Author's Note: Just to let some of you know a lot of your questions in your reviews will be answered here. Ok? Oh yea. I'm dedicating this chapter to my buddy Kayla! LYLAS! You've always been there for me! Even through the rough times! YOU RULE!
BTW: Brianna's going to finally open up... You've all been dying to know her entire life and why it's driven her to a suicidal life. You're going to find out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Four: We Need You, I Need You
Squid arrived at the hospital. He looked around and saw Shaily riding on her bike toward the hospital as well. When she got close enough she hopped off her bike and locked it up on the bike rack. She looked at Squid with worry filling her eyes. "You heard about it too?" Squid asked.
"Yeah," she managed to say. "Kayla's getting the rest of the gang and I've gotta meet them here. We're going to see if that was Brianna." Squid nodded and noticed something about Shaily.
"Hey what's wrong? You're not acting all peppy today." Squid said pointing out Shaily's unusual behavior to her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Then she looked out onto the street. She shut her eyes as she remembered the earlier events. Then finally after she replayed the events at least five times in her head. She looked back to Squid with her ocean blue eyes.
"Bri was the person who robbed Ricky's house," Shaily whispered. Squid's eyes widened and was amazed that she knew.
"How d'you know she robbed Zig's house?" Squid asked. Shaily smirked and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Duh! Ricky's got the biggest security system out of all of us. He caught her on tape. She must've forgotten his paranoia and obsession with cameras," Shaily said laughing a little. That made her feel a little better. She regretted slapping Ricky but still what he said he could never take back.
"SHAIL! WE'RE HERE!" shouted Kayla joining Squid and Shaily, with a worried look on her face. "C'mon we've gotta go see her!" They all nodded and went inside the hospital with Kayla leading them into the lobby. Kayla approached the info desk and got the receptionist's attention.
"Yes," the woman asked as she put down the magazine she was reading.
"I was wonderin' what room the girl who was stabbed is in?" Kayla asked. The woman stared at Kayla for a moment and sighed. The receptionist went over to her computer and looked under a file and came back five minutes later.
"She's in room 123 on the fourth floor in the ICU. Only close friends and family can see her. Would she know you?" asked the receptionist looking at Kayla through her glasses. Kayla nodded and motioned for the group.
"We all are," added Kayla.
"Fine. Go on then. That girl does have a right not to allow you into the room so if a nurse asks you to leave you must leave. All right?" The group nodded and they headed to the elevator. Squid pressed the button and one opened and they stampeded inside the elevator. They were all cramped together. Kayla pressed the fourth floor button and they waited. Finally they got the fourth floor and headed to the ICU.
"She's in room 123. So look for her room ok," commanded Kayla. The girls and Squid nodded and they spilt into twos. Marla went with Susan to look at the North side. Kayla and Michelle were paired together and looked in the South side. Squid and Shaily were the only two left and they looked in the center area.
***
"Do you think she actually did it this time?" asked Marla. Susan shrugged.
"How would I know? Bri, did have a rough life and she had threatened to do it before. Who knows? Just keep lookin' for her damn room!" Susan said looking at another room number. They kept searching.
***
"Why the hell did she do this!" whimpered Michelle. She glanced at another room number and sighed. Kayla frowned and remained strong for her gang. "I mean, God, If she died I'd go into depression! You know how I was when she faked her death! I was in hysterics!" Michelle said remembering the past year's grief and pain. "Then she came back and I was so happy. I mean I never thought that I was actually right! I knew she wasn't dead, but as the days, weeks, and months went on I began to realize how stupid it sounded that she was alive. She I began to believe she was dead. But she came back but totally different. With the drugs, the robbery Shaily told us about, and this suicide attempt, she's really gone mad!"
Kayla glanced at another room number. 'Nope not the right one,' she said to herself. She proceeded to walk along the hallways on the South side with Michelle. "I don't know why. She has changed. God only knows what she went through. She had a horrible family life. I mean none of us went through what she did." Kayla replied remembering, watching the bullet the "should have" killed Brianna hit her stomach one year ago.
***
"Hey Squid," said Shaily after she looked at two room numbers and sighed annoyingly.
"Yea?" he replied in a question which pestered Shaily.
"Did you know Brianna rubbed Ricky's house?"
"Yeah," Squid answered quietly. Shaily blinked and walked up to him.
"Why didn't you tell me!" she growled at him. He sighed and leaned up against a wall. His eyes moved to the floor. Shaily was growing irritated. "Why didn't you tell me?" she repeated. Squid frowned and finally looked Shaily in the face.
"Me and Bri had a fight after I found out about her robbing the house. She slapped me and then told me about her taking drugs and I mean actually taking them. She started crying and we made up really fast and I hugged her tightly. I asked her about the robbery at Zig's house. She wouldn't tell me, but she did tell me she did it," Squid muttered as he stopped leaning against the wall and looked at another room. "Hey we're getting close!" he said changing the subject. "This is room 121. Her room should be a little further down. I'll look for it. You can go get the girls. Ok?" he instructed. Shaily nodded and went to fetch the others.
Squid continued down the hall until he found her hospital room. He stuck his head into the room and glanced inside it. He saw a brunette girl in the bed. She looked irritated. A nurse was sitting next the girl. "Brianna..." Squid murmured almost in a whispered. He pulled his head from the door and went back into hallway. He looked up to the ceiling. He felt the pain of guilt hit him hard in the chest. He felt as though he shoud've went after her. If he did maybe she wouldn't have done this.
"Squid!" Kayla said waving her arm in the air to him. He looked around and smiled weakly and nodded his head in the direction of her room. The girls looked into the room and gasped. "Is that her?" asked Kayla.
"Yeah," Squid muttered. Kayla motioned the girls to step back and they did so. Then Kayla knocked on the door and the nurse got up from the chair and walked to the door.
"May I help you?" asked the nurse.
"Yes, we're all very close friends of this girls," Kayla answered.
"You must be Kayla, Shaily, Michelle, Susan, and Alan," the nurse said. "Brianna's been talking nonstop about you people." The girls beamed and Squid flinched at the nurse using his real name. They nodded.
"We came to see Bri," said Kayla. The nurse nodded let them into the room. Brianna glared at the girls and Alan. Her arm was bandaged and so was her shoulder. Red blood could barely be seen on her bandaged. She was hooked up to an IV and was also hooked up to a blood bag. She looked horrible. Her face was pale and looked sickly.
"What're you all doing here?" she snapped.
"To see you," the group said in unison. She glared at them again and sighed.
"I'm surprised that you would," she snapped again. They all stared at her. Brianna licked her lips and her face softened. Brianna's lips finally broke into a smile.
"Charm? Can we ask you something?" asked Shaily looking nervous.
"I guess," Brianna answered.
"Did you cut yourself or did someone else?"
"Hell yea I fucking cut myself. No one needs me in this world and I don't wanna be apart of it either. I wanna go to hell!" growled Brianna looking at her former gang and Squid. She noticed a look of guilt in Squid's eyes. She grinned at him. "It isn't yer fault Alan," she whispered hoarsely. He blinked. "I know yer thinkin' ya should've went afta me but I woulda done it anyway. I don't care anymore! I don't! Anything else ya wanna know?"
"What was in Ricky's house that you had to steal?" asked Shaily. Brianna cocked an eyebrow and gave a muffled laugh. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I didn't pick the house but we stole from Zig's house 'cause he lives where an old drug gang used to stash their supply. In his basement there's a secret room with a bunch of drugs in it and we had to rummage through his house to find the way to the basement. And yea I couldn't help myself when I stole his stereo and his videos. You know me," she whispered.
"But wouldn't Ricky have known about the room?"
"Of course Zig didn't know! Not many people know it's there and I'll get my ass kicked if Laura finds out I told ya about this. I'm not supposed to tell anyone."
"Why were stealing drugs!?" asked Michelle looking shocked. Brianna smirked again and glanced at Michelle. Michelle was trembling she was so nervous.
"Ah! Well, there's a great story about that too. Remember the drug job I was pulling? Well, it was for Laura and me. Last year I got hooked on marijuana. Ok? I was running with a really bad crowd 'cause the family were a bunch of rich bitches," grumbled Brianna. The past year replayed in her mind. Living in such a horrible place.
*Flashback*
"BRIANNA! Get down here!" shouted a female voice.
"I'm coming! Don't have a cow, Catharine! Damn!" Brianna shouted down the stairs of the attic which she lived in. She had been living with some family friends after she "died." Brianna climbed down the stair with her ripped cloths and rolled her eyes when she saw the clean house yet again. She saw it every morning. It was driving her mad. She needed to be in trouble. Her devilish side was itching to come out and rob the house blind.
"You have company. They're waiting outside." Catharine said pointing to the door. Brianna's face lit up and swung the door open. Outside, was a group of teenagers like herself and dressed like as well. They were from the so-called "ghettos" in the town she lived in. Brianna slammed the door behind her and the group began to walk down the street and turned into a dark ally.
"You bring it?" Brianna asked a sandy blonde male. He winked and grinned. He passed her a bit of marijuana. Brianna took it and inhaled it. The sandy blonde boy had a beer in his hand and he took a drink of it. There was also a redhead girl with him and she was giggling like mad. 'She must already be high,' Brianna said to herself as the drug began to take its toll on her. "Hey lemme have some of that stuff!" Brianna asked the sandy blonde boy.
"What stuff?" he asked.
"Don't be stupid! Beer you moron!" she snapped. He grinned again and threw her a can of beer and she took a sip of it. The redhead was laughing out to nothing. Brianna rolled her eyes but she heard a noise. "You guys be quiet!" Brianna instructed. She stuck her head out of the ally and looked down the road.
She saw a police car.
"SHIT! Guys! We've gotta go! The cops! C'mon hurry!" Brianna yelped. The boy and girl went white with horror and they ran further down the ally with Brianna behind them. They all hopped the fence and sat down.
"That was close," whispered the redhead. Brianna and the boy nodded. Then they burst into laughter.
"That was one hell of a rush! Whew!" Brianna said laughing. She liked the adrenaline rush of running from the cops. It made her feel alive. It made her feel free and happy. She felt that she belonged.
"Yeah, that was fun!" snorted the sandy blonde boy.
"We should do this again some other night!" Brianna added.
"Hell yeah!" laughed the redhead.
"Are you skipping tomorrow Bri?" asked the blonde boy. Brianna nodded and smiled at him. "Good! I'll meet you at the park. You know where. What about you Sherri?"
"Probably, but if I get caught my dad'll kill me so we've gotta be extra careful. Please?" whined the redhead named Sherri. "Pppppllllleeeeaaaasssseeee Matt! PLEASE!"
"Fine whatever," said the boy named Matt. "I'll see you wonderful ladies tomorrow then!"
*End of Flashback*
"Charm? CHARM!" shouted Kayla. Brianna shook her head and blinked.
"Yeah what!?" she said staring at her friend.
"We asked you why you cut yerself?" Squid said looking anxious. She grinned.
"I already told you. The world doesn't need someone like me. This is exactly what I am. I'm a stupid, suicidal, drug addicted, lying, good for nothing bitch!" Brianna said laughing insanely. Squid and The Strips stared at her amazed she would say such a thing.
"You are not!" protested Squid.
"People do need you!" cried Marla.
"Your family needs you!" shouted Kayla in frustration.
"Your friends need you," whimpered Shaily.
"THE STRIPS NEED YOU!" Susan screamed in tears.
"I need you," Squid said softly. He leaned into Brianna and got inches from her face. He kissed her gently on the forehead, then on the cheek, and on the lips. She blushed and sat up only to have to lay back down.
"Damn blood infusion... Working already!" Brianna complained feeling dizzy from her blood infusion. Everyone laughed.
"We all need Bri and there's nothing I love more about you than your stubbornness," Squid added to his last comment. He leaned to kiss her again but she pushed him away. He stared blankly at her. "What're doin' Brianna?!"
"NO! DON'T DO IT!" she screamed glaring at him. She sat up quickly and ripped out her IV and blood infusion. "I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! Dammit!" she said covering her face with her hands because of her tears. "You don't know..."
"Know what?" asked Michelle.
"What it's like living where I grew up! You'll never know! NEVER! It was terrible watching my mother suffer in the hands of my bastard father! He abused me! He choked me and then threw me against a wall after I tried to help my Mom when I was only five! He tried to kill me once. He was trying to suffocate me with a pillow while I was asleep! He didn't do it because I woke up and screamed. Then about two weeks later he left our family. My Mom was left to take care four children including me and herself. We were able to get by for a few years. Mark, my older brother, worked at a store and helped with the income. My Mom was working one job since Mark and Sarah both were working to help the family. But then one day..." Brianna said sobbing. She was choking back the tears that were ready to stream down her face.
"What happen?" Squid asked gently, sitting next to her on the bed.
"One day, when I was ten... My brother Mark was killed in a driveby shoot by a city gang while he was walking home from his job. That was one of the worst days of my life. Sarah couldn't take it so about six months later she left saying she was tired of our family. I stayed along with Jason to help my mother. I was still ten at this point and now in fifth grade. I met Marcus "Mad Dog" Sheldon. I thought he was the one and so I started dating him and then joined the Scorpions."
"So you went lying about you being in the Scorpions," muttered Kayla. Brianna nodded sadly lifting her face from her hands. Her emerald eyes were puffy and red from her tears.
"Well, three months went by without any fuss between Mad Dog and I. My birthday was approaching and I was going to be eleven. Well, it was a month before my birthday when Mad Dog and I started to argue. He never hit me just verbally abused me, but it didn't hurt me. As long as I didn't believe him I was ok. If I could survive my father's physical abusiveness I could live through verbal abuse. Well, I was growing irritated by Mad Dog and decided that I would leave. That's when I started to form "The Strips" behind his back. After I finally had "The Strips" formed it was almost time for summer break. The last day of school before summer I broke it off with Mad Dog and left his gang to have my own. He wasn't exactly thrilled." Brianna explained. Her friends and boyfriend stared in shock at what she had told them.
"What else haven't you told us?" asked Shaily now pulling a chair to sit on as Brianna began to continue her story.
Yeah! What else! C'mon!" urged Michelle also getting a chair.
"Please! Tell us more!" whined Marla as she sat on the arm of Shaily's chair.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Susan now sitting on the arm of Michelle's chair. Kayla moved from her place at the wall over to the other side of Brianna and sat next to her.
"Well, seventh grade was the year The Strips finally was born. We spent the whole summer getting our names written down at NOPD. We were finally infamously famous. We were the Shoplifting Seven some people called us. There were a bunch of names that were given to us because of our shoplifting and robbing skills. I remembered some were the Shoplifting Seven, The Seven Bandits, The Hudenettes, and one of my favorites, The Shoplifting Shedevils. But it wasn't until we stole money and toys from a zoo's giftshop that I figured out what our gang name would be. While Shaily and Susan were stealing the money, Kayla and Mel were breaking the cameras, Marla, Michelle and I were stealing some toys for my brother. There were stuffed tigers and those were his favorite animal. Tigers. It hit me, "The Strips" became our name. We each have a tattoo on the back of our right shoulder of a tiger and our nicknames." Brianna added to her story. She stopped and looked at her gang with depression.
She lifted the right sleeve of her hospital gown and exposed her tattoo of a tiger. Brianna's tattoo read, 'The Strips' on top of the tiger and under it read, 'Charm'. The other girls lifted their sleeves to expose their marks. Kayla's read, 'Claw'. Michelle's read, 'Sticky Fingers'. Marla's read, 'Stealin Shedevil'. Shaily's read, 'Money Bunny'. Susan's read, 'Lockpick'.
"I wish Mel was here. I loved her nickname," giggled Michelle and Shaily. The others except for Squid rolled their eyes looking annoyed.
"What did her's say?" asked Squid looking blank.
"Mel's nickname was Mischief. So naturally her tattoo said, 'Mischief' on it," giggled Michelle. Shaily laughed too.
"Girls! It isn't that funny. My God!" grumbled Kayla under her breath. Brianna laughed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "OH MY GOD! SHE LAUGHED! I MEAN LAUGH LAUGH!" Kayla said gasping.
"She did? She actually laughed like "haha funny laugh"!" blinked Michelle. Brianna stared at her former gang hopelessly. Squid grinned and gently kissed her cheek. Brianna smiled again and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Girls! Shut up! I don't think she finished her story yet!" whined Susan.
"OH YEAH!" the others chimed in unison. Brianna took a deep breath and sighed.
"Well as I was saying, I was now eleven going on twelve. My gang had just stared. I had left the Scorpions and Mad Dog behind. I was stealing and selling on the TBM to get money for my family. Sometimes I got so desperate that instead of stealing money or items I'd just steal the damn food! Well our seventh year ended and it had been a year since our gang formed, Mad Dog found out. Now that I was twelve I was older and wasn't exactly as stupid as I was when I was ten. Mad Dog would often stalk me around places until my gang and I finally called for a fight to mark who had what territory. We won most of Central New Orleans and they got the North Side along with the New Orleans Operation, which is another gang. We shared our territory with the Bloodhounds, The Alligators, and the Gator Claws. They were small but powerful gangs and we were lucky to have'em as allies. The South Side was controlled by the Dead Bloods and The Undead. They were I guess you could say allies if we asked them to fight off the Scorpions they would help but they would fight us too, but they learned not to mess with the Central Gangs." Brianna explained. Her former gang nodded remembering the gangs. Squid looked absorbed by all this.
"Well two years went by and we became the most citywide known gang in New Orleans. There was no one who didn't know about us. Well we were fourteen now and in our first year of High School. Mad Dog finally had a place he could corner me in, since I wasn't always with a gang member. Well after lunch he came up behind me and covered my mouth and you could say kidnapped me but not without a fight. He threw me into his car and drove off somewhere I forgot exactly either that or I don't wanna remember. And he pulled me outta his car and begged me to come back to the Scorpions but I refused. He got so mad he ... well," Brianna said stuttering her last sentence.
"What did he do?" asked Kayla.
"Yeah! What did the sleazeball freak do to you!" Michelle said fiercely. Brianna stared at her. "What? What?" Michelle asked looking lost. Brianna shook her head and giggled a little.
"Well Mad Dog ... sorta raped me..." she stuttered frowning.
"HE WHAT!?!" Michelle and Squid shouted looking outraged.
"EW! GROSS! I KNEW HE WAS A SICK PIG!" cried out Marla in disgust.
"OH NOW THAT'S JUST WRONG! MAD DOG'S A FREAK! EWW!!!" Kayla and Shaily screamed in unison while shuddering at the thought of Mad Dog doing that.
"AW MAN THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S JUST COMPLETELY GROSS!" Susan gasped while flinching.
"Yeah," Brianna stuttered. "He did but I was afraid so I didn't really fight back though I did get away and ran to the police station. They just laughed. I should've known they would laugh at me, I mean they would never believe the leader of The Strips now would they?!" Brianna felt tears well in her eyes and she buried her face into her hands. "And that's why I was so mean to you Alan... I was afraid you'd be mean like him... I was afraid of being hurt, but you changed me Alan. You made me believe there was love that couldn't hurt me but save me..." she said turning and looking Squid in the eyes.
"It's no problem Brianna, I was happy to help a cute girl like you." He replied winking at her. She rolled her eyes.
"That was pathetic."
"Haha. Funny." He muttered flatly. The girls howled with laughter and Brianna kissed Squid lightly on the cheek.
"Well," Brianna started going to finish the story of her past. "Two more years flew by and we were all sixteen. There was the JCP Plan that was pinned on us and also we were uhm... Kinda caught stealing money and other stuff at a local New Orleans K-Mart. We forgot to turn off a camera and it caught all of on tape shoplifting and stealing money. So the JCP Plan, which we were NEVER apart of, and the K-Mart incident got us landed at Camp Green Lake since we didn't want to go back to that damn Juvie Jail for two and half years."
"Brianna," Squid whispered in her ear.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Promise me you won't ever cut yerself again."
"I can't promise. I don't believe in promises anymore. But I'll try. Why?" she said looking into his dark brown eyes.
"We need you, I need you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Note: OMG! I DIDN'T HAVE A CLIFFHANGER! AH!! Well if you think this a cliffhanger ok and if you don't ok. Well I love your comments and junk. And NO SHAILY I'M NOT WRITING ABOUT WHITE COATS COMING TO GET YOU! This is a serious story you dummy! But hell.. I LYLAS anyway! lol! I'll update soon! GIMME FEEDBACK! PLEASE ^_~
BTW: Brianna's going to finally open up... You've all been dying to know her entire life and why it's driven her to a suicidal life. You're going to find out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Four: We Need You, I Need You
Squid arrived at the hospital. He looked around and saw Shaily riding on her bike toward the hospital as well. When she got close enough she hopped off her bike and locked it up on the bike rack. She looked at Squid with worry filling her eyes. "You heard about it too?" Squid asked.
"Yeah," she managed to say. "Kayla's getting the rest of the gang and I've gotta meet them here. We're going to see if that was Brianna." Squid nodded and noticed something about Shaily.
"Hey what's wrong? You're not acting all peppy today." Squid said pointing out Shaily's unusual behavior to her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Then she looked out onto the street. She shut her eyes as she remembered the earlier events. Then finally after she replayed the events at least five times in her head. She looked back to Squid with her ocean blue eyes.
"Bri was the person who robbed Ricky's house," Shaily whispered. Squid's eyes widened and was amazed that she knew.
"How d'you know she robbed Zig's house?" Squid asked. Shaily smirked and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Duh! Ricky's got the biggest security system out of all of us. He caught her on tape. She must've forgotten his paranoia and obsession with cameras," Shaily said laughing a little. That made her feel a little better. She regretted slapping Ricky but still what he said he could never take back.
"SHAIL! WE'RE HERE!" shouted Kayla joining Squid and Shaily, with a worried look on her face. "C'mon we've gotta go see her!" They all nodded and went inside the hospital with Kayla leading them into the lobby. Kayla approached the info desk and got the receptionist's attention.
"Yes," the woman asked as she put down the magazine she was reading.
"I was wonderin' what room the girl who was stabbed is in?" Kayla asked. The woman stared at Kayla for a moment and sighed. The receptionist went over to her computer and looked under a file and came back five minutes later.
"She's in room 123 on the fourth floor in the ICU. Only close friends and family can see her. Would she know you?" asked the receptionist looking at Kayla through her glasses. Kayla nodded and motioned for the group.
"We all are," added Kayla.
"Fine. Go on then. That girl does have a right not to allow you into the room so if a nurse asks you to leave you must leave. All right?" The group nodded and they headed to the elevator. Squid pressed the button and one opened and they stampeded inside the elevator. They were all cramped together. Kayla pressed the fourth floor button and they waited. Finally they got the fourth floor and headed to the ICU.
"She's in room 123. So look for her room ok," commanded Kayla. The girls and Squid nodded and they spilt into twos. Marla went with Susan to look at the North side. Kayla and Michelle were paired together and looked in the South side. Squid and Shaily were the only two left and they looked in the center area.
***
"Do you think she actually did it this time?" asked Marla. Susan shrugged.
"How would I know? Bri, did have a rough life and she had threatened to do it before. Who knows? Just keep lookin' for her damn room!" Susan said looking at another room number. They kept searching.
***
"Why the hell did she do this!" whimpered Michelle. She glanced at another room number and sighed. Kayla frowned and remained strong for her gang. "I mean, God, If she died I'd go into depression! You know how I was when she faked her death! I was in hysterics!" Michelle said remembering the past year's grief and pain. "Then she came back and I was so happy. I mean I never thought that I was actually right! I knew she wasn't dead, but as the days, weeks, and months went on I began to realize how stupid it sounded that she was alive. She I began to believe she was dead. But she came back but totally different. With the drugs, the robbery Shaily told us about, and this suicide attempt, she's really gone mad!"
Kayla glanced at another room number. 'Nope not the right one,' she said to herself. She proceeded to walk along the hallways on the South side with Michelle. "I don't know why. She has changed. God only knows what she went through. She had a horrible family life. I mean none of us went through what she did." Kayla replied remembering, watching the bullet the "should have" killed Brianna hit her stomach one year ago.
***
"Hey Squid," said Shaily after she looked at two room numbers and sighed annoyingly.
"Yea?" he replied in a question which pestered Shaily.
"Did you know Brianna rubbed Ricky's house?"
"Yeah," Squid answered quietly. Shaily blinked and walked up to him.
"Why didn't you tell me!" she growled at him. He sighed and leaned up against a wall. His eyes moved to the floor. Shaily was growing irritated. "Why didn't you tell me?" she repeated. Squid frowned and finally looked Shaily in the face.
"Me and Bri had a fight after I found out about her robbing the house. She slapped me and then told me about her taking drugs and I mean actually taking them. She started crying and we made up really fast and I hugged her tightly. I asked her about the robbery at Zig's house. She wouldn't tell me, but she did tell me she did it," Squid muttered as he stopped leaning against the wall and looked at another room. "Hey we're getting close!" he said changing the subject. "This is room 121. Her room should be a little further down. I'll look for it. You can go get the girls. Ok?" he instructed. Shaily nodded and went to fetch the others.
Squid continued down the hall until he found her hospital room. He stuck his head into the room and glanced inside it. He saw a brunette girl in the bed. She looked irritated. A nurse was sitting next the girl. "Brianna..." Squid murmured almost in a whispered. He pulled his head from the door and went back into hallway. He looked up to the ceiling. He felt the pain of guilt hit him hard in the chest. He felt as though he shoud've went after her. If he did maybe she wouldn't have done this.
"Squid!" Kayla said waving her arm in the air to him. He looked around and smiled weakly and nodded his head in the direction of her room. The girls looked into the room and gasped. "Is that her?" asked Kayla.
"Yeah," Squid muttered. Kayla motioned the girls to step back and they did so. Then Kayla knocked on the door and the nurse got up from the chair and walked to the door.
"May I help you?" asked the nurse.
"Yes, we're all very close friends of this girls," Kayla answered.
"You must be Kayla, Shaily, Michelle, Susan, and Alan," the nurse said. "Brianna's been talking nonstop about you people." The girls beamed and Squid flinched at the nurse using his real name. They nodded.
"We came to see Bri," said Kayla. The nurse nodded let them into the room. Brianna glared at the girls and Alan. Her arm was bandaged and so was her shoulder. Red blood could barely be seen on her bandaged. She was hooked up to an IV and was also hooked up to a blood bag. She looked horrible. Her face was pale and looked sickly.
"What're you all doing here?" she snapped.
"To see you," the group said in unison. She glared at them again and sighed.
"I'm surprised that you would," she snapped again. They all stared at her. Brianna licked her lips and her face softened. Brianna's lips finally broke into a smile.
"Charm? Can we ask you something?" asked Shaily looking nervous.
"I guess," Brianna answered.
"Did you cut yourself or did someone else?"
"Hell yea I fucking cut myself. No one needs me in this world and I don't wanna be apart of it either. I wanna go to hell!" growled Brianna looking at her former gang and Squid. She noticed a look of guilt in Squid's eyes. She grinned at him. "It isn't yer fault Alan," she whispered hoarsely. He blinked. "I know yer thinkin' ya should've went afta me but I woulda done it anyway. I don't care anymore! I don't! Anything else ya wanna know?"
"What was in Ricky's house that you had to steal?" asked Shaily. Brianna cocked an eyebrow and gave a muffled laugh. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"I didn't pick the house but we stole from Zig's house 'cause he lives where an old drug gang used to stash their supply. In his basement there's a secret room with a bunch of drugs in it and we had to rummage through his house to find the way to the basement. And yea I couldn't help myself when I stole his stereo and his videos. You know me," she whispered.
"But wouldn't Ricky have known about the room?"
"Of course Zig didn't know! Not many people know it's there and I'll get my ass kicked if Laura finds out I told ya about this. I'm not supposed to tell anyone."
"Why were stealing drugs!?" asked Michelle looking shocked. Brianna smirked again and glanced at Michelle. Michelle was trembling she was so nervous.
"Ah! Well, there's a great story about that too. Remember the drug job I was pulling? Well, it was for Laura and me. Last year I got hooked on marijuana. Ok? I was running with a really bad crowd 'cause the family were a bunch of rich bitches," grumbled Brianna. The past year replayed in her mind. Living in such a horrible place.
*Flashback*
"BRIANNA! Get down here!" shouted a female voice.
"I'm coming! Don't have a cow, Catharine! Damn!" Brianna shouted down the stairs of the attic which she lived in. She had been living with some family friends after she "died." Brianna climbed down the stair with her ripped cloths and rolled her eyes when she saw the clean house yet again. She saw it every morning. It was driving her mad. She needed to be in trouble. Her devilish side was itching to come out and rob the house blind.
"You have company. They're waiting outside." Catharine said pointing to the door. Brianna's face lit up and swung the door open. Outside, was a group of teenagers like herself and dressed like as well. They were from the so-called "ghettos" in the town she lived in. Brianna slammed the door behind her and the group began to walk down the street and turned into a dark ally.
"You bring it?" Brianna asked a sandy blonde male. He winked and grinned. He passed her a bit of marijuana. Brianna took it and inhaled it. The sandy blonde boy had a beer in his hand and he took a drink of it. There was also a redhead girl with him and she was giggling like mad. 'She must already be high,' Brianna said to herself as the drug began to take its toll on her. "Hey lemme have some of that stuff!" Brianna asked the sandy blonde boy.
"What stuff?" he asked.
"Don't be stupid! Beer you moron!" she snapped. He grinned again and threw her a can of beer and she took a sip of it. The redhead was laughing out to nothing. Brianna rolled her eyes but she heard a noise. "You guys be quiet!" Brianna instructed. She stuck her head out of the ally and looked down the road.
She saw a police car.
"SHIT! Guys! We've gotta go! The cops! C'mon hurry!" Brianna yelped. The boy and girl went white with horror and they ran further down the ally with Brianna behind them. They all hopped the fence and sat down.
"That was close," whispered the redhead. Brianna and the boy nodded. Then they burst into laughter.
"That was one hell of a rush! Whew!" Brianna said laughing. She liked the adrenaline rush of running from the cops. It made her feel alive. It made her feel free and happy. She felt that she belonged.
"Yeah, that was fun!" snorted the sandy blonde boy.
"We should do this again some other night!" Brianna added.
"Hell yeah!" laughed the redhead.
"Are you skipping tomorrow Bri?" asked the blonde boy. Brianna nodded and smiled at him. "Good! I'll meet you at the park. You know where. What about you Sherri?"
"Probably, but if I get caught my dad'll kill me so we've gotta be extra careful. Please?" whined the redhead named Sherri. "Pppppllllleeeeaaaasssseeee Matt! PLEASE!"
"Fine whatever," said the boy named Matt. "I'll see you wonderful ladies tomorrow then!"
*End of Flashback*
"Charm? CHARM!" shouted Kayla. Brianna shook her head and blinked.
"Yeah what!?" she said staring at her friend.
"We asked you why you cut yerself?" Squid said looking anxious. She grinned.
"I already told you. The world doesn't need someone like me. This is exactly what I am. I'm a stupid, suicidal, drug addicted, lying, good for nothing bitch!" Brianna said laughing insanely. Squid and The Strips stared at her amazed she would say such a thing.
"You are not!" protested Squid.
"People do need you!" cried Marla.
"Your family needs you!" shouted Kayla in frustration.
"Your friends need you," whimpered Shaily.
"THE STRIPS NEED YOU!" Susan screamed in tears.
"I need you," Squid said softly. He leaned into Brianna and got inches from her face. He kissed her gently on the forehead, then on the cheek, and on the lips. She blushed and sat up only to have to lay back down.
"Damn blood infusion... Working already!" Brianna complained feeling dizzy from her blood infusion. Everyone laughed.
"We all need Bri and there's nothing I love more about you than your stubbornness," Squid added to his last comment. He leaned to kiss her again but she pushed him away. He stared blankly at her. "What're doin' Brianna?!"
"NO! DON'T DO IT!" she screamed glaring at him. She sat up quickly and ripped out her IV and blood infusion. "I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! Dammit!" she said covering her face with her hands because of her tears. "You don't know..."
"Know what?" asked Michelle.
"What it's like living where I grew up! You'll never know! NEVER! It was terrible watching my mother suffer in the hands of my bastard father! He abused me! He choked me and then threw me against a wall after I tried to help my Mom when I was only five! He tried to kill me once. He was trying to suffocate me with a pillow while I was asleep! He didn't do it because I woke up and screamed. Then about two weeks later he left our family. My Mom was left to take care four children including me and herself. We were able to get by for a few years. Mark, my older brother, worked at a store and helped with the income. My Mom was working one job since Mark and Sarah both were working to help the family. But then one day..." Brianna said sobbing. She was choking back the tears that were ready to stream down her face.
"What happen?" Squid asked gently, sitting next to her on the bed.
"One day, when I was ten... My brother Mark was killed in a driveby shoot by a city gang while he was walking home from his job. That was one of the worst days of my life. Sarah couldn't take it so about six months later she left saying she was tired of our family. I stayed along with Jason to help my mother. I was still ten at this point and now in fifth grade. I met Marcus "Mad Dog" Sheldon. I thought he was the one and so I started dating him and then joined the Scorpions."
"So you went lying about you being in the Scorpions," muttered Kayla. Brianna nodded sadly lifting her face from her hands. Her emerald eyes were puffy and red from her tears.
"Well, three months went by without any fuss between Mad Dog and I. My birthday was approaching and I was going to be eleven. Well, it was a month before my birthday when Mad Dog and I started to argue. He never hit me just verbally abused me, but it didn't hurt me. As long as I didn't believe him I was ok. If I could survive my father's physical abusiveness I could live through verbal abuse. Well, I was growing irritated by Mad Dog and decided that I would leave. That's when I started to form "The Strips" behind his back. After I finally had "The Strips" formed it was almost time for summer break. The last day of school before summer I broke it off with Mad Dog and left his gang to have my own. He wasn't exactly thrilled." Brianna explained. Her friends and boyfriend stared in shock at what she had told them.
"What else haven't you told us?" asked Shaily now pulling a chair to sit on as Brianna began to continue her story.
Yeah! What else! C'mon!" urged Michelle also getting a chair.
"Please! Tell us more!" whined Marla as she sat on the arm of Shaily's chair.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Susan now sitting on the arm of Michelle's chair. Kayla moved from her place at the wall over to the other side of Brianna and sat next to her.
"Well, seventh grade was the year The Strips finally was born. We spent the whole summer getting our names written down at NOPD. We were finally infamously famous. We were the Shoplifting Seven some people called us. There were a bunch of names that were given to us because of our shoplifting and robbing skills. I remembered some were the Shoplifting Seven, The Seven Bandits, The Hudenettes, and one of my favorites, The Shoplifting Shedevils. But it wasn't until we stole money and toys from a zoo's giftshop that I figured out what our gang name would be. While Shaily and Susan were stealing the money, Kayla and Mel were breaking the cameras, Marla, Michelle and I were stealing some toys for my brother. There were stuffed tigers and those were his favorite animal. Tigers. It hit me, "The Strips" became our name. We each have a tattoo on the back of our right shoulder of a tiger and our nicknames." Brianna added to her story. She stopped and looked at her gang with depression.
She lifted the right sleeve of her hospital gown and exposed her tattoo of a tiger. Brianna's tattoo read, 'The Strips' on top of the tiger and under it read, 'Charm'. The other girls lifted their sleeves to expose their marks. Kayla's read, 'Claw'. Michelle's read, 'Sticky Fingers'. Marla's read, 'Stealin Shedevil'. Shaily's read, 'Money Bunny'. Susan's read, 'Lockpick'.
"I wish Mel was here. I loved her nickname," giggled Michelle and Shaily. The others except for Squid rolled their eyes looking annoyed.
"What did her's say?" asked Squid looking blank.
"Mel's nickname was Mischief. So naturally her tattoo said, 'Mischief' on it," giggled Michelle. Shaily laughed too.
"Girls! It isn't that funny. My God!" grumbled Kayla under her breath. Brianna laughed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "OH MY GOD! SHE LAUGHED! I MEAN LAUGH LAUGH!" Kayla said gasping.
"She did? She actually laughed like "haha funny laugh"!" blinked Michelle. Brianna stared at her former gang hopelessly. Squid grinned and gently kissed her cheek. Brianna smiled again and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Girls! Shut up! I don't think she finished her story yet!" whined Susan.
"OH YEAH!" the others chimed in unison. Brianna took a deep breath and sighed.
"Well as I was saying, I was now eleven going on twelve. My gang had just stared. I had left the Scorpions and Mad Dog behind. I was stealing and selling on the TBM to get money for my family. Sometimes I got so desperate that instead of stealing money or items I'd just steal the damn food! Well our seventh year ended and it had been a year since our gang formed, Mad Dog found out. Now that I was twelve I was older and wasn't exactly as stupid as I was when I was ten. Mad Dog would often stalk me around places until my gang and I finally called for a fight to mark who had what territory. We won most of Central New Orleans and they got the North Side along with the New Orleans Operation, which is another gang. We shared our territory with the Bloodhounds, The Alligators, and the Gator Claws. They were small but powerful gangs and we were lucky to have'em as allies. The South Side was controlled by the Dead Bloods and The Undead. They were I guess you could say allies if we asked them to fight off the Scorpions they would help but they would fight us too, but they learned not to mess with the Central Gangs." Brianna explained. Her former gang nodded remembering the gangs. Squid looked absorbed by all this.
"Well two years went by and we became the most citywide known gang in New Orleans. There was no one who didn't know about us. Well we were fourteen now and in our first year of High School. Mad Dog finally had a place he could corner me in, since I wasn't always with a gang member. Well after lunch he came up behind me and covered my mouth and you could say kidnapped me but not without a fight. He threw me into his car and drove off somewhere I forgot exactly either that or I don't wanna remember. And he pulled me outta his car and begged me to come back to the Scorpions but I refused. He got so mad he ... well," Brianna said stuttering her last sentence.
"What did he do?" asked Kayla.
"Yeah! What did the sleazeball freak do to you!" Michelle said fiercely. Brianna stared at her. "What? What?" Michelle asked looking lost. Brianna shook her head and giggled a little.
"Well Mad Dog ... sorta raped me..." she stuttered frowning.
"HE WHAT!?!" Michelle and Squid shouted looking outraged.
"EW! GROSS! I KNEW HE WAS A SICK PIG!" cried out Marla in disgust.
"OH NOW THAT'S JUST WRONG! MAD DOG'S A FREAK! EWW!!!" Kayla and Shaily screamed in unison while shuddering at the thought of Mad Dog doing that.
"AW MAN THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S JUST COMPLETELY GROSS!" Susan gasped while flinching.
"Yeah," Brianna stuttered. "He did but I was afraid so I didn't really fight back though I did get away and ran to the police station. They just laughed. I should've known they would laugh at me, I mean they would never believe the leader of The Strips now would they?!" Brianna felt tears well in her eyes and she buried her face into her hands. "And that's why I was so mean to you Alan... I was afraid you'd be mean like him... I was afraid of being hurt, but you changed me Alan. You made me believe there was love that couldn't hurt me but save me..." she said turning and looking Squid in the eyes.
"It's no problem Brianna, I was happy to help a cute girl like you." He replied winking at her. She rolled her eyes.
"That was pathetic."
"Haha. Funny." He muttered flatly. The girls howled with laughter and Brianna kissed Squid lightly on the cheek.
"Well," Brianna started going to finish the story of her past. "Two more years flew by and we were all sixteen. There was the JCP Plan that was pinned on us and also we were uhm... Kinda caught stealing money and other stuff at a local New Orleans K-Mart. We forgot to turn off a camera and it caught all of on tape shoplifting and stealing money. So the JCP Plan, which we were NEVER apart of, and the K-Mart incident got us landed at Camp Green Lake since we didn't want to go back to that damn Juvie Jail for two and half years."
"Brianna," Squid whispered in her ear.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Promise me you won't ever cut yerself again."
"I can't promise. I don't believe in promises anymore. But I'll try. Why?" she said looking into his dark brown eyes.
"We need you, I need you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Note: OMG! I DIDN'T HAVE A CLIFFHANGER! AH!! Well if you think this a cliffhanger ok and if you don't ok. Well I love your comments and junk. And NO SHAILY I'M NOT WRITING ABOUT WHITE COATS COMING TO GET YOU! This is a serious story you dummy! But hell.. I LYLAS anyway! lol! I'll update soon! GIMME FEEDBACK! PLEASE ^_~