"All we have to do," Allie said as she lined up her shot, her hands gripping the cool metal of the golf club, "is make sure we get it into the right hole, and all our problems will disappear."
She putted gently, sending the ball rolling uphill til it tilted, hugged the rail and then bounced off a piece of plastic lightly, sending it towards the hole, until it dropped inside. Allie stood back, one hand on her hip, admiring her accomplishment. "Yeah, but..." Zoe said, almost whispering, "...she doesn't even know what kind of game she's playing." "Good," Allie said, walking to the hole and picking up her ball, adding, "then there's no way she can lose." *** Construction had begun, and it had been a few weeks, but the time for the new Card Shark opening was fast approaching. Sitting in bed and watching TV while eating ice cream, Allie couldn't help but feel like she was about to attempt to pull off the greatest magic trick of all time. Her mind was racing at all hours now, both terrified and ecstatic at the idea of somehow managing to get away with their plan. Her phone on the bedside table rang, and she answered. "Hello?" she asked. "It's me," Zoe said, "...what are you doing?" "Eating ice cream and watching TV," Allie said, taking another bite. "What're you watching?" "A show about weight loss success stories," Allie said, "I figured this way the two activities cancel eachother out and I don't waste my day." Zoe laughed and then got quiet, saying, "I...I think we have a problem. Molly's car is in the parking lot. I know because I just pulled in, and parked right next to her. She's probably in the casino somewhere, and last time we talked-" "You two talk?" "She calls me on occasion, not sure why, but last time we spoke she said that she's nervous about her abilities to pull off what Tony wants her to pull off. I'm thinking she might be here to pull out of the project," Zoe said, "If that's the case, you need to find her before she reaches him and resigns, or we're in a lot of trouble." "I'm on it," Allie said, hanging up, putting her now empty bowl on the bedside table and throwing a t-shirt and some jeans on before heading out of the suite. She bit her lip and decided to head in the direction of Tony's office, knowing there was only one way to get there and that was her best shot at intercepting Molly if she was going to have any chance to do so. Thankfully, by the time she reached the hallway his office was located on, just as she was passing by the elevator, the doors slid open and Molly stepped out, the two of them nearly bumping into one another and laughing a little. "Hey!" Allie said, acting surprised to see her, "What're you doing here?" "I'm...I'm here on business," Molly said, as she continued to walk, Allie by her side, as she went on saying, "I just don't think I'm right for the job. I've looked over my plans, and I just don't think he'll be satisfied and I don't think I trust myself to make something structurally sound in the area he wants me to and especially not for the cost, and I just-" "Well, Tony isn't in right now," Allie said, lying out of her ass. "He said he'd be in last night," Molly whispered. "Yeah, well, he got called away suddenly," Allie said, "but, uh, he'll be back this evening and we can always talk to him then, right? Hey, how about until then, we go somewhere, get something to eat and, I don't know, play miniature golf to take our minds off things? Have a nice leisurely day out for a change? There's an awesome miniature golf course nearby you should really see." "...I...I guess it couldn't hurt," Molly stuttered. "Great, head back to the elevator and wait for me, I'm going to get my jacket," Allie said. As Molly did what she was instructed, Allie headed swiftly back to the suite, grabbed a coat and called Zoe back. "Everything okay?" Zoe asked. "Yeah...I've got her, we need to convince her to stay on the project, so meet me at The Wagon Wheel," Allie said. "That western themed miniature golf course?" Zoe asked. "Yeah. We're gonna play some minigolf," Allie replied. *** The Wagon Wheel was a local minigolf, located only 15 minutes away from Card Shark. It was a place Allie and Nick had gone to on numerous occasions, often while somewhat drunk, and one of the best family themed areas around, which was exactly the sort of atmosphere the girls needed today. It was moderately crowded, but it wasn't overwhelming, and the girls decided to have some lunch there first before heading out to the games. Sitting inside, eating pizza and cheese sticks, Zoe couldn't stop looking around. "You know," she said, biting into a cheese stick and pushing the cheese hanging out her lips into her mouth, "I've never been here. I've driven by it a whole bunch, but I've never actually been here. I did go minigolfing a lot as a kid, but...never came here." "I used to go minigolfing now and then too," Molly said, "...my first boyfriend and I went often, because it was one of the few places my parents would allow me to go without adult supervision, and it was public so nothing unexpected could happen. That being said, just because a place is public doesn't mean you can't find privacy within it. We made out inside a windmill a lot." Zoe and Allie laughed loudly, making Molly feel more accepted. "I don't think I realized, at the time," Molly continued, "that those would be the days I'd really remember. You always think you're going to remember the big days - graduation, weddings, birthdays, funerals - but no, the days you actually recall most vividly are the ones that seemed the most generic and mundane. Going to a movie with some friends, or renting movies with your dad for the weekend, or making out in a minigolf windmill. Those are the days you'll wish you had realized were so important later on in life." A hush came over the table and Allie sighed. "I know what you mean," she said softly, sipping her soda from her plastic cup, "I didn't go minigolfing a whole lot as a kid or whatever, but you're absolutely right. I have this very clear memory of doing things with my folks when I was a kid, especially my dad. We used to build things together in the garage, especially once I got into magic, and he helped me build props. I guess you just have to find the right people and the right moments will follow." Zoe glanced at Allie when Molly started looking around at the kids playing arcade games indoor. Zoe knew exactly what Allie was doing. She was emotionally manipulating Molly into feeling accepted, as if they were the right people and this was the right moment. She knew it was necessary, but fuck if it didn't make her feel sleazy. She also knew Allie wasn't wholeheartedly manipulative, and she likely did in fact believe the things she was saying, but she was beginning to have trouble telling when she was being sincere and when she was being a fraud. Zoe had never really thought about it before but, to be a good magician, one has to be a good liar, and that was what Allie had learned to do well. She'd learned to hide her drinking, her drug habits, her problems from the world, and still come across as somewhat professional. She was a liar, and an expert one at that. Suddenly Thea's warnings were starting to seem a little more reasonable... "Well," Allie said, "How about we get to it?" The girls got their balls, clubs and headed outside. The first hole was of a miniature saloon. You had to get the ball through the doors, and it would wind up in a lower area where you could shoot for a hole in one. Sometimes, if you hit it just right, it'd roll right into the hole in the lower area. Molly offered to go first, and as she set her ball down on the faux grass, she couldn't help but remember the last time she'd been on a minigolf course. *** "I don't think I'm good enough," she whispered. "Of course you are," James said, holding her hands, "you're absolutely good enough. What makes you think you aren't?" "Because if I were, things wouldn't have turned out this way," Molly whispered, "...things would be different." "You need to go to college, you need to build places, that's what you're good at, hell, it's what you're great at," James said, "besides, it'll give you a chance to get away from this place and the awful people who inhabit it." Molly smiled a little as she wiped her eyes on her long sleeves of her sweater. She'd always appreciated James, and she was happy to be spending her last free days in her home state here with him, inside this windmill. James scooted beside her and put his arm around her, pulling her in to hold her. "This was the same windmill," she whispered, "....this is where he did it." "I know." "I never wanna see this windmill again," she continued softly, "I hate it now. I hate windmills." "Then go build something that's the opposite of clean and energy efficient, like a casino or something," James said, making her laugh. Sure, her first boyfriend had abused her here, but her best friend had made her feel better, and that was something she was always grateful for. She swore then and there that she'd build something better, something that wouldn't be used to house such evil, and then she met Allie Meers. *** "God damn crap sucking bucket of shit faces!" Zoe shouted, slamming her club onto the green as a family walked by, the parents holding their hands over their childrens ears and glaring at her. She waved politely, and mumbled, "...sorry." Allie cracked up, "Jesus, I don't think I've ever heard you swear like that," she said. "Well, when I know I can do something but I don't do it right, I get very annoyed," Zoe said, "I'm all about perfection, it's part of what drove me into magic, because magic is all about do it right or you everyone will know you did it wrong." "Well put, and not incorrect," Allie said, setting her ball up for a shot. It was the 5th hole now, and unsurprisingly, given her statements about playing often as a teenager, Molly was in the lead. Zoe sat down on the bench beside the hole, looking at Molly tallying up the score and chewing nervously on her lip. "Everything okay?" Zoe asked. "Yeah, I just...maybe I should quit my job and play professional minigolf," Molly said, "is that even a thing? Can you do that? Is that even a career option?" "Why would you quit?" Zoe asked. "I just don't feel like I can do what Tony wants properly, within the time limit and safely under regulation standards. I feel like I'd have to cut a lot of corners, and it might come back to haunt me if I do. I don't know. I want to do the job, but I'm so nervous about being the wrong person for it. Then again, I always get this way before a big job, so maybe it's just my general building nerves coming out to play." Molly and Zoe looked up to see Allie cursing under her breath, taking another shot and missing again. "I think you should stick with it. Prove yourself wrong," Zoe said, "because if you give in, all you'll really be doing is allowing someone else who likely doesn't care as much as you to do something you probably could've done excellently yourself, and then you might scare yourself off doing other projects as well." Molly smiled and nodded. "...yeah, yeah I guess you're right," she said, "thanks." Zoe had also manipulated Molly, making her no better than Allie, but she'd done it by building Molly up instead of outright scaring her emotionally, and she felt that that at least made somewhat of a difference between herself and Allie. As they watched Allie continually fuck up her last shot, Zoe couldn't help but feel like what they were doing was immoral, but then again, they'd already committed murder. How much more trouble could lying actually get them into? *** By the 12th, and final, hole, Molly was winning with no doubt about that. Zoe was in second place, and Allie was far behind in what would generally be considered third, if she were actually still viable to be placed. But she didn't care. All that really mattered to her was proving to Molly that she had friends, and that they cared about her well being, and getting her to not back out of the job she'd accepted. As she watched Molly finish the hole and excuse herself to use the restroom, Allie stepped up to take her shot at it. "All we have to do," Allie said as she lined up her shot, her hands gripping the cool metal of the golf club, "is make sure we get it into the right hole, and all our problems will disappear." She putted gently, sending the ball rolling uphill til it tilted, hugged the rail and then bounced off a piece of plastic lightly, sending it towards the hole, until it dropped inside. Allie stood back, one hand on her hip, admiring her accomplishment. "Yeah, but..." Zoe said, almost whispering, "...she doesn't even know what kind of game she's playing." "Good," Allie said, walking to the hole and picking up her ball, adding, "then there's no way she can lose." "This just feels so slimy and underhanded," Zoe muttered, making Allie turn around and look at her. "I know," Allie said, "I don't...I don't like it either. Molly's actually really cool and seems like a genuinely good person, but if she backs out, we won't have the insider information into the building that we require, and we need that kind of access. I've told you before, and I'll say it again right now, I won't let her be held accountable for anything." "I know you say that but you can't possible keep that promise," Zoe whispered, "what if something comes up that makes you have to break it?" "What could possibly do that?" Allie asked, "Zoe, just trust me, okay? I'll keep everyone shielded from blame, and I'll take the fall myself if I have to." Zoe wanted to believe her, and on some level she did, but she couldn't shake this feeling that things would somehow not go right. Guess only time would tell. After the girls finished, they piled back into Allie's car and headed back to the casino. While driving, Molly - sitting in the backseat - was thinking back to her time in the windmill, and realized that she wanted to create places that brought joy instead of pain. She wanted to make places that would be used to bring fun instead of sadness. Zoe was right, she realized, she had to take this job head on and make the best of it. Especially if, as Zoe had put it, she allowed it to fall into the hands of someone who didn't care as much, and something terrible happened, she'd never forgive herself. Lying in bed that night, her sleep mask on and the white noise machine making the sounds of a calm forest beside her, Molly couldn't help but feel grateful that she had friends like Allie and Zoe, who were looking out for her best interests, completely unaware they were looking out more for their own interests than hers. Molly had rarely had female friends, and she was very happy to say she now did, even if she wasn't knowledgeable about their reasons. Molly rolled onto her side and thought about her time golfing that night, and smiled. She'd had the best score, and that bolstered her confidence. Yeah, Zoe was right, she thought, she really could make this new casino work. After all, she thought, why would her friends lie to her? *** Allie was bringing Zoe a bowl of ice cream in the living room, before climbing over the couch and seating herself. Zoe thanked her for the ice cream and started to dig in while Allie stuck her own spoon in her mouth and shuffled her jacket off her back before leaning back, sighing and starting in on her own bowl. "I feel bad," Zoe mumbled, looking at her bowl, "I feel like such an awful person. We just lied, right to her face, and have gotten her involved in something super awful and immoral." "Zoe, look, I don't feel great about it either, but we didn't have any other options," Allie said, "...but I promise, as I've always said, nothing will happen to either you or her. Besides, who's going to even care if someone does find him? Sunny was a drug dealer, it's not like anyone but his own clients are going to come looking for him, and why would they risk their own lives by going to the cops?" "You say that as if he didn't have family. Drug addicts, drug dealers, they're still people, Allie, and they have people who care about them somewhere," Zoe said. "I mean, sure, okay that's fair, maybe I'm being a little mean about it, but still," Allie said, turning her attention to the TV, adding, "I was a drug addict, and I'm trying to get my shit together, and have people who care about me, so I suppose it's unfair to say that sort of thing about others who are like me." "...so when do we start practicing?," Zoe said.
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ABOUT
Allie Meers is what she dreamed of being since she was a little girl...a successful Vegas magician. The only problem now is she can't make all her problems disappear; Allie grapples with her strained relationship, crippling addictions and FBI agents on her tail, all while trying to stay at the top of her career. Archives
December 2023
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