Untrustworthy - Chapter 8/Micaela
Elysa makes a new friend.
Things were getting dark at school. Fd up February Elysa called it. She was hanging on, by her fingernails. She put in a lot of time at the grocery store to come up with $300 a month and hung out with me a lot. She never asked any of her other friends to come around any more.
"Yeah, they pretty much all hate you." She said. "They think you stole me from them." Figures. I'd been getting a lot of hostile looks lately, and not just from them either. More than Roger blamed Elysa for what was happening. Elysa had cut her friends loose to save them from getting involved, but it was too late to try to save me.
Everyone who was in on the secret knew I was Elysa's best friend and tended to either avoid me, or try to use me. The first time it was when a kid sidled up to me, wanting me to hook him up. When I angrily told him no, he persisted. This was unfamiliar territory. For once I had no one to turn to, no higher authority. It was just me.
"C'mon." He had wheedled, pressing closer. A teacher rushed up and asked what was going on.
"Nothing." He mumbled and we both walked away. Every once in a while a kid would come to school with a broken nose, or sprained arm because they couldn't pay up. The faculty knew there was a drug problem, they just didn't know how who was selling it. There were conferences, school rallies, even raids. The drugs were being sold outside the school anyway, but every once in a while someone was caught with stuff on them. No one talked and police were getting involved. This was all going to explode with
Elysa and I in the middle of it.
"Don't your friends know that it's not your fault?" I asked quietly. We were in the school cafeteria sitting by ourselves. Elysa fingered her eyepatch and shook her head. She looked tired and nervous.
"No, most people think it's Mayor doing the pushing. They don't know Arden's in charge and is playing all of us like puppets. The people who do know keep quiet, because if it gets out that you've been indiscreet you get a visit from Mark or Gage. Arden picks his people carefully, he really does. Once he has you in his clutches he keeps you there, trapped and scared."
"Like us." I whisper. She nods. "But wouldn't they want to get as many kids as possible addicted to crack so he can make more money?"
"No, he's too careful. Not everyone who hangs out at his parties get drawn in, not right away. He uses the people he's trained like Royal and Jacob to find out more first, and there's always something. Arden's got half this school scared, and so far none of the teachers know why. Even when kids are caught, they won't spill. So they go to Juvy. It's so sick. "
"That's why Mayor needs him." I murmur. "Because he holds this in check."
"He keeps the whole house in check. But as long as they do what he wants, they get whatever they want. Money, women, booze, nice cars. And." She whispered, "Royal's been coming after me. I'm soo scared Sara. That's one of the reasons I spend so much time at work, to stay away from the house when you're not there."
My hand tightened over hers and I was about to encourage her when someone sat down at our table.
"Your school has a lot of police." A new voice sounded, and we looked up to see a girl next to us. Her hair is dark brown and long, she is slender and normal looking.
"I'm Micaela."
"Our school has a bad rap." Elysa told her. This kid must be brand new, or else she would know who we were. Or maybe she does know. Elysa had this thought at the same time and exchanged suspicious glances. It wouldn't be the first time someone sat next to us wanting a favor. That was the only reason anyone ever approached us now.
"Why does that guy keep staring at us?" Micaela asked, flicking her gray eyes over my shoulder. I peak over to see Gage appraising our new friend coolly.
"You don't know who that is?" Elysa asks. If Micaela doesn't know Gage, maybe she really is just a lonely, new kid. Everybody in knew who Gage was, and what happened when they didn't pay up.
"He's a Senior right? He looks like he thinks he's tough." Gage wore a black muscle shirt, camo pants and chains. He kept his sun-colored hair short and had features like a Roman sculpture, complete with unfriendly blue eyes. "He looks like the classic highschool bad guy." Micaela announced. "I think he was talking to this one kid that I met today. This guy came up to me in gym and wanted to know if I wanted to come to a party tonight out of the blue. He said a lot of people were going. Were you two invited?" She's watching us with those gray eyes. Her coffee-colored eyebrows stand out against her pale face.
"Was this kid named Jacob?" When Micaela nodded Elysa continued. "You won't have no fun at that party. You wanna come hang out with us instead today? I don't have to work and I was thinking about hanging out downtown."
"That would be cool." Micaela said eagerly, "I just moved here and don't have anything to do after school. I'm kind of a latchkey kid."
"Did you tell Jacob that?" I asked.
"Sure. I mean he asked." Of course he did. Looking at Micaela, I knew exactly why Jacob invited her over. She was new, looking for friends and probably had a single mom who didn't keep track of her. Judging by her clothes she didn't, they were boy's clothes, and a little bit too big. She looked like someone Jacob would single out right away.
"I can't come." I said regretfully. "I have piano lessons." They walked downtown right after school, and I left on the bus. It was only after I'd said goodbye I remembered it was my dad's weekend and I wouldn't be seeing them until Monday.
"Yeah, they pretty much all hate you." She said. "They think you stole me from them." Figures. I'd been getting a lot of hostile looks lately, and not just from them either. More than Roger blamed Elysa for what was happening. Elysa had cut her friends loose to save them from getting involved, but it was too late to try to save me.
Everyone who was in on the secret knew I was Elysa's best friend and tended to either avoid me, or try to use me. The first time it was when a kid sidled up to me, wanting me to hook him up. When I angrily told him no, he persisted. This was unfamiliar territory. For once I had no one to turn to, no higher authority. It was just me.
"C'mon." He had wheedled, pressing closer. A teacher rushed up and asked what was going on.
"Nothing." He mumbled and we both walked away. Every once in a while a kid would come to school with a broken nose, or sprained arm because they couldn't pay up. The faculty knew there was a drug problem, they just didn't know how who was selling it. There were conferences, school rallies, even raids. The drugs were being sold outside the school anyway, but every once in a while someone was caught with stuff on them. No one talked and police were getting involved. This was all going to explode with
Elysa and I in the middle of it.
"Don't your friends know that it's not your fault?" I asked quietly. We were in the school cafeteria sitting by ourselves. Elysa fingered her eyepatch and shook her head. She looked tired and nervous.
"No, most people think it's Mayor doing the pushing. They don't know Arden's in charge and is playing all of us like puppets. The people who do know keep quiet, because if it gets out that you've been indiscreet you get a visit from Mark or Gage. Arden picks his people carefully, he really does. Once he has you in his clutches he keeps you there, trapped and scared."
"Like us." I whisper. She nods. "But wouldn't they want to get as many kids as possible addicted to crack so he can make more money?"
"No, he's too careful. Not everyone who hangs out at his parties get drawn in, not right away. He uses the people he's trained like Royal and Jacob to find out more first, and there's always something. Arden's got half this school scared, and so far none of the teachers know why. Even when kids are caught, they won't spill. So they go to Juvy. It's so sick. "
"That's why Mayor needs him." I murmur. "Because he holds this in check."
"He keeps the whole house in check. But as long as they do what he wants, they get whatever they want. Money, women, booze, nice cars. And." She whispered, "Royal's been coming after me. I'm soo scared Sara. That's one of the reasons I spend so much time at work, to stay away from the house when you're not there."
My hand tightened over hers and I was about to encourage her when someone sat down at our table.
"Your school has a lot of police." A new voice sounded, and we looked up to see a girl next to us. Her hair is dark brown and long, she is slender and normal looking.
"I'm Micaela."
"Our school has a bad rap." Elysa told her. This kid must be brand new, or else she would know who we were. Or maybe she does know. Elysa had this thought at the same time and exchanged suspicious glances. It wouldn't be the first time someone sat next to us wanting a favor. That was the only reason anyone ever approached us now.
"Why does that guy keep staring at us?" Micaela asked, flicking her gray eyes over my shoulder. I peak over to see Gage appraising our new friend coolly.
"You don't know who that is?" Elysa asks. If Micaela doesn't know Gage, maybe she really is just a lonely, new kid. Everybody in knew who Gage was, and what happened when they didn't pay up.
"He's a Senior right? He looks like he thinks he's tough." Gage wore a black muscle shirt, camo pants and chains. He kept his sun-colored hair short and had features like a Roman sculpture, complete with unfriendly blue eyes. "He looks like the classic highschool bad guy." Micaela announced. "I think he was talking to this one kid that I met today. This guy came up to me in gym and wanted to know if I wanted to come to a party tonight out of the blue. He said a lot of people were going. Were you two invited?" She's watching us with those gray eyes. Her coffee-colored eyebrows stand out against her pale face.
"Was this kid named Jacob?" When Micaela nodded Elysa continued. "You won't have no fun at that party. You wanna come hang out with us instead today? I don't have to work and I was thinking about hanging out downtown."
"That would be cool." Micaela said eagerly, "I just moved here and don't have anything to do after school. I'm kind of a latchkey kid."
"Did you tell Jacob that?" I asked.
"Sure. I mean he asked." Of course he did. Looking at Micaela, I knew exactly why Jacob invited her over. She was new, looking for friends and probably had a single mom who didn't keep track of her. Judging by her clothes she didn't, they were boy's clothes, and a little bit too big. She looked like someone Jacob would single out right away.
"I can't come." I said regretfully. "I have piano lessons." They walked downtown right after school, and I left on the bus. It was only after I'd said goodbye I remembered it was my dad's weekend and I wouldn't be seeing them until Monday.
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