The Dealer

  “So,” Junior said, “which babes are us three studs gonna snap up tonight?”

  Del looked at his watch. “None. I’m off to work once I’ve drunk this.”

  Del always had money and James thought it probably came from delivering drugs. He straightened up in his seat, sensing an opportunity to get information, but trying not to make it obvious he was prying.

  “Work?” he asked. “At this time of night?”

  Junior burst out laughing. “Ah . . . The voice of innocence.”

  “I work for KMG,” Del said.

  “KM what?” James said.

  “Keith Moore’s Gang,” Del explained. “I deliver coke for Junior’s daddy.”

  “Who wants Coke at this time on a Friday?”

  “Not Coca-Cola, you wazzock,” Junior said. “Cocaine.”

  James acted like he was surprised. “Cocaine? Isn’t that seriously illegal? You told me your dad was in import export.”

  “He is,” Junior said. “Imports drugs, exports cash.”

  “Hell.” James grinned. “No wonder he’s so loaded.”

  Del went into his backpack. He pulled out a small polythene bag filled with white powder.

  “Cocaine,” he explained.

  James grinned as he took the packet and inspected it.

  “Don’t let everyone see it, you moron,” Del gasped, knocking James’s hand out of the air.

  “Sorry,” James said. “So how much is this?”

  “One gram in every bag. They give me ten grams at a time, then they ring me on my mobile and tell me where and when to deliver it.”

  “How much do you make?”

  “Fifteen per cent,” Del said. “This is sixty a gram, so I get nine quid. If I work Friday and Saturday evenings, I can easily make a hundred quid. Sometimes though, like at Christmas, you get people loading up for office parties and stuff. I had this one guy who lived two streets away from me. He was buying ten grams at a time. Ninety quid for a ten-minute bike ride. It was beautiful.”

  “Do you blow all the money?”

  Del shook his head. “I used to, but you end up wasting it on junk. Now I only spend twenty pounds a week. I stick the rest in my savings account and when I’m eighteen, I’m gonna buy a ticket and go off backpacking.”

  James looked at Junior. “So how come you’re always broke?”

  Del burst out laughing. “This baby’s not allowed to go anywhere near drugs.”

  Junior explained miserably. “My dad’s paranoid that he’ll get arrested. If I get caught with drugs, it gives the police an excuse to question Dad and search our house.”

  “That’s a shame,” James said.

  “Tell me about it,” Junior said bitterly. “My dad’s a millionaire and half my mates are making a packet selling coke. What have I got? Holes in my jeans and supermarket-brand football boots.”

  “Can’t you do it on the sly?” James asked.

  “Won’t happen,” Junior said. “The word is out. Anyone who gets me or Ringo involved in the drug business will be in serious trouble if my dad cops them.”

  “So you’re stuffed,” James laughed. “You reckon there’s any chance I can get in on this delivery lark?”

  Del shrugged. “I’ll go upstairs and have a word with Kelvin if you like. I don’t know if he needs anyone right now, but I can try and get him to set you up with a few bags of coke and your own phone.”

  “I’ve already got a mobile,” James said.

  Del shook his head. “You have to use the phone they give you, so the police can’t trace it.”

  “But there’s definitely a chance?”

  “I haven’t got a clue,” Del said. “All I can do is put a word in.”

  “Thanks,” James said.

  Del stood up. “Anyway, I’ve got a nine o’clock delivery, so I better dive home and pick up my bike. I’ll see you two hard-up losers at school on Monday.”

  James smiled. “Yeah, see you.”

  “I’ll be thinking about you sweating away on your bike in a couple of hours,” Junior said. “When I’ve got my hand up some girl’s shirt.”

  “In your dreams, Junior,” Del shouted as he walked towards the exit.

  James shook his head, grinning in false disbelief. “I can’t believe your dad is a drug dealer.”

  “Who cares?” Junior said. “Do you want to try and get off with someone?”

  They both glanced around.

  “Look at that bird sitting by the Coke machine,” Junior gasped. “I’ve not seen her here before.”

  James turned around. He’d guessed it was Nicole before he even saw her.

  “She’s reserved for me,” he said. “That’s my stepsister.”

  “You can’t get off with your sister, you pervert.”

  “Stepsister,” James said. “We’re not blood relatives. Why don’t you go for the one sitting next to her? She looks like a right dog.”

  “That’s my twin, you cheeky git,” Junior said. “And you better not call April a dog again, unless you want a slap.”

  April had her hair done differently from the surveillance photos. James hadn’t recognized her.

  “I tell you who else is good looking,” Junior said. “Pity she’s already with someone.”

  “Who?” James asked.

  “At the table behind our sisters. That Chinese-looking girl, with long black hair. She’s well tasty.”

  James peered over. All he could see was the back of the girl’s head. Then she turned and he saw her in profile.

  “That’s my other stepsister,” James gasped. “That’s Kerry. Who’s that she’s with?”

  “Dinesh Singh. He lives up my road. His dad runs a firm that makes those microwave meals for supermarkets. So, you want to go over?” Junior asked. “I’ll go for Nicole and you can have a run at April. She’s not too picky, to be honest with you, so even you might stand a chance.”

  “Jesus,” James said, feeling like his head was going to burst with jealousy. “Dinesh just put his arm around her.”

  “What’s the problem? Do you fancy all your sisters, or something?”

  “It’s just, Kerry’s really young.”

  “How old is she?” Junior asked.

  “Twelve.”

  Junior burst out laughing. “We’re twelve.”

  “Yeah,” James said. “But we’re in Year Eight, she’s only a Year Seven.”

  “If you ask me,” Junior said, “it’s none of your business what your stepsister is up to. But if it makes you feel better, Dinesh is a weed. Just go over there and slap him one.”

  “I’ve a good mind to,” James said.

  This was a total lie. Kerry would break him into fifty million pieces if he even thought about it.

  “Anyway,” Junior said, “I’m not sitting here all night. Are you gonna ask April out or not?”

  “You go,” James shrugged. “I’m not in the mood.”

  April Moore was OK-looking and being friendly with her would be good for the mission, but James couldn’t get Kerry out of his head.

  Junior pulled up a chair next to Nicole and started chatting her up. James sat by himself and kept glancing over to see what Kerry was up to with Dinesh. He realized he couldn’t sit on his own all night being jealous of Dinesh and decided to go across to April, but company arrived before he got a chance.

  It was Kelvin and Marcus, the two coaches he’d seen at boxing club. They were both over six feet tall and solid muscle. They sat either side of James, squashing him even though there was plenty of room.

  “I’m Kelvin,” the black one said. He pulled a mobile phone out of his pocket and stuck it on the table. “Del tells me you’re interested in doing deliveries.”

  James nodded. “I could do with the cash.”

  “Del said you’re a solid kid,” Kelvin continued. “What you gonna say if the cops pick you up for holding drugs?”

  “Nothing, of course.”

  Kelvin nodded. “That’s right. You don’t know us, y
ou ain’t never seen us. Tell ’em you found the drugs in a bush and stick to that story no matter how they try to mess with you. You know what happens if you grass us up?”

  “I get beaten up?”

  “Cut up, more likely,” Kelvin said. “And that’s just for starters. They’ll send people round your house and start on your family. Smash the furniture, batter your mum and dad. Del said you have two sisters, they won’t look so pretty after we finish with them. So you better understand, James, even if there’s some massive cop threatening to lock you up and throw away the key, you better keep your trap shut.”

  “Don’t worry,” James said. “I’m no grass.”

  “You got a good bike?”

  “It’s pretty crap actually.”

  “Good,” Kelvin said. “You don’t want nothing fancy or you’ll get mugged. How cool are your parents about you being out late?”

  “It’s OK until about half-ten.”

  “Marcus, set the kid up with three bags. I think we’ll give him a trial run.”

  Marcus got three bags of cocaine out of his tracksuit.

  “I want you on call school nights,” Kelvin said. “Monday through Thursday. That means you keep your phone switched on and you’re always ready to go. We don’t want to hear that you’re grounded, or you’re busy doing something. Whenever they call, you jump to it.”

  “Can’t I do weekends?” James asked. “Del reckons that’s when you make the real money.”

  “Everyone starts at the bottom with weekday deliveries and no regular customers. The powers that be will see how you do. If you’re reliable and you deliver fast, you get moved on to better paid work. Questions?”

  “I’ve only got three bags of coke, how do I get more?” James asked.

  “There’s people at your school. We’ll arrange for you to meet up with them when you need to.”

  “What if someone tries to rob me or something?” James asked.

  “If you lose the stuff or get mugged, that’s your problem and you owe us for what you lost. If the customer tries any funny business, don’t sweat it. Give the customer what they want and some of our muscle will show them the error of their ways.”

  Kelvin and his silent pal got up from the table.

  “One last thing,” Kelvin said. “If you’re out late, you’ll get hassled sooner or later. Never carry more coke than you need to. A lot of kids carry knives, but if you ask me, you’re safer throwing the stuff on the ground and legging it.”

  Chapter 11

  KITCHEN

  James ended up walking home from the youth club with Nicole. He didn’t feel too good: a mix of nerves about his delivery job and seeing Kerry with Dinesh. They ended up in the kitchen, drinking glasses of milk. Zara and Ewart were already in bed.

  “Did Kerry say anything to you about this Indian guy?” James asked.

  Nicole grinned. “Jealous, are we, James?”

  “No. It’s just we’re good friends and I like to look out for her.”

  “Can you smell something?” Nicole asked.

  “No,” James said, looking at the bottom of his trainers.

  “I can,” Nicole sniffed. “You know what it is?”

  “What?”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Very funny, Nicole.”

  “James, you totally fancy Kerry,” Nicole said. “Why don’t you just admit it and ask her out?”

  “Give us a break, we’re just friends. How did you get on with Junior?”

  “He’s not bad-looking,” Nicole said. “But the kid could seriously use some mouthwash.”

  James laughed.

  “So,” Nicole said, “if you’re not as keen on Kerry as everyone says, what do you think of me?”

  James looked uneasy. “You’re a nice person, Nicole.”

  “That wasn’t what I asked.”

  “Well . . .” James squirmed. “Actually, yeah . . . You’ve got a nice body and that.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” Nicole said, leaning against the kitchen cabinet. “Come over here.”

  “Why?” James asked.

  “Kiss us.”

  James laughed. He leaned in and pecked Nicole on the cheek.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” Nicole asked.

  The second time James moved in, Nicole wrapped her arms around his back and they started snogging.

  The door clicked open and they burst apart. James crashed into the kitchen table as Kerry stepped into the room.

  “Hello, hello,” Kerry grinned. “Did I break something up?”

  “No,” James gasped. “It’s nothing. We’re just drinking some milk before we go up to bed. You want some?”

  “Cheers,” Kerry said.

  James got a glass off the draining board and poured out some milk.

  “Anyway,” he said, stretching into a yawn. “It’s gone eleven. I might as well go up to bed.”

  Kerry called him back.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You better wash the lipstick off your face,” she said. “Unless you want it all over your pillowcase.”

  James walked up the stairs in a confused state. He fancied Nicole, but he didn’t like Kerry knowing about it.

  Kyle was in the top bunk when James got to their room.

  “Some party animal you are,” James said. “Home before eleven.”

  “Put the light on if you want,” Kyle said, sitting up in bed. “I’m not tired. It was a decent party, but one of the neighbors complained and the cops came and broke it up. How was boxing?”

  James explained about everything that had happened. He tried to make it sound matter of fact, but the Kerry and Dinesh thing was getting to him and he blurted out something he’d never admitted to anyone.

  “Kerry kind of . . . Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about her. She’s really, I mean . . . She’s not stunning . . . Not the sexiest girl in the world or anything, but there’s something about her that goes through me like a big warm whoosh.”

  “You’ve got to ask her out,” Kyle said.

  “But I want her to carry on being my mate. What if we end up rowing and hating each other?”

  “You’ve got to risk it,” Kyle said.

  “What if she doesn’t even want to go out with me?”

  “Look,” Kyle said firmly. “You just got off with Nicole, so you should be excited about that; but all you’re talking about is Kerry, Kerry, Kerry.”

  “What do I say to her?”

  “Try the truth,” Kyle said. “Tell Kerry how much you like her and then it’s up to her.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” James said. “I’ll say something to her first chance I get. I mean, you never know, it might even work out between us.”

  “That’s right,” Kyle said.

  James clicked out the light and climbed under his duvet.

  “Kyle, what I don’t get is: How come I’m taking all this advice off you when I’ve never seen you with a girl?”

  “I’ve never had a girlfriend,” Kyle said.

  James was surprised by the honesty. He’d expected Kyle to be defensive.

  “Seriously?” James asked.

  “Yep,” Kyle said.

  “But there’s loads of girls at campus. I’m sure I could fix you up with one.”

  “I don’t want a girlfriend,” Kyle said.

  “What?” James asked. “Did a girl hurt you really badly or something? Is it like one of those romantic films my mum used to watch?”

  “No, James. I don’t like girls.”

  “What, you mean you only like old birds? Like, in their twenties or something?”

  Kyle laughed. “No. I like boys.”

  James shot up off his mattress. “Piss off you do.”

  “James, I’m gay.”

  “No bloody way,” James said. “This is another Kyle wind-up.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go shouting it off to the whole world, but you were honest with me about Kerry, so there you go. It’s the
truth, whether you want to believe it or not.”

  “Wow,” James said. “Do you swear that you’re gay, on your life?”

  “Yes,” Kyle said.

  “Wow,” James said.

  He felt like his head was going to explode. He already had too much going on in there, with Kerry and Nicole and the drug dealing.

  “Who else knows?”

  “I’ve told a few people,” Kyle said.

  “I can’t believe it,” James gasped. “You don’t seem anything like a poof.”

  “Actually, I’d prefer it if you didn’t call me that.”

  “Oh, right . . . Sorry.”

  • • •

  James lay awake the whole night, listening to the airplanes rumbling over the house. He got up with the sun, had a shower, got a bowl of Shreddies and made himself tea. When the newspaper dropped through the letterbox, he read the sports page at the kitchen table, but it was like the words were going through his eyes and bouncing straight off his brain. All he could think about was Kerry with Dinesh and Kyle being gay.

  Kerry and Nicole came downstairs. James didn’t like that they were together; it made his paranoid side imagine that the two of them were working together and scheming against him.

  “I’m making bacon sarnies,” Nicole said. “You want one, James?”

  “Mmm,” James said. “Cheers.”

  Kerry sat on the opposite side of the table and poured orange juice. Kyle had asked him not to tell people he was gay, but James was practically bursting. He had to tell someone. It felt too big to keep locked up.

  “I spoke to Kyle last night,” James said.

  Kerry looked up from the color supplement. “And?”

  “He told me something. It’s totally mind-blowing, but you can’t spread it around.”

  “Whatever,” Kerry said. “Spill the beans.”

  “Kyle told me he’s gay.”

  Kerry smiled a bit. “Well duh. Of course Kyle’s gay.”

  Nicole looked away from the spattering bacon. “It took you this long to work out Kyle’s gay?” she said.

  “He said he’d only ever told a couple of people.”

  Kerry smiled. “You must have at least suspected.”