Chapter One
My name is Mckenzie Roberts and I just got out of juvie after serving 5 and a half years for murder. Do not misunderstand me, I never killed anyone. When I was 11 1/2 my friend killed someone and he had such a long rap sheet that I thought they were going to give him the electric chair. That day, I changed my birth certificate so it said I was a year older than I was, I stored a little cash and I confessed to the murder. I cared so much about my friend I served until yesterday, when I was released because they thought it was my 18th birthday and they thought I was an adult. Yesterday was my birthday but I turned 17, not 18. When I got out of jail I collected my money and hopped the first bus I saw. I didn't have much money so I would have to find a job. Before the murder charge I wouldn't have thought twice about stealing but now, if I get caught it'll be a whole lot worse. When I got off the bus I tucked my hair into my hat and I chose a direction to start walking. Within a couple of minutes, I had arrived at the DX station. I was exhausted so I decided to ask someone if they knew where I could rest. The first thing I did was walk into the bathroom and look in a mirror. I looked like a dude in my hat and for the first time in a long time, my nickname 'Ken' fits me perfectly. I walked to the counter and when someone walked in I couldn't help but let my heart jump. He looked about 17 and had movie star good looks and I tried not to blush. My voice was hoarse when I spoke. "Hey, do you know where I could find a place to spend the night?" I asked him, trying to memorize every detail of his face.
"I know I'm a stranger but you seem nice enough, I'm sure my brother will let you stay at our house. I smiled at him a smile that felt strange on my face. It feels like its been years since I've laughed a real laugh like this. "Sure, why not? When do you get off?" "I get off in 15 minutes if you can wait that long. I'm Sodapop, by the way, but you can call me Soda." "Ken." I responded in a single word. "You can go into the garage and Try talking to Steve. He's a bit rough around the edges but he's my best buddy." I smiled and walked into the back. There was a boy slid under a car and he began cursing profusely and slid himself out from under the car.
He spotted me as I approached. "Hey I'm Ken. I see you're having trouble with the car, can I try?" It had been forever since I had worked on a car but I have always been a natural.n
Steve scoffed but stepped back, giving me space to roll myself under the car. I began playing around with different tools and eventually I slip out from under the car. I walked around the car and sticking one arm into the driver side window, I turned the wheel and the car purred to life. Steve stared at me in disbelief but stuck his hand out for me to shake. "Hey Ken, I'm Steve. What are you doing back here anyways?" I told him how I had met Soda and he had offered me a place to stay for the night and told me to wait in the garage until he finished his shift. When I finished telling him the story, a thought occurred to me, Did they realize I was a girl?
I didn't really care but I would probably end up telling them eventually, when my hat fell off. I told Steve how I wanted a custom built souped up mustang. We talked until his and Soda's shifts were over and the three of us walked to Soda's house. There house wasn't fancy but there was a ceiling and no cells so I was perfectly fine. "We're home!" Soda called into the living room. We walked into the living room and all of a sudden all eyes were on me. "Ohh, guys, this is Ken." There were 4 other boys in the room, looking between the ages 13 and 19. One boy in particular caught my eye. He looked about my age and had bleach blond hair and pale blue eyes that could chill you to the core. I knew him because this was the guy I went to jail for. I tried not to gape too much and I took a deep breath before deciding now was when I was going to reveal my true gender.
"Actually..." I pulled my hat off and let my long dirty blond hair flow out as I shook my head. "It's Mckenzie."