Chapter Twenty-Two #3
Grinning, Joplin nodded and poured the last little bit in Potter’s cup.
Everyone took a sip except CJ. He left his untouched.
“You’re drinking beer, C.” Narci shrugged. “Lean is just a different beverage with a better kick. ”
Diesel drank again and licked his lips. Like Narci, he shrugged, although he kept his thoughts to himself.
“Don’t let the girls pressure you, CJ.” Potter drained his cup and set it on the table next to the empty pitcher. “Lean ain’t nothing for real, but if it isn’t your thing—”
Diana whispered to Gail and nodded to Dementor and Exorcist. The moment she went to them, they spoke low.
Finally, Dementor smiled at CJ. “Would you try the shit if we added more Sprite and diluted it?”
Diana, Joplin, and Gail exchanged looks that CJ couldn’t read. He looked at Diesel, trusting his judgment.
“A little taste never hurt nobody,” Bedhead said.
“If you want to try it, I’ll get more Sprite—” Potter offered.
“Don’t worry about it.” Diana stood. “We have more lean made up and I want another cup. I’ll just grab the Sprite and the other pitcher from Narci’s room.”
“I’m playing a game on my phone.” Potter backed away as Diana hurried off. “When she returns, I’ll fix your drink myself, CJ.”
“If you cunts know what’s good for you, don’t play your miserable fucking games,” Diesel warned, glaring at the girls.
CJ lifted a brow. “What games?”
“Nothing, C.” Narci laughed, but it sounded pathetic. “The chicks get vicious sometimes. You riding so hard for your momma is annoying. You can’t be a momma’s boy and a bad motherfucker who gets a lot of pussy.”
Diana strutted back in, carrying an opened can of Sprite and another pitcher. Once she set everything on the table, Joplin took over and Diana returned to Diesel’s side, although he refused to allow her on his lap again .
“CJ, don’t let them pressure you,” he said. “They like to play games. Any fucking thing could be in that Sprite.”
Joplin glared at Diesel. “Lies! We don’t want to hurt CJ. We diluted it.”
Potter returned to the table. “Let me fix CJ’s.”
“We have it,” Diana said.
Potter hesitated. “Outlaw is never fucking chopping me the fuck up for hurting CJ.”
“No one wants to hurt CJ.” Joplin’s eyes flashed with indignation. “We just want to show him he’s his own person.”
Rolling his eyes, Potter stomped away.
Once again, CJ looked at Diesel for advice. If he was ever going to be seen as a bad motherfucker like Dad, he needed to gain a reputation.
“Listen up, little brother. I’m all about experiences. No one is taking away how much you love Aunt Meggie, least of all me. But to be a leader, you need to learn how to follow.”
“Is there a reason you don’t like lean?” Tennysee asked. She was the quietest of the girls.
CJ often wondered what motivated her to follow Nyx’s lead, but never got around to asking her. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it.”
Gail smirked. “Me, too. Including the one about Outlaw drugging Meggie with lean once.”
“Ooooooo, juicy.” Diana’s eyes lit up and she rubbed her hands together. “So the angel isn’t as pristine as she pretends.”
Joplin shook her head. “She probably didn’t know. Whatever Outlaw tells her, she believes. He must’ve told her it was grape soda.”
First thing tomorrow, CJ was talking to his father. These girls had to go. No matter how much Mom thought she’d handled them, she hadn’t. They were fucking bitches .
Diesel studied his face, then leaned toward him. “They’re just venting, little brother. And testing you. I’m not saying they aren’t jealous of Aunt Meggie, but don’t blow it out of proportion.”
“Then tell them to shut the fuck up about Mom, Diesel.”
“I’m not warning you again.” Potter stalked back to the table and glared between Joplin, Gail, and Diana. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m stepping out of the way the next time Diesel threatens to chop your fucking heads off for talking about Meggie.”
CJ’s gaze flew to Diesel’s.
“I never said it didn’t bother me, CJ. I’m just giving you the same advice Potter once gave to me.”
Joplin poured Sprite into the cup CJ hadn’t touched yet. She filled it to the brim and turned it from a deep purple to a misty lavender. The carbonation couldn’t withstand whatever was in the cup and the small amount of bubbles died a quick death.
“Drink, baby boy,” Joplin purred. “Expand your horizons and your tastebuds.” She struck a straw into the cup and grinned. “I’ve seen you guzzle beer once or twice. Since this is mostly soda, you won’t get a buzz unless you slurp it as fast as you can.”
Indecision tore through CJ. He smoked weed and drank more than just beer, but in his mind, lean was a step further. It entered into the territory of hard drugs.
“Look at him!” Gail chided.
Diana laughed. “He’s afraid of his mommie.”
“He’s her potato-wato,” Joplin added.
“Let him be, Jop,” Fia said. “He’s a sweet guy—”
“Yeah, I agree,” Tennysee added.
“He’s just a kid,” Joplin sneered. “Probably still has a curfew.”
“Probably never had a taste of pussy.” Diana untied the strings on each side of her thong and let it slide down her legs. Like most of the girls, her pussy was hairless. She slid a finger along her slit and gave him a hard look. “We can’t even call him a biker.”
CJ wished he’d stayed the fuck home. “I’m not a biker.” He looked at Diesel a final time.
“One glass won’t hurt you,” Diesel swore and winked at Diana, his pupils already dilating. “To lead, you also have to trust your members and show you can party as hard as they do.”
The door opened and Uncle Digger followed Uncle Mortician in. He waved at CJ before he led Uncle Digger to the bar.
“This is your last chance, CJ,” Joplin whispered, talking fast. “If Mort and Digger come over, they’ll take it away from you like you’re a two-year-old. Hurry and drink it.”
Diesel remained silent, easing CJ’s mind. Despite his stupid drug use, Diesel wouldn’t put CJ in harm’s way. He just wanted CJ to test his limits, spread his wings, and try new things. Much like Dad did.
“It’s fine,” Diesel promised again. “The most you’ll get is a heightened buzz and a fuck that you may or may not remember.”
Mom’s face rose in CJ’s head. She would be so disappointed in him, whether Dad gave her lean that she knew about or not. She expected better of CJ.
“Chalk it up as a new experience,” Narci advised. “Beautiful women has led me down a few paths in my life. Some I regret and some I wish I could relive.”
“Same here,” Diesel said with a laugh.
“You’ll have to run lines at the least when you’re earning your patch,” Narci said.
Dementor smiled. “To stay awake.
“Baby steps,” Exorcist said.
“Yeah, start low level,” Bedhead added, “then work up to coke. By the time you’re earning your patch, you’ll be primed for anything.”
“Make Outlaw proud,” Dementor said. “You’ll be his mini-me in more than name only.”
CJ picked up the cup, put the straw to his mouth, and slurped the contents as fast as he could.
Sitting the empty cup down, he wiped his lips.
He tasted zero soda and a trace of candy.
Mainly, the cough syrup and vodka overwhelmed almost everything else except something that stung his tongue and throat and burned the entire way down.
The drink hit his gut and mixed with the beer, stirring the contents of his stomach. His ears rang and his head pounded.
“Hey, little dude,” Uncle Mort greeted.
Fog spread from CJ’s temple over his brain and down the base of his skull. His lips and tongue were numb.
“Meggie let you out of the house, bruh,” Uncle Digger teased. “Diesel did you a solid, huh? Told her he would help you with math or some shit.”
The women laughed, but CJ could only blink.
Heat swept through his body, followed by a rush of cold.
“CJ?” Diesel.
The numbness spread.
“CJ?” Narci.
The room swirled, tilted. It felt as if he were suspended from the ceiling.
“Fuck! CJ?” Panic rose in Uncle Mort’s voice. Suddenly, he was there, dragging CJ to his feet and into his arms.
CJ’s heart pounded. It would beat out of his chest at any moment.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck! CJ!”
“I’m dying, Uncle Mort,” CJ slurred, his pulse roaring in his ears and his eyeballs seconds away from popping out of their sockets. He wrapped his arms around Uncle Mort’s neck. “Tell Mom and Dad I love them. I love you—”
He didn’t have the strength to finish. His eyes rolled back and the world faded to black.