She is a shy nerdy girl who follows the crowd.
He is a shy, gang royalty bad boy who stands out in a crowd.
Two rival gangs run wild in a small town in Florida with one public high school at the center. With gang violence at an all time high, tw...
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Welcome to St.Rainer High, where you would be considered lucky if you can make it to graduation without a bullet scar.
St. Rainer is the only public school in our run down town. So unless you are well off, you are stuck here. With a student body of around 1000 students, ranging from Pre-k to 12th grade, things can get a little crazy.
My name is Rose Alexandra Vega, but people call me Rosie and I am the oldest of 3. I have two half sisters, one who just entered kindergarten named Gloria Lucia Sanchez and a newborn sister named Mia Isabella Sanchez. My mom insisted that I change my last name to Sanchez, but I wanted to keep my dad's last name because he means the world to me and I can't even imagine giving it up.
My best friend, Torsha, doesn't understand my logic either. Tony is a great guy so why shouldn't I take his last name? He may be a "great guy", but he isn't my dad... And he isn't that great.
"Rosie, did you finish the AP Bio homework?" I snap out of my habitual daydreaming and see Torsha with her long black box braids dangling in front of her face. I pull out my notebook without saying a word and slide it to her.
"Last page." I say. She frantically flips through the pages and sighs when she sees the homework.
"I swear this stuff went over my head." She says as she copies the answers down. "Did I mention I am more of math person?" I smile. She is in AP Calculus, top of her class, but yet she struggles with AP Biology.
"You tell me everyday." She closes my notebook and winks at me. She turns around in her seat and faces forward. The teacher walks through the door as all the students are running in the hallway trying to get to their first period classes.
"Good morning class." Everyone murmurs their good mornings. He places his textbooks down and checks off attendance.
"Amaria?"
"Here!"
"Venacio."
"Here." All of a sudden a loud bang and yells echoes in the hallway that made everyone, even the teacher, jump.
A clump of boys sprint down the hallways yelling, "VIPERS!" I put my hand on chest to control my breathing. Why must they do this so early in the morning? The teacher slams his pencil and runs outside to see the commotion. A good amount of the students left the classroom to see what going on.
I didn't. I don't care for that sort of stuff. I don't like loud obnoxious people. Or loud noises period. I prefer things quiet and calm. My heart just can't take it.
Torsha runs back to me. "You okay?" I nod while exhaling. "These stupid Vipers. Always causing trouble. Apparently, some Vipers interrupted a Jackal meeting and got into a fight."
There are two gangs that are very prevalent in St. Rainer. One of them is the Vipers who are the south side of town and the other is Jackals which is north side. This school is smack center. So it's considered neutral ground, but that doesn't mean that gangs don't fight here. It's not even like the gang problem is a new thing. It's always been a thing. Some kids have these gangs in their family as far as 4 or 5 generations back. It's all they know. This is all we know.
The worst part is lunch. security stands along the perimeter as we eat. It's where most of the fights happen.
"Sometimes I feel like we are in a prison." Says Torsha as we sit with some of the other AP students. The smart kids have their own table, just like the music students, art students, and sports like basketball, baseball, and soccer. But always on the south side of the cafeteria is the Vipers and on the north is the Jackals. And you won't believe who is in the center.
"Why do we have to sit in the center?!" Torsha complains. "I feel like we should be the precious cargo of this school! This is unfair."
Torsha's other friend, Marisol, nods in agreement.
"With the security guards here, we are fine." I mutter. Torsha glares at me and sticks her tongue out.
"Please they can't do anything.. The gangs aren't afraid of them. They are more of an annoyance if anything." Marisol adds.
"Did you hear curfew is now at 9:00 pm. I hear its getting bad." Says Torsha as she drinks her water. I sigh heavily. Things like this don't usually end till one of the leaders has a bullet in his head.
"FUCK OFF Viper! You want to die today!?" Everyone turns their head at the buff Jackal strangling the Viper. All the Vipers spring into action and the Jackals follow suit as they barked their way to support their boy. All the other students not involved try to back away as security starts to break up the fight. But it all became too real when a gun fires.
"SHIT! ROSIE RUN!" yells Torsha. Everyone that isn't a gang member runs towards the exits. Me, paralyzed by fear, I freeze. I could feel my heart coming out of my chest. My hearing becomes distorted. My eyes become blurred as I see a security guard and a Viper gang member clenching their wounded bodies on the ground. Is this it? Am I going to die?!
"ROSIE SNAP OUT OF IT!?" She yells at me. I blink furiously and wake up from my trance. I follow her out the doors out into the schoolyard. They even evacuate the younger kids. Everyone looks like they are in a panic.
Torsha pulls me to her and starts crying, "What the fuck is wrong with you!? Do you want to die?! Why didn't you move?!" I didn't know what to say... She cries in my shoulder as I hold her tight.
"I am sorry." I say. I feel like I should be crying with her, but I couldn't. Maybe I am desensitized by it all. I don't know.
We are all able to go back in after 2 hours. The report is that two people were shot but alive and the Jackal that shot them was taken away by cops. Class resumes as normal. I am now in distress and hungry and in no way in any position to learn anything... Especially not AP English.
"Okay guys we are starting Lord of the Flies this quarter." The class is not in the mood for this anyone could see that. The classroom doors open. Before us is a tall muscular boy with a bunch of tattoos up to his neck. Everyone is at full attention. A Viper? In our AP English class? We usually get to sort of relaxed in our AP classes because gang members are either in remedial or college prep classes. You may see a few in honors, but AP?! I clench my pencil really tight. Try to breath Rosie. Try to breath.
"Oh and we have a new addition to our class... This is..." She looks at him and nervously smiles. "What would like to be called?"
He turns to face the teacher at the front of the classroom. A lump forms on my throat. I could cry right now. He looks at the class nonchalantly.
