All Chapters of PLAYING PRETEND: Chapter 51 - Chapter 59

59 Chapters

51 - FINN'S POV

The harsh fluorescent light of the staff locker room hummed a steady and irritating note above my head while the heavy silence pressed down on my shoulders.I stared at the glowing screen of my phone until the black text blurred into meaningless shapes and my eyes burned from refusing to blink.The email from the Dean of Nursing was only four sentences long but it managed to dismantle my entire future in less than a minute.I read the bold subject line again and a sickening weight settled deep inside my stomach as the reality of the situation crashed into my mind.Notice of Immediate Clinical Suspension.My vision swam and I leaned my shoulder against the cold metal of the locker to keep myself from collapsing onto the hard tile floor.I tried to pull a steady breath into my lungs but the sterile smell of rubbing alcohol and bleach seemed to suffocate me instead of offering any relief.Vanessa actually followed through on her vicious cafeteria threat and filed the formal complaint wit

52 - FINN'S POV

I leaned forward and squinted at the tiny digital screen resting in the palm of Ian's hand.The video quality was a bit shaky at first but the image quickly focused on the bright green grass of the main campus quad.Vanessa was standing near the large stone fountain and she was talking to Travis while holding a paper coffee cup."I was just testing out a new zoom lens for my photography final when those two walked right into my frame," Ian explained loudly while tapping the side of the camera."I didn't even care about them until I saw her laughing and waving her hands around like she just won the lottery."He pressed a small silver button on the back of the device and the recorded video started to play.The built-in speaker was tiny but the audio was surprisingly clear over the ambient noise of the wind and the rushing fountain water."I just sent the tip to the Dean of Nursing from a dummy email account," Vanessa's recorded voice played from the small speaker.I held my breath and w

53 - FINN'S POV

I flinched at the sudden vibration and I quickly pulled the device out to check the screen.The caller ID displayed Kyle's name in bright white letters and my heart did a strange flip in my chest.I swiped the green button to accept the call and I pressed the phone against my ear before he could hang up or go straight to voicemail again."Kyle?" I asked frantically while holding my breath."Finn, hey," Kyle's voice came through the speaker but it sounded incredibly distorted and strange.A loud crash echoed in the background of the call followed by the distinct sound of people shouting over a heavy bass beat."Where the fuck are you?" I demanded while standing up from the floor and pacing toward the sinks."I have been calling you for an hour and your phone kept going straight to voicemail.""My screen is still shattered from last night and the battery keeps dying every five minutes," he explained while his voice cut in and out over the terrible connection."I had to borrow a charger

54 - KYLE'S POV

I walked through the heavy wooden doors of the Rusty Anchor and the stale smell of spilled beer hit my nose instantly.The dim tavern was located twenty minutes away from the pristine university campus in a neighborhood where students rarely ventured.Neon beer signs buzzed loudly against the dark wood-paneled walls and the floorboards felt sticky beneath my leather boots.I approached the long wooden bar and I waited for the bulky man wiping down the counter to acknowledge my presence.He wore a stained gray shirt and thick black tattoos covered both of his muscular forearms."I am looking for a job," I told him while keeping my voice steady and ignoring the loud rock music playing from the corner jukebox."I need something that pays cash at the end of the shift with no questions asked."The bartender stopped wiping the counter and he looked me up and down with a heavy dose of skepticism."You look like a rich college kid who got lost on his way to a frat party," he chuckled with a g

55 - KYLE'S POV

"The background noise is incredibly loud and you sound like you just ran a marathon.""I needed to figure out a way to pay for our groceries since my father froze all my accounts last night," I explained while my adrenaline started to spike from the rising tension in the bar."I knew the campus dining hall would not pay me enough to cover our basic expenses so I walked off the main university property to find something better.""You walked off campus by yourself?" Finn asked and the genuine fear in his voice made me hate myself for worrying him."I found this place called the Rusty Anchor," I revealed while stepping away from the broken glass on the floor."Are you out of your mind?" Finn yelled into the receiver and the sheer volume made me pull the phone away from my ear for a second."The Rusty Anchor is a dangerous dive bar and people get stabbed in their parking lot all the time."The drunk guy stood up from his stool and he aggressively grabbed the front collar of my jacket with

56 - FINN'S POV

I reached out and grabbed his wrists so I could pull his hands into the dim light of the alleyway.Dark blood smeared across his split knuckles and stained the frayed edges of his jacket sleeves.His skin felt ice cold beneath my fingertips and a violent tremor shook his broad shoulders.Kyle did not pull away or try to defend his reckless actions.Instead, he let out a weak and exhausted laugh that sounded like it scraped the back of his throat."I got a job," he mumbled while letting his heavy head fall back against the grimy brick wall.I stared at his ruined hands and a fierce wave of protective panic flared to life inside my chest."You are bleeding everywhere and you think this is a joke?" I demanded while tracing the deep cuts with my eyes.I dropped his wrists and scrambled back onto my feet without bothering to dust the dirt off my blue scrubs."Stay right there and do not move a single muscle," I ordered him before turning toward my parked sedan.I practically sprinted to th

57 - FINN'S POV

Kyle stared at the small drive in my palm and his chest rose with a sharp intake of air."Are you sure the hospital board will accept a random video as proof?" he asked while keeping a wary eye on the flash drive."Quinn stamped the files with the digital metadata so the administration can verify the exact time and location of the recording," I promised him."I just need to drop this off at the director's office tomorrow morning and they will be forced to reinstate my hospital badge."I offered him a small and hopeful smile because we finally had the upper hand against the people trying to ruin us."We have proof now, Kyle," I whispered while reaching out to touch his knee."It is going to be okay."I expected him to let out a massive sigh of relief or maybe even pull me into a hug.I expected the crushing tension of the last twenty-four hours to finally dissolve between us.Instead, he just looked away from the flash drive and stared down at the dirty gravel surrounding my knees.He

58 - KYLE'S POV

I wanted to reach out and pull him up from the dirt but I forced my bruised hands to stay firmly inside my frayed jacket pockets."It is for your own good, Finn," I told him while my throat tightened and my voice broke on his name."No it isn't," Finn argued immediately and he scrambled to his feet so he could look me directly in the eyes."You are just panicking because everything went wrong today and you think you have to fix it all by yourself.""Look at us right now," I countered while gesturing toward the grime covering the brick walls of the dive bar behind me."I am bleeding in an alley behind a shady tavern and you are sitting here in your hospital scrubs with a suspended clinical license.""I literally just showed you the flash drive that will clear my name tomorrow morning," he reminded me while pointing a stern finger at my chest."That does not change the fact that my toxic history dragged you into this massive mess in the first place," I argued back while a deep sense of

59 - KYLE'S POV

"Do not talk to me about that stupid piece of paper," Finn interrupted and he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie."You stopped treating this like a business deal the night you showed up at my dorm room soaking wet and crying about your father.""And you gave up your only bed for me because you are too nice for your own good," I replied while staring at a smudge of dirt on his cheek."I gave you my bed because I care about you," Finn yelled back and the raw honesty in his voice made my chest ache."I sat on the floor and watched you sleep this morning and I realized I had absolutely nothing to offer you," I confessed while the bitter truth scraped against my throat."My father was right about me all along because I am useless without the Bennett family resources to solve my problems."Finn let out a frustrated growl and he closed the remaining distance between us until our shoes were almost touching in the gravel."Your father is a miserable old man who uses his check

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