Cross My Heart I'm Dead

Chapter 17

-----Derek's POV----

"Al, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her as I parked in the driveway of Matt's house. She looked so out of it and depressed and she is not usually this way. Sure, people get sad but not like this, not like Al. I have only ever seen her this way 3 times and this is now the 4th. Normally, if it is nothing big, she just moves on and goes with it. That's why I am worried; she is in that depressed state again, as if yesterday she was just trying to run away from all of her problems which is what most of us were doing.

"I'm fine." She said as she looked down at the floor of the car. I leaned over and gave her a hug but she didn't return it like she always did. She just looked down at the ground instead.

"Al, please. You can talk to me. We will get through this and we will not be broken apart. Please, talk to me." I begged. She wrapped her arms loosely around my back and cried a little in my shoulder. This is beyond bad. She never cries. Never. I rubbed her back a little and we stayed like that for a few more minutes until she pulled away and looked back at the ground.

"I'm sorry Derek." She whispered and I sighed. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be sorry. I never should of trusted her and I never should of got you involved with this gang thing. I'm so so sorry, Al." I said, my voice cracking a bit in the middle. It was true, it was my fault and not her's. I never should of got her in this.

"No it's not. Without the gang we wouldn't of got this far. The gang was the second best thing to ever happen to me and I'm glad we met them. I'm just sorry that I have put you all in this situation. It's because of me that you have these fights. All I've ever done is cause chaos and violence. At school, at home and here. I've done nothing great I-" that's where I cut her off. I couldn't take it. She is amazing and she is not the cause of all of this.

"Al! Never say that. You are amazing and we all love you. You mean the world to me, if you go out then I'm going with you but we both know that that will never happen. We are going to get through this and we shall do so together. Okay?"

She smiled. Her beautiful smiling self was back. "Okay, thanks Derek." She said and she even kissed me before getting out of the car. I smiled back and followed her up to the front door. 

After ringing the doorbell, Matt came and opened the door with an unreadable expression on his face. We walked through to the living room and sat around a table. The silence was so deafening and emotional I almost wanted to rip it up and whack ice cream everywhere to give it more of a good mood.

"So.." I started. Alexis and I were sitting beside each other on a couch and Matt was on a chair in front of us.

"Have they tried to fight or are they waiting until we least expect it?" Alexis said with no emotion and I could tell that she was going back into the depression. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. She didn't do anything in response and I knew the only thing to do was have a good night out - again. But we can't keep running away and they will try fight us sooner than later. 

"No. We don't know what their plans are but I am quite positive that they are going to listen to Taylor unless we say something. I can call him from a telephone box and negotiate for a different and better deal, but if that doesn't work we need to show them they shouldn't mess with us and that they should give it up. I have the number of his phone from a previous call and I suggest that we do not intentionally meet up with him. We will NOT fight first so we are going to have to keep an eye out and always have 1 weapon or more. What deal do you think we can we make?" Matt replied as he took some papers from his pocket and put them on the table that was in the middle of us. I leaned over to see what it was and saw a number and a bit of info on Cray Jester.