The Purity Project

Chapter 4

"Malcolm, I've been waiting forever. Get in," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. He watched as his friend stood outside his car, his arms crossed.

"Sorry Ty, I had to make sure that my sister's friends were outside with her," Malcolm replied. He opened the car door and sat down in the passenger seat.

"You don't have to do this, you know. Why don't you just walk home with your sister? Forget about all this," Tyler said, rolling open the windows. He backed out of the parking lot, glancing at Malcolm. The two of them had known each other for years, but Tyler couldn't help thinking that maybe it would have been better if they had never met. Maybe then Malcolm would stay with his family and live a happy life.

"Would you quit it? I don't need a kid like you looking out for me!" Malcolm snapped.

"Okay, okay! You know I'm only a year younger than you, right?" Tyler laughed as he drove away, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed with Malcolm. He was lucky to have a loving family.

Tyler had always hated his home. His mother was a heavy smoker and he could't count how many times he had found his father passed out on the front porch, the smell of liquor tainting the air. Tyler would constantly scold his parents, saying they were ruining Tyler's and his brother's life. Tyler's little brother, Ron, was only eight years old. He was such an innocent kid, apologizing whenever their father was drunk and acting up. Tyler had been working a dozen part-time jobs, earning as much money as he could so that when he turned eighteen, he could buy an apartment and live there with Ron.

"Just two more years," Tyler muttered. 

"Stop talking to yourself. We're here." Malcolm unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car.

Tyler looked up at his friend, pushing away his worries. Right now, it was Malcolm who needed his help. 

"Malcolm, they're waiting for you on the other side of the wall. When you get there-"

"Malcolm! Wait!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Tyler opened his door and stepped out. He took off his sunglasses and saw a girl that looked around fourteen running toward them. She had dark skin and jade green eyes. Her slim nose looked similar to Malcolm's. She stopped running once she reached them, and Tyler noticed the worried look on her face. He realized that this was probably Malcolm's sister.

"Jada? What are you doing here? You should be at home!" Malcolm shouted. 

"So should you! I followed you because I wanted to stop you from making a big mistake!" the girl shouted, sounding frustrated. She glanced at Tyler, then looked back at Malcolm.

"What? You don't even know what I'm doing here. Now go home." Malcolm sounded angry, but his face looked worried.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not without you." Malcolm's sister crossed her arms, glaring at her brother.

"Unbelievable! Jada if you don't-" Malcolm was cut off by distant shouts.

Tyler looked at Malcolm and shook his head, signaling that he didn't know what was happening on the other side of the building.

"Get in the car. Both of you," Malcolm said sternly. He grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her toward the passenger seat.

"Malcolm, I'm not-"

"Just get in the car!" Malcolm shouted at his sister. He opens the door and shoved her inside. He slammed the door before she could protest. He then looked up at Tyler.

"Ty, take her home. Don't drive too fast, or they'll think you're suspicious. Don't make any noises either." Malcolm started to run toward the building.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Tyler asked his friend. He responded with a thumbs-up. Tyler shook his head in disbelief, then entered the car.

"Malcolm no! Please don't go!" Malcolm's sister tried to push the door open, but Tyler pulled her back.

"I love you Jada," Malcolm called over his shoulder just as he disappeared behind the building.

Tyler put on his sunglasses and put the car in drive, leaving the area without a backward glance. Jada wouldn't stop squirming.

"Would you quit it? Do you want to get him killed?" Tyler snapped. Jada stopped moving, her eyes wide with fear. Tyler knew he should tell her something reassuring, but he hated lying to people, even if it helped them.

They stopped at a traffic light, and a man approached the car and knocked on the window. Tyler rolled down the window and tilted his sunglasses so he could look the man in the eye.

"Is there a problem, sir?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

"No, I'm just curious if you were anywhere near the abandoned building back there," the man said. He glared at Jada, who was staying surprisingly calm.

"Nope. Did something happen there?" Tyler asked, acting clueless.

"Not at all." The man looked Tyler up and down, then walked away. He entered a white van, then drove away. The traffic light turned green, and Tyler continued to drive, careful not to go to fast.

"Okay, start talking. I have a lot of questions. First, where's my brother? How do you know him? Who was that guy? Does he know my brother? Why is your hair not slicked back like all the other school boys?" Jada talked so fast that Tyler started to get a headache.

"Your brother wanted to meet some associates of mine. They were planning on stealing some money from the mayor and he wanted in on it." Tyler put a finger to Jada's mouth to stop her from interrupting. "Your brother and I have been friends for years, and I owed him. I don't know who that guy in the van was, but he definitely had something to do with the shouting we heard earlier. My guess is that he's part of some other rebel gang that wanted to steal the mayor's money for themselves. And lastly, I like my hair this way." Tyler ran his hand through his hair. Having it stick out in the front was his way of silently rebelling against Marolo's policies.

"Malcolm couldn't have gotten involved in rebel gangs. He knows how dangerous those people are!" Jada exclaimed in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Hey! There are a lot of nice rebel gang members that have helped me through hard times. Your brother is one of them. Now, they probably just got into a fight and eventually the police will show up and arrest them. Your brother will probably get taken to the juvenile delinquents holding center since he's still a minor."

"You say that as if it's a good thing," Jada muttered, slouching down in her seat.

"Well, it's better than a police officer showing up at your front door saying that they found your brother dead in an alley," Tyler snapped. He looked over at Jada and saw that she was close to tears.

"Ugh. Just forget I said that." Tyler rubbed his forehead and stayed silent for the rest of the drive. Jada didn't say anything either. He parked the car in front of Malcolm's house. Jada opened the door and walked out. Tyler rolled down his window as she walked past.

"Thank you for the ride," she said quietly as she headed for the front door.

"Hey! I know this doesn't mean much coming from me, but I'm sure your brother is fine. Just-just don't go looking for him. He'd kill me if anything happened to you," Tyler said, smiling.

"Okay," Jada replied as she disappeared into her house.

"Man, I've got to stop getting involved in stuff like this." Tyler rubbed his forehead again and drove away.