The (not so) Good Girls Bad Boys: The Good, The Bad and The Abandoned

35- Why We Can't Have Nice Things

What kind of initiation is this?

I groaned as I worked away at a mysterious substance growing on the wooden coffee table. Teenage boys were disgusting. How could they live in such... such filth! And I have to clean it up? Initiation... they just wanted a maid. And Naomi was just salty that she had to do it first...

I continued to internally grumble as I proceeded to clean. I didn't have problems like this. The easy solution was to simply put things in their places and keep them there. Not leaving leftover pizza decorate lampshades or socks on the gaming console.

Sighing, I leaned back and tossed the rag drenched with cleaning products into its bucket.

You would think at least Bennett would keep these boys in line when it came to neatness. He always seems so composed and put together. If only his "base" could share the same personality. At least I didn't have to worry about the kitchen, however. That room... that room probably would have became dirty if I tried to clean it. I swear there wasn't a single surface in that place that I couldn't see my reflection in. He had holders for every tools and taped outlines around every pot and pan that hung on the wall. I mean, I knew Bennett was the cook of the group, but I didn't realize how serious he was about it.

Note to self- have Bennett cook me food.

Thinking further into this realization, I was suddenly reminded of all the things I still don't know about the Musketeers. The questions I still wanted to ask. I've come a long way from where I was in the beginning at least, but there was still a lot I wanted to know. What was their origin story? No one just suddenly wants to start a gang and go all mobster. Everyone has a motive or reason. What could there's possibly be? Bennett was better than fine in terms of money, so that couldn't possibly be the case. They all had families, so it wasn't some homeless or runaway crew looking for aid. Did they just get caught up in the wrong crowd? Get on the wrong side of bigger, stronger people? That seemed most reasonable.

Yeah... yeah that had to be it. The people I know... they're not killers. They're not bad people. And besides, there are only three of them. The boys are strong, but strong enough to become a leading crew. They must have gotten looped into the branching system. A part of a series of smaller gangs that are being threatened by some head honcho... it would make sense. Of course! They all have families too... families they need to protect. And those boys are fierce protectors of the ones they love-

The grin that had been growing from my personal revelation faltered.

Naomi.

If everything I had guessed were true... why would they get Naomi involved? If they knew there was some stronger gang leader breathing down their necks, they never would have even looked in her direction. Anyone involved with them would automatically be put in danger. If they knew that they would stay far far away from everyone else. But what other motive could they have? People like them... they're not the type of people to choose that kind of life. Someone like them... someone like them would only go down that path if...

I paused in my own thoughts.

I suppose that would make sense as well.

The sound of my steadily tapping foot drew my eyes downwards to acknowledge the sign of anxiety. I placed a hand over my thigh to silence the tapping. My eyes flickered to the black flatscreen TV in front of me, the screen dark and motionless besides the faint reflection of a confused, lost girl. I shook away the thought and picked up the rag once again, resuming my scrubbing at the mysterious stain.

Not everyone is like you, Alexa, I reminded myself.

What was really important, however, was this whole Tyson Lee case.