The next morning at school Aston was sitting on the front steps waiting for me. I hesitantly sat down, deciding it would be best speak before he did. "I'm sorry."

Astons head shot up, "Excuse me?"

"I said I'm sorry, I should have never done that, It was wrong. I thought Vince was going to shoot you though, and, for some reason, I just really didn't want that to happen."

"I thought this conversations was going to go more along the lines of us both throwing death threats at each other, I have never been assaulted by an enemy gang member, and then got an apology. This is something new, but I am quite impressed, maybe you do have manners after all."

I laughed, and it was so fake, I hated pretending to like him, almost more than I hated pretending to be in a gang in general. "Well, I have been under some stress lately, and Sean has been forcing me to prove myself. He had me burn my own house last night, just to prove I'd do anything to keep them safe." I put my head down, pretending to be sad.

"Yes, I sent a new b to kill you last night, he said it appeared your house had caught fire, and there were police everywhere. I told him it was a shame, and that he could do the job the next night." My eyes widened, and my body became stiff. Aston chuckled, "Don't worry your pretty little head, you have apologized, and I respect that dearly, I shall not harm you tonight Ms. Edwards. I quite fancy you actually, I was a bit sad after I sent for you to be killed. Well, it all worked out, shame we can't continue on as true friends, but alas we are enemies, and I will eventually be forced to get rid of all of you."

I grabbed his hand, "We don't have to be, technically we aren't."

He raised and eye brow, "Excuse me, I'm a bit lost."

"I, I am not happy with them. They are not family to me, they stink, and they are ghetto. Last night they crossed the line, they made me burn down my home. I want out, I want to join you Aston. I know I spit on you, and knocked you out, but please." I batted my eye lashes, attempting to be attractive.

"Clare, you are exquisite, and I would enjoy your company more than you could imagine, but it would be dangerous for you to leave them, and so suddenly. They are dangerous once crossed, I could not in good conscious take you in."

"Then I'll stay with them, but I'll feed you information, become your spy. When you have all the information you need to take them down, then can I join you?"

Aston tilted his head, seeming intrigued by my declaration "Your determination is rather inspiring, and it seems you are most unhappy living with the rats. I shall indeed grant your request, as long as I get the information I need."

I leaned over kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you Aston." I stood up walking inside, Eli was standing there waiting.

"So now we're kissing the enemy, really Clare?" I rolled my eyes. "Clare, what did he say?"

"He said that he was going to kill me last night." Eli put his head down. "He said said that since I apologized he wouldn't kill me."

Eli's head shot back up, he was smiling. "That's amazing Clare, now everything can be normal again."

"No, I'm still following through with the rest of the plan, Sean is right, he needs to be taken down. Aston said so himself, eventually he will kill all of us, that's just the way it is."

Eli grabbed my arm, stopping me from walking away, "Clare there are always going to be enemies who want to take us out, we cant go killing all of them off. This doesn't sound like you at all, you're changing. This lifestyle is changing you, and I hate it. I told you this would happen, you're involved in a plan to murder someone, do you know how serious that is? You could get killed, or go away for life."

"Eli, bad people, need to be punished."

"The people who do the punishing are just as bad Clare. Why cant you just trust me?"

I looked into his eyes, he so badly wanted me to walk away from this plan, to walk away from all of it, but I couldn't. I was addicted to the thought of making Aston pay, as well as Vince. Two birds, one stone. Aston would die, and Vince and the rest of them would be taken down for murder, I'd be in the clear because I did my job, took them down, by any means necessary. I couldn't trust any of them, not even Eli. I walked away from him, without answering his question, and I entered my first period. I sat there the whole time day dreaming, about what life would be like if Alex was alive. I'd be graduated already, attending some fancy college, Alex would be pushing me to focus. I wouldn't be involved with these gangs, and there would be no confusion as to who the good guys were, or who the bad guy's were. At this point I truly couldn't tell, all I knew was Alex was gone, and my heart still ached. I still needed Vince to pay for what he did, even if Sean's words were true, and Vince didn't mean to kill him, he did. A flash back of the day before popped in my mind of Sean, Vince, and I walking home laughing and Joking. Their arms around me, making me feel safe, I had to shake my head to get the image out, my training didn't prepare me for all of this.

The bell rang and waiting outside my class room was Vince, "What's up Vince?"

"Oh nothing, just thought I'd talk to you, make sure you were good."

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, it's just the last few days have really been something. You're in danger now being apart of this family, and don't think I don't know that. I aint all jokes like I always try to appear to be. Things weigh heavy on my heart, it's weighing heavy on my heart that you gotta be around that fool Aston, but I know you down, and you'll be alright."

"I will, don't worry about me Vince. We all have our reasons for being in the Family, I need to be with you guy's."

"I know all about needing this family. When you're down and out, they got you. I know you heard about how I killed someone yesterday, and you must look at me like a true thug." I turned my head away, I didn't want to hear him talk about how he killed my brother. "I never meant to hurt him, I thought he was the police, I'd never shoot no damn police to kill them. I just wanted to take him down, so I'd have time to run, before he shot me or something. I never had shot a gun before, honest, so I didn't know how to aim or nothing, I was way off, and the poor guy died. It weighs heavy on me, and I pray to God to forgive me Lil C"

I turned back to look at him, he had tears streaming down his face. My heart hurt for him, no matter how much I didn't want it to, it did. I stopped Vince and hugged him, "He forgives you Vince." Vince cried into my shoulder, and I cried with him. I forgave him too, forgiving him took away all the pain in my heart, but there was a new pain there, for a different reason. I still had to put Vince and the rest of them away, I was an FBI agent, and that was my job.