Real Gone

Prologue

I do not own Degrassi or any characters.

Emma Nelson stood on the flat roof of Red Brick Apartments. It was her shelter, her hiding place for when she wanted to escape or be alone. She glanced around; smaller shops and apartments stretched on for miles, and Emma loved looking at the view from her outdoor roof. It wasn't the safest part of town, fully of scary crimes and gangs, but Emma loved it nonetheless. Not many people knew about her roof; the apartment building had a ladder in the attic which led to a small trapdoor. Emma discovered this when she first moved to Toronto with her harsh father, Charlie, and soon made it a place of her own, complete with blankets, chairs, and even a tent, for nights where living at home where especially unbearable…

"Emma!" cried Manny Santos. Emma jumped; she was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard her best friend enter through the trapdoor. "Can you come with us tonight to that new club, Smash? It's the perfect way to relax after a long week of school." Her face was full of excitement as she tugged on her dark bangs.

"You've been going down to Smash for the last three weeks. Are you meeting guys there?" Emma asked her excited friend.

Manny looked at her sheepishly. "Well, Ellie and Paige are going too…"

"You didn't answer my question," Emma stated teasingly. "What new boys are you meeting tonight?"

Manny perked up. "Nobody new! Remember Sean? I told you about when I met him; we've been hanging out… you should've come, Emma! He's so cute and he has these two other friends, Spinner and Craig, who immediately bonded with Paige and Ellie. It's perfect! You should have come to Smash with us these last three weeks. We could find someone for you too!"

Emma smiled sadly, "Manny, you know Charlie doesn't like it when I go out too much. He can get really mad." Manny looked at her disappointedly. "Well," Emma continued. "It's Friday. Charlie always meets his friends out at his warehouse on weekends."

"Is that a yes then?" Manny asked. She always loved it when Emma's dad stayed out; it meant Emma had way more freedom.

"It's a yes," Emma answered. Manny squealed and headed home.

Emma looked out at the sunset before heading down to get ready. This is my life, she realized. Sometimes it seemed like she was only existing instead of really living it. This is my life.

Jay Hogart sat on his worn-out couch, waiting for his friends in his tiny apartment. It wasn't too snazzy but it was a place to call home. Jay never stayed at home too much anyway; it just served as a convenient place for him, Sean, Spinner, or Craig to crash after busy days on the streets. He was waiting for them, and they were running late again, as usual. He sighed; sometimes he wished his life could be more carefree, but he knew that could never happen. After dropping out of high school, he realized that being a leader meant that he always had to be alert and careful.

Jay heard his door open and saw Sean, Spinner, and Craig. They had been talking nonstop for the past three weeks about these three girls they had met at Smash, um, Manny, Paige, and Ellie, he thought. Sure enough, they had planned to meet their girls there, yet again, tonight.

"Jay man! Why the long face?" asked Spinner.

"Nothing much, just thinking about a new scheme for next week," Jay replied.

"Come on man – it's Friday! It's time to meet chicks. You know they love you. What are you waiting for?" exclaimed Craig. He was really excited to see Ellie again tonight.

"Well there's a lot of planning to do and…" Jay thought for a minute. "You're right. It's Friday night and it's time to have some fun."

Sean, Spinner, and Craig paused for a minute. Usually they had to drag Jay to Smash; they had fun, but Jay always made fun of the shallow girls who threw themselves at him. He'd have a quick fling, but end it before it got serious or they got close. Spinner and Craig left Jay's apartment but Sean lingered to talk with his best friend.

"Look Jay. I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you deserve to have some fun tonight. Go out, dance with some whores I know you won't like, and get back to being serious tomorrow." Sean advised, knowing what his best friend was thinking. "Think about it. We'll meet you at 9:00." Jay nodded, and Sean stepped out of the apartment to meet up with Craig and Spinner.

Jay scratched the falcon tattoo on his left bicep, a nervous habit he developed years ago. You see, when you're the leader of the most notorious gang in Toronto, the Falcons, you had to be ready for anything, at any time. You never knew when something, or someone, would catch you off your guard…