice if you’d told me you guys had hooked up. I didn’t want to have to hear it from Logan.”

  “Don’t be mad, Shannon Card.” He flashes me his “you know you love me” smile, and this time, it doesn’t charm me. But I pretend it does.

  “I’m not mad,” I say, smiling. “I’m not mad at all.”

  “Good,” he says, visibly relaxing. “So then we’re back on the same page.”

  “Yes,” I say. “Totally. I’m really sorry that I let my personal problem with Michelle interfere with my playing.” He holds out his arms and I give him a hug,
and then we head back to the tables.

  ? ? ? ?

  “He thinks he can play you?” Mackenzie asks. “He thinks he can MESS WITH THIS?”

  Mackenzie, Robyn, and I are in the bathroom during the next break of the tournament, and I have just relayed what went down. Max is waiting outside, because, hello, he can’t come in the girls’ bathroom and I really had to pee. Mackenzie keeps bringing me extra Diet Cokes and refusing to take tips from me. (“But I will not bring that girl any drinks, and I won’t bring Cole any drinks, either, that nasty jerk.”)

  “What do you mean?” I ask, frowning.

  “I mean,” she says, “that he thinks he can just mess with you like that, that he thinks he can just say, ‘Oh, you’re jealous about some skank, and don’t worry, nothing is going on between us.’”

  “Oh,” I say. “Then yeah. He does. Think he can mess with this, I mean.” By “this,” I’m assuming she means me. Or us. Which is kind of nice. Although I don’t really know why she seems so surprised, since a guy who is trying to fix a huge poker tournament is probably not too concerned about telling a little lie about who he’s hooking up with.

  “Well, he’s in for a rude awakening,” Robyn says. She pats my back. But she doesn’t seem so sure. Mackenzie, however, is totally fired up, and she nods, then reaches over and gives Robyn a high five. After a rough start, apparently Robyn and Mackenzie have bonded over girl power and, I’d like to think, their love for me.

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Robyn says, rubbing my back. “You’re doing great.”

  “That’s because I haven’t actually had to do anything yet,” I say. Which is true. There has been a lot of waiting. And I haven’t been at Cole’s table yet, but that’s going to change soon, since the number of tables is getting smaller as people are getting knocked out.

  “Hey, guys,” Max yells from outside. “They’re starting up in two more minutes.”

  “Great,” I say. “Just great.” I wash my hands quickly at the sink. “Fill him in for me, will ya?”

  “Of course,” Robyn says.

  ? ? ? ?

  It’s forty-five minutes later when everything really starts to hit the fan. There are only fifteen people left in the tournament, and finally, I get put at a table with Cole. Michelle has gotten eliminated from the tournament, and I’m assuming she’s dumped her chips to Cole, along with a few other people, since he is by far the chip leader. Logan is still in the tournament, and there’s one other college kid who’s using the signs we all came up with. I’m assuming he’s a part of all this but was someone we weren’t allowed contact with, just in case anyone got caught.

  The first hand at my new table, I get dealt an okay starter hand—ace, jack—and the flop comes jack, eight, eight. Cole bets, and everyone except him, me, and one other person folds. Based on what we talked about, this means that now I should bet, and then Cole will check-raise me, and I’ll call. The point is to make it seem like we both have huge hands so that the other guy will get scared away, and in the end, Cole will end up with chips from both of us. But this isn’t what I do. Instead, after the turn, I check.

  The guy at the end of the table puts in a huge bet. Cole hesitates. Finally, he calls. I fold, and when the river comes, Cole’s flush loses to the other guy’s full house.

  The dealer pushes the huge mound of chips down to the end of the table, and I give Cole a “what are you doing?” look. Like maybe it’s his fault and he’s the one who didn’t play it right, not me. But this time I can tell he’s totally not buying it.

  ? ? ? ?

  At the next break, I don’t even have a chance to get to Max and Robyn before Cole grabs my arm and pulls me outside the room.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he says.

  “What do you mean?” I ask. I try to play dumb again and thank God that there are cameras throughout the whole casino. My heart is pounding really fast, and I’m afraid. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Max rise from his chair on the other side of the room and cross it in long strides. I try to telegraph to him to just chill, that I can handle it. But Max doesn’t listen. Um, either that or he doesn’t really get what I’m trying to say.

  “Just what I said,” Cole says angrily. “You’re doing it on purpose.”

  “No,” I say. “I just got confused. I think the signals are—”

  “That’s ridiculous,” he says. “You didn’t get confused, you’re being stupid, and doing it on purpose, and I want you to tell me WHAT. THE. HELL. IS. GOING. ON.”

  “Hey,” Max says from behind us, grabbing Cole by the sleeve of his leather jacket and spinning him around. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

  “Oh, and who are you?” Cole asks. “The new guy? How cute. Don’t waste your time, if you know what I mean.” I gasp. He was the one who didn’t ever try to go past third base! Mackenzie even said she thought he was gay! Max gasps, too, and then he grabs Cole by the collar.

  “I said,” Max repeats, “don’t talk to her like that.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Cole says, “however I feel like talking to her.” His dark eyes are flashing now.

  “No,” Max says. “You won’t.” They’re staring each other down, and for a second, I think Max is going to punch Cole. But then a casino security guard comes over and says, “Hey! Is there a problem here?”

  Neither one of them moves and it’s super-scary, because I think maybe it is going to be a big problem here, but finally Cole relaxes and turns to the guard. “No,” he says. “No problem here.” He turns away from Max until Max lets him go. The security guard gives them one more look and then leaves. Cole puts his cocky grin back on, but I can tell he’s rattled, and I saw the look of panic that crossed his face. Wow. Cole is afraid of getting caught. The whole time, I totally thought he was this scary guy, with the mob behind him or something. But he’s actually kind of … lame.

  Then Cole does exactly what I was afraid he might do.

  He looks at Max and then at me.

  And he says, “Go ahead and try to win. It doesn’t matter anyway, because I’ll just tell them you’re underage.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “And if you tell them I’m underage, I’ll tell them what you’re doing.”

  For a second, he seems unsure, and I think I just might have scared him into letting me go. But then his grin comes back, and he looks me right in the eye and says, “You mean what we’re doing.” And he pushes past us, back into the tournament room.

  “Shannon,” Max says, “are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’m fine.” But my knees feel weak and wobbly, and all I want to do is go home. Seriously. Going back into that room suddenly seems like an insurmountable task. Because the thing is, Cole’s right.

  We are doing this. I know what they’re doing, and I’m pretending to go along with it to save my own ass, while not really doing it. But it doesn’t matter that I haven’t technically been cheating. I know the plan. I’m supposed to be part of the plan. And if I turned them all in, I would be in trouble, too. There are hours and hours of Cole and me together on casino security tapes, not just from today, but from the past several weeks. It would be my word against theirs. I was naïve about the whole thing. I thought I could get off scot-free, but honestly, it just isn’t going to work out like that.

  “Shannon—”

  I don’t get to hear what Max is going to tell me, because the tournament is starting back up, and I have to take my place at the table. And Cole’s there, and he’s looking at me all smarmy-like, as if he thinks he’s going to be able to get one over on me. In that second, I really do kind of hate him. I take a deep breath and try to calm my thoughts. And then it becomes clear what I have to do.

  Turn myself in, so that I can turn them in.

  Otherwise I’m going to have to go along with their plan, and I still might get caught. If I don’t, who knows what they’ll do to me? I’ll have taken ten thousand dollars from them, and I don’t know that they’re going to take that l
ightly.

  So that’s it. It’s over. Everything. Wellesley will be gone. My parents will be pissed all over again. And who knows what other horrible things might happen? It’s kind of a relief, actually, to know that this whole thing is going to be done.

  But first I’m going to beat these jerks. I slide into my seat and get ready to play.

  ? ? ? ?

  After that, I’m kind of on autopilot. I play and run the percentages in my head and make the moves I’m supposed to. And I start to knock out the players of Aces Up one by one. Actually, that’s not quite true. I get most of Logan’s chips in a big hand he probably shouldn’t have played and then Joe dumps the rest of his chips to Cole.

  We play for hours. It’s almost two in the morning, and I’m starting to think that this is never going to end. Robyn, Max, and Mackenzie have all stayed with me the whole time. Robyn calls my parents and tells them we’re spending the night at her friend Nicole’s house. Mackenzie keeps bringing me drinks, and Max keeps coming over to my table and rubbing my back.(!!!)

  Finally, it’s down to just four people. Me, Cole, and two other guys who are definitely not in Aces Up. They’re older, and I haven’t caught them using any of the signals we agreed on.

  I am dealt a three and a seven, but I’m in the big blind, and no one raises, so I’m allowed to look at the flop for free.

  The flop comes three, jack, jack, giving me two pair. Cole checks, I bet, and the other two guys fold. Cole looks me right in the eye as he calls. Geez. What a jerk. Seriously, he’s about one step away from, like, threatening me or hissing at me or something. Weird.

  The next card, the turn, is a king. Cole bets out, and I have to think about it. The smart move might be to fold. I have two pair, but there’s definitely a chance that Cole has a jack in his hand, giving him three of a kind, or he could have king, jack, which would give him a full house. To make matters even worse, there are three hearts on the board, which means that Cole could have a flush. And even if he has only one heart in his hand, there’s a chance another heart could come on the river, allowing him to make his flush.