To Hold a Gun

Chapter One - Shooting Birds

I never really thought that I'd be involved with my dad's little Mafia. I had no care for it, as it wasn't entirely my business.
But, now that I'm 13, my father wants me involved.
My mom disagrees, but because she loves my father, she bites her tongue.

Anyway, today I was having a walk with my girlfriend- Arya. She was a short, medium-built girl from Poland with strawberry blonde hair which stopped at her chest, with full thick bangs, and brown eyes. She had freckles on her chubby cheeks, and she loved wearing whatever was trending. She liked to dance, though I was the mere opposite. She would insist we did whenever I visited her, or if we visited my mothers' speakeasy. I always struggled to keep up with her. She had speed I'd never seen in a girl before.

But, anyways, my dad was attending this walk with us. Arya didn't seem too keen over it, given my dad had a gun on him and it seemed as if he was ready to use it.

"Micheal, why on earth does your dad have a gun? If my father finds out-"

She says, trailing off.

"He'd be PISSED. Why is he even here?"

She asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"My dad says he's,"

I said, putting up air quotations.

"Teaching me how to properly use a gun."

I said, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. I really didn't want to be involved with this, but my dad was persistent. As he said, one more could be beneficial to his empire. How his son was beneficial to a murder empire I didn't know, but, that's Da for you, I suppose.

"Now, Micheal, don't be that way. We can shoot birds,"

He says, a stupid grin hiding under his bushy mustache.

"...Killing birds? Out of everything we could? Random people, trash cans, windows, why birds?"

I asked, crossing my arms. Arya gawked at my dad like he was a menace to society. She loved animals, specifically birds, and she didn't look too happy.

"It'll help you aim at people better,"

He insisted, holding a finger up, which meant this was the end of that conversation. Arya looked like she wanted to cuss my dad out. She would make angry glares at him, but she respected my dad enough.

'He's apart of a Mafia, who wouldn't be afraid to mess with him?'
She'd always say. She had this weird malice for my dad.

Anyways, we stopped at a bench. Arya flopped down, folding her arms and staring at her legs through her dress, like she wanted to say something rude, but she couldn't.

"Now, Micheal. Arya can wait here, and us both will go bird hunting. Hmm?"

He says with a smile, and I frowned. Bird hunting, huh?

"We're not killing real, innocent people, are we? Because-"

"Ah-Ah-Ah. No, we're going, and that's final, Micheal."

He said sternly. I groaned as Arya still had that angry look on her face. I pinched her cheek and walked away with Da. From a distance, she looked redder than a tomato. How silly.

Anyway, it was time for bird hunting.