[Bad] ft. Ethan•Dolan

Chapter 5

I was staring at the thin, horizontal stripe where I was supposed to put my signature.

Ethan was sitting across from me. Drumming his thumb one table.

I slid the paper away and spoke firmly:
"If I'm going to sign this contract-thing, I at least deserve to know what you guys do."

Ethan sighed and sat back in his chair.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair."

I leaned my face on my hand and looked at him.

"We, umm"

Ethan started,

"We are collecting money."

"How?"

"Well, we... steal stuff."
Ethan muttered.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Not from poor people."
Ethan said quickly.
"Only from people who wouldn't even miss it."

"But how do you turn the stolen objects into money?"
I asked.

"We sell them, on the black market."

I kept quiet, thinking about everything he just told me.

Then I asked:
"What are you saving money for?"

Ethan shook his head and bit his lip.
I looked at him.

"Tell me."
I ordered.

To my surprise, I saw that the more Ethan tried to speak, the more frustrated, angry and sad he looked.

What the fuck?
I blinked rapidly, confused at his reaction.

I put my hand on his.
"It's okay, you don't have to say."

He pulled his hand away and quickly wiped his nose.
"You gonna sign it or not?"

I grabbed the pen firmly. My knuckles whitened.

I had two choices:

A- to sign the contract, stay with Ethan and the others and collect money for some touchy reason that Ethan couldn't talk about. It would mean that I had to steal from people...

B- to not sign the contract, walk right out of here and never see Ethan again...

I put my pen to the paper and quickly wrote my signature.
It wasn't like I had anything to lose.

When I looked at Ethan he looked more relieved and happy than I had ever seen.

He slid the paper to himself and wrote his own signature.

I read it upside down
"Ethan... Dolan..."

Ethan knotted, looking at the paper.

All the other guys from the gang came pushing through the door.
"Did she sign it?"

Ethan stood up and started talking,

"Guys, Katherine just signed the agreement.
This means she is one of us. You will not-"
He looked around
"and I repeat not hit on her, understand?"

A disagreeing murmur formed under the guys.
Ethan continued:
"For now she will sleep in the office until I say we change it."

"Yeah okay,"
A short Latino guy said,
"But the Jensen's are coming back tomorrow morning. If we wanna strike their house we need to do it tonight."

Ethan ran his hand through his hair.
"Hm, I had the Walker's planned for tonight."

I looked at Ethan and the Latino boy, this whole conversation was so crazy. Like they were discussing what would be for dinner, instead of a robbery.

"We can do the Walker's any other time, I feel like this is our last chance for the Jensen's."

"All right, Jensen's it is then."

About an hour later I was sitting on the ground in the dorm. Most of the guys were sitting around me. Ethan and the remaining guys were doing god knows what, in the storage unit.

The guys that were with me held some kind of interrogation. Hundreds of questions were shot my way.
"How did you learn to walk so soundlessly?"

"I-I never learned it, I kinda just do it.

"How did you find us?"

"By just walking down the street..."

"Why were you on the streets that late?"

I pressed my lips together and looked at my hands.

"I ran away from home..."

"Why?"

I swallowed.
Other guys started to ask the same question as well,
"Come on, tell us why."

I made my hands to fists, I could feel my nails press into my palms painfully.

"I had, an argument with my dad..."

"What happened?"

I kept quiet again and put my hair behind my ear.

A blonde guy on my right looked like he was gonna speak again but Ethan and the other guys came through the door.

"Guys, leave her alone."
Ethan said.
"Come on, we are going to the market."

I stood up. The guys looked at me.
"What are you doing?"
Said Ralph.

I looked at him and then at Ethan
"You just said we were going to the market..."

Some of the guys chuckled quietly and Ethan shook his head.
"You're not coming."

"What? Why?"
I yelled.

"You are not coming to the black market with us on your first day."

I walked to Ethan.

"Umm, yeah I am. You're being ridiculous!"

"You're not coming, it can be dangerous."

"You're not the boss of me!"

Ethan took the agreement paper out of his back pocket and held in in front of my face.
"Actually. I am."
He said, one eyebrow raised smirking at me.

I shot him filthy looks as he gestured the other guys to come with him and they disappeared through the door.