Armed and Dangerous

Toni Anne's POV:

No money. No family. Nineteen in the middle of Cali.

There's a meaning behind those ten words.

NO MONEY. I'm broke, what more is there?

NO FAMILY. I lost my Dad when I was two years old. My Mom? Never knew her.

NINETEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF CALI. Nothing complicated, nor special. I'm nineteen and I lead a gang in the middle of California.

I know exactly what you're thinking. Why the fuck is a girl leading a gang?

Quite simple, actually.

It all started today, three, long memorable years ago.

*Flashback to May 20th, 2011*

So, today, is my birthday.

I was alone, but I liked it. No, scratch that. I loved it. Spending my whole day at an abandoned beach, down south of Cali.

I liked being alone. I liked getting high off of the sunset. I liked troubling quietness.

People think of me as just one more empty soul. But ya know what I say to that statement?

Fuck it.

Nothing but silence filled the atmosphere.

As I took in my surroundings, I sighed.

I sighed at the lifeless palm trees. I sighed at the bitter sand, the dirty ocean waves, the faint sunlight, and I sighed at myself.

My life is simply a cliché from most fantasy lives girls around here live.

Most girls spend their time shopping, partying, and getting laid more than any normal human being should.

But me? Ha.

I dug around in my pocket for a minute before snatching out a cig and a lighter. I silently lit it and took a rather long drag.

"I didn't know you smoked." An all-too-familiar, perky voice flew in and out of my ears.

Bouncing up in shock, I dropped my cigarette into the hands of the sand beneath me.

The sudden burst of happiness from her voice caused me to go into a coughing fit, remains of the last drag flying out of my mouth. I calmed down after a while and looked above me, only to meet face-to-face with my best friend, Evelyn Lott.

"What's it to you?" I spoke through gritted teeth as she sat next to me.

"We've been best friends since our diaper days, T. I know everything about you. Except-"

I cut her off. "I smoke."

She huffed. "Yeah."

Shrugging it off, my eyes set focus on the sunset taking place in front of us as she continued to throw more pointless questions at me.

God, she's my best friend but that girl can sure talk.

"So how's sc-" "Dropped out." Yes, I don't go to school anymore. Too much pressure, y'know?

"What about you-" "Kicked me out a week ago." Yes, my aunt, kicked me out for smoking in her bathroom.

"How's your bi-" "Sucks." Yes, like I mentioned before, today is my sixteenth birthday. Joy. (note my sarcasm.)