Chapter Two

"She's still not talkin' to you is she?"

Lex didn't answer his companion as he watched the long legged creature make her way across the school lawn. Though it had been less than a month since he and Zandra last spoke, the young teen seemed to have grown up over night. Developing in all the right places. It would be a shame for all those new curves to go to waste.

"Maybe you should say you're sorry."

"Shut it Ryan." She was getting closer.

Lex stared her down as though willing her to look at him. Instead she was gabbing on her cell and rummaging through her pink school bag. Pretty soon she would walk right by them without saying a word. He'd never admit it out loud but Lex hated this silent treatment she was giving him. He was still trying to figure out why he even gave a damn about her. She was only fourteen, a Freshman. Still, Zandra had always been ahead of her time seeming light years older than her young face claimed.

Just as he was fighting with the urge to call her name, she looked up and their eyes met. Lex gave her a nod of acknowledgment but she only rolled her eyes and looked past him.

"Hi Ryan," She smiled sweetly.

Caught off guard, Ryan stood straight from the slouching position he'd been holding against the wall.

"Uh, uh hi... Zandra."

If his slow response surprised her she didn't let it show. She only continued to smile at him.

"How was the rest of your summer?"

Ryan gave a quick look at Lex who was now burning holes into the ground with his eyes.

"It was... O K. Yeah it was good."

"That's nice. Well gotta go." She gave a wave and was gone.

Ryan continued to smile slightly after her. He wasn't aware of it but his attraction to the younger girl was quite obvious. Anyone could see that the shy boy had the biggest of crushes on her. He himself made a conscious effort to keep it hidden. Not only was she the target of his best mate but why would a beautiful girl like Zandra ever date someone like himself? She could have anyone.

Lex glared at Ryan. His friend's crush wasn't lost on him though he said nothing of it.

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face."

Ryan complied as he looked down. "You know... maybe if you made things up with Glenn... she wouldn't be so mad."

Lex rolled his eyes with a sigh. At the beginning of summer he had all his aces on the table. By some miracle he'd passed tenth grade unlike Ryan who had the misfortune of repeating his junior year. He had an in with all the important groups at school and Zandra was eating out of the palm of his hand. And somehow all that had fallen apart because of a kid named Glenn. He cringed as the name reverberated in his head.

It started with a drug deal. Just a simple scam to get some quick money. Lex wasn't a dealer but he knew where to get the good stuff if he so chose. When he was approached mid summer by two college guys looking for a hook up, dollar signs were all he could see. They were looking to get twenty hits of ecstasy for a party. Lex took their number and told them he'd see what he could do. It was Glenn who mentioned that twenty was the magic number where possession became trafficking.

Glenn went to school in the next town but they all hung out and went to the same parties. He was also the one who apposed going over their usual dealer's head and straight to the top dealer. Some rule about breaking the chain. Lex ignored Glenn mostly because the kid annoyed him but also because Zandra seemed to fancy him.

The deal started off bad and Lex should have taken that as a sign to call it off. First they didn't have enough money to buy the twenty hits. Lex managed to convinced the dealer to give him the ecstasy with the money they had as a down payment. He swore to return with the rest of the money and the dealer only agreed if one of them stayed behind as collateral. That turned out to be Ryan.

Second, when they reached the party Glenn and Lex got the immediate feeling they were being set up by their buyers. Fleeing to the bathroom they panicked and flushed the pills down the toilet. They left the party through the window and argued over what to do next. They had to either return with two hundred dollars or twenty hits of ecstasy. It was Lex's idea to use store brand pain killers and fool the guy. Glenn apposed it but he didn't have a better idea.

Though he was suspicious, the dealer bought their story about the buyers changing their minds. He took his so called ecstasy and gave them back their money. The three boys met up with Zandra at another party as the story spilled out. They still needed to get the money to pay the dealer back before he realized they'd shammed him.

"What are you going to do?" Zandra panicked.

"Quiet. I'm thinking." Lex didn't look at her

"Yeah Zandra," Glenn glowered. "Let the man think. If he can't think he can't come up with another of his brilliant plans."

"I don't like this." Zandra continued. "You screwed a dealer. Anything could happen."

"Shut up the both of you." A slight pause. "We'll sell the stuff we got."

"The stuff from the store?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Lex nodded. "We'll play it off as x. No one will know the difference."

"You think it'll work?" Zandra was hopeful.

"Don't be stupid." Glenn spat. "No one is going to buy baby aspirin to get high. Once word gets out we're lying they'll lynch us."

There was a small scuffle between Glenn and Lex then brought on by past animosity and their present situation. Zandra watched them exasperated.

"Ryan! Do something!"

Ryan didn't move. Finally Lex shoved Glenn against a wall.

"It's what we're doing so shut it." Lex glared at him. "Anyone who doesn't like the plan is free to come up with a better one."

Glenn and Lex then went around the party selling pain killers as ecstasy at twenty bucks a hit. Word spread quickly and they soon made their money back. All was well until the dealer, who had since figured out his ecstasy was really crap, showed up with friends looking to kick ass. He wasn't interested in money or excuses. At least not at the moment. Ryan spotted him first and he grabbed Lex and Zandra.

"We have to get out of here." Lex led them to the back of the house.

"What about Glenn?" Zandra asked looking for the boy in the crowd.

"There's nothing we can do." Lex pulled her arm out the back door. "They're gonna get him anyway. No sense in them getting all of us."

They took off in Ryan's car, Lex and Zandra arguing in the back seat. She wouldn't forgive him for leaving Glenn behind to take the blame. Even after Lex eventually made good with the dealer Zandra iced him out. That was over three weeks ago and he hadn't seen Glenn since. He'd hoped that with school starting again Zandra would let it go but when that girl got angry...

"Forget Glenn." Lex spat. "She's not worth it.

Ryan didn't respond though he thoroughly disagreed with that statement. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for the affections of that girl.

(For those of you who've seen it, I deliberately paid homage to the movie "Go")