Read Online The Green by Karly Kirkpatrick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karly Kirkpatrick
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God, I am such a
dork.
“Right.” He pulled an envelope from his
pocket. “There you go.”
He grabbed the package and closed the
door.
I stood there, alone with the envelope.
“Ariceli, what the hell are you doing? Let’s
go!” Javi yelled from the car, snapping me out of my spell.
“Sorry!” I turned around and headed back,
getting into the car. “I’m sorry, I just got nervous I guess.”
I kept looking around, waiting for a police
car to stop us. None did. I couldn’t believe it. I had carried out
a drug deal in broad daylight, no wait, it was dark out, but no one
noticed.
It was a quick ride from Lavender Grove back
through Cambridge to Slate Park. I sat quietly as the streets
flashed by. I tried to organize my thoughts. Lavender Grove was
awfully close to Cambridge. We passed by Cambridge High, shining
brightly in the night.
“Javi, can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure, what?” he asked.
“Can I request not to be sent to Cambridge
for deliveries? I’m worried I would run into someone from
school.”
“Yeah, that’s fine for now. I don’t have any
business there yet. But we’ll see. It may happen sometime. But I’ll
try. Or I’ll do the delivery myself. I don’t want to mess up this
operation. If you get caught or seen by people you know, that would
be a big problem for both of us.”
We pulled into the parking lot at the
apartment building.
“Junior, go get my car while I walk Ariceli
to the door,” Javier said. He put the car in park and opened the
door.
Junior, who had been silent the entire time,
exited the car and lumbered across the parking lot. Javier locked
the Cadillac and handed me the keys.
When we reached the door he grabbed the
envelope and flipped through the bills before handing it to me.
“Take a hundred out of there and give me the
rest.”
“A hundred is more than my twenty five
percent,” I protested.
“Look at the bills, there’s no way to make
change.”
“Good point,” I said as I opened the door. He
followed me into the living room. “But I would guess most dealers
aren’t telling their employees to ‘keep the change,’ am I
right?”
He sat down on the couch and grabbed his
backpack.
“I like you, Ariceli. You’re smart. Remember,
don’t fuck this up.” He got up and moved toward me suddenly,
invading my personal space. My brain wanted me to step back, but I
didn’t want to make any sudden moves. “Keep Nando’s phone with
you.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks Javi.”
“Looks like your bruises are healing up,
huh?” He brushed my face with his hand and I pulled back. “I’ll be
in touch.”
“Bye,” I managed to squeak and tried to
suppress a cringe. As good looking as Javier was, I didn’t want him
to confuse this arrangement for anything other than it was.
Business.
The ticking of the wall clock seemed to echo
through the apartment after he pulled the door closed behind him. I
put the TV on and moved my ‘business’ materials into my room,
stuffing everything but the brick of pot under the bed. I put that
in a giant zip-loc bag and buried it in a box of old junk in the
back of my closet.
I fingered the padlock before going out to
the kitchen to scrounge for dinner. Mom wouldn’t be home until
after I went to sleep, but I guess I’d have to start using it
again. Just in case. What if Nando decided to come back for some
reason? I couldn’t risk him taking my money.
Chapter 12
Sunday flew by in a haze of English and
applications. I managed to finish my English paper in one day and
got the applications all done, except for the essays. I promised
myself I would get them done by the end of the week so I could get
everything in the mail before December 1st. Nando’s phone sat
silent on my bookcase.
Monday morning I grabbed the keys to my new
ride and headed out to the parking lot. Luckily Mom was still
asleep, so I didn’t have to answer any questions. It was definitely
way nicer than taking the bus. I even got to sleep in a
dork.
“Right.” He pulled an envelope from his
pocket. “There you go.”
He grabbed the package and closed the
door.
I stood there, alone with the envelope.
“Ariceli, what the hell are you doing? Let’s
go!” Javi yelled from the car, snapping me out of my spell.
“Sorry!” I turned around and headed back,
getting into the car. “I’m sorry, I just got nervous I guess.”
I kept looking around, waiting for a police
car to stop us. None did. I couldn’t believe it. I had carried out
a drug deal in broad daylight, no wait, it was dark out, but no one
noticed.
It was a quick ride from Lavender Grove back
through Cambridge to Slate Park. I sat quietly as the streets
flashed by. I tried to organize my thoughts. Lavender Grove was
awfully close to Cambridge. We passed by Cambridge High, shining
brightly in the night.
“Javi, can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure, what?” he asked.
“Can I request not to be sent to Cambridge
for deliveries? I’m worried I would run into someone from
school.”
“Yeah, that’s fine for now. I don’t have any
business there yet. But we’ll see. It may happen sometime. But I’ll
try. Or I’ll do the delivery myself. I don’t want to mess up this
operation. If you get caught or seen by people you know, that would
be a big problem for both of us.”
We pulled into the parking lot at the
apartment building.
“Junior, go get my car while I walk Ariceli
to the door,” Javier said. He put the car in park and opened the
door.
Junior, who had been silent the entire time,
exited the car and lumbered across the parking lot. Javier locked
the Cadillac and handed me the keys.
When we reached the door he grabbed the
envelope and flipped through the bills before handing it to me.
“Take a hundred out of there and give me the
rest.”
“A hundred is more than my twenty five
percent,” I protested.
“Look at the bills, there’s no way to make
change.”
“Good point,” I said as I opened the door. He
followed me into the living room. “But I would guess most dealers
aren’t telling their employees to ‘keep the change,’ am I
right?”
He sat down on the couch and grabbed his
backpack.
“I like you, Ariceli. You’re smart. Remember,
don’t fuck this up.” He got up and moved toward me suddenly,
invading my personal space. My brain wanted me to step back, but I
didn’t want to make any sudden moves. “Keep Nando’s phone with
you.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks Javi.”
“Looks like your bruises are healing up,
huh?” He brushed my face with his hand and I pulled back. “I’ll be
in touch.”
“Bye,” I managed to squeak and tried to
suppress a cringe. As good looking as Javier was, I didn’t want him
to confuse this arrangement for anything other than it was.
Business.
The ticking of the wall clock seemed to echo
through the apartment after he pulled the door closed behind him. I
put the TV on and moved my ‘business’ materials into my room,
stuffing everything but the brick of pot under the bed. I put that
in a giant zip-loc bag and buried it in a box of old junk in the
back of my closet.
I fingered the padlock before going out to
the kitchen to scrounge for dinner. Mom wouldn’t be home until
after I went to sleep, but I guess I’d have to start using it
again. Just in case. What if Nando decided to come back for some
reason? I couldn’t risk him taking my money.
Chapter 12
Sunday flew by in a haze of English and
applications. I managed to finish my English paper in one day and
got the applications all done, except for the essays. I promised
myself I would get them done by the end of the week so I could get
everything in the mail before December 1st. Nando’s phone sat
silent on my bookcase.
Monday morning I grabbed the keys to my new
ride and headed out to the parking lot. Luckily Mom was still
asleep, so I didn’t have to answer any questions. It was definitely
way nicer than taking the bus. I even got to sleep in a
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