You Can't Hurt Me

Gambling is an addiction

Jack was at college today, and Race was all alone. He would've been looking forward to the peace and quiet and seemed to never get anymore, but the stupid loud air conditioning was on. Constantly buzzing around his ears, and making him itch all over. He tried putting on ear muffs, but all they did was tickle his ear lobes and bother him, and he could still hear the crappy conditioning.

"That's it!" Race shouted suddenly, he was mid-drawing and very tired. "I'm going out."

Great now he was talking to himself.

He changed out of his clothes and gave himself an Irish bath, too tired to actually take a shower but he swears he can smell a small dingy musk come from his pits. Grabbing a roll of cash purely for gambling, he went to his favorite joint.

The Red Racer Gambling wasn't a normal place, it was hidden behind a soup store and was dingy and musty. But it was his dads favorite place to gamble and he knew all the people there since he was seven.

"Hey! It's Race!" Shouted Todd, his favorite employee, one of the honest few who played honest, and he always found a seat for Race no matter the table at his spot.

"Het Todd," he greeted with a smile. Todd was also one of the younger employees, only 19, so they got along better than some of the older people, actually getting each other's conversations.

"I've got the table just for you, I'll be dealing, and only Amy has played with you."

Race grinned, the regulars knew not to put in good money with him, but he could get good money with these guys.

"You know me so well," he amended, pulling out a cigarette for him and Todd.

Todd was like him growing up, often gambling, said he didn't have folks, died when he was 10. His foster homes were crap, and he dropped out of school at 16. Got into some drugs, and has some legal debts after getting caught, so now he's clean but still in debt and a fast food job wasn't cutting it, so he got a job here. Apparently they pay real well, Race is applying as soon as possible.

After they sat down, Todd winked at him, and Race smiled back.

"This is my friend Race, take good care of him alright?"

Some of the older men snickered and nodded. Amy just sighed sadly, and put away some of her gambling money.

The other players were not as wise, one man, sleek black hair with an aging bald spot putting 2,000 in the pit right away. Race whistled, he was a high bidder. Race always liked a challenge.

Amy folded immediately, knowing it was a mute point, and Race only put in a hundred.

The oldest guy snickered, the leader of the group, "little boy brought his piggy bank money?"

Race shrugged, "I actually have a dinosaur bank, but no, this is my gambling money."

"So you gamble a lot?"

Race put in another hundred, "here and there."

The men laughed a bit, and the game got much lighter. Once they realized Race wasn't an amateur, conversation flowed smooth, almost like drinking buddies.

"One round of beer on me!" Shouted Jenna, the only girl in the group. Everyone cheered, including Race, until they brought him an apple juice. He scowled and pushed it away.

"Hey I drink beer!"

Jenna raised her eyebrow, "really?"

"Yeah it's pretty good."

She shrugged, "alright, bring the boy some beer!" They cheered.

Race still drank his apple juice, but the beer was much more soothing to his nerves. The game was close and these people certainly weren't afraid to loose a little cash. But Race was a better actor, he forced himself to feel what he wanted them to think he felt, and he passed those feeling onto them.

Then once Hugo folded, they all started progressively folding faster and faster. Race was winning again.

Then it was just him, and Rob, the one who had put in 2000 dollars.

"Fold kid, you're way in over your head."

Race carefully thought over his decision, but he knew what to do. Rob was all talk, he was a big spender in the beginning and had no money now, a fools game. Race however had plenty to go, and would until Rob folded.

"400," Race said, looking Rob directly in the eye, and Rob reached back into his pocket, when his eyes widened.

He was all outa money.

Race smiled with a shleez-like attitude.

"Guess I won."

Then Rob pulled out something different, a knife.

Now this wasn't the first time someone had pulled out a knife on Race. But it was the first time he wasn't with his dad.

"Woah." Race swallowed and got out of his chair, "I won fair and square."

Someone in the background, he heard Todd call for security, but all he could focus on now was the knife about to enter him.

"I need that money."

"Then you shouldn't have gambled it all away, idiot."

The man jabbed forward, and Race sidestepped with an ease he didn't know he possessed and safely avoided it completely.

Large muscle dudes grabbed him, and hauled him out, screaming the whole damn time. Then like noticing happened, the room filled back up with a noise Race hadn't realized it lost.

"Well that was a doozy!" He laughed, grabbing his 20,000 dollars. "I'll see you soon Todd."

"Bye Race!" He called back and Race went home, seeing it was dark, and Jack would be home by now.

When he got home, the door was creaked open and Jack was on a phone call, pacing frantically.

"What do you mean you cannot file a missing persons report until they've been gone at least 24 hours! He's 15!"

"Hello?" He called back, confused.

Jack looked at him in shock and almost dropped the phone. He looked agape before putting it back to his ear, "I'll call you back."

He ran over and grabbed Race looking all over.

"Where were you!"

"I was just at Red Racer why?"

Jack spluttered, "the gambling joint!"

"Yeah why?"

"You can't go there." Race laughed like Jack was joking, then slowly lost his smile at the dead panned look on Jacks face.

"Why not?"

"It's not safe!"

Race winced, today was not a good example day but Jack didn't have to know that, "it's fine, I do it all the time."

"I was worried sick!"

"You didn't have to be, I'm okay."

Jack rubbed his face, "you're not allowed to go, that's final."

Race scowled, and ran out into his room, falling on the floor and groaning loud. Jack doesn't let him have any fun.