Free Games by Wanda B. Campbell Page B

orders. Having decided her plan made sense, Shay grabbed her jacket.
    Jason made eye-contact with her. “LaShay, it’s only dinner. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll move to the other side of the booth, but don’t leave.”
    The waitress waited patiently as Shay weighed her options. She was hungry and it did feel good to be out on a Friday evening. Maybe having dinner with Jason would cure his infatuation and he’d leave her alone. “I’ll have an iced tea,” she finally said then removed her jacket.
    Jason smiled. “I’ll have the same.”
    As soon as the waitress left Shay reminded him of his promise to move to the opposite side of the booth. He didn’t protest, but now instead of being alongside her, he was staring her in the face. Smiling like he had just won the lottery.
    “LaShay Hampton, I’ve been working with you for two weeks and I still don’t know anything about you. Tell me about yourself, or shall I go first?”
    “You can go first, second and third for all I care,” she retorted.
    Jason ignored the sarcasm and gave her his story. She learned he was born and raised in Chicago and had attended Howard University on a full scholarship. He planned to move back to Chicago and teach high-school English. He was from a two-parent family and had an older brother and a younger sister. He was the first in his family to attend college.
    “What about you?” he asked after the waitress delivered the drinks. “What’s your story?”
    Shay took a sip of her drink and in an attempt at nicety, she offered him a smile. “What do want to know, Jason?”
    “For starters, why do you always act so cold?”
    She could tell by his tone that he’d grown tired of her attitude and fake smile. However, his assessment surprised her. “So you think I’m a cold person because I won’t go out with you?”
    “That, and every time I try to have a simple conversation with you, like now, you put up this wall of ice. I can’t even ask you a simple question, like where are you from, without getting sarcasm. It’s fine if you don’t want to date me, but at least you can be polite.”
    Shay twisted her mouth; maybe she was being a little too hard on Jason. He really hadn’t done anything wrong other than show interest in her. Getting to know him didn’t mean she had to date him. “Alright, Jason. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Stanford and now I’m here. I want to teach elementary education, preferably kindergarten. Is that enough information?” Shay smirked slightly.
    “It’s a start. It’s also quite impressive. What about your family?”
    “I was raised by my mother. My father died in an automobile accident before I was born.”
    “I bet your mother was happy when you received the scholarship to Stanford, with her being a single parent and all,” Jason clarified.
    Shay pushed her glass away. She hated when people assumed she was on a scholarship simply because she was an African-American. It especially bothered her when it came from other African Americans, like they didn’t believe there were successful people of color with enough money to pay college tuition.
    She interlocked her fingers before responding to him. “Jason , I didn’t receive a scholarship for Stanford, nor did I receive one for Harvard. My mother wrote a check. You do know African-Americans are allowed to have savings accounts with more than a fifty-dollar balance?”
    After the waitress took their dinner order, Jason continued. “That explains it.”
    “Explains what?”
    “I was wondering how you can afford a new SUV and an apartment without a job. You’re from a wealthy family.”
    “Does that bother you?” Shay hoped it did. “True, my family is well-off, but I worked hard for my degree,” Shay defended. “And I’m working hard for this Master’s and Teaching Credential.”
    “I’ve seen you in action. I know you work hard. And no it doesn’t bother me at all