text: Two lifelong friends just trying to get by in life get the opportunity to make a big score and move up in the drug ring they work in. Johnny the older of the two and more aggressive plays front man for the two of them with the heavy hitters of the drug ring and sets up a money drop for some product they had received recently. The next day Johnny shows up at Poppy’s house to give him the good news, but he doesn’t seem to be happy for the opportunity to make some money and make Bull The Animal happy. Bull has run the ring for a year now since his father was caught and sent to prison and he is a bit crazy. “We can make a lot of money dude, and all you have to do is have my back, I’ll do all the talking,” Johnny says. “I’m tired of the drug life, it’s too dangerous Johnny, I want more.” “That P O of yours has been putting ideas in your head, ideas that people like us will never get to have! Stop letting them make you think you can be anything more than a street rat because that is what you are Poppy!” Johnny screams. “Dude why are you so mad!” “I got a lot riding on this Poppy, don’t let me down, I need you.” Johnny pleads. “All right Dude I will be there for you, but this is the last time. Please Johnny I need to change something, I can’t live like this anymore.” Poppy begs. “Don’t let me down...” Johnny says as he walks out and drives away. The day of the delivery Johnny drives to get his friend Poppy and is troubled when his stepsister says he is not home. She tells him he had a meeting with his parole officer, but why didn’t he say something last night when he said he would go? He calls Poppy to confirm what he has been told because that bitch doesn’t like him or Poppy. He reaches him on the phone, but immediately he makes excuses for not being there, his freaking Parole officer wanted to see him right away, but he promises to make it up on the next one. “Fucking P O, I ought to cap his ass for Poppy!” He says raising his gun from his waistband. Earlier in the day Poppy had gotten the call from his PO but not because of anything bad, His Parole officer told him about a good job upstate that he had put him in for and he got it. He didn’t want to say anything and get his hopes up, especially with a baby on the way with his girl Krissy. Poppy hated the idea of a parole officer when he got out of prison, but when he let down his guard and let him help, they became quick friends, which troubled Johnny why he kept it from him. Poppy rushes to his girl’s house and tells her about the job, but he feels bad for not being there for his friend. As the day turns to night, he is worried that Johnny hasn’t called, so he makes an excuse and leaves. He knows where the drop is going to be, he knows everything about how Johnny does a deal he has seen it many times. He even knows that Johnny hides money and drugs in a false bottom in the trunk of his Buick in case he gets pulled over by the cops. He walks a few miles to the junkyard where the deal was supposed to go down and he can see right away that something went down here. There are brass shells everywhere and even a few bodies left behind. Worried Poppy searches the junkyard and finds his friend shot multiple times in his car, a 1984 Buick Regal. He rushes to his side and Johnny is still alive, he is shot up bad and probably will not make it even if he does get to a hospital. Johnny cries out that he doesn’t want to die, but the only thought going through Poppy’s mind is that if he takes him to the hospital his P O will know he has been around other criminals and that may affect his new job. “I don’t know what to do Johnny?” Poppy screams. “Take me to the fucking hospital!” Johnny screams back thinking he is talking about him, but he is torn between helping his friend and helping himself. He remembers the money in the car’s trunk and his face turns from panic to stone cold, even Johnny sees the difference and it worries him. It sickens Poppy to think this way, but he pries his friend’s hand from his walks to the back of the car and looks in the already open trunk. Johnny’s attackers had ransacked the trunk looking for something, then shot him when they thought they had been double-crossed. He moves the junk and trash and lifts the lid to the false bottom to reveal a large duffle bag full of cash and heroin, he uses a rag to remove the drugs out of the bag and then returns to his friend. He cries because he knows he is betraying his friend. He knows if he doesn’t leave, he will get pulled back into a life he hates and ruin his chance to be a husband to his girl Krissy, and father to his unborn child. He holds his friend’s hand and tells him an ambulance is on the way but knows it will never come. Johnny cries out that he doesn’t want to die, he sees the bag hanging from his shoulder. The sting of betrayal hits him hard, and he feels for his gun at his side. Then the sting of his love for the man before him makes him let go of not only the gun but of his life. “Poppy you are the best thing in my life dude don’t do this...” He says spitting up blood. Poppy turns away to leave but Johnny reaches out and takes his hand. “I love you Poppy, my brother, don’t...” Poppy couldn’t feel worse, his betrayal is like torture, but he needs more than anything to get away from this life. He pries away his friend’s hand and stares as he suffers in pain. He wants desperately to say something to ease his friend’s pain but knows nothing will but death. He turns quickly and leaves as Johnny calls out into the night for him to return. Krissy is playing in the front yard of a little house with her year-old baby when Poppy walks through the gate. “Hey, Daddy!” Krissy calls out as she waves with little Johnny’s hand. “How was work?” She asks. Before he can speak, they hear the beat of a song being played loud as a car goes by, and they turn to see. An older Buick Regal drives by and Poppy’s heart sinks in his chest expecting a bullet for his betrayal, then he sees the young girl driving and is relieved. “Hey, didn’t your friend Johnny have a car like that?” she asks. “Yea” “Whatever happened to him?” And that sinking feeling in his chest returns, and he learns to smile begrudgingly to hide his painful secret.