by Seven Steps
“Are you serious?” Jasmine hissed.
I threw a pair of heels in to my bag. They would make too much noise when I snuck out.
I convinced Jake to pick me up at eleven instead of nine. Daddy is always in bed by ten, so that gave me plenty of time to get dressed.
I had to go to this party. Up until this point, I’d only seen Jake and Kenny talk to each other, but there was no evidence that Jake was actually the one supplying the drugs. The only lead I had in that regard was Stephanie’s comment about Jake being a supplier but at this point, that was just hearsay. I’d seen Kenny actually handing drugs to people and getting money in return but Kenny was the small fish. I had bigger fish to fry.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell Jasmine all the sordid details of my secret spy mission so I just asked her to sleep over and cover for me while I was at the party. Needless to say, she was less than enthused.
“Bella, this is insane. I don’t feel comfortable doing this.”
I combed on more mascara, my heart pounding with nerves.
There was a second, more selfish reason that I wanted to go to this party. Once Jake was caught, my short time in Popularville would be over. I felt like I hadn’t experienced as much as I should have. The kids at school knew my name now, I was invited to parties and they said hello to me in the hallway. But there had to be something else. I was happy with the attention but it still felt hollow. Empty. There had to be more to it than just greetings, lies and pretty clothes. Some spark, some flash of light that satisfies their hunger for life. There had to be something more than waves and social media friend requests. I hoped that I would discover what that something was tonight.
“Bella, are you listening to me?” Jasmine’s dark, unapproving eyes followed me around the room, her arms crossed over her chest. “This is crazy. You are lying to your father. That’s not the Bella that I know. Jake has changed you into something that you’re not. Into one of them!”
“Would you keep your voice down before my dad hears you,” I hissed, dabbing at my lip gloss. Yes, what I was doing was wrong but Jasmine was being a little melodramatic about it. I wondered if she was jealous that she wasn’t going to the party, too. The thought shocked me. I had never thought about my best friend that way. Maybe Jasmine was right. Maybe I had changed.
“I hope he does hear me. I hope that he comes in here and talks some sense into you.”
I went to sit next to her on the bed and slid on a smile. The same charming smile that Jake used when he wanted me to do something. I watched my friend’s face soften and a little piece of my heart froze and broke off.
“Jasmine, please. I am asking you as a friend.”
“I just don’t understand why you are doing this. It’s not because you like Jake because I can tell that you don’t. I see the way you two look at each other. There is nothing there. So why?”
I stood and pretended to fix my dress, avoiding the eyes that saw my truth clearer than I ever did.
“He’s my boyfriend,” I said. “I’m trying to make him happy.”
“You’re lying.”
I sighed.
“Look. The why is not important.”
“It’s important to me.”
I threw my head back. My shoulders sagged with the heavy secrets that they carried. Ariel. Drugs. Popularity. Mel. Jake. Cole. I wanted to tell Jasmine everything. Every sordid detail. But I couldn’t risk the secrets getting out. And more importantly, once Jasmine found out what I did, there was a huge possibility that she would never talk to me again. It was selfish of me but I wanted to hold on to our friendship for as long as I could before everything was exposed and my life turned to crap.
So I stood, grabbed my purse and opened my room door.
“I’ll be back before sunrise.”
Somehow, I knew that she wouldn’t be here when I got back.
I had to risk that, too.
47
Breathless, I climbed in to Jake’s car and strapped myself in.
“Where’s the fire?” he asked, pulling the car out on to the busy New York City streets.
“Oh. You mean that fire that is sure to rain down upon me if my dad ever finds out that I’m sneaking out?” I mumbled.
“Relax, babe. Tonight, all your geeky dreams come true. You wanted to see how the other half lived, well here is your chance. No one throws parties like Bree.”
“Bree?”
His phone rang, stopping our conversation. It suddenly occurred to me that Jake and I didn’t really have conversations. He gave me orders and I followed them. Like I was one of his foot soldiers or something. I sat back and crossed my arms.
I wouldn’t be a foot soldier for long. Once I got some hard evidence, Jake Winsted or whoever he was, was going down.
Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone that I’d never seen before. Jake’s regular phone case had a picture of him and Dana at a candlelight dinner. They were gazing in to each other’s eyes, looking really happy and full of hope. When I saw that case, it reminded me that Jake did have a heart. Dana.
I examined this new and different phone case. It was black and scratched up. Why had I never seen it before?
Jake glanced at me, then put his eyes firmly back on the road.
“I can’t talk. What is it?”
I frowned and looked down, pretending to smooth my skirt. My heartbeat picked up. Was this one of Jake’s drug deals? Was this the evidence that I’d been looking for?
I strained to hear what the person on the other line was saying but the loudness of Jake’s sports car—a red Dodge Charger with a hemi engine—drowned out any other sounds. I’d never known someone who changed cars like they changed clothes. It really put my dad’s gold sedan to shame. Then again, my dad wasn’t a drug dealer like Jake was. Or Jake’s father, for that matter.
“Whatever. Just don’t take too long.”
Jake pressed the end button on the phone and stuffed it in to his pants pocket.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
A smile passed across his lips. I’d come to know this as the shut up and mind your business smile that Jake gave me when I asked too many questions.
“Everything’s fine. We’re making a stop.”
“At the warehouse again?” I asked.
Jake blinked, then looked at me, his brows furrowing.
“We seem to stop there a lot,” I said, my nerves taunt. I wanted information. I needed information. “What do they put in your trunk?”
He bit the inside of his cheek and let out a breath.
“I am going to tell you this one time. You never saw a warehouse. If I find out that you ever told anyone about anything you saw while in one of my cars, you are going to be sorry.”
My stomach clenched.
“Are you threatening me, Jake?”
“I am promising you.” His voice was low, lethal, like a razor’s edge. “What we do in this car is private. Anything you see or hear never happened, you got it?”
I nodded, not wanting to push Jake too far.
“Yeah, Jake. I got it.”
He peered at me, trying to determine my truthfulness but it was dark and I kept my face smooth enough to not arouse suspicion. Frustrated, he pulled in to a spot in front of Kenny’s building.
Kenny hopped in, all jittering arms and legs. He sniffed, like he was fighting a cold or something.
“Hey, Kenny,” I said.
“Hey.”
I swallowed.
“So, you and Mel, huh?”
It surprised me how strong my voice was. How easily I prodded for information without breaking down.
“What?”
“You and Mel. I saw you two at the Stamford Club the other night. You left together.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I looked in to the rearview mirror. Kenny was wiping his nose with the back of his hands, his eyes darting around the car.
“You were with Mel when she overdosed, weren’t you?”
/>
“What are you? A cop?”
“No. Just a friend.”
“Mel didn’t have friends.”
“Besides you?”
Kenny glared at me in the mirror.
“I didn’t do nothing to her that she didn’t want me to do.”
“I’ll bet you didn’t.”
“Enough with the cross examination,” Jake said. “Everyone just relax.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” I heard Kenny’s back slam in to his seat. The car fell into silence, except for Kenny’s nervous twitches.
We cut across town, back to the docks and the warehouse that Jake frequented. The warehouse that I wasn’t supposed to see, though he’d brought me to it three times already. I guess he thought that his threats were enough to keep me quiet. Little did he know that I was going to be singing like a bird soon.
Jake cut the engine and the roaring car quieted.
Unlike the other two times, this time the trunk didn’t open and close right away, giving me a chance to look around. Most of the lights were either out or turned off, bathing the dock behind me in a tangerine colored darkness. The moon was high, spilling its light over the water. I heard its soft waves lapping against the wooden dock.
Desperate for something, anything that could identify this place, I carefully examined my surroundings. It all looked the same as the other times. Dark, rusted walls. Water behind me.
Water.
I looked through the rearview mirror, scanning the water. That was when I saw it.
A blue octagon with white letters that read Pier 19. Or was it twenty-nine? It was dark and the moon was playing games with my vision. Was that a one or a two? I was almost positive it was a one. But if I squinted, the one looked like a two and the nine looked like a zero. Was it pier twenty?
Kenny caught my eye in the rearview mirror and I quickly dropped my gaze to my shoes.
Pier nineteen, twenty-nine or twenty. I am near pier nineteen, twenty-nine or twenty.
Two burly shadows passed my window and I looked up again.
One of them was carrying a glittering silver box, gift wrapped with a bow.
“Here we go,” Jake said.
He pushed his push button starter and the engine roared back to life. The trunk popped open and the car rocked as the men dropped their package inside. The trunk slammed shut and they banged twice on it. Then, we took off at a desperate pace away from the docks.
48
Jake told me to wait by the steps while he and Kenny met by the taxi’s trunk. I obeyed, standing in front of the biggest house that I had ever seen. No. Not house. A mansion. A castle on the water, complete with columns, a doorman in a black suit and stained-glass windows. We had to take a water taxi to get here then a cab the rest of the way. I’d never taken a water taxi before but the way that it sliced through the water made my heart race with excitement.
I’d have to take Ariel up on one of her boat trips one day.
I took in a shallow breath and closed my eyes. For a few minutes, I was Cinderella climbing the steps to the ball. Would my prince be inside, waiting for me? Would I escape, shoeless and filled with wonder at the visions that I’d seen?
The yellow cab’s trunk closed, shattering my illusions.
Jake was zipping up Kenny’s too full bag. Once the book bag was secured, he picked up the silver present box and joined me on the steps. I watched the cab pull away, leaving us stranded here.
“Let’s go.”
We walked through the gold-plated doors and stepped inside. White and gold marble floors greeted me. Loud music played from somewhere. A large, pearl-colored staircase led up to a lit second floor.
It was like a fairy tale. I’d never seen a house so beautiful. Maybe in movies, but not in real life. I half expected everyone to be dressed in ball gowns instead of slinky, sequined dresses that weren’t at all appropriate for the cold fall weather.
Kenny, still with his book bag, walked ahead of us, looking anxious to get somewhere. Kenny always looked anxious, though. He was in such a rush that he tripped and his ever-present bookbag came off his shoulders and burst open when it hit the ground. Little, clear bags of white powder and colorful pills scattered across the floor, turning yellow beneath the lights.
Drugs. I had seen it with my own eyes. Kenny was carrying drugs. I reached into my purse and snapped a quick picture of the book bag with my phone.
“Kenny, you idiot!” Jake roared. “Pick it up and meet me at John’s. And don’t lose anything.”
He put his hand to my back and led me forward, deeper in to the house.
“Was that-”
“Keep your mouth shut. Keep walking.”
I had gotten my first piece of evidence. Up until this point, I’d only seen Jake go to the warehouse and men in dark clothes loading things in to his trunk. I had nothing on him. But he filled Kenny’s bag. He knew what was inside. There was no doubt about it now. Jake was supplying Kenny with the drugs that he distributed to the school.
Fear and excitement shot through me. If Jake knew what I had just done, my body would be in the river. I was sure of it. I had to tell Detective Harding as soon as possible.
We walked beneath an archway and past a super-long food table that smelled like heaven. I wanted to stop but Jake was a man on a mission. I hoped that I could find the food again later. We passed under another arch, walked down a hallway and then through a huge set of double doors.
This was where the real party was.
The Olympic-sized swimming pool was filled with bodies of what looked to be bikini clad super models even in the chilly, mid-November temperatures. I looked closer and saw steam rising from the water. Was it heated? I didn’t know that you could heat a swimming pool this big. I wanted to dip my toe in but Jake continued on his march.
Ahead, a DJ booth was built onto a platform above the pool. Leaning against the platform stood a girl that I’d seen in the newspapers before. She was Breena ‘Bree’ Labado, one of the twin daughters of the mayor of New York. She was what they called a socialite. A fancy way of saying a party girl. Her long black hair was pulled up, her body clad in a red bikini top and a see through, floor length skirt. She looked up at the booth impatiently.
“Bree!” Jake called.
The girl looked around for a moment before her eyes landed on us. She smiled and opened her arms, waiting for Jake to fall into them. He did so without the slightest hesitation.
“Jake, it’s so good to see you!”
“You, too.” Jake took both her hands in his and took a step back to admire her body. “You look great.”
Bree cheeks pinkened with the flattery.
“So I’m told.”
Jake stepped aside, revealing me.
“This is Bella French, my new girlfriend.”
Bree held out her hand to shake mine.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bella,” she said.
We shook hands. Hers were impossibly soft, like she’d never washed a dish a day in her life. I’m sure that mine felt leather tough to her.
“You, too.”
“We should go on vacation sometime,” she said. “Daddy just bought an island off the coast of Jamaica. It’s small but it’s private. Maybe the beginning of next year?”
I nodded dumbly. I’d never been to an island, a coast or Jamaica. Whatever she was planning, I was sure that I could never afford it. But to save face, I lied.
“Sure. I’ll talk to my dad.”
“Awesome. What does your Dad do?”
I cleared my throat.
“He’s a stable manager.”
For the first time in my life, I was embarrassed by my lack of money. I thought that was a thing that only shallow people did until about five seconds ago.
“Is that like a hedge fund manager?” she asked.
There was no use explaining my real-life story to her. Especially since I was not planning on seeing her ever again. I nodded.
“Sure.”
“Awesome
. We definitely should get together.”
Jake looked over Bree’s shoulder.
“Would you ladies excuse me?” he asked. He jogged up the steps with his silver box to the DJ booth before we could reply.
“So,” Bree said. An awkwardness hung between us. The awkwardness of being stuck with someone that you didn’t know and you were sure you had nothing in common with.
“You and Jake?”
“Yup. Me and Jake.”
“I’m just surprised, I guess. I mean, with Dana being here and all, I don’t want any unpleasant disagreements.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize Dana would be here.” Of course, I realized Dana would be here. If she weren’t, Jake wouldn’t have bothered bringing me.
“Yeah. I’m guessing that the boy on her arm is her rebound guy.” She shrugged. “So it goes, right?”
I smoothed the impending frown from my face.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s been Dana and Jake for such a long time and you’re just so different.”
“Is that a good thing?”
She looked me up and down for a full five seconds before she put a plastic smile on her face.
“Sure.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. Where was Jake? I was ready to be done with the dark-haired Kardashian wannabe.
“Sorry. I’m making this weird,” she said, shaking her head.
I looked up at the DJ booth. The DJ handed Jake a wad of cash, which he promptly shoved in his pocket. Then, the DJ shook Jake’s hand and pulled out his phone. After a couple of seconds, a girl in a silver sequin dress walked up the stairs. She took the box and walked back down the stairs, moving among the crowd like one of those cigarette girls in the old movies.
The teens flocked to her, pulling out bags and waving them in the air like they’d just won a prize.
I gasped, feeling a nervous lump in my throat.
“Looks like the goodies have arrived,” Bree said with a smile. The girl in the sequin dress passed us and Bree reached in, pulling out two bags of white powder. She handed one to me.
“Here. It will help loosen you up.”
I took it from her, examining the contents. The powder was fine, each grain smaller than salt. Bree looked from the pouch to me and smiled, her eyes beckoning me to take it.
