I do not own 21 Jump Street or the episode "Mean Streets And Pastel Houses"


My brother Brian used to be a really good kid. I dont mean he's bad or anything, just different somehow. He used to laugh all the time with this really big, toothy grin. Now the only time he ever really laughs is when one of his friends does something dangerous, stupid, or a combination of both. I dont think he really means it when he laughs though, because its always short before that blank, bored expression takes over again. Brian is a junior in high school, and makes really good grades even though he doesn't really like any of his classes. He has short, curly hair that looks black, but is actually a dark brown. His eyes are kinda big and a light green, but they can change colors to where they get so dark they're almost black. Pretty different, if you ask me. But then again Brian has always been different. I'm a sophmore, and take after Brian in hair color and eye shape, but that's about as a far as our resemblance goes. My eyes are big and bluish green and never change colors.

Even though Brian is a year older than me, he pretty much takes me wherever he goes. Maybe its because our parents got divorced or something. We usually hang with a small group of friends that we've known since we were kids. There's Jimmy, who's got long, black, curly hair that he keeps shagged over one eye sometimes, and dark blue eyes. He's always mouthing off to the cops and trashing up their cars with nothing more than a wolfish grin and two cans of spray paint. Spooky has reddish orange hair that's short, but kinda sticks out on the sides. He has a pointy nose and deep brown eyes. He likes to talk a lot, so we have to watch what we say around him because once you get him started on something, there's no stopping. Lastly there's Tober. Short for "October" even though that's not his real name. October is his favorite month, so the name sorta stuck. Tober is always getting into some argument with his parents, so he's usually on his own most of the time. None of us like the fact that there have been times when he's had to sleep on the streets, or in the park, but it doesn't seem to affect him any. Tober has bright brown eyes, dark eyelashes, and light brown hair that he likes to wear long, although with my help he keeps it styled in different ways . Its a bit hard to explain. And then there's Lancer.

Lancer is neither my friend, and I'm not even sure I can call him my enemy. Brian feels the same way. It's kinda ironic because Brian is sort of Lancers "second in command". Lancer dropped out of school his senior year, though none of us knew him until he joined in on one of our conversations. Spooky, who was, of course, running his mouth, was goin off on how he saw some kid getting beat by a couple of cops because he got jumped, but got out of it because he had scared the other kid off with a pocketknife. Lancer had walked over to us with his buckled combat boots, lit a cigarette, and started saying all this stuff about how kids like us are living under an oppression dressed in navy blue with billy clubs. He had us all hooked from there. At first I thought Lancer was pretty cool...until he started showing up a lot more and started talking all the time. And when he did, Jimmy, Spooky, and Tober would sit there like lap dogs and just nod along with whatever he was saying with this glassy look in their eyes. To say they all worshiped Lancer would be an understatement. Brian of course could see that Lancer was brainwashing them, but he never really said anything to me about it. Maybe because he didn't want to believe it was happening. I knew Brian didn't agree with Lancer on most things, but there have only been a handful of times when hes actually said anything. Lancer would get this fake, cheesy smile on his face before sauntering over to Brian and say "What was that Bri?". Brian would squeeze his hands into fists, and just look at Lancer with that cool, impassive face of his. I'd be looking at Lancer too, but with a quiet, anxious, fear instead. Lancer's the type of person that you dont wanna push too much, because he could get dangerous. Sometimes, he would look me over kinda slow from my head down to my feet, and Brian's eyes would harden and turn slowly from light green, to dark brown before wrapping an arm protectively around my shoulders. I think it made the other guys nervous too, because they would all look away and pop their knuckles. Jimmy always bit his bottom lip and Tober would grit his jaw.

Right now I am sitting at the kitchen counter with my hand halfway inside a cereal box. My headphones are on and a song by Duran Duran pounds into my eardrums. I didn't even know the phone had started ringing until Brian races into the kitchen with a textbook in his hand and a frustrated look on his face. He brings his hand up and makes a "turn it down' motion, so I take my hand out the cereal box and turn down the volume on my walk man while Brian answers the phone. The conversation was really short, because Brian just looks at the phone with an eyebrow raised before turning fully to face me. "One of the guys?" I ask. "Jimmy. I guess we're going out tonight. He's gunna come by and pick us up in an hour or so." Brian picks up his textbook from the table and flips through it before closing it. "Im gunna go get ready." he says before walking slowly back up the steps.