Four Of A Kind - Chapter 154: [3.56] I Lied

Chapter 154: [3.56] I Lied

“What? No! Shut up!” Cassidy’s ears were practically glowing. “I just think it’s stupid to change the rules in the middle of the game!”

“You literally just changed teams.”

“That’s different!”

“How?”

“Because…” Cassidy struggled for words. “Because it is!”

I cleared my throat. “Your turn, Sabrina.” I nodded to the pile.

Sabrina played a yellow three.

Cassidy followed with a yellow six.

My turn. I had one yellow card left – a yellow four. I played it.

“Uno!” Cassidy announced triumphantly, holding up her final card.

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t get cocky.”

She played a yellow skip.

My turn got skipped. Back to Cassidy.

Cassidy’s hand hovered over her last card. Victory was one move away.

“Wait,” Sabrina said. “Before you play, let me ask you something, Cass.”

Cassidy paused. “What?”

“This morning, when you were texting Isaiah about the photos. What did you tell him?”

Cassidy’s face went blank. “Nothing important.”

“Really? Because you seemed quite… invested in those photos. Especially the ones from the ice cream shop with Harlow.”

I tensed. This was a distraction technique. Classic Sabrina.

“I told him the photos were fine,” Cassidy said, avoiding eye contact. “That’s all.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” Sabrina tapped her remaining cards against the table. “Because Harlow told me you said something else. Something about sharks circling bait?”

Cassidy’s eyes widened. Her hand with the final card trembled slightly.

“That’s… that’s not…”

“What did you mean by that, Cass? What sharks? What bait?”

Cassidy looked at me, then quickly away. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does. I think you’ve been planning something.”

“Cassidy,” I interrupted, “it’s still your turn. Play your card.”

Cassidy looked at her final card like it might bite her. “I…”

“Play the card,” I said firmly. “Don’t let her distract you.”

Sabrina smiled. “Yes, Cass. Play your card. Show us what you’ve been hiding.”

Cassidy’s face went through a series of expressions – panic, resolve, defiance, then finally, resignation. She placed her final card face down on the table.

“I can’t play,” she said quietly.

“What do you mean, you can’t play?” I frowned.

“I mean I don’t have a match. I have to draw.”

Sabrina’s smile widened. “How unfortunate.”

Cassidy drew a card from the pile, her victory evaporating. Her shoulders slumped.

My turn now. I had four cards left: a red seven, a green seven, a wild card, and a draw four. The top card was a yellow skip.

I couldn’t play on yellow. But I could change the color.

I played my wild card. “Red.”

Sabrina played a red four.

Cassidy, now with two cards, played a red reverse.

The order flipped again. Now it went from Sabrina to me to Cassidy.

Sabrina played a red 9.

My turn. I played my red seven.

Cassidy played her final card – a red five.

“Uno out,” she said, voice flat. “I win.”

Sabrina stared at the pile in disbelief. “That’s impossible. You said you couldn’t play last turn.”

“I lied,” Cassidy said, smirking. “Isaiah taught me about bluffing.”

I did no such thing, but I wasn’t about to correct her.

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You cheated.”

“I played strategically,” Cassidy countered. “House rules.”

Sabrina looked at me. “Did you know she was going to do that?”

I shrugged. “I suspected. But you two know each other better than I know either of you. I was just playing the odds.”

“The odds.” Sabrina repeated the words like they tasted strange. “You turned this game into a probability calculation.”

“Isn’t that what you did?” I raised an eyebrow. “You were counting cards from the beginning. Tracking our hands. Reading our faces.”

A small, genuine smile crept across Sabrina’s face. “You noticed.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“No. You’re not.” She gathered the cards, shuffling them back into the deck with expert motions. “Well played, both of you.”

Cassidy was practically bouncing in her seat. “So no studying today? We can just hang out?”

“That was the deal,” I confirmed.

“Sweet!” She pumped her fist. “I’m thinking video games. Or the tennis courts. Or maybe we could—”

“Actually,” Sabrina interrupted, standing up, “I believe I promised to help you study if you won.”

Cassidy’s face fell. “But… but we said no studying today! That was the whole point!”

“No, we said no studying with Isaiah today. You still have a test Friday, and we agreed I’d help you.”

Cassidy looked like she might explode. “That’s not fair!”

“Life rarely is.” Sabrina tucked the UNO deck into her skirt pocket. “Isaiah can go home early. I’ll handle your test prep.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Sabrina held up a hand.

“You’ve been looking exhausted all day. Whatever happened with your phone has clearly drained you. Go home. Rest. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command.

Cassidy looked between us, conflict clear on her face. “But…”

“It’s fine,” I said, standing up. “Sabrina’s right. I’m not at my best today.”

“But you promised we’d hang out,” Cassidy said, her voice smaller than I’d ever heard it.

“Rain check,” I offered. “After you ace your test on Friday.”

Her eyes lit up slightly. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Sabrina watched this exchange with unreadable eyes. “I’ll walk you out.”

As we left the library, I glanced back at Cassidy. She was already opening her textbook, a determined look on her face. Whatever Sabrina had planned for her study session, Cassidy wasn’t fighting it anymore.

“She’ll be fine,” Sabrina said quietly as we walked. “I’m actually a very good tutor when I want to be.”

“I believe it.”

Sabrina stopped halfway down the hall. “Isaiah.”

“Yes?”

“The next time someone tries to contact you that you don’t want to speak to, you can come here. I’m always willing to listen.”

I stared at her. How did she know so much? How did she always know?

“Thank you,” I said finally.

“It’s nothing.” She turned to go, then paused. “Just one more thing.”

“What?”

“My invitation stands. The Botany Garden exhibit.”

Before I could respond, she was gone, gliding back toward the library like a ghost.