A Tanglewood Girl

Chapter One: New in Town

A/N: I got the idea for this story during season one's Tanglewood episode. Pairings will be Danny/Lindsay eventually but in the beginning it will be Louie/Lindsay. Strange concept I know but work with me guys. Read and review!

Sixteen year old Lindsay Monroe looked out the window of her mother's car watching the skyline of New York City pass. Her father James Monroe was a very successful architect in Montana and had received a new job that led them out of their rural community of Montana. It was hard for Lindsay and her older brother Hunter to leave their friends and relatives. But James promised them that things would be better for them in the long run.

They pulled up to their new house. Lindsay and Hunter got out of the car and took in their new surroundings. There were kids riding their bikes up and down the street. Another group of kids were playing street hockey, weaving in and out of the kids on their bikes. Looking down farther Lindsay noticed a group of three guys hanging around a car. They were surveying the activity of the neighborhood. One in particular stuck out to Lindsay. He was tall with dark curly hair. He had that dangerous look to him. Lindsay decided that she had to meet him eventually.

The rest of the day the Monroes spent unpacking boxes. Lindsay set up her room just like she had back in Montana. She had her desk under the window, her bed against the wall. She had just finished tacking up her posters when she saw a boy about her age and a large woman come up their walk. The boy had blonde hair and was wearing glasses. He was cute in that bookworm, geeky way.

"Lindsay! Hunter!" Julie Monroe yelled. "We have company!"

Lindsay heard her brother grumble and trod down the stairs. Lindsay turned down her stereo and came down also. Her mother was talking to the woman and the boy looked bored. His expression changed when he saw Lindsay.

"Lindsay, Hunter this is Olivia Messer and her youngest son Danny," Julie introduced. "The Messer's live two houses down."

"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood," Olivia said.

"Well thank you very much," Julie replied. "Once we get settled, you and your family are invited for dinner. If you'll excuse us we still have so much to get done before Lindsay and Hunter start school tomorrow."

"Of course," Olivia said. "Enjoy the lasagna."

As quickly as they arrived the two members of the Messer family they were gone. Lindsay went back up to her room and watched Danny walk back to his house through her window. She saw him stop and talk with the three guys. Danny stood with them for quite awhile. He pulled a cigarette from his jacket pocket and the tall dark haired guy took one from the pack as well.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful for the Monroes. They had the lasagna that Olivia brought over. Once dinner was over, Hunter and Lindsay sat at the table playing Monopoly. They played every Sunday night. They were still playing the same game from three weeks ago. Lindsay was only about three turns around the board from winning. Lindsay was able to win weather she had the expensive properties or the cheap ones.

"What do you think out new school is going to be like?" Lindsay asked.

"School," Hunter said plainly. "It's a building with kids and teachers. I don't think it will be any different than our old school."

"Something's different here," Lindsay said. "Something is very different."

Lindsay took extra care of what she wore the next morning. She wanted to look like she belonged in New York and not like the transplant she felt like. She found her favorite jeans that she had patched herself and her cream sweater. She hoped that her look would be accepted by the other girls at school. Lindsay always prided herself on being an individual. She was never one to follow the trends. Lindsay Monroe danced to the beat of her own drum.

She was the first one downstairs. She was counting on Hunter to be her ride to school. Her father would be taking the train into the city for work which left his car at home for Hunter to use. Lindsay made a quick breakfast of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal and a glass of orange juice.

"Linds, are you sure you don't want me to take you?" Julie asked. "I don't mind."

"I want to do this myself," Lindsay answered. "It's not that I'm nervous it's the being late that I'm having an issue with."

Lindsay's older brother Hunter was a Matt Dillon wannabe. The boy spent more time on picking out his clothes and doing his hair than Lindsay did. Hunter was a good looking guy. Seventeen years old, tall and built from working six straight seasons on Old Man Murphy's ranch. More hearts were broken when Hunter Monroe moved away than any other event in the long history of their old school. Lindsay so happy to finally be able to break out of her brother's rather large shadow and become someone other than Hunter Monroe's baby sister.

Tanglewood High School was a three story brick building. As she walked up the steps she saw a small group of boys hanging out by the bushes. There were about ten of them and they each had a girl hanging on their arm. Lindsay shook it off until she saw part of one boy's tattoo.

"You'll want to stay away from those guys," a voice behind Lindsay said. "They're all going nowhere fast."

Lindsay turned around and stood face to face with Danny Messer. The boy she had met the day before.

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked.

"Five of those guys are in the Tanglewood Boys gang," Danny replied. "They only come to school to sell off their drugs and to try to bring in new guys. You don't want to catch their attention. Those girls hanging onto them are all Tanglewood Girls. Meaning that she belongs to one of the Tanglewood Boys."

"Belongs? What does that mean?"

"Walk with me," Danny said. "I need to get inside."

If Lindsay was nervous before, Danny was now frightening her. Even though Danny was not a part of the Tanglewood Boys he had very close ties to the upper levels of the gang. He knew things that the worker bees of the gang only wished they knew.

Once they were inside the school Danny started talking again. "What I meant by 'belongs' is that, if you are a Tanglewood girl, you have a specific Tanglewood Boy's name tattooed on your left shoulder. No other Tanglewood Boy can touch you. Just trust me, Lindsay. You do not want to get caught up with these guys. They are all on the fast track to jail or worse."

"How do you know all this?" Lindsay asked.

"Just trust me," Danny said. "You don't wanna know what I know."

They stood in the hallway just staring at each other. Lindsay had to admit that Danny was cute. He had that geeky, smart guy look to him. He had spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.

Danny had to admit Lindsay was a good looking girl. She had curly brownish red hair and soft brown eyes. She would easily attract the attention of the single Tanglewood Boys looking for their girl. Which was the main reason why he warned her about them in the first place. Maybe with time Lindsay would want to be his girl.

Lindsay had English lit as her first class. She found a seat in the middle of the room and got out her notebook. She was a very serious student. She hoped to get a full academic scholarship to NYU. Nothing would get in the way of that.

Lunch was her biggest issue that first day. Hunter had already made friends with the jocks and was happily sharing lunch with them. Lindsay looked around the cafeteria for the one face she did know. Danny Messer. She spotted him over by the soda machines. He was talking with a kid in a white jacket. She made her way over to where he was.

"I just need to talk to Louie," the kid was saying. "You're consigliere. You can make it happen."

"Forget it Johnny," Danny replied. "Both Louie and Sonny are not very happy with your operations. He's not going to see you."

Lindsay weaved her way through the multitude of kids till she got to Danny. She smiled at him and he held his hand up to stop her. She had a confused look on her face. But she stopped and waited for Danny.

"Louie may consider meeting with you," Danny said. "But it'll cost you."

Johnny slipped some money into Danny's hand and walked away. Danny slipped the cash into his pocket. He nodded to Lindsay and she walked over to him.

"What was that all about?" Lindsay asked.

"Nothing," Danny replied. "Just business. What's up?"

Lindsay laughed nervously. "I was just looking for the one person I know," she said.

"Let me introduce you to some of my friends," Danny said. He led her over to a table with a mixture of guys and girls. "Yo! This is Lindsay."

She got several nods and she sat down next to a skinny blonde.

"Lydia Messer," she said. "Danny's cousin."

"Lindsay Monroe," Lindsay replied. "Nice to meet you."

Lydia had long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She wore heavy makeup and bright red lipstick. She pulled a mirror out of her purse and checked her reflection.

"What did Johnny want?" she asked, looking over at Danny.

"Same stuff," Danny replied. "Tell you later."

"Good. Now I can focus on you," Lydia said turning to Lindsay. "Lindsay right? I like that sweater you're wearing. Where'd you get it?"

"Bonnie's," Lindsay answered. "It's a small boutique in the town I used to live in. She makes everything herself."

"Oh. You'll have to let me borrow it sometime. So what lies has Danny told you about Tanglewood?"

"Just something about a gang to watch out for," Lindsay said sipping her milk.

"The Tanglewood Boys," Lydia confirmed. "They aren't all the badasses that Danny makes them out to be. My boyfriend Sal is one of the originals."

Danny shook his head and turned his attention to his lunch. "You could do so much better than Salvador Zabo," he muttered.

"You got something to say consigliere?" Lydia snapped.

"Consigliere?" Lindsay questioned.

"Danny's special counsel to the Tanglewoods," Lydia said. "He hasn't told you that has he?"

"Shut it now Lydia," Danny said.

"She has the right to know what's going on around here," Lydia said. "You wouldn't want her to get mixed up with the wrong people."

Lindsay looked back and forth at the bickering cousins. Something was wrong here and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what going on. She started to stand up. Lydia took her arm and gave her a look.

"Stay Lindsay. Danny and I just have opposing views of the Tanglewoods. Danny can we put the neighborhood politics aside and have a nice lunch with my new friend?"

"Sorry Lydia. At this moment we agree to disagree. I have to get going anyway. I'll see you later Lindsay."

Lydia waved to her cousin as he walked away. Lindsay watched him go. Another guy walked up to him. They walked away together, Danny listening to what the kid had to say.

"Be straight with me here Lydia," Lindsay said. "What is Danny around here?"

"Danny's older brother Louie is the top of the Tanglewoods. Danny's not in the gang. Louie won't allow it. The little runner guys in the gang go to Danny to get meetings with Sonny, Sal and Louie."

"This is crazy," Lindsay said. "Danny will do the dirty work for these guys but is not a full fledged tattooed member?"

"Oh no. You got this all wrong Lindsay," Lydia replied. "All Danny does is arrange meetings for Louie, Sonny and Sal. Danny knows things that I don't even know about. Danny is so clean he squeaks."

Nothing like this ever happened in Bozeman. The most she ever heard happen was about the strings of cow tippings Hunter and his friends had been involved in. Now she had entered a world where talking to the wrong person could easily lead to a great deal of trouble.

"Is Danny a target?"

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked.

"Is he dangerous to be around?"

"God no," Lydia said. "He's just a middle man. Like Tom Hagen in The Godfather. Danny's careful. He's great guy."

As it turned out Lydia and Lindsay had two other classes together. Lydia introduced Lindsay to her other friends she hadn't met at lunch.

"Ladies, this is Lindsay. She just moved here," Lydia said to the two other girls. "Lindsay this is Mandy and Charlotte."

"It's nice to meet you," Lindsay said.

The four girls became very good friends. Before it had always been Lydia, Mandy and Charlotte. Now if you mentioned them there was another name added to the mix. Lindsay was so happy to have made friends. It was making her transisition much smoother. Julie was happy that Lindsay was making friends and not spending as much time holed up in her room stuffed into a book.