A Test of Loyalty

Part 12: Samantha and Ashleigh

Samantha

I was definitely not comfortable here.

Carrie Whitehorse wasn't one of Ash's two native friends that I'd met at the school. She was older, hard, cold. I instinctively disliked her, and didn't trust her as far as I could throw her. Overhand.

Ash had taken the money from me as soon as we were out of sight of the house. I was a bit nervous that she'd disappear with it, and that my great experiment in disreputable behaviour would get me in shit for nothing. So I'd insisted on coming with her to get the stuff.

I kind of regretted that now, Carrie scared me. Her eyes seemed to look right through me, like I was nothing.

She pulled Ash close and whispered in her ear, but loudly enough to be sure I heard her.

"Who the hell is she? Are you trying to get me busted?" Ash shook her head.

"She's okay; she lives in Snake's old place."

Carrie didn't look convinced. Maybe she'd hated Snake.

"No, I won't talk to you with her here. Get rid of her, or there's no deal."

Great. There goes my thirty bucks.

Ash looked at me; I could see she wanted me to go, so I shrugged like it meant less than nothing to me. And I walked back out into the crappy, smelly hallway. Hoping that they didn't just sneak out the back door and leave me here.

On the other hand, I was way over my head, I knew it, Carrie knew it, and even through her pain Ash probably knew it. I was seriously starting to be afraid of what I was getting into. Drugs!? This is crazy!

But I was more afraid of looking stupid in front of Ashleigh. She'd tell the whole gang, and my life would get even worse. Though that was hard to picture.

Besides, why bother keeping my nose clean? Why put up with the whispers and name calling at school, I was kidding myself if I thought McGill would give money to someone from Mechanicsville, no matter what their marks were. It would serve my parents right if I became a drug addict prostitute meth dealer. They ruined my life.

I curled my nose at the stink of old urine and something bitter I couldn't identify. It was a bit smoky and dark green smelling, I hoped it wasn't someone's dinner.

I wondered again what was taking so long.

 

Ashleigh

Carrie didn't trust white girl. I guess I'd gotten so used to seeing her moping around, that I'd forgotten how badly she fit in. Looking at her ironed blouse and Vanderbilt jeans as if I'd never seen them before, I nearly laughed. Did white girl have no idea how dumb that looked around here? It was like screaming "mug me!" on the street. I glanced at Carrie, or yelling "nark!"

"No, I won't talk to you with her here. Get rid of her, or there's no deal." Carrie looked a bit wild behind her eyes, so I nodded at Miss prissy to leave.

I thought for a second that she was going to refuse, but she just looked worried for a moment, and then stepped into the hall. I half expected her to be gone when I came out.

"You shouldn't be bringing strangers to my place. You know better than that, little sister." Carrie was right, I wasn't thinking clearly.

"Sorry, it's just that she had the money, and I was...I really needed to.... Jeff...".

To my horror, I started to cry.

**Are you enjoying A Test of Loyalty? Do you want to read all of it, right now?

Avalailable at Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords as ebook and paperback.

Follow my blog for links and all the latest news: https://lauriestewartauthor.wordpress.com/