Some People Change (Currently Editing)

Chapter One

As I walked home with Billy on a scorching San Diego day, I thought about how much my life sucked. My stupid little home. My stupid mother, and stepdad, and my father who had left me before I was even born. The only people who I could tolerate were Billy, Billy's brother Jackson, and my two-year-old half-sister, Joanne.

Joanne was great. She never did anything bad. She was one of those perfect babies. But she belonged in a fairytale as a princess who lived in a castle with a queen and a king, not a rundown old shack with a druggie for a mother and an abusive father.

I didn't exactly fit in either, but I was no princess. I was no Joanne. I ran with a crowd that wasn't exactly made up of law-abiding citizens, but they were my friends, and Billy was one of them. He was the reason I had got involved with that crowd. He was my saving grace...my one link to sanity.

You see, Billy and I had known each other for all our lives. But in seventh grade, we started dating. Still, to this day, Billy was the most understanding person I had ever met. We had so much in common.

But after seeing each other for a few weeks, Billy told me he was part of a gang. I couldn't believe what I had heard. I had never wanted to be part of anything like that. But this gang was different. They were a family, and they accepted me almost immediately. We were just a bunch of outcasts who had banded together and would most likely stick together for the rest of our lives. And now, I was part of that.

Our gang wasn't violent. I guess you could call us thieves. We stole from stores, but I never participated in any of our robberies. I wasn't a risk taker and I was too afraid of being caught.

This always upset Billy. He wanted me to be part of the gang a hundred percent, and he said if I wasn't, I should just leave. But I didn't want to leave. My gang was the only thing I had. They were my family, and I could never imagine going on without them, or Billy.

Billy's voice suddenly made me refocus.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm fine." I lied.

"You're not acting like you're fine," Billy said.

I sighed.

"I'm just having a really hard time," I answered.

"Anything I can do to help?"

I stepped in front of Billy and then took his hands in mine. He knew what I wanted as he leaned down for a kiss.

"I'll be fine. I always am."

"No, you pretend like you're fine, but you're not. I know you, Kayla."

I just sort of shook my head.

"No one knows me."

"Except for me," Billy argued.

I smiled for the first time today, but it faded as quickly as it came.

Billy lived just up the street from me, and he always walked me to my house after school. But today was Friday and I was going over to Billy's house to hang out for awhile.

We walked past my house, but something made me stop. I heard crying coming from inside. It was Joanne. I had to go check on her.

I turned towards Billy, and he seemed to read my mind.

"Go. I'll meet you at my house. Bring Joanne if you want."

"Thanks," I said, throwing my arms around my boyfriend and then running to my front door.

My mother was passed out on the couch, as usual, and my little sister was sitting in the middle of the living room with a fresh scratch on her cheek. I glared at my unconscious mother.