Welcome to Gang Life

•24•

" Once upon a time..." Ace begins.

I scoff and hit him on the head. His head hits the sand and he groans.

" Don't start it off like that and as much as I want to know everything you're gonna have to cut it short because I need this thing called sleep because I have a final today in about 5 hours..." I rant.

" Find fine I get it. How do I start?" He mumbles.

We lay in silence for a couple of minutes and I try my best not to scream at him to hurry up, but it seems like he's trying to find a way to explain everything to me in simpler terms per say. I don't need the truth to be held from me because one way or another I'm going to find out. That's what happens with all secrets.

Then they're gonna find out about you...what you did.

I didn't do anything.

That's what you tell yourself. Tell the woman in the chair you shot or the mans throat you slit or...

Shut up! They deserved it. She was a spy and killer, he was a fucking rapist.

And you're not a killer?

No I'm not.

That's why I'm here...to tell you that you're only making your situation worse. You keep on denying the truth and one day like you said secrets come out.

You don't do anything to help me! You make me feel like shit, like I'm doing something wrong.

You're worthless. That's what you are. You've always known that. So maybe you should just...

Go die. I know.

I quickly shake my head determined to get the voice out of my head. The voice is always there. The voice in my head has been there since I was 5 years old. It keeps on coming back telling me my flaws and imperfections.

" I used to live in London with my brother Jack, my father, and my mother. My father abused my mother constantly, but I couldn't do anything because I was a child and would get beaten as well if I said anything to anyone. My mother couldn't take it anymore so she committed suicide..." he begins.

I grab him in a hug and put my face on his shoulder.

" I'm so sorry," I whisper.

I pull away from our embrace and he continues,

" After she died my father started to sleep with tons of women left and right. He wasn't in the right mindset. He owned his own company which soon started to collapse after my mother's passing. He became addicted to heroine and meth. He lost everything and so did Jack and I. Then a man of another drug company died and my father was asked to take over. It was just to take over dealings and such, but my father expanded the business becoming more successful then anyone could've ever thought. Soon the drug dealings went sky high in London and my father thought in America it would be the same. Things here in the U.S aren't the same as London. My fathers business grew here, but it started to expand into gang related stuff I guess. So he created the gang Bronze Tiger. Bronze because that was my mother's maiden name and Tiger because that was her favorite animal. My father loved my mother in a twisted way, but he constantly abused her for some reason that I'll never know. So the gang here grew to be the 3rd most powerful gang in the country," he finishes.

Wow. So Ace is the head of a gang that his father created who seems to be fucking insane and his brother Jack from what I gathered from before is jealous of Ace because his father chose Ace to be the leader of the gang not him.

That makes absolutely no sense at all!

" So your brother Jack is jealous of you?" I ask.

Ace nods his head and continues to stare at the ocean.

" And your father, the man who created this gang you're in...Bronze Tiger sent Jack to check up on you?" I question.

Ace again nods his head, not speaking a word.

" So you're the leader of a gang?" I ask.

He looks at me straight in the eye and I get lost into his deep sea blue eyes. He merely nods again inspecting my face for my reaction.

" Okay," I say.

He looks taken aback as if he was expecting a major meltdown.

" Okay...that's it? You're not the least bit surprised that major gangs exist?" He asks hurriedly.

" Nope. I always knew that gangs existed. When I first moved to New York I got caught up with the wrong people. Even before that I knew that gangs existed because of being on the streets often," I state shrugging it off.

He throws his head back and laughs.

" You're really something else aren't you April?"

" Yup,"

We both lye on the sand, enjoying each other's company. A questions trails in my head that I want to ask, but I know I shouldn't.

" Are my brothers apart of a gang?" I ask.

Ace looks at me and nods his head.

" I can't tell you much because it's not my place to. Just ask them and I'm sure they'll tell you. They'll explain everything to you," Ace says.

I slowly nod my head and get up stretching my arms.

" Shall we go princess?" He asks.

I roll my eyes and laugh.

" We shall,"

We head back into his car and realization soon dawns upon me.

" Shit my fucking finals today!"

I'm screwed.