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Chapter 1: Love

The sky was dark with a bright and beautiful moon piercing the skies. Strong winds coming through occasionally

Slight fog with sounds of busy cars honking due to traffic as most are on their way home on a saturday

On the sidelines were where the female 'entrepreneurs' trying their best to attract customers

"Ahh, I can't believe we were able to get our hands on the manga. It's been sold out in all the other places we went to!" the girl said as she momentarily leaned on the boy walking beside her

The boy was struggling to walk as he had a human sized manga strapped on his back

"I wish we could have found it online" The boy says

The girl chuckles a little bit before agreeing

'It looks heavy" The girl said

The boy did not say anything as he blew out his nose as he focused on walking

"Let's pick up the pace" The boy says 

__________

20 minutes past and the two are outside a door to a house

The girl opens it with with care as to be quiet after she had turned the key even more gently

Upon opening, she finds her father sitting on a chair facing the direction of the door with a sour look

"Sneaking out? That's what we're doing?" The father asked with a angered tone

The boy avoided eye contact with the father

"Boy, you had my daughter out this late knowing how dangerous it gets?"

"I'm-

"It was actually my idea" the daughter said with haste

"Don't stick up for him, Faven. I know it was his idea because he's the only one that'd try to pull this type of shit. You know damn well not to do this" The father said

"Now, show me what you risked my daughters life for" The father demanded

"It was really my idea, da-"

The man suddenly stood from the chair and walked over to the both of them

The girl jumped in front of the father, shielding the boy behind her

However, a stern look from her father quickly brought her back to reality

She quietly scurried to beside her boyfriend with her head down

The father looked at the boy and immediately saw the giant book on his back

He reached behind the boys head and snatched it, making him fall over, hitting multiple things on the way down

Sounds of glass shattering permeated through the house as the girl jumped in fright

The angered father quickly looked at the book with a disgusted face

"This. This is what you risked my daughters life for? A book?" he asked

Tears filled the boys eyes as he sat on the ground looking up at the dad

The girl rushed to the boys side as she wrapped her arms around him

But the father quickly snatched his daughter off of him

"Dad! Stop! What are you doing?!" the girl screamed

The father paid no attention to her words as he held her in his arms

" pack your things and leave" The father said

The boy eyes widened in surprise as he jaw dropped

"Okay.." the boy said as he got up

Tears were falling from his eyes as he could only look at the shards of glass on the ground, too afraid and ashamed to look at anyone, let alone his girlfriend

"No, why are you kicking him out? It was my idea!" She said

The father once again ignored his daughters words

"Start packing!" The father yelled, letting out the anger he had been trying to calm

The boy slowly walked towards the stairs and up them 

The entire way up, he hears his girlfriends pleas and cries

He starts to pack his belongings in a duffle bag

 Even though he didn't have very much to pack, he delayed as much as he could

He managed to hold on for 30 minutes before he could no longer stall. What he had was a toothbrush, a bag full of books and a few shirts and pants

The girl continued to scream at her dad, but dared not try to intervene physically

The boy looks at his girlfriend who had eyes full of tears

On her eyes was a look of fear and determination, she was ready to do something for him, however he simply shook his head, telling her not to do whatever she had planned

Seeing his disapproval, she teared up even more, but she realized that in reality, she would be making it even harder on him

The boy exited the house and immediately pulled out his phone

He went to google, still leeching off their wifi for the limited time he has to look up shelters nearby

He found one close, not even a mile away and so he walked down the sidewalk

As he was walking, he was flirted with by many female entrepreneurs in hopes for him as a customer, but he kindly declined

He became more and more uncomfortable the further he went from the safety of his old home

Knowing that if something were to happen, he most likely wouldn't even be able to make it back in time for safety

As he continued to dwell over his eviction, he looked over all his contacts

"Faven

Joey

Rebert

Juul"

He clicked his tongue as he looked over them and decided to call Joey

The phone ringed for not even a second before being sent to voicemail

Then he would try Rebert

It ringed a few times and was answered

"Yo wassup, Ade" Rebert said

"Yoo, man. I just got kicked out of my girl's house. I was hoping your moms could just let me crash for a few? I can pay rent and stuff like that. I clean, too"

"Ahhh, I don't think she'd be cool with that, man"

"Can you at least ask her, fam? I can even pay my whole check if she want"

The boy over the phone blew air out his nose

"Its that bad, man?"

"Wouldn't be asking if it wasn't"

"Ok, man. I'll ask. You coming to the same school next year/"

"Can you ask now? And I don't know man. I'll have to see if I can register by myself"

"Ok, I'm asking right now"

Rebert could be heard getting up from his bed and walking

A few seconds later his voice came through the phone

"Hey, mom. My friend asked if he could crash here"

"Who?"

"Ade"

"Reb, I don't know that boy. No"

Rebert turns to the phone to give him the bad news, but Ade interrupts him

"Put me on speaker"

Rebert reluctantly puts him on speaker

"Ah, Ma'am. I'm willing to pay rent and clean. I'm decent at cooking, too." Ade pleaded

He really didn't want to go to the shelter. He was a malnourished 15 year old. He was worried he would be unable to defend himself in any context

"Where are your parents at, boy?"

"I don't talk to my parents, Ma'am"

"So you're a bad ass kid. Why don't your parents let you live with them?"

"Mom!" Rebert says before taking it off speaker

"Sorry, man. I don't know why she said something like that."

Ade had hung up without saying a word

His eyes watering as he soon would have to accept he no longer had a safe place to go

As he continued to walk, a sudden sound of tires screeching followed by gunshots rang through out the neighborhood

Ade immediately laid down as he tried to avoid the possibility of getting hit

After the gunshot sounds ended after what felt like an eternity for him, he quickly got up and checked himself

He was fine, but he got even more scared to continue down the path towards the shelter as that was the way the gunshots were

He stopped walking and scanned over his contacts again

He gritted his teeth as he tapped the contact, Juul

It didn't even ring for a second before it was picked up

"Heyyy nephew! You need something?" she asked with a happy tone

"Yea, hey aunty Juul. I was just here to see if you maybe had like, y'know-

"Ade, what is it you need? You want me to come pick you up again?" She asked

"No, no, I'm fine. Nevermind, aunt juul. Bye" 

Ade quickly hung up

Then he suddenly felt a force strike behind him

He jumped forwards in freight only to see his girlfriend, Faven

She had on a ruffled bookbag and clothes on as if she had gotten into a fight

"I can't just leave you out here by yourself, Ade." She says as she grabs on to his arm

He smiled for not even a fraction of a second before stopping it

"It's too dangerous out here"

'Stop it. You know without me you'll be a wreck. Come on, where are we going?"

Ade could not rebuttal

He sighed as he adopted a smile

However, an extremely loud tire screeching rang out again as the shots came flying

Ade and Favens eyes widen as in the small frame of time they have to escape or run, they use to try to shield each other

"SHIT!" Was all Ade could say as he tackled Faven to the ground and faced his back towards the flying bullets

—--------------

[few minutes prior]

"Why'd you kick him out, dad?!" Faven yells as she picks up the broken glass

"Because he put you in danger! He had you go out there knowing how dangerous it is out there! He broke one of the rules, I, the owner of this house set! He isn't my kid. I'm not going to condone that from some random ass kid just because he's your boyfriend!"

"It was MY Idea! Why is he being kicked out for something I made him do? YOu know he has nowhere else to go!"

"Stop taking up for him, faven. He can go back to his damn parents. He probably just broke some rules over there and got kicked out. Anyways, I'm done talking about this. Go to bed"

"What the fuck? You think he'd lie about something like that?!"

The father looked at her with a stern look, but she didn't budge

"How can you just say something like that?!"

Faven rushed up the stairs in a fit of rage

The father sighed as he started to clean the broken up glass his daughter had started on.

'She'll get over it in a few months'

'Maybe I did go a little too far with him, though. I can't just leave him out there at this time. What the fuck was I thinking?'

The father quickly stops cleaning as he rushes upstairs, past Favens room, entering his

He quickly opens the bottom drawer where a pistol is

He grabs it and tucks it into his waistband and puts on a jacket from off his bed

He leaves his room and begins to rush down the hallway where he stops in front of Favens door

He opens the door to tell her he was going to get him back, but what he found was a window opened and her drawers ransacked

He jolts to the window to see her figure running as fast as possible

"FAVEN!!!!"

He quickly rushes down stairs and exits the house, not even locking up as he ran the same direction she did

As he was running, his leg suddenly cramped up and his speed drastically decreased, but he powered through it and continued to run as fast as he could

He called out her name, but she ignored him and continued running until her body couldn't even be seen by him anymore

As he felt his body succumb to the pain, he quickly turned around and rushed towards his house

After a minute, he reached his house and turned it upside down to find his car keys

He found them and darted out to his car where he drove off to find them

He wasn't holding back

He was putting his foot to the metal and looking for his daughter best he could

'She couldn't have gotten that far'

Then he suddenly heard a tire screech and loud gunshots into the distance

He sped up even more until he got to the scene

What awaited him was the greatest fear any parent could see

—--------

Both Ade and Faven held each other with multiple gunshot wounds in their body

Both tearing up as they forced a smile on their face for each other

"It'll be okay" They both said to reassure themselves and each other

In reality, neither of them wanted to die, and both of them felt insane guilt in their last seconds

If only Faven could have been the one to stop themselves from sneaking them out, stand up for him better. Be a better girlfriend

If only Ade could had put his foot down more, protected her better, been a better boyfriend

They both could be alive and ready to spend the next day together right now

"FAVEN!" a voice familiar to both of them ringed out

"Dad…" 

A resident of the neighborhood notified the father he called 911, so the father tried his best to keep Faven awake

Faven had been pulled away from Ade by the father and held in his arms

Ade still lying on the floor filled with bullet wounds, blood gushing out

One of the residents came rushing out with equipment to stop the bleeding, aiding both Faven and Ade

Ade had taken the brunt of the damage

"I don't think the boy can make it. I can't stop the bleeding" one of the residents said sadness present in their voice

By this time, almost the entire block had surrounded them as they viewed innocent kids death for some petty reason

"No, this is the last time this will happen around here. We need to do something about this! These innocent kids were caught in the crossfire of some petty fighting between adults!" someone in the crowd exclaimed, much to everyone's silent approval

"Will my daughter make it?" 

The resident looked at the father in the eye

"Thanks to this boy, she has the chance of making it, yes. You should thank this boy in his last moments"

The father looked at Ade with a saddened and extreme guilt filled look

"T-thank you, Ade. I'm so sorry!"

Ade could only sigh inwardly as he came to the realization that he would be dying surrounded by strangers

He felt guilty thinking this, but he was happy dying with Faven. In fact, he was hoping that'd be the way he goes. holding Faven in his arms

As he felt his life nearing its end, he felt being selfish one last time wouldn't matter

He reached both his hands out signaling for his wants to hold Faven one last time

Faven herself did the same, tears in her eyes, but they both no longer had the strength to speak

" Let him get his last wish" the resident said

The father closed his eyes as he gently laid his daughter next to Ade, a smile appearing on Ade's face, but only a sorrow filled face for her

"I'm going to live. Ade is going to die. How is that fair? Why did he shield me? I don't want him to die. Could he still live if I had never cam-

Her mind was clouded with guilt and doubts

But Ade in his last moment rubbed her hair and smiled

Showing his dark red teeth stained from blood and tired eyes, his hand went limp and his mouth shut

Her heavy eyes explode open as much as they could as tears ran down her cheek and whimpers escaped her mouth

The death of Ade