THE NIGHT GANG

Chapter 7: The Girl On The Balcony

Rose's POV:
"Where have you been!" Ari shouted in my face as soon as I found her in the club. She was still with Tina, who had somehow managed to occupy more boys than before. "I've been going out of my mind!"
"I wasn't feeling too good at the house!" I tried my best to wiggle out of this one. "I didn't wanna come but I couldn't just leave you here without a wing woman."
I glanced over to Tina, who was enjoying the company of too many boys in my opinion. I was the only hope Ari had left of pulling a lad tonight. And then if return home in a while to my treat for the night. That's what I was classing him as.
"You're such a good friend!" She choked on her words as she wrapped her arms around me. I could tell now she was drunk. Very drunk, already.
This would make it easier for me to get away, to go and see him.
I couldn't stop thinking about him as I got my first drink down my throat. I almost downed it in one. Almost. I didn't want to get drunk. I had so many questions that needed answers from The Night Runner. I needed to have a clear mind ready for later, when I see him. Oh my god, I didn't realise how excited I was to have met him now. I couldn't quite believe I was seeing him again later. This was like a dream. A fantasy come true.
"Heads up!" Tina shouted, jumping over the sea of boys and straight into the space beside me and Ari. "Luke is coming this way, right now!"
Oh fuck, I'm not prepared for this! I have so much on my mind. How can I defend myself for my antics yesterday? I can't tell Luke about The Night Runner, that'd be breaking his trust already. I want his trust more than I value Luke at the moment.
I put a sweet, not bothered one bit, smile on my face and turned around to find him standing directly behind me.
"Hi." He smiled awkwardly. "I didn't expect to see you here... so soon."
"Yeah, well. It's better to just move on ajd forget I think." I brushed him off. Unless he was here to apologise for basically shunning me away for what happened, then I'm not interested. What I did to him was wrong I admit, but what happened to me was not my fault. He should atleast be concerned. The ass hole.
"Right." He said. "I was just coming over to see if you were OK. I have been worried."
"Oh yeah!" Tina jumped in, getting herself involved. She must have been earwigging without me noticing. "You would say that now you've seen how banging she looks in that outfit! Well, the truth is mate, that she's no longer interested!"
That was him well and truly told. Not my choice of words, or Ari's for that matter but it will do. For now.
He didn't take another glance in my direction before walking off. I figure my relationship with Luke had been short lived.
Yesterday, I would have cared. But today it's different. I have somebody new on my mind. I can't get him off my mind. It's a strange feeling. One that I've not had for a long long time.
Since...... doesn't matter. When Luke had finally strutted off in a huff, us 3 burst out into small fits of laughter. This was one of those moments where I truly loved my friends. Yes, there's only 2 of them I really consider friends, but its not about quantity. It's about quality, and this makes me feel so much worse about hiding the Night Runner from them. Speaking of him, I now needed a way to get out of here and get home before he does. I have a plan unravelling in my head.

"Hey." Ari placed her hand on my shoulder. "I hope he hasn't upset you too much. If you want we can go, if you're not up to it tonight?"

And just like magic, there's my excuse to go home. I couldn't have planned this any better.

Taron's POV:
I felt nervous surprisingly, as I made my way around the corner onto her Street. I hope she's home. I'll look like a mug if she isn't. Never the less I was nervous. Like a boy going on his first date. Which I wasn't, I hadn't been on a date for years. 6 years to be exact. I'm 22 now, not a young boy no longer. I'm a grown man pretty much, and I have grown a lot in 6 years.
Yes. I haven't seen my family. Yes. I haven't been able to catch up with the ever evolving world outside. I don't care, I've made a better life for me, for my friends and people around us. We commit ourselves to protecting others now, whilst my old school peers are most likely behind bars. Well, apart from one. Leeson. He was my best friend in high school, and my rock. The Day I ran away.... the day I got kicked out of Hall Cross School. I was a mess, my mum was hysterical. I was a 'tearaway' and 'a waste of space'. That's what she used to say, well shout.
Leeson was the only one I could turn to. He was the only one who would understand and support my plan. That day I got expelled, I ran straight from the school to his house. Leaving my mother and headmistress behind to clear up the mess I'd created. Once I got there, we headed out to the woods for a walk. They were right behind where his family used to live. Funnily enough, Leeson used to live directly opposite Rose. Small world.
I told him my plan, which at the time was to runaway to my dad's in Sutton On Sea. Him and my mother weren't together. He was doing pretty well for himself by the coast. He has his own business, posh pad and car to go with his millionaire lifestyle.
I asked Leeson to join me, we could run away together I thought. I was fed up of the rules and being a constant disappointment. I wanted to make more of my life my own way, but Leeson thought very differently.
He wanted to stay in school, go to college, university even. Back then he wanted to be a police officer, and that's when I realised I could use it to our advantage. Now we have The Night Gang, we can access any information we want from the police database. Leeson acts like a double agent, one minute he's the strict copper and the next he's saving mothers from burning buildings.
I could tell you the story of me and him for hours. There's so much history there, we've got a whole lot of it.
For now, I've arrived in Rose's back garden, beside the swing where we spoke earlier on. This time when I arrive there's a note attached to the stand, it reads;
'COME TO THE BALCONY. KNOCK 3 TIMES ON THE DOOR X'