Short Story Collection

On One Condition

                The officers put their lights on as they saw a car in the ditch.  The rookie looked at his partner nervously.  This was his first night on patrol.  Jake just graduated from the academy.

                Cody, Jake’s partner, gave him an encouraging nod as Jake got out of the car.  Jake tried to protrude confidence as he went over to the car and knocked on the window, not looking inside.

                He was surprised when a female screamed at him to leave her be. He tapped on the window again, “Ma’am, I apologize, but I can’t leave you alone. I’m a police officer.  It’s my duty to make sure you’re okay.”

                The female rolled down her window and Jake was taken aback by her beauty. And by how much alcohol that was on her breath.

                “Then go arrest my boyfriend! Well, ex-boyfriend now… He dumped me, for my sister!” She burst into tears as she continued her drunken ramble “Why do I even bother? Everyone thinks my sister is the beautiful one! No one wants the nerdy, quiet, ugly, fat sister! No one wants the girl who’s invisible! Who no one cares about! Sure, I have friends and family I can rely on but I’m always alone! Always by myself,” She quieted down drastically, as if focusing on her thoughts, but the tears kept coming, “What’s so great about being alive anyways? What’s so great about love and happiness? Nothing, that’s what. Being alive causes pain, it causes caution and suspicion and greed and lust.  Love and happiness only blinds you to the truth and makes you feel betrayed when you finally learn the truth.”

                Jake stared at the drunken maiden in sadness and in distress, what was he supposed to do?  Just keep listening to her?

                The girl stared up at the stars, her eyes shining with tears, not falling but not going away either “What did I do to deserve such treatment, to deserve constantly being let down and hurt?  I’m twenty-two years old and I’ve yet to have a boyfriend who’s lasted longer than a year. Chris and I have been dating for six months. I came home early to surprise him,” she started crying slowly, a couple drops sliding down her soft cheeks, “I had even gotten him his favorite dessert.  I was so excited, thinking of his smile and the surprised and shocked look he’d get.  Those dimple…” Her tears started to flow harder now “I opened the door to find my boyfriend and my sister screwing; on the dining room table! That I bought!” She burst into tears again, taking a long, finishing swing of the bottle of vodka.

                She yelled at the cop to duck and just a split second later she threw the bottle onto the asphalt road, shattering it.

                Jake shot a desperate look to his partner who was instantly out of the cop car and demanded the girl to get out the car, handcuffs at the ready.

                Jake frowned, shifting uncomfortably “Can’t we just take her home? She’s obviously just needs time to sleep and cry.”

                Cody his head “I don’t think so rookie.  She’s drunk and in a car. We have to assume she’s been driving while under the influence.  Plus, she threw a bottle out the window. That could be considered assaulting a police officer as while as reckless endangerment.  A car could drive on top of all that broken glass and pop the tires.”

                Jake’s frown deepened, he didn’t want this girl to get in trouble just because she’s been having a rough day and needed to cut loose, but he nodded and helped get the sobbing girl into the back of the cop car.  Cody called for a tow truck and someone to clean up the glass as the girl in the back continued to sob, sometimes stopping for a little bit to mumble something no one could understand.  She ended up passing out half way to the station.

                When they got to the station, Cody guided her to a cell and dumped her on the bed.  Jake put a trash bin next to the bed in case she got sick.  He hoped she wouldn’t but he’d rather be safe than sorry.

                Jake came to check up on her every once in a while to make sure she was okay, sighing in relief every time he saw that bucket was empty.  When she finally woke up, she groaned, gripping her head tightly as her skull pulsated in pain.  The light burned her eyes as she tried to swallow, but there was no moisture in her mouth, making the action more painful.

                Jake’s chuckling made her lift her head up and glare at him.

                “What’s so funny?!” She snapped and Jake looked at her shocked, before he tried to put a confident look on his uncertain face.

                “You’re funny.  You deserve to be in pain for being so irresponsible. Do you remember what you did last night?”

                Jane frowned, “Kind of.  I remember my slutty sister screwing my boyfriend. I remember screaming at them and slapping Chris.  I remember going to the liqueur store and buying a couple bottles of vodka and after drinking the first half of the first bottle, I don’t remember anything after that.”

                Jake shifted uncomfortably, “Well, my partner and I found you on the side of the road, in your car with only one bottle of vodka and you finished it off in front of me. Then you threw the empty bottle at me.”

                Jane shrugged “A woman does crazy things when drunk.”

                Jake stared at her, not expecting the woman to be this way. “What’s your name?”

                “Beck, Jane Beck. How about you; what’s your name?”

                Jake smiles kindly “Jake, my name’s Jake Riles.”

                Jane smiled in return but Jake could tell it wasn’t a true smile, “Nice to meet you Officer Riles.”

                Jake stared at Jane, taking in her long luscious brown hair and hazel eyes. She was slightly overweight but Jake never liked women who were afraid to eat or were stick thin.   Women like that always made him worried he’d break them.

                Jane lifted an eyebrow, realizing Jake was staring at her.  She thought he was attractive with his dull rusty hair and forest green eyes.  He was lanky and toned.

                She shook her head slightly, getting her mind out of those thoughts.  She wasn’t ready to date again.  This was the third guy who she caught sleeping with her sister.

                She sighed sadly, “So what’s to happen to me, time in jail? A ticket, perhaps?”

                Jake smiled and shook his head, “None of the above.  This whole ordeal never happened, on one condition, of course.”

                She gave him a suspicious glare “What’s the condition?”

                Jake’s smile faltered slightly, “You have to go out on a date with me.”