Free Natural Consequences by Elliott Kay

good company. If you’re not inter ested, no worries, but I’m goin’ out tonight anyway and I’d be happy to bring you with. No whining about ‘friend zones’ or any bullshit like that. I just think we could have a good time together.”
    That she would accept the invitation was a foregone conclusion, but not for the reasons Jason believed. Yet she had to admit that she liked his pitch. For all his goofiness and self-deprecation, he seemed quite comfortable in his own skin. It was something she envied.
    “Okay,” she nodded. “I’m interested.”
     
    *   *   *
     
    The game between Drew and Wade ground to a halt. They stood on the same side of the pool table, looking at Amber after Jason’s introduction without betraying a hint of emotion. They just looked on, not quite staring, leaving Amber feeling a little awkward in the silence.
    She said hi already , and wondered now if it was worth repeating. The other customers, their games and the Foo Fighters song on the speakers weren’t so loud that one had to shout.
    With several hours between lunch and the evening meet-up, Amber had plenty of time to prepare. She worked with the task force to establish back-up calls, got to know the immediate neighborhood around the pool hall and firmed up her cover story. She also had time to review Jason’s online presence, which given his youth and enthusiasm was considerable. Drew and Wade appeared many times in his photo album.
    They more or less lived up to their online images. Drew was a tall, well-built and good-looking young black man, dressed in stylish slacks and a blue and black striped shirt. The tall white Southerner beside him seemed somehow even more unlikely as a friend of Jason’s, his heritage on display through his faded blue jeans and John Deere ball cap.
    Amber quickly found herself feeling self-conscious under their stares. She’d given serious thought to making the right impressions. She went with black jeans and a flattering white top, wanting to make sure she looked good without obviously going all-out. Nothing she had said could possibly have been insulting or odd. She glanced at Jason to find an equally perplexed expression on his face.
    “Is something wrong?” she ventured.
    “Nothin’,” Drew answered evenly, giving a slow, brief shake of his head. Wade sighed. Drew held out a hand toward him, not looking away from Amber. Wade fished out a billfold, peeled off a twenty and handed it to him. “Nice to meet you,” Drew smiled as he put the bill in his pocket.
    “Likewise,” she replied slowly.
    “The fuck was that?” asked Jason, his brow furrowing and his eyes on Wade as the other man stepped around the pool table to get back to his shot.
    “Bad call on mah part,” Wade shrugged. His eyes were back on his game, but his tone was perfectly friendly.
    “Did you just lose a bet?” Amber pressed, her lips quirking in a grin.
    “Yup. So Jason didn’t mention you b’fore. How’d y’all meet?”
    “We just met today,” Jason answered, a mild touch of irritation evident in his voice. “Amber’s still new in town and I thought it’d be nice to bring her out to meet some cool people. You guys happen to know any, maybe?”
    “Ah might’ve met a couple before,” grinned Wade. He sank his shot and rounded the table to line up for his next.
    “Where you from, Amber?” Drew asked. He moved over to one of the tall chairs by their small table for drinks, pulling his jacket off to make room for her. His tone and smile became considerably warmer.
    “I’m from Oly,” Amber said, taking him up on his invitation to sit at the table. “And yes, we met in class today. You two go to UW?”
    “I don’t start ‘til next quarter,” said Drew. “Just been workin’ since I got out of high school.”
    “Ah’m at North Seattle Community,” Wade answered. “Ain’t yet decided when ah’m gonna transfer.”
    Amber already fe lt much more welcome. “Where do you work, Drew?”
    The Bureau