My Way Out

Chapter One: Just the Beginning

Most people don't experience themselves dying, but I have twice. The first was when I was 8 years old. Luna, Anela, Jesse, and I was all outside in the front yard of Luna's house. This car had came by, and started shooting Luna and I both got hit. Luna got hit in the arm, and I got hit in my stomach. That day I thought I was going to die I even felt my soul leaving my body.

The second time I came close to death was when I was 13 years old. I came home late from one of Jesse's games and I left my keys at home. I called Ricky to see if will open the door, but that night I guess he was sleep. So I had to jump the fence to the backyard and enter the window of my moms bedroom. My mom left a week earlier so I didn't expect her be there.

Unfortunately she was there and she was high. So as I was entering the window she thought I was breaking in and stabbed me. Don't know what's worse getting stabbed by your mom, or having to call the ambulance yourself. I even had to care for myself until they got here. I had to get 10 stitches, and she wasn't there through my recovery. No one cared to ask questions, and as you'll see my town is rather different from others.

I take care of my 3 siblings the oldest is Mateo, then its Ricardo, and lastly our baby sister Aurora. In the mornings we wake up at 4am to get ready for school. Aurora and I make breakfast while the boys shower. Then we rotate, and Aurora usually takes forever.

After the shower and breakfast we get dressed, and have to pick up Jesse and Jason. They literally take forever getting up and dress also, so we all go over their and finish napping. When they are done I drop Aurora and the boys off at school. Then I got to school myself, and that is the only time I have without the  3 musketeers.

"Hey! Long time no see. How did a week in California treat you?" Luna said while hugging me. "Actually pretty good, but I'm tired as hell. Making it seem like my mom is head of the household, and she present not absent is harder than it seem." I replied. We stopped at her locker and she sat there before opening it. "You know my dad could always adopt you guys. He loves you and the brats, so all I can do is ask. He'll be happy to." She said.

I would love to live with Luna, but I think I'm straight on seeing how the cartel lives. "I really love your dad honestly, but I think I had one too many bullets hit me." I said. "Wow you get shot once and now no adoption? You need bulletproof skin." She said. Luna is always the one who jokes about everything.

"Hey Jess! Luna is recruiting me for the cartel. What you think about that? You want to join with me?" I said and he pushes Luna aside. "Nope and I'm not joining either it's not like it's the military. You die if you fuck up." Jesse said. "You die if you fuck up in the military too." Luna argues. Luna and Jesse always have arguments or debates about the smallest thing. Oddly enough that's how they bond, and they get along well together.

"Well either way if you fuck up you die. Now if you guys are done we need to get to class." I said. We walk into class and we started our day like any other day. "Hi. We need Mariana Carson to the office."

I enter the office and they tell me that my dad was trying to reach me all day. It was code for 'one of the kids go in trouble'. If the kids ever needed me for anything. I told them to call my school with that excuse. "Hey. What's going on?" I say over my cellphone. "Ricky got into a fight at school, and now they want a parent- teacher meeting." Mateo said.

We live by rules at our house. The first one is don't get in trouble to the point where someone is going to ask to meet our parents.  "What in the actual fuck. What did he do?" I said. Mateo took a deep breath said "You're not going to like it, but he punched a kid out in school.  Now the kid has a concussion, and a broken nose. So now the school is threatening to expel him." He responded.