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“Right, right. Benjamin was my friend, so initially, I had no reason to think he had any bad intentions—”
“Because you’re way too fucking trusting,” Sydni interjected, but her tone was almost affectionate. “And that’s why you have me watching your back.”
Nate’s icy expression softened when she nudged his shoe with hers. “Well, unfortunately, I didn’t have your foresight in this situation. But, before all of that, he gave me his pitch. When Benjamin helped me study, he told me about this drug he knew about. Said it was life-changing and that a lot of the successful people in the world use it when they need it. He made it sound so… enticing. So obvious and desirable.
“He said that all the leaders, CEOs, and heads of family took it here and there to help them perform. And if our leaders had help, why shouldn’t we?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Fuck, when I say it out loud, it sounds so stupid. I should have thought about it, but at the time, I was just so in my head. There was no one else I could tell. Not even friends. My shame was just a little too strong. I wanted—no, I needed—to succeed. I was willing to do anything.”
Sydni patted her friend on the knee. “I was in the same place, man. Don’t fucking sweat it. Benjamin was a convincing little shit with a pretty face and a lie in every sentence.”
“This is all very charming,” I said. “Love the whole friendship support stuff. But you guys need to explain what the fuck he asked for and what you gave him. Why couldn’t you buy from anyone else? How did one charismatic little shit make you do that?”
This time, Sydni answered first. “He made it seem like we were helping each other out.” A roll of her eyes and one drag later, she added, “Acted like he accidentally let slip that he had a solution, and then backpedaled like he regretted it. Made me promise not to say a word, but when I got curious and asked him questions, he was very close-lipped.
“He said that he was working closely with a powerful company invested in helping raise the next generation of powerful Divines. After some back and forth and dancing in circles, he wanted to know why I was so interested. Like the weasel hadn’t already put two and two together. That’s when the pitch came.”
Nate nodded along since this was likely close to his story too.
Sydni said, “He acted like I had dirt on him. He even looked a little scared and nervous, and claimed that if this got out, his reputation was on the line. So, he said that he’d hook me up and get me the pills that night if, after my test, I agreed to give him something else in exchange. Just to keep things even, he claimed. The way he phrased it was so…”
She trailed off, scraping the dirt beneath her feet as if the earth held the right words. “Everything made it seem like he cared about me. Like he really wanted me to succeed. I offered to pay his price on the spot, but he insisted that I try the product and focus on my studies, and that we’d figure out a fair trade together. Made it seem so fucking easy, and like the desperate idiot I was, I agreed.”
I prompted, “I’m guessing that the collateral he asked for was too much for you to handle.”
Sydni’s bitter laugh twisted my insides. “Oh, he asked for too much, alright. After I aced all my tests, he sent me a gift bag full of congratulatory shit and expensive gifts. Said he was proud of me. And I have to be honest, I was touched and half in love with him. We met the next day, and that’s when everything changed.”
She took a long, disappointed drag from her cigarette and sighed out the smoke. “My family has business with his. Let’s just say he wanted very specific business information, board documents and investor records. Shit that would give him, hell, give anyone a leg up in negotiations and stock buying. When I refused, since I don’t even have access to that shit, he showed me the class of felony I’d be charged with if someone dropped a tip that I was using illegal drugs. Drugs that were already in my system.”
“That sneaky little bitch,” I said. “He really planned that all along.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Sydni scoffed.
“So, what did you do?”
“I gave him a lie.”
My eyes widened.
She glanced over and deadpanned, “What? You think I’d just betray my family like that? Not likely. I forged documents and gave them to him. He was so pleased. So fucking happy, it made me sick. Said something about looking forward to the future working relationship we’d have, and that he’d be in contact with me soon. I thought I’d dodged a bullet, you know? Except that every month he asked me for something new.”
This time, my mouth dropped open. “He didn’t stop with one request?”
Sydni shrugged in her hoodie. “I didn’t stop buying. In the end, I wanted the success more than I feared him. And again, I’d fake my documents. That lasted for a little while until eventually he figured it out. False information doesn’t help in real life, and when my tips proved faulty, he realized what I’d done. But he never reported me. Never talked to me again, actually. At that point, I figured it was the gods telling me to sober the fuck up. I started to withdraw from the pills, and that’s when my hallucination got me stabbed. Bet Benjamin was real pleased knowing what was going to happen to me.”
Understanding hit me. “Didn’t you say you blacked out and woke up in the storage room?” I pressed, my thoughts racing and racing.
“Yeah.”
I locked onto Nate next. “Did you bring gasoline with you? Is there any place on campus to pick it up? Any records on a card?”
He shook his head. “I remember the day pretty well. Didn’t do anything like that.”
“One more detail,” I insisted. “Why did you have a falling out with Benjamin?”
He glanced away. “I didn’t lie about the information I gave him if that’s what you’re asking. But when he asked me to give him more private family details, I refused, stating that I’d accept the consequences if he reported me. That was the end of our working relationship.”
I imagined the soft snap of a puzzle piece clicking into place. “I see. Now I understand.”
