Coming of Age: The Journey of a Teenaged Drug Dealer

CHAPTER TEN - SQUALICUM HIGH

Squalicum High School was designed in the 1980s by Daniel O'Connor who's most impressive job on his resume was blueprinting prisons. As such, the school looked like it was created by someone who made penitentiaries. The main lunch hall had a bridge that overlooked the room. It was where teachers and faculty members would stare down at the students similarly to how prison guards would watch over inmates in a mess hall.

The school's name came from Native origins, but most kids just remembered it for sounding like, "Swallow-cum". It was a popular joke amongst jocks from the neighboring high schools and was often shouted by opposing teams during sporting events.

While the head staff had done their best to clean up the school's reputation, there was always a layer of trouble somewhere, usually behind a bleacher or out on the grounds of the school. It did not matter how many support groups, extracurricular activities, and special PSA events the higher ups made to lighten the school. Those who sought trouble got exactly what they were looking for.

It was easy for kids to get caught up with drugs, especially weed. There were numerous hiding spots to smoke a joint or take a couple hits from a makeshift apple or can pipe. Surrounding the school were plenty of bushes and trails. There were more substances, namely pills, ecstasy, and black-tar heroin. Mostly, the Russians and Cholos sold and used the heroin. For them, a spare bathroom or a spot behind the gym bleachers was a good place to shoot up. Pill poppers just had to pretend they were taking prescription medication. The balliest of users would take ecstasy or hallucinogens and wander through their classes with dumbfounded expressions.

To Ryan, it seemed like one out of every ten students was either possessing a substance or selling one. The competition didn't bother him. In fact, it just made his drug dealing seem normal. He also felt confident that his product was much better than his competitors. Most of the weed dealers were just young knuckleheads with average quality weed their older siblings or sketchy dealers sold them.

Fights would infrequently break out and sometimes people would have to be escorted to the school nurse or rushed to the nearby hospital for a bad concussion. It wasn't that people went out of their way to fight each other, but there were enough teenage hormones and self described tough guys to easily start a brawl. Being, "the man," amongst peers was a proud title and many jocks, athletes, and bad boys had aspirations for being that guy.

The social groups mostly kept their distances from each other. Popular lunch tables consisted of the jocks, the well-to-do preppy types, and the partiers who were always planning ahead and looking forward to the upcoming weekend. Other groups were made up from the intellectuals, the artsy crowd, the introverts (who often combined with the artsy types), the delinquents, trouble makers, and wannabe gangsters. In these social classes it was not unusual for some students to leave one group to go to another. Journeymen and quiet confident types who kept to themselves were capable of befriending people from all different backgrounds. In general, one was expected to know their place in the animal kingdom and do everything they could to stay there.

Ryan's case was unusual. Being a star wrestler granted him the luxuries of being in with the popular crowd. On the other hand, selling weed had Ryan communicating with all types of students. As long as they weren't trying to rob him or play tough, Ryan didn't have a problem with who he sold too. Some of them were below the standards set by the popular kids, but for whatever reason, Ryan got a pass. Even if he didn't get one, he didn't give a shit.

Hypocrites, he would often think silently to himself when he thought of the top of the social hierarchy. Just more money for me.

Ryan parked his car in the student parking lot as he finished smoking his first joint of the day. His first buyer, Seth, exited the car once he parked. Prior to arriving at school, Ryan picked up Seth at his house across the school to sell him a quarter ounce.