Back Street Kids

A/N This is my first AH and I've had this idea in my head for a while, I have been inactive for a while but I'm getting back on the ball so to speak. I know this idea has been done before but I like to think mine is different, hope you like it. XD Disclaimer- All characters belong to James Patterson, I just kidnapped them for this story hehe.

Full Summary-Max has a hard life, a drunk mothers and her abusive boyfriend and two siblings to raise. As well as finding the rent, even if it means through illegal means. Fang has it easy with a rich family, so you'd think. But even he has things to hide. When they meet sparks fly as well as fists, they find their paths constantly entangled, yet when the time comes can they rely on each other? Will they both open up and trust someone other than themselves?

Chapter 1

I slept all the way through my two hour English test, the only thing that woke me up was the sound of the bell. When I raised my head up off my folded arms, was glaring at me as if I'd just run over his cat. Even the class was glaring at me, he wasn't letting anyone go it seemed until he had my attention. I leaned back in my chair waiting.

"Miss Ride is there a reason you slept through my test?" His voice was sharp.

I shrugged my shoulders in answer. I wasn't going to exactly tell him yeah there was a damn reason. That I had spent the entire night barricading me and my baby brother and sister in our room whilst my mums drunk boyfriend tried slamming the door down. Then when I heard him turning his anger on Mum that I'd run downstairs to nail him. By the time I went back upstairs it was 7 in the morning, I'd gotten the kids dressed, washed and fed, phoned one of Mums friends to come help her and left Mark unconscious on the kitchen floor. There was no way in hell I was telling Mr. Simms all that.

"Well Miss Ride? A verbal answer would be very appreciative." He quipped.

I sighed and stood up slinging my leather pack over one shoulder. "To be honest sir your test is shit, and so are your lessons. I'd rather catch up on my sleep than bother trying to answer questions on the things you were meant to have taught us."

"SIT BACK DOWN NOW!"

I ignored him as he ranted and raved, ordering me to come back. Instead I slammed the door open with my palm, paused to flip him the bird and headed off for lunch. I didn't take well to orders and I was still tired.

There was a lunch rush in the canteen but I shoved my way through the queues to the vending machine and bought a cereal bar and bottle of water with the lat of the change in my pockets. I had managed to pack Angel and Gazzy, my younger siblings, a lunch but in the rush I'd forgotten to do one myself. Ignoring the comment and remarks on my rudeness I walked out of the canteen and around to the back football field. The cheerleaders were in their kit practicing on the sides of the field while the footballers clustered around the coach in the middle of the field. I walked up to the bleachers and slumped down on the middle steps.

As I tore into my cereal bar I was joined by a familiar face. "Hey Max, you know half the teachers are looking for you?"

I shrugged at Ella. "When are they not looking for me?"

Ella laughed and sat down pulling out a sandwich from her bag. Ella was one of the few friends I had and trusted, she had long dark hair, a small pretty face and bright brown eyes that were framed by some bangs. She was shorter than me, but she was also two years younger, in a way I felt like I was her protector, like a sibling, maybe it was our age difference or how we'd met. Ever since we'd been as close as can be. And she hadn't been bullied since.

"Hey Max!" I opened my eyes coming out of the daze I'd drifted into and glared at Dylan as he and his best friend Ari walked over. Sam was with them and so was JJ. These were my friends, even if at times they annoyed the living hell out of me.

"Max Mr. Simms is well annoyed with you." JJ said as she dropped down on the bleachers step in front of me, kicking up her sneakers to rest on Sam's bag.

I clenched my fist as a wave of annoyance washed over me. "I heard JJ and again, I don't care."

"Hey chill out will ya, we're just passing on a message." Ari said thumping me on the shoulder with his fist.

I twisted to grab his wrist before he could pull back and pull him forward so he crashed down onto the steps, his breath rushing out in a woosh. "Don't touch me." I gritted out chucking my wrapper and cracking open the bottled water.

"Max, are you okay? You've been in a foul mood all day, more so than usual." Ella asked with concern showing in her eyes.

I smiled at her. "Just tired, no worries."

Sam chuckled. "Its PMSing really, once a month every woman turns into this ferocious monster." He yelped as JJ threw a notepad at him.

And just like that we settled into our usual camaraderie. Joking and messing around, then at times falling silent, not a awkward silence but a warm, comfortable and familiar silence. That was until I saw Mrs. Jones walking across the field to us. I sighed. "Damn, the principal has found me." I grumbled.

"At least you know she's not gonna want fashion advice from you." Dylan joked, his blonde hair falling over his tanned face as he leaned back sunbathing.

I smirked, he was right though. I was considered the outcast at school, the uncontrollable youth. I wore ripped jeans, most of my jeans were ripped though and I could afford new ones, my silver vest top had seen better days but at least it wasn't stained. Today I'd left my leather biker jacket at home as it was sunny, but I still wore fingerless gloves that ran up to my elbows made of black and white stripes and laced up the sides. My thick combat boots were great for running and fighting, plus they were the comfiest things I'd ever worn and lasted forever. Add in my ear piercing and the scowl I wore permanently and you could understand why the teachers saw me as trouble. So I acted the part, kicked up a fuss in class and behaved badly, they never asked questions about why sometimes my knuckles were bandaged, why I missed days or why my clothes were well worn. It all came with the image and that was what I needed.

"Maximum Ride." I flicked my long blonde hair out of my face and pushed it back with a hand as that demanding voice drew my attention.

"Yes Mrs. Jones?"

"Come with me. Now." She turned and started walking.

Without question I got up, jumped off the bleachers and followed slinging my bag across my back.

Ella gave me a brief wave but the others just carried on as normal, use to me vanishing with a teacher.

Ten minutes and I was in the principals office. Listening to a long winded lecture on my behaviour, my tonnes of missing homework and my failing grades. Not including the last three fights I'd been involved with in school.

"Miss Ride if this continues you'll be in for a suspension. Now I've spoken to your mother and she has agreed to help us in trying to sort out your attitude towards…."

I ignored the rest, of course my mother agreed, she played the role of a concerned parent well. She showed up for parent evening and acted all shocked and surprised and confused over why I acted the way I did. Yet the moment we were back home I either had the bottle thrown at my head or she downed it and twenty others in record time.

I accepted the warnings and made half hearted promises to try and do better and control my temper. As well as receiving a weeks detention at the end of each day, starting today.

By the time I left it was last period, so I headed to chemistry.

I got a few looks as I walked in late and took my seat at the back. I stared out the window thinking about numerous things as the teacher went on about which module we were starting and a few new students who were joining the advanced course from lower down or were simply just new. I was miles away, planning out the rest of my day. I needed to go pick up Angel and Gazzy in Middle School, then when they got home I needed to feed them, tidy up the mess from the fight, help them with their homework, check everything was ready for the morning, go through the bills. I was sure we needed to go food shopping as well, then I needed to go get Mum, she'd still be with her friend, passed out on a couch probably, but I couldn't leave her there.

The bell went signalling the end of the day and I forced my way through the crowd of people, they were chatting, hanging around and slowly making there way through the school. I had places to go, like now. It seemed everyone in the damn world was so slow. As if they didn't realise how hard life was and things needed to be done as quickly as possible.

I was two blocks away in five minutes, moving at a quick familiar pace, I barely remembered I was meant to be in detention. It wasn't as if I ever showed up though. They should have known better

Five more minutes and I was waiting by the gates of the Middle School as Gazzy and Angel walked to me with smiles on their faces. A smile lit up my own face as I gave them both a hug, much to Gazzy's annoyance. I put angels bag over my other shoulder and held her hand in mine as we walked home.

"So how was school guys?" I asked.

Gazzy was a little trooper at ten, always trying to help me when he could and I loved him for it. But he didn't realise I was the oldest and I needed to be responsible and take charge cause our parents obviously wouldn't. He had bright blue yes and blonde hair that stuck up in all directions, he looked like he'd been zapped. Angel, well, she was my angel, my baby. I remembered the day Mum brought her home from the hospital six years ago, I'd started caring for her the very first day. Mum had simply but the carrier down, walked off to her room and forgotten about the child, somehow I'd managed to care and feed her, being ten myself I'd been lucky I hadn't dropped her. I'd had my hands full, babies needed care all hours of the day, plus I was taking care of Gazzy who had been four and myself. It hadn't been easy, but I'd loved every moment with these kids. That's what kept me going even now, no matter how hard or unfair things got, I'd do it all again for these kids.

"I made a pot in art class, can we put it somewhere safe?" Angel asked, blinking her baby blue eyes at me. She looked adorable in her pink summer dress, black sandals and blonde curls.

I took the purple and pink painted clay pot that had glitter and gems stuck to it out of her hand to have a close look at it. I handed it back. "Its beautiful Ang, we'll definitely have to keep it safe. Lets put it in our room, maybe even in the chest." I winked at her and she smiled at me.

The chest was where we kept our few treasure, it was a crude wooden thing with a thick chunky padlock on it. Only I knew where the key was and anything we didn't want to go missing, getting sold or broken we put it in there.

By the time we got home and I'd elbowed the door open, the sky was growing darker. It had taken us nearly a hour to walk home, but at least Mark was gone. He was no longer slumped on the kitchen floor.

"Right you two go up to the room and do your homework, I'll check it after dinner."

They both nodded and manoeuvred through the cramped kitchen, down the narrow hallway and up the bare stairs. The house had two bedrooms, Mum had the big one and I shared the other with Angel and Gazzy. I'd set up a king size mattress that I'd managed to wrangle of a dealer. They slept on that with the blankets and cushions whilst I had the large chair. We didn't have a lot of space, I was lucky there was a small built in wardrobe that we all shared, but I had managed to get a desk into one of the corners, and they shared it, one either sitting on the bed to do work while the other sat at the desk. The desk also doubled as a vanity for Angel by nailing a mirror above it and filling one of the draws with little pieces of jewellery that was worth nothing.

Whilst they went up to do their homework I started cleaning up. Plates and glasses had been smashed in the fight last night, but it seemed when mark had woken up he'd carried on to break more things. A chair was missing a leg, the cabinets doors were open and packets and cans had been dented or ripped open. I sighed and cleaned up the best I could, getting the old hover out to make sure there where no shards left for the kids to cut their feet on. Two black bags later and I was happy, the cabinet doors didn't close properly but at least it was a decent place for people to eat. I grabbed a pizza out of the fridge and threw it into the oven to heat it up.

I went through to the living room and wrinkled my nose at the smell. It stank of stale air, alcohol and bodies. I slammed open one of the windows and grabbed another bin bag. The stained blanket on the couch went in the bin as did all of the glass bottles and cans. I emptied the overflowing ashtray and picked up the rest of the junk I wasn't even going to think about. I froze as I saw what had been behind the couch. I narrowed my eyes and picked up the needle, I bent the end so it wouldn't rip the bag open and tossed it in with the rubbish, as well as the empty packet that had no doubt held narcotics.

When that was done I chucked the bags out for the morning and went to the cupboard under the sink. I reached for the box that held some washing tablet and popped the top open, shifting the packaged tablet around I cursed, shoved it back and slammed the cupboard doors.

I reached for the phone and dialled Jean, Mums friend. "Hi, Jean its Max, is Mum there?"

"Oh nooooo, she left ages ago. Heard she was gonna hit it up with some old friends. Just chill little girl, you're not your mom jailer.." her voice slurred and wavered in and out. She was no doubt off her head by now anyway.

"Yeah okay, thanks Jean." I hung up and punched at the wall next to the phone.

Mum was back on the drugs, she must've seen me putting the money under the sink when I thought she was asleep, now it was all gone. And I needed the rent money by tomorrow.

"Kids dinner!" I shouted up the stairs as I grabbed the pizza out of the oven, divided it and put it on plates.

Angel and Gazzy ran downstairs and sat at the small round table in the middle of the kitchen.

"Max aren't you eating?" Gazzy asked, pizza half way to his lips.

I wiped my hands and picked up the phone off the hook. "Not yet kiddo I need to make a phone call."

I was going to get that money, no matter what I had to do. Because if I missed one payment it seemed nearly impossible to keep the landlord off my back, he was a bully and a jerk. I'd missed one payment once and he'd sent two of his mates over to trash the place while I was at school. Mum had been beaten and he'd left a message that next time it would be the kids that got hurt. No way in hell, I'd rather sell my soul than watch those kids go through the hell I went through. And I knew how to get the money so soon. I just needed to ignore my inner self that screamed no.

A/N Well here's the first chapter, hope you liked it. The characters may not be described as they were by James Patterson but I will be changing them slightly to make them into my version and fit with my story. Anyway, review please and I'll try and get the next chapter up by the end of the weekend. :)