Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Sorry it took me so long to get this up, I was out of the country for awhile. I'm breaking a bit with my formatting and decided Ryan needed another chapter.
Enjoy, and leave a review if you like it.
I closed my eyes, they felt so heavy, I could still feel the imprint of his hands on my neck. If I closed my eyes it was almost like he wasn't there at all.
I opened my eyes blearily, my left eye was swollen shut, as I reached my finger up to prod it and drew it away again. It hurt. No surprise there. I looked around me, in the early morning sun I was cuddled next to a doorway on an abandoned street with nothing but boarded up windows, I was beat up, unwanted, and pissed off, it almost seemed like this is where I belonged.
I fished in my pocket, cringing at the skyrocket pain that erupted from my ribs, and pulled out a cigarette.
"How old are you kid?" Said a voice behind me, almost a familiar voice. In my blearily early morning stage I thought for a split moment it would be Trey, my big brother to come and find me, to save me. But Trey knew how old I was, and he didn't have a Mexican gangster accent either.
I turned around to come face the knees of the thug that had led the attack against me.
I straightened up, still sitting, trying not to grimace.
"Back for more bitch?" If it was one thing I learned, it was never back down, never show weakness.
The kid smiled. "God kid you got balls, you wouldn't catch me looking like that and asking for more."
"Well clearly we're different." I growled back at him, I didn't know why he was here, and it was unnerving me.
He took a step closer.
"Listen kid, I'm sorry 'bout last night. I gotta protect my name with my boys ya know?" I nodded.
"So what? You didn't want to beat me up?" I took another puff and tried to look tough.
He was quiet, he shifted from foot to foot.
"No, you're a kid, you were out numbered, you were just walking. But let me tell you punk you got one hell of a right hook." He gestured to his eye where he sported a black bruise. It gave me a sense of pleasure to know after years of sporting those myself, I was displaying some of my handy work.
I nodded. Taking it in. I still wasn't going to acknowledge this thug.
He looked around.
"You really ain't got nowhere to go?"
I paused for a second, and asked myself that question. Did I? Was my mother right now wondering where I was? Or was she sleeping off from last night? And what about Trey, was he worried, was he looking for me, or was he just selling drugs like any other morning?
"Nowhere that wants me." It seemed like an appropriate thing to say, I had to be tough for this guy. He expected it of me.
"Do you want a cup of coffee?"
"Why?" Never answer questions, always ask them, that's another thing I had learned.
"Because I feel bad kid, Because I beat the shit out of you when we were on the same side."
I scoffed, butting out my cigarette. "What makes you think that?"
"Where do you think I was walking when I was your age, getting hassled by all the thugs because no one wanted me at home. I was here. There is nothing out there for guys like us, unless we do something about it, and I could help you, like someone helped me." He was passionate about this, I could tell, talking to someone he thought he could relate to, it struck me how lonely he must be, how lonely I was.
"Yeah, okay." I struggled to my feet, my body ached, my head spun.
"I'm Tino."
"Ryan." He offered me a fist and I knocked mine with his.
I had never drank coffee, but I figured there was a first time for everything as Tino silently brought me to a diner, five minutes down the road.
We sat at the table, with white cracked stained mugs in front of us, amid the blue collar workers that had probably been drunk the night before. I glared at them, wondering darkly how many of them had beat their kids last night, as they jovially ate with their friends this morning.
I took a hesitant sip of my coffee, I coughed and swallowed hard. It tasted like tar. But better than Vodka and it was warm. I took another sip.
"So how bout it Ryan?"
I looked up. "What are you offering?" Just 48 hours ago, boys like this were my enemies. I didn't mix with them, I loathed them, but now I understood, just like Tino had said there was nothing for me, if it wasn't this. I cursed Trey for putting me in this situation, until I realized he had also seen this dim, dim light. He knew the truth, that we were going nowhere.
"You could join me, and my boys, we watch out for each other, protect each other, make a living." I looked up at him sharply.
"I don't sell drugs." I looked at him honestly. I meant it. I wasn't going to sell drugs, Trey could lower himself to that level but I wouldn't.
Tino put down his coffee, and looked at me, from under his cap. He smiled.
"You don't have to kid. But if you're gonna join us, you gotta be straight wit me on one thing."
I nodded, "Straight with him" Could mean all sorts of things.
"How old are you?"
I hesitated, and gave myself away I'm sure. Pondering to myself, how old I could get away with? 13?
"Thirteen." I stammered.
"I would have believed you Ryan if it hadn't taken so long to tell me. If you're gonna tell a lie tell it right. So what, if you're telling me 13, you're what 11?"
I didn't meet his eyes, I nodded.
"Shit. Eleven." He shook his head.
"You go to school?" I nodded.
"Where?"
"Cordon Elementary."
"You are a long way from home kid."
I nodded.
I finished my coffee, and was thinking about heading for the door.
Tino looked up at me with a smile, I knew this much about him already, he was easy with a smile, and probably in a different life, he could have been a good guy. But he was jaded now, and I had to be like him if I was gonna survive.
"So tell me, how exactly did you know how to tell me to fuck my mother in Spanish, are you a white Spanish brother?"
I shook my head.
"In my group home, if you didn't know how to insult someone's mother you were gonna get beat." I knew it would get me extra points, if he thought I was worse off. I needed all the tough points I could.
"I'll teach you some more. C'mon Ryan, I'm heading that way, I'll walk you."