© Jojo B 2016

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*N.E.V* The Seven Deadly Simpson Brothers

11

(Picture is Severn)

It was Thursday after school and I was going home with Hayley for dinner. I'd let Walter know in advance that tutoring wasn't happening today, even though I wouldn't have minded doing both somehow. He hadn't been at school and neither had Eli, both were suspended and I'd heard it had even been a close expulsion. I was glad that hadn't happened though.

"So popcorn and ice-cream for the movie, right?" Hayley was asking me. "We have drinks at home."

"What kind of drinks?" I sent her a sidelong glance as we walked to the central shopping complex with our schoolbags over our shoulders.

"Non-alcoholic ones," she assured me. "Unless you want them."

"No," I said quickly. "I'm fine with juice."

"Juice?" she laughed. "I'm talking at least fizzy drinks. Let your hair down Coral. Why drink OJ when you have Coca-Cola?"

I allowed a laugh, "I don't like Coke, but I'll have Fanta."

She grinned at me and gave me a push as we rounded the street corner only to walk right into a cluster of boys. I accidentally bumped into someone's back and it was only when the boys turned around to scowl at us, that I recognised the younger Santiago members. The twins, who I believed were around sixteen years old, and their younger brother who was, at fifteen, the most juvenile of the Santiagos.

"I'm sorry," I apologised, gripping Hayley's sleeve and trying to walk round them on the narrow pavement.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" the one called Miguel blocked our path.

It was common knowledge that he was the twin with the scar across his chin, hard to spot, but up this close I was able to see the faint pale line against his caramel coloured skin.

A couple who had just turned the corner behind us froze when they saw the situation we were stuck in. The Santiagos looked at them and they quickly backed up and disappeared. I wish we'd been so lucky.

"My brother asked you what the rush was," Miguel's twin Manuel demanded, staring down at me with his deep brown eyes.

"We didn't see you there," Hayley tried. "W-we were just going shopping."

"Well it's very clear that you can't see well, don't you think?" Miguel gave us a menacing look.

He reached into his pocket and drew out a knife. Keeping it down low by his side he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Do I have to peel off those eyelids of yours so that you can see a little better?" he growled.

I was shaking violently and I locked my knees so that they wouldn't give out on me. Hayley's hand was as cold as ice and she gripped mine with a vice strong hold.

Manuel gave his twin a dark grin, "That's a cool idea, I haven't seen that done before."

The last Santiago who had been leaning against the wall the whole time, pushed himself off it and came up behind his brothers, putting his hands on both their shoulders.

"They're just girls," he said to them.

"Am I a sexist?" Miguel turned to give his younger brother a challenging look.

"No, but Carlos wouldn't – "

"Carlos isn't here Paulo," Manuel shoved his brother back. "I'll assure you that our dear cousin wouldn't care about a couple of stupid school girls."

Paulo shook his head at the ground but didn't make another attempt to stop his brothers. Miguel stepped forwards, to me first. Lifting a strand of my blonde hair he tugged on it, making me flinch.

"This might sting a bit," he said lowly, smiling as he gripped my chin hard and lifted my head up sharply.

I saw the glinting knife, coming closer and closer to my face and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Open them, you bitch," he grunted. "How can I cut them off when you've got them closed so tight?"

I kept them closed tight, and tighter so when I felt my right eyelid being kissed by the cold, sharp metal.

"Hola putas," my eyes flew open when I heard a familiar voice.

Miguel drew the knife away and let go of my face to look at the owner of it.

Gomez Simpson looked right back.

"What do you want, Simpson snakes?" Miguel spat at them.

"Sounds a lot better than Santiago splinters," Giovanni smirked at him, spinning a blade around in plain sight.

Severn was there too and he looked meaner than I'd ever seen him with a clenched jaw and hate in his eyes as he regarded his enemies.

"You seriously wanna start something right now, over those?" Manuel questioned, getting out his own mean looking knife.

"If we have to," Gomez shrugged, looking so relaxed, which couldn't have been said for me or Hayley, who was clenching onto my arm again.

"You know them?" the youngest Santiago asked.

"Nope," Gomez didn't hesitate.

"Why would you help people you don't even know?" Miguel narrowed his eyes at him.

"I didn't know the triplets were all about protecting the weak now?" Manuel stepped forwards.

"We don't know them," Giovanni repeated in a hard voice. "But they're coming with us."

"And you think we'll let them go so easily?" Miguel smiled cruelly.

"Well the funny thing is, they weren't yours to begin with," Severn said, pulling out a serrated blade. "Stand down."

"Make me," Miguel laughed.

Gomez pulled out a gun.

I pressed my lips together to stop a whimper escaping. I didn't doubt he'd use it, and I didn't want to be anywhere near such violence.

Miguel's smile dissolved and he replaced it with a hard look.

"I'll kill you," he said.

"I'll kill you first," Gomez pointed out the obvious as he held the gleaming black metal.

The twins shared a look and then eventually, after a long silence, they put their knives away. Paulo, their little brother, did the same.

"Gracias," Gomez gave them a smile.

Giovanni pulled me by the back of my bag and almost sent me crashing into the concrete. I steadied myself and followed him, holding onto the sleeve of his jacket. I risked a glance behind me and saw that Hayley was gripping onto Severn, who had given her his arm, and Gomez was the last to leave, still holding the gun low by his side.

"We won't forget this," one of them called after us.

"This makes us even," Gomez threw back over his shoulder.

The triplets marched us away from the street corner and to the edge of a playground several minutes away.

"Sorry I grabbed you like that," Giovanni said as soon as he let me go. "I was keeping up the act."

I couldn't express how happy I was. I wouldn't have even cared if he had dragged me away face down over the dirty pavement. They'd saved us from a very possible mutilation.

"Thank you," I squeezed his hand so tight he had to pull me off.

"It's nothing," Giovanni patted my shoulder.

"Thank you all," I turned and faced Gomez and Severn. "So, so much."

"Yes," Hayley nodded. "We don't know what we would have done without you, turning up out of nowhere like angels."

"That would make us very deadly angels," Gomez smiled at her.

"No, I like the sound of that," Severn held a finger up. "You know, like angels of death."

Gomez laughed, "Don't get so carried away bro, Phoenix will kill us if he finds out we took the gun in the first place.

"It doesn't matter," Giovanni pushed it aside. "If it wasn't for that, we would have to fight, in front of the girls."

"Try telling that to him when he's bashing your face in," Severn scoffed. "Not that he'd hit us or anything," he added quickly when he saw Hayley and I wince. "He's a very loving big brother."

Gomez and Giovanni tried not to laugh.

"Where were you two going anyway?" Severn asked us.

"To buy popcorn," I smiled at the ground sheepishly.

"I can get that for you," Gomez offered with a sly look.

"No, no," Hayley declined. "I have money, and you've done enough to help us already."

"I didn't say anything about paying," Gomez smirked and then held up his hands. "But okay, that's cool, I guess we'll see you around."

"Yeah," we smiled. "See you around."

Gomez threw what I assumed were gang signs at us with a wide smile and Giovanni sent us the peace sign. Severn, last to go, gave us a flick of his wrist and then grinned before heading off after his brothers, leaving Hayley and I smiling hard.

***

Dinner with Hayley's family was better than I anticipated, after a shy start from my part. Her father was a business man and her mother was an accountant. Both were kind to me and asked lots of questions. Following a few failed attempts to try and discover more about my family life, Hayley's parents steered clear of it the whole night. I was grateful for that.

After desert Hayley and I went to watch a movie in her room. We chose a comedy, nothing too romantic and nothing too bloody - just something to make us laugh and forget about the worst side of life.

The movie ended and I checked the time.

"It's late, I should go," I said, widening my eyes.

"Why don't you just sleep over?" Hayley suggested care freely. "I could drive us to school in the morning."

"I shouldn't, I.." I said automatically and then trailed off because I had no proper reason behind it.

Hayley smirked at me, "I'll get you some pillows."

I allowed a smile back and settled down again in Hayley's comfy pillows, waiting alone as Hayley went to find me bedding. It was so foreign to have a sleepover. Something that I never felt I was even qualified to do, let alone actually have one. I got up and looked at all the pictures plastered on the walls, of Hayley and her group of friends looking all happy and drinking at parties. There were some pictures of them with guys, friends and maybe boyfriends too. I felt like I'd missed out on all that kind of stuff, friendships, parties, romance... But I was still eighteen; at least it wasn't completely over.

Hayley returned to her room, dumping a pair of pillows at me. We went to brush our teeth, me using a spare brush, and Hayley let me wear a t-shirt and a pair of shorts for bed. It was fun, how easy it was being with her.

"Get in then," Hayley motioned to her bed.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly, I was expecting to sleep on the floor, not share her double bed.

"Of course I'm sure Coral," Hayley grinned. "Get in."

She went to turn her bedroom lights off as I got into her bed. Hayley flicked on some fairy lights, bathing the room in a soft purple glow.

"Childish, I know," Hayley said, hopping into the bed. "But I love them."

"Me too," I grinned, glancing up at the lights that she'd secured all over her room.

Hayley lay down facing me and I was about to turn and face the ceiling but found that I couldn't look away from Hayley's eyes.

"Coral," she said quietly. "What's wrong?"

I frowned at her, "Nothing's wrong with me."

There wasn't a shadow of a smile on her face, "What aren't you telling me? Tell me anything."

I stared at her, unable to break the gaze, as a thousand thoughts whizzed round my head. I wanted to tell her everything, I really did. I'd been holding my painful burdens alone, my whole life, and now I had a real friend, someone I could confide in.

"After my mother died," I said, dropping my gaze. "My life changed. Everything turned bad for me."

My hands were trembling as unwanted memories stared to arise and Hayley held them in her hands, squeezing them encouragingly.

"Long story short," I sniffed loudly and gave her a watery smile. "Sorry."

"Don't say sorry," Hayley said to me, giving me a sad look.

"Long story short," I repeated, rubbing my eyes. "I went into care and suffered abuse. I don't remember which came first."

Hayley gasped quietly, pressing shaking lips together, "That's disgusting. I'm so sorry."

I tried to smile, "Don't say sorry, it's not your fault."

"It ended by the time I was ten after a slight change in situation, the abuse I mean, and by the time I was sixteen I got a part-time job and rented a flat by myself," I said. "It's cramped and in poor condition, but it's all I have and it's better than...than anything else I've had before. It's the reason why I get you to meet me for school somewhere else, away from my home. I'm ashamed of it."

Hayley pulled me into a hug and she didn't let go for a long time. I cried over her shoulder and although I felt a deep sadness, I felt deep relief too.

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Thoughts on the chapter?

J

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