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Working the games booths was easy for Jamie Pyne. Naturally a charmer, he raked in more than his fair share of cash by easily convincing people that they could win, and they always believed him. And the better he did at work, the happier Manny would be. And the less likely he would be to care when the extra hot dogs and French fries were cleaned out at the end of the day. And Manny was one of few people who truly understood the degree of necessity that came from Jamie’s family. Not every family in town could be like the Matthews family, after all.
The thought of Matthews caused Jamie to glance past the edge of his own booth and a group of girls to spot if that rich brat was still working. They were on the same break, and Jamie had forgotten his phone and simply didn’t own a watch.
Of course, the guy was gone. Jamie hopped over the counter that divided him and the pyramids of concrete-filled milk bottles from the rest of the world, and he strode right past the crowd of girls. His coworker could handle them, and they could stand to be ignored. Right now, there were two far more important things on his mind: the first being liquor, and the second being Laura. Not necessarily in order of importance, but both were there.
He wasn’t what one would call “in love” with the new girl by any stretch of the imagination. She was just the only female who had ever put up any true resistance to his charms. She was something new, she was beautiful, and he knew nothing about her. These three characteristics in combination caused him to target her, and she would remain a target until she was his.
He slipped in to the casino what seemed like mere moments after Manny had finished a speech, and he was apparently one of the last to arrive. Not that he cared. He strode past a crowd that surrounded Alex and her guitar, including his ex, Wisty—at least, that’s what he’d called her. Remember had too much meaning to the word itself to continue to refer to her that way. There were a lot of things that he’d always remember about her, and he didn’t need her name acting as a sort of curse on his subconscious to force thoughts of the girl. She was one who somehow managed to keep him interested for a few months. She’d been mysterious at the start was probably the reason, but once he’d figured her out, he’d lost interest. It hadn’t ever been love. He respected her and cared for her, granted, but he never did really love her. Love was something he had yet to experience.
He ignored the little crowd and approached the bar, taking an empty seat a few stools down from Caroline and Jeremy, two of his best friends. Well, Jeremy was his best friend, and Caroline was his friend by romantic tie to Jeremy. Not that he didn’t like Caroline. Quite the contrary, actually. He really liked her, and she was really quite a stunner. A wonder that someone like Jeremy got a girl like her.
He tossed her a wink over his friend’s shoulder, but remained wordless. He gave the bartender a smile, and the bartender in turn gave him a rum and coke. A nod of thanks, and Jamie turned wordlessly on his stool to face the room. Someone would approach him for conversation if they wanted it, he wouldn’t have to go out of his way looking for it. Plus, he really didn’t want to join the circle that contained Wisty. It was common knowledge that she was still pining for him, and he didn’t want to make that any harder on her or anyone else.
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Oh yes, I'm the great pretender
Pretending that I'm doing well
My need is such; I pretend too much
I'm lonely but no one can tell.
Pretending that I'm doing well
My need is such; I pretend too much
I'm lonely but no one can tell.
