Ecstasy

Chapter 36

Tyson:

I rapped my knuckles on the green door urgently. Looking around for thugs and guns in the shadows. The door was opened quickly and Thomas ushered me inside. I had called him after my last encounter with Mikey and he wanted me to come to him immediately.

"What do I do?" I asked, later when I had taken my place at the kitchen bench.

I watched him stir a pot of canned baked beans on the stove as he replied.

"Lay low. Stay out of the scene. He's going to approach you sometime, until then we need to work out a plan."

"What kind of plan?" I said anxious all over again.

"For a start we need to work out what he intends to do, he said you owe him, is that right?"

Tommie's voice was controlled in comparison to mine. I was freaking out; fidgeting and bouncing on the kitchen stool.

"Why don't I just repay him? Or give him the stock I have and pay him back for what I've used! The debt would disappear I wouldn't owe him anything!" I said excitedly.

"Calm down," Thomas turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders, stopping me from fidgeting. "If you just give it all back to him it won't fix the problem, you stole from him and that's what he's pissed about. Not the loss of stock. Mikey could get new stuff anywhere, you know that."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Just lay low. Like I said stay out of the scene," he poured the baked beans out into two bowls and laughed, "Try going to some normal house parties. You know, where the only drug is alcohol?" He pushed one of the bowls to me and flicked a spoon across the counter.

I tried to look annoyed but the only emotion I was sure was showing on my face was fear.

***

I was on my way to music when I ran into Sam. It was late afternoon and I hadn't slept well the night before. Worrying about my situation with Mikey seemed to be more prevalent at the moment. The music assignment was over, I didn't have a reason to rush to music anymore, and Calla was sitting next to her friend now and didn't seem to be interested in me anymore. Not that I really cared. That's what I kept telling myself anyway.

"Hey Ty!" I looked up to a nickname I wasn't particularly used to being called, and almost ran straight into Sam.

"Hey man," I replied slightly stunned he was standing there talking to me. "What's up?"

"Uh, it's my eighteenth next week –" he started.

"Yeah heard about that, congrats mate." I quickly interrupted.

He was about to continue when Cade slapped him on his shoulder.

"We going in?" He asked, motioning towards the classroom door to our right, his eye's flicking between Sam and me unsurely.

Sam brushed him off with, "yeah, just a minute. I'll catch up," And Cade shot me a glare before walking off into the classroom.

"Yeah thanks, um anyway was wondering if you would want to come to our little get-together this Saturday night."

I blinked at his proposal; it was not what I was expecting. "Um," I replied unsurely, I knew I shouldn't go, from what Tommie's advice had been. But wasn't this the type of party he told me to go to? I seriously doubted that Sam Tapp would have illegal drugs at his eighteenth birthday party. Beside I'd been to plenty of eighteenths before and it's not about the drugs, it's about the booze; finally being able to drink it legally normally ends up being a slosh fest. And even though I should have been thinking up excuses, I knew Calla was going and even though I had been telling myself different I wanted to spend more time with her, outside of the classroom.

"Yeah sure, if it's a good one." I smiled hoping it would be.

"Cool, well I hope so!" I was still stunned at how happy my answer made him as his smile matched mine. "Tell your boys Nate and Jarrah, they can come too."

He was moving away now, halfway into the classroom. He gave me a half sided wave before disappearing as bell went.

The shrill ringing of it brought me out of my shock at the encounter and urged me off the music.