Stuck between two bad boys

Emily kept asking me questions. I didn’t want her worrying or asking me questions about what I told her earlier. I answered her and assured her I’d be back soon. I lied to her that it was an errand Dad sent me because she would keep asking for information.

I knew I wasn’t going to be back soon but I had to say that.

As I stepped out of the house, I reached for my phone in my pocket and raised it. I quickly sent a text and shoved the phone back into my pocket.

The lights in the train car flash as we passed through another tunnel. Getting to the downtown from where we lived was as tasking as you could imagine.

In forty minutes, A crackly voice blares through the speakers notifying me of my stop. I raised my head from the screen of my phone and I looked around. I didn’t notice the people around me till the voice announced I had gotten to my destination.

It was my first time coming to this part of New York and I hoped everything went well. I knew it was a risky thing to do but I’ve been told that we take risks for people we love and for Emily, I could do anything.

I stood up from my seat and clutch the pole in the middle. I waited patiently as the creaking sound of train brakes echoed. When I finally climbed down, I adjusted my baseball cap and looked at the address on my screen. I turned my head and observed the environment.

I follow the footpath in the hood down a dark alley and into a former industrial area. Shabby warehouses and abandoned machinery filled the place. I clenched my fist and continued walking till some boys looked in my direction.

I had no idea what I would do if they came close, so from a distance, I thought of what action to take. I lifted my shirt and pretended to be getting a gun out of my pants. That frightened them and they walked away.

I let out a sigh and continued walking. It was Devin who taught me to frighten when I was frightened. I remember one of the days we got into trouble with some bad guys and had to act like the bad guys ourselves.

We laughed our asses out when we returned home and reminisced on the incident. Speaking of Devin, I was thinking of putting our past behind us. We’ve been enemies for so long, I can barely remember what it feels like to be friends with him.

I turned my head to a car driving in my direction. A young man climbed out of the car with a cigarette in his hand. He wore a black polo shirt over black trousers. I figured he was the one I came to meet so I walked closer to him.

“You’re Xavier.”

I gave a nod and a quick smile. Of course, I was Xavier and I needed to be done with this before it started.

“Yes, I am.”

“Heard much about you,” he said expiring the smoke. I turned my face to the other side to breathe.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Here,” he said and tossed a package to me. I looked at him and then at the package in my hand. It looked smaller than I expected so how the hell was it going to make me rich?

“Is this all?” I asked not hiding the expression on my face.

“That’s a whopping $200 in your hands.”

“Just for these three? That’s insane. Can I get more?”

“Hell no.”

“But I’ll sell it and return your money.”

“You don’t have an option. I can’t risk my business by giving you more than that ton. You could get caught.”

My brows furrowed and my heart raced faster. I knew it was a risky business and I could get my ass in jail.

“I’ll be careful,” I tried convincing him.

“You have meth there. Stay outta trouble man, I didn’t give you shit if you get caught.”

“I won’t get caught,” I blurted. “Not for these tons.”

“Exactly. if you’re caught with this, it would appear you’re a consumer but if it’s more, you’ll be forced to snitch on your dealer.”

There was a lot of truth in what he said, no one wanted to get into a messy bargain but this wasn’t the goddamn arrangement.

“I’ll give you a better offer if you deliver. I want to test your abilities first bro.”

I squeezed my jaw. “Fine.”

“Don’t forget my money. I don’t joke with my money bro.”

“I know.”

I walked out and headed out. I had to get a train and get back home. My steps were hesitant as I walked. I felt so strange and scared with the drugs in my pockets. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and wondered what I’d do if I get caught. I brushed the thought off as I got on the train and took a seat.

I had a good reason for doing this, I wanted to save my family. I wanted to save Emily and most importantly, I didn’t want Emily taken away from me. The ride felt slower but I knew it was because of how I was.

I never tried hard drugs in my entire life. I did some shitty things growing up with Devin but he always warned me against hard drugs. I smiled thinking of the good things about Devin. At least, I still had good memories of him. That was to say he wasn’t so much of a bad person.

As I calculated, I got home an hour and fifteen minutes late. I was glad to see Dad hadn’t returned yet. If he was back he’d probably ask of me and Emily would go all “you sent him on an errand.”

I quickly got inside the room and locked the door behind me. When I was certain Emily wasn’t in sight, I hid the drugs in my bag. I exhaled and laughed at how scared I was coming back.

I took off my shirt and walked into the bathroom. I needed a good shower to help me sleep calmly. I took the body wash to the bathtub and looked at it. I wasn’t going to use that and scent like Emily. I liked her feminine scent only when it was her.

I tossed it away after checking the name. I turned the shower on and scrubbed my body.

I felt a rush of calmness flood over my body and I was glad I found a solution. If I was able to sell the drugs then I’d get bigger deals that would get us out of here.