The drugs Jackson had found on their bedroom floor the previous evening had been playing on Jackson's mind all day. He was trying his best not to think too much about them as he knew it would only make him worry more and dig himself further into a state about them. He hoped- no he knew, Aaron wouldn't touch drugs, he was far too sensible to even consider doing them. He had a past with them yeah, but that was all the more reason why Aaron didn't want to ever touch them. He knew what they did to people, Aaron had seen if for himself how the drugs worked with the chemicals in the brain and turned them into 'deadheads'. Aaron hated them. But it still didn't explain how he came across to find them in their bedroom. He couldn't think of a valid reason why there would be illegal drugs on their carpet. All he kept thinking about was what Aaron had been through, how much stress he was under. It could have all messed with his head. No. He couldn't think that Aaron would. . .
"Are you alright?" Hazel asked Jackson as they sat a table in The Woolpack that evening.
"Yeah, fine." Jackson lied, he was going to trouble her with his worries.
"I don't believe you one bit." Hazel told him as she took a drink from her white wine. "Go on tell me. A problem shared and all that."
"Honestly, it's nothing." Jackson explained to her, hoping she wouldn't push for me. "It'll sort itself out in a few days."
"As long as it does. . ." Hazel sighed. "So when are Aaron and Paddy joining us?" Hazel asked changing the subject.
"I'm not sure. Chas is trying to persuade him to go back to the solicitors." Jackson told her with a sigh. He'd been trying to get Aaron to go back for a week now. The teen had been adamant that he wasn't going back there ever again. He had been reluctant to start with but when Harrison began to scratch the surface he'd stormed out and refused to go back in. Little did Aaron realize, that what Harrison had been doing, was helping him prepare for the court case in front of them. They had a far stretch to cover before they were prepared as yet and if Aaron never went back to Harrison's office again then they would never be prepared. They'd be going in blind. Somehow Aaron couldn't see that. He just closed himself off and refused to go back.
"Do you think she's having much luck?" Hazel scoffed.
Jackson shook his head as he swallowed his pint. "I doubt it." He answered. "But she can try."
"Speak of the devil." Hazel commented as Chas walked through the doors to the bar. The dark haired woman didn't look very happy, not one bit.
"I take it you had no luck." Jackson said to Chas as she approached them.
"No, I didn't. The stupid little idiot is still refusing to go. Why can't he see that it will help him?" Chas sighed exasperated. "I'm at my wits end with that boy! It's one thing after another."
"He'll come round in the end." Hazel assured the stressed mother.
"I hope so. If not I won't hesitate to follow through with my threat." Chas told them.
"And what was that?" Jackson asked a little curious. He knew the Dingles could be imaginative when it came to threats.
"I told him that if he didn't pull his act together and go to the solicitors tomorrow morning, then I would drag him there with Cain and Zak if need be and sit with him throughout the session." Chas explained to him, leaving no suggestion she was kidding.
"Warn me not to get on your wrong side." Hazel joked.
"Trust me, if he didn't have a broken leg, I would drag him there with brutal force." Chas said with no amusement.
"Drink anyone?" Jackson asked as he stood up to go to the bar.
Aaron and Paddy joined them half an hour later and the teen didn't look too pleased. As soon as he arrived the two of them moved over to another table in the corner, leaving Paddy, Hazel and Chas with their drinks at a table by the door. For the first twenty minutes, they sat there quietly. Aaron being in a mood, most probably because he and his mum had words earlier wasn't great company for Jackson. The teen sat opposite him drinking his coke and staring off around the bar. It wasn't until a few conversation attempts from Jackson did he start to talk.
"So what did your mum say earlier?" Jackson asked, he knew. He just wanted to know what Aaron was thinking.
The younger man shrugged his shoulders as she stared down at his drink on the table. "Nothing."
"Oh." Jackson said. "'Cause I heard she was trying to get you to go back to Harrison."
Wrong move.
"Can everyone just get off my case about that!" Aaron snapped at him. "You've been going on about it all week. I've already had it off Paddy and my mum earlier, I don't want you starting on it as well!"
"Alright, calm down." Jackson told him. He didn't want to fight.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm headcase aren't I?" Aaron smirked taking another sip of his drink.
"I didn't mean it like that?" Jackson sighed.
"Really? Everyone else thinks the same." Aaron sneered at him.
Why was he turning so nasty for?
"Aaron. . ."
"I'm going home." Aaron said leaving his half finished drink on the table and walking out of the pub with his crutches.
"Fine, see you later." Jackson muttered to himself as Aaron walked out.
He didn't get very far on his way back to Smithy. Aaron caught Holly talking to her friend, Roz, by the phone box on the way back home. They were standing rather close together and whispering stuff to one other, shooting suspicious glances towards the village like they were scared to find somebody watching them. Anybody would have passed it off as the two of them gossiping about some Drama going on at college or something along those lines but Aaron knew differently. Roz supplied Holly with drugs. They were too consumed in their conversation to notice Aaron sneak up behind them. He snatched the bag from Roz's grip and turned it over in his hands.
"Powder. Classy." Aaron sneered as he recognized the small amount of white powdered drug in the clear bag.
"Give it back Aaron." Holly hissed as she snatched it back form his grasp.
"Do you really want to turn into a 'deadhead'." Aaron growled at Holly, ignoring Roz. He would deal with her later. No one would be dealing drugs to Holly.
"It's got nothing to do with you, so keep out!" Holly snapped at him serving him a deathly glare.
"It does, especially when it concerns my best mate's sister." Aaron barked equaling her glare.
"Well, what I do. . ."
Little did they know they were all being watched further down the street by Jackson, who had followed Aaron out of The Woolpack a few minutes later after Paddy had talked him round to chasing after Aaron and making him see sense. If he would listen to anyone it would have been either of the two men. But it had come to Jackson to perform. He'd spotted Aaron at the top of the village sharing harsh words with Holly whilst a friend stood by quietly. He needed to know what really was being said so he headed over to them.
". . . You make me sick!" Holly screamed at Aaron. "Like your one to talk. Just take a look at yourself Aaron."
Ouch. Holly really was spitting Venom.
"What's going on?" Jackson asked straight away, before anything else spiteful was said.
"Nothing." Holly said quickly glaring at Aaron. It wasn't the first time Jackson had interrupted the two fighting. How many times had they argued lately?
"Well something is." Jackson stated.
"Nothing, alright!" Aaron snapped. He still wasn't sure whether telling Jackson was good idea. The older man would most probably know what to do about the situation. But he couldn't burden him with more problems that weren't his own. He was Holly's mate, he could help her surely.
"Just stay out of my way." Holly threatened Aaron before her and Roz headed for the bus shelter.
Aaron glared at her as she walked away, before remembering where he was heading to himself. Jackson followed the teen back to Smithy cottage and was about to walk through the door after him when a thought appeared in his head.
"Be back in a minute." Jackson told him, heading back down the path. "I've forgotten to do something."
"Whatever." He heard half heartedly called after him.
He headed towards the bus shelter. He was going to talk to Holly, get more information from her. Maybe she might know something about the drugs. He was going to mention them but he was going subtly dig for clues. Holly and Aaron had been arguing a lot lately and the drugs had appeared around the time they were. Maybe she did know something about them and that's why she didn't want him around here. He wouldn't want to be friends with a druggie.
"Holly." Jackson called over to her receiving a roll of the eyes. "Could I have a word, please?"
"Sure." Holly huffed, she had no qualms with Jackson. It was Aaron.
"it's about Aaron." Jackson started when they were a safe distance form anybody else who could hear.
"Don't. I don't want to talk about him." Holly sighed. She really didn't like him.
"The thing is I really need to. Has Aaron been acting strange lately?" Jackson asked. "Have you noticed him doing anything un-Aaron like?" He had no idea how to describe it. He was stuck as to what questions to ask to get the answer he was looking for without giving it away.
"What do you mean?" Holly fired back at a loss to what he meant.
"I don't know. Has he been doing anything he doesn't usually? Picked up a new habit?" Jackson hinted. He didn't want to confide in Holly about it but. . .
"Like smoking?" Holly questioned raising any eyebrow. Aaron already smoked and drank. They were the only habits she could think of.
"Not quite." Jackson said wincing.
It took a moment for it to click but Holly's face paled.
He knew she knew what he was going on about. "I found some pills in our bedroom last night." Jackson told her.
Holly looked a little uncomfortable as Jackson explained to her how he found them and his worries and concerns towards Aaron.
"He's a good guy really. . ." Jackson sighed. "Do you think he's dealing or taking them himself?"
"I-I don't know." Holly stumbled.
"He's dealt before he's got past. But somehow I don't think he's dealing them out to other people. He's been through a lot." Jackson told her. He'd been needing to vent his worries to somebody else for a while now and he felt glad to finally get it all off his chest. "What do you think? He wouldn't would he."
Holly shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't going to agree with Jackson. What could she say? They were her drugs, but if she told him that then he wouldn't be too impressed. He would want to know why Aaron had got them and she couldn't explain that because then Jackson would tell her parent.s
"I don't know Holly." Jackson sighed he was mentally exhausted through all the confusion and anxiety.
"I'm sure he isn't." Holly said, trying to assure the older man before her.
"I hope so." Jackson told her. "Anyway thanks for talking to me. Best be getting back before notices I'm gone."
The conversation with Holly just helped his suspicions. They did nothing to help him calm his concerns. He didn't' want Aaron involved in drugs at all but he prayed that Aaron hadn't and wouldn't take drugs ever. They were messy and dangerous and Aaron had all experienced far too much of either of them. Again the same question popped up in his head. Surely Aaron wouldn't touch drugs? He'd have to monitor him closely from now on.
A/N –It's nearly three in the morning and I've stayed up to finish the update just for you guys when I have to get up in a couple of hours. Hope you enjoy it and it was worth the wait. Thank you for such kind feedback I appreciate every single one, it helps guide me further through writing this fanfic, so keep it up thank you! I will try and update my other fics those who have been asking, but I'm just concentrating on this one for now, I'll start to weave in more updates of different fanfics when I learn to balance everything. At the moment it very hectic, chaotic and just basically all over the place.