I take a drag off the cigarette and chuck my lighter back into the cup holder, blowing smoke out the driver's side window as I wait outside Zain's house.
I asked him for stuff and that I'll meet him at the park as per usual. But no! He doesn't have anything other than weed thus he told me he'll get me some coke. But no! He doesn't have a car because it got stolen... again.
I close my eyes as I squeeze the steering wheel, placing my head against it. I stay in this position for a while that I almost fall asleep until I hear a knock on my window. I shoot up, looking over at the passenger side. Quickly unlocking the door, Zain opens it and gets in.
He relaxes his ass in the passenger seat of my car.
"Hey, hey! Long time no see." Placing an arm on my shoulder, shaking my body. My lip tugs up and I feel my body fill with dopamine when I see him. He laughs, putting on his seatbelt as I start the car, pulling away from the curb and onto the street to get the hell out of Brooklyn.
This area that Zain lives in isn't necessarily dangerous. It looks like it, but he says everyone is too zen to care. "How have you been?" I ask him, switching gears as I push in the clutch. He sighs deeply, plucking the cigarette out of my mouth which makes me gasp.
"I got jumped three weeks ago by some of my enemies." I shoot him a look, shocked by what I just heard. "I was out and then I see these three guys come up to me with guns and one kicked me in the back of my leg, the other punched me and the other kicked my ribs." He scoffs, inhaling the smoke before blowing it out. "However, I had one in each arm. If I had a third arm, I'd have them all down." He laughs.
I cock an eyebrow at him. "Apparently I spread a rumour about two of them fucking. I'm just saying, if you're gay, be gay. If you're straight, be straight. I don't care." I laugh under my breath.
Zain is always getting jumped. Every time I see him, I get a new story on how he got robbed or beat up. It's entertaining during the drug pick-up sessions.
He flicks the ash out the window and takes another drag. "How's senior year? Got into your college of choice yet?" College is months away. My parents want me to study in the country at Harvard, Princeton or YALE. However, I would hate being there. I want to go overseas like Singapore or Europe. Anywhere, but here.
"No, not yet." I shake my head, turning onto the next street as Zain gives me directions to the hotspot. "My dad wants me here."
Zain scoffs at my statement as realisation hits me. I still got the entire year to go, but college is soon.
Different countries. Different schools. Different people. Soon everything is going to change and I'm absolutely terrified yet grateful it's coming.
"Okay, turn here." Zain clears his throat. "But there's no road." I say as I keep driving. "Just turn." Quickly, I turn the wheel to the left, going off the road as I hear a car honk behind me. I gasp loudly, feeling the rocky road and my car bump.
I continue down the empty area until Zain tells me to stop. Putting the car in park and pulling up the hand break. Zain sticks out his hand and I give him a few bills. I watch him get out the car and walk towards a guy who pops out of no where. It startles me and make my heart pump. I look behind em, making sure there is no one watching us. I can't go back to jail. It was worst two hours of my life.
My eyes go back to Zain and the random guy. I would buy cocaine myself since I know most of the places, however I don't trust anyone except Zain to get my supply. I know Zain won't get me another drug and he knows the best plugs. He knows what he's doing.
He might be 34 years old, but he's the most trustworthy 34 year old I've ever met. And he looks awfully young for his age. So if we get pulled over, he can pull of as a dude I go to school with. Hopefully we don't get pulled over.
Soon enough, Zain comes back with two packets of coke. "Now this is good stuff." He shows me his hand and tells me to pick one. I stare down at the packets, admiring the two. They both look equally good. One is a bit whiter, but the other one looks like it has a bit more. I close my eyes, grabbing one and he keeps the other one for himself.
I begin to feel all giddy and excited, like a child on Christmas morning. I immediately pour the powder onto the arm rest, forming three lines.
I close one of my nostrils with my right hand before snorting the powder. I sigh deeply as a rush of exhilaration courses through my veins, electrifying every cell in my body.
The world seems to be colourful and exciting as a wide smile tugs at the corners of my lips. It's in these moments of pure enthusiasm that I realize how truly alive I am. "You couldn't have waited until you got home?" Zain chuckles. Shaking my head, I stare out the window feeling relief.
I adjust myself in my seat before starting the car and immediately feeling like I'm in Fast n' Furious. Switching into gear and pushing in the clutch, I speed off into the street. "What the fuck, Noah!" Zain yells out of surprise.
"My girlfriend is so mad at me!" I yell as I begin to complain about her annoying ass. "She hasn't spoken to me since before I went to Massacutis." I press in the clutch, quickly shifting gears. I'm not sure what cocaine does that it makes me want to go really fast in my car. I'm not an experienced driver. Hell, I've only been legally driving for less than a year now.
Actually, I'm not legally driving. I bought my license and my dad only taught me how to drive automatic when I was 14. I learnt how to drive stick by myself through YouTube.
The tires of my car screech at the quick and tight turns that I take. For a minute there I see Zain's soul leave his body. "I apparently need to buy her something to apologise."
We reach a four way and the light is yellow. I launch myself through, not caring about anything or anyone at the moment. "Buy her jewellery." He responds nervously. I smile to myself, wondering how the hell could I ever afford the jewellery Arti likes. "I know a guy who sells really cheap jewellery. All stolen obviously, but real." As we reach a stop sign, I slam the breaks, jerking my entire body forward. "Holy mother-"
"Give me his number." I hand him my phone to type the number in. Arti better love this gift.
༄･ﾟ࿐ ࿔*:
Zain was right. This is good stuff. And bloody strong.
I'm looking at my hands, watching a tremor work its way across my fingers. I nearly knock over my stack of red solo cups. I'm sitting on the floor in the passage way of my house so I can see how high I can jump.
I've tried this before when I was 10 or 11. I made up to 73 until I ran out of cups. But now I'm 17 and I can buy solo cups whenever I want.
I'm just outside my dads office when I hear the door open. He stops in his tracks when he sees me with my mouth stuffed with gummy worm and a Dr. Pepper beside me. "What are you doing?" He asks. I look up him, offering him a gummy worm. He immediately takes one before asking me the same question again.
"I'm staking solo cups. I want to see how high I can jump." I explain, stacking the next few solo cups as my dad judges me.
He continues to watch me stack the cups for a solid 15 seconds before finally speaking. "Check what I found." He hands me a stack of photos.
Without hesitation, I take it from him and sit down on the floor. Staring at the first photo, I see a little girl with brown curly hair being forcefully hugged by a boy with the same hair. She looks uncomfortable and is unable to breathe while the boy is enjoying the moment of affection. Norah and Noah, 2005, it reads on the back.
Oh my god, it's me! I was such a cute kid. No wonder everyone loved me. I flip to the next photo to see a baby boy with his hair pin straight and slightly blonde. Who's goddamn baby is this? He's got a Star Wars action figure in his mouth as he uses it as a chew toy. Noah's 1st birthday.
"Why the hell am I blonde?" I shout out, looking utterly disgusted by this photo. "I'm not sure, your hair ended up becoming brown overtime." I scoff at his statement, still staring at this photo.
I remember the place I was at in this photo. It was a small apartment in Manhattan we stayed in for the first bit of my childhood. I used to watch Star Wars so much that before bed I would hum the theme track to myself. I still do that, but I like to consider it white noise now.
I quickly flip to the next photo. It's me sitting on the grass in the field as I stare up intensely at the brown girl, maybe six or seven years old as she sticks dandelions in my long and bushy hair. Her hair is dark and her eyes are trained on my hair as she pushes in more flowers. "Is that Nida?" I say, looking up sharply.
Newt nods with a smile on his face. I glance back to the photo, looking at the far left to see a bit of blonde. A blonde you only see once in your life. "Is that Dylan?" I question, pointing at the little boy you can barely see. My dad squints at the small speck, rubbing his eyes to see what I see. "Is that what that was? Why was he there?" I knew Dylan was my stalker since day one.
I'm not sure why my father suddenly wants to show me stuff from my childhood. He's been doing this a lot recently, but I can't seem to figure out why. "Dad, are you dying?" I ask, looking up at him. "What? No, why would you ask that." I shrug, looking back down at the photos.
"I remember this day." I say, looking at the next photo of my family and Nida's family at a picnic. There are a few other people here I feel like I've seen before, but I am unable to pinpoint who they are. "Really?" Newt questions me. "Yeah I remember... no wait, I forgot."
I make my way through the stack. Seeing photos of my entire childhood. I've got some memories, but others are just a blur.
A photo of me with my hair long. So long that my mother put it in pigtails. Noah, 2002. It's so cute that it brings a smile to my face.
Another photo of me sitting on my dads lap in his old and busted up Honda. I've got my hands on the steering wheel and a binky in my mouth as I look at who I am assuming is my mother taking the photo.
"Noah are you on something?" He randomly asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up at him with my mouth parted open. "Huh?"
He shakes his head. "You're shaking." My eyes go to my hands trembling as I hold the stack of photos. "And you're sweaty." I touch the back of my neck, feeling the drips of sweat. "I'm not on something, dad." I say as try not to appear nervous.
My hands go indirectly to my nose as I scratch and sniff. His eyes follow my hand and I feel as if I just got caught. My heart begins to hammer in my chest and I need to change the topic. "How high do you think I can jump?" I ask, pointing at the stacked up solo cups.
Newt tilts his head to the side, counting how many cups have been stacked so far. I look over and see Dog standing on the other side of the cups. His mouth open and his tongue hangs out of his mouth as he breathes loudly. "No, please don't Dog." I say, standing up and trying to reason with him.
Dog stares at me for a long moment before he runs into the cups, knocking them all over. "No!" I scream, seeing my hard work fall to the ground. I cover my face with my hands as I internally cry.
Newt laughs loudly at my pain before he takes the pictures and begins to walk away. "Go to bed, Noah."
༄･ﾟ࿐ ࿔*:
A/N
Zain is the most real character there is because he's based of a real drug dealer named Zain who's 34 years old 🧍♀️