Chapter Four: About Manny
Fifteen minutes after the four teens had popped the pills, the ecstasy began working its way through their bloodstreams. Paige and Spinner were already on one of the beds making out, leaving Jimmy and Manny to roll by themselves and entertain each other.
"God, I feel good." Manny sighed, laying back. Jimmy laid down next to her and they both stared at the ceiling.
"I forgot what rolling felt like...spent so much time selling it, I didn't have time to do it." Jimmy said.
"Pretty awesome, huh?" Manny replied.
"Oh yeah." Jimmy said. "God this is intense."
Manny giggled. "Everything is intense these days. The market, the stakes, the cash. It's all intense. Like...intense."
Jimmy laughed. "You have no clue what you're talking about."
"Oh." Manny paused. "Do you?"
Both teens erupted into laughter.
"God I'm high." Jimmy laughed, running a hand over his face. "That feels good."
"Everything feels good." Manny said with a slight giggle. "I feel like I'm floating."
Jimmy looked over at Manny, who was still in her rave clothes, although she had taken off the shoes. He bit his lip as his eyes traveled up her body.
"It's hot in here, aren't you hot? I'm so hot." Manny said, sitting up suddenly. She unhooked her garter from her stockings and peeled them off her legs, leaving them as a silk puddle on the floor.
"You can say that again." Jimmy replied. Manny turned and stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"Um, nothing, sorry Manny. I didn't mean anything by it." Jimmy replied.
"You think I'm hot?" Manny asked. "Really?"
"Manny, I think you're gorgeous." Jimmy said. He touched her face. "Really, really gorgeous. And I really, really wanna kiss you right now..."
Manny knew it was the ecstasy that was talking for Jimmy, but she didn't care. It had been so long since anyone had shown her any affection whatsoever. Besides, Jimmy was incredibly cute, and a great guy. So she didn't object when he began kissing her.
After a few minutes of making out, Manny reached up and turned the lamp off, allowing darkness to encloak the room. They heard no protest from the other couple in the room, proceeded to progress to more "adult" activities.
The Next Day...
"So, how was the rave?" Craig asked, opening his locker. Jimmy shrugged.
"We only made about six hundred, there was a cop. We ducked out early." Jimmy replied.
Craig nodded. "Sucks. So what'd you guys do after?"
Jimmy looked at the floor, not saying anything. Craig groaned.
"You didn't." The statement was met with more silence from Jimmy. "You did? Man! I told you not to go there!"
Jimmy glared at him. "I know. But you don't understand what went on...I mean, we're at the hotel with tons of drugs leftover, and Paige and Spinner and Manny all wanna roll, so we rolled. And things just got out of hand."
"What was she wearing?" Craig asked.
"Black miniskirt. Red corset. Garter belt. Thigh highs. Stilettos." Jimmy replied. Craig groaned again.
"Manny Santos, garter belts and ecstasy is probably the worst combination in history." Craig said. "Or best, depending on how you look at it."
"Yeah, really." Jimmy said, leaning against the lockers.
"So what are you gonna do?" Craig asked. Jimmy shrugged.
"I don't know, man. I haven't even thought about it."
Craig looked down the hallway to see Manny walking down it with Emma and JT.
"Well, you better think fast, because here she comes." Craig said.
Manny approached Craig and Jimmy with JT in tow. "Yeah, I'll see you in class, Em. I just need to take care of something first."
"Okay, I'll see you later then." Emma said with a quizzical expression on her face. She had been trying to figure out what Manny was up to for months, to no avail. She shrugged and continued walking down the hallway.
Once Emma was out of earshot, Manny turned to Jimmy. "I need to talk you."
"Manny, can we talk about last night later?" Jimmy asked. Manny gave him a Look.
"This isn't about last night."
"Oh...okay." Jimmy said, feeling sheepish.
"I actually needed to talk to both of you." Manny said, looking at Jimmy and Craig.
"Okay. What about?" Craig asked.
"I want in." JT blurted out. Manny hit him in the shoulder.
"JT, shut up! I said I'd take care of this!" she said.
"He wants in." Craig stated, then laughed. "No way."
"Why not?" JT asked.
"Because you don't have the right temperament or edge to get in on this." Craig replied.
"Come on, Craig." Manny protested. "I'm not saying to just let him run wild with our inventory, but...he can just be a runner, or something."
"She does have a point. I do hate doing leg work." Jimmy said.
"No way! I need you pirating that software for me." Craig replied. Dealing was fine for Manny and Jimmy, they had a natural edge to them that enabled them to sell cocaine to just about everyone. Manny had gotten to be so slick she could sell a gram to a bible thumper at confession on a Saturday. Jimmy was getting there too. But Craig's forte was piracy. He couldn't afford to lose the edge on that.
"I can do both. There's nothing to hacking. And between me and Toby? That's more than enough manpower!" JT said. "Just give me a chance."
"Tell me why I should give you a chance." Craig replied.
"Craig, look at him. Who is gonna accuse JT Yorke of carrying drugs on him? It's not like he's Sean Cameron." Manny replied.
"Which reminds me, why aren't we working with him again?" Craig asked.
Jimmy snorted. "He knows the wrong people. They don't have money, and I'm not trying to get beat up for a gram every other day, if you know what I mean."
Craig nodded. "Good point."
"But getting back to JT. He's totally innocent looking, he can run all the leg work, and he does have a plucky sort of way about him." Manny said.
"She's right, I got pluck." JT replied.
"Yeah, well, go pluck yourself, JT. We don't need you to carry. We need you to pirate." Craig replied.
JT glared at Manny. "Great guy you got running things, Manny."
"He doesn't run things, we're a team." Manny replied.
"Maybe. Or maybe he's just leading you around by the...well, I think you get my drift." JT replied.
"No, I don't, JT. What's your drift?" Manny replied, pursing her lips.
"Just that maybe...past history is clouding your judgment, that's all." JT responded. "Gotta go to Media Immersion and pound away with the other nerds. If you'll excuse me..." JT turned and headed off down the hallway.
"Well, that went beautifully." Manny said sarcastically, glaring at Craig.
"Don't give me the Santos glare." Craig chided her. "I'm just looking out for us, okay?"
Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Jimmy, you wanted to talk?"
"Uh...yeah. You wanna go somewhere?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah." Manny replied. "Come on."
Jimmy began following Manny down the hallway, when he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. He turned to look at Craig.
"Remember what I said, okay?" Craig asked.
"Sure." Jimmy lied. "Hey, Manny, wait up!" he called.
Fifteen minutes after the four teens had popped the pills, the ecstasy began working its way through their bloodstreams. Paige and Spinner were already on one of the beds making out, leaving Jimmy and Manny to roll by themselves and entertain each other.
"God, I feel good." Manny sighed, laying back. Jimmy laid down next to her and they both stared at the ceiling.
"I forgot what rolling felt like...spent so much time selling it, I didn't have time to do it." Jimmy said.
"Pretty awesome, huh?" Manny replied.
"Oh yeah." Jimmy said. "God this is intense."
Manny giggled. "Everything is intense these days. The market, the stakes, the cash. It's all intense. Like...intense."
Jimmy laughed. "You have no clue what you're talking about."
"Oh." Manny paused. "Do you?"
Both teens erupted into laughter.
"God I'm high." Jimmy laughed, running a hand over his face. "That feels good."
"Everything feels good." Manny said with a slight giggle. "I feel like I'm floating."
Jimmy looked over at Manny, who was still in her rave clothes, although she had taken off the shoes. He bit his lip as his eyes traveled up her body.
"It's hot in here, aren't you hot? I'm so hot." Manny said, sitting up suddenly. She unhooked her garter from her stockings and peeled them off her legs, leaving them as a silk puddle on the floor.
"You can say that again." Jimmy replied. Manny turned and stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"Um, nothing, sorry Manny. I didn't mean anything by it." Jimmy replied.
"You think I'm hot?" Manny asked. "Really?"
"Manny, I think you're gorgeous." Jimmy said. He touched her face. "Really, really gorgeous. And I really, really wanna kiss you right now..."
Manny knew it was the ecstasy that was talking for Jimmy, but she didn't care. It had been so long since anyone had shown her any affection whatsoever. Besides, Jimmy was incredibly cute, and a great guy. So she didn't object when he began kissing her.
After a few minutes of making out, Manny reached up and turned the lamp off, allowing darkness to encloak the room. They heard no protest from the other couple in the room, proceeded to progress to more "adult" activities.
The Next Day...
"So, how was the rave?" Craig asked, opening his locker. Jimmy shrugged.
"We only made about six hundred, there was a cop. We ducked out early." Jimmy replied.
Craig nodded. "Sucks. So what'd you guys do after?"
Jimmy looked at the floor, not saying anything. Craig groaned.
"You didn't." The statement was met with more silence from Jimmy. "You did? Man! I told you not to go there!"
Jimmy glared at him. "I know. But you don't understand what went on...I mean, we're at the hotel with tons of drugs leftover, and Paige and Spinner and Manny all wanna roll, so we rolled. And things just got out of hand."
"What was she wearing?" Craig asked.
"Black miniskirt. Red corset. Garter belt. Thigh highs. Stilettos." Jimmy replied. Craig groaned again.
"Manny Santos, garter belts and ecstasy is probably the worst combination in history." Craig said. "Or best, depending on how you look at it."
"Yeah, really." Jimmy said, leaning against the lockers.
"So what are you gonna do?" Craig asked. Jimmy shrugged.
"I don't know, man. I haven't even thought about it."
Craig looked down the hallway to see Manny walking down it with Emma and JT.
"Well, you better think fast, because here she comes." Craig said.
Manny approached Craig and Jimmy with JT in tow. "Yeah, I'll see you in class, Em. I just need to take care of something first."
"Okay, I'll see you later then." Emma said with a quizzical expression on her face. She had been trying to figure out what Manny was up to for months, to no avail. She shrugged and continued walking down the hallway.
Once Emma was out of earshot, Manny turned to Jimmy. "I need to talk you."
"Manny, can we talk about last night later?" Jimmy asked. Manny gave him a Look.
"This isn't about last night."
"Oh...okay." Jimmy said, feeling sheepish.
"I actually needed to talk to both of you." Manny said, looking at Jimmy and Craig.
"Okay. What about?" Craig asked.
"I want in." JT blurted out. Manny hit him in the shoulder.
"JT, shut up! I said I'd take care of this!" she said.
"He wants in." Craig stated, then laughed. "No way."
"Why not?" JT asked.
"Because you don't have the right temperament or edge to get in on this." Craig replied.
"Come on, Craig." Manny protested. "I'm not saying to just let him run wild with our inventory, but...he can just be a runner, or something."
"She does have a point. I do hate doing leg work." Jimmy said.
"No way! I need you pirating that software for me." Craig replied. Dealing was fine for Manny and Jimmy, they had a natural edge to them that enabled them to sell cocaine to just about everyone. Manny had gotten to be so slick she could sell a gram to a bible thumper at confession on a Saturday. Jimmy was getting there too. But Craig's forte was piracy. He couldn't afford to lose the edge on that.
"I can do both. There's nothing to hacking. And between me and Toby? That's more than enough manpower!" JT said. "Just give me a chance."
"Tell me why I should give you a chance." Craig replied.
"Craig, look at him. Who is gonna accuse JT Yorke of carrying drugs on him? It's not like he's Sean Cameron." Manny replied.
"Which reminds me, why aren't we working with him again?" Craig asked.
Jimmy snorted. "He knows the wrong people. They don't have money, and I'm not trying to get beat up for a gram every other day, if you know what I mean."
Craig nodded. "Good point."
"But getting back to JT. He's totally innocent looking, he can run all the leg work, and he does have a plucky sort of way about him." Manny said.
"She's right, I got pluck." JT replied.
"Yeah, well, go pluck yourself, JT. We don't need you to carry. We need you to pirate." Craig replied.
JT glared at Manny. "Great guy you got running things, Manny."
"He doesn't run things, we're a team." Manny replied.
"Maybe. Or maybe he's just leading you around by the...well, I think you get my drift." JT replied.
"No, I don't, JT. What's your drift?" Manny replied, pursing her lips.
"Just that maybe...past history is clouding your judgment, that's all." JT responded. "Gotta go to Media Immersion and pound away with the other nerds. If you'll excuse me..." JT turned and headed off down the hallway.
"Well, that went beautifully." Manny said sarcastically, glaring at Craig.
"Don't give me the Santos glare." Craig chided her. "I'm just looking out for us, okay?"
Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Jimmy, you wanted to talk?"
"Uh...yeah. You wanna go somewhere?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah." Manny replied. "Come on."
Jimmy began following Manny down the hallway, when he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him. He turned to look at Craig.
"Remember what I said, okay?" Craig asked.
"Sure." Jimmy lied. "Hey, Manny, wait up!" he called.
