The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,40

You have to let her live the life that she chooses.”

“I promise, David. I swear. I can’t live like this anymore. I need to move on, too, with or without her; if that’s what she wants.” I know that is a lie; I can’t move on without her, but I’ll never tell them that. After all, I’m trying desperately to convince everyone that I’m stable now, not some psycho that’s going to stalk her for the rest of her life. “I need to see her tonight. I don’t care that she’s with this Frank guy. I have to talk to her.”

At first David is reluctant. He thinks I should give her time, but I persistently state my case. Finally, David tells me he understands. I have a feeling it’s because he knows that we belong together. He understands more than anyone that life is too short to waste a minute of it being without the person that means the most to you. Before I hurry off, I promise Deanna that I will fix this and not to worry.

“Luke, try the gallery. Frank probably went there to close up!” Deanna hollers out. “Good luck!”

Chapter 11

(Luke)

It looks as if a storm may come at any minute. The wind is starting to pick up and the sky is turning dark as I jog through the parking lot to my bike. I race in and out of traffic to my house in record time to pick up the car.

I arrive at the gallery and without thinking twice I enter through the smoked glass doors into the lobby. I finally lessen my pace and take a moment to look around and admire the marble floors and the walls trimmed in dark cherry, mahogany wood. The room is surrounded by so many different styles of artwork. She must love working here.

Shit, this is Frank’s business. I almost turn and walk out the door, but staring back at me is one of her paintings. I know it instantly. I also notice three others in the same vicinity. She was always good, but these… are incredible.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” a girl asks from behind, startling me.

“Yes, they are,” I answer, turning to face the tall exotic-looking stranger.

“She’s a local artist, these are her first paintings.”

“I have to disagree. I think my walls are covered with most of her first paintings,” I answer, giving her a pain-ridden smile.

She’s about to comment when we are interrupted. “Jazz, this is a friend of Jesse’s; do you mind giving us a minute?” the girl looks at me suspiciously, and then disappears into the back room.

My jaw tightens as I turn to face Frank. “Where is she?” I ask rudely, in no mood for games.

“I dropped her off at home.”

I turn to leave, but he calls out to me, “Luke, can I ask what your intentions are?”

I stop in my tracks and turn to face him eye-to-eye. I want there to be no mistake as to what my intentions are. “To get her back.”

“What if that isn’t what she wants?”

“Then I need to hear that from her,” I say conclusively before walking towards the door.

A feeling of regret comes over me. I’m acting like a jerk off to this guy. This guy, who everyone I’m close to seems to really like. He’s not the one to blame, he’s an innocent bystander caught in the middle. “Look. I’m sorry for bursting in here, but we have a lot of unfinished business, and I need to talk to her, she needs to know… I love her. Ya know we’ve been together for a long time?”

“No, Luke, you haven’t been together in over two years, you let her go a long time ago.”

“Not by choice.”

“That’s not the way she sees it.”

“That’s why I need to talk to her. Looking at this…” I point at her paintings that surround me, “somewhat makes me feel a little bit better. Look, I’m not a bad person. I hurt her. I should have found a way to do things differently, but at the time, I knew I couldn’t let her throw her life away waiting for me, and she would have… at least for a while, anyway. She would have never accomplished this if I didn’t let her go. She was ready to give up her scholarship to stay with me. They were talking five years before I got out, maybe longer. At the time, I thought it was the only way. I thought I was doing it for the