Never just a friend

3 years later - Chapter 3

[YOUR POV] [2012] - aged 16
"RUNN" you shouted as the burst of adrenaline kicked in and you ran away from the burning building.. 4 boys and 2 other girls ran along side you down the damp lamppost lit streets of Stratford, Ontario. "Did ya get it." You asked out of breath as you rounded the next corner and into the bushes before stopping to allow yourself to breath properly again. You heard a relieved "yes" from Gemma and a "WOO" from one of the other boys you were with, Austin. "NICE" you shouted before high fiving Mark who stood at your side, you and him had had an on/off relationship since you first got involved with the gang two years ago. When you two first met he was really sweet but the more involved he got in crime the more he changed. He smiled down creepily at you before roughly grabbing hold of your arm and forcing his lips on yours, you kissed him back even if it was unwillingly just to please him and not to get in his bad books, I guess right now to everyone else you and him looked 'back on'.

Later on that evening you got home and ran yourself a hot shower, you thought about everything that happened that day and sighed deeply to yourself. When the water started to run cold you switched it off before going into your room. On your bed was you r share of the money you all stole today wrapped in a dirty white carrier bag. You grabbed the bag and threw it to the back of your wardrobe to make it tomorrow's problem. After you put your pyjamas on you got in bed and curled up in a ball. "What has my life become" you whispered to yourself as you let all your tears full.
2 years ago your parents decided it was best for them to get a divorce, For months they sorted through the paper work whist arguing and it took up so such of their time that you were pushed to the side for a while, it ended in your dad moving to England to live with his brother and your mum running off back to New York to get started on her 3rd novel, she still cared for you and visited often but it wasn't the same as it used to be. That's the whole reason you joined the gang in the first place, to be free from your parents problems.
Your train of thought was interrupted by your phone vibrating on your bedside table.
"Hello?" You said
"Y/N?" You heard a familiar voice say, it was Austin, Austin who's in your group of 'Friends' but could actually be considered a good friend.
"Yes?" You replied implying for him to continue
"Are you okay? And I mean it seriously Y/N. I saw the way mark grabbed you earlier and I Just wanted to make sure he didn't try anything else once the rest of us left"
"I'm fine" you said lying but the silence on the other end of the phone sounded like he knew it wasn't the truth "seriously Austin, I can handle Mark, most of the time he's pretty sane, but today just wasn't a good day, I'll be okay, I always am"
"Yeah okay but if I see him do anything again I'm gonna have to do something about it"
"Austin no" you cried "you don't know what he's capable of, he's seriously dangerous and I can't have you getting hurt because of me" you paused for a second before changing the subject  "anyway Austin, how's that new boy you met?"
"He's good, pretty great actually! I just don't want it to get too serious because I don't want him involved with the gang"
You and Austin kissed once but everything about it was wrong, All your questions were answered when he came over yours late one night telling you that he was gay
"Good, you know Austin, you've served the gang well ever since you were 12, I think it's time you try and move on from it, I know they had information to not give you a choice to leave before but now I think you've just gotta do it, be free and live your life"
"I'll consider it, thank you Y/N, speaking to you helps, anyway I still don't take back what I said about Mark but let's not talk about that again now, goodnight"
"Night" you said back before the line went dead and the room filled with silence.

*5 hours later you sat in the police station waiting room*
You looked around the room and it was filled with every member of the gang. "We were busted! Some son of a bitch must've snitched on us" Mark shouted, standing up in his seat. "Or we were stupid enough to leave evidence.." someone else commented but I didn't have the strength to look up and see who had spoke. I sat with my head in my hands for a good 2 hours waiting for something to happen and for someone to come in and speak to us. "God it's 6 o'clock in the morning, I need my bed" another member complained "this shouldn't be legal, I need my sleep" moaned another. Wow the irony. I sat panicking at what my mum would think of me sat here waiting to be questioned in a police station.
"SHIT" I shouted rising from my seat. "It all makes perfect sense! I'm dreaming! We were never really caught, this is just my mind playing tricks on me, I'm in my bed right now, actually I should be waking up any minute"
"Oh I don't think so young lady! I'm the one who wishes I could wake up from this nightmare! I had a very serious phone call informing me that my darling daughter had been arrested"
"MUM?" You turned around to face her shocked that she was here.
"I'm not dreaming am I?" I asked but I already knew the answer.

A few minutes later a large man dressed in uniform walked into the room
"Y/N?.. Please follow me, we have a few questions we'd like you to answer"
"Yes" you replied as you followed him through the doors completely ashamed.