Kadamba pocketed the cash from the little boy, glancing around to make sure no one had seen the transaction. He then reached back into his pocket and counted out Stelky’s cut.
“Here’s yours, man. But seriously, I can’t do that again. That kid was way too young,” Kadamba muttered.
“I hear you, Ka. I figured you’d send him off with empty hands. But it’s all cool,” replied Stelky.
“Stelky, I gotta move more product than before. Find me some more customers, but, dude, stay out of the daycare centers! They gotta be a lot older than that.”
The two of them started walking towards one of the corners of Schmarlo’s Landing. Unofficially, it was where the older teenagers hung out because many thought that the views were subpar. Rather than spectacular cityscapes, the teenagers looked over stunning views of the suburbs, farmlands, and mountains, far off in the distance. Of course, Kadamba wasn’t 118 stories up to look at the landscape.
She was sitting on the edge of a table, chatting a million miles a minute with a few of her friends when Kadamba walked up. She looked at him, and a little giggle arose from the other girls around the table.
“Jundana, girl, we’ll be seeing you later!” one of the girls announced in a sassy tone. “Hope you got a good story to tell us tonight!”
Kadamba smiled, as his eyes met hers. “You wanna grab a pastry or drink or something?”
“Sure,” Jundana replied softly.
The two of them headed further into the tangle of teenagers that were milling about, meandering to a vendor selling sweet frozen concoctions called Freezies. The line was long, but neither Kadamba nor Jundana cared. They began talking and enjoying their first real opportunity to be together outside of school.
After a few moments, Kadamba realized that they had been followed. “Stelky, why are you standing behind us here in line?” Kadamba inquired in a slightly irritated voice.
“Yo, seriously, Ka, I love these Freezies,” Stelky answered, defensively.
Jundana gently placed her hand on Kadamba’s shoulder before he could reply. “It’s alright, Ka. Stelky’s cool.”
Every bit of the annoyance that he felt vaporize with her touch. He couldn’t believe the effect that she was having on him. Just standing near her was so incredible. He found himself relaxed as if he was floating on a double dose of rath, but as excited as a little kid getting a giant stick of candy. He’d had a few girlfriends, and he’d thought he’d been in love before, but this was different. This was so much more intense.
