Thinking to myself, I love this feeling tequila, ecstasy, and weed mixed. Oh baby, I have the confidence I've always wanted. Hey, it's time. Crystal, let me use your phone? Oh shit, are you ready to call this mysterious drug dealer? said Crystal after getting the whole rundown.
Hell yeah, I'm ready, I said while holding the list we made with everything we needed to do to become the best drug dealers in our area, and the first on the list was to call Big Marco. As I dialed his number and it started to ring, all I could picture was the eviction note, making me angry inside.
Fueled by a surge of confidence brought on by the ecstasy coursing through my veins, he answered with a disguised voice, demanding to know who was calling and what we wanted. "It's me, Karma," I replied tentatively. He then paused, struggling to recall her until I mentioned the number he had wrote on my hand in the alley. Recognition dawned, and he started to laugh. Oh, this is thick chocolate. "Babygirl," teasingly, but knew who I was. With determination and urgency, I replied affirmatively, "Yes, we're ready," a hint of curiosity lacing his words as he asked, "Who is 'we'?" I didn't hesitate at all. Me and my friend Crystal.
There was a moment of silence, the distant sounds of the city echoing faintly in the background before his voice softened slightly. "Okay, Babygirl, meet me downtown on 17th Street with $225 cash and call me and I'll show you step by step." He disconnected from the call without saying anything else.
Looking at Crystal, my mind buzzing with excitement and adrenaline. Okay, I haven't been working, so next paycheck in one week I'll have the 225. Next paycheck? Hoe! I got 300 dollars right now. We locked eyes with determination. I smiled and nodded. "Let's go." "We have money to make," said Crystal as she pulled the 300 dollars from an all black goth styled piggy bank shaped like a boot from her closet and counted out 225 dollars.
Excited with jittery and big eyes from all the drugs we had consumed, we hopped on the trolley heading downtown. The weather was beautiful, with palm trees swaying in a cool breeze. It just felt like a great day. Once we arrived on 17th Street as instructed, I called. Hey Marco, we're here. Looking around, I knew we were in a whole different territory and saw a completely different world than what we were used to. Half naked women walked the streets, and gangsters stood on every corner, guns in hand.
I turned to Crystal with my voice trembling. "Maybe we shouldn't do this." Crystal cut me off, her tone so firm. "No, maybe we should. Did you forget about the eviction notice? Let's just check it out and see how it goes."
Hesitant, I heard footsteps creeping up behind us, followed by a loud voice shouting, "BOO!" We jumped, scared, and turned around to see Marco laughing. "Damn cuz, y'all ass scary for reals," he teased. I sighed with relief. "Oh, hey Marco. How did you know we were on this end? 17th is a long street." Marco grinned. "I have my ways," he said, staring into my eyes. Crystal interrupted, smiling. "Hi, I'm the best friend, the partner in crime." Marco chuckled. "Nice to meet you, shorty. Do y'all have the money?"
Crystal pulled out the crumpled bills and handed them over. Marco raised an eyebrow. "Damn, you brought all ones. Did this come from a piggy bank?" We exchanged nervous glances and laughed awkwardly. "Um, no, that would be childish," I said, trying to sound confident.
"Follow me," Marco said, leading us through an alley and into a backyard of what appeared to be an abandoned house. We followed him inside, where he motioned for us to sit. "Let me explain how this goes," Marco began, pulling out a round rock sized piece of crack cocaine from a Ziplock bag and handing it to me. "This is what you paid for."
I stared at the rock, confused. "How am I supposed to make money with this?" "Just chill," Marco replied. "This might take a few hours, but no worries, I have free time to teach your baby brains today. Y'all will be pros in no time. By the end of the day, you guys will make back more than you put out."
As Marco taught us the ropes, constant knocks came to the door every 10 to 30 minutes, looking for Marco to buy more product. My eyes stayed glued to the money exchanging hands. Time flew by, and soon it was dark outside. Crystal and I had learned the process and it seemed too easy and we were eager to get out and start making money.
"Do not go out at night," Marco said with caution. "You're two girls with no protection. The streets can get very dangerous, even deadly." Yeah, you're right, we agreed and headed home, determined to return the next day better prepared.
Back at Crystal's house, we stared at the now chopped up bag of crack cocaine, reminding each other of each step they had learned. We couldn't hardly wait for the sun to rise. "We only have two more days off, then it's back to work we go," I said, worried. "Do you think we can make enough to pay off my mom's landlord by the end of the week?" Crystal shrugged. "I hope so. But until then, let's party." She held up an ecstasy pill with a mischievous smile.
I hesitated, debating if it was a good decision but didn't want to lose my confidence. "Sure, why not? We have nothing to do until morning." We both placed our pills on our tongues and swallowed. While waiting for the ecstasy to take effect, I counted out each crack rock in the bag, calculating their potential earnings. "We should make $550, which is more than double our initial investment. It's a good start, even if it's not enough."
Within an hour, the pill kicked in. Everything in the room seemed to move slowly. I looked at Crystal and grinned. "Hey girl, hey." Crystal said, her voice dreamy. "Are you feeling what I'm feeling?" Without responding, both of us burst into laughter. Whenever I took ecstasy, I felt like a different person, strong, confident, and brimming with ideas and unstoppable. My heart began to race.
I turned to Crystal and declared, "Your new name is Cream. Mine is Cookie. Together, we're Cookies and Cream." Crystal laughed hysterically, but I was serious as hell. "We leave tonight. No waiting for morning." "But Marco said it's dangerous," Crystal protested. "I don't care what Marco said," I yelled. "It's time. Get up."
We jumped up and changed into all black outfits that fit the part. As I laced my shoes, I looked at Crystal with determination. "I promise I'll never let anyone hurt us. People have been hurting me my whole life and I'm tired. It's time for the tables to turn." Taking a deep breath, I loved every word coming from my mouth, fueled by the ecstasy's effect. As we stood in the mirror next to one another, we were ready to face whatever the night would bring.
We reached what was called the block at 1 a.m. Crystal felt a surge of fear. "Karma, let's just go back home. It's dark and scary out here, and I don't see anyone." Ignoring her, I sat on the curb with my back against a gate. Crystal reluctantly did the same but continued trying to convince Karma to leave. "Shut up and listen," Karma snapped, silencing Crystal.
We heard footsteps approaching. A tall, skinny man in a beanie and gym shorts approached us. "Are you on?" he asked. Swallowing my nerves, I replied, "Yeah, I'm on. What do you want?" "100 worth," he said. Crystal took out five rocks and passed them to the man while Karma collected the money. He walked off, leaving both girls breathing heavily and staring at each other in shock.
Within minutes, a woman approached, requesting the same. This pattern continued for the next 30 minutes. Eventually, Crystal pulled out the bag and found it empty. I felt my pocket, which was now full of cash. Both of us got up and ran back to Crystal's home, our hearts pounding with excitement. When they counted the money, it totaled $555, all made in under an hour.
To celebrate, Crystal brought in two shots of vodka. "This is only the beginning. I hope you get every dollar you need to pay off the eviction." Tears welled up in my eyes, looking at Crystal with overwhelming gratitude. I then grabbed her and kissed her with deep affection. Crystal, not resisting the moment, grabbed my body closer. We began to take each other's clothes off, exploring each inch of our bodies with passion. We spent the rest of the morning together intimately, falling asleep in each other's arms as the sun rose.
After four hours of sleep, I woke up and looked at Crystal in shock, realizing what had happened between us. "I'm going to find Marco so I can re up," she said. Crystal quickly replied, "I'm coming with you." We headed straight to the abandoned house where we found Marco. "Hey, Big Marco, we need more," I said with a proud tone.
Marco, taken aback, clapped slowly. "Congratulations. You hustled that fast, even on a slow morning." Neither girl responded, their faces a mix of guilt and defiance. Marco had explicitly warned them about the dangers of going out at night, yet they had ignored his advice and ventured out anyway. Marco sighed deeply, frustration evident in his voice as he continued. "All right, let me get you another bag." "No, we want two bags this time," I insisted.
Marco looked at us, surprised. "Okay, two it is. Just stay safe, and remember, not at night." He handed me two bags. I passed the bags to Crystal. "Go home and stash these somewhere safe. I need to check on my family." We then went our separate ways. Crystal leaned in to kiss me, and with Marco watching, I turned my cheek to her. Crystal said, "Oh, I get it, this is just in private, huh," smacked her lips and walked away angry.
Marco looked at me and said, "Damn, babygirl, I didn't know y'all was bumping coochies." I gave him the death stare and started walking home.