𝑹𝑼𝑰𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞 𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕻𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖙 𝕱𝖎𝖛𝖊-𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖚𝖘

"sit." Mario said darkly.

I immediately did what he asked, looking around at the men with guns that got in next to me.

This limo we were in was suppose to feel like a luxury but I was the opposite of happy—I felt like I was on death row.

Mario glared at me, smoking heavily on the cigarette in his mouth.

"any other person in your position would be dead, scattered across this city in limbs!" He spat.

"but I will honor my deal with the black man—I won't kill you, I won't touch you, but you will pay. I have ways of making people suffer without even laying a finger on them." He glared.

I stayed silent, swallowing my spit out of nervousness.

"you steal my fucking money! All for some bitch!" He yelled.

That fear that was in me turned to anger, the moment he called my mother out of her name I clenched my fists.

"You are nothing but a boy in an mans world and you do that!"

This Cartel makes millions each day, 30 thousand is like a penny to you, why do you even care?

Again I stayed silent, I was angry—but I wasn't stupid. Before I could even get to Mario they'd shoot me.

As the drive went on I found myself tuning out Mario's threats, he was like a rabid dog at this point.

"Do you know what my brothers want to do to you? If you think I'm upset then you've seen nothing yet!" He yelled again.

"I'll honor the deal—but them, I don't know." He shrugged, sitting back.

Again I tuned him out, thinking about my mother. The was the only parent I had, I knew nothing about my father—not who he was, or why he left. I didn't have a father, I don't even know what being "a man" means.

Everybody in my life treated me like a burden, except for my mom. Even when in reality—I was, I her biggest burden.

I got in trouble constantly, suspended from school on multiple occasions. But despite all of that she still showed me this love that couldn't be replicated.

Even in the Cartel where you're supposedly surrounded by "family" they didn't treat you like it.
To them I was a little ass kid, like Mario said, a boy in a mans world.

So why did no one teach me, why would no one teach me how to be a man?

Lately the only person that treated me with any form of kindness was Joshua.

Yeah Rodrigo took me in and healed me, but that was all in his own interest. He planned to use me—to make me a slave.

I'd never had someone other than my mother tell me to talk to them, to confide in them, To be genuinely interested in me. I found that in Joshua—and I'm the reason he was kidnapped, probably beaten.

I didn't know they would come after him, they must've seen me and coach go in the room.

"....and that's why boys like you, don't do business with MEN like me." Mario continued.

I looked up, making eye contact with him, he'd still been speaking this whole time.

"you keep glaring into my eyes and I'll take that as a threat!" he spat

"I wasn't doing it to thr—" my words were cut off when I felt a cold sharp piece of metal come in contact with my throat.

"another word, and I'll have your tongue removed." Mario said evilly.

I began to breathe hard, looking at the man that had the knife on my throat with frantic eyes.

Moments later he let go once Mario waved him off, allowing me to calm down.

I sat back stiffly and held my throat, thinking back to one of my training sessions to take my mind off the guns and knives pointed at me.
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Flashback

"Why do you care about eye contact so much?" I asked with a pant as I punched the pads on his hands.

"respect." He replied simply.

"oh." I responded, continuing my punching.

"can I ask you something?" I spoke again.

"you might as well go ahead, you're already this far." He said sarcastically.

"How did you and Joshua meet?" I asked

Immediately he dropped his hands, causing me to stumble forward.

"Uh—, he was my doctor." He replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh that's cool." I nodded.

"What ty—"

"no more questions, put your hands back up." He said sternly cutting me off while going back into position.

"yes sir." I said lowly,

"You know—even though you don't like me coach, I'm learning a lot from you." I said with a grunt.

"Stop speaking." He responded.
__________________________________

".....and you better hope the black man wins, because if he doesn't—I'll make you wish you were dead!" Mario glared, snapping me out of my thoughts.