The Con by Justine Elvira Page B

another thirty
minutes, they call our names and we walk up to get our diplomas and
then it's over. I've graduated. The whole thing is very
anticlimactic.
    Pearl comes over in her cream-colored dress
and black heels, her brown hair in a twist on top of her head.
    "I'm proud of you, little sis. You did
it."
    "Thanks, Pearl," I say, smiling at her
before embracing her in my arms with a tight hug. Then she's
gone–off to work before starting another week of medical
school.
    Now it's just Dougy and me in the
ten-year-old Dodge Dakota he spent all his money on. I left my cap
and gown at the school and am dressed in a black sundress with a
pink floral design and green leaves. Black flats are on my feet
because my ankle is too weak to ever wear heels again. My long red
hair is down and styled in loose curls. The only make-up I'm
wearing is mascara and Chap Stick.
    Dougy starts his truck and then loosens the
blue tie around his neck, before pulling it over his head and
tossing it under his seat. He undoes the top two buttons of his
white dress shirt and then with one hand on the wheel and his other
hand on my thigh, he peels out of the high school parking lot and
hits the road.
    "What do you want to do, babe?"
    That's a good question with so many possible
answers. I want some direction in my life. I want a life plan. I
want to find a career that will make me feel fulfilled. I want to
dance again. I want to be able to break up with Dougy and still
somehow maintain our friendship.
    "I don't know," I reply desolately, because
I'm pretty sure Dougy was asking me what I wanted to do today, not
what I want to do with the rest of my life.
    His hand drifts up my leg and under my dress
before giving my thigh a squeeze. "I've got to stop at Kellerman's
to talk to Jagger but then we can go out and celebrate."
    That's just great. Today's yet another day
I'm forced to see Jagger. Another day he's an asshole to me and
another day a tiny piece of my heart breaks off, never to be
repaired. Why does everyone in this shitty town have to be involved
with Jagger in some way, shape, or form?
    "Okay." I really have no other choice but to
go along with him to Kellerman's Auto Shop. Dropping me off at home
first would never be an option.
    Several minutes later we pull up to the auto
shop, the parking lot mostly empty. A tow truck, along with
Jagger's car and two other vehicles I don't recognize are parked
near the entrance. We exit Dougy's truck and walk through the front
door of the shop, quickly making our way to the back break room
where a few guys are sitting around a table and focused on a hand
of poker. I recognize Angelo and Ky right away, and next to Ky is
Jagger.
    Jagger's long brown hair is pulled back as
he stares intensely at the man across the table from him. I watch
as the other men at the table fold and it's just Jagger and the
large man across from him. Jagger has a large stack of chips in
front of him, more chips than anyone else at the table and the room
is silent.
    I'm not sure what happens next, mostly
because I'm shit at poker, but they lay their cards out and Jagger
takes all the chips in the center of the table.
    Dougy breaks the silence in the room.
"Jagger, you got a second?"
    "I'll be right there," he replies, his eyes
never leaving his opponent at the table. "I'm out, boys. Time to
pay up."
    Dougy takes my hand in his and I follow him
out of the room and through the shop until we're outside again,
never looking back to see if Jagger follows us. Pulling my hand out
of his grip, he turns around to face me and it's just the two of us
outside.
    "I thought you needed to talk to Jagger?" I
ask, confused on why we're leaving.
    "I do. We'll wait for him here, babe." His
hands dig into the pockets of his Dickies as we wait out in the
heat. It's a Sunday so the shop is closed for the day, but the air
was on inside so I really wish we could have enjoyed it for a few
more minutes.
    The chime on the front door goes off and I
glance up to see