I send the boys out to classes for the day; my classes consist of two since I'm in my second year. I could have graduated last year but I had more important things like Marta and Hector to keep an eye on. Marta is a good girl and will get the chance to be the bright star in the family, college and big money career if she wants it. Hector on the other needs control, self control and someone to watch him. He took shit too far and while it was funny for a while the constant beatings he and the boys gave that Guy kid turned into a joke you hear too often and it stopped being funny. Now my crew is watched every time we step out and I can't even take a shit in a gas station bathroom without seeing a cop car outside. Worst part about the whole thing, Abigail. I've been in love with that girl for years and now I find out that the boy my right hand has been beating the shit out of is her brother. Step brother but family is family and any chance I had at getting to take her out on a proper date is almost dead and gone. Add to that the two months of being watched by the cops? It's sad that they won't let up but we're not being brought in for questioning anymore. Finally there is Romeo, always wanting to be part of the crew so we make him tutor a couple of the boys including Hector so they graduate on time. I sent him to talk with Guy last week but Guy wasn't interested in speaking. Might have to do it myself, speaking to Guy to get him to sit down.
After school, I have my people heading back to our neighborhood to see if we're still being watched and to see if the heroin dealer from summer has tried to move back. Gave him a beating then and when he came back with a couple friends we dropped them and him down a couple notches. My street, my hood, my responsibility but Hector needs to recognize that there is more to do with keeping our streets locked down than jumping drug dealers and taking their cash. It's a living and it's been a good one considering we pay up to the Union and they stomp out big time pushers. Back to the end of my school day I'm sitting around waiting for Marta and Romeo when I see Abigail walking on her own and I check to see nobody is around, nobody that matters and I make my way over only to see Marta and Romeo come up to talk with her. I watch the conversation which has my sister and her boyfriend talking to Abigail like something is wrong, I finish heading over concerned for everyone involved.
"Listen Abigail we've been friends for years," Marta says to Abigail and the hot smart girl decides to respond.
"We are friends but our friendship stops at your thug brother and wannabe boyfriend," Abigail says and it kind of hurts a little that my dream girl doesn't like me.
"Someone ask for a thug," I offer, trying to be funny.
I ain't been hit in years, at least not by anyone other than my moms but Abigail slaps me across my face hard and knows full well who I am. Marta is shocked and Romeo sounds like he wants to do something by the noise he's making as I wave for him to stop him.
"No we are not doing anything today Rome," I tell my newest boy.
"Nobody hits one of us and gets away with it," Romeo reminds me and I nod.
"We've been hitting her family for three years. I think I owe at least one shot," I get the words out and she slaps me again, same side," Or two."
"You deserve to go to jail for what you've done to my brother. You're a criminal, a gang cliché that would be funny if it wasn't sad. If you were anything like a man and not some boy playing gang leader you would have turned yourself in with every one of your little henchmen," Abigail is spitting mad and it's all over my face.
"We didn't do anything to your brother, not since before he got stabbed," I tried to explain and she almost hit me again.
"You're scum, your friends are scum and your family is worse off with you and your gang in and around it," Abigail informs me of how I look to her and it hurts, more than one would think since I've been in love with her since I saw her.
"Abby stop for a second, okay, what my brother and his people did was wrong but Romeo has been your friend as long as I have," Marta is trying to plead her case when the man of the hour shows up.
Guy: Right Now
I will not be intimidated, I will not be intimidated, I will not be intimidated. My mantra as I walk over to Abby who is my ride home from school while she is speaking with Carlos aka Ringleader of the Fuck-My-Life group. Oh Marta and Romeo, his new stooge, are there too. I will be calm and I will not give him a reason to fuck with me.
"Hey Abby can we go now," I ask, focusing on my step sister and not the three Latinos speaking to her.
"Guy I've been meaning to talk with you," Carlos says and this is the most civil he's been ever.
"No thank you, I need to go home now," I say to Carlos and switch to Abby quickly.
"It's okay, we can leave right now," my sister says and we turn to leave.
I am leaving, leaving is good. I didn't wimp out did I? No, I was calm, very calm. Like a lake with no ripples calm. Buddhists wish they were this calm. And Romeo has his hand on my shoulder.
"Guy he just wants to make things right man, hear him out," Romeo informs me and I'm not listening.
"Let me go please," I'm shaking and my heart is pounding.
"Come on man just two minutes, what is it gonna hurt," Romeo asks and I am about to explode.
"My eyes, lungs, ribs, groin, right hand, lower intestine, pride, self respect, sense of worth and probably how I deal with social interactions in the future," I get the whole thing out and confuse the hell out of everyone that isn't me.
"Abby please just talk with us, both of you. We're friends," Marta asks and Abby shakes her head.
"Not now, talking doesn't help right now and you're upsetting him," Abby says, removing Romeo's hand and leading me away.
"Upsetting him, he's fine we're not doing anything," Carlos states catching up and Abby is quick to stop him.
"Except you are following him when he's trying to leave. You are cornering him when he's scared," Abby states quickly as Carlos looks at me confused," Three years of beatings have him terrified of you and for what? Made you feel big? Made you feel like a man? You're a pig."
Abby puts me in the car and I begin to breathe slowly, calming down is easier now that we're moving and I'm not being harassed by Carlos and his thugs. Why the hell is Marta defending Carlos? He's a fucking gang leader and she's been outspoken to gangs as a whole. I'm confused but a little proud of myself for not breaking down. Ever since my break up with Jenna I'm wrong inside, well wrong isn't the best word. More like something has changed and the change is coming faster than I want it too. Abby and I get inside the home and head to my room to continue enhancing my calm as Abby explains what happened to Mom and Mark Jr. It's about ten minutes later when Mom comes in and finds me sitting on the foot of my bed shaking still. She sits down and puts her arm around me in a half hug rocking me a little, it helps more than I can state. We sit for a while and Mom just smiles as she can tell I'm alright before heading downstairs. I get through homework and am about to turn on the entertainment system when Mark comes in unannounced.
"Bro, gym time," Mark tells me and not in a suggestive way.
"I'm really feeling out of it man," I don't want to be in public but Mark isn't taking no for an answer.
"This is what you need, get your muscles moving again and to get out of the house and school routine," Mark is persistent and I figure I'll play along for a while.
Changed and in his Challenger we're off to the gym with the promise to Mom that we'll be back before too late. It's a good drive and Mark is talking about a million things at the gym for me to do and try, personally I just want to follow him around and do whatever he does.