The Con by Justine Elvira

started her residency at
one of the best hospitals in Phoenix. I'm happy for her, but I
never see her. Our schedules just don't line up.
    As I'm approaching the entrance to the
trailer park I hear a crunch in the gravel up ahead. I stop,
squinting to see if I can see anything, but there's nothing but
darkness.
    I'm just being paranoid.
    Moving forward again, I try to be more aware
of my surroundings, but then I hear the gravel being pushed around
again and a figure walks out of the shadows.
    I'm about to scream but something stops me.
The silhouette looks familiar and when I hesitantly take a step
forward I see the long brown hair I love so much and I know it's
him. It's Jagger.
    My right hand comes up to cover my chest as
I inhale a deep breath. "Jesus, Jagger. You scared me half to
death."
    He smirks and I swear my ovaries do a little
dance. "It's not safe to be walking alone at night. You never know
who could be out here lurking in the dark."
    "You're right. A psycho with long hair and
boots might come attack me. Better get my pepper spray," I reply
sarcastically. "I walk home late every weekend and I've yet to meet
anyone in the dark, besides you."
    I brush past him and continue walking until
I'm on the main street of our neighborhood. He catches up quickly
and walks beside me, not saying a single word and it makes me
uncomfortable. He’s pretty much ignored me since I was fifteen and
now, when I'm sweaty and gross from a long shift and commute home,
he decides I exist again.
    Either he has shitty timing or I just have
bad luck.
    When we pass Juniper and he doesn't turn off
to go home, I'm instantly curious to why he's walking with me. I
turn on Cedar and spot my trailer and he follows.
    "What do you want, Jagger?"
    He makes a whistling sound between his
teeth. "Oh, nothing. I just want to make sure a pretty lady gets
home safe, that's all."
    Tilting my head I give him a look of
disgust. "A pretty lady? Since when do you look at me that way?
Isn't that a bullshit line you should be feeding Lola, or the
trailer trash you sleep around with."
    "Aren't you trailer trash?"
    Stopping in front of my house I turn and
slap him across the face for calling me trash. It may be true. God
knows I feel that way sometimes and I did sleep with him once, but
that doesn't give anyone the right, including Jagger, to call me
that.
    "You can go, asshole."
    "Oh, come on twinkle toes. I was just
kidding around. You could never be trailer trash."
    Twinkle toes. He called me twinkle toes. And
just like that I forget the previous comment about me being trash
and remember why I loved him so much.
    I'm so pathetic.
    "Well, it wasn't funny." I take the hair tie
around my wrist and pull my long red hair up into a messy knot on
the top of my head. "It's late. I better get inside and you should
go."
    Jagger takes a step closer to me and his
proximity has me in a lustful haze. I haven't had a real
conversation with him in years but my breathing weakens as I stare
at his perfectly beautiful face, thinking indecent thoughts, and
hoping he'll leave before I do something stupid like kiss him.
    He takes another step, and then another. His
face now inches from mine. "Do you really want me to leave, twinkle
toes?"
    I swallow hard, biting my lip as I try to
hold back the moan at the back of my throat that's about to escape
from hearing his rough, sexy voice call me twinkle toes again.
"Yes," I pant.
    His hand comes up to brush my cheek and my
eyelids flutter closed. It's like he is completely aware of how my
body reacts around him and he's using it to his advantage, and I'm
letting him because... well, he's Jagger.
    "You don't mean it, twinkle toes. Besides, I
need to talk to you and I was hoping to talk now."
    Peeling my eyes open I look up at him and
nod my head, silently giving him permission to stay as I turn and
walk up my driveway.
    Once we're both inside my trailer I
instantly regret letting him in. The kitchen is a mess. I haven't
done a dish in three