I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. The chapters so far have been the into- Spinelli getting back into the swing of school and a basic start to the new relationships they all have. I'll try and bring more of their characters into the newer chapters. This is where the real action starts. Please read and review! It makes me happy to read what you all think. XX

Chapter 6- just another day

Now when I went home I was instantly taken into my room and locked up with a bucket of chicken soup. It wasn't that it didn't appreciate it but it was too much of an exaggerated reaction so it actually made me feel worse. I wasn't let out of my room for the rest of the school week. Then came the weekend, on the Saturday I was free. Sure I had a red nose due to all the sneezing and constant rubbing but by the time I woke up most of that was gone. It was like I had been trapped in a cage, there was nowhere for me to go and it was driving me crazy. I needed fresh air and a place to run. So yes I was getting pretty stir crazy by the end of it.

'Hone, you can't go out in just you leather jacket. Have a nice woolly coat or something.' I heard mom but the words weren't sinking in. I was already grabbing my bag and sketch book and was out the door and into the fresh air I had missed so much. I couldn't believe I was finally out of the house. I miss the puddles that soak right through your boots and into your socks. I missed the cold air that rippers at your lungs. I even missed the stupid mist of rain that just got you wet just because you stand outside for one measly second. But when you have nothing and no one but yourself for company everything dose get just a bit extreme. I mean. I was even missing TJ and I knew I didn't...but what could l do? Life hates me and I've already decided I'd get the gang back together –Of course I need to find out what happened to Vince and TJ if I was to do this properly. I really felt I was still missing something. Well it didn't matter what I did now. Now it was Saturday and it was my time. I didn't have to worry about old friends or the new school or anything. I wasn't even ill. Life for once looked up. But that's just a little too optimistic.

Basically I went out with my sketch book to sit in the park and waist time. I didn't care what I did but I wasn't going to do it inside. No one was out this early in the morning; it was just me and my book. As I frantically moved my pencil over the pages, the mist in the air hung over the ponds and bushes, the faint white glow of frost hung low over the grass and waters. Not even the trees were safe from the ice as winter truly declared its arrival. I finally relaxed crossing my legs on the bench looking at my semi-finished work. I loved that I was back here after all this time. I hadn't been in this place for too long. I couldn't get over it. I mean there were so many happy memories here that jumped out at me. I had spent so many summers riding bikes along the paths and lazy afternoons where we (me and the gang) just threw ourselves at the grass.

'So you're not dead.' I looked up spotting the one shadow to spoil my sketch. I closed my book slipping it into my bag. TJ walked up to me, he didn't look like he was ready for winter either. He wore his usual ripped jeans and just a normal plain T with a dark hoodie. He wore a large very worn cap backwards so his hair poked free from the hole, he looked so much like the old TJ it was almost as if he was that nine year old boy...but he defiantly wasn't. His hair had grown darker since then and he looked more like an aggressive skater boy than a mischievous child. What was strange was that he wasn't scowling or even looking gloomy. Well from a distance he looked almost happy but sure enough as he approached I could see his glare. Dam it.

'Good morning to you too.' I folded my arms as he stud in front of me. 'Now what do you want?' he looked round the fog but we were the only people here. Not even a random bird or duck was there to bother us. I waited but he just stud in front of me.

'How are you feeling?' he said after a while of just staring down at me. Of course that meant he was having some kind of inner monologue I shouldn't interrupt. Maybe he was thinking about how guilty he felt? Hopefully, well he should at any rate. Maybe he actually felt like apologising...ok maybe not. Something tells me that he had something else on his mind. But at least he was checking on how I was feeling.

'I'm fine. Why would I be out if I was still ill?' I brushed my fringe away from my face still looking up at him. 'Is that all?' I asked trying to see it my view was still there behind him. I hadn't finished drawing. he sat down next to me. Guess that's a no then.

'I want to catch up.' he started rubbing his head. 'We were friends when you left, so why can't we be now?' this did kinda surprise me, wasn't this that I was thinking all along?

'I would have been you friend but you're kinda a massive jerk. The gang hate each other; I can't get either of you to talk to each other if I tried.' I stud up storming up to the path, why did he always make me feel angry? I stopped before reaching the path turning back to face the confused boy and hastily rushed back in front of him. 'That's why we, us two can't be friends now.' I shouted feeling the anger brew up more. 'You completely screwed up.' I turned sharply back round to the face path leaving the confused boy alone. 'See you at school.' I shouted stiffly matching back to the footpath. He was so stupid. "Why can't we be friends now?" was he the biggest idiot on the planet? He caused too much damage, it just can't happen.

No sooner did I step foot on the path did it happen. In that one moment time changed. I wasn't even sure how but I felt something disturbing, something menacing. A bullet shot into the tree beside me. Time came back to me; I turned fast ducking down searching the park for the shooter. There was nothing. All to be seen was the calm waters of the ponds and TJ was sitting on the bench looking round wide eyed.

'Get down you idiot.' I hissed at him, he didn't need telling twice. He rolled off the bench crawling beneath it looking round at me. I shook my head as he began to make some attempt at crawling my way. he stopped, I could see him not even daring to move a muscle to steady himself or pull him away from the damp patches on the ground.

'What was that?' he called over but I pressed my finger to my lips. He stopped talking. I looked round again but there was nothing, not a soul to see other that the git on the floor and myself. I slowly straightened up and walked over to TJ.

'You ok?' I muttered kneeling behind the bench. He looked up at me panting.

'What was that?' he reached up grabbing my jacket collar pulling me down to his level. 'Explain things, now.' he barked. Ok, so he was back to being a jerk. Oh it's great when things catch up.

'Like I know.' I pushed his hands away from me. 'If I knew there was going to be gun fire flying past my head I would have thrown you in the way!' I stud up straight still looking round. 'I can't see a thing.' I looked back down at him. There was something oddly satisfying to see him cowering under a bench. His eyes darting back and forth encase there was a second attack 'I think you can come out now tough guy.' I smirked moving away from him. 'Ok, I'll be going now.'

'Bloody hell you are.' he grabbed my arm. 'You were shot at! Doesn't that mean a thing to you?' I looked away, yes it did, but I didn't want to think about it with him. I didn't want to even think about it. I wanted to walk alone outside for a while; can't I have that one happy moment? Did it all have to be taken away from me?

'It's nothing to do with us. It might not have even been a bullet. It might have not been for me. You're just jumpy.' I tried to pull my arm away from him. 'Teej.' I growled glaring up at him. He looked determined to keep a hold of my arm. I was getting the urge to try and chew my arm off and I would try it this carried on happened for any longer, I wasn't above doing that.

'It was a bullet, look at the tree.' I pointed over to the bark. It was splintered round a small point where the shot landed. It wasn't a bad shot if it was intended for me. I mean it was inches away from target.

'You're over reacting.' I sighed finally freeing my arm. 'I'll just go home.' I groaned hoisting my bag onto my shoulder and beginning the long, long walk home. Now why was it so long, well I had my own stalker. A scowling one by the name of TJ.

'You know its bad social form to follow a girl home like that. I could legally lay down some painful self-defence.' I called back to him as we were almost home. At that he hurried up to walk beside me.

'I don't like this.' he muttered. 'I don't think you should go home.' he kept his eyes forwards as he talked. It was like he was expecting a man to jump out from round the corner and attack us.

'You're jumpy, nothing is wrong. I mean that bullet, if it even was one, might have been from some people reconstrusting a war or something.' now he looked at me, he wasn't going to buy that.

'You're excuses are always on that kinda level.' he folded his arms. 'I thought you wouldn't have learnt me from all the trouble we used to get in, I'm disappointed.' I groaned feeling the smugness radiating from him. It was toxic. I wanted to gag and throw up just from standing next to him.

'My excuses are fine.' I snapped walking faster. 'And I was just trying to think why something...like a bullet came at us.'

'Like a bullet?' he snorted. 'It was a bullet and it was aimed at you.'

'Me? Are you forgetting it hit a tree,' I pointed out turning round so I talked to him walking backwards. 'Maybe the tree was the target.' I suggested. 'It's more likely than a girl who hasn't been here for nearly a decade.' I turned forward stopping dead in my tracks.

We were back on our road but something was defiantly wrong. The same twisted feeling was back, the disturbing, menacing feeling was back. TJ moved in front of me staring back hands in his pockets looking genuinely annoyed.

'What is it now? He stopped to look back. 'Spinelli?' I looked round the road, something was wrong.

'There are too many cars here.' I muttered 'is someone having a party or something?' I began walking again but it was still too strange. On all sides it was filled with cars, all black and then a van parked right in front of my drive. 'TJ, something just might be going on after all.' I stopped walk, I didn't want to go home, and I got the sickening feeling that I wouldn't like what I find. TJ looked round at the cars then his eyes rested on my house.

'It might not involve you.' he said slowly. 'It might be a party and the family really like black. It might he that a satellite landed in someone's backyard. You never know. It probably doesn't involve you.' he carried on walking down the road.

'Their parked in front of your house too, they could just be waiting for you to turn that handle.' he stopped.

'And who are they?' he looked round at me. 'I get the feeling you're not telling me something.' he walked back over holding his finger up in warning.

'I'm not telling you anything because I don't know anything. I've just got a bad feeling about this. I mean this does look really ominous.' I gestured round to all the cars. 'Surly you can see that.'

'Yes, anyone can see that.' he started to growl. 'But anyone who almost gets shot in the head admits it and acts more scared. There's something deeply wrong with you!' He shouted before nodded. 'Yhea, you! You screwed up!' I opened my mouth backing away a little.

'Oh that's funny, he-larious.' I narrowed my eyes. 'Why am I the one screwed up when you're the only SCREWING around with a teacher!'

The van doors opened. We both looked round as man filtered out, all very tall and mean looking. I watched them all staring over at TJ ad I. TJ moved back to me eyes fixed on the man in suits approaching us.

'run.' he muttered grabbing my hand. I looked at him frowning.

'What?'

'RUN.' he started running anyway dragging me behind him. I looked back to see the man running after us. Oh god, I really was going to throw up. 'You're going to have to work to you know.' he called back at me. I turned my head forward to him. His teeth were gritted as we ran, he was really stressing out over this. I sighed running faster to meet his level.

'To the park.' I muttered running faster. 'If we go over those fences we'll lose them.' I nodded towards a row of back gardens. TJ nodded let my hand free as he prepared to jump the first fence. I slowed down as he leapt. I stopped at the fence looking up as he went. I wasn't going to get him caught up in this. I turned facing the man in suits. I was going to deal with this without getting him involved.

'Spinelli, don't you dare.' I looked up at the fence seeing him sitting on top. 'If you try to run off with them I'll hunt you down and strangle you.' he growled stretching his hand down to me. 'Come on.' I looked back to the men coming at us. It shouldn't be this way. Everything was wrong.

'TJ, you can't...it's not fair.' he growled grabbing my arm and pulled me over the fence.

'Well I don't care. Come on.' he pulled me along as we began to jump over the fences back to the park.

We landed on the park panting but we were far away from the man. Somehow we did manage to lose them.

'Don't you dear try to do something like that again.' TJ hissed between pants. I sat down staring at the ground, this didn't make any sense.

'You're not meant to get involved. I'm sure I'm not even meant to be involved. I don't even know what's going on.' I sighed lying down on the ground. 'You realise you're stuck with me now unless you want to be killed or something like that. I'm just presuming they want to kill us now.' I put my hand over my face. I was still breathing too heavily; my heart was bounding too hard to thing.

'Well whatever it is we'll find out. The guys in suits never win. We've proven that before.' TJ straightened up. 'Where to now?' I moved my hand to stare up at him. 'You can't expect us to stay on the park.' I frowned; I had never been in this situation before. No...I had...the summer before fifth grade. TJ saving the world and all...I had forgotten about that. What did he do then? I nodded to myself sitting up still panting.

'To Gretchen's.' I said calming my heart. I remembered clearly what he did. He gathered the gang.

Ok I swear I'm going somewhere with this, this is just one of the many story lines I have in mind for this fanfic. But it does need to be done for them all to work, sorry. If you don't like it please give it a try! I promise it'll get better.