The House Always Wins - 1. Chapter 1

"The House Always Wins..."

CHAPTER 1

$20,000, 1 month, 1 lie; twenty thousand dollars; one month to earn it; all I have to do is live a lie. How hard can that be, huh? Well, we're about to find out, dear diary.

If you didn't; you know it now, and I'm about to break that tradition by writing down what happened to me, and also what is to come in the near future.

**********

It started a week ago, when I ran away from home. Life, as I knew it, was over. Well, not exactly ran away...I was kicked out of the house, really, because I got caught ‘entertaining' a friend of mine in my room - the kind of entertainment that had us lying on my bed, engaged in a situation that can only be described as compromising.

It had been very nice, up to that point, kissing and feeling each other up a little, until the door of my bedroom opened and my stepfather, a hard man and ex-military, unexpectedly barged in, barking why the dog hadn't been let out yet. The location of my hand had been particularly… embarrassing.

Suffice it to say that the next hour was the worst I'd ever experienced. There was the yelling, the biblical lectures (about what God would do to cocksuckers; funny, they frown upon the act but somehow, using the word was just fine), the threats of severe punishment, me retorting with sarcasm and anger; and it all resulted in one thing: me, a guy barely out of his teens and with a little over $500 in cash, stepping off a bus in Las Vegas.

I'd barely slept, other than some napping on the bus, and I desperately needed a shower and a good long nights’ sleep.

The choice to come here had been relatively easy to make; right after I'd been kicked to the curb, physically, I used my cell phone to call around to some of my friends to see if I could crash for a while with one of them. My ‘friend,’ the one I'd actually been caught with, didn't even answer my call. Weird, really, since one would think that allowing him to stick his tongue in my mouth, and my hand down his jeans at the same time, would count for something. Guess not - another lesson learned - and the next few calls weren't helpful, either; most of my friends couldn't help me out for even one lousy night. To top that perfect night off, my battery died.

So I decided to go to the bus station; if no one could, or wanted, to take me in, there was no reason for me to stay. Not until this blew over, if ever. It would be a very long wait, I expected, since my ‘parents' (and I use the term lightly) were deeply religious; them forgiving me a mortal sin? I didn't think so. Their parting words - "Don't ever come back, we don't want your kind here!" - were somewhat of a clue as well.

When I arrived at the station, I couldn't really decide on a destination. That problem was quickly solved; map in the window, point at it with my eyes closed; Viva Las Vegas. So I got on the first bus that went to Sin City and where do you go when you have some money, and are in Las Vegas?
Right; the Strip.

Bleary eyed from lack of sleep (thanks to a whining baby that started crying from the moment the engine started and didn’t quit until arrival) I started walking in the direction of the Venetian, hoisting my backpack over my shoulder, and got to the middle of the Strip. I'd passed the Tropicana and MGM Grand, and a few others, and then stopped, trying to get my bearings. Across the street, the white walls of the Europa Hotel/Casino rose up into the air, twenty-five stories high; palm trees lined the driveway to a grand entrance, and at least five or six limousines, a couple of taxis, and a tour bus were parked underneath the overhang, protected from the elements; the hotel valet smiled pleasantly as I approached.

I was about to head inside when a chain of events was set into motion that would determine the next few days in the life of Jason Jake Carter. That’s me, by the way, and as I reached for one of the double glass doors, I could hear a bit of shouting and cursing, and saw that a very large man was being escorted outside by two security guards. The door I reached for was flung open with such speed that I had no chance, none whatsoever, to get out of the way or to take a step back; it contacted me full on my forehead with a dull twang, a blow so hard that I saw stars. They faded rapidly as blackness engulfed me, and I hit the ground, where impact made them wink out for dark oblivion.

**********

"He's coming to," a female voice spoke, softly. "Where's that doctor?!"

Ouch, lady - not so loud!

"On his way, he should be here shortly. Is he still bleeding?" a male voice asked.

Pressure on the side of my head temporarily diminished, then returned a moment later, cold, reapplying pressure. It hurt, and I moaned.

"No. But he's going to have one hell of a headache, that's for sure. Poor kid."

"Find out who he is..."

The male voice continued, but it didn't register for long as I slipped back into blackness.

**********

"There he is," a male voice spoke softly.

It was a different voice, and sounded older than the first one I'd heard. My head was thudding like someone was stomping on it with a boot, but I risked a try at opening my eyes.

"Hello there."

"...'lo," I replied, a bit groggy.

A sharp light lanced into my right eye, and I hissed.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you. How do you feel?"

"Not so good."

"Do you remember what happened?"

I opened my eyes a little wider and found his image, locking onto it as it slowly swam from two into one.

"You a doctor?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm Doctor Verger. And you are...?"

"JJ...J.J. Carter."

"Nice to meet you, JJ. So... do you remember what happened? Do you know where you are?"

"Someone shoved a door in my face," I answered, frowning. "Euro... hotel?"

"Europa Hotel, and yes, that's what happened. Good, you remember, that's very good. You landed on the ground pretty hard, and hit your head against a small boulder; two stitches. How's the headache?"

"Freight train doing loops around my skull."

"I'll give you something for it. You have a slight concussion, young man."

He looked up and spoke to someone else. "Is he a guest?"

"No," I answered, just as the female voice replied with "Yes."

"Well, you're not going anywhere for a while, son, so I'll take her word over yours."

He smiled gently and looked up again.

"He needs rest, and lots of it. Have you contacted his parents yet?"

"No, not yet. We wanted to wait until you had a look at him. I'll call them right now."

"No!" I said, and tried to get up. Christ, that hurt!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...lie down," the doctor said, pushing me back down. "I wasn't kidding, you need rest. Let them take care of you."

"Okay, but please don't call my parents," I begged. "Lady? Please?"

Her answer sounded unsure.

"Fine..." she said slowly. "We'll talk about it later. For now, I've had a room prepared for you, so we'll take you there in a minute."

"Thank you."