All Chapters of PLAYING PRETEND: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

"He got in my personal space and he refused to back off when I told him to leave me alone," Kyle defended his violent actions without showing an ounce of regret."You cannot just resort to bar brawls every time someone insults you because you will end up in the county jail," I argued while gently rubbing the uninjured side of his hand."Mac said he liked my swing and he offered me a cash job on the spot," Kyle pointed out the unexpected silver lining of his aggressive behavior."You are not seriously going to work as a bouncer at the Rusty Anchor," I groaned while tilting my head back to look up at the dark sky."This place is famous for late-night stabbings and illegal gambling rings in the basement.""I need a job that pays under the table so my father cannot track my income or freeze my wages," he reasoned while keeping his voice calm and practical."I will just work the early weekend shifts and Mac promised to let me use the employee entrance so I can avoid the worst crowds."I le

My worn sneakers crunched against the loose gravel while I paced a tight and frantic circle near the overflowing dumpsters.The cold evening wind bit through the thin fabric of my blue hospital scrubs but I was way too terrified to care about the dropping temperature.The heavy bass of a rock song thumped loudly through the brick walls of the Rusty Anchor and rattled the empty beer bottles scattered across the dirt.I kept my eyes locked on the dark entrance of the narrow alleyway and prayed that Kyle would walk back out of the shadows in one piece.A tall figure finally emerged from the gloom and the harsh neon light from the tavern illuminated his torn denim jacket.Kyle walked toward me with a heavy and uneven limp while his head hung low in defeat.He did not say a single reassuring word as he closed the distance between us and the silence made my stomach twist into a painful knot.I immediately noticed the fresh blood dripping down his fingers and ruining the clean white bandages

"I told the administration that Finn is running a high-end escort service and Kyle is just a client paying off his tuition," the digital audio continued to expose her vicious plot to the entire room."The hospital board will pull his clinical placement by the end of the day and he will be out of the nursing program before the semester ends."Travis's distinct laughter joined the recording and verified her cruel intentions just before the audio file clicked into a dead silence.Dean Miller slowly lowered the telephone receiver back onto its plastic cradle without pressing a single button.Her stern face lost all of its color and she stared at the glowing laptop screen in pure unadulterated shock."That is fake," Vanessa shrieked while pointing a shaking finger at Ian's face."They used an artificial intelligence program to clone my voice and frame me.""I am a photography major, not a computer hacker," Ian laughed loudly while leaning his hands on the edge of the desk."I recorded you

Kyle stared at the folded cardboard boxes sitting on my cheap wooden desk as if they were coated in toxic poison."What the hell is going on?" Kyle asked while a new layer of panic cracked his exhausted voice.Sarah let the remaining boxes slip from her hands and they hit the scuffed linoleum floor with a dull thud.She leaned back against the closed wooden door and crossed her arms tightly over her heavy winter coat."My housing grant was just revoked," she whispered while her chin trembled uncontrollably.Kyle stood up from my narrow twin mattress and took a cautious step toward her."What do you mean it was revoked?" he demanded with a confused frown."You have the highest GPA in the student government and your scholarship is supposed to be locked in for all four years.""Not anymore," Sarah let out a bitter laugh that quickly morphed into a wet, broken sob."The dean of students called me into his office right after they held the emergency vote to remove you from the presidency."

I hoisted the freezing aluminum keg against my chest and the cold metal immediately bit into my bruised forearms.The steep wooden stairs leading up from the cellar groaned under my weight as I forced my aching legs to take another heavy step.It was Thursday night and the Rusty Anchor was packed with a rowdy local crowd demanding cheap draft beer faster than Mac could pour it.I knew we desperately needed the under-the-table cash to secure the sketchy off-campus apartment Finn found but my muscles were already reaching their breaking point.A sharp edge of the barrel scraped against my stomach when I shifted my grip and a fresh wave of cold condensation soaked right through my thin grey t-shirt.I reached the top of the narrow staircase and I kicked the heavy swinging door open with the steel toe of my work boot.The deafening roar of loud rock music and shouting patrons hit me like a solid wall as I stepped into the dim tavern."Hurry it up, pretty boy," Mac barked from behind the s