boundaries | e.d

T h i r t e e n

Ryder

Natasha invited everyone over for some snacks - God knows why. She thinks having get togethers that don't involve gang related topics will be healthy for the group. As I stare at everyone awkwardly picking at their cheese and crackers; I begin to laugh at how wrong she was.

"Whats so funny?" Natasha glares at me from across the room with her arms folded. Jake looks up at her, then back at me, and fails to hold his breath.

"This so awkward." Jake cackles while everyone else joins in on the laughter.

"Okay excuse me for trying to make us friends!" Nat pouts as she sits on my lap. David picks up a cookie and brings it to his lips as he smiles at us.

"We are friends." He remarks, biting a piece. "Right?" The smile falls when no one agrees.

I look over to Jake whose already looking at me and begin to laugh harder than before. Nat groans and tries to get off my lap but I attack her neck with kisses to keep her with me.

"Think about it guys," Jerry stands up from his seat uneasily. "We need this."

"And why's that?" Mike questions him as he comes back from the kitchen with a few beers. I take one as I try to read Jake's lips.

"Where's Ri?" He mouths to me beneath the voices of everyone else.

"With Ethan." I mouth back to him, chuckling to myself as he huffs in frustration.

"Are you listening?" Jerry snaps his fingers in annoyance, distracting me from the conversation.

"Yeah, no." I admit honestly though it came out as a joke. Nat slapped me in the shoulder while I gave Jerry the attention.

"None of us expected Patrick to turn on us." Jerry continues his speech, hurt laced within his voice, "I thought he was one of us. We all did. But look what he did. He turned on us-"

Jake shakes his head and stands up with Jerry, "Exactly! He turned on us. So just forget him Jerry. You're pissed off for no reason."

"Whose to say you wont turn next!" Jerry shoves Jake and immediately everyone starts screaming at one another. Natasha knows the drill as she gets up in annoyance, walking off into the kitchen to escape the noise.

"Now that's enough!" I roar loud enough to silence the room. Everyone huffs in their place while I walk over to Jerry. "I know damn well Jake would never turn on me." I look out at everyone. "He wouldn't turn on anyone here!"

"How do you know?" Jerry presses.

"Watch it." Jake snarls from behind me in his approach to Jerry, but I hold him back.

"Because he's my friend." I confidently shut his assumption down.

"And that's exactly my point." Jerry shakes my head, "Jake brought you into this gang when Daryl ran it. He died and you're put in charge and every bond in here was broken. Did you try to fix it?"

"That's enough." Jake tries to go at him again but I hold him back one last time.

"No." I admit to both myself and everyone in the room.

"Losing Patrick was a shock for all of us," Jake attempts to help me calm everyone down and for that I'm grateful. "But it's not Ryder's fault. Or yours. Or anyone's in here. It was his choice. Ryder always gets the job done and he would take his own life before seeing anyone in here get killed."

I turn to my best friend as he talks me up for everyone to understand. Though they shouldn't. I'm not the best person to be in this position. There's times where I regret joining the gang completely. But then my whole world comes into my mind and I'm reminded that it was all for Riley. 

"That's better than any leader I know of in this city. That should be enough." Jake pats my back before pulling Jerry in for a hug.

"I know you and Patrick were close, Jer." I finally speak out with a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry things ended up the way they did. I wish I would've known. But I promise, that everyone in this room will learn to respect one another and depend on each other with their lives." I announce to the eight souls standing before me, even Natasha. "If we don't do that, we'll never go far. From now on, we meet once a week. We're there for each other for more than business. We include family in our safety and we keep no secrets."

"I agree." Nat smiles, walking towards the circle we unknowingly created. "I care about all of you. Even when I complain about how much of an asshole you all can be."

Everyone chuckles while I pull her into my arms for safety. Its being between Jake and Natasha right now that keeps me sane and steady.

"We'll mourn Patrick, and we'll learn from him as well." Jake adds onto my speech, clearing his throat before calling out, "And anyone who's against this new system can leave now."

No one moves, instead, they all smirk at one another before sitting back down for the snacks my girl prepared for them. Jake nods his head as he watches everyone remain true to the gang. I pat his shoulder before walking over to the chair I once sat at with Nat, taking her with me on the way.

The door slams as my sister and Ethan stomp into the foyer, red in the face from....anger?

"I'm home now asshole! You can leave me alone!" She quickly spins around to scream in his face, but he doesn't move. Typical.

"Not until you delete that mans number!" He shouts back. Man? Oh hell no. I join Jake in our march towards the two of them, both triggered by the same word; man.

"Oh don't be so dramatic!" She cackles furiously, "That boy was a year older than me, max! You're just mad that he's texting me."

Everyone behind me begins to talk with music playing, as if they knew this argument had nothing to do with them and if they were to speak; hell would break loose.

"Woah, rewind." Jake stands between them, holding the frantic Riley by her shoulders. "Boy?"

"This is ridiculous." Ethan shakes his head and stomps his way into the kitchen, away from the rest of us.

I look down at my little sister whose causing more and more trouble with boys as the days go on. She's all grown up and by that I mean, she's a major target for men.

And by that I mean. She ain't dating no body. She was the only family I had left. The only innocence left in my life. No boy. No Ethan. No Jake, will ever take that away from me.

"Boy?" I cross my arms and glare down at her, thinking about losing her to another guy. By the look on her face, I already can tell she knows the trouble she's in.