"That wasn't no gang shooting, that was an execution. They set mom up, they set her up." Bobby punched the steering wheel of his car, causing Jack to flinch beside me from the sudden violence from his oldest brother.

I sighed and placed my hand on his shoulder for a moment before turned as Jerry moved a little on my other side.

"I have to go guys." Jerry said from the back seat, pushing Bobby's seat in front of him.

Bobby turned slightly from the driver's side, "Where're you going?"

"I have two girls Bobby and a schedule to keep. Come on let me go, I have gymnastics." Bobby got out of the car, allowing Jerry to get out.

"You got your leotard Jerry? Maybe you should take Cracker Jack with you, he's flexible."

"Bobby, you're the one who took ballet."

I snickered and Bobby flipped Jack off, saying something about Jack being a fairy. I took Jerry's seat, glad that I wasn't squished between him and Jack anymore, and leaned against the window, watching Jack as he traced patterns in the fog of the windows, singing some song that he made up.

"Man, I don't know how you did it for so many years." Bobby spoke up, looking behind him at his little brother for a moment before turning to look at Angel.

"What do you mean?"

"Bein' on a ship for all those years, no women to comfort you." Bobby said it as if that was a bad thing and I rolled him eyes.

"Bobby, the marines went coed forever ago." I told him, moving to lean forward in the middle of the seats.

Angel nodded, "Yeah, and it wasn't a ship."

"But those girl's must've looked like dudes."

"Not after six months they don't."

We were all quiet for a moment, listening to Jack until he pointed to the window.

"That's him…it's him."

We all got out of the car and Bobby called after the guy, "Hey, Damian…Damian!"

The guy ran and we all followed after him, being stopped short as he got into the elevator.

"Jack, you and Danny stay down here and tell us where he stops."

Jack and I watched as they went to the stairs and then turned back to the elevator, Jack reciting the numbers as the elevator continued to climb.

"1…2, 2…3…4, 4…5…"

We waited for the elevator to stop and when it finally did, we ran to the doors, "Six! He stopped at six!"

They didn't reply and the two of us began walking up the stairs, Jack using the tire iron to grip the edges of the stairs.

"How much do you wanna bet that Bobby's gonna take it too far?" I asked sighing as we walked up them, both walking slowly, this wasn't something that I cared to see…until I heard the gun shots.

Lovely.

We quickened our pace and ran into the room just as Bobby cut the rope that Damian was climbing down from.

"Is he dead?" I asked worried.

"No, he's just fucked up." Bobby turned and the four of us ran back down the stairs and outside to where Damian was laying on the ground bawling as bone protruded from his leg.

"Ugh, that's disgusting." I bit my lip, and watched as the four of us crowded around him.

The guy sputtered, obviously in pain, "Someone call me a doctor."

"What for my dog bites? Nah, I'm good thanks."

"Dog bites?" I looked over at Bobby's arm, seeing holes in his leather jacket.

Bobby ignored me and Damian continued trying to call for help, "Man, I can't hear you. And if we leave you here, no one else will either." Angel spoke and we crowded around him, "Now, if you answer our questions, we'll call you an ambulance and we'll be on our way."

"Help!"

"Tell us who hurt our mom or we're gonna leave you here and you're gonna die, alone." Bobby knelt down, watching as the guy squirmed, trying to get someone to help him, "We'll call you a damn ambulance after you tell us what happened."

Bobby was getting angrier now, and he stood up again kicking the guy's injured foot a little before we walked off, Jack looking behind him periodically as we did so.

"Man turn around." Angel yelled at him, "Don't look back at him, this isn't some pity party."

"Man, his bone is hanging out of his leg; we're just going to leave him here?" Jack bit his lip and we turned around as the guy called us back.

"I'll tell you, just…please, call an ambulance."

Jack and I hung back a little as he told Bobby and Angel what he knew, watching as they talked to the guy and then just walked away.

"Wait…you have to call me an ambulance, I told you what I knew, you can't just leave me here."

Damian was yelling now, fear covering his voice as Bobby and Angel pulled Jack and I with them.

"We can't just leave him there. Man, come on."

"We can leave him here and we will, let's go Danny." Bobby replied, we were almost to his car now and I looked back, Damian could no longer be seen as the snow picked up, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I knew that he had had something to do with Miss Evelyn's death, but I also knew that she didn't want her sons to become killers.

I contemplated my chances of running back there, I don't know why I wanted to help him, I figured it had something to do with Miss Evelyn, but I don't know, he was my age, the kid had barely lived and he was just going to die out here alone.

"Danny, get in the car." Bobby watched me, opening the door and lifting the seat up, pushing me slightly into the car. I rolled my eyes and got in, sitting close to Jack for warmth as Bobby pushed the seat back and getting in himself.

"Hey Jack." I smiled and waved him over to our table of friends.

He walked over, his leather jacket sparkling with water droplets from outside and I looked away, blushing slightly and kicking my friend, Georgia under the table as she laughed at me.

"Hey Jackson, how's it going?" She smiled as he set his lunch tray down on the table beside me, our arms touching slightly.

Jack rolled his eyes, "I've told you not to call me Jackson Georgia. It's annoying."

"How about Gregory, I could start calling you Greg."

"Don't bring my middle name in this." He ran his hand through his hair as another of our friends sat down.

"Are you guys having that argument again?" Peter sat down and laughed, "Man you and Georgia just need to go out already. You two are perfect for each other.

Georgia shook her head, "I think someone else holds the key to his heart."

We all made faces at her dramatics, this was something we were all used to. Every day for lunch Georgia and I would get our table and wait as the others in our group would come and sit down, and usually Jack and Georgia would get into an argument which would continue onto something dramatic from Georgia.

It was a routine, but it was a routine that I enjoyed. The one thing I could count on without having to be afraid of someone's moods.

I rubbed my wrist, another cast wrapped around it, my mother had been getting more and more violent lately, and I wasn't quite sure why she was so angry.

"You okay Danny?" Jack looked over at me, handing me a french-fry before taking a bite of his burger.

I nodded, "Yeah, just tired, long night."

"It looked like it." He raised an eyebrow and looked down at my cast, I only shrugged, it really didn't matter.

He rolled his eyes, "So, what happened to your arm?"

"I fell down the stairs last night. I was tired and I missed a step. Clumsy me." I gave a half-hearted laughed and took another of his French-fries, "Anyway, I heard Bobby's thinking of coming back into town. Is that right?"

Jack shrugged, "I don't know. He keeps saying he's going to come home, but he hasn't yet. I think he ran into some trouble in Chicago or something."

"That's Bobby for you."
"Yeah, that is Bobby."

"So are you two coming to the party tonight?" Georgia interrupted us and I looked over at her.

"Where?"

"Sweet's place."

I continued stealing French-fries, laughing at Jack's expression for a moment before looking back at Georgia, "Victor's place? You know Miss Evelyn isn't going to let either of us go there."

"What Miss Evelyn doesn't know won't kill her."

"Don't talk about my mom like that." Jack looked up from trying to keep his French-fries away from me, "But you are right, it would be nice to get out of the house for once."

"I don't think going to a dealer's house is the best way for getting out of the house…I think that'll land you more of a lock in."

"Come on, Victor's nice. It's Malcolm we have to worry about Danny." Georgia looked at me expectantly, knowing Jack wouldn't go if I didn't and I sighed, knowing that Jack needed to get out of the house.

"Okay, but if we get in trouble this was not my idea."

They all nodded happily and I grabbed another French-fry, stuffing it into my mouth.

"So, we'll worry about this tonight. Damian told us that the two were supposed to be going to that club tonight. It should be easy enough to get there and talk to them. But for now, I want to go home, maybe La Vida Loco will have left by now."

"Man, why do you have to pull that shit?" Angel angrily shook his head, annoyed that Bobby was grilling his girlfriend again.

I kinda felt bad for him, having to deal with Bobby grilling him about Sophie had to be annoying…hell, it annoyed me.

"Jesus Bobby shut up."

"What Danny, all I'm saying is that Sophie is seriously dragging us down, she's annoying."

"You're annoying." I muttered, kicking the back of his seat.

"Don't hurt my car."