I am for you

Chapter 1. Beast and Fire

The first year of high school. Sarcelles.

The twins were the weirdest thing at school. Even though the school was in a ghetto and had enough students from dysfunctional families or families connected with the criminal business, the twins personified the blood and hell of the underworld. Drugs, violence, gangs, and other joys of the "dirty life" - the Twins in all this chaos were practically kings. It happened quite by accident, in such a natural way that no one understood at what point two mirror-identical and charming boys turned into monsters in a teenage guise.

At first, they had neither money nor due authority. But everything quickly changed and moved to another level of control. One twin could not control himself in anger and did not find in himself such qualities as sympathy, mercy, conscience, and others, the second twin was calm and cold as a block of ice, a manipulative asshole. Twins are identical on the outside and completely different on the inside. The only thing they shared, besides their looks, was their boundless and unconditional love for each other, on such a deep level that they themselves didn't seem to fully understand. They are like part of each other. And woe to the one who dared to offend one of them.

Laurent is calmer and more balanced. Most often, he was seen as a savior from Larry's wrath. Laurent preferred books and quiet places and most often refused school parties, preferring to spend the evening under a blanket on the sofa with another book in his hands. While Larry is an endless party animal, always getting into all sorts of situations, and getting into a fight at the first opportunity. He never watched his tongue and never spared his opponents, treating the offenders of the twin with particular cruelty.

Mom never approved of the behavior of her younger children. She did not approve of the excessively close relationship between them. She did not approve of Laurent's passion for medicine, and Larry's passion for martial arts. But what could she do if she disappeared for days at work or with friends, having no desire to go home? Nothing good awaited her there. The twins, her younger sons, were not desirable children, but their father insisted on their birth. And now he himself raised his hand to them, complained about the extra spending of money, in addition to the eternal calls from their school. The twins' father's business was based on the transportation of goods, he never asked what he was transporting and he was well paid for this. But only a small part of the money earned settled in the family budget. The rest remained in the bras of strippers and the panties of an endless number of prostitutes.

Their father, a cruel bastard, and asshole is the only person Laurent was truly afraid of. This person overwhelmed him and instilled some strange feeling of humility or submission. Laurent did not immediately learn to deal with this, and it was because of his father that Laurent learned to manipulate people and perfectly control his emotions, to keep his devil deep inside in the strongest cage. Larry did everything he could to support his brother. He stood up for the twin before his father, took upon himself all the faults, and received punishments. Anything to keep Laurent out of a breakdown. But he always managed to save his brother. Larry wasn't always with Laurent. Several times he found Laurent beaten with stains of his own blood in their bedroom, and then they were not even fifteen years old. Mom didn't seem to see anything. She was so tired of the problems with her own husband when the older children were growing up that the twins simply did not have enough strength. And that is why one day, she returned home and found the police and an ambulance there. The doctors examined Laurent, who was badly beaten, and Larry sat next to him and tightly squeezed the twin's hand, he didn't say a word that evening, but my mother already understood what had happened. That evening Larry breathed a sigh of relief for the first time.

What happened that evening became a big mystery for the twins' circle, for their family, friends, neighbors, and everyone else. But it was this evening that finally formed the twins as individuals. They seemed to accept themselves for who they are, accepted each other's shortcomings and their own madness. It was the end of the world for all who despised them and the beginning of something new and fearless. The beginning of their power over the seedy area in which they live.

The twins tried themselves in different roles, from bouncers to drug dealers. They looked into themselves until they realized that not a single role suits them. Laurent suggested slowing down a little and living the life of ordinary schoolchildren, which they are.

Larry settled on the role of a bully and a bad guy, constantly in conflict with the local police. Laurent's ability to negotiate with anyone several times saved Larry from a real prison term. Laurent is always on the side of his twin, in all his madness and crimes. Literally pulling him out of fights, gang problems, petty theft, and auto theft. The list was endless.

Larry was always reproached for not thanking his brother for every rescue, not apologizing when the twins were on the verge of defeat because of him. But Larry knew better. Better than everyone else. They were born together and spent every damn day together. Laurent loved him, but he also loved himself and was selfish. And every time he saved Larry, he, first of all, saved himself from loneliness and feelings of separation.

Laurent was afraid to be alone.

Laurent did not like to hurt other people, to participate in fights, but he was quite okay with the fact that in front of his eyes someone could be beaten. Due to many circumstances, sympathy, pity, or compassion in him almost atrophied. They lived somewhere in the depths of his black soul, and Laurent was in no hurry to look for them there. He didn't need it.

He once sat on the hood of his car eating a burger while Larry hit a high school student during his school lunch break. Larry and this unfortunate guy had a serious conflict, the guy turned to serious insults and pretty quickly pissed off Larry. And Laurent then did not feel in himself a single noble impulse to save the poor fellow from a broken nose and other injuries, in his opinion, the guy himself is to blame. Laurent also hated getting dirty in someone's blood.

But this was only the tip of the iceberg because Laurent's personality was built on the principle that the calmer the person, the worse he is in anger. Laurent was almost impossible to take on emotions, to catch and piss off. Those "lucky ones" who were able to piss Laurent off generally tried not to cross paths with him anymore. He was smarter and more sophisticated, preferring to torment the offender.

In the company of Larry's friends, Laurent was not respected, but he was not particularly interested. Larry's friends were smart enough to keep their opinions of Laurent to themselves. Except for one guy. This is a new guy at their school, a classmate. Kevin quickly found a common language with Larry, but Laurent steadfastly aroused in him only a feeling of irritation. Laurent seemed to him arrogant and arrogant, wanting to be the sole owner of Larry's attention. Laurent had a lot of fun every time he met Kevin, deliberately getting more attention from Larry than was necessary. Kevin could not understand what was in Laurent, that no one dared to say that he was not welcome here. It never dawned on him what rules should be observed in dealing with the twins.

And Kevin dared to go against the presence of Laurent at one of the small parties. He did it right in front of Larry. Fatal error.

Lauren just rolled his eyes. He decided not to interfere with the twin to administer justice at his discretion. Laurent rose from his seat and pressed on his brother's shoulder, forcing him to lean back in his chair, pointing with his eyes at the front door. Larry just nodded. Laurent approached Bouboo: "If he suddenly kills Kevin, call me. Everything else doesn't matter. Deal with it yourself." Laurent had no intention of saving anyone in this house from the twin's wrath, especially Kevin.