Two weeks passed by and Ellie had settled into her job at the movie theater. She told herself she was over the fact that Sean left, and that she was a big girl and could take care of herself just fine. The only thing is, she wasn't quite sure if she believed it. The fact that Sean still hadn't called rubbed her very badly. On top of that, the amount of money she was making versus the hours she was working started to worry her. She barely had enough time to finish her homework, so now her grades would be a new concern for her too.
Ellie, Paige and Alex were finishing up their shifts. Ellie and Alex gossiped in a screening room, while sweeping the floor clear of popcorn and disposing of left over candy wrappers. Paige was outside dumping the trash bags.
"So I heard Jimmy was getting out of the hospital soon," brought up Ellie.
"I heard about that too. Good thing he survived," Alex answered back, more so for herself than Ellie.
"Yeah. But he's paralyzed from the waste down. So that's going to be tough."
"Yeah..." She replied absentmindedly, guilt still hanging over her head. "Well, he has a lot of friends that will help him get through it."
"Definitely."
"I come baring gifts!" Shouted Paige, prancing back inside the theater, waving around some envelopes. "It's pay day, ladies!"
Paige handed out the envelopes, and the three vigorously opened their respective checks. Ellie was especially happy because rent was due, among other things. After studying at the balance and doing the math in her head, disappointment surfaced on Ellie's face. In disbelief and dissatisfaction, Ellie held her head in her hand.
"What's wrong?" asked Paige.
"This is it? This is all I've made?" She showed her the amount on the check.
"Hon, you only get paid minimum wage."
"But this isn't even enough to cover this months rent. Is it too early to ask for a raise?" She said half joking, half serious. This job was not cutting it.
"Maybe you could ask Sean to help you out."
"No. I am not going to go and cry to Sean about this. If he wanted to help me, he'd be here in Toronto right now. He'd be here with the person who loves him most. But he's not so screw him!"
Wanting to calm Ellie down, Alex reminded them it was time to clock out and the three of them left for the night in Paige's van.
Later that night, Ellie arrived home. A pile of bills were situated on the kitchen table. Dust had piled onto most of the furniture; neither she nor Sean was much for cleaning. Her small body reclined on the bed, uniform and all, too tired to change.
She laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling, just thinking about everything and anything. What was Sean doing? Probably curled up in a warm bed oblivious to her struggle. How come Alex got all weird whenever she mentioned Jimmy, Rick, or the prank? Her eyes wandered over to her purse set on the night stand. It was open and a piece of paper stuck out from it.
Ellie sat up, flicked on the lamp, and pulled the paper out from her purse. She studied the handwriting; it was messy and jagged. The name "Jerome" kept repeating over and over in her head. A number the stranger had left for her to call was right there.
She didn't know what came over her, but she got up from the bed and walked over to the telephone in the living room, paper in tow. She dialed each number carefully, even though it was the middle of the night. She couldn't turn back now.
A deep, but familiar voice answered the line.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Jerome?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
"You might not remember me, but my name is Ellie and I met you a few weeks ago in front of the movie theater."
"Oh, yes. You're the pretty red-head. How could I forget you, Ellie. What can I do for you?"
"You said if I ever got tired of my minimum wage job to give you a call. Well, I'm pretty sick of working hours upon hours for very little pay."
"So, you want to make some real money?"
"Yes." Hesitantly, she added "I'll do anything."
He let out a pleased chuckle. "Anything, eh? Let's see what kind of arrangements I can make for you."
The next morning, Ellie sat at a table by herself in The Dot, sipping coffee, waiting for Jerome to arrive. She told him to meet her there so he could explain to her what she would be doing for him. A sinking feeling hung in her stomach, but she tried to put her mind away from it. She didn't know what he was going to ask her to do; he was vague. Whatever he was going to ask her to do, it wasn't going to be legal. But she had to say yes, because there was no other way.
A hand came from behind and placed itself on her shoulder, causing her to tense up. Ellie looked up and recognized Jerome. He was again, looking smartly dressed and well to do. It was too nice for The Dot crowd that he stood out.
"Calm down, it's just me. Good to see you again, Ellie. You're looking nice today."
Ellie crossed her arms over her black see through top, feeling self conscious. She wanted to skip the small talk and get right down to business. "I've got to go to school, so can we just cut to the chase? What do you want me to do?"
Jerome took Ellie's hand and placed a small bag in her palm. Ellie examined the bag. Realizing what it was, she hurriedly placed it in her pocket, fearful of being caught. She glanced around the cafe, making sure nobody saw the contents of the bag. Her attention returned to Jerome, she gave him an incredulous look, but he returned her with a very grave and serious one. He wasn't playing games.
"You want me to sell drugs?" She whispered.
"Yes. High schools are big business. You go to Degrassi Community School, right? That's an untapped market for me. Just think of the possibilities. I'll give you, because I'm generous, 50 of the profit if you're in. I think you could be a valuable asset to me."
Ellie shook her head and placed the bag of marijuana back in his palm.
"I can't do it. I can't do this to my classmates, to my friends. I'm sorry" She picked up her backpack and prepared to leave, but he grabbed her arm and pleaded for her to stay.
"No don't go yet. Just take this one bag. See what you could get for it." He put the bag of weed back in her pocket. "This bag is on the house. You can keep all the money if you sell it. Just think about it alright?"
Since he didn't seem like he would give up before letting her go, she agreed to take the bag. Ellie walked toward the door of The Dot, holding onto her pocked, not wanting the bag of narcotics to fall out. Jay and Alex were ordering food to go as she ran into them.
"Oh hey, you guys," She greeted.
"What's up? Hey, was that the guy you were talking to a few weeks ago at the movie theaters," Alex inquired.
Ellie panicked at the question. She didn't want them to get any idea of what he had asked her to do. "No. I don't know who that was. He was just asking me for directions." She mentally slapped herself for such a dumb reply.
"And, he had to sit down at your table to do that..." They weren't buying it.
Ellie checked the time on her watch and pointed to the exit. "I've got to go guys. Need to finish some homework," she lied. "Bye."
Sighing relief, Ellie tucked her hands in her pocket, while hugging her jacket close. She could feel the pot just lying there; waiting to be bought. Drug dealing was probably the last thing she expected to put on her resume. That sinking feeling returned to her stomach once more at the thought of what she was about to do. She picked up her pace, eager to get to school.