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“Listen to me, Hellena. It’s simple. You need to pay me double, now. I will be back in two weeks to pick it up.”
Now I’m fully shutting down. Double?
I fumble for an answer. It's not fair. I can't. How am I supposed to…
But I know there’s no point in arguing. He watches the realization settle on my face.
“There it is. Let that desperation be your incentive. And all that tuition you need to pay, too.” He sneers. I almost blurt out that I just got expelled, then almost laugh at the thought of admitting it to some drug dealer.
The shift in thought helps me gain some control, get my shaking to stop.
“Will you please put the gun away? She has nothing to do with this.”
“No, you made damn sure she has something to do with this. It’s the only way to make sure you do what you’re supposed to.” He slides the gun into the back of his pants, and my heart rate drops slightly. “So. Do you understand our deal? You work for the Holy Ghosts now.” He flicks the emblem patch on his jacket.
“Yes. I understand. Twenty grand in two weeks.” I understand, but I don’t have a clue how I’m going to pull it off. Even if Todd pays up… it’s not enough.
“I bet you’ll get it together no problem. You’re smart. If not, I know a guy down in Severance who could use another ass to sell to truckers. From the look of it, yours would fetch a good price, too. Come on, Bull. We’ll see ourselves out.”
“But I wanted a soda…” Bull grumbles, his eyes never leaving my chest as he nods at me despite not having a neck. The image of a great white shark in a black T-shirt sends shivers all over my skin.
Several seconds pass after they leave before I can move, before I dare to move.
“What have you gotten yourself into, Hellena?” Rachelle’s voice cuts through the haze settling into my sleep-deprived, stress-addled brain.
“I’m so sorry. I messed up. The cops showed up to the party last night and…” I slump down on the couch beside her, gripping my arms. I can’t look her in the eye.
“I’m just glad you’re safe. I was worried sick. Take a minute. We’re both a little shaken up.”
She’s being way too nice. She should be shouting, throwing stuff, telling me to get out. But that’s not Rachelle, I guess. I’ve never seen her lose her temper. Even if this would be more than a justified time.
Instead, she takes a deep breath, goes into the kitchen, and starts making tea.
Instinctively, I move to help her, getting the cups out, the spoons. We move around in silence for a little while, and it really does help settle the waves of sickening dread that keep threatening to overwhelm me, make me break down sobbing. It’s almost distracting enough to make me forget that I’ve barely slept in over twenty-four hours.
Once we’re sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, she presses her lips together and nods. “Don’t tell me every little detail. Just the basics. How much, and I already know when. Tell me how much trouble you think you’re in.”
So I spill the beans as concisely as I can, leaving out names, the specific substances, etc. I give her the bare minimum. Jail. Drug charges. Debt to my party vendors, and of course, my new debt to the drug dealers who just paid us a visit. It dawns on me that I don’t even know the guy’s name. I’ve been calling him “the dealer” in my head this whole time.
Makes me feel even more foolish.
“And… I got expelled. The school found out about all of it. But at least they’re not adding to the charges.”
Rachelle sits listening the whole time, but only at this detail does she react—pity, a sad, caring look filling her eyes with tears. It’s too much to bear. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
I can see the lecture she’s holding back, and I've never been more grateful for who she is. She knows I was so close to finishing my degree, that all my eggs were in this basket, to keep schooling, open my own business…
But she doesn’t berate me or tell me off like my mom would have. Or shout and hit me like Marco.
She reaches out to me and takes my hand and works through it. Even though I’ve let her down.
“Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to do everything you can to get that money, right? How much do you have now?”
“Yes, of course. But… I spent everything I had paying bail.”
“Hmm. I may be able to help you some, but you’ve got to do a couple of things first.”
“Okay…”
