Chapter 22

James didn't have the money for JT. And his time was up. He'd run out of pills, so if he wanted more, he had to confront JT.

He had no more friends, and his parents were all but present in his life right now. All they talked about and cared about was the legal divorce stuff that James had to hear about every day. The pills were all he had left to make him feel something that wasn't pain or disappointment or anger or betrayal.

They were all he had left.

James headed out of school at the end of the day and walked straight to the park. He had never gone straight there before, but he was desperate. He didn't know what would happen, but he knew he needed to try.

The usual scene greeted him. JT stood a few feet away, smoking something and talking to another guy.

When he saw James, he threw whatever was in his hands to the ground and walked over. "James, my buddy. You got my money?"

James straightened his shoulders. "JT, I'm sorry, man, but I don't have enough. Just this." He dropped a 50 into JT's hands, money he'd asked from his mom to buy a shirt. It was hard even convincing her he needed 50 dollars.

JT glanced at the single bill, then at James. "That's not what he agreed on, man." He said, his voice no longer as friendly.

"I know. And I'm sorry. Just give me some more time-"

"More time? I gave you a week, James, and you agreed to it." JT's voice and stare were now hard. All he cared about was his money. He wasn't there to be buddies with James. He was just there to do business with him.

"If you could just trust me, I'll get the money to you next week, plus anything I owe you for today."

JT laughed. "Today? I'm not giving you anything if you don't have my money. And I told you what would happen if you didn't pay, didn't I?"

James swallowed hard. He remembered all too clearly Dylan's panic-stricken face as JT's guys pounded on him. How JT said he'd end up worse if he didn't pay him back.

And now here he was, stuck in the middle of JT and a bunch of guys who did his bidding without hesitation, in hundreds of dollars of debt.

His mind raced, trying to come up with something, anything, that would appease the manipulative guy in front of him. He'd never been beat up before, and he wasn't about to break that streak now.

He opened his mouth, not knowing what was about to come out of it. But before he could utter a word, he heard shouting and the sounds of a scuffle around the corner. JT heard too and looked back, his eyes curious and glinting.

Two of the buff guys, JT's cronies, grabbed hold of someone, each of them holding onto one of his arms. The victim, a boy, looked up. James froze. It felt like an icicle had pierced his heart, a cold dread spreading throughout his body.

It was Carlos.

"We caught him spying." One of the guys said, roughly throwing Carlos onto the ground. James closed his eyes and inwardly cursed. How had he let this happen? He had gotten too careless; he'd walked straight to the park from school, and Carlos had probably followed him there. Carlos had a kind heart; he probably followed James to find out what was going on, to help James.

Carlos was the last of his friends who may have been willing to still give James one last chance. James hadn't hurt Carlos the way he'd hurt Kendall and Logan, who were not speaking nor looking at him anymore.

He hadn't hurt him yet.

"Leave me alone!" Carlos yelled from the ground. "And leave James alone too!" One of the guys grabbed Carlos by the collar of his shirt, but JT gestured for him to let go.

"Carlos… you shouldn't be here." James finally said, his voice cracking. Carlos looked at him, fear and confusion in his eyes.

JT walked over to where Carlos was on the ground, his eyes glinting maliciously. He grinned. "Do you guys know who this is?" He asked the buff guys who'd found Carlos. A few other guys were crowding around too, curious about the spectacle. They shook his head.

"Carlos Garcia. Officer Garcia's kid." Carlos visibly swallowed, his eyes wide. The dread James had felt multiplied, like a dead weight in his chest.

"Pull him up." The two guys obeyed, lifting Carlos and slamming him into the brick wall behind them. Carlos let out a small squeak. JT bent down until he was eye to eye with Carlos. "We wouldn't want Carlos here to tell on us to his daddy, now would we?"

"He won't! He won't tell! Just please, let him go." James piped up, his voice desperate and afraid. Carlos wasn't a part of this; he didn't deserve for anything bad to happen to him. James didn't know what he'd do if something happened to Carlos.

JT stood up straight and looked back at James. He seemed to have forgotten James was still there, but at his voice, an idea seemed to pop into his head. He clapped his hands together.

"James! You've been a good customer, so let me offer you a deal. It's a deal you can't resist."

James nodded for him to go on. "I'll forgive all your debt. And give you the pills for the 50 you gave me today. All you have to do is let us make sure your friend here doesn't snitch. What do you think?" He smiled, clearly proud of his brilliant idea.

The weight in James's stomach sunk. He knew, right then, that he'd messed up. This was even worse than all the mistakes he'd made before, because this time, he knew he couldn't stop it. He knew that no matter what he said, JT was going to "make sure" Carlos didn't snitch.

JT had just wanted to give James something he couldn't refuse, so that James would be the one responsible for whatever happened next. James would be the one to give him the okay.

James would be the one to hurt his friend, even if he never lay a hand on him.

But his debt would be forgotten, and he would still get pills to last him probably another week. His body craved those pills, needed them, or else how would James make it through the next week? He shut his eyes tightly, his body warring against his mind. His friend, or his pills?

"James?" His eyes opened at the familiar voice. The voice of the friend he'd known since kindergarten, who'd looked up to him and trusted him.

The voice he was about the betray, just like he'd betrayed Kendall and Logan.

Carlos's eyes met his. James couldn't read his friend's eyes, didn't know what he wanted James to do, didn't know even what he himself wanted to do. Carlos was scared, but in his eyes James could also see something else.

Understanding.

Carlos was the most naïve of their group, but he seemed to understand everything. His eyes bore no trace of anger at James, at what they both knew he was about to say. Carlos knew that what James said next was his addiction talking. But it would be devastating nonetheless.

"Deal."

JT grinned, clapping his hands together and gesturing to the other two guys, who held Carlos by both of his arms, pinning him against the wall. Some of the other guys crowded around too, their fists clenched and the knuckles cracking.

Carlos struggled and fought, but he was trapped in their grasp, unable to even move an inch. It was futile, and James could see the moment when the light that always lit up like a spark in Carlos's eyes dimmed, the moment when he realized it too.

He looked up at JT, who stood a few feet away, watching like a wolf about to pounce on his prey. "Please… please don't do this." Carlos begged softly, tears forming in his eyes. "I-I promise I won't say anything, and James- James won't either."

JT didn't say a word, only walked up to where Carlos was, surrounded by guys who were bigger and stronger and crueler than he was.

James didn't think he'd ever felt as much pain as he felt now. No one had laid a hand on him, but yet everything hurt. He felt like his chest was going to explode.

When JT drew his fist back, James shut his eyes, too weak, too big of coward to even look at what he had caused.