Free Tricks by Ellen Hopkins Page B

came
    along. I took my big-brother job
    seriously then, and often helped
    Mom feed him, bathe him, put
    *
    him to bed. Déjà vu! Except this
    time he smells like cheap brew.
    Thirteen! How did he even get
    hold of the stuff? Ripped it off, no doubt. But from where? Or
    who? Damn it all, Cory! I tuck
    *
    a light blanket around him, go to check on Jack. He's snoring, pushed down into a painkiller
    pit. I pull up the foot of the Las-Z-
    Boy, cover him with Mom's
    favorite afghan. She'll be home
    *
    soon. Think I'll make my escape
    now. Things could get ugly, or at least complicated--when every-
    one wakes up and accusations get
    kicked back and forth. I don't want to play explanation dodgeball.
    160
    It's a Short Drive
    To Vince's apartment, not far from the UNLV campus. But since it's Friday evening, just past six, the freeway looks like a boulder
    field. I opt for surface streets, which aren't a whole lot better.
    *
    Which gives me way too much
    time to think about what's going on with Cory. I've been watching the anger build up inside him, and
    I know it's because things feel
    fragile in our once rock solid home.
    *
    I wasn't much older than he is the first time I sucked a few down.
    But I drank those Coronas for fun.
    I think Cory wanted to swallow his fear and it took a couple too many
    brews to make that happen.
    *
    Ah, here we go. Magenta Springs.
    Why does that remind me of blood?
    It's a pretty nice place, at least from the outside. I park in a visitor's space behind a tall stucco wall. My beater
    car is probably safe. What about me?
    161
    The Game Hasn't Started Yet
    Four or five guys are drinking.
    Smoking. Snorting something off the glass-topped coffee table.
    They barely notice me join the party, and that makes me a little nervous.
    Vince is setting up the card table.
    *
    He, at least, sees me come in. Hey.
    Help me out here. You brought
    some of that good green, didn't you?
    As I suspected, the key to my invite.
    When I nod, he surprises me. Cool.
    I'll throw some extra chips your way.
    *
    When he actually does, I'm even
    more surprised. Six of us belly up to the table, and I light a big fat one.
    I buy in for fifty, and he slides me
    sixty in chips. The dope is worth
    more, but I didn't expect anything,
    *
    so I figure I'm ahead. "Thanks."
    The poker-for-beginners rules
    said to watch the other players, learn how they "tell." In other
    words, read their body language.
    Three might as well tell for real.
    162
    You can see what they've got in their eyes. But Vince and some guy
    called Fly (pretty sure I don't want to know why) are damn good at bluffing.
    I keep my bets low. One pair ain't going to beat much, and that's all I'm dealt
    *
    for several hands. I bluff a couple of times, to make 'em think I know the game. Down thirty, the deal goes to Fly. I turn my cards over one at a time. Ten. Eight. Ten. One pair.
    Here we go again. King. Ten.
    *
    Holy crap. I swallow the rush. Can't
    tell 'em I've got three of a kind. Ante up.
    I don't bet too much. Ask for two cards without smiling. One dude folds.
    Another bets five. Vince calls, raises
    ten. I flip one card. It's a three. Fuck.
    *
    Bet comes to me as I flip the last card.
    Ten. Four of a kind? Calm. Stay calm.
    I raise Vince twenty. Fly folds. Vince
    looks into my eyes, but I give nothing
    away. He calls, shows two pairs.
    I win! For once in my life, I win!
    163
    I Leave Vince's
    Two hundred dollars richer.
    I'm walking on water, oh yeah, and the rush is effing amazing.
    Only one thing could make
    this night better. I dial Ronnie's
    number. "Hey. It's me. You
    *
    up for some fun?" I knew her answer before I asked the question, and she doesn't live far. When
    I get there, it's too late to knock on the door, so I go to her window.
    It's the only one with a light in it.
    *
    My head is Tilt-A-Whirling with substance abuse, but more because of finishing off the evening as a winner. I won at poker. And I'm about to win at something even
    better. Ronnie comes to the