Ballad of a Broken Boy

Birthday Girl

Serious trigger warning: Mentions of the four letter R-word, so if you're uncomfortable, either skip over that part or don't read this chapter.
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By the time Friday rolled around my black eye was barely noticeable. I took the cash out of my bank account a little at a time, to make it seem a little less suspicious, although not by much. I mean, for an account that has never been touched before, two thousand is a big withdrawal. Not huge, though. I doubt anyone will be overly suspicious.

Ricky wanted me to stay away, to let him give his "friends" the cash alone, just in case they tried anything. Obviously I refused. As if I would stay out of it like that. Ricky walked in front of me, and when we reached the group he grabbed my arm and pushed me even further behind him. I wasn't complaining, though... they scared me.

"Do you have the money?" the leader guy said, blandly. I didn't know what his name was and I didn't care to find out. Ricky nodded, handing him the white envelope. He snatched it, passing it to a small guy who hadn't been there on Monday. Not that I remember, anyway.

The small guy counted the money, faster than I would have thought possible, and then whispered in the leader guy's ear. The leader-guy frowned, glaring at us.

"You're about five-hundred bucks short." He said lowly.

"What? Since when? There's two thousand there- I checked!" I protested. Ricky glanced at me, a warning look in his eyes.

"I know. That's the problem. You owe us two thousand five hundred." He said. Ricky's eyes widened.

"I only borrowed two thousand!"

"I know. Have you forgotten about the interest?"

"Interest? You said no interest! You said I only had to pay back what I borrowed!"

"Yeah... when you were one of us. But you left us, remember. So now you have to pay interest like a normal person." He said coldly. Ricky's grip on my wrist tightened.

"You should have told me that. I'll get you the money by tomorrow." He said, stepping backwards as if to leave. Suddenly, two guys were on him. I felt him let go of my wrist as one guy grabbed his left arm, the other grabbing his right. Ricky struggled, but he had no chance.

"Nini, go. Now!" he shouted. I hesitated, not wanting to leave him. And then it was too late, anyway. I felt two arms go around my waist and lift me. I screamed, wriggling and kicking and trying to get free, but the arms wouldn't let go. I grabbed at them, trying to pry them off, and realized that it was a girl holding me. Her nails were long and red and she was wearing a pink and black bracelet that said Lacy.

I kept struggling until I eventually got put down, underneath an oak tree, in a little wooded area we had been standing outside of just minutes prior. I looked around desperately, sighing in relief when I saw Ricky was there, just out of arms reach. He looked at me, panic in his eyes. I nodded to tell him I was okay, and he visibly relaxed, but still looked tense and nervous. The others had disappeared, so now the only person with us was the girl who had grabbed me, Lacy. She glared at us both, standing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"Where are the others?" Ricky asked her. She barely even glanced at him.

"None of your business." She muttered. I took a deep breath, feeling the usual calmness I felt when I'm under pressure settle in.

"She doesn't know. She has no idea where they're going. Or what they're planning. She's just a lackey; she does what they tell her to do. Practically a servant. They tell her that she'll be one of them someday, but she won't. She'll probably be dead before they even consider making her one of them." I said, looking her right in the eyes. She scoffed, but she looked away. I knew I had her.