Player of Hearts

“Tessa Dangers?” The boy laughed slightly. “That’s an ironic last name for a girl who plays on the safe side.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She nodded. “Well, what’s your name?”

“Jacob Foxx, the one and only.” Jacob smirked, taking out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up. “And you must be Avalee Jones.”

“Uh, yeah,” I said softly, Tessa coughing. “You okay, Tess?”

“Uh-huh.” She coughed again, Jacob putting his arm on her shoulder.

“Exhale, not inhale, babe.” He laughed slightly.

“Oh…” Tessa sighed, taking another drag.

"Why did you ask?" Avalee turned to Jacob and glanced curiously at his detailed face, it was round and slightly pale, a mole on his right cheek, dark brown scraggly hair and blue eyes, it was quite handsome, more Tessa's type than her own, hers was.

Well…you know.

"Because I've heard a lot about an Avalee Jones, the shy girl that likes to read books all the time," Jacob laughed as he turned to Victor and playfully pushed on his shoulder. "Man you need to teach this girl there are more things in life that are fun and reading ain't one of them."

"It is to me."

"Babe, after a while hanging out with us, you'll learn a few things that give books the boot," Victor glanced down at Avalee and grinned widely.

"Like what?"

"Do I really need to say any more, think about it Lee, you're a smart girl," Victor recited cheerfully as he grabbed Avalee's hand and turned a sharp right down an alleyway, Tessa and the other boys kept going straight.

"Victor where is Tessa going?" Avalee asked as her heart rate began to sky rocket, why was she alone with this boy, that was somewhat a criminal in a dark alley?

“They’re going to the house,” Victor sighed. “I have to pick up something.”

“Hey,” A shady man in the corner of the alley said. “Vic?”

“Yeah.” Victor sighed and held out his hand, in which the shady man placed a fairly large bag in his hand. Vic then looked around and slipped the bag into an inside pocket of his jacket. And after a few more moments of silence, he pulled me out of the alley and we began walking down the street again.

“So where are we going now?”

“My house.” Victor nodded.

“Question," Avalee laughed nervously as she held her hand out, making Victor smile and looked down at her. "What in the hell was that!"

"You'll see."

"If it's anything illegal I won't be a happy camper, I'm just going to tell you that before I freak out," She explained as she looked up at Victor. "I'm trusting you, and I don't trust that easily, that's why I have no friends."

"Then trust me."

"Don't let me down Victor, I don't think I could trust you again if it's something like I'm thinking," she glanced down at his jacket. "Just a forewarning."

"Thanks for the warning," he grinned as he pulled her up down another alley, to a fire escape where he stopped and glanced at the latter, then to Avalee.

"What?" she asked slowly as she glanced at the latter. "Do I have to climb that?"

"If you want to go to my house, yes."

"Well shit," she mumbled as she looked up at the latter with her hands on her hips. "I can't reach that."

Victor grinned and placed his hands on her hips so he could lift her up, she shrieked quietly as she placed her feet on the latter and pulled herself up to the first balcony, she glanced down and seen Victor jump up and grab the latter, grunt in strain as he pulled himself up onto the balcony. "Alright, three balcony's up."

"That's you're house?"

"No, that's a hallway so we can get to my house, it's in the backyard of this building," Victor shrugged as he gently pushed Avalee up the steps to the second Balcony.

"Why couldn't we have walked?"

"It would have taken an hour, this is easier because it avoids people and gets us there in ten minutes," he said as he opened a window and held it for Avalee. "Ladies first."

-----At Victor’s House-----

“Ava!” Tessa jumped up from the floor and hugged me. “I didn’t know where you went! No one did.”

“Yeah, thanks for telling us, Vic,” A man growled at Victor, who picked up a magazine off the table and threw it at the man. “Hey, don’t be a jerk.”

“I will.” Victor laughed and sat on the couch, pulling me down next to him. “Ava, this is Mark and Brandon.”

“Oh, okay.” I nodded.

"Sure," he murmured as he dug deep in his pocket, he picked it up and handed it to Mark, who opened it to see what looked like flour.

"Ava!" Tessa grabbed her arm and picked her off the couch, pushed her into conjoining room. "That's cocaine Avalee! We have to get out of here."

"Oh God," she groaned as she held her head in her hands. "He said it wasn't anything bad."

"You went down a dark alley and got a package? What did you think it was? Cheesecake!"

"Well no but…"

"You can't trust everyone Avalee, not everyone is nice or helpful," Tessa explained with a smile on her face. "Seriously Ava, please quit trusting so easily, it will get you killed!"

“Sorry, sorry,” Ava looked away. “Well, what do we do?”

“I don’t know. We could try and leave.”

“Alright,” Avalee nodded as her and Tessa walked back out into the living room. “Guys, Tess and I have to go.”

“Awww, alright.” Victor sighed and stood up. “See you tomorrow?”

“We do go to the same school.” Ava laughed slightly.

“True,” He nodded and pulled me into a hug. “Bye.”