Book 1: Guns, Love, Roses

Chapter 4 - Tristans Birthday

It was Tristan's 18th birthday, and was a party so hyped up that everyone from different campuses and different gangs in Melbourne were attending. People of different types were coming through; kids who were known to flash around money like it was nothing, kids who were known to be wearing the latest and rarest brands such as TI$A, Diamond Supply Co, Illest, and American baseball jerseys (varsity jackets), as well as kids who were known to cruise the streets in their Japanese import or Holden Commodore cars. No one was excluded, and it didn't matter what race you were or what pronoun you described yourself as, which made it just as equally as impressive and as equally as scary; as kids from different area codes coming together under one roof could be chaotic.

I waited outside Red Arcade with Allie who was glammed up in a bright red dress, with red vans to match; although red heels would've been more suitable. We waited for Peng Ha to pick us up, Allie seen to be excited to go as she pranced around me. An unfamiliar red Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 with a loud exhaust pulled up, the window rolling down as it came to a stop. Allie looked at me, confused, then took a step forward to check who was in the car. I moved my hand infront of her, causing her to stop abruptly as I took charge, walking towards the car and leaned in on the passenger side window. It wasn't until I recognised who it was that my mouth dropped in awe.

"Luca?" I asked. Upon mentioning his name, Allie quickly jumped up on her feet and peered through the window beside me with a big grin.

"Luca, what the heck are you doing here?" Allie asked.

"Here to pick you up. Peng Ha's orders." Luca leaned over to open the door, gesturing Allie to sit in the front. I opened the back door and sat behind Allie, unsure of what to say. Luca shifted into first gear and began accelerating.

"What's the rush? Party doesn't start till another hour." Allie crossed her arms, unimpressed. I could tell she was looking forward to seeing Peng Ha, and him suddenly disappearing without saying a word was out of character.

"Blame 4K." He said bluntly. I gulped at the thought of Peng Ha hanging out with the O.G's tonight, and was unsure if Peng Ha mentioned it to Allie at all.

"4K? He told me he was done with them." Allie bit her lips, clearly upset. She shook her head to clear any unwanted negative thoughts out of the way, then turned to face Luca.

"So what do we owe the favour for the most dangerous kid in Footscray to pick us up so suddenly?"

"Well, he returned my brothers hat back to me." He said, tilting the brim of the hat he wore graciously.

"He didn't have too, and he knows it means a lot to me, so I thought this would be a gesture of good will." Luca turned the hat to the side, pouting his lips playfully as he turned the music up loudly, bopped his head to the eccentric vibes that radiated through his energy and smile. Hearing the tragic story about Luca and his brother and seeing this fun side of him really surprised me. Was he always this friendly around people? They say that those who are capable of masking pain with a smile were either truly depressed or psychopathic.

Allie shook her head in dismay and fixed Luca's hat so that it sat properly on his head.

"Please don't ever wear your hat to the side, it's giving wannabe Tumblr famous vibes." Allie complained as she covered her ears from the loud music blaring through the subwoofers. Luca chuckled and lowered the music, lowering the dial on his RBG head unit.

"So you guys ready to party or what?" Luca lowered his window, the cold breeze hitting our faces as he downshifted, causing our heads to hit the headrest from the sudden change in acceleration. Luca cruised around the side streets of Richmond, using only inside roads as he pulled up in-front of Fitzroy flats.