Jade sat silently as Sean's piece-of-shit car blasted down the motorway.
The silence was awkward. They hadn't been alone together in quite a while. 'So... where does your mate live again?' 'Just outside of Otaki.' 'And he's got the tabs?' 'Trust me. He's part of this secret cabal.' 'Cabal?' 'Hey, I went to uni! I know some erudite phrases too, you smug bitch.' Sean's tone was tense. Jade reckoned all those years in the game had turned him from a basically decent guy into a bitter, twisted person. Even when he was doing well, it felt like every experience had become a transaction. At least prostitution is decriminalised in Aotearoa, she thought. Drug dealers aren't as lucky: Sean had told her of a turf war that he'd had with one of the gangs. He'd ended up calling the cops, who trespassed a few thugs, but his supply line was perpetually at-risk.
Bloody judgmental of her to think that, though! She was a steady customer, and this mish was entirely her idea.
'What's with all the cloak and dagger?' 'Have you ever read the Misuse of Drugs Act?' 'No.' 'Google it! Look up the sentence for supplying Class A drugs.' Jade reluctantly pulled her phone out, and found the NZ Police website. Then her heart stopped for a second: Class A drugs carry a maximum penalty of lifetime imprisonment.
'Shit!'
'Yes, that's why it's a secret! Honestly, you shouldn't even be here: Clarke doesn't trust unfamiliar people, and your outfit practically screams that you're a narc.'
'What?'
'You're not some ghetto bitch, Jade. We grew up on the same street, and your Dad was a CEO for a manufacturing company. You're solidly middle-class, so stop fronting!'
Sean pulled over quickly. His anger bubbled up as he pounded the steering wheel.
'I just wanted to catch up with you. It's been ages.'
'Then why aren't we having coffee or walking around the Town Belt?'
Pregnant pause. Sean senses that he's won the fight.
'I know that you're using me so that you can get high with Tina and pressure her into having psychedelic sex. Everyone uses me to acquire their pleasure trips; that's part of the gig, and I accept that, but you're my friend! I've known you since forever, and you're bailing on me.'
'Things are different now, Sean. I've got Spencer and I've got this new job. I've never had that kind of responsibility before. And, yes, there's Tina as well.'
'You're not even raising your own kid, Jade. That's pathetic.'
'Fucking Pākehā!!' - Jade explodes ... 'how dare you tell me how to raise my tamaiti!'
Another pause.
'We're almost there. Do you still want those tabs?'
'...yes'
-
Clarke's place was a mixture of industrial buildings and DIY shacks. Apparently, this used to be where the old freezing works were. Sean spotted an older man feeding a peacock. 'Hey bro.' Clarke grunted, barely noticing him. Jade stood behind Sean, suddenly feeling tense. He gestured towards one of the shacks, and soon they were inside having a sesh. - 'These are quite strong. 150 micrograms.' 'What does that mean?' 'It means that you'll trip more.' 'Ok.' Jade reached into her pocket, and pulled out some cash. 'What about the new plants?' - Sean. 'The outdoor crops were stolen, and the indoor ones aren't flowering yet.' 'Damn.' 'Supply problems?' 'My customer base is growing.' Clarke grunted. One of those taciturn Kiwi blokes... straight from the 1960's. - Back in the car... 'Do you reckon that Tina will go for this?' 'I dunno. Worth a shot. Take both if she says no.' Jade laughs at that. 'Bro, I can barely handle one tab. All that candyflipping that you and your bloody idiot mates do is fucking stupid!'
'Every weekend is better with some MD, but LSD doesn't work properly if you take the trips too close to each other: generally, people say that one tab a fortnight works ok, yet one tab per week results in weak-as trips.' - Sean. 'You should teach a class.' 'On drugs?' 'Yeah, this is good info.' 'It's all on the Internet.' 'Yeah, buried under piles of misinformation.' 'Look, if I told everyone my trade secrets, everyone would undercut me. I'd much rather that people grew their own weed, but that's a low-risk thing to do. Sussing these kind of drugs, week after week, is a whole other thing. It relies on years of trust that we've built up between all the various members.'
'What about us? Do you still trust me?' 'Well, you're stealing my best friend away from me, you're secretly judging me for acquiring your party favours, and you're blaming it on stress and work ... it's a toss-up.' Pause. 'Are you still keen to join my touch team?' 'That tomboy is really hot, so maybe.' 'See, you can still live a normal life, even if you are the scum of the earth.' Sean laughed. Jade breathed a sigh of relief, then her mind was suddenly overtaken by trip flashbacks and anxious, anticipatory thoughts of pegging Tina...
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