The Other Game

by J. Sterling

  • • •

  Melissa was supposed to stay at her parents’ house until Monday morning, but she came back early, bursting through the front door Saturday afternoon when we least expected her. Her jaw dropped open when she saw me and Cassie sitting on the couch, and she ran over to us, wrapping us both in a hug.

  “Oh, Cassie, your face,” she said with a concerned whine.

  “I know.” Cassie sighed.

  “And Dean. How’s your head?” Melissa touched the side of my face, and I lost myself in her eyes.

  “Still hurts,” I said with a small smile. “I thought you weren’t coming back until Monday.”

  “It didn’t feel right to stay away from you guys. I know I can’t do anything, but I just wanted to be here. Where’s Jack?”

  Cassie pointed toward her bedroom. “Napping.”

  “I could use one of those, actually.” I stretched and looked at Melissa. “But now that you’re here, should I go home?” I pushed off the couch and hoped like hell I could still stay. I really hadn’t planned on leaving anytime soon.

  “No, no. Of course not. You can still stay in my room,” Melissa said, and I breathed out in relief.

  “Thank God. I wasn’t ready to see Gran and Gramps yet,” I admitted.

  “Come on.” She looped her arm around my waist and walked with me to her bedroom as if I was too injured to do it myself.

  “I like Nurse Melissa.”

  She urged me toward her bed and watched as I lay down on top of the covers. Smiling, she reached for an extra blanket and pulled it over me.

  “Do you need anything?” She ran her finger across my head lightly, inspecting the wound. “Dean, that looks really awful.”

  “I know.”

  I’d checked it out in the mirror earlier this morning. The wound was puffy and pink, its edges dark with dried blood. I guess if I’d gotten stitches like the cop recommended, it wouldn’t have pulled open again.

  “Can I get you some more aspirin or water?”

  Sensing that she wanted to be helpful, I let her. “Sure. Both would be great.”

  Melissa left for only a moment before she returned to place the aspirin in my palm and the glass of water in my other hand. After I swallowed the pills, she reached for the glass and set it on her nightstand. Then to my surprise, the bed dipped as she crawled in next to me, and rubbed my back as I closed my eyes. It was a small gesture, kind and comforting.

  I fell asleep to the feel of her fingertips drawing loops on my shoulder blades.

  Blood, Sweat, and Tears

  Even though I’d promised Jack I wouldn’t drive around and look for the guy, I still did. It had been three weeks since the assault, and I couldn’t sit there and do nothing when I knew that I was the only one who would recognize the jerk the moment I laid eyes on him. I imagined seeing him on the street and wondered what I’d do, not having the faintest idea.

  Which was exactly why Jack was better at being bad than I was. He knew exactly what he’d do, and he’d do it without hesitation.

  He scoured the Internet every night, searching all the resale websites, and visited every pawn shop in the area personally, describing the camera and asking them to keep an eye out. I’d also looked online, checking out Craigslist for not only our county, but the next two counties over, just in case the guy was smarter than we’d given him credit for.

  I’d avoided telling Gran what happened that night and she never asked, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she somehow knew anyway. She was psychic like that.

  After that weekend, I’d convinced Jack to stop only hanging out at Cassie’s place and to bring her by the house more. Not that I didn’t want to go over there and see Melissa, but I’d asked him more for our grandparents’ sake¸ knowing that they missed him and would never ask him themselves.

  He’d done as I asked, which thrilled Gran and Gramps. They loved it when we were all at home, and adding Cassie to the mix was icing on the cake. Gran said it was too quiet when we were gone, and I wondered how lonely she’d be once Jack got drafted. Granted, I’d still be living there, but it wouldn’t be the same. Jack had always been the louder one.

  My cell phone rang as I sat reading a textbook on my bed. I didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

  “Is this Dean Carter?”

  I stopped reading and placed the book to my side. “Yes?”

  “This is Officer Santos from the Fullton State Police Department,” he said, as if I wouldn’t remember who he was.

  “I remember you. Did you get him?”

  “We got him,” he said with a smile in his voice. “He was trying to pawn the camera he’d stolen. He’s at the downtown station. Do you think you could come here and ID him?”

  I sat up immediately and hopped to my feet. “I’ll be right there.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  I grabbed my keys and jumped into Gran’s car. Once I arrived at the station, I dialed Jack’s phone before I left the car, knowing that he’d be in the middle of his new after-practice ritual of driving the streets, looking for the guy.

  His breathing was heavy when he answered. “What’s up?”

  “They got him,” I said, cutting straight to the chase.

  “The guy?”

  “They caught him trying to pawn Cassie’s camera. He’s in jail. I have to head down there to identify him.” I hoped he could hear the relief in my voice.

  “Can I get her camera for her?” Before I could answer, he asked, “Do you want me to come with you? I should probably come with you.” His tone turned defensive, and I knew he wanted to see the guy for himself.

  “I’ll find out about the camera when I get there, but I think it’s evidence now, so she probably can’t have it back yet,” I told him. “I’m in the police parking lot now, so I’ll just head in and identify him. You should go tell Cassie they got him.”

  “I will. Thanks, and be careful,” he said.

  “It’s fine. I’ll call you after.”

  I shoved the phone in my pocket and sucked in a breath as I walked through the station’s glass doors. A woman sat behind a reception desk in the waiting room, finishing up a call as I headed toward her.

  “Can I help you?” she asked when she put down the phone.

  “I’m Dean Carter. Officer Santos asked me to come down to identify a suspect.”

  “Have a seat, please.” She pointed toward the row of chairs. “I’ll be right back.”

  I sat down and tapped my feet, my nerves stretched taut as I waited for her to return. I definitely wasn’t looking forward to seeing this guy again. Just being here brought back unpleasant memories.

  The glass doors swung open, and I was surprised when Brett walked in.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  He gave me a friendly slap on the back before sitting next to me. “Jack told me they got the guy. Thought I could help identify him.”

  “Cool. Thanks. How was Jack?”

  Brett blew out a breath. “Mixed. He seemed relieved, but I think he wanted to catch the guy before the cops did.”

  “That wouldn’t have been a good thing.”

  He nodded. “I know. We all tried to tell him that, but he’s unreasonable when it comes to Cassie.”

  “Nah, he’s just in love. And Jack’s protective of people he cares about,” I said, used to defending my brother’s level of intensity.

  The receptionist seemed surprised to see Brett when she came back to the waiting room. “Oh, now there’s two of you? I’ll let Officer Santos know. He should be right out.”

  Brett and I made small talk as we waited for Santos. I wondered what the hell was taking so long; it wasn’t as if the station was busy. No sooner had the thought entered my mind than the doors to my right swung open.

  Officer Santos stepped toward us, his hand extended, “Dean. Brett. Good to see you again. You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you,” he said to me with a nod.

  “Thanks.”
/>   “Follow me,” Santos said, and we trailed behind.

  He led us down a long corridor and into a viewing room. A large pane of glass that I hoped was a one-way mirror was inset in one of the walls, and five guys stood on the other side of it, looking like they’d rather be anywhere else than here.

  Officer Santos explained how things would work. “You can see them, but they can’t see you. They know you’re in here, though. Just let me know if you recognize—”

  “Three,” Brett and I both blurted at the same time.

  Officer Santos nodded before pressing a button on the wall. “You can send them back, thanks.” He turned toward us and shook his head with a grin. “You didn’t even let me do the fun part.”

  “What part was that?” I asked.

  “Asking them to step forward, turn to the left, then to the right. It’s the only part that makes them really nervous.”

  “Sorry. I’d rather just get this all over with,” I admitted, although the idea of torturing the prick sounded fun in a sadistic, vengeful way.

  “I understand. Thank you both for coming in.”

  Officer Santos walked us out the door and when I asked about Cassie’s camera, told me that it was state’s evidence now and it had to stay with them until after the trial, which could be months.

  Cassie would hate hearing that, but I felt a little better knowing that Jack was going to buy her a new one, even if she claimed to not want one.

  As Brett and I pushed through the doors and walked into the warm night, I said, “I’m so glad that’s behind us.”

  Brett laughed. “You and me both.”

  “Thanks for coming down, man.”

  “Anytime. See ya at school.”

  We gave each other a knuckled fist bump before heading in opposite directions.

  Personally, I was just thankful the piece of shit was behind bars and couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. I was also glad the cops had found him before Jack did.

  Draft Day

  With draft day for the major league right around the corner, our household had been far more tense than usual. Hell, our household wasn’t normally ever tense, to be honest.

  We all seemed to walk on eggshells around Jack, worried about the level of pressure he must be under. His two agents, who couldn’t officially be his agents until he got drafted, called him almost daily with updates about the things they heard about him—what team was interested, what they were might offer, that sort of thing. Every phone call he got either gave him new information or contradicted what he’d been told the day before.

  I knew they were only trying to keep Jack in the loop, but it seemed frustrating as hell on his end. But if he felt anything other than excitement and anticipation, he hid it well.

  Gran and Gramps had been extra attentive toward him, following him around the house, asking if he needed anything. He endured their smothering in silence until he finally snapped one afternoon.

  “I love you both, but you’re driving me fucking nuts right now. Just be normal!”

  “Jack! Language!” was all Gran said before turning to finish cleaning the sink.

  “Dean, come with me,” Jack called out as he grabbed his keys from the key organizer and pushed open the front door.

  I ran to catch up to him. “Where are we going?”

  “Shopping,” he shot back before hopping in his truck. He pulled out his phone, typed an address into a GPS app, and allowed it to guide us. “Do me a favor and call Melissa.”

  I shot him a questioning look. “Why?”

  “Just do it, damn it. I can’t talk while I’m driving. Just call her for me, please.”

  Without asking again, I dialed her number.

  “Hi!” she answered, her voice chipper.

  “Hey. Jack asked me to call you, so . . .” I glanced at my brother, waiting for some direction.

  “Ask her what kind of camera Cassie had,” he said, and understanding hit me.

  “He wants to know what kind of camera Cassie had. Do you know?”

  “Oh, hold on,” she said before I heard a door slam. “Sorry, she’s here in the apartment. Yeah, she had a Canon Rebel something or other.”

  I laughed. “That’s helpful.”

  “It is helpful. You’ll see when you get to the camera store.”

  “Okay, I think that’s it.” I turned toward Jack, who stared straight ahead as he gave me a nod. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “‘Bye, Dean.”

  Jack pulled into the shopping center parking lot we’d been directed to and stopped for a moment to look around. Once he spotted the store he was looking for, he made a beeline toward a parking space in front of it. I hadn’t realized that specialty camera stores even existed anymore. It seemed like everyone bought their digital cameras from megastores or online.

  He hopped out of the truck without saying anything, and I knew better than to stay put. Jack was on a mission, and I was his partner in crime. I walked inside the overly air-conditioned store and was amazed at all the camera equipment that surrounded me. There were cameras of all types, tripods, cases, and lenses of all sizes. A store like this was probably something Cassie dreamed about nightly.

  “How can I help you gentlemen today?” An older man stood behind the counter, his pants held up by striped suspenders.

  “I need to get a camera for my girlfriend. Hers got stolen.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” the man said.

  “Yeah, well, she had a . . .” He paused.

  When Jack looked at me for help, I said, “Canon Rebel?”

  The man stood up a little straighter, his eyes lighting up with recognition. “We have that in the newest model if you’d like to see,” he said with a smile, but Jack shook his head.

  “No. What’s the next best thing? If you wanted to be a professional photographer and you were really, really good at it. What kind of camera would you want that would be good enough for now and for your future?”

  Jack had clearly thought this out, and I was impressed. Cassie was going to blow a gasket.

  “Most people upgrade from the Rebel to the Mark III. It’s a significantly better camera that gives you more options.”

  “Perfect. I’ll take it.”

  “Do you need just the body, or would you like a kit?” he asked Jack, and I stood there staring at him like he’d just spoken a foreign language.

  “What’s the difference?” Jack asked, unfazed.

  The man chuckled. “Oh. Sorry. The body is just the camera, but no lens. And the kit would include a lens.”

  Jack shifted his weight. “Considering both her camera body and her lens got stolen, I guess I need the kit,” he said with a nod.

  I laughed as the man disappeared into a back room. “Cassie’s gonna flip.” I patted him on the back, proud of what he was doing for her.

  “I hope she likes it.” He suddenly looked nervous as the man returned, holding a large box.

  “All right.” The man punched some numbers into his computer and read Jack the total, and I braced against the counter for support.

  “Wow.” I let out a little whistle of surprise but Jack ignored me, handing over his credit card without hesitation.

  “She’s worth it,” he said to me in a low voice. “And she deserves it. That money’s nothing in the grand scheme of things, okay?”

  He was referring to his signing bonus. Granted, he hadn’t gotten it yet, but it would definitely be a hell of a lot more than three thousand dollars.

  “I had no idea they could be that expensive, was all,” I said, trying to backpedal a little.

  “It’s like buying a computer,” the man said as he handed Jack the receipt. “And the return you can make on this investment is well worth it.”

  “Yeah, Dean. It’s well worth it,” Jack said to me with a little attitude before taking the box off the counter.

  “Thanks for the business,” the man called out as we exited the store.

  When we walked outside, it was like le
aving an icebox and stepping into a sauna. The heat hit us and I groaned, not knowing which temperature I preferred.

  “She’ll love it, right?” Jack asked, seeming suddenly unsure of his grand purchase.

  “What’s not to love? It’s amazing, Jack. Really thoughtful.”

  “Text Melissa and make sure.”

  “Since when did you and Melissa become best friends?” I asked, my jealous bone tingling.

  “Stop being a baby. She’s helpful. And it’s not my fault you can’t seal the deal with her,” he said before socking me in the arm.

  Was he right? Was it my fault that we weren’t dating? I certainly didn’t think so. Melissa had been running hot and cold ever since Jack and Cassie had gotten together. I wanted to believe that she flirted with me because she was interested, but I honestly couldn’t tell.

  At least she wasn’t dating anyone else. I wasn’t sure I could handle that.

  “Where’d you two run off to?” Gramps asked when we walked through the front door.

  “Jack bought Cassie a camera,” I announced before remembering that they didn’t know hers had been stolen.

  “That was awful nice of you, Jack. What’s wrong with Cassie’s other camera?” Gramps asked, and I mouthed sorry to my brother as he glared at me.

  “Nothing. This one’s just better, and I wanted her to have the best,” he answered easily with a smile.

  Gran emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “That’s really sweet of you. She’ll love it. When are you going to give it to her?”

  “I think I’ll give it to her the morning of the draft. That way we’ll both be one step closer to our dream careers.”

  Gramps let out a little whoop. “This is so exciting. I get to see Kitten in action.”

  I chuckled. Hearing Gramps call Cassie “Kitten” made me laugh every time.

  • • •

  By the time draft day rolled around, the excitement level in our house had reached a fever pitch.

  Early that morning, I woke up to the sound of Jack’s alarm blaring from his room, which was pretty damn loud in my room too since we shared a wall. Glancing at my nightstand, I noted my alarm clock read 6:42 a.m. Why the hell was Jack waking up so early?