The Real LJ Idol - Mini-Season - Week 1 - Trust everyone; but cut the cards
This is my entry for Week 1 of LJ Idol (therealljidol).
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"I think I like Ricky," she says, twirling a tendril of long brown hair around her index finger. "Like like him."
"Ya think?" I answer, grinning knowingly at her from across the table.
"Shut up." She sticks her tongue out and tosses the pack of cards at me.
As she muses about Ricky's baseball team and how he walked her home from the park, I pull the cards out from their pack and begin to shuffle. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but the motion is unnatural and my fingers are clumsy. The cards fan out all over, flying across the table and on to the floor. She helps me collect them, but doesn't miss a beat. She's still talking about Ricky's smile and how he can do a backflip off the bottom of the slide. I shuffle more carefully, only half listening, and then slide the deck back across the table to her.
"Cut them."
She does, but not before asking, "do you think he likes me too?"
"Of course," I say, taking the cards back and dealing them out evenly between the two of us. "It's obvious."
And it is. Ricky has been not so subtly flirting with her for the past two weeks, which, in the life of a thirteen year old is almost like forever. She seems satisfied with this answer and happily pushes her half of the cards into a neat little pile.
"War?"
I nod and we both throw down a card.
**
"Ok, so the big news is," she plops down on the floor across from me with an excited hand wave, "me and Ricky kissed."
"About time," I tease. "You have been dating the guy for a month."
"Shut up." She pouts and tosses the pack of cards at me.
"How was it?" I ask, sliding the cards out from their container as I tuck my leg beneath me.
She takes a deep breath and then quickly launches into a detailed retelling of the kiss as I shuffle the cards. I nod and make affirmative "mhmm" noises where appropriate and laugh when she tells me how he accidentally pinched her bottom lip between their teeth. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but some of the cards slide out of place. My fingers are fast enough to catch them and push them back. She's still talking as I slide the deck across the carpet to her.
"Cut," I say, only momentarily interrupting her deep contemplation over which flavor lip gloss she should wear for the next time.
She does as instructed and I deal the appropriate number of cards out.
"How about the strawberry one you got at Mandee's?" I suggest.
"Strawberry?" she says, tilting her head in thought as she stacks her cards. "He does like strawberry bubble gum. What game?"
"Spit," I say with a grin.
She leans over and flicks my shoulder before lining up her cards.
**
"Ricky asked me to go to his prom," she squeals, running in and bouncing down next to me on the bed. "He called me right before I came."
"Were you under the impression he might actually ask someone else?" I ask, playfully tossing a fluffy blue pillow at her. "You're his girlfriend."
"Shut up." She throws the pillow back at me and then pulls a pack of cards out from the front pocket of her hoodie.
"Well, did you say yes?" I ask sarcastically, taking the pack from her and sliding out the cards.
"Of course I did! And I already told him we're going to go in matching pink."
I stifle a laugh and start to shuffle. She's already listing off possible hairstyles and makeup options and trying to decide between gold or silver accent jewelry. She's wondering if she should choose shoes that look cute or more sensible ones that will be comfortable for dancing and whether or not her boobs will look good in a strapless gown. I offer my opinion where it fits - silver jewelry, comfortable shoes, yes your boobs will look great - and move the cards between my fingers. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but when I lift the cards they fall flat instead of creating a satisfying bridge.
"Do you think we'll... you know," she says, her eyes wide. "Prom night and all."
I arch an eyebrow and smooth the bedspread between us before sliding the deck towards her. "If you both want to, I guess. Cut them."
She does and then sighs, pushing them back to me. She seems lost in thought as I deal out the cards, but she picks up her hand and fans them out.
"Rummy?" I suggest.
She nods and offers me a smile.
**
"Ricky..." she says, her voice cracking in her throat. Her eyes are red and puffy and she sniffles as I pull her off the porch and into the house. "I just... I don't know. I trusted him..."
"I know," I say, hugging her tightly. "I know you did. I'm so sorry. Do you want me to go chop off his balls?"
"Shut up." She makes a hiccupping sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
"You didn't say no." I give her a shrug and she grins, though her eyes are still sparkling with tears.
She follows me into the living room and collapses down onto my couch with a heavy sigh. As she kicks off her boots, I crouch down and open the cabinet beneath the tv to fetch a pack of cards.
"He said it would be okay. He said we could do long distance while we were away at college. We were supposed to be committed. I don't even know how long this has been going on!"
I listen intently as she tells me everything. Her voice is hoarse and rough, but it's a voice any seasoned best friend could easily decipher. The cards move between my fingers, but it's habit now and I don't even have to glance down. The pain in her voice is palpable, but she manages to laugh and smile here and there throughout and I know that she'll be okay. I successfully complete a perfect riffle shuffle, the cards fanning out and then flat as I bend them back, but I don't even notice.
"I can't believe I wasted so much time on him!" She huffs, taking the cards from my hands. Without cutting the deck, she starts forcefully dealing them out.
"What are we playing?" I ask, picking up my allotted cards.
She wipes the wetness from her cheeks with her palms and grins at me.
"Old maid."
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This is a riffle shuffle!:
********************************************************
"I think I like Ricky," she says, twirling a tendril of long brown hair around her index finger. "Like like him."
"Ya think?" I answer, grinning knowingly at her from across the table.
"Shut up." She sticks her tongue out and tosses the pack of cards at me.
As she muses about Ricky's baseball team and how he walked her home from the park, I pull the cards out from their pack and begin to shuffle. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but the motion is unnatural and my fingers are clumsy. The cards fan out all over, flying across the table and on to the floor. She helps me collect them, but doesn't miss a beat. She's still talking about Ricky's smile and how he can do a backflip off the bottom of the slide. I shuffle more carefully, only half listening, and then slide the deck back across the table to her.
"Cut them."
She does, but not before asking, "do you think he likes me too?"
"Of course," I say, taking the cards back and dealing them out evenly between the two of us. "It's obvious."
And it is. Ricky has been not so subtly flirting with her for the past two weeks, which, in the life of a thirteen year old is almost like forever. She seems satisfied with this answer and happily pushes her half of the cards into a neat little pile.
"War?"
I nod and we both throw down a card.
**
"Ok, so the big news is," she plops down on the floor across from me with an excited hand wave, "me and Ricky kissed."
"About time," I tease. "You have been dating the guy for a month."
"Shut up." She pouts and tosses the pack of cards at me.
"How was it?" I ask, sliding the cards out from their container as I tuck my leg beneath me.
She takes a deep breath and then quickly launches into a detailed retelling of the kiss as I shuffle the cards. I nod and make affirmative "mhmm" noises where appropriate and laugh when she tells me how he accidentally pinched her bottom lip between their teeth. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but some of the cards slide out of place. My fingers are fast enough to catch them and push them back. She's still talking as I slide the deck across the carpet to her.
"Cut," I say, only momentarily interrupting her deep contemplation over which flavor lip gloss she should wear for the next time.
She does as instructed and I deal the appropriate number of cards out.
"How about the strawberry one you got at Mandee's?" I suggest.
"Strawberry?" she says, tilting her head in thought as she stacks her cards. "He does like strawberry bubble gum. What game?"
"Spit," I say with a grin.
She leans over and flicks my shoulder before lining up her cards.
**
"Ricky asked me to go to his prom," she squeals, running in and bouncing down next to me on the bed. "He called me right before I came."
"Were you under the impression he might actually ask someone else?" I ask, playfully tossing a fluffy blue pillow at her. "You're his girlfriend."
"Shut up." She throws the pillow back at me and then pulls a pack of cards out from the front pocket of her hoodie.
"Well, did you say yes?" I ask sarcastically, taking the pack from her and sliding out the cards.
"Of course I did! And I already told him we're going to go in matching pink."
I stifle a laugh and start to shuffle. She's already listing off possible hairstyles and makeup options and trying to decide between gold or silver accent jewelry. She's wondering if she should choose shoes that look cute or more sensible ones that will be comfortable for dancing and whether or not her boobs will look good in a strapless gown. I offer my opinion where it fits - silver jewelry, comfortable shoes, yes your boobs will look great - and move the cards between my fingers. I attempt a riffle shuffle, but when I lift the cards they fall flat instead of creating a satisfying bridge.
"Do you think we'll... you know," she says, her eyes wide. "Prom night and all."
I arch an eyebrow and smooth the bedspread between us before sliding the deck towards her. "If you both want to, I guess. Cut them."
She does and then sighs, pushing them back to me. She seems lost in thought as I deal out the cards, but she picks up her hand and fans them out.
"Rummy?" I suggest.
She nods and offers me a smile.
**
"Ricky..." she says, her voice cracking in her throat. Her eyes are red and puffy and she sniffles as I pull her off the porch and into the house. "I just... I don't know. I trusted him..."
"I know," I say, hugging her tightly. "I know you did. I'm so sorry. Do you want me to go chop off his balls?"
"Shut up." She makes a hiccupping sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
"You didn't say no." I give her a shrug and she grins, though her eyes are still sparkling with tears.
She follows me into the living room and collapses down onto my couch with a heavy sigh. As she kicks off her boots, I crouch down and open the cabinet beneath the tv to fetch a pack of cards.
"He said it would be okay. He said we could do long distance while we were away at college. We were supposed to be committed. I don't even know how long this has been going on!"
I listen intently as she tells me everything. Her voice is hoarse and rough, but it's a voice any seasoned best friend could easily decipher. The cards move between my fingers, but it's habit now and I don't even have to glance down. The pain in her voice is palpable, but she manages to laugh and smile here and there throughout and I know that she'll be okay. I successfully complete a perfect riffle shuffle, the cards fanning out and then flat as I bend them back, but I don't even notice.
"I can't believe I wasted so much time on him!" She huffs, taking the cards from my hands. Without cutting the deck, she starts forcefully dealing them out.
"What are we playing?" I ask, picking up my allotted cards.
She wipes the wetness from her cheeks with her palms and grins at me.
"Old maid."
*************************************
This is a riffle shuffle!: