Trial of Courage

Raj slowly opened his eyes, still confused. "Man… I had a crazy dream." He shifted, feeling every part of his body protest in pain. He looked around and realized he was lying on an improvised bed of leaves, outside, near the bikes. The hard ground and awkward position from the night before had left him completely stiff.

As he stretched, he heard a laugh from the other side. Mike was leaning against a tree, a cigarette between his fingers, laughing at Raj's face.

"Finally woke up, Sleeping Beauty? How was your night in the leaf castle?" Mike teased, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.

Raj groaned, trying to get up. "If this is a castle, I'd rather be in a prison. My body is completely fucked."

Mike let out a loud laugh and walked over. "Relax, you'll get used to the lifestyle soon. Anyway, Jake's been asking about you." He pointed to the other side of the camp, where Jake was messing with his bike, glancing over at Raj from time to time. "Seems like it's about that 'test' you need to face."

Raj froze for a second. The word "test" echoed in his mind.

A slight tension crept up Raj's spine as he walked towards Jake. Even though he was a bit nervous, he kept telling himself it was no big deal. Jake's a chill guy, likes comic books. No way someone who likes comics could be bad, right?

As he got closer, Jake was crouched beside the bike, working on something in the engine. When he saw Raj approach, he gave a carefree smile, patting the bike seat. "Look who's finally up. How you holding up?"

Raj shrugged, forcing a smile. "Ah, aside from sleeping on a bed of leaves and my back being destroyed, I think I'm surviving."

Jake chuckled and stood up, dusting his hands off. "Yeah, sleeping on the ground ain't for everyone. But it's part of the package, brother." He looked at Raj with a more serious, but still friendly expression. "Listen, it's time we see what you're made of."

"What I'm made of? I dunno… 70% water, 30% indecision…" He chuckled nervously, hoping Jake would follow the joke.

Jake just smiled. "You know what I mean. We like having you around, man, but if you really want to roll with us, you gotta prove yourself. You can't be one of us without that."

Raj swallowed hard. "Okay, but… like, what exactly do I have to do?"

Jake patted Raj's back as if to calm him, but the slap was so strong it made Raj stumble forward. "Nothing too crazy. You'll find out soon enough. You just gotta have guts, Raj. You're either with us, or you're not."

A moment of silence passed, and Raj tried not to show how much more nervous he was getting. He nodded. "Alright. Guts. I got… I got guts."

Jake smiled broadly, looking satisfied. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now, come on, I'll show you what you're gonna do."

Jake motioned to one of the gang members, a tall guy with a thick beard and a suspicious look. "Hey, Greg! You got the package?"

Greg, who had been leaning against his bike, set down his coffee cup and walked over. "Of course I got it." He walked to the back of his bike, opened a compartment, and pulled out a heavy black backpack. "Here it is." He handed the backpack to Jake but shot a skeptical look at Raj.

"So this is the guy who's gonna make the drop?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously? You can't trust someone we barely know with this kind of responsibility."

Jake shrugged, casual. "Everyone starts somewhere, Greg. The kid's with us, and this is his chance to prove it."

Greg crossed his arms, still not convinced. "If he screws up, it could be a problem. I don't like risking it with new guys."

"Relax, Greg," Jake responded, unfazed. "He'll handle it."

With that, Jake shoved the backpack into Raj's chest. "Here it is, man. It's simple: you take this to the address on the paper." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Raj. "Drop it off, then come back. Easy."

Raj looked at the paper and then at Jake. "But… what's in the backpack?"

Jake sighed, slightly unzipping the bag. Inside, Raj saw a tightly wrapped package, secured with tape, firm and well-sealed.

His eyes widened instantly. Drugs? The image of Jake and the gang, who until now had seemed like tough but chill guys, started to crumble in his mind.

Shit… is this exactly what I think it is? His mind raced, and his heart pounded. He looked at Jake, trying to stay calm. "Man, are you sure this is safe? I… I don't know if I can do this."

Jake let out a short laugh, "Relax, man. Just do what I asked. There's not gonna be any trouble." With that, he and Greg turned and started walking back to the group, leaving Raj standing there alone.

Raj stood still for a moment, lost in thought. This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come… He felt the weight of the situation settle on his shoulders, and finally mustered the courage to speak up and refuse. "Jake, wait! I think I…"

But when he looked up, Jake and Greg had already disappeared, leaving him completely alone with the backpack. Raj shook his head, feeling sweat trickle down his forehead. Shit… what do I do now? He glanced at his bike and thought about running. Grabbing it and getting the hell out of there before he got in any deeper.

But for some reason, he couldn't follow through with the idea. Something was keeping him there, like an invisible chain. Was it the dream I had with David? Or are these memories he got? He didn't know, but one thing was clear: running wasn't an option. The thought of escaping and leaving everything behind felt almost as repulsive as what he was about to do.

He shook his head, trying to focus. "I'm an Indian astrophysicist," he muttered to himself. "Tall, chocolate-colored, handsome, smart. I've got a bright future ahead of me, and one day I'll marry a supermodel…" He took a deep breath. I can't fuck up my life now. I can't get a criminal record. That'll destroy everything I've built.

Making a decision, he finally sighed. Fine. I'll do this drop… and after that, I'm telling these guys I'm out.

.

.

.

"You sure about this, man? I dunno, the kid seems kinda lost. You think he's gonna pull it off?"

Jake sighed, not seeming too concerned, and took another drag from his cigarette before answering. "That's something we'll find out soon enough. But yeah, I'm confident."

Greg raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Confident? In him? He barely knows what he's doing here, man."

Jake chuckled softly, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it. "That's where you're wrong. I remember the first time he showed up at my barbershop. Dude came in shaking like a leaf, like he was about to pass out. Looked like he'd walked into the wrong place." Jake paused, recalling the scene with a smile on his face. "But five minutes later, he was already chatting with us like he'd known us for years."

Greg laughed. "Seriously?"

"He's got that hidden courage, you know? Doesn't seem like it, but when push comes to shove, the guy holds his ground. I like this kid. There's something about him… a kind of determination I respect."

Greg shrugged, still unconvinced. "I just hope you're right."

"We'll see, man. We'll see."

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A/N: I'm so happy we have a lot of readers enjoying the fanfic! It was kind of a worry of mine at first, thinking I wouldn't make something good enough, but thanks to all the support and your comments, and the ideas you guys suggest, I'm really pumped!