Rosa was spinning out of control. After being released from the hospital with a cast, she became silent towards everyone. On the inside, she was hysterical. She hid inside her room for the most part, shutting out everyone. Not even Angel was able to see her. Riley tried to check on her for Huey and Caesar's sakes, but to no avail. Rummy wouldn't let anyone see her right then, especially because Rosa wouldn't even tell him what was happening. She had also started going to school, just generally avoiding everyone.

2 weeks went by, and Angel was becoming desperate. She began talking to the Freeman boys and Caesar a lot more often, trying to see what to do. Huey went the obvious route: Leave her be and she'll come to you. Caesar wanted to check on her often, and of course, Riley didn't really care because Rosa embarrassed him in front of all of them.

It was Monday night, and Riley, Angel, and Caesar once again approached Rosa's door. Riley knew that Rummy and Ed were out that night, so they weren't going to bother them. Angel opened the door, seeing that the downstairs was empty.

"Man, why we here again?" asked Riley.

"To check up on our girl. She ain't been right since she dropped you on yo ass." said Caesar.

"Aye, shut up. That was just a fluke yo. She ain't kno I was was jus' playin' wid her." said Riley.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. The fact of the matter is that you shouldn't have been playin' with Rosa like that in the first place. She has a temper problem when it comes to...that word." said Angel.

The three teens went upstairs, where Rosa's room was closed up, like it had been for a week. Caesar tried to open the door, and for once, the door was unlocked. They opened the door to see Rosa, curled up in her bed, facing away from the door.

"Go away Gin...I don't want to fight anymore..." she mumbled.

"Rosa? We here to see if you was okay..." said Caesar.

Rosa turned around to face her friends. Her face was red, torn up, and streaming with tears. Her cast was firmly wrapped around her neck, ans she was clutching an old journal with a picture taped to the front of it.

"Get out." she stated.

"But...Rosa...I...just wanted to see if you were okay..." said Angel.

"I'm fine, now leave."

"Rosa, chill out. We was just making sure you didn't kill yo'self." said Riley.

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

She slammed her door shut, locked it, and continued her crying. She looked at her journal, not opening it yet. She ran over the picture on front, it being a picture of a 9 year old Rosa posing back to back with Luna. She sadly sniffed and finally opened up the journal for the first time.

Dear Rosa,

If you're reading this, I didn't make it. But if you know me, you know that either I was murdered, or I went out on my own terms. The last place I went to was to a place called Woodcrest, with a man named Robert Freeman. I took several screen-shots of him, and his grandsons Huey and Riley Freeman. Your last mission under me is to find out what happened if I don't return. If in a week, you don't hear from me, you must notify Nicole immediately. Take care of my dogs. I'm sorry if it doesn't work out...but know that I loved every minute of it with you. You were my best student. Just...always remember what I told you when you want to teach someone else.

I don't know if you know this, but I will always love you. You were the daughter I always wanted.

Luna

Rosa teared up as she looked through the journal. There were tons of pictures of her and Luna. Her and the dogs, her and Luna, her, Luna, and Nicole, everything. She threw the journal, slamming back onto her bed, sobbing loudly.

Meanwhile, Caesar, Angel, and Riley heard her wildly sobbing, and Angel smacked Riley upside the head.

"Way to go Riley. That was a complete disaster. Obviously, we shouldn't have brought his dumb ass." said Angel.

"Aye! Ain't my fault she went crazy! Y'all ain't tell me she was up in there cryin' an' shit! What the hell happened to her?!" asked Riley.

"What the fuck is y'all doin' here?!" said a voice from behind them.

The teens turned to see Rummy towering over them, a scowl on his face. Riley grinned sheepishly at him.

"Well...Ange and Ceez wanted to check on Rosa...y'know?" said Riley nervously.

"You know goddamn well she don't wanna be seen! I don' told y'all she'll see y'all on her time! Get the hell out!" said Rummy.

He pushed the teens out of the house and slammed the door, making all the teens jump.

"Man, what we gon' do now?" asked Riley.

"Man, let's just go to da hill. Huey an' Jazmine are probably up there. Huey probably know what's wrong wit her. He tol' me he was the one who found her when she busted Riley's ass." said Caesar.

"Man, shut the fuck up Ceez. She ain't bust my ass."

"Riley, she busted yo ass. Upside down. Doing a damned hand-stand." said Angel.

Riley turned red at the thought. Angel and Caesar laughed at him as the three teens made their way to the hill. Jazmine wasn't there, but Huey was, and he was reading a newspaper. He looked up to see the three come up to him. He seemed unfazed as Angel glared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Huey, what the hell happened to Rosa? Be honest. Caesar told me you were the last one to see her before she lost her mind." said Angel.

"And I told you that it wasn't any of my business to tell. This is her battle to fight."

"...What the hell did you tell her?" asked Riley.

"What does it matter to you anyway? I thought you were still mad at her for beating you in front of..." started Huey.

"Shut up! Damn!" interrupted Riley.

"Man, she was in her room, curled up in a ball, laying on her busted up arm, clutching onto a damned journal. What the hell did you tell her?" asked Caesar.

"...You guys better not say anything." started Huey.

The three teens agreed as they sat down near Huey. He sighed.

"...She told us before that she knew us from before." said Huey.

"She did?" asked Riley.

"Yeah...I kinda remember that." said Angel.

"There's a reason for that. As we all know by now, Rosa uses Kung-Fu. Her master...knew my brother and I."

"Her master?! You mean someone taught her how to whup niggas asses like that?!" said Caesar.

"Where the hell would we have known her teacher from?! I ain't neva seen no one whup a nigga's ass like dat." said Riley.

"Think for once in your life. Where have we met a lady crazy enough to beat up a child, and teach someone else how to do it?"

"...Well, there was the killer crazy kung-fu wolf bitch, but there's no way..." started Riley, who began putting the puzzle together.

"Who the hell is the 'killer crazy kung-fu wolf bitch?'" asked Angel.

"A woman my grandad was seeing. Her name was Luna. She came to stay with us one weekend, but it turned into a disaster. She almost killed him, us, and Jazmine's father by blowing herself up in our house." said Huey.

"What?! That's fuckin' nuts!" said Caesar.

"And she was raised by that woman?!" said Angel.

"She ended up leaving eventually, but she kept talking to her friend in front of our house, and I guess her friend talked her into killing herself, because next thing we know, shes blown herself up in front of the house. I told Rosa the truth."

"...That's why she's freakin' out? Cuz the killer crazy kung-fu wolf bitch was her moms or somethin'?" asked Riley.

"Foster mother. And from what I saw, she meant a lot to Rosa."

"You don't think she's gonna get revenge on y'all, do you?" asked Caesar.

"Why would she? My family had nothing to do with it. If anything, she should go after Luna's friend. That is, if she wants revenge. Maybe she'll be smart about it, and know that revenge is pointless." said Huey.

"Man, I don't know about you, but I'd get some damn revenge. I mean, that's kind of messed up. The way I heard it from her, this Luna was like her actual mother."said Angel.

"Well, we all know that Rosa isn't as hot-headed as you." said Caesar.

"...Caesar, shut up."

"Anyway, that's why she's upset. Just leave her be. I know it sounds crazy, but this is something she has to battle out herself. When she figures out what to do, she'll figure out if she wants to hang with us again." said Huey.

"Man, am I glad we didn't shoot that bitch. Rosa woulda came after our asses on the real."said Riley.

"You mean you? As I recall, that was your idea."

"...why you bringin' up old shit?"

"You started it."

"Why don't both you niggas shut the hell up!? I'm gone y'all. If Rosa wants to be alone, I'll leave her be then. I'm going home, I guess..." said Angel.

She got up, leaving the three boys on the hill by themselves. Caesar was the first to get up and try to head Angel's way.

"You gon' go check up on yo girlfriend?" teased Riley.

"Shut up Riley. Haven't you realized that she's genuinely upset about Rosa? I mean, she's closest to her out of all of us." said Caesar.

"Caesar's right. But she's none of our business. If she's going home, let her." said Huey.

Meanwhile, as Angel walked by Rummy's place, she saw Rosa in the window. Rosa looked down at her and sadly waved at her. Angel waved back, wanting to help her out in any way possible. Rosa motioned for Angel to come over, and she happily ran across the street.

Angel knocked on the door, and Rummy answered it. Rosa was behind him, and pulled Angel in before Rummy could even tell her to go away. Rummy looked at her confusingly.

"Oh, so you finally want some company now?" asked Rummy.

Rosa nodded at him and Rummy shrugged in defeat. He was still kind of distraught, seeing as Rosa wouldn't tell him what happened, but he assumed there was a reason for it, as well as assuming that she would tell him eventually. Rosa took Angel upstairs, closing her door and locking it.

"Huey told me about...Luna." said Angel.

"Oh...he told you that? I thought we would have kept himself out of it. Same thing with Riley and Caesar. I'm guessing you're the reason why everyone cares about me all of a sudden?" asked Rosa.

"Aw, you can't think that way. Caesar's our actual friend. Now, I can't speak for Riley, but I know Caesar cares. Huey just wanted you to deal with the problem yourself."

"Sounds like Huey...but anyway...you guys didn't have to worry about me too much. I would have eventually came back and talked to you guys about it..."

"C'mon girl. It's been 2 damn weeks. We got a little worried. You can't blame us for that." said Angel.

"I...guess not."

"So, are you ready to talk about it? Or did you bring me in here for another reason?"

"I...guess I overreacted a little bit. But...she really was a mother to me. Haven't you had someone very close to you die?"

Angel paused, thinking about it. She looked down out of sadness, only replying with a short nod. It was the reason her parents were shut-ins now, after all.

"Lets just say...I know what you're going through. I mean, I don't really like talking about it, but my very best friend was taken from me before I moved here. So I know how it feels."

"...Did they kill themselves too?"

"Basically. Lets say...he walked into his death." said Angel.

"Was he...a boyfriend?"

"No, worse. He was my big brother. Remember when I told you I was an only child? I lied. That's why my parents don't come out of the house. They're too busy mourning him. Maybe one day, I'll tell you what happened..."

"Oh...oh Angel...I'm so sorry..." said Rosa.

"Ah, don't waste your tears. It's been a long time since then. Besides, we need to be talking about you right now. What about Luna?"

"Oh...Luna...she...was a best friend of mine as well. She never sugar coated anything for me. She always told me the straight truth. I understood life and death at a very young age because of her. One thing I'll always remember about her was how paranoid she could be. That's why I knew to grab her journal. She always told me to grab it if she never came back."

"What's in it? Like, a letter or something?"

"A bunch of things. A last letter, pictures...maybe one day, I'll let you see."

"Oh, of course. No rush. So, are you gonna keep ignoring the others? More importantly, are you gonna keep killing your brain cells by trying to go to school?" asked Angel.

"No...I...I'm ready to see the others. Mostly because I need to ask Huey one more thing about Luna before I can move on."

"What's that?"

"If he heard anything that would have made her kill herself. I mean, the way he told me what happened, she was about to be on her way back home, then she got in her car, paused, and then blew herself up."

"Oh, he told us about that too. He thinks that her friend talked to into it. Some lady she was talkin' on the phone with."

"...Nicole?! Nicole talked her into killing herself!?"

"Well, how do you know it wasn't someone else?"

"Angel, trust me. Luna only had a few friends. And only one girlfriend. It was Nicole."

"So...what are you gonna do about it?" asked Angel.

"What do you mean? Revenge? On Nicole? I know her. She says a lot of things before thinking about them. There would be any point to it...I've had my piece on Luna's death, and I...guess I'll be okay about it..."

"So...you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be okay. So...do you wanna stay with me? That's the real reason I brought you here, other than talking to you..."

"Oh...sure. But you've gotta tell the others you're okay too. Believe it or not, Caesar's been just as worried about you as I was."

"Oh yeah? I...guess it's because he's my friend. We did already establish that. That night, when I told you about Huey inviting us over, I asked him about him flirting with us."

"Oh? And what did he say? I was right, huh?"

"Completely. But I set him straight. I'm not interested in a relationship right now, plus...I didn't want to hurt his feelings or anything...I mean, he's really cute, but...he's not my type." said Rosa.

"Oh, sure. Of course he's not your type. Your type is more down-to-earth, natural. Pro-black." teased Angel.

"Okay, first off, Huey is not my type. He has a girlfriend, and either way, I'm not sure that he's interested in other women. It's a miracle that he's with Jazmine. I don't know if you've noticed, but I think she annoys him. Second off, I shot Caesar down because I knew how much he was your type."

Angel blushed as she and Rosa laid in their beds. Angel crossed her arms as Rosa giggled at her expense. It was no secret to Rosa that Angel had a crush on him. In fact, it was almost obvious that the two liked each other.

"Ah, shut up girl. So what if I like Caesar? I mean, what's there not to like? He's cute and he's funny. Not to mention he's always so happy all the time." said Angel with a blush.

"I thought you were annoyed with his optimistic attitude."

"No, I'm annoyed at how much I love it. Rosa, I love the way he is! I don't know what to do.."

"I suppose actually dating him is out of the question."

"...I don't know. Do you think we'd be good together?"

"I don't think it matters what I think. All that matters is what you two think about each other. I know he likes you, and I know you like him. But I also know you two fight. A lot. So, what do you wanna do about it?" said Rosa.

"I don't think I wanna do anything about it right now. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind hooking up with him, but I just...don't want a relationship like that. Having to...share feelings and go on dates...ugh...meeting parents..." cringed Angel.

"...are you afraid of him meeting your parents?"

"Afraid? No. Mortified? No. Not even embarrassed. Just annoyed. I don't even really want you to meet them. My parents are a complicated story wrapped into one married couple. I love them, but I don't like to let them meet a lot of people."

"I suppose that's understandable, but at the same time, if you didn't want Caesar to meet your parents, I bet if you just talked to him, he'd understand."

"Maybe. If I get that far, I'll get that far. But don't expect me to just run into his arms. If we get to a point where we...start a relationship, I'll tell him about my parents. Happy?"

"Hey, I'm just glad you were able to stop lying to yourself about him. Whenever you decide to be with him is up to you."

Rosa shut her eyes, falling into a quick sleep. Angel rolled her eyes, closing her eyes too. She blushed as she thought of Micheal Caesar. Maybe Rosa was right. Maybe dating Caesar wouldn't be bad. She shook her head of it, thinking that if he did ask, she'd know what to do.

Morning hit, and Caesar found himself in front of the Freeman door once again. He knocked, and Huey answered the door, looking as apathetic as ever.

"I thought you'd be annoying Angel before you came here." said Huey.

"Yeah, usually. But she ain't home. I'm guessing she at Rosa's. So, I came here ta get y'all first." said Caesar.

"As good of a plan that is, you forgot that Riley's still asleep."

"So, get his ass up!"

"I'm already up. I been up since Ceez knocked on da do'. And trust, I'm goin' ta get her back fa' last time." said Riley from behind them.

Riley still had his du-rag and underwear on, so he went upstairs to change as Caesar and Huey sat in the living room.

"So, did you check on Angel last night?" asked Huey.

"Nah, I left her alone. I'm guessin' Rosa finally let Angel in last night. I'm glad, I guess. Maybe we next. Why? You suddenly care about Angel's well bein'? And here, I thought she annoyed you." said Caesar.

"Don't get me wrong, she can be annoying, but I never said she annoyed me. She's not as ignorant as the other girls at our school. Plus, we both know you like her. I'm going to have to get along with her soon or later."

"Ey, shut up Huey...I ain't neva said I like 'er."

"Okay, first off, we both know you do. Cuz you flirt with her more than you flirt with Rosa. Second off, you have a horrible tell when you lie. The biggest one is when you say 'Do not.'"

"Do not!" said Caesar.

Huey just raised his eyebrow at him, while Caesar grinned at him sheepishly. They both knew at this point. Caesar really liked Angel. Riley finally came downstairs, and the three boys started for Rummy's house.

"So...why did you want to come with us again? Other than the bus?" asked Huey.

"To get her back,duh. It's a game, get it?! She started it when they kicked my ass outta bed and jacked my iPod." said Riley.

"If we want to get technical, didn't you start it when you went into their room recklessly and started kicking at their beds?"

"...I swear you don't be forgettin' nuthin'! Man, I tol' you before! Squash dat shit! Only thang that matters is that dat bitch wants war!"

"...I can literally see this ending very badly fo' you. Angel will murder you if you keep waking her up." said Caesar.

"Duh, I'm not stupid. The war is with Rosa. She volunteered to war, so it's war!" said Riley.

"...Same thing. Don't let Rosa drop yo ass again." teased Caesar.

"Man, how many times I gotta tell you to shut the fuck up?! It was a minor set-back, aight?!"

"...You're making a mistake. What if she breaks her other arm against you?" asked Huey.

"Man, fuck that! I'm a thug! No matter what y'all say, this bitch is going down!" said Riley as he knocked on Rummy's door.

Rummy answered, looking at them all skeptically.

"What y'all want? Just cuz Rosa's talkin to Angel, doesn't mean I have to open the door for any of the rest of y'all. Last time y'all came here, y'all just ended up makin her more upset." said Rummy.

"Ah, shut up and let us in Rummy. I've got a bone to pick with her anyway. She started a war. I'm bout to to finish it." said Riley, who barged in past Rummy.

He ran up the stairs before Rummy could catch him, and busted into Rosa's room. The two were getting dressed, and looked at Riley shockingly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" asked Angel, who shielded the still undressing Rosa.

"Well, I came to wake Rosa up, but it look like I took too long. But don't worry. Rosa, I'm coming for that ass, please believe." said Riley.

"Oh, that's still a thing? Okay, I'll play. I thought that was a stupid little game you two were playing for the time being, but if it's serious, then I'll play. Sorry Rosa. Everyone for themselves. If we team up against Riley, that wouldn't be very fair." said Angel.

"No problem. Consider this a warning to both of you. I was raised by an insomniac. I jump at the smallest sound. You definitely have your work cut out for you." said Rosa.

"An insomniac?! That bitch was crazy!" said Riley.

"What did I tell you about respect for the dead Riley?!" asked Rosa, who raised a fist at him.

"Aight, aight. My bad. I'm sorry I said anything."

"Damn right you are. You sorry ass nigga. Get out. We still have to get ready for 'school'."

Riley rolled his eyes and came back downstairs, and went out to Rummy's porch, where Huey and Caesar were sitting.

"So, did you wake em up?" asked Caesar.

"Nah. They was already awake. But at least I got Ange to play. So, it wasn't all bad."

"...Riley, I know I've told you this a million times, but...you're a dumb-ass." said Huey.

"Aye, I ain't dumb, just because I don't read like yo nerdy ass!" said Riley.

Rosa and Angel came out to the porch, hearing Riley's big assumption about his I.Q.

"Uh, yeah you are. The biggest dumb-ass I've ever met. But, you're still cool, I guess. Cool enough to hang out with, at least." said Angel.

"Oh, gee. I'm so glad you approve of me. Not! Like I give a fuck about what y'all think!" said Riley.

Angel and Rosa looked at each other and rolled their eyes together. The teens all went to Caesar's, like always. They had a good hour before the bus got there. They went inside Caesar's house, Rosa sitting on the couch, not even interested in breakfast. Huey went and sat next to Rosa, noticing her cast.

"So, what happened to your arm?" asked Huey.

"I...had a mental breakdown...soon after talking to you. You must think I'm as crazy as Luna, don't you?"

"No. I think you had a moment in which you lost your mother figure, and you lost yourself. You've never endangered others, nor have you tried to tried to take your problems out on other people. As far as I'm concerned, it could have been worse."

"I...suppose so."

"The main thing is that you're okay now, right?"

"Yeah...I'm alright."

"...if it's any consolation to you, I'm sorry you had to find out the way that you did."

"Yeah, well...if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have ever known, so...thanks."

"No need to thank me. If I hadn't said anything, you wouldn't be sitting there with that cast on." said Huey.

"It's alright. I don't blame anyone but myself."

Huey was about to say more, when Angel came into the room, with a bowl of Rosa's cereal. She plopped it into Rosa's lap with a spoon and poured milk in it.

"What the hell is this?" she asked.

"Breakfast, seeing as you tried to boycott the kitchen. I brought it to you, cuz I'll be damned if you don't have breakfast while you're around me." said Angel.

"I wasn't hungry, that's why I didn't eat."

"Girl, you better get hungry real fast. You know how I feel about food." she stated plainly.

Rosa rolled her eyes and picked up the bowl, she tried picking up the spoon with her cast arm, and couldn't do it until Angel gave her the spoon literally in her hand. Rosa rolled her eyes as she ate the cereal given to her. Angel smiled.

"You know, you can't keep making her eat if she doesn't want to." said Huey.

"Who asked you? She ate didn't she? Besides, it's good for her to have breakfast."

"Yeah, when it's not high in sugars and the white man's poison."

"The white man's poison?" asked Angel.

"High fructose corn syrup. The main ingredient in that colorful sludge that you're making her eat."

Rosa rolled her eyes as the two argued about food. She went into the kitchen and put her bowl in the sink. Caesar looked at her, smiling sweetly.

"Hey there sunshine. You done being in a bad mood?" asked Caesar.

"Quite. I'm...sorry if I made you worry. I mean, I know Riley doesn't care, but I know you do Caesar. So, sorry."

"Man, who said I didn't care? I came to check up on you, didn't I?" asked Riley.

"Yeah, but how many people had to convince you to do it before you did it?"

"Aye, listen. You my nigga, aight? You and Angel is real cool, on top of being fine. And I'm...sorry about the killer- I mean...Luna. And I ain't mean ta be an asshole to ya, so...sorry."

"...that was the most half-assed apology ever bro." said Caesar.

"It's cool Caesar. It's about as much of an apology as I'm gonna get from Riley. And Riley, it's whatever. It's not like you told Luna to kill herself. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. From what I understand, she terrorized you and your brother. Everyone back home knew how crazy she was."

"Well, anyway, I'm sorry."

"Fine. If you're sorry, you can make it up to me by being my partner today. Word has it that you're in a gang, and I want to meet Ed III's sister."

"You want to meet Katie Wuncler? That's weird." said Caesar.

"No it's not. I heard nothing but horror stories about her from her brother, and I want to know if they're true or not." said Rosa.

"Well, it all depends on what you heard, I guess. If you heard she's a hoe, you'd be right."

"If ya heard she's one of mine, you'd be right," said Riley.

"That's not my concern. I just want to meet her." said Rosa.

"That's still weird, girl. She's not the first person I would ever want to meet." said Caesar.

"Well, that's because you know who she is. From what Ed III tells me, she's not that bad of a person." said Rosa.

"Yeah, the same way a dumb ass hoe isn't 'that bad of a person.' I'm telling you yo, she's backwards as hell. But not as much as her brother, I guess."

"You just say that cuz of all the people she don been wit, she ain't wanna be wit yo ass." said Riley.

"Shut up Riley. That was two years ago. I was a dumbass freshman, and lets not even start on what you were." said Caesar.

"Yeah yeah. Aight, we won't go dere. Anyway, whatever. If you wanna meet my people, I don't care. Maybe they can convince you to be one of mine better than I could." teased Riley.

"Riley, you dumbass! You trying to have her beat yo ass again?!" asked Caesar.

"Aye, how many times have I told you that was a fluke!?" asked Riley.

"Yeah, I 'fluked' yo ass to the ground. Hush with that shit. I could do it again in a heartbeat." said Rosa, done washing her dishes.

The teens finally left Caesar's house, going to the bus stop. Ruckus almost drove past them at first, but then stopped at the end of the road. The teens ran up to the bus, afraid that Ruckus would just drive off again.

"Man, what the fuck is your problem!? You know you saw us standin' there!" fired Angel.

"Aw, hush yo mouth, ya little monkey female! It ain't like you go there to try to learn anything. Nigga." said Ruckus, who sped off.

Caesar pushed Angel away from Ruckus, allowing everyone else to find seats. Angel sat next to Rosa, obviously heated about the whole thing.

"I promise you, nothing will come out of talking to Ruckus. You may as well leave it alone." said Caesar.

"I agree." said Huey.

"What the fuck is his problem?! Ugh, I swear..." Angel fumed.

"I choose to ignore him, so should you." said Rosa.

"Yeah, well...we both know you've got more patience than I ever will."

"Amen to dat." agreed Riley.

"Shut the fuck up, child."

"...If I could call you a bitch, I would right now."

"Lucky for you, you haven't lost your damn mind." said Rosa.

"Man...so, anyway...when you gon' do my rows, Ange?"

"Um, when did I say I was ever gonna do anything for you? You're a child, you've never been nice to me or my girl, and we ain't friends. You better keep asking your ho." said Angel.

"Aw, c'mon girl. You gon' do a nigga like that?"

"You haven't exactly done anyway nice for her, Riley. Besides, she wouldn't want to deal with your cry-baby ass anyway." said Caesar.

"Wait, what!? He's tender headed?!" laughed Angel.

"Man, shut-up! Don't nobody cry! Esco never sheds a tear for dese hoes!" fired Riley.

"I'll do your hair, if you cry for me!" teased Angel.

"Man, fuck all y'all!"

Rosa, Caesar and Angel all laughed at Riley's expense as Huey shook his head, silently reading his book as he usually did. The teens got off the bus and Riley was about to grab Rosa and storm off, but was caught back by Angel, who ran a hand through his scalp. He leaned into it, secretly loving when people massaged his scalp.

"Listen. On the real, I'll do your rows, if you give one reason why I should." said Angel.

"I need em done, it'd be da nicest thing you've ever done for me...I'll be nicer...I don't know girl, I just...really want to stop looking raggedy." said Riley truthfully.

"...Fine. I accept. If you be nicer, stop being a little punk, and actually own up when you take my food, I'll do em. You're Rosa's partner today, but you're mine tomorrow. We'll do em at Rosa's. That's where my hair stuff is." said Angel.

"Uhhh...no. I ain't goin over there during school hours. Rummy is a damned lunatic, and he's always home these days. We can go to my house. Grandad goes to the park all day waitin' on that old nigga Ruckus after he drives the school bus."

"He hangs out with Ruckus?" asked Rosa.

"One of Ruckus's only friends." said Caesar.

"For whatever reason, Grandad is the only one who will play checkers with him." said Huey.

Huey left the group to go meet up with Jazmine, while Cindy walked up to them.

"Hey, wassup? So, who am I paired up wit' today?" she asked.

"You comin' wit' Rosa and me. We goin' to the Wuncler's today. Rosa wanna meet crew, and I kinda owe her for the busted arm." said Riley.

"But wait. You haven't told me why you don't want to go to Rummy's!" said Angel.

"Gin is a stickler for school, that's why. I can only imagine what Rummy threatened Riley with if he ever got caught skipping. He tried threatening me, but I haven't been scared of him since I was 3." said Rosa.

"Shit, Rummy put Ed's ass in the hospital after he looked at Rosa's ass in her adoption papers." said Riley.

"He did what?!" fired Rosa.

"Girl, you know got an ass! Everybody looks!" said Caesar.

"I don't care! All the men in the world could look at my butt and I'd still whup they asses! That's just disrespectful!"

Angel shook her head and grabbed Caesar's arm.

"Girl, you crazy. Ain't nothing wrong with a nigga lookin. However, if he puts hands on it, be ready to beat ass."said Angel.

"And why did you just grab my arm like I was gonna be your partner?" asked Caesar.

"Because you were. As a matter of fact, you never even took me anywhere the other day when you said stuff about food! And I could do your dreads! We have a lot we can do today, so stop actin' like you wasn't gonna pick me anyway."

"Girl, whatever. I'll take you to where I said, but don't think yo slick ass is callin' this a date." teased Caesar.

"Boy, shut yo ass up!" Angel laughed as she realized she said that the other day.

Caesar and Angel walked off, Riley rolling his eyes at the two.

"Man, them two need to fuck and get on with it. All dat nigga talk about is her!" said Riley.

"I agree, but I can only say so much to her. Y'all know that Angel is stubborn as fuck." said Rosa.

"True dat. Your girl is the most stubborn. Anyway, where the hell is Katie at?" asked Cindy.

Almost as if on cue, a horn blew in their direction, and Riley and Cindy started walking towards it. Rosa followed them, a girl opening the door for them. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were a soulless green, as if she knew what she was doing, and just didn't give a damn. Her long hair, red in color, went down her back, and she had very obvious freckles on her face. She looked at Rosa curiously as they all got in the car.

"So, who's the new girl? Someone new for the stables, Riley?" she asked.

"Girl hell nah. Already barked up that tree, ain't doin' it again." said Riley.

"Yeah, besides Katherine. Does she even look like she could work with that cast on, or are you blind as well as dumb?" said Cindy.

"You better watch it and remember who's limo you're in, Cynthia." said Katie.

Riley jumped up, holding Cindy back from jumping on the poor girl. Rosa shook her head and sighed. She extended her good hand to Katie.

"You must be Ed's sister. I'm Rosa, Rummy's sister." said Rosa.

"Ignoring the child, it's nice to meet you, Rummy's sister. I've heard a lot about you from your brother. He annoyed both me and my big brother talking about you."

"Well, I can only hope he didn't put me on a pedestal I can't get off of."

"Nah, but he did say that you aren't the type to take shit. I can definitely see that in you. You might actually be worth hanging out with, unlike some bitches I know." said Katie, referring to Cindy.

"Choke on a dick, hoe." fired Cindy.

"Oh, sure. Seeing as I'm already taking your man's, boo." teased Katie.

"Hey! Dat's enough, damn. Cindy, stop. We both know you can get gangsta on her. She ain't shit, remember?" said Riley.

"Dat hoe started it." said Cindy.

"Didn't start it, but I'll definitely finish it." threatened Katie.

The teens got out of the car, Rosa marveling at the size of the Wuncler Mansion. She had never seen it before, and it almost made her forget that Cindy and Katie were fighting. Rosa grabbed Cindy's arm, letting Riley and Katie go into the house.

"Girl, what's your deal?" asked Rosa.

"I hate that hoe. I hate all these damn scandalous ass bitches, except maybe Raine. Riley is so damn flirtatious, and they think that they'll be able to take him from me. I have a reason to be mad at all of them."

"Then why come here?"

"Because I don't trust these hoes around mine. Once you meet them, you wouldn't either."

"Well...all I wanted to do was meet Katie...I don't care about those other girls."

"Yeah, well...if you don't stay, one of these hoes gon get it."

"I suppose I should stay for their benefit then, shouldn't I?"

Cindy happily nodded, looping her arm around Rosa's. Rosa never thought so before, but she really did like having Cindy as a friend. The two went inside the mansion, Cindy leading her into the back, where Katie was rubbing up against Riley, and he didn't seem to be pushing her off.

There were three others. A boy, looking to be Rosa's age. He was dark with a fade, but he wasn't as dark as Caesar. The others knew him as Romeo, the leader. A girl who looked just like him was counting money behind them. The others knew her as Raine, Romeo's twin sister, and the bottom bitch of the gang. Then there was Tatiana. She was trashy, not at all that pretty looking, and pretty plain from any other view point. She was Romeo's main squeeze, but no matter how Rosa looked at it, he scowled at her every time she got remotely close to him.

Cindy cleared her throat, and Riley pushed Katie back.

"Ey. What took y'all so long?" asked Riley.

"I had to make sure Cindy wasn't gonna hurt no one." said Rosa.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Cin, you gon' have to control that sexy ass temper of yours if we ever gon make this gang known." said Romeo, who was leering at Rosa intently as he said it.

Rosa glared at Romeo hard, him giving her an uneasy feeling. He winked and blew a kiss at her, smiling suggestively.

"So, who's the new girl? She got a nigga ova here hurtin. What's yo name wifey?" asked Romeo, not caring that Tatiana was glaring at him.

"Uh, no. my name is Rosa, not wifey." snapped Rosa.

"Ay, you better quit that shit Romeo. Rosa ain't exactly the type of girl to be fuckin wit'. If she don't beat yo ass, her damn brother will." said Riley.

"Who's her brother?" asked Romeo.

"Nigga, you know who that is! That's Rummy's sister! Rosa, right?" asked Raine, coming from where she was sitting to extend her hand to Rosa. Rosa took it, not wanting to be rude.

"I'm Raine. Romeo's my brother. You'll have to excuse him. He's no regard for anybody's feelings but his own. Especially not his girlfriend's." hinted Raine.

Romeo snapped out of his stupor to look at Tatiana, who glared at him and scoffed.

"I don't see why you're looking so hard at her anyway. She's plain. Only thing good about her is her ass. She'd be a terrible ho."said Tatiana.

"Well, any other person may take that as an insult, but seeing as I didn't come here to be a hoe, I'm going to take that as a compliment."said Rosa.

"Well, then whatchu doing here, wifey?" asked Romeo, ignoring everything else.

"Rosa, if you don't mind."

"What a basic name." teased Tatiana.

"You too cute not to have a pet name, girl. I aint afraid of your brother. You too real for a nigga to give up on." said Romeo, ignoring Tatiana.

"No. You don't need to afraid of my brother. I'm deadly enough, just ask Riley." said Rosa.

"Man, if you don't stop bringin' dat shit up!" said Riley.

"Anyways, why are you here if you ain't joining the ranks?" asked Raine.

"I'm here to meet Katie. I wanted to see Ed's sister myself, to mostly see why he spends most of his entire life at my house." said Rosa.

"You came...to meet me? I'd be flattered hadn't you brought up that red-headed fuck up. Honestly, I don't know why grandaddy doesn't just disown him already. He's a fucking dumb-ass and he knows it, that's why he doesn't come home. He doesn't like to hear the truth." spat Katie.

"Really? I thought the Wunclers loved each other..."said Rosa.

"Basic with dumbass logic." said Tatiana.

"Hey. You not about to keep disrespecting me, I know that." said Rosa.

"I'm so scared." said Tatiana.

Katie scoffed.

"How naive can you be? Love?! Ha! I could care less what happens to Ed, just as he hasn't cared about me since the day I was born. As soon as I took away daddy's love, Ed started hating me. I feel bad for Rummy, honestly. Always having to put up with him."

"Ed isn't that bad, although he's putting a dent in our couch. Anyway, it was nice to meet you, but I'm gonna go." said Rosa.

"Aw, but wifey...you just got here..." whined Romeo.

"Let her ass leave. She has no business here anyway." said Tatiana.

"It's ROSA. And I think I should leave, before I end up beating my name into both of you."

"Okay, okay. Fair enough." said Raine as she pulled her brother back, trying to silence him.

"Take the bitch with you." said Katie.

"Say what hoe?! I'm tired of you! I'm sittin' here mindin' my own business! What the fu-" fired Cindy.

"Enough. We all leaving, aight? This was so Rosa could meet Katie, an' now we gone." interrupted Riley.

Riley pushed Cindy out of the room, Rosa right behind them. She waved at Katie and Raine, the only two who were being nice to her, and she left. Tatiana rolled her eyes.

"Ugh. What a basic bitch. You can tell she comes a dime a dozen." said Tatiana.

"You just ratchet. Being mean as fuck to her for what?! Because Romeo was lookin' at her ass?" said Raine.

"And damn, what an ass she got! She need to be mine, for real. We need to get her into the stables. With an ass like dat, she'd be up in here makin' bank." said Romeo.

"Man, hell no! She look like the type that whups ass for even usin' the word 'hoe' and her name in the same sentence!" said Katie.

"Plus, she's Rummy's little sister. You don't think that mental ass white boy ain't keepin' all types of tabs on her?!" asked Raine.

"Man, squash all dat. We need a plan. Because I see big thangs for her."

"I don't see shit, and I'm not going anywhere near her. As if she's even on our level." said Tatiana.

"Um. I'm the fucking leader here. I said I want her. Y'all better make something work. Because I will have her." said Romeo.

The girls rolled their eyes, Katie and Raine knowing that it could only go downhill. Meanwhile, Rosa, Riley, and Cindy were walking back to school, seeing as getting a ride would have gotten them all in trouble.

"So, what chu think?" asked Riley.

"She's...something. She isn't as bad as I thought she was going to be. Maybe she acts differently with other people." said Rosa.

"She really does. I'm surprised that she was so nice to you, to be honest. She's one of the stupidest hoes I know." said Cindy.

"Maybe she was nice because they all done seen what Rummy is." said Riley.

"What? Why does Gin have such a reputation around here?" asked Rosa.

"Because yo bro is crazier than Amanda Bynes, that's why." said Cindy.

"What do you mean? I mean, he's got a temper, but..."

"Yo bro once killed a kickball ref by making him overdose on pills, just because Ed's grandad asked him to. Sure, he was doin' it because if we lost the game, the Chinese would've taken Woodcrest, but still..." said Riley.

"...Y'all are fuckin with me." said Rosa.

"I assure you, we aint." said Cindy.

"My brother."

"Yo brother."

"Just what was my brother up to in this damn place!?"

"I could tell ya, but I'm sure that would get me killed just as quick." said Riley.

The three made it back to the school, where Caesar and Angel were waiting. Huey was also there, but Jazmine was getting into her fathers car, like always. Caesar rubbed his head, as Rosa noticed they were noticeably tighter and neater on his head. Riley looked at him in shock.

"Daaaaamn Ceez! That's you Angel!? Now you have to do my rows!" said Riley with a smile.

"Nice. Good job Angel. Those are nice." said Rosa.

"I do great work, don't I? If you really want me to do em, you have to do some things first." said Angel.

"Damn girl. You do white girl hair?" asked Cindy.

"Of course I do! I love experimenting with white girl hair. It's the most flexible." said Angel.

"Anyways, what I gotta do to get my hair lookin fresh?" asked Riley.

"I need you to take them raggedy ass shits down. I have to start completely over. There's no saving those rows. I don't know who that 'Tatiana' girl is, but she ain't shit with hair."

"Seeing as I just met her, she ain't shit either." said Rosa.

"Oh, for real? That's a damn shame. Oh well. What happened?" asked Angel.

"I'll tell you later, let's find Huey and Jazmine and get home first."

"Oh, you don't know? Them two catch up with us at the crib when they partnered together." said Cindy.

Rosa and Angel shrugged, and the five teens waited for the bus. Once again, the school bus showed up, Ruckus glaring at all of them. Caesar pushed Angel past him, hoping that she wouldn't open her mouth. Rosa however, stood there after Riley and Cindy got on the bus.

"What the hell you lookin at, negro female?" asked Ruckus.

"I think I have a theory on why you're such a racist. I think it steams off a deep hatred you have against yourself. Obviously, you had someone in your ear, telling you white people were the best thing since sliced bread. But there was maybe a guy in your life that was telling you that you wasn't shit. He might have even hated whites."

"You don't know my life nigga. Go sit yo ass down before I ban you from this bus, taunting me with your nigga logic."

Rosa rolled her eyes, swearing that she saw the slightest of tears fall from his face. She sat next to Angel and Caesar.

"Aye, whatchu say to Ruckus?" asked Riley.

"I just told him about himself. I think I pinpointed his reasons for being such a racist, which is really sad, by the way." said Rosa.

"Man, everybody know why he racist. His mom had him believe he was white and adopted all his life. The nigga confused." said Riley.

Caesar and Cindy agreed as the bus came to their stop. The teens got off, Angel and Rosa hugging Caesar goodbye.

"Aight y'all. See you tomorrow." said Caesar.

"I'm serious about that hair, Riley. Take it down tonight. Tomorrow, you're mine." said Angel.

Angel and Rosa started walking to Rosa's house, and as always, Angel was smirking at Rosa. Rosa looked at her confusingly.

"What?!" asked Rosa.

"You mad you didn't see Huey after school?" she teased.

"No. How many times do I have to tell you it's not like that?!"

"Ah, shut-up girl! Don't act like I don't know where you know at night! I know you've been meeting up with Huey when I don't spend the night. Caesar told me, and Huey told him. I'm about to make your dreams come true, seeing as tonight's the one night a week I have to go stay with my parents."

"Man, Angel shut up. I love you, but you're so annoying."

"But you love me. Anyway, you never told me anything about your trip with Riley." said Angel.

"First, how did Caesar take the tightening?" asked Rosa.

"Man, Caesar was a little bitch. He cried out mostly when I tightened them, but he eventually got used to it. I can only imagine what Riley's going to do when I start on his nappy ass head."

"Oh, I'm definitely going to be there for that! I can't wait to see Riley start crying! I can't wait! But anyway, you didn't miss a thing. Riley introduced me to his gang, and as I thought, some of them had manners, some of them were rude as fuck, and they were all dumb asses. Especially Tatiana."

"Why? Was she one of the rude ones?"

"The rudest. Had the nerve sit there, talking shit about me when all I did is say 'Hi, I'm Rosa.' Even told me I would be a shitty hoe." said Rosa.

"Oh hell no! Do we need to give that bitch a visit?!"

"We might have to, if she keeps talking to me crazy. She's ugly as all fuck, but had the nerve to call me basic. Girl, it was all bad."

Angel shook her head as she went into her own house. Rosa went inside, to see Rummy and Ed crowding the couch, as always. She rolled her eyes and bypassed them. She went up into her room, reading a book until nightfall. She looked out her window, seeing Huey walking out to the hill.

She snuck out of her house, past another one of Ed and Rummy's useless arguments. She caught up to Huey, tapping his shoulder. He turned and looked at her emotionlessly.

"Oh, it's you. Decided to follow me tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah. Who'd you think it was?"

"Jazmine is always my first guess."

"I suppose she would be, huh."

Huey and Rosa made their way to the hill, the both of them leaning up against the tree. Huey looked at her curiously.

"So, I heard you went with Riley today to the Wunclers house."

"Yeah, it wasn't that special. They're all morons. I just thought Katie might be just a little different than her brother." said Rosa.

"Well, surprise. She isn't. So, I'm assuming you met his 'fearless' leader, Romeo huh?" asked Huey.

"Yeah. He was nothing more than a giant loser. He wouldn't stop staring at my ass, calling me wifey, and just being an overall creep in front of his so call girlfriend, who was equally as ugly."

"Listen. I need you stay away from them, okay?" said Huey in all seriousness.

"Uh, sure...they don't seem to be good company anyway. But why, other than the obvious reasons?"

"Romeo's nothing more than trouble. I wish I could get Riley to stop, but he won't listen to me. And you're...smarter than that anyway. You're actually a friend worth having, and I..just wouldn't want you associating with his kind. You don't have to listen to me of course, but that's my piece on it." said Huey.

"...Is that worry I hear?"

"Maybe it is. I just don't want them to ruin another person I know...and happen to like."

"Well, I like you too. You are a pretty good friend, considering you're the only one who told me of my master's fate."

"Speaking of which, do you think I could ask you a favor?"

"If you want me to teach you, I can't. I'm not a master, despite being the only user left alive. It's the same thing I had to tell Angel."

"...okay. If you can't train me, will you at least spar with me?" asked Huey.

"...I suppose that would be okay. I am curious to see how you fight. I haven't had a good spar since I was 10 though, I may be a little rusty."

"That's fine with me. Even you're rusty, you should prove a good fight."

With that, Huey stood up from the grass, assuming a normal kung-fu stance. Rosa smirked at him playfully, assuming a white-lotus stance of her own.

"Well then, bring it on." she challenged.

The two fought on, the moonlight being their light as they sparred happily. Rosa felt happiness and warmth come over her as she fought with Huey, her friend. His concern for her really touched her, and even though she knew he didn't mean it as more than a friend, she couldn't help but think...

What if it was?

A/N: It's been a hot minute since I sat down with this story, and I'm trying my best, but I get writers block with this one. That being said, this story will be put on a small hiatus until I can write more chapters the way I need to. Cheers! ^.^