And they prob will
Is high stakes Texas Hold’em different than regular stakes Texas Hold’em
What about going unnoticed did Julian not understand? It was honestly foolish of me to expect him to even do that.
BENNETT
the only advice I have for you is to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em
JULIAN
I didn’t know you were funny
I pocket my phone and let myself into Tate’s room, flipping on thelights. The last time I was in here, Clover was drunk and it was dark except for a small desk lamp. But with the overhead lights on, I find Tate’s room to be much cleaner than any college guy’s room typically would be. The place is likely maintained by a housekeeping service.
The only thing breaking up the dark hardwood floors and navy blue walls is the white trim and wainscoting. His bed is made, and the walls are ornamented with lacrosse team photos and trophies. There are a few pictures from high school of him at parties with other guys—big fish in little ponds.
Of course, it would have been too fucking easy for the ring to just be sitting there on his desk under a spotlight.
I start with the two nightstands on either side of his bed. The first side is full of random junk and a few unmarked pill containers.
It is impossible to be in this room and not think of her. The weight of her in my lap and how I had just wanted to keep her safe.
The other nightstand is full of condoms and lube and an old, cracked cell phone. After rifling through the dressers, desk drawers, and his closet, I kneel next to the bed and look underneath. There’s loose lacrosse equipment, and a deflated basketball that I remember the guys pelting one another with last year in the backyard when everyone was high and bored. The last thing is a Nike shoebox in the exact middle of the space under the bed, and I think that’s gotta be it.
After pulling it out, I sit down on the edge of the bed. I flip back the lid to find the box is full of nothing but trophies. Thongs, a few bras, some Polaroid photos from a camera that seemed to get passed around last year. Mostly girls with glassy eyes laid out in the basement in various states of undress. Some are aware—though barely—and others are just passed out. It’s fucking disgusting. My stomach turns at each new discovery, and eventually I just shake out the whole damn box, which is pointless—
Until something knocks against the cardboard and the ring… Clover’s ring falls out into my waiting palm.
The relief I feel is nothing compared to what it will be if I’m able to win her back, but it’s still so fucking sweet.
I shoot off a quick text to Julian and his response comes a moment later.
BENNETT
Got it.
JULIAN
Good, because I can’t lose any more money tonight.
BENNETT
meet you at the car. Be careful.
I give the room one last look, wondering if I should bother piecing back together the mess I’d made. But then I shake my head as my focus settles on his little spread of trophies. No, let him fucking see that I know what a piece of shit he is. Anger, sudden and violent, practically strangles me.
A lacrosse stick is poking out from under the bed and I make a split-second decision to take it with me.
I take the stairs two at a time with the ring tucked into the breast pocket above my heart. The drunk first-year has reclaimed his station at the foot of the stairs.
“What the—” he yells after me as I hop over the velvet rope and make a beeline to the basement door. I have one last piece of unfinished business.
The night is still young, so the basement is relatively quiet except for two couples sequestered in opposite corners. Neither of them even looks up as I make my way down the stairs. At least they don’tuntil the moment I swing the lacrosse stick into the scoreboard, shattering a handful of incandescent lights.
I go for the slate next, but the plastic head of the stick cracks, which is fine, because mounted to the wall right beside the scoreboard is a metal baseball bat with the Wexley logo. Likely from the seventies.
A girl screams somewhere behind me, and I almost apologize for startling her, but hope that my little display encourages her to abandon whatever poor decision she is about to make.
