Colt had
good judgment (not sure if the same could be said for Tyson and Garrett.)
I texted Colt back to tell him I was studying, that
I had finals later this week. The studying was going well so far, but it was
fairly early in the process. Just because I hadn’t stumbled on anything
unfamiliar yet didn’t mean that it wouldn’t happen. I also had my final two
classes later that day. Hopefully my professors would have some good hints
about what material to focus on as we prepared for finals.
The texting continued on throughout the day, a
message here, a message there. It was kind of a nice rhythm actually. I’d study
for about thirty minutes, get a text from Colt, answer, and repeat. It was a
great way to break up the monotony of my attempt to commit the most obscure
biology terms to memory. I’d made flashcards for precisely that purpose, over
one hundred of them, and just going through the cycle once was really
mind-numbing.
Around three o’clock I had to give up the process,
since I needed to get ready and drive to class. I’d be so grateful for the
coming winter break. It dawned on me that Colt would be around for Christmas,
or in the U.S. at least. Was he going back to Texas to see family? He still
hadn’t told me what was waiting for him back there. I guess time would tell.
As for right now, I had class, then a night full of
studying. I’d be so damn happy once this week was over – for more reasons than
one.
Chapter
Six
Colton
We pulled into our hotel in Vegas after 10:00 PM.
Everyone was tired, burnt out from the long day on the road, the countless
stops at gas stations and fast food joints. Yet still, we were dead set on
hitting the town that night.
We headed up to our room, a large suite with a bed
for each. If we played our cards right, I mean literally played our cards
right , we would win enough money to pay for the whole damn thing. That was
the plan anyway; this trip was supposed to fund itself and send us home with a
little extra coin.
We took turns hopping in the shower. Tyson got out a
bottle of Jack, something to give us a bit of energy and loosen us up after the
trip before we headed downstairs. After a shower and a couple shots, I actually
did feel somewhat energized. Besides, there was something electrifying about
being in this city with its bright lights and constant activity – even on a
Monday night.
I didn’t want to go too hard tonight, we’d be here
all week after all. The trick was to cut our losses short if we were having a
bad night of it, and stay on the tables whenever we were making a run. Easier
said than done – it’s hard to be rational when you’re gambling. Losing money
can take a real toll on the psyche. Winning, on the other hand, can make you
too cocksure and get you into risky situations.
I figured I’d take it easy tonight. I did the best I
could to put Cat out of my mind as soon as I was at the poker table. I needed
full concentration, absolutely no outside distractions whatsoever. There would
be plenty of time to think about Cat as I drifted off to sleep later that
night, anyway.
I didn’t stay at the table long that night. I
started off with several bad hands and figured I’d get out of there before I
lost too much money. I didn’t want to destroy my confidence for the remainder
of the week. You need confidence to be a good card player.
I decided to walk around and find Garrett and Tyson.
I was down about $200 so far; maybe they were having better luck. A little
while later, I found them at a blackjack table and decided I’d join them.
Blackjack isn’t really my game, but I figured what the hell, I’d give it a
shot.
At first I wasn’t putting much money down. I don’t
have a ton of experience with blackjack, and by that I mean I don’t know how to
count cards or anything. So in a lot of ways I wasn’t really at an advantage.
But I ended up winning a few rounds and soon I was laying down some serious
money. I took a loss here and
good judgment (not sure if the same could be said for Tyson and Garrett.)
I texted Colt back to tell him I was studying, that
I had finals later this week. The studying was going well so far, but it was
fairly early in the process. Just because I hadn’t stumbled on anything
unfamiliar yet didn’t mean that it wouldn’t happen. I also had my final two
classes later that day. Hopefully my professors would have some good hints
about what material to focus on as we prepared for finals.
The texting continued on throughout the day, a
message here, a message there. It was kind of a nice rhythm actually. I’d study
for about thirty minutes, get a text from Colt, answer, and repeat. It was a
great way to break up the monotony of my attempt to commit the most obscure
biology terms to memory. I’d made flashcards for precisely that purpose, over
one hundred of them, and just going through the cycle once was really
mind-numbing.
Around three o’clock I had to give up the process,
since I needed to get ready and drive to class. I’d be so grateful for the
coming winter break. It dawned on me that Colt would be around for Christmas,
or in the U.S. at least. Was he going back to Texas to see family? He still
hadn’t told me what was waiting for him back there. I guess time would tell.
As for right now, I had class, then a night full of
studying. I’d be so damn happy once this week was over – for more reasons than
one.
Chapter
Six
Colton
We pulled into our hotel in Vegas after 10:00 PM.
Everyone was tired, burnt out from the long day on the road, the countless
stops at gas stations and fast food joints. Yet still, we were dead set on
hitting the town that night.
We headed up to our room, a large suite with a bed
for each. If we played our cards right, I mean literally played our cards
right , we would win enough money to pay for the whole damn thing. That was
the plan anyway; this trip was supposed to fund itself and send us home with a
little extra coin.
We took turns hopping in the shower. Tyson got out a
bottle of Jack, something to give us a bit of energy and loosen us up after the
trip before we headed downstairs. After a shower and a couple shots, I actually
did feel somewhat energized. Besides, there was something electrifying about
being in this city with its bright lights and constant activity – even on a
Monday night.
I didn’t want to go too hard tonight, we’d be here
all week after all. The trick was to cut our losses short if we were having a
bad night of it, and stay on the tables whenever we were making a run. Easier
said than done – it’s hard to be rational when you’re gambling. Losing money
can take a real toll on the psyche. Winning, on the other hand, can make you
too cocksure and get you into risky situations.
I figured I’d take it easy tonight. I did the best I
could to put Cat out of my mind as soon as I was at the poker table. I needed
full concentration, absolutely no outside distractions whatsoever. There would
be plenty of time to think about Cat as I drifted off to sleep later that
night, anyway.
I didn’t stay at the table long that night. I
started off with several bad hands and figured I’d get out of there before I
lost too much money. I didn’t want to destroy my confidence for the remainder
of the week. You need confidence to be a good card player.
I decided to walk around and find Garrett and Tyson.
I was down about $200 so far; maybe they were having better luck. A little
while later, I found them at a blackjack table and decided I’d join them.
Blackjack isn’t really my game, but I figured what the hell, I’d give it a
shot.
At first I wasn’t putting much money down. I don’t
have a ton of experience with blackjack, and by that I mean I don’t know how to
count cards or anything. So in a lot of ways I wasn’t really at an advantage.
But I ended up winning a few rounds and soon I was laying down some serious
money. I took a loss here and
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