I'm half way up to the house when I realize he, Guy, probably doesn't like me. It hurts because I like him; he was always nice and said good things when people were mean. Weirdest part is when I'd be broken up he'd tell me something really nice and I'd ask him why he thought that and he'd just smile and say 'I don't think it, I see it and it's real'. He saw good things in me once and I have to screw him over to get my dreams. The world sucks sometimes. New plan, how do I make up for taking the scholarship from him? I mean something nice, not just come with me and Brandon somewhere.
Romeo: Saturday at the football game victory party
Well here I am trying to hang out with my boys, they are my boys now and I am missing Marta. She knew I wanted this, she knew I could make it work but as soon as I got it she couldn't be happy for me. I don't get what is so bad about me actually being part of the crew. I got to work with Hector a little more and he's shown me a couple things. I can't fight great yet but when you're beating down a crack dealer there doesn't need to be a lot of skill. What Carlos wants from me in those times is a steady hand. Beat the man out of the area but don't hurt him too much. Too much damage causes too much attention and it makes perfect sense. I suspect there are times where people don't listen and things get more violent but that's not where I'm at yet. I still wonder what I can do to get Marta to see that me being a part of her brother's group isn't a bad thing. Only real problem we have seems to be Guy, seriously he's lost his mind. I watched Hector and the boys… and some of the girls beat up Guy and tried to talk to the crew before I was in it about leaving him alone but they didn't listen. Only reason I didn't get beat up is Carlos but Guy took beatings almost weekly for a while and the worst was what happened at Homecoming. Everyone knew Hector was pissed because his girl couldn't make it and instead of trying to relax he figured he'd find Guy and beat him up. Everyone saw Guy after he pulled himself out of the dumpster and everyone laughed, even me and I feel bad about it. Now Guy is walking around and has more women watching him than anyone could imagine. If I said he'd be like this six months ago people would have laughed. Now the only time anyone laughs around him is when he's already laughing.
Back to my boys and the females in the crew, some are out dancing near a bonfire, some are sneaking adult drinks when nobody is paying attention, but most are chilling out and enjoying the generally happy mood as my school's football team celebrates their victory. I keep my eyes open as Carlos is rarely allowed to relax, so I have to keep my crew mates safe. My phone going off is unusual since the only person I'd be expecting any communication from broke up with me two weeks back. My phone is loading a video message but the video isn't from any number I know which is odd in today's technological world. I look and see a few other people in the crew looking at their phones and I thank god my volume on my phone is turned down as immediately the video loads and there are two people having sex on my screen. Immediately everyone whose phone loaded the video is laughing and it looks like a black guy screwing a girl, not sure the ethnicity till she speaks a little Spanish at him. The camera zooms in as he pulls her legs over his shoulders and we can see both their faces, all the laughter from the crew stops and now we have a problem. Guadalupe, Hector's older girlfriend, is fucking Brandon from the school football team on camera and encouraging the shit out of him. I move as quickly as I can to Carlos while stopping the video.
"We need to get Hector now," I warn him and he gives me a questioning look.
We both turn to where Hector was by his car except he is up and moving towards Brandon. We try to cut him off, stop him or anything but we're too far behind when he hits the school's star running back with a solid right to the head. And that is how it started, one punch turned into an all out football versus Carlos's crew. Enough punches were thrown that nobody got out unscathed and while Carlos is trying to rein in Hector there is another fight breaking out between Brandon's girlfriend Jenna and some very ghetto black girl who looks two sizes too big for the tight skirt and halter top she's wearing. I move in since there isn't anything to do now and listen.
"How could you cheat on me, how could you sleep with this…. Whatever she is," Jenna is yelling at Brandon and the ghetto girl is obviously offended.
"Baby let me just explain," Brandon is trying to talk his way out of it but it's not looking good.
"I got this honey," the ghetto black girl says, stepping in Brandon and Jenna's path," See I know how to please a man. When you kept turning him down and putting him on hold I picked up that call and he rode me hard and put me away wet every single time."
"You fucking bitch," Jenna says that much before she is dropped onto her very nice ass.
"I'm THAT bitch, remember that," the ghetto girl states before turning around and walking away.
Brandon is a little worse for wear and now his girlfriend, the supermodel, is slapping his hands away when he tries to help her up. I don't pay attention to their fight turning my attention back to Hector who has Carlos telling him no on the subject of round two with the football team. What little adult supervision we have is the football coaches and they don't want to see anyone caught up two weeks before a state championship; we are in line for it now, so everyone is informed to quietly disperse and not
speak about what happened. We get back to Carlos's parent's house and I'm pulled aside by Carlos to be questioned.
"Who the fuck sent this," Carlos asks video in hand on Hector's phone.
"I don't know, I need to get home and on my computer to find out but they know what they're doing," I explain pointing out details," They zoomed here so you could see both faces, they used a camera so that would make mistaken identity an impossibility and they recorded audio. Someone did this for a reason."
"Get me something fast, I've got people getting Hector drunk so he can't stand up," Carlos informs me before getting serious," Till he's back on his feet you take point on this. I need shit locked down with him and anyone getting to our people got it?"
I nod and while I'm happy I'm scared shitless at the same time. I'm in charge of something for the sake of the whole crew? Better work fast or next time they decide to fuck with someone in the crew we're not going to be able to calm shit down if this is their first shot.
Guy: Same time as the party was in full swing
Two minutes and thirty eight seconds ago I sent the video package off to everyone in Carlos's crew and parked my rental car just around the corner of my main destination. Hector keeps checking into the same little storage spot every couple of days but nothing goes in and nothing comes out which means they're sitting on something big and I want it, or at least don't want them to have it and I don't care which. Looks like one of Carlos's boys outside and I took up for the task. I'm dressed in blue jeans, a white button up shirt, sunglasses and a black rag on my head covering my hair. Just like most of Carlos's crew. I walk up and he sees me and nods, not recognizing me as I keep my head down and he's more interested in the video on his phone.
"Hey you see this video someone sent, that looks like Hector's girl," he's talking in Spanish but I only make out Hector.
"Enlightening video," I ask and he nods still not paying attention.
I've seen videos of what a real cattle prod do to a person but watching one of Carlos's cholo boys dance from the electrical arc coursing through his system is worth every dollar I spent on the tool. He shakes and goes down which has me stop shocking him and as he sits on his ass in the side alley trying to regain his composure I slam my brass knuckled fist into his temple and put him out. I check the door, it's locked and after checking the idiot outside I realize there are more inside the building. I estimated two to three people at most so hopefully they're as dumb as the unconscious idiot next to me. I do a quick bit of planning and knock on the door to the building and wait. There's no eye slit to see who is outside, I thought there would be but that's in the movies and shit, people don't have those in the real world. I pound on the door again and hear someone talking on the other side. I wait and when the door opens a couple inches shock the metal door with the cattle prod. The Mexican ganger asshole on the other side jumps back holding his hand and is in obvious pain as I feel my blood pumping through my veins and my heart pound in my ears. I pull the door open and drop the prod pulling on the second set of knuckles and after a textbook, it's where I learned it, body-body-head combo ganger number two is down. I hear someone coming fast and rush to meet them colliding with a female in Carlos's colors and brandishing a pistol. She tries to raise it but something I learned about myself recently is that when my blood is pumping I'm fast, not superhuman but my reactions are quick so to me she's moving like she's in water and punch the top of her wrist hard and watch the gun clatter to the floor. She grabs her wrist in pain as I follow up my attack with a straight punch to her forehead and that rattles her brain enough to put her down. Yes I just beat up a female but in my defense she had a gun and she was in my way and fuck you. I get the door open again and drag ganger idiot number one inside. A couple industrial grade black zip ties lock everyone's hands and feet together in a circle around a single post and now we go exploring. No paperwork, nothing here but wooden crates without labeling, don't they have to put weights on them and stuff?
I can hear the three stooges or two stooges and a stagette coming to their senses and returning to them pulling their rags over their eyes. I almost forgot that part; I don't want everyone knowing it was me just yet. They are asking questions and I respond by taking a nearby piece of metal and scraping the end on the ground as I walk around them. The first guy is threatening me in Spanish, the girl is quiet and the second ganger is crying. It's at moments like this I laugh and I do so in a fashion that I've never felt before. This laugh comes up and out from the depths of my soul and I must sound scary as nobody is making noise now.
Put some more fear in them, take a crowbar to a knee or slap the girl around.
Easy, you need to remember control. He needs to control the situation right now.
He is in control so how about letting it get a little out of control.
You know what is coming; just remember everything he did was perfect. She even had a gun and he stopped that cold.
I know, it warms my heart.
Metaphorically warms your heart.
What?
You don't have one, neither do I but that's a moot point.