The Game

Whew!! What a ride so far, huh? Thanks meadows...you make me feel so wanted! I promise the future events for our naughty girl have only begun!! Read on and enjoy.

A/N: Jimmy's is a fictional place. Sorry if it does exsist anywhere...I had no idea.
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We woke up to a dead fire and a definite chill in the air. Sometime during the night, we wrapped ourselves in the itchy blanket to keep warm. I shivered and scrambled to gather my clothes and got dressed. Col kicked dirt across the ashes to be sure the fire had truly gone out and we headed back for the car. I locked the rifles back in the shed and I drove us back to my house. Col was unusually silent on the drive and that suited me fine; I was exhausted.

When we pulled into the driveway, Col helped me put everything into the garage. He smiled softly, kissed me and turned me towards the house. When I opened the door and stepped inside, he got into his car and drove off. I locked the door behind me and headed straight for the shower. I stared at my reflection in the mirror: I still had smears of camo paint and I had mud caked in places that had started to itch. I danced around impatiently after I had turned the shower on and waited for the water to heat. I climbed in and winced. The hot water stung my back and I realized that I was also starved. After I toweled off and dressed in loose lounger bottoms with a sweatshirt, I walked towards the kitchen. I pulled out ingredients to make a huge omelet: eggs, cheese, smoked ham and green onions. I whipped the ingredients together and started a pot of coffee. Soon, the house was filled with enticing aromas. I flipped the omelet to cook on the other side and plated it when it was cooked through. I poured a mug of coffee, doctored it and moved to the dining room.

I had just placed my plate on the table when I noticed the light blinking on my machine. I punched the button and sat down to eat: “Hey sweets! It’s me, Ken. I want you to call me the second you get this message. We have to talk and I don’t think it will keep.” I leaned over and grabbed the cordless off of the bar and dialed Ken’s number. He answered on the first ring.

“Hey sugar-booger! I am sooo glad you called.” Ken sounded excited and kinda strange. I swallowed the bit of omelet I shoved into my mouth.

“Hey yourself, honey. I just got your message. Are you okay…you sound funky.”

He giggled, “Are you alone or is you ‘friend’ trussed up in the closet?” I frowned; it sounded like he had been smoking something.

“Nooo…I just got in, showered and made myself some breakfast. Col went home. When I’m done eating, I plan to crash for a couple of hours. Why?”

“Hmmm…you must be pretty worn out after last night.”

“How the fuck would you know if I was…” I paused a moment. “You stayed; even after I told you to clear out, you stayed and watched. Didn’t you…you fucking perv!!” I shouted into the phone. The other end of the line had become quiet before he snapped back
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“Hell yeah, I stayed! After you hoisted…what’s his name? Hmmm…Col, that’s it. When you hoisted Col up into the tree by his ankles, I knew there was no frickin’ way I was leaving.”

I dropped my head into my hands and sighed through my nose; “Keep going…”

“Anywho…that was quite a number you did last night. The whole knife welding and throwing bit, very sexy.”

"When we were kids, I thought of you like a brother. I slept in the same bed with you, we swam together and we never left the other’s side. We never even had sex with each other because I was worried that our friendship wouldn’t be able to handle it. Now, you’re telling me that you enjoyed watching me…fuck another guy?” I exploded.

“Now calm down…what did you expect? When we went to school together, you were the sister I never had. I have to admit, I was confused when we played. You acted like one of us and I’d look at you and wish you were a…”he hesitated.

“You wished I were a what?”

“I wished you were a boy. Girls scared me but I could never admit I was attracted to boys.”

My jaw dropped, “You’re gay? I had no idea. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Technically, I’m bisexual. I’m comfortable with either these days. Does that bother you?” he asked. He sounded as if he would cry.

“Hell no, sweets!” I laughed. “It’s a relief to know it wasn’t me. Do you want to play dress-up or something?”

“No…and you’re changing the subject. Can you meet me at Jimmy’s later today?” Jimmy’s Java Joint was a popular place where students met up and hung out. I scooped another bite of omelet into my mouth and tried to figure out how much sleep I needed. I swallowed and slurped some coffee to wash it down.

“Sure…how about one o’clock?” I asked as I wolfed down the rest of my breakfast.

“God woman…are you smacking in my ear? You are such a piglet! “

I smirked, “Now who’s changing the subject?”

“Ugh…never mind. Be at Jimmy’s, one o’clock. Don’t forget.”

“M’kay. TTFN.” I hung up the phone, grabbed my plate and headed for the kitchen. I rinsed the dish, placed it into the dishwasher and fixed myself another cup of coffee. After I moved back out to the living room, I gracelessly flopped down on the chaise and soon fell asleep.

I woke up late. I threw on some clothes and rushed over to Jimmy’s Java Joint. I found the table Ken was sitting at; I noticed that he had ordered for me. Ken was the best of both worlds for me: we would sit and gossip like girls but he was also manly when the situation called for it. He glared at me as I dropped into the chair across from him.

“Humph…you are the only person I know who runs chronically late. I’ll bet you will manage to be late for your own funeral.”

I grabbed the cup of coffee and plate of cheesecake that had been in front of me. I cut a huge piece off the corner and crammed it into my mouth. I sighed at the smooth creaminess that flowed over my tongue.

“Do you remember the night we got into that huge bar fight that ended up spilling out into the parking lot?” I asked as I cut another huge piece of my cake.

“Yes, piglet, I do. And you’re changing the subject, yet again,” he replied, taking dainty bites from his cream pie. “Did they ever figure out who the Jag belonged to?”

I swallowed hugely and gulped some coffee, “Not to my knowledge; no thanks to Johnny Boy. Man, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t been on duty that night. That could have been the first time I would have gone to jail.” I burped delicately.

“Always the lady, you. How did that guy wind up in the windshield anyway? I had some jerk trying to rearrange my nose and I lost sight of you.”

“I was standing beside it and dude charged me. I bent over and caught him by the knees; one flip and his ass went through the window. All he had to do was apologize for screwing up a possible hat trick,” I stated plainly as I polished off the last of the cheesecake. I decided to let things settle before getting more.

“Yeah…but, you were pissed even before we went to the bar. You never told me what happened and why you were in such a foul mood to begin with. You were spoiling for a fight and that guy did the wrong thing at the wrong time. Time to ‘fess up.”

I paused; it hurt my heart to know that I had let it fester for so long. “Mac…it was Mac’s fault. He gave me the ‘we can still be friends’ speech and I didn’t want to hear it. Dammit…I did everything for that man! Then, I ran into Jennifer at the doctor’s office and she told me she was preggers. Claimed it was Mac’s and told me he was dumping the psycho broad to do the ‘right thing’. Guess he never told her that I was the psycho broad.” I sighed; it still hurt when I thought about the past.

“Why were you at the doc’s office?”

“If you must know, I was late and I was having something checked out.”

“Oh my goodness…were you PG?” he asked; his eyes were as big as saucers.

“Nope…doc said the tests came back negative and told me that I was too stressed. Auntie Flo showed up a couple of days after the brawl.”

“Nicely put…did you ever thank Johnny Boy?”

“Nope…was pissed that my fight got interrupted. But, Johnny Boy said he would throw my ass in jail the next time it happened, tho.”

Ken pushed the remainder of his plate away and grabbed his coffee. I reached into my bag and pulled out my cigarettes. I lit one silently and neither of us rushed to fill in the silence. Ken signaled for the waitress to refill our cups and he asked for another piece of cheesecake. When the waitress left, after she dropped off the cake, Ken asked “So, what’s the deal with this Col guy? You have the Spades group concerned because you aren’t acting like yourself.”

“I know but I’m not even sure about how I got mixed up in this shit.” I said as I exhaled a blue-gray cloud of smoke. “Col makes me feel…confused.” I twisted the ring Col had given me. Ken reached over, grabbed my hand and inspected the ring. His eyebrows went up slightly when he noticed the tiny handcuffs. He glanced up at me and gave me a look that demanded an explanation. It took an hour but I explained everything that had happened. I started with what happened in the elevator and ended the story when I recapped why I had done what I did out on the property during the “hunt”. Ken shook his head.

“I guess my first question should be ‘why’ but I know you better. Your life isn’t complete unless you have drama. You have always put yourself into situations that would cause a normal person to be fitted for one of those jackets that buckles in back. I mean think about it: drama, like this, is why you get up in the morning.”

“Thanks, asshole. Nice to know you have my back on this. But, want to know the fucked up part? I like the struggle for control. Even when he freaked me out on the motorcycle, I liked it because I didn’t give in. Truth be told, I want to win this game we’re playing because it means that all of the bastards, who hurt me in the past, were dead wrong about me.”

“But, sweetheart, you don’t need this kind of validation. How can you blame others when it’s your insecurities talking and making you do all the crazy shit you do?”

I rolled my eyes but he continued; “Do you love him?”

I snapped my head back and frowned. Did I love Col? Or, did I love the idea that he would give me a run for my money? I shook my head, “I don’t really know.”

Ken signaled for the check. We stood and moved for the parking lot.

“Hey…do you want to go back to my place for dinner?” I asked.

He smiled, “Are you nuts? When you bang the pots and pans together, you come up with some amazing meals. I would be honored, my lady,” he drawled as he kissed my hand.

I pulled my hand from his and acted as if I were going to punch him. I shook my head as I laughed, “Come on, sugar pie…before I change my mind.”
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Don't say it...my OC loves to eat because I love to cook.