Chapter Two: My Own Decisions

Brianna had been walking for sometime now around the outside of the camp. She ran her hand through her blonde highlighted brunette, straight hair. The sun was getting ready to go down. What time was it? Brianna quickly glanced at her watch. It was almost seven o'clock. She still had an hour before she 'had' to meet Squid. Brianna sighed loudly and was gripping her bag that had most of her belongings in it. Suddenly she noticed a house to the right of her. "Who lives in there?" she thought to herself. "Who would want to?" she said aloud.

"Who'd want to what?" asked someone behind her.

Brianna turned around and saw Squid. She gapped at him. "What are you doing?! You shouldn't sneak up behind people like that! Damn!" she cursed. Squid smiled at her.

"Well God you don't have to bite my head off!" he replied back to her. Brianna rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath about, 'males'. Squid blinked and shook his head. "What did you say there? I couldn't understand you?" he said sarcastically. Brianna glared at him and took a step back and looked alarmed. "Whoa… Calm down there! I didn't mean to offend you in any way!" he said looking stunned at her reaction.

"Well don't sneak up on me! I hate that!" she said almost sounding amused. Squid cocked an eyebrow at her and then smiled.

"So what were you saying when you said something about living here?"

"I saw that house over there and I wondered who would live here?" Brianna answered pointing over to the house she had just noticed a few minutes ago. Squid rolled his eyes and sighed.

"The warden lives there. She's the only other girl here besides you and your gang. She hardly ever comes out of that house. I sure as hell haven't seen her. Neither have any of the other boys in the entire camp. She keeps to herself a lot," Squid said. Brianna blinked.

"We're the only girls here?! Oh my God!" shouted Brianna looking astonished. Squid nodded and didn't really know how much of a shock it was to Brianna to know that her and her gang were the only other girls at the camp aside from the warden. She looked at the ground and back up at Squid and still had a slight look of shock. Brianna took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down. What time was it? She glanced at her watch again. "Hmm ten till eight," she said quietly.

"Yeah," Squid said sounding smug. Brianna looked Squid straight in the eyes. She didn't realize how gorgeous his eyes were. His eyes were a beautiful light brown. They seemed much more appealing than her own eyes. She had emerald gray eyes. Many people said she had beautiful eyes, but his eyes were wonderful. Just wonderful. She pushed those thoughts from her mind.

She didn't need love. Love isn't what your made to believe it is. She knew that because of her family. Love had ripped her family apart. Her father had run off with another woman and then soon divorced Brianna's mother. When her father had run out on his own flesh and blood, everything from there went down hill. Brianna's brother was killed in a drive by shoot while he was walking home from High School. Her sister, Sarah had gotten fed up with their mother and left and never came back. Brianna, her little brother, and their mother was the only one's left in their entire family.

Brianna eventually had to help support her own family and her only being sixteen. She started the street gang, The Strips with her best friends. They also started to shoplift stores and resell items on the TBM. TBM was the gangs all across her town's genius shortening for Teen Black Market. How lame did that sound? By reselling the items she stole she was able to pay for her family. Her mother had to work two jobs and still couldn't afford both children, which was exactly why Brianna started her life in crime. She had been doing this since she was in sixth grade and she was only twelve back then. Her bastard father didn't care about anyone. Not even his own daughter.

So Brianna didn't need love. Love was just a term. Not a real thing. Love wasn't real. Love wasn't true. Love didn't exist at all in her mind. Love was worthless. She couldn't love. She would never love. She pushed those thoughts about Squid out of her mind so quickly she wouldn't have even noticed she had ever thought of them.

She quickly stopped thinking about her pathetic life and looked over at Squid again. "Well since I have nothing better to do… What did you want to tell me?" she asked.

"Well I was wonderin' what could a girl do to get into so much trouble that she'd end up here?" Squid replied. Brianna smiled and laughed.

"Well if you gotta know I'm the leader of The Strips gang in New Orleans. We usually steal a lot of crap and then resell it on the TBM. Oh I doubt you know what that is. TBM means Teen Black Market in our town. I know it's really lame and retarded. Well anyway me and my gang were sent here because we were thought to have been behind the J.C. Penny's Plan. We didn't. It was all the Scorpions that came up with that. They framed us because they hate us. We get more glory than them and we also do have a longer list of criminal offenses than them. So basically we were sent here because the idiot police officers and the unfair justice courts thought we did it!" Brianna explained.

"Oh wow! You were framed? What exactly was the JCP Plan?" asked Squid looking curiously at Brianna.

"The JCP Plan was this idea that was created by the Scorpions. They had this plan on how to infilter each J. C. Penny's store around the area. Each person in the gang would go to one of the stores and have a specific time to shoplift it. This way more places were hit and more stuff would be taken. My friend Mel who was in my gang found out about it and came and told me. I thought the idea was ridiculous and it had so many flaws in it. God it wasn't even funny how pathetic it sounded to me. The less people you have on a job the less stuff they can get. So how could they possibly get more things when only one person is stationed at one store?!" Brianna said rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the JCP Plan.

"Yeah I could understand that," Squid said laughing. Brianna smiled slightly. "Well anyway, how old are you?"

"Hey! Now it's rude to ask a lady her age!" Brianna said smiling.

Squid gave her an amused smile again and shook his head. "She's teasing me," he thought to himself. "Well I thought you said you weren't a lady," Squid answered her with his cocky tone returning. She laughed and flipped her hair behind her. Was she flirting?

"I know I'm not a lady."

"Well how old are you?"

This time they laughed at the same time. Squid couldn't believe how pretty she looked when she laughed. He pushed those thoughts from his mind. "I'm sixteen," Brianna answered with laughter still fighting her. "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen," he said.

"I'm getting tired. I'm going to head back to the tent. I'll see you tomorrow," Brianna yawned. She was extremely tired from the trip there. She wanted to get to sleep. She smiled and waved to Squid. She walked back over to her friends, Shaily and Kayla who were waiting for her.

"Bri! Where the hell have you been?!" growled Shaily.

"Out walking. What are you? My mother?" shouted Brianna back at Shaily. Shaily cowered for a few moments before obeying her leader.

"Sorry Bri, I was just wonderin' what you were! God! Everyone's gotta be so retarded! Damn!" Shaily shouted angrily going into the D-Tent. Brianna turned to Kayla.

"What's with her?"

"Ah, she's just mad because that Zig Zag kid won't even look at her. So basically her life is spiraling down hill in a slow and painful motion for her," Kayla answered flatly.

"So she's being normal," added Brianna. Kayla smiled and they both burst into laughter as they walked toward the tent. As they walked in the boys that were in the tent gasped. "Oh great… More males… I swear I think they've never seen females before!" muttered Brianna thinking this male thing was getting pretty annoying.

Just then someone else walked in and almost ran into Brianna. It was Squid. "Oops, sorry there Brianna! I didn't see you there," he said quickly moving around her and to his cot. The other boys were laughing and Brianna rolled her eyes.

"So Squid, who's the girl?" asked a black boy with glasses. Squid grinned.

"That's Brianna, she's with the other girls here, X-Ray-!"he answered before a Hispanic boy appeared in front of her.

"And does Brianna have a last name?" the Hispanic boy asked.

"Yes I do but you better get away from me before you don't live long enough to know it!" Brianna growled at the Hispanic boy.

"Stop it Magnet! Common! You're annoying the girl!" growled Squid. Brianna glanced at him quickly looking shocked. He was becoming quite protective of her. The Hispanic boy called Magnet sat down looking defeated. Squid rolled his eyes and shook his head. X-Ray eyed Brianna quietly and gave her a blank look.

"You wouldn't happen to be Brianna from The Strips?" he asked.

"Yep that's me!" she answered with a sense of pride of her title. X-Ray blinked in shock.

"Wow, you're the actual leader of The Strips!" said X-Ray looking stunned. Brianna nodded thinking these guys were plain stupid. X-Ray finally stopped stareing at her. "Hey D-Tent introduce yourself to the girl!" he commanded. They all nodded. "I'm X-Ray," he added.

"I'm Magnet."

"I'm Armpit."

Then there was silence. "Hey Squid, Caveman, Zig Zag! Don't be rude!" X-Ray said to them. Brianna understood why they didn't say their names. She already had met them.

"We already met them earlier X-Ray," said Squid. X-Ray nodded and smiled. Brianna looked at the other boy sitting across the room. He was the smallest and was strangely quiet. She blinked.

"Who's that boy?" she asked.

The boys turned and looked at the boy. They all looked back at her and smiled. "Oh that's just Zero. He's the stupid one," said Magnet. Brianna gave him a scowling look and frowned.

"Why is he stupid?" she asked.

"He never speaks. The only person he's ever spoken to is Caveman here," added Zig Zag.

"Well just because he doesn't speak doesn't mean he's stupid. Maybe he just can't find someone intelligent enough in this God forsaken place to take to!"

The boys stared at her. It seemed to her she was the first to stand up to one of them. "Stupid males have no damn lives," she said to herself. She looked at them with an equally threatening glare on her face. Kayla looked from the boys and then back to her leader. Kayla turned from everyone and rolled her eyes and looked like she was going to say, 'Oh no. Look what her mouth got her into this time!'

Brianna grabbed Kayla's arm and pulled her over toward her. "Where did you and Shaily save my bed?" she asked. Kayla nodded and led Shaily over to the bed that they saved for her. Shaily was already lying on her mattress and looking depressed. Brianna got onto her cot and threw her bag down onto the floor. X-Ray had called and "emergency" meeting for the guys. They kept glancing at Brianna.

Shaily finally got up and walked over to Brianna's bed. She sat down next to her and buried her face in her hands. Kayla sat on the other side of Brianna and looked over at Shaily. "Hey Shail? Girl, what's wrong?" Brianna asked putting one arm around Shaily's shoulder.

"My life is a living hell!" she cried quietly. Brianna smiled weakly and hugged Shaily gently.

"Shail, boys aren't everything. Yes Kayla told me and for God sake, don't get all depressed now! Boys aren't worth crying over. Trust me I know. That's what they want you to do so they know they hurt you," Brianna said. Shaily lifted up from her hands and smiled at Brianna.

"Thanks, Bri. That's why you're the leader. You always have such great advice," Shaily whispered. Brianna smiled at her and sighed.

"Now you get off to bed. It's late."

"Yeah ok! See you in the morning."

"You too Kayla," Brianna said glancing at Kayla. She grinned and raced off to her bed and slowly fell asleep. Brianna grinned and got her stuff out of her bag and slowly got out her blanket. She pulled it over her and up to her chin. She rolled over onto her side and say Shaily sleeping intently. She thought about everything that had happened with her and her gang. Everything that they have been through. It was so much. She slowly fell asleep as the thoughts of the past rushed through her head.

* Flashback *

"Mommy? Where's daddy?" asked a five year old Brianna.

"Daddy's gone on a trip honey. He'll be back in a while," answered her crying mother.

"Mommy don't cry. Daddy's coming back, isn't he?"

"Go back to bed Bri," commanded her mother. Brianna nodded and hugged her mother. "I love you honey."

"I love you too mommy, goodnight!" whispered Brianna hugging her mother tightly. Brianna slowly walked back to her bedroom and climbed into bed. Suddenly she heard the front door swing open. It slammed right into the wall.

"DAN! QUIET! You'll wake the children!" hissed her mother. Brianna got a sick feeling and got out of her bed and walked across her room and tapped her sister, Sarah.

"Huh--? What---?" slurred Sarah through her sleepiness. She rubbed her eyes and saw Brianna. "Hey sis… What're you doin' up?"

"I'm scared," Brianna explained. "Daddy came home and I think he's mad." Sarah nodded and let Brianna climb into the bed with her. They started to hear their parents yelling.

"GOD DAMMIT! YOU STUPID WOMAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE I MARRIED YOU! YOU'RE SUCH A DAMN BITCH!" shouted their father.

"Quiet! The kids!" hissed their mother again.

"I DON'T CARE! YOU KEEP YOU STUPID ASS MOUTH SHUT WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"

"Dan please! The children---!" cried their mother again. Suddenly they heard a crash and a scream.

* End of Flashback *

"Bri! Hey Bri! Wake up!" whispered someone shaking her. Brianna shot up in her bed and looked around. When she realized where she was she saw Squid standing next to her. "You ok? God you were having a real bad dream the way you were tossing," he added after she saw it was only him.

"I'm fine," she panted. "I just had a dream about my mom and dad back when I was only five." She stopped right there. He didn't need to know about her family life. Squid cocked an eyebrow and sat down next to her and smiled gently. "What're you do--?" she asked but was cut off by Squid.

"You're not telling the whole story to me are you?" he asked. Brianna grabbed a strand of her hair and started to fiddle with it. "Come on, you can tell me." Brianna felt herself blush. What exactly was he saying? "Bri?" he said after she stared at him for a few moments.

"Uh--. Yeah what?" said quickly afterwards. He repeated the question. "No and you don't need to know."

"Why?" he asked.

"My life's a true hell."

"It can't be that bad!" Squid protested. Brianna gave him a look that said shut up please. "Ok ok! Geez, I'm just trying to make you feel a little better. You seemed real scared by that dream you had."

"I know. My father's a bastard."

"What?"

"He ran off with some other woman when I was younger. He divorced my mother and never calls or anything. He hates my family. He hates his own family," she whispered fighting back her tears. "And I hate him for leaving my mother and leaving me in to support my little brother… My mother has to work two jobs and she still can't support us."

"At least you have a mother who cares," whispered Squid.

"What?" asked Brianna looking stunned.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. Go back to sleep," Squid said quickly. Brianna blinked and sighed. She bit her lip and pushed her hair behind her ear. Squid got up off her bed and started walking away from her. He stopped suddenly. He turned back around and came back to her. He slowly walked back. She blushed again.

He leaned into her and got inches from her face. He slowly pressed his lips to hers. She blinked and couldn't believe this! She blushed darker and finally fell into his kiss. It was so warm and sweet. Squid then pulled away and smiled. He kissed her cheek again and she sat there. He went back to his bed and went back to sleep.

Brianna slowly lay back down and got onto her side. She pulled her covers back over her and smiled contently. "I guess love isn't as bad as I thought," she whispered. She slowly fell asleep.