I bought a hamburger, which was cheap and easy. In less than a minute, the hamburger was gone. Yes, sadly, I was that hungry.
The waitress who served me winked. "Sure are hungry-aren't ya?"
I mumbled something between a yes and a shut up, and handed her the twenty to split. She left, coming back quickly with the change. Of course, I counted it to make sure she had given me the right amount. If people decided to cheat me, they were going to get it. I wasn't one to take lightly to mistakes.
Call me a jerk, if you want. Call me an asshole, but that's the way I am. It's the way I was trained. And, good or bad, that training isn't going anywhere for the rest of my life.
I would always be on guard, always be poised and ready for anything. My position as leader would never be forgotten. I knew some, ok, most, of my fellow escapees hated me for that. For never letting go of the fact that I was above them. It wasn't like I intentionally meant to harass, belittle, and purposely insult them. Seriously, it was all just part of my subconscious doing.
Leaving the restaurant, I noticed that evening was finally starting to come-I thought it never would. Perhaps the games would start earlier. I could only hope.
So, I headed on over to the bar across town some ways. Already people were starting to trickle in, coming to watch, perhaps, or play. Didn't matter either way. I wanted that money and I was going to get it. No questions asked.
As I was entering, a hand touched my arm, and I turned in the direction. Obviously, Carly was there, smiling as always.
"Good to see you too," she said almost sarcastically, mocking the look of disgust I had placed on my face.
"Hello Carly," I muttered and entered the building. She followed, not far behind, and looked around.
"Damn, there are a lot of people here-you sure you can beat them? You got anything up your sleeve? Luck, perhaps?"
"There's no such thing. Success depends on having a well-thought out plan that's executed with precision," I told her.
"Really?" she asked, raising a perfectly tweezed eyebrow. "Well, if that's the case, then you obviously have your plan set up already-don't you?"
"Perhaps."
The routine was similar to the previous night's. Everyone stood in a long line and signed their name. Despite the fact I had won earlier, Louie said it didn't matter. They started from a clean slate. What he wanted to say was that I could very well lose. I wasn't going to allow something like that.
The games wore on, and I eventually was able to make myself comfortable at a table in the back. Carly sat by me and let her hand rest gently on my leather jacket. Sick and tired of having to shake her off, I let her hand lie. Personally, the girl intrigued me…and I wasn't sure if I liked having those kinds of feelings for someone.
Finally, it was my turn. Finally. Carly rose to her feet and clapped as I walked over to the pool table.
My head instantly swirled, too shocked to think of anything else besides Carly's applause. God. What was I going to do now?