A Westside Story 8
-Max
"Max, what's wrong?" Angel asked as we walked home from her Elementary School hand in hand.
I tried pulling myself back together, just for her sake. "Nothing, Ange. Everything's fine, I promise, 'kay?"
She looked at me in an odd way, then nodded her little head, making her short ringlets of blonde to bounce around her angelic face in a halo.
I made a 360, feeling like someone was watching me, but as I turned around, no one seemed to pop out and give me a vibe that screamed "I'm watching you" so I turned back around and lifted Angel up in my arms so I could carry her around my waist. She loved it when I did this.
Her smile was radiant, and made me almost forget about all the worries that had been keeping me up at night. She truly was my pride and joy.
Suddenly, something in the shadows moved as we passed a dark alley.
My eyes narrowed.
And out walked Fang.
"Fang?" I asked, half relieved, half pissed off.
"Yeah," he nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "That's me."
Angel tugged on the hem of me sweatshirt, since I'd put her down on the ground.
"Yes, sweetie?" I asked her.
"Who's he?" She asked in a cheerful voice.
"Uhmm . . . that's Fang."
She shook her small head, "I don't know him. Who is he to you?"
Oh, jeez.
It's not like I could tell her that his gang and my gang had a big fight. No, that would scare her too much.
"He's . . . a friend of mine," I said, having a hard time lying to her.
She looked up at me and smiled mischievously. "You two would make a good couple."
I gaped at her, as I saw Fang crack a smile from the corner of my eyes.
"Are you going to ask my sister out?" Angel said to Fang, turning to him. "Are you gonna kiss her?"
"Whoa!" I said, snapping out of my daze. I clasped my hand over Angel's mouth and then looked up at Fang. "See ya!"
"Ehhh wait up," He caught my arm just as I was about to start walking away with Angel. And dammit, he had a death grip. So I couldn't rip my arm away from him.
"What?" I snarled at him.
He smiled sweetly then took a step closer. I lost my breath for a second.
Fang spoke in such a low voice to me, I was concerned that I might not have heard him when he said this: "Max, can you please, please explain to me why it has to be this way?"
The desperation in his voice sent shivers down my back, and for a mere second I didn't know what the heck to say. But, then I straightened my back and stood tall next to him, staring him dead in the eye, "Ya know what?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "I don't have to explain anything to you. But none the less, I still will: We're both from two different gangs, two different worlds, practically. Not to sound to dramatic or anything but it's true. My gang is my . . . family, I guess. And I stand by them no matter what. Since Sam apparently doesn't exactly like ya – he hates you actually – I'm gonna be the strong one and do what I have to do to get my respect around here. And . . . why would you even want us to be . . . friends?" It came out as a question, "Even though you beat up the people that I care about." I whispered the last part so Angel couldn't hear me.
For a long minute, Fang just stared at me, smirking.
"Let's go," I said to Angel, tugging her along but still not taking my eyes off of Fang.
When I finally turned back around, we were about only ten steps away from him when he yelled at me, "Is Sam your boyfriend?"
I stopped in my tracks, took a deep breath in and then turned around to face Fang, starting to walk backwards, Angel pulling me along, guiding me through the mesh of people that swarmed around the sidewalks and around us.
"No!" I called back to Fang, "He's not my boyfriend . . ."
Even from half way down the block, I could still see Fangs lips turn up into a half smile.
My heart fluttered for a second . . .
What the hell?
-Fang
I watched her as she tugged her little sister away with her.
"Is Sam your boyfriend?" I shouted to her unwillingly.
What? Why did I do that?
Maybe because you love her . . . A tiny voice in the back of my head shrilled.
No, I don't love Max. Do I? No, there's no way. I've only known her for about two days. And she was in Sam's gang.
-Flashback-
8 years ago
Sam and I were at the neighborhood park and I was pushing his little sister Maria on the swing set. She giggled as she went higher and higher up in the air.
In the distance I could see the sun fading into the background and I glanced at my watch. "Hey, Sam, my mommy said that we had to be back home at 7:00. It's past that time."
Sam rolled his eyes at me as he made a sand castle in the sand box. "You gotta stop worryin', man. You momma's just trippin'. We don't need to be back at 7:00."
But I knew all too well that once it got dark, New York City wasn't safe for little kids like us.
"Sam-"
"Stop freakin'!" Sam snapped at me.
"Chill, bro." I said trying to calm him down.
Maria looked between the two of us, back and forth. She was only five years younger that Sam and I at the time, so she was five years old. She had her frizzy dark hair pulled back in braids and her round face was soft and smooth. She had big dark brown eyes that matched her skin tone, just like her brother and she had the cutest smile out of all the kindergartners in her class. "Don't fight!" She demanded from Sam and I.
Sam brushed her off and I gave her a small little smile.
I went over to Sam and said in a whisper, "Come on, I don't feel good. I feel like something . . . bad's gonna happen."
He glared at me for a second then went back to playing with the sand.
I shook my head at his ignorance. I leaned up against the slide and closed my eyes and just let my mind wander for a second. When I opened my eyes, I looked out onto the roads which were deserted, except for a large black van that was nearing the park, and slowing down. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight.
"Sam . . ." I said in a desperate voice.
He kept playing.
"Sam . . ." I said more firmly.
"What?" He hissed at me.
I nodded my head towards the van, which was now parking on the side of the street.
Sam glanced as four guys, probably about in their twenties, hoped out of the car and smiled at us. I could see something shining in all of their hands as they approached us . . .
Switchblades . . .
-End of Flashback-
I shook my head, trying to forget the memory of that night.
I looked back over at Max, who had stopped and spun around and was now walking backwards while she spoke to me, "No, he's not my boyfriend," she yelled back.
Relief flooded me for some strange reason I couldn't explain.
Sooo that wasn't the end of Fangs flashback. I'll finish his flashback in either the next chapter or the chapter after that. I wanted this chapter to have a little bit of a cliffhanger to it. I really really really hoped that ya liked it! Please R&R! Thanks so much for reading!
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~Laurel Alex~
