Dear Diary...

Chapter 8

  
   It is now Monday and we have been here for three days. We don't start classes until next Monday so we still have an entire week to get settled and party before cracking down on classes. As excited as I was to move away from home I do still worry about my brother Levi. There are days where my phone will ring and I am scared to answer it and be told that my big brother is gone. He has screwed up a lot in his life but he's still my brother and always will be. I pick up my phone and call the last  known number of Levi's.

*Ring...
*ring...
*ring...

   "Hello?" I hear the familiar raspy voice. It is 9am so I know he is semi sober and hasn't taken a needle to the arm yet today. I only ever call Levi in the morning to avoid the slurs I dread so much.

   "Hey big brother! How are you doing?" I ask with hope that he will tell me he's been sober but I know that wont happen.

"I'm doing alright Ashton how are you? Hows the college life?" He asks. I feel like if anyone would know Landon it would be Levi. He knows EVERYONE and EVERYTHING.

"It's good! Me and Lux are getting settled and trying not to party too hard. I do however have a question...do you know a Landon James?" There is a slight pause of silence after I ask this question. My heart rate gets faster with every second that passed.

   "...Yeah I do why do you ask?" I take a sharp inhale before answering.

   "Well I ran into him the other day and he asked me out on a date. He's Kaitlin's brother but I've never seen him before and I'm curious why. I figured you would at least know his name or something about him." He takes a deep breath.

   "Yeah he's friends with one of the youngsters in The Crew. He was hanging around years ago for a summer but stopped after he got sent away again. Ash I don't want you hanging out with this kid alright? Hes only a year older than you but he was hanging around my crew. I never saw him do nothing too bad. From what I have heard there is reasons he got sent away. Stay AWAY from this kid alright?" He says in a stern tone.

   "What did he get sent away for? Sent away where Levi?" I push for more information.

   "Ashton that is not my place to tell. Please just listen to me." As he says this I can hear the faint snap of rubber hitting his arm and my heart starts to sink knowing I don't want to prolong this phone call anymore.

"Alright Levi. I love you...do me a favor and please be safe..." I sigh tears starting to well up in my eyes.

   "Alright kid I love you too. Stay up." He ends the call the same way he has since I could remember.

   The Crew is a local gang from my home town. Every few years troubled kids start hanging out with them in an attempt to carry on the legacy after the "Older Heads" move on or pass on. I have been around The Crew since I was 10. I never hung out with them but Levi always did. They all looked at me like a little sister but, when I was 14 a new group youngsters started hanging around.

   I ended up loosing my virginity to one of them and since then me and that guy have stayed friends. His name was Scooter, but his real name was Xavier. Everyone in The Crew goes by a nickname. Levi's was Rogue.

He got his name because he always went off plan or schedule and did his own thing. Scooter got his because the first time he went to Juvie was for hitting a man over the head with a scooter. Levi never found out about me and Scooter and I plan to keep it that way. Currently scooter is serving a max 10 year sentence for an attempted murder he never committed. He just took the wrap for other youngsters in The Crew. Only reason it's such a low sentence is because he was a minor at the time and he confessed.

   I haven't talked to Scooter since that night he got arrested. As I start sinking into my thoughts, Lux walks into my room unnoticed by me until she speaks.

   "How's Levi?" she asks with the same dread in her voice knowing how it effects me.

"I'm not sure. We didn't talk for long before he started taking his daily dose." I break eye contact and look down at my hands. she comes and sits next to me pulling my head into her chest and rubs my back to comfort me. I snuggle into her.

   "Well what did he say before that?" I sigh and sit up.

"He said he knows Landon. Said he was friends with one of the youngsters years ago and hung out with The Crew for a summer but he never said who he was friends with. Then he continued to tell me to stay away from him but wouldn't give me a lot of information as to why..." I look up at her and see her annoyed face mixed with concern.

   "I told you I have a bad feeling about this guy." She says in a slightly stern voice.

   "Okay yes but I found out we don't know him because he was sent away and that lines up with what Kaitlin said. I just don't know where or why but I plan on finding out tonight on our date." Lux looks at me confused.

   "Another date? You have gone on two dates since we've been here and now this is date number 3 and we've only been here sense Friday...why so fast?" The wheels in my head start turning.

   "I'm not sure but he said something about not having much time and before I could ask more questions we got interrupted by Kaitlin calling him." She rolls her eyes and stands up exiting my room.

   "Just be careful Ash. I'm telling you I don't have a good feeling about him." She states before fully exiting my room. I stand and begin to get ready for my date too anxious about what Landon is going to tell me tonight.

   I walk into the living room and see Lux making popcorn.

   "Ohhhh you look pretty!" She says looking me up and down. I am wearing a gray tank top with high wasted, dark blue, skinny jeans and a black cardigan over top that goes down to the back of my knees. My mid-back length, blonde hair curled into messy waves and pulled into a half up half down style, with slight fly away hair framing my face. My eyeliner is winged with a sharp point and some false lashes placed perfectly to look natural, topped off with some clear lip gloss coating my perfectly plump lips.

   "Well thank you so much babes! What are your plans tonight?" I ask seeing her in a simple white tank top with cheeky, pink, monkey sleep shorts paired with her monkey slippers, and her bright fire red hair pulled into a perfect messy bun.

   "Just going to watch a movie with Shaggy! '50 Shades Of Grey' to be exact." She says with a wink.

   We hear a knock at the door and both look at each other.

   "I'm not doing this again." She says and I begin to laugh and walk to the door remembering how I tripped her in our race to answer the door just yesterday.

   I open the door to see my beautiful messy blonde man with roses in his hands and that perfect smile. He is wearing a white and black stripped shirt and some black jeans with a black hat on backwards.

   "Awww you didn't have to get me flowers." I gush taking them to put them in a vase gesturing him to follow me inside.

   "Hey Landon..." Lux says with clear annoyance in her voice.

   "Hey Lux..." He responds in a weary tone. "I don't think she likes me very much." He whispers in my ear as I'm filling up a crystal vase in the sink.

   Even a nonsexual whisper sends chills down my spine, feeling his body heat on my skin. I readjust myself turning around and walking to the island before I let him take me on the counter not caring who is in the room.

   "No shes just over protective and upset you aren't Shaggy." I say reassuring him while shooting daggers at my best friend. She shrugs her shoulders and plops down on the couch to start preparing for the movie.

   "Well we should head out now before the sun sets any further." He says and kisses my hand before heading to the front door.

"Bye Lux I love you! don't wait up for me!" I call out before walking out.

"Oh I'll be up." I hear her say right before I shut the door and we head down to his car. As soon as he opens my door for me and I sit down in the front seat, anxiety floods me with the many possibilities of how tonight will end.

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