Bad Boy And The Emo Fall In-Love (remake)

22

Zane shared stories about kids from the city as they pick up bottles and cans. They throw them in the recycling when they are full then start on new ones. Shane listens peacefully as Zane shared more about the people close to him from the city.

"So, what's the story behind Paige. You said she was your lackey?"

"Paige," Zane paused and smiled as he looks at Shane. "Paige was one of my first recruits. She's pretty close to Ethan and I. We met her together in the city, Ethan and I were being dumb and spray painting old abandoned buildings. She was in one of those building, almost freezing and starving to death. She was 13 at the time. She came out to her single father as a lesbian, and he snapped. He was a druggy and he was very high. He said he needed to fix her and assaulted her that night. She snapped, grabbed one of his knives and stabbed him. She stabbed him in the throat, she ran away, he died."

"Holy shit," Shane breaths out.

"Yeah, I know right. She didn't mean to kill him, but she was also to scared to admit what happened that night. Ethan and I took her to his place, and Ethan had her taken to a hospital. We were 15, she was 13. It took her a while to calm down enough to come with us. She only went with us when we called out a girl from our group, then she knew that she was safe. Her and that girl are now dating. Paige is now 16, and I've taught her how to fight with her fist in order to protect herself. She now lives with her girlfriends family in their apartment. I've never been happier at a success story before.

"I think that was my breaking point. I realized that there were so many people like me and Ethan, and John, that needed the help. So, we started growing our gang, and we became a terf. Now we are a more like a mafia group then we are a city gang. We each have our own strength and pull our own weight. Not all of started our poor and living on the streets. Some of us, like Ethan, we're filthy fucking rich."

"Ethan's rich?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't guess so, huh? His step dads rich. When Ethans bio dad passed he started acting out. Then his mom got remarried, and he started acting out more. This time getting high every other night. His step father snapped at him and punched him for disobeying and getting high. So, Ethan walked out. His mom supports him financially, so he doesn't live completely on the street. But yeah. He protected me when I needed it most, so now it's my turn to help protect him with the streets. He's got no street smarts, and all I know is the streets. So, we help each other like brothers."

Shane smiles listening to the story of Zane's friendships.

"I don't have much, not since I quit my good job. I used to rack in a couple hundred, good $700 a week, and I got a lot saved. That saved portion is to keep up with my people."

"700 a week? Damn, what did you do?"

Shane watched as Zane flinched, then sits and lays back in the grass. Shane goes next to him and lays beside him, they hold hands staring at the blue sky.

"You ask a lot of good questions that I want to answer but I can't. It's best if you don't get curious about that," he turns his head to face Shane. "Let's just say I did some bad things that I'm not proud of."

Shane swallows hard, but squeezed his boyfriends hand. He turns and leans forward, Zane leans in as well but pauses.

"I'm sorry, you've been fooled by me. I'm not a good person. Im a bad person, just trying to make up for my mistakes. I really am a awful person."

Shane scoots over and sits on the lap of Zane, Zane props himself up on his elbow.

"I'm not the fool here, you are," Shane moved down to kiss Zane's lips. "You're much better than you think you are."