Bedding bad √

Zayn-20

Cover by namelessazre

I’m used to having eyes on me but they are usually eyes of high school as well as college girls, envious boys and admiring grandmothers not deadly eyes of murderous stoners.

‘What did you say Rodriguez?’ Seth asked. Bloodshot eyes warning me not to test his patience but I wasn’t going to heed to that warning.

‘I said I am not the man for the job, give it to someone else’.
‘I want it to be you’. He said calmly.
‘I cannot do it’. I maintained.
‘Why not?’ Tattered butted in.
‘I am not a killer’. I said, staring firmly at him.

‘That is why we are making you one’. He said like it was the simplest thing in the world.
‘Thanks for the kind gesture but I’m good’.
‘We insist’. Seth said, taking a drag from his pipe.

‘What? Now you think you are better than us?’ Tattered spoke, taking large steps toward me that were supposed to be threatening.

‘Huh? Rich kid. You think because daddy has it all you are better than the rest of us? Nigga you gotta be crazy. I could snap your neck right now’. He said, fanning my face with his dumpster breath and I was tempted to puke.

‘Back off’. I hissed.
‘Whatcha say scumbag?’ he growled, stepping even closer to me.
‘Pharaoh!’ Seth boomed and he backed away from my face. So that was his name? Little wonder why my brain never did accept it.

Rising from his seat, Seth took Pharell’s previous position before me. He took a drag from his pipe and let the smoke out of his nostrils unto my face.

‘Look here Rodriguez, you’ve been chosen to handle this shit and you are going to do it, because I said so and consider it a way to prove yourself to our brothers coz if you fail, your pops ain’t gonna have any more patients to tear open after the media tear him from inside out. You get me boy?’

I stared into his eyes, trying to keep myself from spitting in his face then I saw Steve shaking his head at me so I decided it wasn’t wise to get myself killed over my stubbornness.

‘I hear you’. I said, deciding to find a way out of that mess later.
‘Good. Now all of you, out’. He stormed to his office.

Steve was on me the second I walked out the door.
‘Bruh what was that, you tryna die?’ He asked disbelievingly.
‘I can’t kill someone’.

‘Well, it’s either them or you. Seth might be fond of you but he won’t waste a second before sending a bullet between your eyes if you show another sign of rebellion’.
‘Why can’t he just pick someone else?’
‘You are new. This is sort of like your trust test’.

‘Did you go through this too?’
‘Didn’t have to, he knew I won’t risk my family’s safety’.
I turned to face him.
‘Steve, have you thought that even when your remaining time is up, Seth might still not allow you to leave and use your family as bait?’

He laughed.
‘Dude how dumb do you think I am? I have plans, nothing is going to stop me from leaving this shithole when the time comes’. He said with confidence that I envied.

We got to my car and he got into the passenger seat. I lifted a brow at him.

‘Drop me off at the mall’. He ordered and I was so tired I didn’t even protest even if it wasn’t on my way.

Steve is a cool guy. Being fully aware of my off mood, he made it his duty to be quiet throughout the ride only speaking up when it was somewhat necessary like telling me to slow down.
After I dropped him off, there was nothing to stop me from exceeding all the speed limits.