Portia stared daggers at Lisette from across the table, her gaze sharp and cold as ice.


    "Let''s get started!" she snapped.


    Calliope pressed her palm to her forehead, already dreading how badly Portia might take a loss.


    Lisette was sneaky as a fox, and everyone knew Portia wasn''t exactly a whiz at this sort of thing. She''d probably get crushed.


    Calliope leaned in close, whispering in Portia''s ear, "Hey, just rx and have fun, okay? If you lose, don''t sweat it. I''ve got your back—I''ll win it all back for us."


    Portia nodded, forcing a little smile. "Yeah, I know. I''m just here for the fun. Win or lose, it''s whatever!"


    Calliope gave her an encouraging nod, and soon, the game was on.


    They picked one of those trendy new games-something with numbers and quick memory. Unfortunately, numbers were not Portia''s friend, and this game was tailor-made for someone like Lisette.


    Unsurprisingly, Portia lost the first round.


    Her face twisted in frustration, cheeks flushed.


    Lisette scooped up the chips, shooting Portia a sly grin. "Still want to keep ying?"


    "Of course!" Portia snapped, shoving more chips into the pot. She wasn''t about to back down.


    But luck was not on her side. One round after another, Portia just kept losing.


    Soon enough, she was out of chips, leaving Calliope with just a hundred bucks'' worth to y with.


    Portia was annoyed, sure, but she knew if she kept going, she''d just keep losing. She threw up her hands and said, "Alright, I admit it, you''ve got me beat. But Callie''s up next, and you''re not going to beat her. I''m out. Your turn, Callie!"


    "Oh, so you can''t handle losing, so you''re just passing the buck to Calliope?"


    Lisette sneered, not hiding her contempt.


    Calliope shot her a cool look. "What, you scared to y against me? That''s fine, I can find someone else."


    "Who''s scared of you?" Lisette shot back, her expression darkening.


    She''d just been cleaning up against Portia, and figured the other girls were almost out of chips anyway. No way Calliope could turn it all


    around Portia''s luck had b


    abysmal why would Calliope any better?


    Lisette was feeling invincible, convinced her hot streak would keep going, maybe even teach Calliope a lesson.


    Calliope sat down, met Lisette''s eyes, and said, "Let''s y."


    She slid all her remaining chips forward. "All in."


    Lisette arched an eyebrow. "That''s all you''ve got left, huh? Fine by me. Just don''t cry when you lose."


    A few people nearby leaned in, whispering.


    "That''s a risky move-she''s probably going to lose it all."


    "The girl with the long hair, she''s been on fire. Really knows her stuff."


    "Yeah, I''ve been watching. She''s a real pro-no beginner ys like that."


    "Looks like they''re about to lose everything."


    Calliope ignored the chatter, calling out for the dealer to start.


    She and Lisette dove into the game, their chips not huge by casino standards, but a crowd gathered anyway, sensing the electric tension at the table.


    First round: Calliope won easily.


    She looked up, locking eyes with Lisette. "Sorry, guess that one''s mine."


    Lisette scowled. "Beginner''s luck. Let''s see if you can keep it up!"


    "Oh, I n to. I haven''t even started winning back what Portia lost yet" Calliope gave a little smirk. "I''m


    going to win it all back with


    interest


    "In your dreams," Lisette scoffed. "That was just a fluke. You really think you''re


    going to keep getting lucky?"