Jaden felt all eyes on her as she sat in the gym. She tried to ignore the eyes on her while she played solitaire, but they were so prominent. And her game wasn't going too well either. Jaden sighed and packed up the deck. She grabbed her plate and stood. Eating alone was better than eating with all the derogatory stares.

"Hey Jaden, can I sit with you?" Matt asked.

"Tables yours Matt, I'm gonna eat in my room." Jaden answered.

"Well can I come? Dad and Hal aren't here yet and Ben's still sulking somewhere." Matt explained.

Jaden sighed. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Hey, we could go to my room!" Matt suggested.

"Matt-"

"Please Jaden! Come one, we could pay cards together. I'm the best speed player ever!" Matt explained.

Jaden smiled. "Lead the way Mattie."

"Yes!" Matt turned and headed back toward the hall. Jaden was close on his heels. Matt led the way down the hall, weaving through stragglers heading to the gym. He skid to a stop outside the door. He pushed open the door. "Here we are."

Inside the room was similar to Jaden's, only the number of cots were greater…as was the mess. Matt sat down on the floor and set his plate beside him. "Come on JJ."

"Since when do you get to call me JJ?" Jaden asked. She sat down across from Matt.

Matt shrugged. "Ben said that's what Maggie calls you."

"Maggie is my roommate. And why did Ben tell you that?" Jaden replied.

"You're all he ever talks about." Matt answered.

Jaden looked up. "What?"

"Ben only talks about you and what you two do together." Matt explained.

Jaden arched a brow. "Really?"

"Uh huh. He really likes you. Like, likes you." Matt said. "So, what can we play?"

"Um…lets see. Goldfish, war, old maid…speed?"

"Speed." Matt answered.

Jaden smiled. She pulled out the cards and shuffled them up. "Speed it is."

Ben walked through the halls of the school, heading back toward his families room. He'd come back inside just a few minutes after the dinner bell. He walked through the line slowly, gotten what he felt like eating, and made a B-line without making eye contact with anyone. As he drew closer to the room, he could hear laughter and shouts coming from inside. He could make out Matt, Hal, his dad, and a few others. He gently pushed open the door. His dad, Hal, Matt, Anne, Dai, Maggie, Anthony, and Jaden were all sitting on the floor playing cards.

Tom looked up. "Hey, Ben you're right on time."

"What are you doing?" Ben asked.

"What's it look like fool? We're playing cards. You in?" Hal asked.

Ben looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be eager to hear his response, except for Jaden who couldn't meet his gaze. "What game?"

"Blackjack." Tom answered.

"Sure. Deal me in." Ben said. He walked around the group and sat down between Hal and Jaden.

"Alright Jaden, deal us up." Tom said.

"Okay, game is blackjack. Playing for secrets, so you better have one picked. Closest to twenty-one is safe, you bust you lose. Aces are worth eleven only." Jaden explained as she shuffled. She sent out the first two cards. "Okay, Twelve for Matt. Thirteen for Tom. Anne has twenty. Dai has eleven. Anthony starts with fourteen. Maggie has six. Hal has twenty. Ben has fourteen and dealer has twenty." She turned to Matt. "What'll you take Matt?"

"Hit me." He said. Jaden and Tom both reached over and hit Matt in the shoulder. The others started laughing. "Funny."

Jaden dealt out a seven. "Matt's up to nineteen. Tom?"

"Hit me." Matt and Anne both his Tom. "Nice."

Jaden dealt out a nine. "And the first to bust and spill their secrets is the professor."

Tom winced and shook his head. "Not good."

"Spill dad." Hal said.

Tom thought for a moment. "Okay, when I was about five, I convinced my sister I ate a worm. And she then proceeded to do the same."

Matt, Ben, and Hal jumped into the conversation. "Aunt Leah?"

Tom nodded.

"No way." Matt cried.

"Is that why she refuses to go into her garden?" Ben asked.

"Yep."

"You were a mean big brother." Anne said.

"No, he was the younger brother." Hal said, trying to keep his laughter down.

The rest of the group burst into laughter.

"Anne?" Jaden asked, still laughing.

Anne shook her head.

"Dai?"

"I'll take a card."

Jaden flipped the next card. "Ace! Spill it Dai."

"I uh…I skipped middle school completely." Dai explained.

Tom's brows shot up. "Wow."

"That must've been good. Middle schooler in high school classes." Anthony chuckled.

"Hey, I learned the fastest ways out of every building after that." Dai explained.

"Anthony?"

Anthony nodded. "I'll take one."

Jaden flipped the next card. "Two. Sixteen. Maggie?"

"Yep."

Ten. "Maggie's up sixteen as well. Hal?"

"I'm staying." Hal answered.

"Ben?" Jaden asked.

Ben bit his lip. "Hit me."

Hal and Jaden hit Ben on the shoulder. "I can't believe I walked into that one."

Jaden smirked and dealt out a six. "Twenty. So unless we want to go another round, everyone but Anne, Hal, Ben, and dealer have to spill."

"Oh what the hell." Maggie said. "I used to be a ballerina, when I was five."

"Whoa, I dunno if I can live with that knowledge." Hal said.

Maggie smirked and hit Hal in the back of the head.

"I once went into an elevator dressed as Elvis." Anthony explained.

The group burst into laughter.

"Hey, hey, hey, alcohol was involved."

"Before or after your academy days?" Jaden managed.

"Before, smart ass." Anthony explained.

"Um…I used to use Hal's tee shirts as capes while he was at school." Matt said.

Tom chuckled. "I remember that."

"Wait, is that why my zombie tee had massive stains on the back? That was my favorite shirt!" Hal asked.

Ben busted into laughter.

"Jaden, another hand." Tom said.

Jaden gathered the cards and shuffled them up. She sent round the cards. "Matt has sixteen, Tom has fifteen, Anne has another twenty, Dai has twenty, Anthony has nine, Maggie has eleven, Hal has eighteen, Ben has fourteen, and dealer has seventeen. Matt?"

Matt pat the ground. "Gimmie a card."

Jaden tossed out the card. "Three. Nineteen now. Tom?"

Tom nodded. "Bring it on."

"Two, seventeen. Anne you won't want one. Dai's passing too. Anthony?" Jaden said.

"Hit me." Dai and Maggie punched Anthony. Anthony rolled his eyes.

Jaden dealt out a seven. "Sixteen. Mags?"

"I'll take one."

Jaden dealt out. "Ouch, Ace. Twenty-two."

Maggie sighed. "Damn. Okay when I was ten I went through this phase of pink and even died my hair pink."

Hal laughed beside her.

"Hal?"

Hal nodded.

"Oooo, twenty-eight. Spill Hal." Jaden said.

"Crap." Hal mumbled. "Uh…I once had dad convinced that Matt was going to be a girl."

"What?" Matt asked.

Tom lowered his head into his hand. "Oh my god I cannot believe you remember that."

"Wait, what?" Ben asked.

"You were still young, but um…I had to stay late at the University and your mom had an appointment. I called the house when I could and Hal picked up and said, 'Daddy both girls are okay'. And I thought that meant we were having a girl. So imagine my surprise when she tells me that we're having a boy." Tom explained.

"You got a master manipulator here, Mason." Maggie said.

Tom nodded.

"Ben?"

"I'll take a card."

Jaden dealt. "Two, sixteen. And dealer takes one…nine. Dealer busts."

"So what's your secret?" Anne asked.

"I was once a Broadway performer." Jaden said.

"Really?" Tom asked. "Wow."

"What kind of performance?" Hal asked.

"Musicals."

"What was your favorite?" Matt asked.

"Definitely Lion King. Now, your turn Matt." Jaden said.

"I hid a twinkie in my room to see how long they last." Matt said.

"If our house is still there, chances are the twinkie is definitely there. Those things last for years Matt." Hal explained.

Anne nodded. "They really do."

Tom cleared his throat. "Guess it's my turn again. I cannot stand seafood. At all."

"Oh that's bad." Anthony said.

"You live in Boston and you can't stand seafood, what is wrong with you?" Jaden asked.

Tom shook his head. "Just a preference."

"Yeah, going out was always hard." Ben said.

Dai nudged Anthony. "Yeah, yeah man. I uh…I never learned how to ride a bike. An actually bicycle. Not until after the skitters attacked."

"I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for you Anthony." Hal said, chuckling.

"You can shut it Hal." Anthony joked.

Jaden gathered the cards. "Well, before we have an all-out war over our secrets, I think I'll head out."

"Sounds good Jaden. It's getting late and we all have jobs tomorrow." Anne said. She rose from the ground.

"Guess that means I'm out too. Don't wanna disturb my roommate." Maggie joked.

"Hasn't stopped you before." Jaden replied. She tossed the deck to Dai. "Thanks for letting me borrow the cards."

Dai shook his head. "You scavenged them JJ."

Tom stood up. "Well thanks for dropping by everyone. It was a good night."

Everyone but the Mason's filed out of the room. Matt hopped onto his mat. Ben quickly slipped out of the room. Jaden and Maggie were walking down the hall alone while Dai, Anthony, and Anne took the opposite direction.

"Jaden, hold up." Ben called.

Jaden and Maggie turned.

Maggie smirked. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't keep him up too late JJ."

"Goodnight Maggie." Jaden said with an edge in her voice.

Maggie turned and continued walking down the hall.

"Look I just wanted to apologize for how I reacted this morning."

Jaden held up her hand. "Ben, you have every reason to be upset. I should have been honest with you from the beginning."

"Well I didn't exactly handle it well. Considering we're in the same situation." Ben replied.

Jaden shrugged. "Hey, all thing considering, I'm surprised you're still talking to me. So, you think we can still work together after this?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah. I think we can."

Jaden held out her hand. "Partners?"

"I thought I was the pack mule?"

"If you wanna be the pack mule, that's fine." Jaden smirked.

Ben returned the smirk and shook Jaden's hand. "Partners."

Jaden nodded and released her hand. "We're off supplies for the time being, but that's no excuse to get sloppy on training."

"Won't happen." Ben promised.

"Good. Night." Jaden said.

"Goodnight…JJ." Ben said.

Jaden smirked and turned. She walked down the hall following Maggie's path. She soon rounded the corner. Before she slipped out of Ben's sight, she sent a wave over her shoulder, knowing he was still watching her. Ben felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment. He turned and found his dad leaning at the door. He had an amused look on his face.

"Anything you want to tell me Ben?" he asked.

Ben walked past his dad into their quarters. "Yep, I'm going to bed."

"Okay but when you wanna talk girls-"

"Dad stop! I beg you!" Ben cried, his ears warmed.

crap chapter i think. i just wanted some kindof bonding between the members...and what better tway than with cards?