Playing Pretend Box Set

by Natasha L. Black

  Or, even worse yet, speculating as to what I was really doing.

  Brandon was charming at first. To my young mind, he had it all. He was on the police force, which I found to be an instant turn on. After all, even though my parents liked to throw their money around and act like they cared for the community by donating to the police, I genuinely believed someone on the force would have an actual care for the people in the city.

  And, it was no secret that the police were a steady presence in the lives of many of the young boys and girls I wanted to help. Sad as it was, their broken families would often call the cops – or have the cops called on them – for one thing or another, so these boys and girls were often used to seeing men and women in uniform in or around their homes.

  I’d hoped when I met Brandon that we might be able to work together in some way. Perhaps he’d be able to come with me when I volunteered at shelters and youth outreach centers and talk to the kids. Maybe he’d have some advice for me when it came to working with these young people, too.

  Any way I could reach them and keep them out of trouble and off drugs and out of gangs, I’d take. I didn’t care how far I had to go or how much time I had to invest to make it happen. I wanted to see a change in the community, and I would enlist the service of anyone I knew was willing to help make that change happen.

  Our relationship was magical. At least, at first. He seemed to be everything that I wanted in a man. He was there for me when I was stressed, he was independent enough that I could devote much of my time and energy to my school and not have to worry he felt neglected, and he was good looking.

  He served the community and would often support me in my stance against my family.

  But the longer we were together, the more things started to change with him. He became greedy, pushing me to give in to my parents’ demands and take their money. He wanted to use it for himself more often than not and didn’t understand why I wouldn’t just take it.

  He pushed to move into my apartment with me soon after we started dating. And, not wanting to have any conflict with him so early in our relationship, I let him. I thought that it would be a good thing in the long run, so why wait?

  Slowly but surely, however, his true colors started to show. He would lay around the place, acting like it had been built solely for his pleasure. He didn’t bother to help with any of the household chores, and he would often complain that I let the dishes pile up in the sink, or that the floors were in need of sweeping.

  Of course, I didn’t have time to do all the chores as often as I would have liked. Not between volunteering at outreaches and trying to keep up with my schooling. I was working part time at a local animal shelter as well, doing my best to keep up with tuition and never touching my trust fund.

  As the months turned into years, I began to resent him. He didn’t support my dream, often telling me as time passed that the kids were all doomed to end up in jail anyway. He firmly believed if that is how they were raised by their parents, then it was just a matter of time until they followed in their parents’ footsteps and entered the system themselves.

  He refused to see my point of view, and he never bothered hearing my side of any argument. It was all about him, all the time, and I’d quickly grown to be quite sick of it.

  We were fighting constantly, but he refused to leave. It wasn’t until I found out about his corrupt practices on the force and he was fired that I forced him out of my home. He was pissed, but he knew he couldn’t stay. As a disgrace to the police force himself, he no longer had the support or praise of my parents.

  They no longer wanted him in the house, and though I never took into consideration what they wanted when I made my life choices, I had to agree with them on that one. I wanted him gone long before that came to light, and now I had the means to get rid of him.

  But even though he was out of the house, he was far from being out of my life. I swore the man had been stalking me for the past year. He always seemed to show up when I was out, no matter where I was, or who I was with.

  He knew what I’d been up to, and he always seemed to know how things were going for me – both at work and at school. I would avoid him as much as possible, but there were times when I came face to face with him and there was no escape.

  I tried to avoid yelling and making any sort of public scene, but there were times that was nearly impossible. The man would get in my face, degrade me, and threaten me in more ways than I could count.

  I wanted to go to the police and get a restraining order, but he always managed to catch me off guard. There was no evidence of him harassing me, and he knew how to stay off the radar. It was his police training that was now giving him a new advantage over me, and I hated it.

  I just wanted him to go away so I could focus on moving forward with my life. I had to pass the finals that were coming, and I had to get out of school this year. I was tired of the struggle, and I was more than ready to start helping the kids who were in the community.

  But I knew that it was all going to come down to how well I did on the tests, and I had to make time to properly study and prepare for them.

  My phone buzzed and I glanced up. Teisha, my best friend, was texting me again. She had been trying to pry me away from my books and my work for days now, eager to take me out to the club to have a good time. I knew that I had to be responsible if I was going to make it anywhere in life, but I did feel bad about not being there for her.

  She had been my best friend through everything I’d gone through in my relationship, and I knew I had to be a good enough friend to return the favor. With a sigh, I picked up my phone and texted her back.

  I’ll be free tomorrow night. The club shouldn’t be too bad on a Thursday, you think?

  She answered almost immediately.

  Yay! It’s about time you came out with us. I’m going to bring along Mel and Cami, too

  I shook my head. If she was bringing along her other two best girlfriends, I knew it wasn’t going to be an early night. But I had already told her I would be free, and I intended to keep my word.

  Sounds good. I’ll see you guys then

  3

  Drake

  “Hey! It’s the man of the hour!” Brad clapped me on the back hard and I smiled. It wasn’t an enthusiastic smile by any means, but it was enough to cause a ruckus around the table. Several of my old friends had gotten wind of the fact I was in town, and they pushed and pushed until I finally agreed to go out to the club for a few drinks.

  Pete, Brad, Trey, and Matt all had mugs of beer on the table in front of them, and they eagerly grabbed a fresh glass and pulled up a chair for me. There were a few cards scattered on the table. But, if I knew them, they were doing a lot more commenting on the women milling about the place than they were playing poker.

  “You bring along your friend?” Pete asked. He was referring to Brody Jeffers, a man I’d met in the military and had quickly grown close to. He was the one listening ear I’d had when everything fell apart with Anna Marie, and he’d since decided he was going to join me in my move to Chicago.

  “He’s not officially discharged yet. Supposed to be here sometime next week,” I shrugged. “Not that there’s a lot for him to look forward to when he gets here.”

  “Not with an attitude like that, he doesn’t!” Matt laughed. “You should get him amped! Tell him about all the things there are to do here, including women!”

  All the boys around the table started laughing and I shook my head, the same placid smile etched on my face. It was becoming a fixed point. There wasn’t any real emotion behind it, but it seemed to satisfy those around me to keep the pestering questions about my well-being down.

  “Speaking of women,” Trey now chimed in. “when are you going to get back in the game? I would think after all this time you’d be more than ready to get someone in bed with you!”

  “Or anything in bed with you for that matter!” Pete said uproariously. I ignored the pain that shot through my heart at t
he comment, and took a long drink of the beer, draining the entire glass in a single drag. My friends cheered me on, and I slammed the glass down on the table a little too hard.

  “That’s the spirit!” Matt was clearly elated at the sight. “That’s more like the old Drake we know!”

  “Except I’ve never got to see this man in action,” Brad said. “He was tied down from the middle of high school and never got the chance to get out and see what the world really has to offer.”

  “Oh,” I spoke up at last. “I’ve seen what the world has to offer, and I can tell you there is a hell of a lot more going on out there than what you see in this damn town.”

  “Yet you came back to it,” Brad replied condescendingly. I felt the tension rising in my chest. My hands balled into fists then relaxed, then balled up again. I wanted to throw a punch right into his smug face. He hadn’t had to deal with much hardship in life, and we all knew it.

  Brad was yet another rich kid who grew up with the world being given to him hand over fist. He didn’t know what it was like to see death. And he sure as hell had never experienced true heartbreak.

  To him, women were a game. He liked to woo them, get them in bed, and never call them again. Well, unless they were really good, or rich. Then they might get their numbers saved in his phone in the event he decided he wanted another round.

  Nothing serious, nothing meaningful. I never understood his take on life. But, seeing him here, surrounded by the boys and with beer in his hand, catching the eye of more than one woman who passed by the table, I had to admit, there was a charisma about him I’d never noticed before.

  “Now, now, gentlemen, there’s no need to get riled up,” Pete said as he grabbed the pitcher. “Why don’t we draw straws to see who has to go get us a refill?”

  “Or why don’t you just get off your lazy ass and do it?” Matt asked. “I think you’re the only one who hasn’t been up to the counter yet.”

  “Drake hasn’t,” Pete said defensively.

  “I just got here!” I retorted.

  “Fine, if that’s how all you girls want to act, then I’ll go up there and get the beer,” Pete said as he reluctantly rose from his seat.

  “If you’re smart, you’ll get more than one so we don’t have to keep running up there every ten minutes,” Trey called out.

  “Are you the one who’s going to be paying for that?” Pete shot back over his shoulder. He shook his head as he turned away and we all laughed. We could just imagine the things he was mumbling under his breath as he made his way through the crowd to the swamped bar.

  “I’ll get up and get it next time,” I offered. “Save him the trouble.”

  “I think we should make him do it again, just to see if he will,” Brad said with a laugh. Matt and Trey both agreed, but I just shrugged. I wanted to have fun with these guys. It had been years since we’d all been out together. Whenever I’d been home on leave, I did what I could to see them, but with conflicting schedules and me wanting to spend as much time as I could with Anna Marie, it had proven difficult.

  “You’re a good guy, Drake, you know that?” Trey laughed. Pete returned with his hands loaded down, and we made way for him to put the drinks on the table.

  “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Matt teased. “Did you have to hold your Mommy’s hand?”

  “Shut up!” Pete snapped. “If you had seen what I just saw, then you all would wish that you had been the ones to get the beer.”

  “Oh yeah? What happened? Some hot chick fall on top of you?” Brad asked, clearly not wanting to show how interested he was in taking Pete’s bait.

  “I would have been pissed if one had,” Pete said defensively. “But if you could see what’s going on the dance floor tonight, you’d come in your pants.”

  “Doubt it,” I muttered. I knew I hadn’t said it loud enough for anyone to hear me, but the mention of women made all the boys turn back to me. They were all under the impression that I was unable to find a girl after my divorce, not realizing – or perhaps refusing to realize – that I hadn’t been looking.

  “You care to go check out the menu?” Brad asked with a devious smile. “We’ve all been taking bets on how long it’d take you to get a girl to go home with you.”

  “We did factor in that it’s rather sketch that you’re living in a hotel room. I mean, the poor girl might think you’re some sort of serial killer or something,” Pete laughed.

  “Nah, I’m not really into that right now,” I said as I waved off the suggestion. “I don’t have time or desire to deal with women.”

  “Every man has desire,” Trey said with a look of horror on his face. “Don’t tell me you let your ex take your balls when she left?”

  I shot him a look and once again had to fight to keep myself under control. I had a lot more angst against the world than even I had realized until I was out with people who knew me. It might have been quite some time since the last time we’d hung out, but it was still difficult for me to deal with their jabs and remarks.

  “Of course not. But do you really think I want to deal with a woman when I still have to find a job and a place to live? I don’t think so!” I said. “All they’re after is money anyway, and I don’t have it to give right now.”

  “Ha! Listen to you play it off as the responsible, poor boy!” Brad said. “Sounds to me like you need a woman now more than ever. Not only can you take your frustration out on her – er, should I say, in her – but if you get yourself a rich girl that’ll solve your money and living situation problems, too!”

  “There are times I really wonder how you made it this far without ending up in jail,” I said as I shook my head. “What sort of woman is going to go for you when you have an attitude like that?”

  “When you have looks like these,” he said as he put his hands on either side of his coat collar, “It doesn’t matter what comes out of your mouth.”

  “You’re insane,” I shook my head, but Matt and Trey both took his side.

  “Really though, I think it’d do you some good to find some rich girl and not have to worry about anything right now. You know she’s not going to ask anything of you that you don’t want to give her,” Trey said with a grin. “So why not give it a shot?”

  “Because I don’t want to deal with drama, and the rich ones have more drama than the poor!” I snapped.

  “Not really anything that you need to get involved in,” Brad chimed in. “I mean, think about it. You find yourself some poor rich widow or something and boom! She’ll take care of you if you take care of her. Many of them are just lonely enough to want someone to come home to, and the rest of the time they spend shopping and spending the cash they don’t know what to do with.”

  “And think about what would happen if you get your hands on some of that cash,” Matt said. “If you play your cards right, you might get someone who will set you up with a pretty sweet place and you can leave the situation better off than when you went in.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. I wanted to give them a firm answer, but the more points they made in favor of me finding a rich woman just to play with, the better it sounded. They did make some pretty valid arguments for what they wanted, that was for sure.

  “Come on! You heard what Pete said!” Trey announced as he rose from the table. He drained his beer and slammed the glass down before wiping his sleeve across his mouth. “I’m going to go check out what’s going on at the dance floor. Any of you ladies want to join?”

  “Drake does!” Brad said as he gave me a shove. I tensed for a moment, then shrugged. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I didn’t have to make a move on any woman if none of them caught my eye, and if I were to go with Trey then it would get the rest of the boys off my back.

  And it wouldn’t hurt to look anyway.

  4

  Hannah

  “How are you doing that?” I asked with a laugh. I tried to mimic Teisha’s dance moves, but I was far too uncoordinated to have a prayer of
keeping up with her.

  “Girl! You just have to cut loose and let the music move through you. You’re trying way too hard!” she laughed back at me. I once again made an attempt, but once again failed miserably. She laughed and walked right up behind me, almost grinding against me to the beat of the music.

  I got down low and moved my arms around, trying to keep up with the tempo while staying right with her. I had to admit, though there were a billion things waiting for me back home on my counter, I was glad that she’d finally convinced me to come out with her and the girls.

  “Did you see where Cami went?” Mel asked as she stumbled over to us. She had a drink in her hand and held her other arm out long for support, having to raise it above her head from time to time to keep from hitting one of the other dancers.

  I was always surprised she was able to make it out on the floor with a drink in her hand. Mel never held her liquor well, and she was already showing signs of having more than enough.

  “She’s making out with some dude over on the other side of the bar!” Teisha yelled. It was nearly impossible to be heard above the sound of the music, but her pointing one hand while cupping her mouth with the other put Mel in the right direction.

  “What the hell? She was supposed to be hanging out with us tonight! Not getting laid!” Mel said as she tried to keep an eye on the fourth member of our party.

  “Leave her alone! You know how she is with men! If she found someone who has managed to get her to talk to him, then why interfere?” Teisha yelled back. She was the unofficial matchmaker among us, and she always approved when she saw someone was making strides with Cami.

  Mel, on the other hand, was fiercely against any of us breaking our friendship circle. She didn’t want to add any men to the mix, and she didn’t want to lose any of us to a new relationship. Of course, we always managed to find our way back to each other, even when we did get caught up in the throes of love.