Page 157 of Taken Princess

“We don’t have anything to drink,” I say.

“Jaci, you didn’t come here for coffee,” Rosa smirks.

“Yes, I did. I’m having a really fucked-up day. I ditched class again. I’m in deep shit. I wanted to come here, get some coffee and just waste away.”

“Nope,” Rosa says. “You’re missing everything I’m telling you.”

“What are you telling me, Rosa?” I ask.

I watch as she curls the knife blade down into the knife.

She tucks it into her pocket.

She then opens her jacket, reaches into her pocket and takes out a small baggie.

She jiggles it in front of my face.

“This is why you’re here,” she says. “This is how you waste away.”

My mouth almost starts to water.

Fuck… I think Rosa is right.

“Wait,” I say. “We need something to drink.”

“I’ll be right back,” Rosa says.

She hands me the baggie and darts back into the coffeehouse.

I don’t have a chance to go after her.

So I stand outside, clutching the baggie ofstuff.

They’re notzazasin there.

Zazasaren’t a baby blue color.

These are something else.

My heart races a little.

I’m good with thezazas. Those are pills you can easily get from a doctor.

Dangerous? Sure. But I can control how many I do and don’t take.

But these pills…

Rosa emerges from the coffeehouse a minute later.

She’s got a bottle of water and a bottle of orange juice.

“There,” she says, tossing me the orange juice. “Now swallow one of those down.”

“What are they, Rosa?”

“Does it matter?”

“I’m not…”

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