Chapter 10
Reese sat on Jade's couch watching TV. He'd been staying there since his parents kicked him out four days ago. Jade's mother had been staying with her newest boyfriend so she wasn't even aware of the situation—not that she would have cared anyway. Chris and Zack came through the door and plopped on the couch beside him. They were obviously happy about something.
"Dude, we're gonna party tonight!" Zack exclaimed.
"Yeah, we got the good shit." Chris held up a bag full of white powder.
"Is that cocaine?" Reese's eyes widened with surprise.
"Dude, you've never done coke before? Oh man, you're gonna love it!" Zack promised.
"You talked him into letting you have it with no cash again?" Jade asked, walking out of the kitchen. "We already owe him over five hundred dollars!"
"Yeah! I told him we were good for it, we just needed a few more hours. He's coming for the cash tonight, which means that we need to pull another job like right now. It's going to get ugly if we don't have it when he gets here." Zack said.
"What kind of job?" Reese looked confused.
"It's no big deal. We'll just knock off a gas station and make them give us the cash out of the registers, then split. It's simple. We've done it twice before." Chris explained.
"You're serious?" Reese couldn't hide his shock. "You're going to rob a gas station?"
"How do you think we pay for all this stuff?" Jade asked. "It's not like any of us has a job."
"We're going to rob a gas station." Chris corrected him. "You're in on this too."
"I-I've never robbed anyone before!" Reese stuttered.
"All you have to do is stand there and hold the gun while we grab the money, then run like hell." Zack said, pulling a handgun out of a cabinet and handing it to Reese. "You don't really have to shoot anybody… unless something goes wrong, of course."
Reese stared at the cold and heavy gun in his hands while he thought about the situation. He already had a record. He had been accused of stealing a car once—even though it was unintentional—as well as charged with a several minor offences that they referred to as 'malicious mischief.' If he got arrested for armed robbery, they would definitely try him as an adult and throw him in jail. "I'm not doing this." He said, laying the gun on the coffee table.
"What do you mean you're not doing it? You can't back out--we're in this together." A look of scorn suddenly distorted Jade's pretty face.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going to risk getting busted. This is crazy! If we get caught, we'll spend the next ten years or more in jail! I'm not taking that chance!" Reese hoped to convince them that it was a bad idea.
"After all we've given you? You owe it to us to take the chance! Do you think all that shit's free?" She asked angrily.
"Why the hell do I have to take part in it? You all obviously know what to do! You've done it without me before!" Reese reasoned.
"Because that's just the way it works, dude. If you want to party, you have to be willing to pay the price! If we get busted, we're all getting busted together." Zack said.
"I swear I'll make it up to you some other way."
"Like hell you will!" Jade shouted. "If you're not willing to do this for us, then get the hell out!"
"What? You're breaking up with me over this?" Reese asked with surprise.
"You don't care about me anyway. You're only using me to get drugs!"
"That's not true!" Reese snapped.
"Then prove it." Jade said and picked up the gun, offering it to him.
"I'm sorry, Jade. I won't do it …but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you."
"Just go, Reese." She said quietly. "Find someone else to support your habits."
He stared at her in disbelief wondering how everything had changed between them in a split second. He finally turned and left without bothering to defend himself further. If she could turn on him that quickly, he didn't need her anyway.
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A/N: Thanks for the good reviews! They motivated me to get on with the next chapter, hence the quick update. Cargarbinx—if you like drama, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the rest of the story. :-)