Thats Illegal In Parts Of Utah

Hoods aren't always bad

I’m laying on my bed that night, unable to turn my thoughts off. I can’t stop replaying her terrified face when I grabbed her arm. Like she thought I could be worse than the men I just knocked out.

Am I that bad of a person? I know I look like a hood. But am I one? My brother was. Well, he was another one of my half-brothers, Stone, and he was all you could ask for in a brother. He was smart, a quick thinker, strong, cocky, amazing with a blade, and yet he was always there for me. Stone Massworth gave me his last name when I didn’t even know my own. He introduced me to Andy, Toby, and Atticus, Toby’s older full-blooded brother.

Atticus was a hood, too. He was Stone’s second, and he would follow Stone till the end. He proved it, too, the night they were murdered. He and Stone went down like heroes, knives flashing, and guns blazing, all to save Toby and I.

Toby and I were only seven when they died. We thought we were badasses going into enemy gang turf. Until we got caught. A big guy threw me into a wall and pressed a blade against my throat. Toby was screaming like crazy for Stone and Atticus to come help.

Unfortunately, they did. And they were sorely outnumbered. Our brothers were the best fighters I’d ever know. But when the odds are eleven vs two, well, it didn’t go in their favor.

They took out six of them before they were dusted. My older brothers were hoods till the end. But does the mean they were bad people? I don’t think so.

Maybe that makes me a bad person, after all, they killed twenty-six people combined. I’ve killed seven. Toby has dusted only once, I think sleepily.

I fall asleep with Atty and Stone on my mind.

* * * * *

When I wake in the morning, Toby is still asleep. I stretch, my head hitting one wall, my feet hitting another. I lay there for a few minutes, just laying there.

Eventually, I stand up and go to the bathroom and get a shower. Once I’m out, Toby’s up and waiting for the bathroom. He groans softly, rubbing his face. Me being fully awake from the water, I trip him, but catch him before he hits the floor.

He groans again and falls to the floor like deadweight. “Toby? You okay man?”

I bend over, raising an eyebrow at him. I nudge him with my hand a few times, then he jumps on me. We wrestle like we did when we were little kids for a few minutes, until Andy comes up the stairs and sees us fighting in the hallway that’s only about three feet wide.

Toby punches me in the stomach while I bruise his jaw.

Andy sighs heavily. “What are you two- BOYS!” We stop for a few seconds to look at her. “What are you even fighting over?”

Toby and I shrug in unison and untangle ourselves and stand. She just shakes her head with a small smile. “Well keep it out of my hallway.”

I laugh and nod my head, Toby just smiles. I head down the stairs and walk out the back door. I sit down on the concrete steps outside and just sit there for awhile.

Eventually, Toby comes out and stands next to me. “What do ya wanna do?”

“I dunno. How bout you?”

He shrugs, “I dunno. We could go by the Hideout?”

I stand up, “Why not?”

A few minutes later, we fall into the dark hallway under the cellar doors. I walk in the door first and I can’t believe what I see.

There’s cops everywhere, half my boys are in handcuffs and being lead out to the cars. I stand in shock, staring at my home being inspected, my family being arrested.