Skinny Love (Jesse Pinkman)

Chapter 39

"Yo, M." Skinny exclaimed, as I popped the phone on loud speaker.

"What's kicking."

"Jesse mentioned I could come and pick up the blue, you at his crib?"

"Um... no." looking to the blue that still sat on the counter edge, I popped it into my bag.

"Oh, uh-"

"I'm out right now... grocery shopping. But if you swing by tomorrow I'll give it to you then. Don't worry I'll explain it to Jesse- he wont be mad." rustling a bag of chips next to me, I made it sound busy.

"Excuse me Sir!" I called, Salem glaring at me. I could almost see his judgy little eyes calling me a liar.

"Okay, I guess. Um, see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow!" I sang, putting down the phone and grabbing my keys.

"Mama's just going out to do some business, I'll see you later!" scratching his chin, I left.

The streets Jesse and I used to deal on seemingly hadn't changed other than a few more houses were boarded up, and there were a few more bullet holes in the street signs. Pulling up onto the sidewalk, I watched a little boy ride in circles on his bike, hood up with one hand in his pocket. Taking off my seatbelt, I got comfy. Usually wait outs like this took a little while. Jesse should be thanking me for this, Skinny and Badger were the poster children for drug dealers. Even though I was a little beaten up, I never passed for a dealer years ago, and I most probably didn't now. We used to watch out on the sidewalks, just to see who was dealing and what, to make sure we were approaching the right people.

Jumping at my phone beeping, I swallowed as I saw a string of texts from Jesse. I knew Skinny wouldn't keep his mouth shut.

"What's good for flies?"

"Glue strips or swatters?"

"What about the canned stuff?"

"Contamination at work. Mr White going crazy."

I chuckled and read through the string of a few more, before replying; "Get one of everything. No aerosols it'll cause further air contamination."

"Aight." he replied back in record speed.

Looking up from my phone, I noticed a tall gangly blonde woman walk up to a parked car with two men in the front seat. I couldn't quite make out their faces, but I would bet my very last dollar on her being a methhead. The teeth, the clothes, she was in Skinny and Badger's club.

Handing a paper bag through the window, she smiled and handed them a couple of notes, before turning to the little boy.

Oh that was messed up.

He dug around in his hoodie pocket, placing something in her hand before she nodded and sauntered off.

Little kids? Fucking kids? What kind of bastards were these?

Frowning, I clutched the steering wheel and chewed at my lip as the car pulled away, driving slowly past my own. Looking to the drivers seat, the car stopped next to mine and I felt my heart jump to my throat.

"You lookin' to buy, baby?" one winked. Feeling myself freeze up, I just stared as they looked up and down, smiling darkly.

"Yeah. Crystal."

Holding out their palm, I rooted in the glove compartment and handed a couple of notes, fighting every instinct in my body to spit in his face.

"Nice dealing with you, gorgeous." a glimpse of a bright gold grill flashed as he smiled, before driving away. My stomach turned for the second time that day.

It wasn't him. Surely it couldn't have been him.

I wouldn't forget his face, never ever in a million years. That night, years ago- there wasn't a doubt in my mind.

Breathing shakily, I ran a hand through my hair and swallowed so hard it hurt my throat, looking to the little boy who continued to cycle aimlessly. Grabbing the chicken box that had been left from the night previous, I fumbled through some notes clumsily, distributing them between my bag and the box. Bringing my car into gear, I pulled up to the little boy.

Cycling over, I wound down my window and he handed me the bag.

It was blue.

"Hey. Wait here." I hissed as he looked between me and the mens car warily.

"Okay. I'm gonna drive down the road and you're gonna find a Los Pollos box under a blue car. You know Los Pollos?"

He nodded.

"You know the blue car?"

He nodded again.

"Alright. You're gonna pick it up. You're gonna show nobody. Take it home and don't look at it until you're back and you're safe." he said nothing, just stared.

"I'm leaving now. Whatever is in that box is yours and only yours." winding up my window, I drove past, avoiding all eye contact with the men in the car. After they were out of sight, I stuffed the remainders of the notes in my bag, a generous wad into the Los Pollos box, sliding it under the car before glancing around to make sure no one could see.

Pulling off, I flicked on the air conditioning and fanned myself with my hand, wiping a sweaty palm across my face.

They say when you go through trauma, you either block out every detail of the memory so you can forget the best you can, or you dwell on every little aspect until it was so imprinted in your memory you often couldn't think of much else. I was the latter.

I was also absolutely certain that the man in the car, the guy was making little KIDS do his business for him was the same guy who deposited the bullet into me all those years ago. The one that destroyed everything about me on that last deal that broke me and Jesse. The one that killed our baby.

A/N:

Hope you're still enjoying!

~Cat.