Bad Decisions

PART ONE

Friday, August 25

12:38 am

Sacramento, California 

The moon is full and bright in the nearly black sky as they creep along the alleyways quietly, a decent sized posse, up to no good.

Normani doesn't know what they're doing tonight, but she knows it's not good. It never is. She's sure she follows them because she's like them, but she's not. She's usually bubbly, yet she's been feeling dead inside lately.

"You doyou wrong, you pay the consequences. You can stop it, but if you choose to strive the wrong path, you are destined for worse." The words of her grandmother, Babs, echo in her head.

The older woman had recently passed, not even six months back, and a piece of Normani died with her. She could no longer stand the mention of the deceased woman, having random bursts, angrily leaving home, yelling at her parents, shutting everyone out. This continued for weeks until she finally snapped.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself Normani. You can't keep leaving for days and coming back without a word. It doesn't work like that. I'm-... we're worried about you. You need help."

Normani shook the words of her mother out of her head. It was those last three words that had brought her past the brink of sanity. She couldn't stay in that house one more second. So she ran. And she kept running.

And she didn't stop until she was sure she was far away. She hadn't been at home for about a month. She had smashed her phone in an alley, no longer needing it. She was gonna stay gone.

She was just about starving, clothes torn from tussles on the streets, people taking her very few things. She was on the verge of tears when he found her.

He seemed nice, gathering her in his arms, scooping her up. She felt warm, something she hadn't felt in a while. "You can hang with me and my guys." He had said.

They all seemed nice, just like him. Very flirtatious, but she could survive a few slaps on the butt and winks here and there. They didn't hit on her too much, Liam, the guy that found her, made sure of that.

In about a week in she found out. They weren't who they seemed. She couldn't figure out how people who looked as rich as them, could steal and kill for more money. 'Greed.' That's what it was.

She stuck with them though. They fed her, kept clothes on her back. They seemed to CARE, something she had been wanting from someone recently. She didn't know how her parents were, she was sure her best friend, Ally, could barely sleep at night.

She started going out with them, watching, learning their ways. They were very good at what they did. With a little practice and one on one time with Liam, she was slick and stealthy.

Normani brushed a curl out of her face, trying to keep up with the boys. In their all black clothing, she could barely see them creeping, staying away from light.

Normani kept close to Arin, a buff light skinned guy that cared for her a lot. He didn't seem like the type to be in a gang, but then again, neither did she.

The wind blew harshly against the exposed skin shown by her black crop top, and she tugged on Arin's arm, looking at him with pleading eyes and a slight pout.

"You cold, mini?" He husked out quietly, looking at her with concerned eyes. They had a brother and sister like relationship, and Arin had been calling her mini since they met. It was teasing at first, but it seemed to grow on the shorter girl.

She nodded her head quickly and he shuffled off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. "Don't worry. When we get there, you and me will wait outside until they finish." He whispers, he never wanted her to get involved in this stuff, although she insisted.