Only You Can Betray Me

Luck and Lies

          I pulled into a parking spot in front of an outdated building that had an old, neon sign flickering out front.

          "I'm going to grab my bags. Don't leave anything in the car."

          I dragged my bags back to where Jordan and Will were waiting. When I got within earshot I could hear them whispering in Greek.

           "What are you two whispering about?" I whispered to them in Greek. I must've scared them because they both jumped slightly at the sound of my voice. But it was only Jordan who bleated like a goat.

          "And you, young lady," I continued, pointing at Jordan. "Have some explaining to do."

          I'll explain in the car tomorrow."

          "Okay, anyways. I have an idea."

          "Oh-no," Jordan whined with a grimace.

          "Should I be worried?" Will asked.

          "No," I said at the same time as Jordan said yes.

          She rolled her eyes so dramatically I was worried they would get stuck in the back of her head. "The last time she had an idea we ended up in ISS."

          "I was going to say, that I have money to pay for a room," I emphasized. Will was frowning in concentration. Probably trying to figure out what the issue was.

          "But," Jordan urged, giving me a look.

           "I don't know how long we will be on the road for, and considering none of us have a job, I wanted to save the money for gas, food, drinks, and stuff like that. Because I only have enough food and drinks for the three of us for tonight."

          "Then exactly how are we supposed to get a place to sleep tonight?"

          "Just look tired, hungry, and depressed. I will do the rest." I gave Will his bag and gave Jordan a backpack.

          We shuffled through the door into a lobby with a small waiting area. We were the only ones in the room except for the man behind the counter.

           I didn't show any emotion. I needed to be seen as a heartbroken, little girl that couldn't bare another speed bump in her life. That meant no tears or emotion, just exhaustion.

          The man looked up and smiled. "What can I do for y'all?"

           "Do you have any rooms available?"

           "Yes ma'am," he answered.

           "We'll take the cheapest one please."

          "That will be one hundred and twenty-three dollars, miss."

          I shuffled my hands around in my nonexistent pockets pretending to look for some method of payment.

          I ran my fingers through my hair while I started muttering, "No,no,no. This can not be happening."

          "Is something wrong?" The man asked in a soothing tone. "I'm sure whatever it is we can work it out."

          I turned to Jordan and Will. "I'm sorry, guys. We must've run out of money back in Missouri. We'll have to figure something else out."

          I turned back to the receptionist and asked sweetly, "Can you please cancel the request?"

          "Ma'am, if you tell me the circumstances I'm sure I can pull a few strings and give you the room."