The crying game(Jason McCann love story)

"My name's Jason by the way."

Oh crap. I hate walking down Brooklyn streets at night. It's too quiet, gloomy and frightening. There's not much gangs about here in bedstuy but I know of a couple or two loitering about nowadays and I really don't want to get involved with trouble. Especially since I'm finally getting my life back together.

Its kinda a long story. I messed up my life because I liked this guy called Anthony. This was when my family and I were still in Crown Heights. He got me involved with drugs, alcohol and quite a lot of violence. I was on probation for allegedly assaulting a man. All I did was ask him for the money he owed Anthony, I think he took it the wrong way. But here I am now, in bedstuy restarting everything. My life is finally back where it was and should be. 18 and clean.

I sighed deeply and crossed the road. The rain was lightly pouring down but it was really warm. I hid my hands within my coat pockets and kept my head low as I heard distant laughing coming from beyond me. I crossed yet another road and coincidentally found a gang down the alley who were probably smoking a joint. I looked at them briefly but when I saw one of them turn their head to my direction I snapped mine back to the road.

I could feel him mumbling to his friends and one of them wolf whistled me. Which was kind of pathetic since you could hardly see me. It was dark anyway, and I couldnt quite make out their faces either. To me they were black silhouettes in the dim lighting.

"Hey!" I heard one of them yell. I bravely turned my head towards them and stopped abruptly. The gang chuckled and it seemed like they were pleased that I had the nerve to face them. As they walked closer there was a lamppost that lit up due to movement. I could see them more vividly now.

All 5 of them. Two of them looked like twins, another was smoking a joint whilst the other was holding a beer can. And the last one was holding what seemed like an Swiss army knife in his hand.

"Can I help you?" I asked them courageously. They were getting closer and when they were about a foot away from me they stopped to 'check me out'. One of them had a red snapback on, I couldnt quite see his face but he seemed like a quiet guy. Like that friend within your group that just tags along. The other four were just normal looking and excited. Or high.

"Damn you are one fine piece of-" One of them was about to finish their sentence when the other butted in immediately.

"Dude you should bang her." The other suggested like I wasn't even there.

I scoffed at their rude remarks. "If you're going to "bang me" dont talk to me like I'm an object." I insisted aggressively, quoting my words.

The gang laughed and jumped in excitement. "She's playing hard to get, what's your name?" The loud and rude one asked smoothly and calmly.

"Mia." I simply replied. "You?"

The boy smoking the joint dropped it and stomped on it so it was no longer lit. He exhaled the smoke he held in his mouth and said, "Where have I heard that name before?" He approached me discreetly, I tried to force myself not run away even though I was so desperate to. The guy circled me like I was his prey and he was the predator. He scanned me from head to toe, his breath stunk badly. He was at the back of me and he pulled my raven black hair out the way, his skanky breath touching my cold, pink ear. "I know who you are." He said bitterly then smirked and walked back to the gang. This time he lit up a cigarette.

I gulped a frog in my throat when he whispered that. What did he mean he knew who I was? I wasnt really iconic when during my reckless days but I think he meant he knew what I did. "Well are you going to tell me your names or?" I said.

They all enclosed me in a circle now laughing at me with dilated pupils. "I'll tell you my name if you come home with me." One of the twins suggested groping me.

I pushed him off violently. "Get off me! You're disgusting." I insulted with an unpleasant look on my face. The twin raised his eyebrow at me.

"Dont be a bitch now." The other twin advised so I punched him in the face. Like straight up punched him. He groaned in pain and I decided to use that as my chance to run away from trouble.

I sprinted running down nearly 3 blocks per second.From afar I could hear them shouting and I swiftly jerked my head to see if they followed me and yep, there they were chasing me.

"I'm going to kill that bitch!" The twin with the bloody nose yelled with his fist in the air. He sounded so angry, like I had killed his mother but really he just got his ass whooped by a girl.

I turned the corner to fin myself in another alley way that led to a busy road. I hesitated but I managed to get my breath back quickly. I walked down the alley like a normal Brooklyn citizen and I heard them run past me shouting things, cussing, asking where I was. I smirked and when I was at the edge of the alley I leaned back on the bleak, cement wall.

Suddenly there was a freezing, firm hand that covered my mouth. A silhouette of a boy wearing a snapback was standing before me. "Shh." He advised so I shut up. I could see his gang crossing the road in search for me from the far distance. I knitted my eyebrows together, was this the same guy in the gang? The quiet one? He finally let go of me and looked at me for a brief moment before walking away.

I frowned, pulled him back and wrestled him to the floor my Dad's army knife (that I carried around with me all the time for protection) caressing the skin of his throat. "What the hell were you doing?" I asked him. I was basically straddling him but somehow he didnt seem to mind at all.

His snapback fell off and I could just about make out his facial expression. "Can't a guy be nice sometimes?" He answered questionning my answer.

I tilted my head. "But you were with those guys." I mentioned.

The guy chuckled. "Without me you'd be dead. Those guys know Brooklyn really well so I suggest you go home - oh and don't be a bitch to them next time you see them either." He explained.

"They were being a bitch to me first." I argued. I sounded like a person to hold a grudge so I reluctantly let the guy go. I shoved the knife back into my pocket and helped him up. He grabbed his snapback and readjusted it on but he put it on backwards this time. "Why were you helping me?"

He shrugged. "You intrigue me." He simply replied. I didn't really know what to say so I didnt say anything at all. "Well you're welcome."

I half smiled. "Thanks. Nobody's ever done that for me before." I moistened my lips. "I appreciate it." The guy did nothing but smile. "I'll see you around." I said abruptly mentally punching myself in the face for blowing him off like that. I walked away quietly, feeling a little humiliated.

"My name's Jason by the way." He shouted. I turned around and smiled, properly this time.

"Mia." I answered back.

He smiled. "I know, you mentioned." Jason mused. "Stay safe out there." He advised before he nodded and walked away like nothing happened.

When he was out of sight I pulled something from my pocket that I collected from Jason. I'm quite good at pick-pocketing if you ask me. I pulled out his lighter and observed it. On the golden lighter was engraved the words:

"JM - Brooklyn"

Bedford-Stuyvesant. Central Brooklyn. What was a guy like him doing here in BedStuy? Maybe I should go visit Brooklyn this weekend to return his lighter, but what are the odds that I'll make it out in one piece?