Tear Down These Walls

by Sarah Kay Carter

  “What is that?” Teagan asks, squinching up her nose.

  Trent gives her mischievous smile. “It’s squid.”

  “That is disgusting,” Teagan gags.

  He smirks, “Don’t knock it until you try it.”

  “Uh no,” Teagan retorts, putting her hands out. “Gross.”

  Trent laughs. “I don’t want to make the birthday girl grossed out, so no calamari.”

  “Thanks,” Teagan whispers.

  “Let’s do birthday gifts!” Victoria exclaims. She grabs her purse and takes out a small, wrapped box. “This is from Emily and me.”

  Teagan takes the box and shakes it. There is a rattle from inside. “I wonder what it is.”

  “Any guesses?” Victoria giggles.

  “No,” Teagan counters.

  “Open it!” Emily cheers. “I think we did well this year.”

  Excitedly, Teagan rips off the wrapping paper. It is a small jewelry box. When she opens it up, there is a charm bracelet inside. At first glance, Teagan can see a small margarita glass charm, a book, and what appears to be a pool ball dangling delicately among a handful of other charms. “Oh my gosh,” Teagan gasps. “It’s beautiful!”

  “Each charm has something to do with things we have done,” Victoria declares. “We thought about it for a while.”

  “It’s perfect!” Teagan exclaims. “Thank you so much!”

  “Here, let me help put it on,” Trent says, taking the bracelet out of the box. Teagan extends her wrist out, and he clasps it on. “It’s very pretty.”

  “I know!” Teagan shakes her wrist, and the sound of the charms tinkling against each other fills the air. She looks at Emily. “I love it.”

  Emily smiles, “I’m glad.”

  “My gift next,” Michael pipes up. He throws her an envelope.

  She rips it open and gasps. “A massage, oh my gosh, how perfect!”

  “I figured you have had enough stress lately. You probably need it.”

  “You have no idea,” Teagan replies. “This is wonderful.”

  “Awesome,” Michael says happily.

  Everyone looks at Isaac. He smiles, “I plan to take you out to dinner, wherever you want.”

  There is an awkward silence. Teagan doesn’t know what to say. Victoria quickly yells, “You need to take her Dave and Buster’s! Better yet, we can all go!”

  “Oh,” Isaac interjects. “I meant by ourselves.”

  “No, the Dave and Buster’s thing sounds great,” Trent states smoothly, staring at Isaac. “Right babe?”

  Teagan nods, “Yeah, it will be fun. They actually have decent food there.”

  “Dave and Buster’s it is!” Victoria exclaims. Isaac frowns and looks down.

  Smiling, Teagan looks around the table at her friends, “Thank you all for your gifts.”

  “What?” Trent retorts. “I can’t give you mine?”

  “You have done enough for me; don’t be ridiculous. You replaced everything that was damaged in my apartment. That’s a lot of money. Plus, you gave me a computer. Plus, you supplied transportation tonight.”

  “PLUS, I am buying dinner and drinks for the evening,” Trent laughs. “But that’s not your present.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. “This is for you.”

  Teagan furrows her eyebrows and looks at him. “I can’t take a present.”

  “Open it. I bet you change your mind.”

  Shaking her head, she opens the box. Instantly, her jaw drops. “Oh my god.”

  “What is it?” Victoria asks.

  “A necklace,” Teagan whispers. She pulls it out. It is a bright pink, princess cut stone set in silver. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It’s a pink sapphire,” Trent says. “Do you like it?”

  “Are you crazy!?” Teagan yells. “This isn’t something you buy a friend!”

  He shrugs, “It’s something I buy for my friend. Actually, I was out the other day on the job. My client went to do a deal in a jewelry store. The stone made me think of you. When I found out it was your birthday, I went and purchased it.”

  Teagan murmurs, “It’s beautiful.”

  “You should put it on,” Trent suggests. “It will go nicely with your outfit.”

  “Yeah,” Teagan squeaks. Trent reaches over and takes the necklace out. He stands up and puts it around her neck.

  “There, perfect.”

  “W-O-W,” Michael draws out.

  “This is a wonderful birthday!” Teagan shouts. “Though a little ridiculous from one person.” She says as she smirks at Trent.

  “Oooooo,” Emily says, clapping her hands under the table. “Drinks are here.”

  The waitress comes over and sets all their drinks down. “Are you guys ready to order?”

  “We would like some appetizers first,” Mike says “Mozzarella sticks, bruschetta…..”

  “And spinach dip, please,” Victoria interjects.

  “I will get those in right away,” the waitress states.

  Trent picks up his glass. “Let’s make a toast.” Everyone lifts up his or her glass. “To a remarkable and beautiful woman, I hope she has a splendid birthday and a fabulous 22nd year!

  “To Teagan!” Emily yells. Everyone cheers and clinks their glasses.

  After Teagan takes a drink, she says, “Thanks guys.”

  “So, what should we have to eat?” Michael asks. They all pick up their menus to look.

  An hour and a half later, they leave the restaurant. The limo is waiting for them outside. Victoria’s jaw drops. “That’s our ride!?”

  “Yup,” Trent answers sternly. “No drinking and driving.”

  “Kick ass!” She squeals.

  The driver comes out and opens the door for them. Everyone piles in, and then Trent helps Teagan inside. He sits down and asks, “Where are we going first?”

  “We need to go to The Cave,” Michael states. “We always start birthdays there. They have an incredible shots menu.”

  “Sounds great,” Trent says. “Gregory, please take us to The Cave.”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Grayson.”

  Teagan looks at Trent. “You know him?”

  “We use this limo service for work,” he replies quietly.

  “You are in security, right?” Mike asks.

  “Yes, personal body guards and security,” Trent says. “I own the business. It’s called Trent Personal Security.”

  “Wow,” Michael chirps. “Trent Grayson, huh.” He narrows his eyes. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  Trent tenses up next to Teagan. “I don’t know.”

  “Gosh, you look familiar too,” Michael mumbles. Trent shrugs and looks out the window. “Grayson, Trent Grayson. Why do I know you?”

  “We have never met before; I promise you that,” Trent states, looking back at Michael.

  “Huh, all right, I believe you,” Michael sighs. “You just look familiar.”

  “I get that a lot,” Trent exhales.

  Looking at Trent, Teagan suspiciously eyes him because she knows something is up, but she decides to let it go. When they get to the bar, everyone cheers. They go inside, and it’s packed. Victoria quickly snags a table at the edge of the dance floor. “There are only four chairs,” she yells. “Guys will have to stand!”

  “That’s fine,” Trent replies. “What do you want to drink to start?”

  “SHOTS! LOTS OF SHOTS!” Michael shouts.

  “What kind?” Trent asks. “Birthday girl’s choice.”

  Teagan thinks about it, “I don’t know.”

  “Jaeger bomb,” Michael interjects. “We must do one.”

  “Classy,” Trent chuckles. “Is that what you want?”

  “Sure,” Teagan smiles. “That sounds great.”

  “Hey Mike, can I borrow you over at the bar?” Trent shouts over all the noise.

  Michael nods, “Sure man.” They turn and head back through the crowd.

  “We…..are…..going….to…..dance….tonight!�
�� Victoria exclaims.

  “Let’s go out there now,” Emily giggles. “They will be a little bit.”

  “Yeah, come on!” Victoria grabs Teagan’s hand and pulls her onto the dance floor. They immediately start dancing around. Teagan keeps it tame. She keeps herself in check when she is in a crowd. The music is loud and the bass makes her move. They go through an entire song before she sees Trent and Michael come back with trays.

  Furrowing her eyebrows, Teagan makes her way back to the table. “That is a lot of shots.”

  “We thought we would bring them all over, so we don’t have to go back up there for a while. It was packed,” Mike yells.

  Trent takes his time and puts six shots in front of everyone. “We have a jaeger bomb, liquid cocaine, a godfather, if you ladies can handle it, Alabama slammer, a Washington apple, and a plain old shot of Patron, for my lovely date.”

  “I’m not even going to be able to walk!” Teagan laughs. “You carrying me home?”

  “Sure,” Trent replies with a mischievous grin.

  “If that’s the case, you are missing something,” Victoria says.

  Everyone turns and looks at her. “What are we missing?” Teagan inquires with humor.

  “Well, the birthday girl should always end the night with a screaming orgasm,” Victoria states loudly with a smile. Teagan’s jaw drops, and Michael bursts into a fit of laughter. “You know…..THE SHOT.”

  “Victoria!” Teagan hisses.

  “Ummmm, I think these are enough,” Trent replies smoothly. “We will see about the other shot later.”

  “It’s called a screaming orgasm,” Victoria enunciates. “She should end the night having one!”

  Teagan stomps down on Victoria’s foot. Victoria yells out but laughs at the same time. Teagan shakes her head and grabs the jaeger bomb. “Let’s get this party started.” She holds up the cup and everyone else grabs his or hers. “To a great night.” Teagan slams down the shot.

  When everyone puts down his or her glass, Emily asks, “So, what are we doing first?”

  Victoria leans backwards and grins. “Want to make some money?”

  “How?” Teagan quips. Victoria looks across the room. Everyone turns to the pool table. There is a group of college guys around it. “Come on Emily. Let’s show them your skills.”

  “Teagan has to be my partner then,” Emily states, throwing her arm around Teagan’s shoulder. “How much cash are we putting down?”

  “Let’s ante up,” Michael interjects. He throws a twenty on a table. Isaac does the same thing. Emily throws on thirty. Victoria pulls out forty from her bra.

  Teagan laughs. “All right, I don’t have cash but let’s go double our money.”

  Emily grabs it all and puts it in her back pocket. “Come on girls.”

  “We will stay here and hold down the fort,” Michael chirps. “Truthfully, I just want to check out the girls on the dance floor.”

  “I’ll keep him company,” Isaac adds on.

  “Whoa, wait a second. What’s going on?” Trent inquires, looking at Teagan.

  “We are going to hustle those guys,” Teagan replies. “Want to come watch? Make sure they don’t get too pissed off.”

  “You guys are going to put that much money on the table?” Trent stammers. “Is that a good idea?”

  Emily cocks her hip to the side and says, “You haven’t seen anything until you have seen Teagan and I school people at pool.”

  Trent turns and looks at Teagan. “Seriously?”

  She bats her eyelashes. “Just come and watch. One more shot for the road.” Teagan grabs the tequila and swallows it down. “Let’s go.”

  Grabbing Emily’s hand, Teagan pulls her through the crowd and to the pool table. There are five guys total around the table. The game is almost finished. Teagan and Emily stand there staring at the guys playing. Teagan feels Trent walk up next to her. She holds up her finger for him to not say anything. It takes five minutes, but finally a guy in a blue t-shirt wins.

  “Who’s up next?” The guy shouts.

  “We want to play,” Emily replies sweetly.

  The guy looks at her. “You want to play us?”

  “Sure,” Emily giggles.

  “Do you even know how to play?”

  “Yes….they do,” Victoria replies slyly.

  Teagan walks over to the pool table and starts to roll the ball back and forth. She gives the guy a seductive look. “Come on, let us play.”

  Grinning, he says, “Sure, we’ll even take it easy on you.”

  “Oh, what’s the fun in that?” Teagan twirls a curl between two fingers. “I think we should take it easy on you.”

  The guy snorts, “Yeah, okay.”

  “I know we can beat you,” Teagan purrs. “Can you say the same?”

  “Listen, you talk a pretty big game, but you don’t know how good I am.”

  “Want to put some money on it?” Emily asks. “We will make a nice bet, a simple bet. Whoever wins gets the money.”

  He says, “How about if we win, you have to hang out with us the rest of the night.”

  “Sure,” Emily replies. “Then it’s double the money if we win.”

  “I hope you guys like to dance,” he says with a mischievous grin.

  Emily and Teagan look at each other. Emily turns and asks, “Who is breaking?”

  “We will let you, to make it fair,” the guy replies. “How much is the wager?”

  “110…in cash,” Emily states, throwing it down on the table All the guys stare down at it. “Aaawwww, are you scared now? Don’t think you can beat us?”

  “Oh no, I’m just sorry that I’m going to have to take your money. But sweetheart, I will spend it on getting you drinks for the rest of the night and then maybe breakfast in the morning.”

  Teagan’s eyebrows rise. Suddenly, she hears, “They will not leave here with you.” She turns around to look at Trent. He has his arms crossed and is staring down at the guy.

  The guy cocks his head to the side. “Are you a boyfriend?”

  “No, a body guard,” Trent declares. “Protecting them is my job.”

  “You have a body guard!?”

  “Yup, why, does that scare you?” Teagan snickers. “He won’t touch anyone unless he’s forced to. I am still up for a game of pool if you are.”

  Eyeing her up, the guy looks at his friend in a red ballcap and hoodie. “How much cash do you have?”

  “Enough to cover it,” the friend says.

  Turning back to Teagan, the guys sighs, “Ready to get schooled little girl?”

  “I’m up first,” Emily chirps, batting her eyelashes. She walks over and grabs a cue stick. “How do I know which one to use?” She whispers, tapping her chin with one finger. Grabbing another one, she lifts them side-by-side.

  With a chuckle, the guy murmurs to his friend, “This will be so easy.” Standing up straighter, he asks, “Are you sure you don’t want me to break? It takes some skill to do it properly.”

  “I think I can handle it,” Emily chirps, as she turns around. She walks over to the table and moves the cue ball in front of her. “We are solids.”

  “You can’t call it now, you have to actually get one in,” the guy laughs.

  “Put another twenty on there that she can sink a solid,” Victoria smoothly replies.

  “Oh yeah, I will take that bet. That’s easy,” the guy snorts.

  Teagan steps back to Trent and leans against him. “Just watch her.” He gives her a puzzled look as Teagan pops him with her hip. Trent puts his arm around her and smiles. They turn their attention back to Emily. “Do it Em,” Teagan exhales.

  Carefully, Emily eyes up the table and then takes the shot. The balls scatter. The solid green 6 rolls over and falls into a pocket. “We’re solids,” Emily declares with attitude. She moves around to the other side of the table. “Number 3 ball, corner pocket.” Emily takes the shot and makes it.

  “What in the hell!” The guy exclaims.

>   “Number one in the side pocket,” Emily giggles. She bends over and makes the shot.

  “You have got to be kidding me!?” The guy yells.

  Emily stands up. She casually walks around, scanning the table. Finally, she bends over and taps the cue ball. It slowly rolls across the table and lightly taps a ball. The ball rolls and comes within an inch of the pocket. Emily frowns, “Well, that isn’t like me.”

  The guy scoffs. “Let me show you how it’s done.” Emily takes a step back and waves her hand at the table.

  “She’s good,” Trent whispers to Teagan.

  “Just wait and watch,” Teagan giggles back.

  Bending over, the guy takes a shot. He gets in the 13 ball. He quickly stands up. “Watch and learn, girls.” He walks around by Emily and bends over. Carefully, he hits the cue ball. It smacks into a solid and then into the 11 ball. The 11 ball rolls across the table and comes within inches of the pocket. The guy grunts to himself. He glares at Teagan as he steps away from the table.

  “Show time,” Teagan murmurs to Trent. She steps up to the table. Surveying her options, Teagan decides to sink the ball that Emily hit. She lines up the shot and gently strikes the ball. It rolls and hits the 2 ball. That tips over into the pocket. Teagan looks at the table to decide which ball she is going to hit. “Number 7 ball, corner pocket.” She bends over and hits the cue ball. The ball strikes a striped ball, which rolls over and taps the 7 ball into the hole.

  “This is ridiculous!” The guy exclaims.

  With a grin, Teagan bends over the pool table. She lines up a shot and knocks a striped ball into the 4 ball. The 4 ball bounces off the side and rolls across the table. It drops into a side pocket. When she looks at the 5 ball, Teagan frowns. “That is a hard shot.”

  Emily comes up next to her. “Let me get that.”

  “Are you sure?” Teagan retorts innocently. “What if they catch up?”

  Emily gives her a look. “Do you think that will really happen?” Teagan smirks. “Just hit it as close to that corner pocket as possible.”

  “Aye, aye captain,” Teagan quips. She bends over and strikes the cue ball. It hits the 5 ball, and the 5 ball rolls over to the pocket. It bounces off the side but stops directly in front of the pocket.

  The guy looks at his partner. “Don’t screw this up.”

  His friend shakes his head, turns his cap backward, and steps up to the table. Emily and Teagan back off and stand next to Trent. The friend stares down at the table for a while…a long while. Emily turns to Teagan, “He could shoot already.”