Page 1 of The Games We Play

This is your last chance to turn back.

3...2...1...Let the games begin.

One - Tess

I stare at myphone after sending the message that could make me hide my face for the foreseeable future. What is it they say?

Shoot your shot, well, my shot has been shit the past year. Quite frankly, my entire life has been shit for several years. Now, it’s bleeding into my sex life.

A wet tongue licks my hand beside me. My golden retriever, Roxy, whines with her puppy dog eyes working on overdrive.

“You want to go out?” I ask, and she leaps off the couch, bounding to the door. I glance at my discarded phone and let the embarrassment of another rejection wash over me. Can it really be a rejection if there is simply never a response?

No, now I just sound crazy. No response meansnot interested.

Grabbing Roxy’s collar from the hook by the door, my phone chimes, and I race to see if it’s Seth. He’s this really cute boy from my English class. I nose dive across the arm of the couch and grab my phone, pulling it closer to my face than I need.

And I deflate.

It’s not Seth. Instead, it’s a text from Ryan. My best friend since grade school says his dad got back early from his out-of-town business trip.

So much for drinking myself into oblivion at his house tonight. Technically, I’m not twenty-one yet, and Mr. Collins is adamant about no underage drinking inside his house. That’s responsible of him, I guess.

Me: No worries. I’ll just snuggle up with Jack here tonight.

Pocketing my phone, Roxy’s nails tip tap on the hardwood floor as she does the impatient dance of her people. I barely have the door open and her leash on before she’s dragging me into the yard. I check my phone when Ryan’s following text comes through.

Ryan: Jack?

Before I can respond, he’s calling me.

“Hey, sweetie. Long day?” I muse.

“Cut the crap. Who’s Jack? Please tell me he’s not from that degrading dating app, and I’m going to find your body mutilated tomorrow.”

I would be so lucky to have sex so good it would kill me, I think.

“His last name is Daniels, and he goes great with a cup of coke.” There’s a moment of silence where I imagine Ryan’s face-palming at his antics, and I laugh into the phone.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s so funny that I have to worry about you because of your bad decisions.”

“Hey,” I defend. “That last guy was totally not my fault.”

“Tess, you were high out of your mind by the time I got there. It was a miracle I found you at all with the broken English you speak when you’re intoxicated.”

I drop the phone to my side. I never let on just how much that night scared me. Ryan is right. I have to think before I make choices. Now morethan ever. I never told him the full extent of what happened that night. I’m not sure I ever will. But I am playing it smarter. I’m trying to hook up with a guy from school who wants to become a doctor. Too bad I just don’t entice those guys.

“Hello?” I jump and pull my phone back up.

“Sorry, I’m walking Roxy.”

It sounds like his hand covers the phone when he says, “It’s Tess… No, I haven’t…” I look around at the quiet neighborhood. Being the only one out at this time of night makes it nice. I zone out as Ryan talks to his dad, Mr. Collins.

He works for a bank that has branches in twenty-six different states. In his job description, he’s required to visit the other locations as a quality manager. It’s usually just Ryan and me since Dad sold my childhood home and bought me this one closer to Ryan. Then he got Roxy to make up for his disappearing act two years ago.

“Hey, Dad wants to know if your sink is still leaking,” Ryan says into the phone.

“Oh, um…I haven’t tried it yet,” I admit. I meant to, but then zoned out and have had no reason to use the sink.

---