Hope you all like this one! Today is a good day to smile!


"I see your 5," said Darien, looking down at his cards, "and raise you." He threw in a few more chocolate chips in the center.

"Hmm." Serena looked at her own cards. Checking her cheat-sheet, she consulted how high her card combination ranked.

Darien had been trying to teach her how to play poker. Her sheet said that a pair was the lowest hand—with deuces being low and Aces high. Then two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, and then a few more.

Clutching her chocolate chips she wondered whether to raise him or fold.

"You're not suppose to eat the chips, Meatball Head."

"I'm not! Well, not this time." She had devoured four of her chips earlier forgetting that she needed them for the game.

"Alright, make your move." She started at her cards again. "No, no, don't keep staring at your hand; it's not going to change. Best to look once, put down the hand and try to not give anything away in your facial expression."

Sadly his Meatball Head's face expressed her every thought. He didn't think she'd ever be a master bluffer.

"Right," she said, nodding her head. She put down cards in front of her, stacking them neatly. "I raise you." Throwing more chocolate chips into the pot, she gave a smile.

"Just how good of a hand do you have?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked down at his own formidable cards. She couldn't really beat me, could she, he asked himself.

Giving a shrug, she looked down counting her chips.

"You know," she said, picking up a chocolate morsel, "these are good but we could bet other things, right?"

"Like money? 'Cause that might not be—"

"No, not money!" She needed that particular item for milkshakes. "I mean other things, like ways to make the game more interesting—"

Darien paused for a moment. No, he thought. She couldn't really be asking to play strip—

"—like you'd get coffee or something."

"Coffee—right! That's totally what I was thinking." He coughed, hiding a smile.

"So that's okay?" Nudging her chocolate chips, she looked up at him. "After these are done, we can bet other things?"

"Sure," he said, shrugging. "I don't see why not. It's just a harmless game. In fact," he gathered all his chips and dropped them in the center. "I'm all in."

"All in?"

"It means I'm betting everything I have."

"Oh!" She did the same with her chips. "Okay, then so am I!"

"Alright. Since we're out of chips, we bet something else."

"Right," she said, nodding her head. "We don't have to tell each other what it is yet, do we?"

"Hmm." He thought for a moment and shrugged. "I guess we don't have to. Might make the game more interesting."

"Alright then! I call your hand!" She folded her arms and demanded to see his cards.

"Read 'em and weep: Full House." He showed his three eights and two kings.

She checked her list and looked back at his cards. Picking up her own, she thought for a minute.

"Hmm." She smiled at him and licked her lips.

"What? What do you have?" She couldn't really have anything higher—could she?

"One," she said, putting down an Ace. "Two." Another ace joined the previous already laying between them. "Three." His stomach sank as she held out the last ace in her hand. "Four."

"F-four of a kind? With Aces?"

She grinned and gave a small laugh.

He glared at her for a moment, and then laughed.

"Fine, fine. I'm big enough to handle it."

"All mine!" she cheered, gathering up the chocolate chips. She popped a few in her mouth as she assembled them on her side. "Here!" Throwing one at him, she saw his mouth open and catch the flying chip.

"So," he said, "what else do you want?"

"Oh, right." She stood up straight and looked him in the eye. "I want a wish."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You want me to give you a wish?"

"Well, you don't have to give it to me," she said, shrugging.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You didn't think I'd forget, did you?" She gave him a smile. Laughing at his still confused expression, she leaned back and yelled to the back room. "Andrew!"

"What're you—"

"I'm coming!" said the bartender.

Opening the door to the back room, the blonde man walked in holding a large cake covered in red roses. There were several lit candles on it.

"No way!" Darien laughed as customers surrounded him, singing.

Happy Birthday to you!

"It's all yours, Dare!" said Andrew, placing the cake in front of his friend.

There were cheers and screams to blow out the candles!

"Don't forget the wish," Serena reminded him.

She had a huge smile on her face. Darien couldn't believe she held the secret for so long. Surely it took weeks to prepare this.

Looking down at the lit candles, he thought for a moment. If his Meatball Head could bluff this well with a surprise party...

Smiling, he inhaled deeply. He blew out his candles wishing to know all her secrets.


I wrote this little ditty for my birthday today!

I hope you all have a great day!

Leave a little review please? It would be the greatest gift ever! XD