As the day passed, Michelle went from completely alert to very interested in our chat. We just talked and talked. I talked about my childhood (not a very happy one), my relationship with the gang, why I was with them and about our relationship as a gang and our relationship with the Powerpuff Girls. She talked about her life and how I shouldn't feel intimidated by Ace. I really didn't know what to say then, but I couldn't believe that in one day, I'd found someone I wouldn't mind talking about personal things with.
Unfortunately, we took up too much time and I realized that the others were probably either looking for me, causing more trouble, or just went back to our hideout in the dump. I told Michelle that I had to leave, so I waved goodbye and started looking in all the possible places they could've been. First I looked at the place where we were beaten up by the girls, and then I checked in the mini-mart, then the arcade, and then finally back at the dump.
I found them at the dump and when I found them in the little shack we had there, I made my appearance known, which led to staring. Everyone, Grubber, Big Billy, Arturo, and Ace were all looking at me. I still think even to this day that they were all thinking the same thing without knowing it: "Where's Snake been all day?" Ace, who was sitting down, stood up and asked where I had been. I didn't want to tell them that I had been talking to that girl we attacked, but I didn't want to lie to them either, so I sort of "stretched the truth". I told them that I just got up and started walking, and that when I found that I was near the suburban part of Townsville, I eventually turned around and came back here. I was afraid that if I had told them who I'd met, I would've gotten hit by Ace and I would've been asked even more questions that would've made me more nervous than I already was. After a couple seconds of silence and taking in my answer, they just turned back to what they were doing and with that, I sighed with relief.
After I sat down, taking in all of things Michelle had said to me, I watched as Grubber, Lil Arturo, and Big Billy fell asleep. After watching them fall asleep, I began to drift away into that same state, but then, suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I looked up and saw Ace looking at me. He wanted me to go outside with him. At first, I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't until I actually got outside when I realized what this was all about because the minute I came outside, Ace punched me so hard, I felt the ground hit me when he did. My eyes were closed for a short while until the dust finally settled. I looked and asked him why he had hit me. This wouldn't be the first time I had asked him this question. His reason would usually be because I said something that was wrong, stupid, or unnecessary. When I asked him this time, he said that he saw me talking to Michelle about us. I tried to play innocent with him, but it didn't work, because Ace had immediately said that after I left to see Michelle, he woke up just after I did and followed me to suburban Townsville. As Ace told me how he knew, my heart began to sink. He also told me that he heard me talking to Michelle and would've called me out for it if Lil Arturo, Big Billy, and Grubber hadn't caught up with me and asked him what was going on. Then he told me that when I'd go back to dump, Ace would bust me then.
When I tried to deny it, but Ace punched me harder. "Don't lie to me!" he said. I began shaking with fear, hoping that he wouldn't do anything more than just punches. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me forward. He was so angry; I couldn't do anything at first because he punching, slapping and yelling at me for just talking to her. There was so much pain in his attacks that I just stayed sitting on the ground after his final punch before I asked him why talking to Michelle was so bad. Ace gave me plenty of reasons. Michelle lived in the neighborhood as the Powerpuff Girls. Why would Michelle want to talk to me after what we did today? Michelle was just another kid that they'd pick on if they wanted to, so why try to be friends with her? These reasons and others reasons began pouring out of Ace's mouth. As the reasons kept coming out, I began to just sit there looking quite upset. I hated listening to him as he spoke. I just wished that he would just shut up and go away. As Ace kept lecturing me, I started to draw my attention away from him and began hearing a voice in my head saying "Sanford, you don't need to be living this sinful life. Come back, Sanford." I wanted to tell the voice that I went by Snake, but with Ace yelling at me it was hard to concentrate.
"Are you even listenin' to me?!" he asked. When he asked this, I looked up at him with a glare. I got off the ground and stood up. I walked towards him and stared at him straight in the eye. "Well?" asked Ace harshly. "Have anythin' to say?" Oh yeah, there were definitely some things I wanted to say! I said them to him. I called him so many bad words; I could hardly count them all. "You bastard!" "You ass-hole!" "You jack-ass!" "You faggot!" I just let the bad words come out of my mouth like a flood. I remember yelling so loud; I was surprised that Arturo, Billy, and Grubber weren't awaken by the loud noise that was my voice.
I hated him so much at the time. After I had finished my vast amount of insults and bad words, Ace just stood there, looking even angrier. Ace didn't yell or anything when he gave me one simple question. "Are you done?" I stared at him, inhaling and exhaling, and shaking my fists that hung by my sides. I straightened up and sighed. "No," I said. The moment I said that, I did something I never thought I'd do.
I jumped on my leader's shoulders and began pulling on his head, biting him, pulling his hair, and then I did something no Gangreen Ganger had ever done. I ripped Ace's sunglasses, the symbol of my grief, off his face. I stared at the glasses as Ace tried to pull me off him. However, I held him as hard as I could. I wrapped my arm around his neck and made him watch me as I broke his glasses into two pieces. As I placed the glasses in my pocket, I noticed that Ace skin was turning from red to a reddish green. Ace suddenly threw me on the ground and jumped on me and began ripping me to shreds. We rolled on the ground attacking each other. Soon, Ace threw me to the ground, pulled out a switchblade that I've always known he had, and almost plunged me with it. Before he could, I turned my body around, hoping I'd avoid it.