Ryan Diaz

"August," my hands held his arm and I tried to push him off me.

"Huh, why?" He asked again, refusing to bulge. I kept pushing though and eventually he moved until there was a little space between us again and I could look up at him, glaring and showing my clear frustration.

I love my personal space!

"Do what?" I barked at him, angry and agitated. He was too close and I felt intruded... and then he wouldn't bulge. I swallowed, pulling on my hair.

"You know what you do," August fired back, glaring at me. I didn't understand why he looked mad, I should be the only one mad in this situation.

"No," I pulled on my hair again. "No, no. I don't know what I did. I don't know what this is about so fucking tell me."

"You push me away and then you go ahead to look at me like that," he stepped closer again and I backed up against the wall like there was any more space to go into. "What are you playing at Ian? What exactly is this?"

"Nothing," I said, my head was turned and I wasn't looking at him. "Absolutely nothing."

"Bullshit."

I gulped. "August—" I get cut off when he cupped my face and turned it so I was facing him again. I looked at him eye wide and wondering what he was up to this time. His thumbs anxiously moved and his eyes looked so conflicted. It was like he was at a war with himself and he wanted... he wanted me.

August leaned down, nose brushing past mine as his lips come closer to mine. I literally stop breathing and he took his precious time deciding whether or not he wanted to kiss me and I was out of breathe and just when I felt his lip brush mine, I forcefully turned my head around and released the breathe I was holding. "Fuck."

August let me go and backed away. He didn't say anything until he was walking away. "Stay away from me Ian."

I watched him go and I slide down to the floor, mouth open as I tried to catch as much air as possible. "I should be saying that to you, psycho."

I totally forgot that August likes Ian. I shouldn't have been looking at him the way I was. It probably sent out another meaning. What other meaning did I want to send even? Did I even want to send a meaning? No that morning stuff was just pure foolishness. I should stay away from Augustu. For his good and mine. Unless I want to be kissed again or die from not breathing. "Not cool Ryan, not cool at all."

When I find my way back to Myra, I had still not taken the piss I set out to take and lunch break was almost over with my sandwich untouched.

"Are you okay?" Myra asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Yeah," I took my seat. "Why?"

"You look paler and took quite a while at the restroom."

I gave her a fake close lipped smile. "Funny story, I didn't actually find the restroom and I got lost somehow. Wonderful Oi?" Myra gives a look and I groan. "Let me have this one slip off, please love? Today has been..." I take a deep breathe and took a huge bite off my sandwich. "Something."

"Are you sure you're good?" She asked looking worried at me and I sighed, and gave her a real smile.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'd be fine."

"Good. Now no slip off for you, Ian. Come back to me."

"Right." It sucked that I couldn't tell Myra, the one friend I had right now about my whole August kiss situation and August murderer situation. I was sure she could help, tell me something to do and how to act. I was so confused and going crazy here.

But then how do I tell her that her crush was basically in love with me? No way.

School ended, I didn't see August again but I saw Santi. He was by the parking lot with a group of other students talking and laughing. Then I remembered that Santi was the only one Myra said was in the same year at me. August was 18 and should be graduated by now.

"You ready?" Myra said coming up behind me. I turned away from Santi's friends to her.

"Myra, isn't August supposed to be done with high school now? Why was he in school and in my class?"

Myra rolled her eyes. "He started high school late. Got into freshman year with us when his mates were in Sophomore year." She shrugged. "I'm happy he's not done."

"Of course you are."

"Come on, let's go," she said and I nodded, following her after giving Santi and his friends another glance. On first, second and even third glance you would not be able to tell that Santi hangs around with gang like Ian's. He looked so pure and innocent and like a kid who should go to college and achieve big things after here.

I followed Myra to where she parked her bicycle and I wondered if college was something Ian had in mind. We had never mentioned college during our chats but that was because we had this senior year to talk all about it. There was not supposed to be any accident or any life switch. We were supposed to discuss our lives and I'd find out if I was going to risk a disownment from my mother to come study with him in a college here in America, probably Boston or he'd come to me in Cambridge University. Or we'd both take a year off and backpack around the world. Either ways, we were supposed to meet up after high school and probably never get separated again but then life happened.

"Hey Ian," some lanky too tall for his trousers kid approached us, interrupting me and Myra and looking very uncomfortable. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

I exchanged a look with Myra and she just shrugged. Okay, throw me into the wild blindfolded, would you? I turned back to the guy with the classic Ian's frown. "What do you want?"

He didn't say anything and gestured for me to follow him and I did. He leaned in a bit to whisper and then I leaned back. "Sorry," he apologized, moving back away. What was it with people here and invading the personal bubble? "It's just. You haven't been in school for a while and I've run out."

"Run out?"

"Please tell me you have some on you? I'd pay cash this time."

I blinked in confusion. "Um," I decided to pretend I knew what he was talking about. "Which...?"

He put a hand over his mouth and quickly whispered, "pot."

My mouth parted like I knew what he was saying. "Oh, right... pot." Ryan think!

Pot equals... cooking utensil. Pot also equals... well, still cooking utensil. Pot...

Then it clicked.

I Have Drugs In My Bag! I nodded and brought out my bag, remembering what Myra told me were the drugs nickname and getting two wraps of weed out. I almost brought it out just like that and handed it to him but the moment he saw me about to do that he turned around like he wasn't even talking to me. I nodded and put the weed in a book and handed it to him. He accepted it, eyed me warily like he could tell I wasn't myself, opened the book, switch the stuff inside and handed me back the book.

"No, not this book Ian," he put both his hands in his pocket. "I guess I'd just go to the library. Thanks."

I stared after him in wonder. There was no one around us, I didn't know why he was pretending.

"What was that?" Myra asked when I returned to her and I opened up the book and flipped through, getting the money out.

"I just sold weed," I said, feeling super strange.

Myra laughed, giving me a pat on the head as she got on her bicycle. "See? You're already on the right track."

"This right track seems so wrong," I followed her.

The plan was to deliver the drugs to Ian clients and sell it all off before returning to the Junkyard. I had his list in my hand and Myra and walked around town going to the places. There were only twelve contacts on Ian's phone and none of them were his dealers, so there was no way to call them or anything. We met some of them at the spot, we didn't meet some and some that we met refused to buy saying they already got from somewhere else because I didn't show up for weeks. By the time we were done with the list, we had only sold half the drugs, the other half still weighed heavy in my bag. I was exhausted and the kind of people I met during the delivery, I've never seen some people like that in my entire life. I was a bit shaken and excited. This was all new to me and although it was bad, the adrenaline it gave wasn't bad.

"What do we do now?" I asked Myra collapsing down on the side walk and opening the bottle of water we just bought, downing half the content and pouring the rest over my head. I've also walked around today more than I've walked in a while. This covered for all the gym I had missed while being here.

Myra gulped down her water and sat down beside me, letting her bicycle fall. "I don't know but I feel we have to sell all these before you return to the Junkyard. I don't want you to be caught off guard if they ask for the money and you don't have it."

"Who asks for the money?"

"I think it's Anissa. Ian never told me straight up but he had mentioned her a couple times with money and drugs in the same sentence."

I exhaled, pulling my legs close to me. "Fine. Any idea where we go next?"

Myra stayed silent, poking her tongue inside her cheek. Then she turned to me with a smile. "I just might." She stood up, tapping my legs. "Come on."

"Argh, this is not fair!"

I followed Myra and we ended up in front of a night club. The front entrance was packed filled and you couldn't even see the end of the line. Myra and I exchanged a look and then she gestured for me to follow her. We walked around, muttering excuses until we were at the back of the club, the exit it seemed. There was a bouncer there and he sighed on seeing Myra.

"You again."

Myra rolled her eyes. "Yes, me."

"You're a bit too early. It's not closing time yet and I doubt your sister is drunk and passed out now." He said. I blinked and looked at Myra and she was red with embarrassment, not meeting my eyes.

"I know but I need to see her."

"She's working."

"It's urgent," Myra cried out and when the bouncer still didn't bulge she actually started sniffling and crying for real. "It's our dad. He just fell and I'm a minor and I don't know what to do!"

I and the bouncer exchanged a look, both surprised and uncomfortable and I decided to slip into the new role. I hugged Myra. "Oh don't cry, we'd find a way. He won't die and even if he does, it won't be your fault." I looked at the bouncer, trying to conjure up sadness in my eyes. "It'll be his."

"Fine! Stay here and I'd get your sister." The big man huffed, opened the door and walked in. Myra grinned and we shared a high five.

Ten minutes later the bouncer came out accompanied by a thin lady, not so tall but not as short at Myra. She was scantily dressed with a very small sequins bra, that one finger move and her nipples would be out and a tight leather panty short. She had long boot heals on and neons paintings on her body. She looked like the older version of Myra and not more than 22 years old.

"What's up?" She greeted, nodding at me and her sister. She looked out of breathe. Myra took her hand and led them both to a corner to talk and from talk, they started arguing and the only thing I heard was when Myra said;

"No, money first no deal!"

Myra's sister groaned and walked away, walking back into the club. I looked at Myra and she gave me a fake smile, her foot was tapping anxiously on the ground and she quickly looked away, chewing on her lip. She didn't want to do this and she was scared. For who exactly, I wasn't sure.

I took slow steps close to her and bumped my shoulder with hers. "Hey."

"Hey." She sounded like she was going to cry.

"What's her name? Your sister."

"Heather."

"Heather and Myra," I bumped her shoulder again. "Beautiful names."

Myra looked at me and scoffed but she was smiling and a real one now. "Shut up."

I opened my mouth to say something else but the exit door opens and Heather comes out again. She walked to us and dipped her hands into her shorts producing a wad of cash and shoving it to Myra. "Should cover it."

Myra glared at her and quickly counts the money, then she gestured at me to give her the rest of the drugs. I do and Heather shoves them into her shorts again and her bra and... well, everywhere. I look away flustered that she was freely doing that in front of me.

"Shy?" Heather asked and when I turned to her she laughed. "What? They are teaching chivalry now in school?"

"What?"

She puts her hand around my neck and pulled me forward until my face was basically buried in her breasts. "Ian, you've probably seen me more naked than I seen myself."

Myra laughed and tried pulling me away. "Let him go Heather."

Heather thankfully listens and lets me go and I come up gasping for air my eyes and mouth wide open and face red. Heather laughed and flicked my nose. "Modesty is not you." Then she patted her shorts. "Thanks for this you guys, wish me luck."

"Get profits and don't get caught," Myra said after handing me the money and watching her sister go. Heather saluted us, blew me a kiss and went back inside.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed, still not recovered.

Myra laughed and took my hand in hers, walking us out. "Sorry. She's always like that and you're like that with her too. Ian, I mean."

"Ian shoves his face into her breasts?" I asked, eye wide.

She laughed some more. "Well, sometimes. But Heather is mostly always naked and we tease her about it. And the real Ian would have helped her stuff the drugs into her clothes, that's how they are with each other. Ian has seen her naked more than a couple, has even bathed her on times when she gets shit faced high and throws up on herself and I'm too emotional to handle her. He does." She shrugged. "We're like one big naked family. More them than me."

I shook my head amused. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah," she looked to be in thoughts and I didn't have to ask her what she was speaking about before she started talking. "We stopped giving Heather drugs when she was caught the last time and we had to bail her out through our teeth. If she gets caught again, she's definitely serving time. I can't be alone, she's my only guardian." I open my mouth to speak and she stopped. "This is just one time. We won't do it again. You'd get your orders on time next and get it all done."

I sighed and pulled her close placing a kiss on her forehead, "I will. Thanks a lot Myra."

I rode Myra's bicycle this time and she sat on fearfully on it, clutching my torso with all her strength. I laughed, shouting into the night sky. It didn't even look like it was night, almost every light was still on and every shop open.

We got to the Junkyard and Myra hugged me goodbye, leaving me by the entrance and riding off. I sighed, looking at the building and wondering what was awaiting me this time.