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His upper lip moved vertically forming a ‘w’, his tongue darted out and harassed his lower lip. I haven’t been able to get my eyes off his mouth for the past few minutes and all I can think is; wow, he talks weird.

‘Zayn’. Seth’s voice brought me back to the room and I peeled my eyes away from its bizarre object of focus to look at him.
‘What’s your suggestion?’ He asked.
I turned back to tattered to see him giving me the stink eye. I took out the unlit cigarette from my lips.

‘Whatever you say’. I said to Seth. He was a pretty nice guy, as nice as a young drug lord could be.
‘So we just have to find the right man for the job’. He said smiling at the butt naked girl on his lap.
What job? I really should concentrate more at these meetings.

‘Yes, then we will be done with this problem for good’. Tattered said, he kept telling me his name but my head just refused to grasp it.
I knew they were having serious issues with some other gang and from the look of things, someone was going to have to die.
My phone beeped in my pants pocket and I got it out.

Jake: where are you??
Me: garage, why?
Jake: well I’m sorry to interrupt your secret meeting but the party is starting.
Me: I told you I can’t come, I’m grounded, remember?
Jake: about that, I called ur mom and told her u were tutoring me tonight. Get here soon.
Me: okay sissy, since you need me so bad. See you in ten.
Jake: eww

‘So are we done here? Can I go?’ I asked Seth. He smiled small, got up and pulled a gun from his back pocket. He pointed the gun at me.
‘Really?’ I asked, unimpressed.
He shrugged and with a flash, shot the girl who had been on his lap.

‘Fuck!’ Tattered cussed.
‘She had heard too much’. He said as he moved to his main office. The garage was his decoy, something to keep the cops off his back but from what I know, that doesn’t work well but he has a lot of connections he is almost untouchable.

‘And yes Zayn, you can leave. Always make yourself available when we holler’. He added without turning back.
‘Of course, it’s always a pleasure’. I said and got the fuck out of there.

‘Zayn wait up’. Someone called out as I got to my car a few blocks away from the garage. I turned to see Steve walking towards me, he was the only one around my age in the gang.
‘Hey buddy’. I said as we shook hands and bumped shoulders.

‘Why the hurry? You looked like you’d drop down and die if you spent even one more second in there’. He said and I laughed.
‘I have to meet up with my bud at this party. You wanna come?’
‘You know I’d love to but Seth has me running errands, I have to spy on the METALS again’.

The gangs around here all have stupid names, no creativity.
‘Dude, don’t you get scared of doing this stuff? You could get killed you know’.
‘Scared? Bruh, there is no room for fear in the business and I don’t want to get on Seth’s wrong side. I’ve got just six months left in this shithole, I can’t afford to jeopardize things’.

Steve’s family borrowed money from the boss that they couldn’t refund so he took him to work for him and he has been doing that for three and a half year to pay his family’s debt. Seth trust him and I don’t think he will willingly let him go but who am I to burst the innocent boy’s bubble?

‘Alright superman. I gotta go’. I said, opening the car door.
‘Not so fast. Can I get your jacket man? Just for tonight, got some chic I gotta charm’.
I laughed and took my jacket off, handing it over to him.
‘You can keep it, I’m sure it will look better on you’.
‘For real?’
‘Yeah man, I’ve got like half a dozen of it’.
‘Okay, thanks’. He said as I got in and rode off.

Tara lives in one of the best/boring neighborhoods in town. The streets were brightly lit but the houses, quite the opposite. Her house wasn’t difficult to find as it stood out like a sore thumb with the loud music bursting from it and light headed teenagers making out and puking in the bushes. For someone from such a neighborhood, she was very bubbly.

I parked a few blocks away on a lawn that had a sign saying ‘KEEP OFF’.

As I got into the house I made my way straight to the kitchen where I knew Jake would be, mounted beside a keg.
‘Hey man!’He hailed and gave me a big hug.
‘What is wrong with you?’ I questioned, shoving him off me.

‘Don’t be so grumpy Zaynie’. He whined.
‘Okay, no more drinking and please, step away from the keg’. I said dragging him out to the living room where he was soon attacked by a brunette I have been seeing around him for a while. I stood there downing the cup of beer I had gotten while Jake and miss anonymous exchanged truckloads of spit.

A lot of girls passed by us, swaying their hips and winking at me, most of them I had already gotten to first base with but couldn’t remember their names for the life of me.
Cheers came from the middle of the room where a clearly drunk Queenie was grinding up against Phillip Heicking like it was no one’s business. Katie was filming them while Meghan was laughing hard, pressed up against her boyfriend who looked distracted. I considered walking up to them but thought against it in order to avoid unnecessary drama. Meg saw me and waved a little, I replied with a small nod.

‘Hey Zayn!’ That tiny voice shrieked beside me, even with the music I had no problem hearing her.
‘Hey Tara, nice party’. I said
‘I know right. Its tots more amazing than I thought it would be. Thanks for coming, I tots never expected you to show up. You wanna dance?’
‘I think I’m good’. I flashed her a tight lipped smile.
‘Okay, enjoy’. She was gone within seconds.

I turned to find Jake but he wasn’t there. The bastard ditched me for spit. I looked to where Meghan and her friends stood, Pokello was drinking straight out of a bottle and Queenie looked totally out of it, leaned against Katie who was talking to Meg. Travis was no longer with them. I made to take a drink from the cup but it was empty, good thing Tara always has the bar open with a voluntary tender.

I hadn’t sat for long when the chair besides mine was occupied but I didn’t bother acknowledging its occupant.
‘What’s your deal?’ that deep voice could only be one person’s.
‘Having fun, junior Harden?’
‘How sweet, Rodriguez’. Pokello returned.
Birds of the same feather really do flock together, there are just a few differences between her and Meghan.

I shrugged.
‘Seriously, what’s your deal with Meghan?’
For someone who had consumed a whole bottle of vodka, her voice was firm.
‘What do you mean? Meg and I are friends’.
‘Just that?’
‘Look, I’m not trying to steal your brother’s girlfriend’.
‘Good, coz I won’t let you and you really have to stop messing with her. If I hear that you tried to blackmail her again, you’d see the other side of me’.

‘There is another side?’
‘Oh trust me, this is one of my sweetest sides’.
‘How lovely’.
‘Okay Zayn, let me get back to my lovers’. She said, leaving with a glass of margarita. She could die tonight from all that alcohol.
I sat there drinking for a while before Jake got back looking flustered.

‘Hey man, you good?’ he asked.
I looked at him, he was staggering slightly and had a very conspicuous lovebite below his Adam’s apple.
‘I should be asking you that. You look like you tried to rape a cat’.
‘What?’
‘The lovebite, it’s nasty’.
He flushed and bowed his head to hide his heating cheeks.

‘Whatever, can we go?’
‘I just got here’.
‘You never even wanted to come so we are leaving’. He stated, grabbing my hand and attempting to drag me through the swam of sweaty bodies till we got outside. Once outside, the cold hit me and I almost regretted giving Steve my jacket.

‘Hurry’. Jake complained
‘What’s your problem?’ I inquired, following his eyes. Meghan and her boyfriend were by her car. She caught sight of me and I winked at her. Jake tugged harder at my hand and I followed him to my car.

‘Did you kill someone in there? You have to tell me what’s going on’. I said as we sat in the car.
‘I just don’t feel too great and we should get home before your mom calls mine, don’t wanna blow your cover now, do we?’

There was something obviously wrong with the guy but once he was set on not telling me, I could only wait till when he decided otherwise. So I just drove us to his house where he immediately showered and went to bed.

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