Babysitting the bad boys baby sister

9. Stay away

It's 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon and I'm laying on the concrete of an apartment building. Three years ago I would be hanging out with friends or doing homework, maybe even painting. I haven't painted in a while I think there's no use in doing something that makes me feel.

The sun is right on my face but I don't move, I'm paralyzed. I never realized how cruel my mom could be but I can't help replaying everything that's happened in the past three years. We have moved 5 times, we moved a country, I've been in the hospital twice and all for what? My dad is going to find me again. I ruined his life, I ruined my mom's life, it's inevitable that I hurt people. Maybe I can't help it.

"Hey! You can't be up here!" I hear someone yell. Shit. I jump up and climb over to the other building next to mine.

"Hey get down from there!" The same person yells at me and just like that I slip. I fall down to the fire escape and land in the middle of a group of 2 young boys.

"Geez." I say and try to stand up.

"You're bleeding." One of the boys points out as I fail to pick myself up.

"Let me get my mom!" Another boy says. Great Athena, definitely laying low.

"What happened here?" A lady looks at me confused.

"I'm really sorry ma'am I slipped from the roof." I say and try to stand up again.

"Don't move let me get my first aid kit!" She says and hurried back into the apartment.

"Una niña está sangrando en la escalera de incendios!" (There's a girl bleeding on the fire escape!) I hear the woman shout from inside.

"mamá relajarse!" "Mom relax!" I hear another boy say.

The woman comes out with a basket of things. She pulls out gauze and tells me to lay on my side.

"I'm fine really." I tell her and she turns me on my side. I decide to not protest. How the hell did I get here? Here I am laying on my side almost totally exposed as a random lady bandages my hip.

"There you go." She tells me and smiles.

"Thanks I'll have to get going." I say awkwardly.

"You must rest, I'll get you some milk Manuel come help this girl inside!" She shouts into the window. A tall boy approaches and helps me climb through the window.

"Hey I know you! You were Jay's hot date that ditched him last night!" He says and I give him a sheepish smile.

"For good reason." I tell him and he nods slowly.

"I'm part of Jay's crew." He says and I freeze.

"You can sit on the couch." He tells me and leaves the small living room. I look around and see a lot of family photos. They look so foreign to me.

"Here." Manuel hands me a glass of milk and a plate of cookies.

"Thanks but I really should be getting home." I tell him. He leans in close.

"The thing is my mom will freak if you don't have at least one cookie." He whispers and I laugh lightly, he sits beside me.

"So why'd you ditch Jay?" He asks casually.

"Long story." I say and let out a long breathe of air.

"Well you haven't eaten a cookie yet so, I guess we've got time." He says and I roll my eyes and pick up a cookie.

"It was an emergency." I explain to him.

"An emergency that included the Gonzos?" Manuel asked with a strange look on his face.

"I'm their babysitter!" I let out exasperated.

"Doesn't matter you're associated with them." He says and shrugs his shoulders.

"What's so wrong with them anyways?" I ask.

"Look I told you I'm part of Jay's crew. We are rival gangs it's been that way forever. They live in their fancy penthouses in Manhattan and we're here in Brooklyn barely getting by." He says. He was right there was a big difference.

"I barley know them okay? I just take care of Lucian's baby sister." I tell him.

"I've never seen their house but I'm sure it smells like cash." He says and leans back against the couch.

"it's nice but they don't seem happy." I tell him honestly.

"I bet that boy hasn't smiled a day in his life." He says and chuckles. I know this not to be true but I'm no snitch.

"You met his old man yet?" He asks me.

"No he doesn't seem to really be around." I tell him. Maybe I should talk about Lucian's private life like this.

"Interesting." Manuel says.

"Rumor has it he's been working with one of the worst gang leaders there is, Alexander Thomas." He says and I jump up, ignoring the pain in my side.

"I have to go." I rush out.

"Why? What's wrong?" He says with a devious smile.

"My mom is probably looking for me?" I accidentally say as a question.

"Hmmm your dad's not looking for you?" He asks and tilts his head.

"He's dead." I say. It's the truth, my biological dad is dead. But Manuel doesn't believe me.

I make my way toward the door but the woman stops me.

"gracias por tu hospitalidad." (thank you for your hospitality.) I tell the woman and run out the door. My side aches and I don't know where I'm going. All I know is I can't breathe. I run until I find the stairs and try and find an exit. I run until I physically feel weak. I have no where to go. I don't have any friends, I can't rely on my mom, Lucian was being an asshole earlier.

I sit on a park bench and feel the blood seep through the gauze the woman put on my side but I am too tired to do anything about it. The sun is now setting and I know that it isn't safe to be out this late alone; but I don't care, I have nothing left to give. And so I lay down on the dirty park bench with the feeling of blood trickling down my torso and tears running down my cheeks.

I tell myself not to cry, I tell myself I am too strong to cry, I lie to myself. So I lay there crying until the sky is pitch black and I fall asleep.