Hustle Me (33 page)

She smiled and bit down on her lip. "I bet I could make you forget."
 

I let out a laugh. "Yeah, except its only temporary, therefore a waste of time. No offense, of course."
 

Her face turned red and she removed her fingers from my arm. "I can leave you alone if you want."
 

She went to hop down from the stool and I grabbed her arm. "No, you can stay. I didn't mean to be a dick. I'm just not in the state of mind to be hooking up. I'm almost in the finals and I need a clear head. It's bad enough I'm all fucked up about my ex." It killed me to call her that.
 

"I came here with a bunch of my friends, but they are all couples. They actually asked if I could give them some alone time. Sorry if I seemed forward. I'm usually not like that. So, how long has it been since you broke up?"
 

"Three weeks." I peeled the paper from my beer bottle while I thought about walking out of her life.
 

"Wow, that was recent. How long were you together?"
 

I looked right at the blonde, who I didn't even know her name. "I'm pretty sure I loved her since I was four years old."
 

I saw her eyes get really big. She put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard."
 

"It's the truth, the unfortunate truth."
 

"Would it be wrong for me to ask what happened?" She took a sip of her girlie drink and waited for me to say something. I thought about telling a complete stranger how I'd lied and fucked up any chance of being with Charlie, but talking about it wasn't going to bring her back to me. The fact was, talking about her hurt me too much.
 

"I messed up. I didn't cheat if that's what you're thinking. I just lied about things she couldn't forgive me for. I think I made the wrong decisions and it cost me everything."
 

She grabbed my arm. "I feel like crying for you. That is so sad."
 

I nodded. "Yeah, story of my fucking life."
 

I looked up at the clock and realized that I'd been sitting there for an hour. I needed to get back to the tables and start
warming back up. I stood up and had to grab the stool to get my composure. "Whoa, I didn't expect that."
 

She grabbed my back and helped me steady myself. "Are you going to be alright?"
 

"Yeah, you mind walking with me to the billiard area. I'll be fine in a second."
 

I grabbed my pool stick case and we walked to where I was supposed to be shooting next. My mother wasn't anywhere near the stands, but I had about an hour to kill before my match started. I needed to let the alcohol work through my veins and calm my nerves. The blonde girl leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "My name is Sloan. If you need someone to talk to, that just wants to listen, I'm in room 333. Good luck with your match."
 

I watched her walk away while I was getting my stick out and putting it together. While assembling my break stick, I looked around for my mother but still didn't see her. That was until I saw my father out of the corner of my eye. He was standing in front of her raising his hands in the air and obviously raising his voice. I sat my stick on the table and walked past a bunch of people to
reach them. I pushed my body in between them and faced my father. "What the hell are you doing here?"
 

"I'm here to get your mother and bring her home."
 

I got closer to him, almost touching his face. "Get the fuck out of here before I make you get out. She isn't going anywhere with your ass, not now and not ever!"
 

I held my mother’s hand behind my back. He kept trying to look past me. "That isn't your decision."
 

"You listen here you fucking asshole. Your time of running this family is over. She isn't coming back and neither am I. You cost me everything and you don't even care. Did you ever think that I was in love with her? Do you have any idea what you've forced me to give up? You are dead to me. You hear me you son of a bitch, you're dead to me."
 

I pushed him back a couple of steps and he straightened up his jacket. "I hope the two of you are happy living in the slums somewhere. This is the last time I will give a dime to either one of you."
 

My mother jumped in front of me. "You can hire a million lawyers, but with what I have on you, it wouldn't surprise me if
John and I were the ones walking away with everything. Keep threatening me and just see how I react. I'm not afraid of you and I know you wouldn't hurt me. Get off your high horse and wake up. You did this to yourself. Now you will be alone forever. I'd rather live on the street and have my son than spend another second in that mansion with you."
 

I watched my father walk into the crowd and disappear. I turned around and hugged my mother. "I'm so sorry."
 

"Don't be. I meant every word, John." She patted my chest. "Go out there and show the world of billiards what kind of player you are. Win or lose, you will always be the best to me."
 

"I love you, Mom."
 

"And I love you, John.”
 

I didn't want to tell my mother that I felt pretty drunk, but I was sure she could smell it on my breath. My heart was racing as I made my way back to the tables. I leaned down and started practicing making shots. I was off...way off. The alcohol and my father had made me completely fucked up. There was no way I was going to make it three more rounds. Not after everything. He'd
ruined yet another opportunity for me without even trying that hard.
 

I kept practicing, trying to get my blurry vision to go back to normal. I ordered two bottles of water and downed them all at once. I sat down and rested my head in my hands.
 

When they called me and my competitor to our tables, I was shaking and nervous. I was already in the money round, but needed to win the big prize. My mother and I needed money to get our own place. Surprisingly, I won the match. A hour later, I was starting the second to last round match. My nerves were nonexistent and I felt like I was going to vomit.
 

I shook hands with the middle aged man that I was competing against. "Good luck man."
 

The shit got real quick and I was soon stuck on a shot that could cost me the whole competition. Sweat was rolling down my face and the crowd was silent as I speculated how I was going to fuck this up. I needed confidence so I looked up toward the crowd to see my mother's face. It was the person sitting next to her that caught me by surprise.
 

Charlie smiled at me with tears in her eyes. Next to her sat Ryan and Elle, who were waving their arms around to get my attention. It had to be the liquor, or a figment of my stressed imagination. There was no way it could really be Charlie.
 

I looked directly into her eyes and paid no attention to the crowd of people as I waved to her. She smiled and waved back. Real or not, it was enough to light a fire up my ass and get focused.
 

The crowd was quiet as I lined it up and kicked at my ball. It came off of the rail and knocked in the nine early, giving me the win. The crowd went crazy and I looked to find Charlie, but she wasn't there and neither were Ryan and Elle.
 

Chapter 37
 

Charlie
 

I couldn't believe I was even considering this. The whole drive to Virginia Beach was a blur. I was lucky that my brother was asleep for the whole time. At first I thought my friend’s idea to find Jammer was a terrible mistake. For all I knew everything he said was the truth. If he didn't want me than I was making a complete fool out of myself. Still, there was a part of me that just prayed I was wrong about everything. At the end of the day I was still so unsure.
 

I'd never been a desperate person. I dealt the hands that I was given and learned to adjust my lifestyle around it. After years of living like that, it was just easy to blend in with whatever was going on around me. I was like a human chameleon.
 

I will not forget the feeling that I got in the pit of my stomach when we pulled up at the convention center. As much as I had wished for this to be happening, I feared being rejected.
 

I grabbed the pool stick case out of the trunk and followed my friends and my brother into the large building where the event
was being held. The place was packed with vendors and people. We made our way through and got to the room where the actual matches were being held. Just before walking inside to find Jammer, a man walked right into me. I turned to make sure he was okay and realized just who the person was.
 

Jammer's father stood right in front of me and he looked pissed. "I see how much my son follows directions. You can keep them both now, because I am officially done." He pushed himself away from me and headed toward the exit.
 

I felt Elle's arm touch my shoulder. "What was that about?"
 

"I have no idea."
 

We finally got inside the door and I saw him for the first time. He looked bad, like he was going to be sick. He was too far away for me to call out to him, so I started climbing the stands to find a better seat. With my brother and friends in tow, I spotted Jammer's mother sitting all by herself. When she saw me she got a huge smile across her face. She stood up as I approached her. "You don't know how happy I am to see you. I don't know the whole story, but I know that he needs you. He's struggling."
 

We all sat down just as his match was beginning. He sat on his stool when it wasn't his turn and studied his opponents every move. I held his case between my legs and noticed that he obviously was using another stick. As much as he talked about the one I was holding, I knew he would appreciate me bringing it for him to use.
 

"So, how is he doing?" I leaned over and asked his mother.
 

It was very quiet while the matches were going on, so we had to whisper. "Yesterday's matches were difficult for him, but this has been the hardest. He's in the semi-final round now."
 

I knew Jammer was good at pool, but I had no idea he was good enough to have come that far. "So, he has a chance to win the whole thing?"
 

She smiled and grabbed my hand. "He's going to win, Charlie. I can feel it and now that you're here, I just know it. How did you know he was here? Did he tell you?"
 

I shook my head. "We saw him on television. I just...I just had to come."
 

She squeezed my hand again. "He's in love with you, you do know that right?"
 

I kept her hand in mine and looked down at him. "Yeah, I'm in love with him too."
 

"This was all for you, Charlie. He did all of it so you could be happy. I think my son assumed that if he walked away you could forget about him and move on."
 

"He was wrong."
 

"You can tell him yourself after he makes this shot."
 

I looked down to see that he was stuck behind another ball. I'd seen him make the shot before, but it wasn't easy. He was struggling, I could tell. For some reason he looked like he was drunk. His eyes squinted when he looked down to figure out the direction he needed to hit the ball. This shot could determine everything.
 

I was so nervous for him that my eyes started to water. I couldn't believe he was doing all of this for us. At that moment he looked up and looked right at me. Ryan and Elle started waving their hands around to get his attention. He waved and I waved right back, smiling the whole time.
 

He bent down and took the shot. The object ball knocked the nine in and Jammer won the game. I was so excited that I
pulled Zach, Elle and Ryan out of our seats to meet Jammer at the entrance. I couldn't wait to be in his arms again. If I was allowed, I would have jumped down and went through the taped off area to get to him.
 

I saw him putting his stick away and looking up in the stands for us, but I couldn't get his attention from where I was standing.
 

I felt tugging on my leg. "Charlie, I have to go to the bathroom."
 

Zach picked him up. "I got this. Go stand over there until we get back."
 

Elle and I both agreed and made our way to the wall located beside the entrance. I peeked back into the tournament room and located Jammer, but he was no longer alone. A very pretty blonde was hugging him and whispering something in his ear.
 

I didn't know how to react. I mean, we weren't together and I couldn't expect women to not hit on him. He was very attractive. Still, it made me uneasy knowing she was touching what was
mine. I wedged my way through the crowd of people trying to exit. I had to get to him. I had to know if I was what he wanted.
 

Tears were rolling down my face as I made my way closer to where I saw him standing. When we were directly across from each other, I froze in place. My heart was racing and my mouth felt dry. I didn't know what to say or do.
 

I knew I couldn't fret about it any longer. The blonde grabbed Jammer by the arm, but when he turned and looked up to see me, they both froze. "I'm not imagining this, am I?"
 

I shook my head from side to side.
 

He whispered something to the girl and she let go of his arm. When she walked towards me, I didn't know what to expect. "I think you just made him the happiest man on the planet." She patted my shoulder and walked away from us.