Page 14 of Secondhand Smoke
The eighteen-year-old version of Barrett from two years ago would be so damn impressed he was talking totheJanelle Duncan and keeping it together. The twenty-year-old version of him couldn’t quite believe it either.
He had to focus very, very hard on talking straight and walking straight and looking straight when he heard her walk out behind him.
He’d bet Toni was staring at them with that goofy, knowing smile he got sometimes. Pretty soon, Dennis and Paulie would know too, and they were never going to let him forget it.
Not that he could.
Barrett’s van was nearby, parked on the road across the street. He rounded to the back and unlatched the back door to swing it open. Right now, the spacious area was empty, save for some empty beer cans and Janelle’s bike. On Tuesday, that space would be taken up by Seventh Circle’s instruments when they went to their gig at The Pour House.
He reached in to grab the bike and pulled it out. It bounced as the tires hit the ground, but it was there—intact and exactly as he’d found it. Good thing he hadn’t sold it.
He pushed it to her, and she looked it over for any signs of something wrong. When she found none, she accepted it.
The sides of her lips lifted slightly, barely noticeable. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” He shrugged and swung his arms to release the excess energy and nerves. “You’re lucky you dropped it in front of me. Who knows what kind of creeps could have gotten their hands on something that nice.” He chuckled.
He thought the joke would go over her head—his humor wasn’t for everyone—but after a few seconds, her lips tilted into a small but noticeable smile and she softly laughed.
Barrett bit his lip to hide the grin that was begging to rip through his face.
“Well …” He clapped his hands together. “If you need anything else, feel free to stop by at any time. We have great music here if you’re looking in the right place.”
Janelle said nothing for a second, and he waited for her to turn around and leave, but she just stared at him. He could tell she was thinking about something very hard, struggling to make a decision.
Finally, she spoke. “Actually, there is one more thing I need.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded slowly. “I need drugs.”
Barrett’s anxious fidgeting froze, and his mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I’ll take whatever you have.” She met his eyes with more confidence than before, but her voice was shaky. “I just needsomething. You do that, right?”
Barrett never questioned people when they wanted drugs from him. He relied on it, actually. But Janelle was a little different to him, personally. She’d always been a little different to him.
“I don’t—”
“I’ll pay you double what you normally charge.”
Barrett paused.
Double. He could use double.
“Have you done anything before?”
She hesitated, then shook her head.
Barrett was getting in over his head. “I can’t give it right now.” She opened her mouth to object, but he cut her off. “But if you come by my place later tonight, I’ll get you something. But you have to agree to some conditions.”
“What conditions?”
“You have to stay with me while you do it.”
She narrowed her eyes, untrusting. Who could blame her? He was asking her to come to his place, alone, and do drugs with him.
“Why would I do that?”
