Page 27 of The Game

“Yes. I miss them. My dad, and sisters. My grandpa moved away to live with my uncle in California after gran died, but I still talk to him all the time. He’s even learned to FaceTime. To be fair, he’s not good at it. More often than not, I’m looking at a closeup of his neck, but he still tries. How about you?”

“Oh, we’re close. I miss them. But they’re a lot, so I’ve enjoyed my time away here at school. Figure myself out away from the mass chaos. It’s hard to shine and have something that’s your own in a big family. You know?”

“Not really. Small family. But I get where you’re coming from. It’s easy to get lost in someone else when they have a big personality. Does that make sense, or am I way off base?”

“Totally makes sense.”

“And by the way, I can’t imagine you not shining wherever you are. There’s a light inside you that makes the day a little brighter.”

I’m not sure how to respond. At first, the compliment wraps around my heart like a warm hug. But Darryl used to say stuff like that to me when we first started dating. And then the nice words became helpful suggestions, which turned into outright criticism. Pretty words mean nothing if they’re not backed up by actions. But he’s not Darryl. I need to remember that.

He turns back to the wheel, clearing his throat, and I sneak the occasional peek at his profile. The sporadic light of the streetlamps we pass under deepen the shadows of his chiseled features, and he doesn’t take his eyes off the road.

I’m not sure if I’m just wary after everything that went down with Darryl or if I’ve always felt this way. I need to get over it. It’ll be weird if I’m shy around my new boyfriend, right?

“Hi, Kenneth.” Cole ducks his head, nodding to the thin guy wearing skinny jeans as we get to the Walk Safe office.

“Cole. Jazmin. This is your first shift, right?”

“Yup. You can call me Jazz.”

He nods, pulling a yellow lanyard out of his pocket to unlock the cupboard where the phones are kept. The thing he hands me is like a brick encased in a thick protective case. He then hands me my own yellow lanyard with a shiny badge on it.

I wrinkle my nose at the picture. Of course I look like a convict who got caught on the run after shoplifting at Walmart, mouth a thin line, eyes hard. Brushing my hair and touching up my makeup before they took it was a waste of time.

Kenneth flashes his badge at me. His eyes are wide, mouth hanging open, and his skin looks almost ghostlike. “It’s ok. I think it’s physically impossible to get a good badge picture. My apologies.”

I glance down at the other one he handed me. Cole looks dark and brooding, like the hero of a romance novel. How is that possible? That he looks hot even in an ID picture. I bet the jerk looks good in his driver’s license photo.

Kenneth tilts his head, laughing. “Except Cole. He’s a mutant.”

I shove the offending thing at Cole as he comes back over with a couple of safety vests. “How is that fair?”

“What did I do?”

“You look hot in your badge pic.”

“What?” His brow is crinkled in puzzlement. “You think I’m hot?”

“What? No, I don’t think you’re hot. I just mean…” The sentence dies on my lips when I remember our deal. My eyes dart over to Kenneth, but he’s busy tapping away on a laptop, so I don’t think he missed my slip. Obviously, I’m supposed to think he’s hot. He’s my boyfriend. “Nobody should look this good in an ID photo.”

He shrugs. “Can’t help it, Coffee Girl. Comes naturally. Yours can’t be that bad. Let me see.”

I jerk it back when he tries to grab it. “It’s awful. Trust me. Youdon’t need to see that.”

“Well now you’ve piqued my interest. I have to see it.” He steps in closer, crowding me, and my breath comes a little faster.

I’ve got the same trapped feeling as when Darryl had me cornered earlier today. Cole seems to realize though and backs up, raising his hands in the air.

Able to breathe again, I realize I was being ridiculous. He was just goofing around. I close my eyes and hold out the badge for him to see.

“You’re right. That’s terrible. What are you in for? Selling counterfeit jeans?”

My eyes fly open to see his chest shaking with laugher. I smack him on the arm.

“Shut up.”

I grab the vest from him and stalk off, not checking to make sure he’s following me.

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