The Game Has Changed (19 page)

“Jaime, stop being a bloomin'
idiot!”

“Sorry, but you've completely cornered that
market!”

“Stop it now!” he demanded as he latched on to
her upper arm.

“Let go of me! Or I'll scream!” she cried,
struggling within his grasp, pushing against his chest with her
free hand.

He struggled to subdue her. “Why are you doing
this to me?”

“You're hurting my arm!” she whined, still
trying to free herself.

“Why are you screwing me like this?”

“Because you screwed me then threw me aside
like I was a piece of trash, just like all the other girls you’ve
screwed!” She violently slapped her hand against his face,
startling them both by what she’d done. “I won't stand to be
treated like that!” she said a tad more calmly.

Shock and disbelief were written across every
inch of his face. Her handprint marred his cheek, a red welt
forming across his perfect skin. He looked a little hurt that she
would do such a thing. Before they had a chance to say another
word, the sound of a police siren caused them to gasp in fear. They
stood frozen in place, their hearts pounding within their
chests.

“Christ!” Evan whispered with defeat and
quickly let go of Jaime's arm.

Jaime stared at him miserably, dread, worry,
and fear filling her heart to overflowing. If Evan was taken away
now, it would be her fault, she knew.

The police car made a U-turn and pulled up to
the Acura, the cars’ noses almost touching. The blue light of the
vehicle swirled across the dreary, rainy horizon. Evan realized
that they stood a chance of getting through things scot-free. The
Acura’s Pennsylvania license plate was hidden from the state
trooper’s view and he prayed that he wouldn't run a check on
it.

A big brawny man wearing a trooper's hat and
uniform came toward them. “What's the problem here?” he asked
pointedly.

Both Evan and Jaime were silent for a moment,
briefly glancing at one another as if deciding which one of them
was the saner one to speak to the officer. To Evan's horror, Jaime
spoke first.

“There’s no problem, Sir. We had a little spin
out because of the rain. I was kinda yelling at my boyfriend
because he was driving a little too fast in the rain. I wanted him
to let me drive, you see, but he wouldn’t let me. It's sorta a
lover's spat, that's all.”

“This isn't the best place for a spat, young
lady. Not on this side of a busy highway. I suggest you do your
quarrelling in a safer spot and well out of the rain. Don't you
agree?” the policeman gently berated.

“Absolutely, Sir!”

The officer looked hard at Evan. Evan stared
back at him nervously, his heart speeding up
exponentially.

“Let her drive,” the man demanded.

With relief, Evan nodded. “Yes,
Sir.”

“What happened to your face?” he inquired,
noticing Evan’s bruised nose and his cut forehead.

“Um . . .” Evan gulped, carefully touching his
aching nose. “I got beat up.”

“Not by her, I hope?”

Evan shook his head. “No. A bar fight, is
all.”

“Well, on your way now,” the officer urged.
“And drive safely.”

“Thank you, Officer,” Jaime replied with a
grateful smile.

She grasped Evan's hand and tugged him towards
the car. At the same time, she pried the car keys free of his
fingers. She dangled them in front of her and grinned for the
policeman's benefit. Hopping inside, she started the car and sped
off, her heart racing with apprehension as Evan glared in her
direction.

CHAPTER 23

Jaime grasped the steering wheel tightly
between her fingers as she pulled back onto the freeway. Her palms
were sweating as she nervously glanced into the rear-view mirror,
fervently praying that the state trooper wouldn’t think of turning
around in order to follow them. She sighed with relief once the
coast was clear.

“Saved your ass from the cops once again!” she
stated arrogantly.

Evan sighed with defeat. “Yeah, well I wouldn't
have needed my ass saved again if it weren't for the asinine and
childish little stunt you pulled back there. Seriously, threatening
to take a flying leap from the God-damn car? What were you
thinking? If you think I’m grateful, you’ve got another thing
coming!”

“Even so, I could've laid you bare again very
easily.”

“But you didn't! Congratulations, you're my
savior! May I kiss your feet now, my love?” he sneered
sarcastically.

A flush of color stained her cheeks as she felt
embarrassed. “You're mocking me!”

“No,” he said with wide-eyed derision. “I would
never!”

“No one seems to realize I've been kidnapped,”
she mused offhandedly.

“Yeah, how lucky am I?” he mumbled.

Jaime lifted one hand from the steering wheel
and shot him the middle finger. Amusement filled him as he watched
her from where he sat. He snorted slightly and rolled his eyes. She
did her best to ignore him as she drove along, her anger rising as
the minutes passed. At that moment, she couldn’t wait until she was
back at home, safe and sound, and far away from him. However, deep
inside, her ambivalence played havoc with her emotions.

CHAPTER 24

The sky began to clear late in the afternoon
just as the sun was beginning to set. She’d been driving for over
four hours when she decided to pull into a Denny's she had come
across. She was hungry and looking forward to have a bite to
eat.

Evan found the restaurant appalling, which made
it all the more appealing to her. She jumped out of the car and
strode toward the restaurant’s doors. Not once did she look back in
his direction.

A frustrated sigh escaped Evan, but he
begrudgingly got out of the car and followed her inside. He
appeared at the booth to find her seated with a waitress standing
nearby taking her order. He gave them both a cocky grin and sat
down.

The waitress smiled at him with confusion
before turning her attention back toward Jaime. “Thought you said
you were alone?”

Jaime stared at Evan with an air of
indifference. “I am,” she said innocently.

The woman nodded as clarity sank in. She
grabbed another menu and handed it to Evan. “Oh, I see. You two
have been at each other's throats. Too much time on the road
together?” she prodded.

“Way too much,” Evan agreed.

“What would you like to drink,
then?”

“I'd like a beer, please,” Jaime blurted
out.

“Oh, no, she wouldn't,” Evan interjected.
“Since she informed me just this morning that she's only
seventeen-years-old, she'll have a Coke and I'll have the
beer.”

The waitress eyed them with amusement. She
jotted down their drink orders and told them she’d return soon.
Jaime glared in Evan’s direction, fury shining within her
eyes.

“You're an asshole, you know that?” she stated
loud enough for other patrons to glance at them.

“Yeah, I know,” Evan sighed, sinking down into
his seat. “You've made that abundantly clear.”

She bubbled with resentment. “I was mistakenly
starting to think I was falling in love with you,” she said hotly,
causing Evan a bit of embarrassment as people continued to look
their way. “But since you fucked the hell out of me, you've
changed!”

Evan’s eyes narrowed to half-slits as he leaned
toward her. “Whilst you're at it, why don't you advertise to
everyone here that I kidnapped you?” he whispered
angrily.

“I should, shouldn't I?” she replied bitterly
as the waitress returned with their drinks, thus forcing them to
lean back against their seats.

“Hey, kids,” the waitress replied cheerfully,
attempting to be the peacemaker between them. She placed the beer
in front of Evan and the Coke before Jaime. “Please, don’t fight.
Life's too short to be arguing with your sweetheart.”

“We're hardly sweethearts,” Jaime snarled.
“He's kidnapped me. I'm his hostage.”

Luckily, Jaime’s words were said with enough
deadpan emotion that the waitress dismissed it without another
thought and smiled. “Still, I urge you to not go to bed angry at
each other.”

After the woman took their food order, she left
them alone. An icy, oppressive silence hung between them as they
tried very hard to avoid each other's glances. In truth, they both
felt miserable. Neither was willing to admit defeat, though, for
they both wanted to win the game.

When the woman returned with their food, Evan
winked at her in thanks. She was well aware of the fact that the
silent treatment was now in play between them. She gazed at Jaime
as if to beseech that she work things out. It was as if she assumed
that it was the woman's job to appease the man.

Near the end of their meal, Jaime broke through
the air-stifling antipathy. “Tomorrow, we can find another
airport,” she said wearily. “You won't have to drive me all the way
up, either. I can walk as I don't want you to get pulled
over.”

He nodded broodingly. She took a deep breath,
surprised that he didn't offer her another suggestion. He wasn't
even trying to meet her halfway. He was still too angry, she
feared. She didn't want to retain this annoying cold-shoulder
rejection that now existed between them. She preferred to be civil
and she felt miserable that they had fallen into the recurrent trap
over and over again.

At the same time, she felt that it wasn’t up to
her to apologize. He was equally at fault for everything that had
happened, thus far. One thing was certain. Despite how they felt
about each other now, she would never regret what happened between
them earlier.

The experience was one she would treasure for
the rest of her life, even if they parted ways feeling aversion
toward each other. She wanted to tell him what his spoiling of her
virginity meant to her. How she found the moment special. Yet, she
knew he would never understand if she were to tell him, as the
moment could not have been as special for him as it had been for
her.

The waitress drew her attention as Evan dug
through his wallet in order to pay the check. “The handsome ones
aren't that easy to find, Honey. I'd hold on tight to him if I were
you,” she murmured softly.

“Yeah.” She took offense to the idea that it
was the woman's job to 'fix' everything in a relationship yet
again. “If he holds on to me, I'll hold on to him just as tight!”
Jaime whispered with forlorn, tears pricking her eyes as she did
her best to ignore the stirrings of her own heart.

***

The darkness of the early evening pervaded over
the road as Evan drove on. They stopped only for gas and needed
amenities. Jaime got the impression that he didn't want to stop at
a motel, that perhaps he didn't want them to find themselves in a
compromising position yet again. Perhaps he was all the more
anxious to make it to California. Whatever his reasons, she felt
deeply saddened.

Just after ten that night, he stopped at a
Howard Johnson's near the border leading toward Springfield,
Missouri. They climbed out of the car and strode into the cool
night air. Jaime clutched her beloved backpack tightly to her while
Evan carried a bag containing their meager supplies. Neither was
willing to speak to the other as they moved toward the motel’s
office entrance.

The motel was larger than the ones they’d
stayed in previously. Jaime soon learned as to why Evan had chosen
it. At the check-in desk, she overheard him asking the woman
specifically for a two room suite. She stared at Evan with
confusion as he signed his pseudonym. He ignored her, refusing to
say a word.

Once in the room, it was abundantly clear to
Jaime as to why he’d requested it. This suite had two rooms, one
regular bedroom with two beds and a living room with a sofa bed.
She watched Evan walk over to the sofa bed and pull it out as if he
meant to claim it as his personal sleeping area for the
night.

Melancholy filled her, but she refused to
question him. She resigned herself to the fact that they would no
longer be physical with one another. Nor would they be spiritually
close. They’d lost their soul mate status completely and that fact
saddened her more profoundly than she would have thought it
would.

Evan kept to himself, willing himself to not
take notice of her. Instead, he prepared himself to take a shower.
She was certain that he needed it since he’d spent quite a bit of
time within the rain. Full of sadness, she watched as he
disappeared into the bathroom.

Depression filled her as she heard the shower
running. She sat upon one of the double beds in the adjacent
bedroom, realizing that it would be the loneliest night she’d
experience, thus far. Truth be told, she was no stranger to lonely
nights.

A short time later, Evan strode out of the
shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. She watched as
he walked through her room toward the living room, brushing his wet
hair back with his free hand as he did so. Her heart raced as she
observed him.