Chapter 7: Mohegan Lake High

Debbie headed down the hill which framed their front yard. There were five kids waiting for the bus when she arrived. Franey and Greg, two of her best friends, who also happen to be a couple, were arguing. She could hear their voices well before she reached the group. It turns out the heated discussion was an ongoing debate between the two. Franey was annoyed with Greg because he canceled plans with her on Sunday to play Atari with JJ Even though JJ and Greg had been best friends since second grade, Franey never took to JJ.

"The guy is a selfish prick," Franey commented to Debbie on more than one occasion. She didn't hate him or anything, but she certainly didn't mind when he wasn't around.

Debbie did not agree. She had been fooling around with JJ for about a year and no one in their group knew. At least not as far as she could tell. If Greg knew, he didn't let on. And if Franey was aware, she would have definitely said something by now. Debbie wanted to be his girlfriend, but JJ said that he didn't like "titles" and that he liked just "hanging out." Debbie could not get enough of JJ when they were together. She loved the smell of his skin and the taste of his lips. When she was with him, her heart never stopped racing. The last thing she wanted was to screw things up, so she did not dare push the idea of going public.

"Hey guys," Debbie interrupted.

Franey smiled at Debbie but kept right on nagging at Greg. Greg responded to her greeting with a head nod and then rolled his eyes when he thought Franey wasn't looking. Debbie smirked and raised her eyebrows in common agreement.

"Seriously Greg. I am sick of your attitude," Franey pouted.

Greg reached into his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and then passed it to Franey. She took a drag and then blew the smoke directly into Greg's face. Greg laughed, grabbed Franey by the arm and kissed her. The argument was officially over.

A few minutes later, the bus came chugging down the road. The Yellowbird came to a squeaking stop, and everyone boarded. The bus driver was a nasty older man named Mr. Hennesey. He looked like he was a hundred and smelled like it too. Mr. Hennesey yelled at everyone to sit down so he could get the bus moving.

Franey and Debbie sat together; Greg plopped down in the seat behind them. The girls chatted about makeup and hair. Debbie went on for about fifteen minutes about her choice of color palettes for the day. Greg closed his eyes and spent the ride to school in silence.

Mohegan Lake High was one of two high schools in the area. Kids either went to MLHS or George Washington High. When Debbie was in middle school, a few of her friends ended up at George Washington. Mohegan Lake High, home of the Water Moccasins, had a bit of a reputation and was often referred to as Cottonmouth High. And since a common name for a water moccasin is a Cottonmouth, people didn't think twice about it. Most of the student's and many of the teacher's knew the truth behind the moniker. There are a ton of potheads at MLHS. Even the jocks smoke pot. It's easy to get and pretty cheap. Small town living doesn't provide much to do for entertainment, especially in the winter.

Last summer, Debbie went with Jenny on a buy. Jen had offered her a ride home that day and suggested they get high before she dropped her off. Debbie's parents wouldn't be home until after five, so it gave Debbie a few hours to grab a snack and sleep off the buzz.

"We need to stop by Tribute Park first," Jenny informed her.

Apparently, this is where Jen bought her supply. Debbie didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous thinking about the idea of buying from a dealer. She didn't want to appear uncool, so she responded casually, "Sure thing."

Anytime she smoked pot in the past, JJ or one of the guys supplied it. It never really occurred to her where the pot came from.

They pulled into a parking spot and Jenny rolled down the window. A guy was sitting on a bench wearing headphones and bobbing his head to music. He nodded at Jen, and she nodded back. He removed his headphones, placed them around the back of his neck and walked over to the car. His hair was so blonde it was almost white, and he stunk heavily of cigarettes combined with a musky cologne. The guy placed his left arm on the hood above the driver side window and lowered his head to scan the inside of the car.

"Hey ladies," he cooed. "What can I help you with?"

"A dime bag," Jen requested confidently.

He looked around the inside of the car a second time before pulling out a small plastic bag from his front pocket.

"Ten," he stated and tossed the bag onto Jen's lap. Jenny opened the bag and inspected the contents.

"There are a lot of stems in this," she remarked. Jen looked up at the dealer, closed the bag and handed it back.

He shook his head and said, "Nah, now you gotta buy it. You opened it girly, it's yours."

Debbie's heart was racing. She was already uneasy when they pulled into the park and now she was downright terrified.

Debbie felt a pinch of sweat accumulating under her armpits. She kept her eyes forward so that the dealer wouldn't pick up on how scared she was. Jen, on the other hand, was completely unphased.

"Take this shit bag, you shit bag and give me something worth buying." And then she pushed the bag firmly into his chest.

Debbie could not believe the guts Jen had. Blondie licked his lips and nodded his head in unison. He took back the bag, rolled it up, and returned to his inside coat pocket. Then he waved his hand to get the attention of some other guy who was looking at the car and sitting on a bicycle a few yards away. Bike guy rode over and passed Blondie a bag, then peddled away without a word. Blondie pitched the new bag onto Jenny's lap. Debbie's stomach was in knots. Her entire body was tense, and she was gripping the door handle with her right hand. Her left hand was tucked in between her crossed legs and her right foot was shaking back and forth. She later learned that Jenny had hooked up with Blondie the dealer once, so it was understandable that she was not intimidated. Jen opened the bag and nodded her head in agreement. She pulled a ten out of the front pocket of her jeans and handed it over. Blondie walked away and Jen rolled up the window.

They split the joint that Jenny rolled parked at the end of Debbie's driveway. After that, Debbie made a point of asking JJ for pot periodically so she would never have to go on a buy with Jenny again. Debbie kept a few joints hidden inside the foot of a large stuffed gorilla her dad won her at a fair when she was ten. The orange gorilla was cheaply made, and the stitching was opening in a few places. The heel of the foot was a great hiding spot for a few joints. If Jen was out of her supply, Debbie would offer her one of hers. No need to revisit smelly Blondie at Tribute Park.

They arrived at school with plenty of time to find the rest of their group. Franey, Greg, and Debbie walked over to the track and found Laurel, Josh, and Petey sitting at the top of the bleachers. They met there most mornings as long as it wasn't too cold or raining. During bad weather, the school opened up the gym. Debbie noticed immediately that JJ wasn't there, actually Stacey was missing too. She greeted her friends and sat next to Laurel. Laurel was the cruel one of the group. She was always honest, even if she wasn't asked. Laurel was also the beauty of the four girls. Maybe that's why she got away with her attitude. People tend not to want to upset good-looking girls.

"Anyone seen JJ?" Debbie asked casually.

Laurel responded by shaking her head "no" and so did Josh.

Petey nodded and pointed to the bleachers a few rows over. The group turned to look. JJ was sitting with his back to the group, smoking a cigarette, and talking to Stacey. It was odd to see JJ and Stacey huddled together. Clearly whatever they were discussing was not meant for the group to hear.

"What's up with them? Franey asked.

"Why aren't they sitting with us?" Laurel added.

Debbie was glad Franey and Laurel asked so she didn't have to. When no one responded, Franey punched Greg assuming as JJ's best friend, he would have the answer.

"Ouch!" Greg responded.

"Well?" Franey demanded.

Greg replied, "How should I know?" and rubbed his arm.

Debbie's body tightened. Had JJ been messing around with Stacey too? She didn't seem his type. Stacey was too athletic for JJ. Sure, she was cute, but in a tomboy kind of way. Stacey was simple pretty and not much into makeup and looking just so. Debbie could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. But she knew she had to stay calm and not let on that she was upset.

Laurel must have picked up on Debbie's reaction because she said, "Um Deb? What's with you?"

Debbie immediately got defensive, "Nothing. What's with you?"

Laurel smirked and said, "Where do I start?"

Laurel started to complain about her parents and soon everyone was joining in on the conversation. Debbie didn't hear a word. She couldn't take her eyes off of JJ and Stacey chatting away.

What was JJ up to? What kind of a game was he playing? Was he giving Stacey the same bull about no labels? Whatever it was, Debbie needed to find out and find out soon.