1. She doesn’t let you win.
Let’s face it, you’ve lived your whole life passing go without a problem. You love playing, but most importantly, you love winning. Your competitive nature drives you to go after what you want. And more often than not, you get it. But, this isn’t like that time you were 5 years old and mommy and daddy let you win at Monopoly so you wouldn’t throw a tantrum. No, this isn’t going to be as easy as flashing your smile and sending a text once every week. Because this girl isn’t going to just let you win, she’s going to make you work for it. Nothing with her is ever going to be easy. She knows her worth and she’s never going to settle for less than what she deserves. She isn’t naive like the rest of them. She isn’t going to let your ridiculously gorgeous eyes fool her. She isn’t going to fall for every white lie or empty promise. She isn’t going to give you “get out of jail, free” cards every time you fuck up. Because the girl who doesn’t let you win is the girl who wants to win just as much.
2. She knows the rules better than you do.
In fact, she’s probably created them. You’re thinking you chose the easy mode, but you’re really playing against the expert. There were others before you who used the exact same tricks that you do. And she might have been fooled by them before, but this time she’s smarter. She knows your next move before you do. Because despite what you may tell yourself, you aren’t any different from the rest of them. You’re just as predictable. She can smell your bullshit coming from miles away, and she’s going to use that to her advantage. She knows exactly what makes you tick. She knows the magic words that will throw you off your game. She’ll sink your battleship in a heartbeat and have you asking Rose if there’s any more room on that board. Because the girl who knows the rules doesn’t play by them.
3. She isn’t a sore loser.
You’re playing with the girl who doesn’t need you. She’s enough on her own, and she knows it. If you’re thinking she will ever shed a tear for you, you can think again. She isn’t going to feel like her whole world is crashing down when you stop answering her calls. It’s not because she doesn’t care about you, but because she cares about herself enough to ever let you get to her. She isn’t going to run to her friends in tears when she sees you hanging out with another girl. She isn’t going to throw a fit when you cancel plans last minute for the fifth time in a row. She’s been through enough shit in her life to know that your silly games don’t matter. She knows how to prioritize. She knows not to put someone first who can never do the same for her. Because the girl who isn’t a sore loser, never loses.
4. She knows when to stop playing.
The Final Jeopardy music is winding down. You’re playing against the girl who doesn’t like to wait around. Patience is not her forte and it definitely isn’t something she has for you. She knows how precious time is, and she isn’t going to waste another second of it on someone who doesn’t make her feel wanted. She isn’t going to spend her time stuck on the same level of this “relationship” with you. Because it might have been all fun and games at the beginning, but she’s getting sick and tired of playing. She wants something raw and real, and you’re making her doubt that she can ever have something like that with you. It’s been months of the same back and forth, push and pull. And she’s done with it. She can’t bring herself to be anchored to the thought of you any longer. She can’t keep holding on to fantasies and “what if’s”. She has no other option but to let you go. She thought this was the end-game when in reality, it was always destined to end. And she hates every second of this, but she knows that sometimes what you want and what you need are not the same things. Because the girl who stops playing is the one who never wanted to play in the first place.
5. She makes you want to never play again.
You won’t admit it, but deep down you know you’ve met your match. You’ve finally met the girl you convinced yourself didn’t exist. The girl who not only puts up a fight but for some reason, thinks that you’re actually worth fighting for. The girl who makes you curse every wrong move you ever took before. The girl who sees the good in you, when you can’t even see it yourself. The girl who makes you want to be a better man. The girl that makes you realize that life is too short to pretend like you don’t care. The girl that makes you want to do right for the first time in your life. The girl that has you believing that maybe love actually does last. The girl you can’t stop thinking about every time you close your eyes. The girl who ripped your heart to pieces when she finally said “goodbye”. And you may be the only player left standing, but you know that you lost the best thing that could have ever been yours. You’ll try and try to win her back, but you know she’s gone for good. Because the girl who makes you want to never play again knows you always will. 
