.
Losing Out
Kath Toom liked winning.
Of course, most people liked winning...she knew that, even if they didn't say it themselves. But even the voices emanating from her friends notwithstanding, she liked winning all the same. Liked it when she won. Whether it be on the padball courts or this game of Go Fish, Kath Toom aimed to win. Even when those around her seemed so intent on making it easy for her.
"George..." asked Jack, currently tying with her for the highest number of full sets. "Got any nines?"
George sighed and passed his nine, bringing Jack's number to...to...
Three. Need one more...
"Kath, got any nines?" Julian asked.
"Go fish."
Scowling, Jack went fishing, and apparently came up with a card that wasn't nine, considering the lack of a new pile in his deck, but...
Ten...
Kath stared at her friend, who stared back at her. Was he trying to maintain what her father called a poker face (whatever poker was)? If so, he seemed to be defeating the purpose of it, considering that he'd just told her what card he'd got.
"So, Jack..." the young girl asked. "Got any tens?"
"...you're kidding, right?"
"Well, you've got a ten haven't you?"
"I...you...fine!" the boy exclaimed, tossing over his card and granting Kath a new pile in the process. "Just picked it up as well!"
George looked solemn, no doubt because he was losing. Jack looked peeved, considering that he'd been on the road to winning. And across the table they were at, Marcus looked curious.
"You knew he had a ten Kath?" he asked. "Is your gut really that good?"
"Not really," the vice-president's daughter answered. "He just told me."
Told you? Come on, are you really-...
Not natural. Telling you, it's not natural...
Fekkin' slike, she always does this! Have a good hand, and...
"Kath? You alright?"
"...what does fekkin' mean?"
George stared. Marcus stared. Jack seemed intent on not staring, as if avoiding eye contact would give him an advantage. And all the while, Kath felt her headache wax and wane, and wonder what "fekk" meant...and why everyone was so confused as to why she'd asked it. It seemed like a naughty word, the type that daddy told her not to say. But no-one answered. And that left only one course of action.
"George, got any eights?"
"...yes."
It was the way the game would go on from then. Ask for a card, get a card, and only not get a card when the others weren't telling her what cards they had. Go fish this, kings that, feeling like an ace with four jacks...it wasn't long before the game was over. And it took an even shorter amount of time for the players to determine that Kath had the most cards.
And I lose...again...
Not natural...just not natural...
"Oh for fekk's sake, this happens (bloody curve) every time!" Jack exclaimed, sending his cards scattering so that the king of clubs was on his queen of hearts-as if representing how he himself was feeling. "Kath always wins!"
"Well, what can I say? It's girl power," Kath smiled uneasily, even if "girl power" was something she seemed to lack. Not many girls wanted to play with her nowadays. Not since she started repeating secrets that they'd already told her.
"It's...it's something else..." Marcus whispered (not natural, just not natural). "It's like...like you can read minds..."
"Oh come on, that's just science fiction," George exclaimed (I hate losing). "I suppose you buy into all that conspiracy crap about Confederate psionic (ghosts, right? Think they're called ghosts) warriors?"
"Ghosts?" Kath asked. "That's a strange name."
"...what the hell?"
Kath didn't know what was going on. Why George was backing away from her as if he was...afraid. Why Marcus had already left the table. And why Jack was making eye contact with her...the type that actually made her uncomfortable.
Mum's right...she's not normal...
"Jack, come on," Kath exclaimed. "Your mother-..."
"Stay away!" he spat, getting up in turn to follow the other boys. "Just...just..."
"Jack, if it's just because I won-..."
"You always win!" he exclaimed. "You always fekking win!"
And with that, he headed off, leaving Kath to reflect on another strange fact.
She'd won the game...
...so why did it feel like she'd lost?