"You know, the only reason I pulled up this late is cuz it's you," Anthony said as he put his car in park. The wheels slid to a stop. It was a quarter past midnight, and this part of town was the last place he wanted to be in; it was synonymous with crime. A few blocks over, gunshots were ringing.
"You probably say that line to every girl," Asia rolled her eyes from the passenger seat. She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned forward to touch the radio. The nearby gunfire didn't frighten her, but it was a loud annoyance. "Can I connect my Bluetooth?"
Anthony shrugged. "Yeah, go ahead," he said absentmindedly as he scanned the perimeter. His black sedan was parked at the end of a cul-de-sac, facing toward the only exit. The surrounding houses were mostly boarded up or vacant. There wasn't a soul present outside this car, but Anthony double-checked just to be sure. He didn't want to get caught with his pants down.
After confirming his safety, Anthony retrieved a dark brown cigarillo from his pocket. It was Backwoods, his favorite brand. He removed the wrapper and glanced at Asia, who was still trying to decide what music to play.
"Lift the armrest, I got some weed in there."
Asia did as instructed, and sure enough, she found a large Ziplock bag bulging with weed. She pressed one of the dome lights directly overhead and whistled as she inspected the bag's contents. The marijuana was literal gold and not in the colloquial sense. The buds were a glossy, reflective gold color. They glistened like jewelry under the car lights.
"What the fuck is this?" Asia questioned, shaking the bag in her hand. Anthony just laughed.
"It's weed, what else would it be?"
"This weed isn't normal. I've seen Acapulco gold, 24K gold, and Kona gold weed, but none of those strains are actual gold. Are you tryna lace me?" Asia's eyes narrowed. She quietly unlocked the door beside her just in case her suspicions were true.
Anthony raised a brow in surprise. "Oh, you really know your shit, huh? You're a real weedhead." He clapped facetiously, earning an angry shove to the shoulder.
"Quit playing. Just answer the question." Asia frowned and folded her arms over her chest, glaring daggers.
"Aight, aight, calm down," Anthony waved his hands defensively, trying to diffuse the situation. Asia looked ready to tear his head off, but oddly enough, he was turned on. "It's some new shit I got from my connect."
"Deadass?"
"Deadass," Anthony repeated, sounding out each syllable slowly. "Shit, I thought it was a joke when my connect brought it to me last week. He gave me my usual stuff, but then toward the end of our little meeting, he showed me that." Anthony pointed at the bag, which Asia had now placed on the dashboard.
"I had the same exact reaction as you. I was like what the fuck? But he explained some things to me and gave me a free sample, and you know me, I don't turn down free samples of anything. Hell, I'm lowkey greedy when it comes to that."
Asia didn't know whether to laugh or groan. She'd witnessed Anthony's overindulgence with free samples the last time they'd hung out together at a bar.
"I took the weed to my crib, and I smoked it. I had to make sure it was safe for use before I possibly started selling it. I ain't tryna kill nobody," Anthony explained. "Actually, nah, I'm lying, I had a junkie I know try it first. He been smoking since the gotdamn Reagan administration. He's smoked every drug under the sun. I knew if this weed was laced with anything, he'd be able to tell me what it was. On top of that, his immune system is crazy. He's survived this long being a drug addict."
Asia looked up at Anthony when he finally finished rambling and rubbed her half-opened eyes. "Oh, you're done? I damn near fell asleep listening to that long-winded ass explanation," She faked an obnoxious snore. "All you had to say was you used a junkie as a crash dummy."
"This is my story, and you're in my car, so I'mma tell it how I want." Anthony indicated for Asia to zip her lips and snatched the bag of weed off the dashboard. He opened it, and Asia's senses were instantly overwhelmed. The scent alone was intoxicating. The fragrance washed away Anthony's cologne, which was no small feat, considering the amount of Dior Sauvage he'd sprayed on his clothes.
The weed's scent was sweet, fruity, and tropical, almost like a Piña Colada, but on a much grander scale. Without even taking a puff, Asia could practically taste the weed's flavor in the air; it was mind-boggling.
"That shit's good, huh?" Anthony smiled. Asia was too astounded to respond, but her facial expressions spoke volumes; she was in a state of bliss.
"I…I need to try this," Asia finally said after coming to her senses. "Why do I feel like this, and I haven't even smoked it yet?"
"Man, I got a story to tell you," Anthony said as he sat up in his seat. "Your homegirl Jasmine has a cousin named Mike. You might know him. Well, really, she got two cousins named Mike, but I'm talking about the one with the real fucked up teeth. His two front teeth are missing."
Asia nodded. Mike was the one who had initially given her Anthony's contact info. He had a bad habit of spraying spit when he talked.
"That Mike has a niece who's an Aberrant, and she's a pretty powerful one. She has some sort of plant superpowers. She can't do anything too crazy, like grow a forest from scratch, but she can alter the genetic structure of plants or some shit like that." Anthony paused and scratched his head. Science had never been one of his better subjects in school. "But anyway, certain individuals got in touch with her, people like my connect and his boss. They put her abilities to good use if you catch my drift."
Asia mentally connected the dots. "They're using her to make a super strain of weed?"
"Basically," Anthony confirmed. He sprinkled a few grams of the gold weed into his cigarillo. He was meticulous about it and spread an even amount from end to end. In a flash, he had the cigarillo filled and sealed it with a lick. He held the finished product up with pride and pulled out a lighter, but Asia stopped him before he ignited it. She placed a soft hand on his chest.
"I don't know about this," Asia said worriedly. She eyed the blunt cautiously. She wanted to try it, but the potential side effects were unknown, making her apprehensive.
"You pop pills and drink till you pass out on the regular, but some enhanced weed got you scared?" Anthony asked incredulously, with eyes dimmed so low his pupils were barely visible.
"Okay, okay, you have a point," Asia reluctantly relented. She removed her hand from Anthony's chest and sheepishly sank into her seat. She blushed out of embarrassment, and Anthony couldn't help but tease her.
"Wow, is that…... silence I hear?" Anthony cupped his ear with his hand and paused for dramatic effect. "I almost forgot what that sounds like. Somehow, you're even more attractive when you actually decide to be quiet." Those comments earned him a hateful side eye. He responded with a playful wink.
Asia knew she looked good, damn good. She was the type of woman who could walk into any room and seize all the attention. She held Anthony's without much effort. From the moment she'd stepped into his Honda, Anthony had been fighting against his second brain.
Her clothes were skin-tight, and they barely covered her caramel skin. She wore a large cheetah-print bra and blue jean shorts that hugged her curvaceous thighs. Her legs didn't seem to end, and they were practically glowing from whatever lotion she'd applied. Her well-manicured feet poked out of her black open-toed heels. She was dressed to kill, and it looked like she was either heading to a party or returning from one.
Anthony couldn't say the same. He was dressed for work, which meant no stylish apparel. A plain white T-shirt, grey sweats, and old sneakers were his wardrobe. He tried his best to avoid attention, and his shabby vehicle attested to that. It was a rust bucket, a fixer-upper, a hunk of junk, and that's exactly what Anthony wanted.
His Honda was a car no one wanted to get in, much less steal. Asia always turned her nose up in disgust whenever she saw it. Even the most desperate, impoverished criminals avoided Anthony's vehicle; it had nothing to offer them. It was so old and decrepit that none of the parts were likely worth anything and using it for a crime was like begging the cops to arrest you.
Anthony's car looked like it could break down at any given moment. To any potential carjackers, the risk simply wasn't worth it. In reality, though Anthony's car ran perfectly fine, but no one needed to know that.
Anthony lit the blunt, placed it on his lips, and inhaled. One good puff was enough for him, and he passed it on to Asia, who skeptically took a puff of her own. She inhaled, exhaled, and coughed to the point her ribs hurt. Anthony thought she had developed a brief case of bronchitis, but once the fit of coughs subsided, Asia mellowed out.
Her brown eyes were now bloodshot red. They didn't blink once, even as Asia's eyes darted around the car. "Has your car always looked like this?"
"Are you tryna be funny? You've been in my car hella times. You know exactly what it looks like," Anthony huffed in annoyance as he retrieved his blunt.
"I'm not talking about that; I mean all this dust. Don't you see it? It's everywhere."
Anthony quizzically stared at Asia. "I know the exterior of my car is fucked up, but I keep the interior clean. Matter of fact, earlier today I…." His words trailed as he suddenly realized something. "You're seeing the same shit I saw when I first started smoking this." Anthony lowered the blunt from his lips.
"You knew this would happen? Why didn't you warn me?" Asia screeched. "Am I hallucinating? Is this some acid-trip-type shit? Why does everything look so clear? I knew I shouldn't have smoked this!" Asia started panicking. She closed her eyes and tried some breathing techniques she'd seen online, but it didn't help the situation.
"Calm down. You're not hallucinating. The weed enhances your senses. Whatever you're seeing is real, I swear. Open your eyes." Anthony urged, and after a few moments, Asia hesitantly did.
Asia's vision had always been slightly above average. She didn't struggle to see in the dark like most people, but her vision wasn't 20/20 or better. But now, she was seeing things that shouldn't have been possible with a human eye. Microbes of dust were visible everywhere. They lingered in the air, on her clothes, on her skin. It was disgusting, not to mention the hordes of visible bacteria. It made her nauseous.
"The first time I smoked this weed, I was able to see all kinds of tiny shit like bacteria and fungi. Everything looked crystal clear. I've never experienced anything like that." Anthony said. He took a couple of long puffs from his blunt and offered it to Asia, but she declined.
"You knew this, and you couldn't be bothered to tell me?" Asia agitatedly asked. "When I hit your line earlier, all I wanted was some good ole regular weed. The same kind that I usually buy from you. But nah, tonight yo goofy ass decided to give me this weird ass shit instead!" Her voice kept rising in decibels, causing Anthony to wince.
"This is better than the weed I usually sell to you. Just one hit alone gets you high. You can't tell me that this shit isn't good." Anthony argued. His eyes were even redder than hers, and his entire body felt like it was levitating. Normal weed didn't give you this sensation this quickly.
As much as Asia hated to admit it, Anthony was right. This was the best weed she'd ever smoked, even with the unintended side effects. It typically took several grams of weed for her to get this high, but one singular puff had her body and mind, body and soul tingling. It was heavenly.
"You're right," Asia conceded through gritted teeth. "But you still should have told me what would happen."
"My bad," Anthony apologized. "I thought something could happen, but I wasn't sure something would happen. The first time is different for everybody. Some people experience enhanced smell, touch, taste, or hearing. It's random, but once you keep smoking it, your body adjusts, and the side effects pretty much disappear, or you're able to ignore them."
"And that's what's happened to you? You don't experience any of the side effects anymore?"
"Every now and then, yeah, but I've gotten used to it. Forget all that, though. The real question is, are you gonna hit the blunt again or nah?" Anthony held it in front of her face. Asia pondered her decision briefly and grabbed the blunt. She took a big puff, longer than before, and this time she didn't cough. She held onto it for a while before finally passing it back to Anthony.
"We should do this more often," Anthony suggested as he inhaled. Asia was one of his top customers, but she would usually just buy her weed and leave. She didn't linger around and hang out, but tonight was different.
"Yeah, sure," Asia said dryly. Her eyes were glued to her phone. She was typing so rapidly that her fingers were practically blurs. "You brought more weed, right?" She asked Anthony as she finally finished typing.
"C'mon, you know me," Anthony scoffed. "I got a lot more in the trunk. I have the kind you usually cop from me and some more of the gold weed. I just brought this for you to try and see if you like it."
"What's this weed called by the way?" Asia asked as Anthony passed the blunt back to her. The car was filled with so much smoke that it resembled the inside of a cloud.
"As far as I know, this weed doesn't have a name. I've thought of a couple, but they all sound lame."
"Like what?"
"Super Kush, super strain, idk shit like that."
Asia burst out laughing. "You can't be serious. I don't even sell drugs, and I can come up with a better name than that."
"Well then, tell me, Miss Know-it-all," Anthony sarcastically demanded.
"You should call it Gold Pegasus."
"Gold Pegasus?" Anthony repeated, while rubbing his chin. He mulled over the name. It was catchy, unique, and creative. "I like it."
"See, I told you," Asia gave herself an imaginary pat on the back. "And just because I helped you name it, you should give me a discount."
"I don't know about all that." Anthony looked her up and down. Asia was gorgeous, but business was business. His price was his price, regardless of the customer, and, plus, his boss wouldn't tolerate it.
"It was worth a shot," Asia giggled. Her looks usually swayed most men, but not this time around. "As much as I'm enjoying this smoke sesh, I wanna buy the weed I called you for. I'll take some of this Gold Pegasus, too, though, it's fire." The side effects of the weed didn't bug Asia anymore, and it produced an otherworldly high; she needed more.
"Don't worry, I got you," Anthony said as he opened his car door. Clouds of hazy smoke escaped with him as he stepped outside. It was a warm May night. The earlier gunfire had long since subsided, and it was now eerily quiet. He cautiously scrutinized his surroundings, walked to his trunk, and popped it open.
There were dozens of Ziplock bags filled with weed. Each one was a different strain, and they all had an appropriate label. Asia usually bought Sour Diesel or Hindu Kush; they were her favorites, but Anthony had a feeling that Gold Pegasus would replace them. He grabbed a bag of each. He was about to turn around when he suddenly felt the cold chill of steel against his head.
Anthony instantly recognized what it was. "You don't want to do this," he said calmly.
"Shut the fuck up," A deep, gruff voice whispered from behind. It was obviously a man, and he sank the muzzle of his gun deeper into Anthony's dark curly hair. "Any sudden moves and blow your brains out."
"There's no need for that. I'll give you whatever you want," Anthony pleaded. He raised his arms over his head to show that he would comply.
"Stop acting stupid, you know what we want. Give us the weed and all the money you have."
Anthony's mind lingered on the word us. That indicated that there was more than one robber, but where was he or she? They immediately made their presence known as they approached Anthony from the left, black garbage bag in hand. The other crook shoved Anthony aside, nearly knocking him to the ground. He stumbled, but managed to maintain his balance. All the while, the gun to his head remained present.
Anthony couldn't see what the robber behind him looked like, but his partner was tall, six feet at least, and dressed in all black minus the white balaclava over his head. The new robber rummaged through Anthony's trunk and grabbed all the Ziplock bags. He tossed them into the trash bag, and Anthony had to suppress his fight or flight instincts. He had a gun in his pocket, but he doubted whether he could take them both.
"Hey, you good out here? You've been gone for a minute." Asia called out. She had the window rolled down, and weed smoke was trickling out. From her vantage point, she likely couldn't see what was going on. The open trunk obscured her vision, and Anthony wasn't visible from the passenger mirror.
"I'm good, I'm just sorting through a few things," Anthony reassured. He played it cool, and Asia seemingly bought it. She rolled her window back up.
"Watch him, I'll handle the bitch," The thief behind Anthony said. He tossed his partner his gun, pulled out a new one, and walked up to Asia's car door. He dragged her out of the car, kicking and screaming.
"All that fucking noise," He smacked Asia with the barrel of the gun multiple times, and by the last hit, she was bleeding. "Sit down and shut up," the man ordered as he shoved her to the ground. She fell hard and nearly hit her head on the concrete.
"Do you have any idea who I work for?" Anthony growled on his knees; he'd been shoved to the ground, too. The veins in his neck were bulging. He was furious about Asia, his weed, and the entire situation, but Anthony couldn't do anything about it. The robber with the trash bag had his gun pointed at him, cocked and ready to blow.
"You keep talking about who you work for, like we're supposed to care." Both robbers looked at each other and laughed. "We don't give a fuck!" The robber who had Asia pinned to the ground said.
"Trust me, you'll care when he finds out who you are and what you did. He has a lot of soldiers."
"We'll take our chances." Those were the last words Anthony heard before he blacked out.