{"id":979,"date":"2015-09-11T00:48:17","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T06:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/?p=979"},"modified":"2015-09-11T00:48:17","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T06:48:17","slug":"exchange-rate-8-jeff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/?p=979","title":{"rendered":"Exchange Rate: 8-Jeff"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exchange Rate: 1-Jeff<\/a>
\nExchange Rate: 2-Allyson<\/a>
\nExchange Rate: 3-Jeff<\/a>
\nExchange Rate: 4-Allyson<\/a>
\nExchange Rate: 5-Jeff
\n<\/a>Exchange Rate: 6-Jeff<\/a>
\nExchange Rate: 7-Allyson<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

8 \u2013 Jeff<\/h2>\n

+2<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Charles?\u201d Becky asked. Jeff\u2019s head jerked toward her. \u201cMr. Charles, Dr. Maser wishes to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Becky,\u201d Jeff said, waving her off.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been daydreaming. His concentration level was almost zero, and had been since he\u2019d woken up after saving the girl\u2019s life. Allyson\u2019s life. For some reason, he felt drawn to her, as if some magnetic force kept trying to orient him toward her. It definitely wasn\u2019t a sexual feeling, but it was somehow intimate. As if she\u2019d left a piece of herself in him, and that piece had taken his body over and wouldn\u2019t allow him to function as a normal human until reunited with her.<\/p>\n

Jeff rose and grabbed his jacket, sliding his arms into it. He buttoned the front of it as he left his office and headed down the oak paneled hall to Dr. Theodore Walden Maser\u2019s corner office. He stood outside, took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnter,\u201d Dr. Maser\u2019s muffled voice said.<\/p>\n

Jeff opened the door and stepped in, closing it when Dr. Maser, Ted, he reminded himself now that he was a partner, waved at it. He stood between two chairs in front of Ted\u2019s polished cherry desk. The older, graying man behind it waved again for him to sit down.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeff, are you feeling well?\u201d Ted Maser\u2019s voice was strong, full of bass, exactly what a good television lawyer\u2019s voice should sound like.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir. I\u2019m fine, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJeff, my name isn\u2019t \u2018sir\u2019 anymore.\u201d Ted\u2019s voice rumbled, and Jeff realized the man was chuckling, a sound he\u2019d never heard come from the doctor in the seven years he\u2019d worked at the law firm. Not even at the party two nights before where they\u2019d made him a partner. Dr. Maser, Ted, had smiled, but had never laughed at a single joke or humorous anecdote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, sir. Ted. I\u2019m sorry. Still getting used to the new position. I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure? You\u2019ve been acting a little under the weather since yesterday. You remind me of me when I take Actifed when my sinuses are all plugged up. Balloon head, I think is the term the kids use now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff laughed. \u201cI\u2019ve never heard that one before. I\u2019m fine. I\u2019m just a little overwhelmed. I\u2019m trying to start transitioning into my new caseload. And I\u2019m nervous because I\u2019m only the fourth name on the new sign and I don\u2019t want to screw that up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything all right with Katrina? And your daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKarina,\u201d Jeff corrected absently. He\u2019d gotten used to people calling his wife Katrina over the years. \u201cJessica is fine, doing great in school. Everything is fine, Ted. I\u2019m just in a bit of chaos at the moment. Remember when I first started? I thought I was going to get fired at least ten times in the first week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man chuckled some more. \u201cI put a call in to Judge Rawlins\u2019 office, you know. I told the secretary to ask Bill if you\u2019d worn your khakis and that awful polo shirt into the courtroom. David and Gerry had a bet going as to whether or not I would fire you if you hadn\u2019t magically procured a suit in time.\u201d More laughter rumbled across the desk toward Jeff. \u201cKent Clark indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s stomach did a quick nosedive at the memory before a laugh escaped him. If Ted Maser knew just how many other times Jeff had nearly given himself heart failure because of his constant bungling in the first week, the first month even, the old man would probably laugh himself into a heart attack. He couldn\u2019t help but laugh anymore whenever someone called him Kent Clark.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway,\u201d Maser said, standing up, Jeff doing the same, knowing the meeting was at an end, \u201ctake care of yourself. Don\u2019t sweat the small stuff. Liz and Becky are sharp, and David Gardiner is now your senior assistant. They\u2019ll make sure you hit the ground running. Trust them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men shook hands. Maser gave him one last look before turning back to his desk. Jeff left the office and headed to his own, his legs beginning to shake. He collapsed into his chair the instant he stepped through the doorway and rounded his desk. Liz buzzed him, reminding him he had a client interview in forty-five minutes. Jeff couldn\u2019t even remember who the client was or what the case was about. All he could think about was Allyson\u2019s hand slipping away from his, and when he\u2019d catch himself replaying the false memory, he\u2019d instead think of holding the girl on the bridge, the cop shining the flashlight in their faces, hand resting on his gun.<\/p>\n

Jeff had driven to the Snake River Psychiatric Care Center during his lunch the day after pulling the girl back up over the railing. As he sat in the parking lot, he had no idea what he would say to her. He wasn\u2019t even sure he wanted to say anything to her. What he really wanted was to be near her so she could have whatever she\u2019d left in him back. The thought was ridiculous, and Jeff knew it. He was an educated, intelligent, professional attorney. Psychic magnets getting stuck in people was something guys like Stephen King and Dean Koontz came up with, not things that happened in the real world.<\/p>\n

He finally decided he would simply walk in and visit her, and he\u2019d decide what to say, if anything, whenever they were together. The nurse, a woman who looked like she might have been a battlefield medic in World War Two, greeted him, then proceeded to tell him that she couldn\u2019t give him any information, couldn\u2019t let him see a patient that she could neither confirm nor deny was at the facility. Jeff had grown angry, and had even tried using his status as an attorney, Allyson\u2019s attorney, to get the woman to let him see the girl. Nurse Knoble, according to her name tag, though Jeff wasn\u2019t in the mood to play Junior Detective or Amateur Psychologist, had laughed as if he was the twentieth lawyer to try that trick on her in the last hour.<\/p>\n

The BMW\u2019s tires spit small rocks and cigarette butts when Jeff stomped on the accelerator and screeched out of the parking lot. The nurse wasn\u2019t his enemy, he knew, but she was the outlet for his frustration. Nurse Knoble had handled him like a pro, and Jeff wondered if part of his anger was at being rebuffed, something he\u2019d not had to deal with in a few years other than by the attorneys who sat across the conference tables from him. He slammed on the brakes as he came to the stoplight, spent the twenty seconds until the light turned green gathering his wits, calming himself down by taking long, slow breaths.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d calmed down by the time he pulled into the parking lot at Maser, Franklin, Waters & Charles, but sat in the car for another five minutes listening to classical music on the stereo just to rid himself of any lingering frustration. All he could think of was Allyson, how she slipped away, how he caught her.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

+35<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a good day, hon.\u201d Karina kissed him on the lips then leaned her head on his shoulder. When he kissed her on the forehead, she looked up. \u201cAre you sure you\u2019re okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m fine,\u201d he said, kissing her on the forehead once again before disengaging and grabbing his coffee. \u201cThe partners told me to take the entire weekend off and spend it with you, and that\u2019s what I did. I could definitely get used to this once a month.\u201d He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek one last time. \u201cIt was nice to spend all day doing absolutely nothing but schlubbing in sweats and watching those awful movies Jessie picked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karina laughed. \u201cThey were bad,\u201d she agreed. \u201cCall me if you\u2019re going to be late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoger dodger,\u201d he said and opened the door to the garage.<\/p>\n

Jeff put the soft leather briefcase in the passenger seat of his BMW, then walked around to the driver\u2019s side and carefully opened the door, keys in one hand, his insulated coffee mug in the other. After securing the mug in the cup holder, he reached up and hit the middle button on the remote, hearing the familiar quiet grind of the garage door opening. He put the key in the ignition, turned it, and smiled at the rumble of the sports engine, then smiled wider at the sound of Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne\u2019s voices on \u201cMorning Edition.\u201d<\/p>\n

He moved the shifter to reverse and began to back out of the garage. He jumped in fright as if he\u2019d been bitten at the apparition that appeared next to his window almost the instant his car was all the way out of the garage. Jeff blinked then looked to his left again, but the figure was still there. He blinked again and saw that it was a man. When he rolled down his window, he saw that it was a teenage boy. Jeff\u2019s hopes rose, thinking Allyson had sent the kid to his house with a message.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I help you?\u201d Jeff asked the kid, his voice polite.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I don\u2019t know. Maybe.\u201d The teenager seemed painfully shy, his face turning bright red as if he was suddenly embarrassed to be standing at the edge of Jeff\u2019s driveway.<\/p>\n

When the kid didn\u2019t say any more, Jeff said, \u201cI have to get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The window began its climb. Just as it neared the top and Jeff resumed backing out, the kid shouted at him. He rolled down the window again after shifting the BMW into park.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Jeff Charles, right?\u201d the teenager asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Can I help you?\u201d Jeff asked, a crazy hope growing in him that this teenage boy had been sent by Allyson to deliver a message that she was doing well.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d The kid looked confused. \u201cI mean, yeah, I guess. I just thought\u2026 you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, kid,\u201d Jeff said, his patience beginning to wear thin, \u201cJust spit it out. I have to get to work. I\u2019m supposed to be this bigshot lawyer, but I can\u2019t do that if I\u2019m stranded in my driveway all day waiting for you to tell me what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 I almost killed myself two weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s breath hitched in his throat. The pain in the kid\u2019s voice was unmistakable.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to actually do it today for sure. Was going to do it instead of going to school, just hide out until my parents went to work, then\u2026 you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d Jeff asked. He turned the car off.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul Horner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Paul Horner, tell me why you are in my driveway at eight fifteen in the morning instead of at school, or hiding out at home waiting for your parents to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of you,\u201d Paul said, as if Jeff were an idiot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean \u2018because of me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saved her life. The black girl. You talked her out of it. She said you touched her somehow and suddenly she didn\u2019t want to die. That she could see there was a reason to go on.\u201d Paul was nearly in tears, the pleading in his eyes shook Jeff to the core. He didn\u2019t know if he could handle another emotional dam burst from another suicidal teenager. \u201cI want you to take my pain away. I don\u2019t want to live like this anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you expect me to do?\u201d Jeff asked, flustered. He was beginning to get angry. Angry at this kid, Paul, bringing his troubles to Jeff\u2019s house. To Jeff. When Paul didn\u2019t say anything, a single tear rolling down his cheek, Jeff started the car again. \u201cI gotta go, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease!\u201d Paul cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Paul. I don\u2019t know what you think I can do for you. Allyson was on a bridge, hanging over the edge. You\u2019re in my front lawn. I\u2019m sure you have a screwed up life, but I\u2019m not Jesus. I can\u2019t just touch you and make you better. I didn\u2019t just touch Allyson and she magically woke up to the realization that life is hard but you have to keep going on for it to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe says you did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe says I did what? Touched her and healed her like a preacher at a tent revival?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Says you talked to her, made funny pictures appear in her head, then you caught her when she fell. Then you kissed her on the forehead and she didn\u2019t want to die anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s words had begun to jumble together as he talked. The look of desperation, the pleading in the kids voice, the fact that Allyson had sent Paul to him\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Paul,\u201d Jeff said, turning the car off once more. \u201cTell me why you want to kill yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I. I\u2019m a lawyer. Not even a real human, just an asshole with a briefcase.\u201d Jeff laughed at his own joke, and only shrugged when Paul stared at him. \u201cOkay, not funny. We\u2019re all different. What\u2019s so different about you? You look like a normal kid, like you wouldn\u2019t be anywhere near Allyson\u2019s social circles.\u201d Jeff winced at the memory of Allyson telling him she had a single friend in the entire world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u2026 gay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d Jeff said, not fazed at all. It was within his top three reasons that he\u2019d guessed as to why the teenager was at his house. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Paul, that\u2019s not it. There\u2019s more to it than that. I mean, so you\u2019re gay, that\u2019s not a huge deal to people like me, but I can see it being a problem because of where we live. But that alone isn\u2019t reason to kill yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t go home. My parents found out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Gotcha. Did you maybe think it might be wiser to wait until you got to college?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to. But they came home early and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Jeff\u2019s face scrunched up. \u201cThey caught you, uh, with another boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just fooling around. I was, you know, going down\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, sure, you were giving him head. I\u2019m not a prude. I know about these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father walked in. We didn\u2019t even hear them come into the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, I\u2019m with you. Your parents walked in while you were giving your boyfriend a blowjob. In the living room?\u201d Paul shook his head. \u201cBedroom?\u201d Another shake. \u201cThe kitchen?\u201d Paul nodded. \u201cI can see how that presents a problem. But I\u2019ll ask again: is it something to kill yourself over?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe beat me with a belt. He made Derek watch. Called us queers, butt fuckers, cocksuckers, everything he could think of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father beat you with a belt and made your boyfriend watch?\u201d Jeff was beginning to wonder if the kid was messing with him somehow.<\/p>\n

Paul pulled up his jacket and the shirt underneath. Jeff\u2019s sharp intake of breath was followed by a boiling rage that began in his guts and worked its way to his brain. Paul\u2019s skin was almost black, with patches of blue, yellow, violet, and even green interspersed throughout. The teenager grabbed the waistband of his pants and pulled, showing Jeff the top half of his buttocks. He looked away, feeling the ache in his hands from forming fists so tight he thought he could hear his bones creaking. Paul pulled up the left leg of his pants and Jeff visibly winced at the bruises and cuts that covered the boy\u2019s calf.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t stop!\u201d Paul cried, the tears beginning to flow.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, kid,\u201d Jeff said, unable to think of anything else to say. His brain clutch finally engaged and he asked the kid what happened next.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe started beating Derek, but we fought him. Got the belt from him. I\u2026 I broke one of the ceramic cannisters over his head. There was blood and then Derek grabbed me and we ran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you kill him?\u201d Jeff asked, wondering if the kid was confessing to him and he\u2019d have to call the police. Paul shook his head. \u201cOkay, so, can you stay with Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDerek and I broke up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you want to go out with someone whose dad would beat him until he was bleeding, then try to beat you?\u201d Paul had half-shouted, half-blubbered the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. Where are you staying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, you gotta be staying somewhere. A friend\u2019s house? Relative?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been sleeping on the street. Staying with a friend whenever I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one will help you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019re gay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one wants to be a faggot by association. I at least had friends, others who are like me. But Derek ruined that. They treat me as bad as the straight kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Paul, I\u2019m sorry. I am. Your father is a real piece of shit, and you probably shouldn\u2019t go home, but I don\u2019t know what to do for you. You can\u2019t stay here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d Jeff asked, frustrated. \u201cWhat is it you want from me?<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to tell me how everything is going to be all right!\u201d Paul yelled. Jeff noticed a movement in the front window. He watched Karina pull the shade back just enough to look out. \u201cI want you to do what you did for her! I fucking hate this life!\u201d<\/p>\n

Karina opened the front door, but Jeff raised his hand, calmly gestured for her to go back in the house. He didn\u2019t feel calm at all. He opened the car door and stepped out, closing it before leaning against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what you want me to say,\u201d Jeff said, trying to be as gentle as possible. He had no idea why Allyson had put some crazy thought into the kid\u2019s head, as if he\u2019d shared a magical power with her and was now supposed to share it with Paul.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what you told her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShit. Okay. This isn\u2019t verbatim, but it should be in the same spirit.\u201d He paused. Paul nodded. \u201cRight. Look, life is hard. It\u2019s a challenge. Even on the best of days. Especially as a teenager. God, I remember those days. Who didn\u2019t want to off themselves at least once per week? One week it would be because Jennifer Niedermeyer broke up with me. Another week was my mom getting drunk and showing up at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s mind wandered for a moment before he snapped back to reality. \u201cThe truth is, the world is a shitty place. Idaho is a shittier place. Rural Idaho is the shittiest place of all, except for maybe a third world country. But you\u2019re smack in the middle of a bunch of inbreds who have worn grooves in their bibles over the decades from clutching them so tight. They hate you. They think you\u2019ve chosen to be gay. They think you want to molest children and turn all of us straight guys gay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst part is there\u2019s nothing you can say to change their minds. Even if you show them scientific proof, you\u2019re still an abomination, and they\u2019d put you to death if they could get away with it. Sometimes they do. Being a teenager is supposed to be safe, but I\u2019ve heard all about roving packs of little Hitlers who think it is their God-given duty to beat the gay out of you. Or maybe just kill you and let God sort you out so they don\u2019t have to worry about how much you\u2019re harming society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff could feel the spark of what he\u2019d felt with Allyson, the faint, smoky images forming in his head as the words seemed to roll off his tongue but from someone else\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to hear that everything will be all right? Well, it won\u2019t. It won\u2019t until these old fucks die off and people like me, no, people like you, are in control. But you know what? You\u2019ll all have gay marriage and adoptions and legal marijuana and pirated movies and music but there\u2019ll be something you hate. Something you\u2019ll hate as a generation that a younger generation is doing, and you\u2019ll treat them just like you were treated. You\u2019ll forget all about the struggle you put in to make things safer, healthier, more socially accepted, when it comes to whatever future thing you hate.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife sucks. Beyond your father and these ignorant hillbillies, how bad is your life? I mean, even living here, you managed to find a boyfriend, and what did you say? The \u2018group\u2019 of gay kids you normally hang with? I could show you videos on the internet of people killing themselves. It\u2019s gruesome. It\u2019s disturbing. But the worst part is what you don\u2019t see. The devastated families and friends, some who had no clue. And so what if your family sucks. Someone out there gives a shit about you. Apparently I do, since I\u2019m late for work while standing in my driveway, trying to convince you that your life sucks but what other choice do you have but to keep going forward?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to take the easy way out, fine. I certainly can\u2019t stop you, because no matter how much I care, I have my own family to take care of, and that means I have to work, to focus on them, instead of trying to save every suicidal teenager that comes my way. Eventually you get to a point in your life where you move on, you find another place that is full of people who are your type. Not just gay. People you can have real friendships, build real relationships with, even if they aren\u2019t intimate or romantic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, someone cares. Don\u2019t be selfish and take away the ability to love you from them. Don\u2019t be selfish and take away your own ability to love someone else. Many someones. This is such a small, insignificant part of your life. Everyone thinks high school is this important time, that the world stops and then begins revolving around the things they do. But the truth is, once that final bell rings, it\u2019s all over with. Even if you go to college, everything is instantly different. It wasn\u2019t that long ago I was going through the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff remembered the burning embarrassment, the puberty-fueled rage, the doobies in the parking lot during lunch, the feel of his first breast, the first time his finger found wetness between a girl\u2019s legs, prom, the football team, the yearbook club. It had been so important to him, and anytime an adult tried to convince him that it was one of the shortest phases of his life and one day he would look back and have no choice but to agree that it was completely insignificant, he\u2019d lash out with a cruel or snide remark.<\/p>\n

Jeff Charles knew everything there was to know at fifteen. And sixteen. And so on, until he arrived at Penn State. His entire world had been turned upside down. No more parents up his ass all the time. Girls only needed a little alcohol, or maybe just a smile and some friendly conversation, and soon enough they were removing their clothes and his, doing things to him that he\u2019d only fantasized about, and some he\u2019d never even dreamed of.<\/p>\n

He stepped forward and put his hands on Paul\u2019s shoulders. \u201cPaul, listen to me. There\u2019s nothing wrong with being gay, no matter who beats you, no matter who insults you. It\u2019s easy for me to say that you need to try and tough it out until you can get away from this small-minded region, but I don\u2019t have to live your life. However, as hard as your life might be, there are rewards down the line. You\u2019ll find another Derek. Someone better than him. Someone who won\u2019t ruin your friendships because your father is an abusive bigot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people out there who will want you to be part of their lives. You haven\u2019t met them yet. Maybe you have met some of them, but neither of you know that you\u2019ll be part of each other\u2019s lives. Hell, there\u2019s a few people that I never hung out with in my little school that I now keep in touch with regularly, even go fishing with a couple of them every fall. You can\u2019t give up. You can\u2019t let anyone dictate to you how you should live your life. If you do, you\u2019ll always live in misery, because that\u2019s what people do when you let them have that power over you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The kid was a bawling wreck. Jeff had watched Paul break down a little more as each sentence left Jeff\u2019s mouth. He could feel the teenager\u2019s shoulders through the thin jacket, could feel them vibrating at first, then shaking with what Jeff thought might be seizure force. He shook his head, wondering if he gave the kid his best. The little pictures in his head had never solidified beyond wispy, half-imagined scenes. Maybe I only had that one shot inside me, Jeff\u2019s mind offered. I spent my cache on Allyson.<\/p>\n

Jeff closed his eyes and tried to blank his mind. All he could think about was Allyson, his thoughts unable to anchor on anything else. He decided to use Allyson as his focus, and almost immediately his head was clear other than a ghostly image of her face, her crazy hair, the studs and hoops in her eyebrows and nose. He thought he\u2019d almost missed her. Paul crashed into his chest, tears still spilling from his eyes, just as Jeff\u2019s mind replayed the memory of Allyson\u2019s hand and locking into his, the sudden shift of balance as he nearly went over the side, and the tearing pain in his back as he pulled her up to safety.<\/p>\n

Jeff hugged the young man, and without even realizing it, he kissed Paul\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exchange Rate: 1-Jeff Exchange Rate: 2-Allyson Exchange Rate: 3-Jeff Exchange Rate: 4-Allyson Exchange Rate: 5-Jeff Exchange Rate: 6-Jeff Exchange Rate: 7-Allyson 8 \u2013 Jeff +2 \u201cMr. Charles?\u201d Becky asked. Jeff\u2019s head jerked toward her. \u201cMr. Charles, Dr. Maser wishes to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,6,5],"tags":[584,528,26,112,582,74,39,581,75,73,93,69,580,586,583,68,34,38,135],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":980,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/979\/revisions\/980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angrygames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}