The Bad Boy Is My Tutor

Chapter Forty-Two- The Last Night

"Well, I guess you can have it for forty then, my treat." She said in a mock whisper, and winked at me secretively.

It was certainly my lucky day.

"Thank you." I said gratefully and headed for the counter with the necklace.

I'd hope Amanda will like it, I thought, staring at the necklace as it is being put into a small black satin box.

I walked out of the shop with the small gift box in hand. Glancing at my watch, I was pleasantly surprised that I was on time, 2:50. I still had quite a long route to make on foot.

I tucked the box into the front pocket of my jacket, then set off.

I turned the corner near the supermarket and into a small alleyway. The alley was dark, with lack of streetlamps to guide the way, much unlike the bustling noise in the vicinity of the supermarket.

The alleys were small and narrow, making it difficult to even have two people walk through. The maze of it all gave the impression that sooner or later one of the alleys will reach a dead end.

However, this was child's play to me. I'd came to this part of town for at least a dozen times, from what I could recall, to get my first tattoo and the subsequent ones.

The people living in these areas were also no stranger to me, as they have seen me here often in fights. My mind recalled briefly the fight that I brought Amanda to, which was just a few blocks away from this alleyway, and the result of it.

Just thinking about it made my hands clench into fists. I'll never forget what happened, especially to Amanda. Even if it would never happen again, the damage had been done. I lost my most precious asset-my reputation.

Although I was not in the gang anymore, at least officially, I wanted to gain my pride and honor back as the Lightning Warrior.

My mind continued to recall Trevor, Amanda's father, or at least that was what he was addressed as, and his reckless behavior. If only Amanda knew how shrewd her dad was. In fact, I had recalled seeing his face at the match with Jerry, a small smirk, but it was only a glimpse before he disappeared.

He probably betted on Jerry to win, such that he was able to get double, no maybe triple the money that he had betted on. It was as if he already knew that I would lose to him.

If only I knew what his next moves were. He was probably not in a gang, as I had never seen any tattoos on him, but something told me that he could not be trusted. At the back of my mind, I made a mental note to mention it to Amanda later.

Finally, after walking a long route, I arrived at the shop, Marc Tattoo Services. Yes, Damien was currently working at a tattoo parlor. Not any tattoo parlor, but the one ran by the gang.

I dusted my hands on my jeans as I entered the air-conditioned room. It was bright compared to the alleys but the room was only illuminated by a few dim lamps.

"Vince Ryker, how nice to see you again." Darcy, a tall blonde girl with piercing blue eyes and multiple tattoos on her shoulders chirped at me, although her eyes were narrowed in suspicion. She was a staff at Marc's and a member of the gang, naturally.

Looking at her, I had no idea how or why she was recruited as a gang member, but she was at least borderline friendly and didn't bother me too much so I did not harp on further.

However, I could tell she was dying to ask the question: What Are You Doing Here? but I knew she wasn't supposed to pry.

"Well," I said, taking out a cigarette and a lighter from my jeans and flicked it on. "I'm looking for Damien."

"You mean the Leader?" She said, her eyes widened in surprise. Well, she had no idea that we were brothers. In fact, our hidden agenda that our family were thieves was not revealed to many of the members. That was the level of secrecy in this gang which I hated.

"Yes, he called for me." I said impatiently, taking a drag of my lighted cigarette and relaxing myself into an armchair. I did not know that he had became the leader.

"Al-alright. I'll call him right away." She disappeared into the room at the back.

A few seconds later, Damien, looking sweaty and tired, appeared. "What did you want to talk about?" He said coldly, as he took in my nonchalant attitude.

I opened my mouth, but I hesitated, not knowing what to say. He won't understand, would he? It wasn't as if he had been in this situation before, but he was the only person that I could talk to, who isn't facing the same predicament as me.

Finally, I explained my situation to him. "So this is the problem." He said, comprehension clear.

"Well, it depends which one you're more willing to give up. It's as simple as that. It's the decision that you choose, that even if it doesn't turn out well, you won't regret it." Damien said mildly, taking a swig of his beer as he sat facing me at the counter.

"Sounds simple enough." I replied, already having made my decision.

"You know, she's a good girl, that Amanda. Treat her well." Damien said after a long pause. He poured me a glass of beer.

I sniffed it carefully before taking a small sip. "It's not drugged, you know. Won't waste it on you."

"Habit."

We talked a little longer and he told me a little about what Harvard was about. Turned out, it was not as easy as it seemed. He was currently on break for a few months before the next term commenced.

"Are you the Leader now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." He said in a calm manner.

"It was decided among us." He said, although I doubted that. He probably attained the title by fighting off the rest of the gang members.

I surge of envy ran through me. If only I had stayed in the gang. I would have had a chance of being the elite leader.

"Gotta go." I said, glancing at my watch. The sky was getting darker. I had to get home before Amanda did, such that I would be able to surprise her.

"Have fun, brother." Damien said. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic. Even if he was, I didn't care because I had other things to be more concerned about. He slipped me an envelope.

When I was outside, I opened the envelope to find it filled with some semblance of cash. Well, actually a large sum of cash. Perhaps Damien cared after all.

With the cash, I decided to drop by the supermarket to purchase some groceries and cook a small meal. I hadn't cooked for quite a while but I was determined to put my cooking skills to the test. After all, I had cooked for the whole gang back then.

I bought quite a few ingredients from the supermarket and some soft drinks.

As quickly as I had arrived at the store, I left and went to locate my bike. To my relief, my bike was in the same position as I had left it.

Climbing onto my bike, I sped off towards Amanda's house.

When I had arrived, no one was at home yet. I put all the items on the kitchen table and set off to work.

When I was done with cutting the ingredients, there was a sound in the driveway which alerted me. I peeked through the windows. Finally, Amanda is back.

I switched off the light I was using and stood beside the main front door. "Hello? Is anyone home?" Amanda's small voice echoed as she opened the main door.

I smirked and grabbed her wrist

when she was looking for the light switch. She let out a small shriek as I pushed her against the door, trapping her.

"Hello, kitten." I whispered against her ear, my body flushed against hers in the confined space.

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New update. Yes this is the longest chapter I have ever wrote and it's also one of my favorites. Vote, comment or follow. Thanks for reading! -Solaire