White Weewoos don't exist. *shifty eyes* Circulation: 192,289,221 Issue: 640 | 11th day of Eating, Y16
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Trying to Out Cheat a Cheater


by primeanya

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Panicking was not an option. To show fear would be to give up and I could not consent to that; neither mentally nor physically. Thus I must force myself to push past any and all emotions I might of had that could read on my face and show weakness.

     The game was Cheat! and it seemed to be a true challenge. Testing a player's attention, strategy, and patience, not to mention how they control their facial features, Cheat! seemed to be putting a lot of strain on my skills. It was hard to even think of what to do next, while focusing on keeping a clear face. Looking at my seven cards with no pairs, I could barely keep my face from twisting in disappointment and disgust at my own luck for getting such cards.

     The game had been going on for a while now; dragging on due to the unluckiness of the draw and the inevitable lies. I had gotten caught in a lie more often than not, being called out on my "cheats". Probably the reason why have the most cards amongst the four of us. I wasn't the only one to be called on a lie however, as all of my opponents have been caught in one or two; I was just the unlucky one to be caught in the most.

     Trying to take my mind off of the difficultly of my facial expressions, I scanned my three opponents. I had also hoped to possibly come up with a strategy while examining their faces. If I could see any weakness and play on that, I might be able to come up with something.

     I looked first to the opponent to my left. A beautiful, redheaded Kyrii with a exotic name to match her exotic appearance sat there staring at her cards. Her name... Capara. One could tell her focus was not on a game. While she might have her dark eyes directed at her own cards, her hand twirled her layer strands around her fingers.

     If one had ever stepped into a hair salon or into any shop selling any type of hair product, they probably would have met Capara. She was known for fancying her hair over everything else. Her fiery mane received the most attention, though it was no surprise as to why. It was a beautiful, bright colour, a perfect length and style, and a wonderful texture. In other words, her hair was perfect. Any other Kyrii would be envious. Even a Xweetok like myself felt a ting of jealously while looking at her dazzling locks.

     She seemed to be focused on playing her hair instead of coming up with a strategy. An occasional sigh and yawn would distort her otherwise tired face. Many people would say she was easy to play against, as it was easy to tell when she was cheating. I call that a bluff. She seemed like a rather well-practiced liar, only slipping once or twice. It might also because I a newbie to this entire game, but she seems to be rather difficult to crack.

     Right now however, Capara was not the one to worry about. She was only one card in front of me with six cards. If I calculated correctly, and no promises there, she too had no pairs or anything greater. She was not a threat as of the moment.

     Beside her and right across from me was the teenage Tuskaninny, a kid named Little Timmy. His name, I hoped to refer to his age, as he was much bigger than me. Maybe it was sarcasm or the "irony"... Anyway, he was truly not threat.

     The wannabe punk was no real harm to anyone. The only way he seemed to get this far without being dead last was his luck. He had no true skill, even though he feigned it. His darting eyes, quivering lip, and occasional sweat drop showed he had no clue what he was doing.

     From what I heard, he had just started in the Cheat! circuit before myself. I would believe you if you told me he started just the day before. Dare I make myself come across cocky, if I haven't already even with the lack of skill, Little Timmy was no match when it came to anything that didn't rely on luck.

     It would only be time when this kid's luck would run out. He put on a tough exterior, probably to try to blend in with the tough crowd that was associated with the game, but he even seemed to know that it was only time. He was tied with Capara at five cards. I hadn't really concerned myself with trying to figure out his deck, though in retrospect, I should have. For all I knew, he could have pairs or even something better... Four of a kind!

     On the other side of him and to my right sat the one I truly had to worry about. He was ahead of all of us with three cards. His ever-present and rather cocky smile always sent me into a panic when I even glanced at it. It could cause even the biggest Neopet to worry about their next move and what he could be planning to rebuff it with. His name was just a continuation of his cool aura... Branston.

     The golden Eyrie had matching gold bling. it was a rather flashy appearance, but his personality seemed rather flashy. He was full of himself, preferring if everything were to revolve around him. It wasn't any wonder how his ego grew, as he seemed to have the most talent in this group.

     He was known for his flash on the dance floor as well. If one wanted to see the full extent of personality, one would only need to sneak a peak across the discotheque and check out the Eyrie busting a move. His flashiness would surely blind you if you looked too long. His Cheat! moves was really no different than his dance moves; both were showy, in-your-face, and head of the class.

     His smile was always present, hence ever-present, which made it hard to tell if he was happy because he found a pair or if he was just pulling our leg. He seemed to be the most skilled at cheating, which did not make me feel any better sitting right beside him. His intimidating eyes would slowly travel over his cards and then across each one of his opponents. I once had the misfortune to look up while he was doing this and locked eyes with him. I felt my soul drain from me for a second. He was definitely the master of this small group.

     I quickly scanned these three characters multiple times, trying to think of what to do next. It was rather difficult. I was really concerned with fooling Branston, as he was the one who would call me out most of the times. I feel like Capara would just guess if I was cheating, calling me out if no one else would. Little Timmy rarely ever spoke up, afraid to be false and gain the pile sitting in the middle of the table. Branston, however, showed no such fear and would call my "cheat". Most often than not, I was cheating. I actually think I had not been cheating only once when he called me a cheater.

     Taking a look at the sinister, mocking pile in the middle, I saw how large it had become. It had been a couple of turns since no one had called anyone out. Caught in a lie or wrong about calling someone a cheater, all those cards would move to the sorry Neopet's deck. It would put a damper on any sort of parade.

     I really needed to make up my mind. If I tried to just do one card at a time, I would never win. That much was certain. Even if I called Branston a cheater, there would be a chance he wasn't and I would gain the pile for being wrong. If that were to happen, I would definitely be in trouble.

     "Elroy!"

     Branston had called out my name all while sending a glare my way. I looked up to see Capara and Little Timmy had joined him in looking at me. They weren't shooting the daggers like Branston was.

     "Are you going to play or not? Should we just consider your 50 neopoints a donation?" he asked, his smirk growing larger with reference to my neopoints.

     It was then I realized how much he irritated me. It was probably what he wanted; get me sidetracked with emotions like annoyance and anger, yet I was definitely in that red area. I had to win. It was principle now.

     I took one last look at my hand and gave a swift nod, not truly directed at anyone.

     Clear your face, I thought to myself.

     With as straight as a face as I could make, I took a big breath before continuing.

     "Okay..." I said. "I am playing..."

The End

 
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