Deserving | ✔

Chapter 29

"Dude, are you serious? Car crash, really?" JP asks.

I shrug. "What can I do? Trouble swirls around me. My car already got into a crash twice this year. And it's just March!"

"Twice? When was the first time?" He asks.

I clear my throat. Do I really have to do this with him?

Try to bond more with him. It'll help gain his trust and will speed up the process.

Daniel's words ring in my head. I'm trying, a lot, to 'bond' with JP and hence I called him up sounding distressed and asking for a shit load of crack. He came up to my place with a big back pack and then he asked me if I was okay. That was it. I began to pretty much ramble a clean version of everything that happened to him.

"My girlfriend... She died in a car crash in January."

He says, "Oh." I feel a squeeze on my shoulder and it takes a lot of patience to accept that sign of sympathy from a guy who is the worker of the potential killer of Stephanie.

"Life sucks, man. That's why God created drugs. These babies are our way out of this shitty place," his voice drips with desire as he speaks. Desire for drugs. I would rather die than have that kind of a desire for drugs.

But now I have to act like I love it. And that I'd love to know more about him. Get your game on, Phillip.

"C'mon man, my life is likely more awful than yours. Wanna bet?" I ask, wishing that that probably prompts him to share something.

"Oh, yes, I shall bet! But let's make the prize interesting... Do you do pot or marijuana?" JP enquires.

Is it a trick question? I have no idea. But then, every line from JP seems like a trick question, so I have to be as careful in answering this like any other question.

"Occasionally, when I'm in a mood too good or too bad. But I love the feel of it..." I shrug for emphasis that I'm okay with it.

He smirks. "That means you're gonna love this prize. This," he takes a big looking cigarette from his jacket pocket, "is my new baby: Indian cosmo-joint."

"Cosmo joint?" I ask, chuckling.

"Yeah, I gotta get a better name for it. Well this is basically a roll of fresh opium leaves packed with hand pound powder that is so magical that having a puff of this will 'help us reach God'. Now it's not legal there anymore but who needs legality to reach God?" He winks.

"It costed us 100K to get a contract for one month to see if our customers like this. And so, each joint is worth about 200 bucks. It gives you a high time of 5 hours if you smoke it slowly and the nerve sensations are just so fucking awesome. So the bet is that, if I win, you gotta pay me 200 bucks to get this. And if you win, you'll get it for free."

I raise my eyebrows.

"For free?"

He nods and his lopsided grin appears. "But, I have a condition. You have to have it right now."

My eyebrows shrink in confusion and a little disgust. "Why?"

"First of all, it's amazing and so you have to try it now. And second of all, in case I win and you call the deal off, it will be unfair. That's why. You up for it?"

"Don't you believe in me? C'mon dude, I'll take it no matter what. But not now, I'm not in the mood right now... You get it, right?" I try to protest but my efforts end in vain.

He dangles the joint in front of my eyes. "You up for it? Or not?"

Shit, I'm in a trap. If I don't have it, he might start to rethink if I am an addict or even a consumer. But I can't have it! I've never had even a little puff of normal cigarette my entire life and this is one filled with drugs!