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.
"Don't mind the detour, I'm technically not allowed to be driving in this car."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"It's running a twin turbo and a few other bits and pieces that don't meet roadworthy regulations." He said, not caring as he sped through the side streets almost too casually.
"Uh, Luca, the party is at Brighton Beach, not Fitzroy." Allie pointed out as she noticed familiar landmarks that seemed foreign to me. I was still technically fresh when it came to identifying certain suburbs and street names.
"Yeah, hold on a second. I'm going to grab something important from my friends house real quick. I won't be long." He got out of the car and dashed towards the Fitzroy flats. What felt like a few minutes he returned shortly with a black Country Road bag that contained something enormous inside, shoving it inside of his boot quickly, hindering me from taking a closer look.
"What's in there?" I asked.
"Don't worry, nothing that concerns you." He said simply, shifting into gear and began accelerating down the road; heading towards the party.
-
The main road of Brighton Bay was packed full of cars with p-platers and young adults who were either smoking cigarettes or indulging in various lollipop flavours infront of their cars, shaking hands with one another and conversing casually. There was that many teenagers hanging out next to their cars that people began spilling dangerously onto the main road. Luca wasn't afraid to beep the horn in frustration, raising his voice at party goers who failed to cooperate. Sour looks were exchanged, with Luca scoffing in response. I could tell that Luca would give anyone a hard time if he really felt like it, and it didn't matter what size the person was or how big the group was either.
The houses that loomed over the Main Street of Brighton Bay shared the same neutral Colorbond render walls with a distinctive metal fenced pattern that stretched across all neighbouring houses, with specific trees and various plants that sprouted on the front yard which was the only noticeable feature that gave the houses a sense of individualism. As Luca scouted for a place to park, he had spotted a black Toyota Supra that caught his eye. Feeling somewhat drawn to it, he pulled up beside it and stuck his head out.
"Who's car is this?" Luca said, raising his voice to a few of the kids who were seen leaning on the car.
"Julie's from Springvale High."
"The girl that's dating YSK Jordan?" Luca asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who's asking?" The kids asked, Luca definitely sensing abit of hostility as they spat their lolliepop sticks from their mouths to turn and face us. Luca, clearly not phased by their change in demeanour as he casually began asking questions. Either Luca was always fearless or just oblivious.
"Why's it missing a back end?"
"I brought it like that." A relatively tanned south-east Asian kid with long side burns that dangled underneath his flexi-cap nodded, gesturing a girl who stood an arms length away to come close, the flexi-cap kid wrapping his arms over her shoulders to prove they were dating. So that must be Julie, and the guy wearing the black hat must be the boyfriend. He looked no older than I was, yet was able to afford a car of this calibre? Hanging out and being surrounded by people who had the ability to flash and spend money like it was nothing brought out some unwanted insecurities within myself, and it almost felt embarrassing. Thoughts like this that made me compare myself to others I tend to keep to myself, because deep down the only thing I had to my name was the ability to show others that I passionately cared and looked after those dearest to me, and that no money in the world could ever change my code of conduct when it came to treating others with respect; to never judge people based on circumstances and appearance. These values that could only be learnt and cherished by experiencing hardship in places where kindness was non-existent, especially migrating from a war torn country.
Allie peered closer to the driver side, not worried at how she leaned awkwardly on Luca's shoulder to get a better look at the kids who huddled around the Supra.
"I pictured you driving a Jeep, not a Supra." Allie chuckled. Julie's eyes widened in surprise when she recognised Allie's voice.
"Allie? Oh my God, it's you! What on earth are you doing here?" Julie asked cheerfully.
"Oh you know, just wanted to pop by and see who's here." Allie said as she pouted her lips in anticipation.
"Can you boys help me find a place to park?" Luca asked, looking around to see that the parking bays were well and truly full and the people who stood around did not budge. Julie was seen whispering something in her boyfriends ear, and instantly he motioned his friends to followed behind him as he walked over to the car that occupied the parking bay behind the Supra. With a quick head nod towards the supposed driver and various handshake exchanged between both groups, a few words were said and within minutes the driver of the car twisted the key into the ignition, the group of teenagers dispersing as the car revved to life. Whoever the guy was that dated Julie must have either a lot of power, respect or both to be able to convince a group of random guys to perform a small gesture which to me felt too tedious to follow through.
Once there was adequate space, Luca swung his car closer to the Supra, prepping himself to parallel park infront of everybody that stood around wanting to hear the exhaust omit the iconic twin turbo whistle every time Luca would alternate between the clutch and reverse pedal. With one hand on the wheel and the other arm sticking out of the window, Luca lowered the volume of the music all the way down, and I couldn't help but chuckle to think that the settings of the volume had some form of correlation to how efficient he could execute the parallel park. Once Luca perfectly positioned the car behind the Supra, he pulled the keys out of the ignition, the sound of the engine slowly dissipated as the revs came to a close. People began taking photos of the Supra and the Evo 8 together as party goers walked towards the car to greet and welcome us as we exited the vehicle. For once I felt like a celebrity being showered with attention from people I barely even knew. As the warm welcomes subsided, the crowd dispersed out of the way to reveal Julie with her boyfriend's arms wrapped around her shoulder and the group of boys who looked to be part of their posse.
"Nice ride. You drive manual like it's an extension of your body, smooth." The boyfriend said, offering his hand.
"Your name?" He asked.
"Luca." He offered his hand, the two exchanging a pleasant handshake. A few head nods were exchanged between us and the Supra group. Julie's boyfriend released his grip, and exchanged glances at his friends who stood behind him.
"You won't happen to be the Luca, leader of B2K?" He said, raising an eyebrow.
"Depends who's asking." Luca snickered, crossing his arms as he casually brought up the slight hostile encounter earlier when Luca asked who brought the Supra. The boys chuckled quietly between each other, acknowledging Luca's impressive attention to detail.
"Everyone in the delinquent scene has heard about how you narrowly escaped death to save your older brother. I admire your bravery." He nodded in acknowledgement, his friends behind him murmuring amongst each other.
"Name's Jordan Pham." Jordan said, playfully putting his flexi-cap on Julie's head, brushing his hair with his fingers so that his long hair would sustain more volume. With his hat off I was able to get a better look at him. There was something about Jordan that felt familiar, as if he could blend in my village in Laos if he really wanted to.
"Oh so your that Jordan Pham?" Luca turned to me with a big grin on his face. Jordan glanced over his friends who shared a look of curiosity.
"You did time in Parkville for almost killing a guy, didn't you?" He snickered. I could tell Jordan didn't take that too lightly.
"I did, and suffered PTSD serving my time inside." Jordan folded his arms, unimpressed.
"Didn't mean to strike a nerve." Luca said innocently as he walked over to the boot of his car, opening it up to pull out the Country Road bag from earlier, adjusting it so that the strap sat comfortably on his shoulder.
"What's in there?" Jordan asked as Luca closed the boot, the keys jingling in his hand upon pulling it out from the keyhole.
"I'm looking for someone in particular. A fob from Singapore." Luca exclaimed, leaning on the side of his car.
"His name is Wong. About shoulder height, lanky. Doesn't dress very well." Jordan laughed in response.
"Yeah I know who you're talking about." Jordan said as he began walking along the footpath to the direction of the house party. We followed closely behind and came to a complete stop when Jordan raised his hand, indicating us to stop. A large crowd of party goers crowded around the front gate, making it too congested to walk through freely. Jordan stood on his tippy toes, glancing over the shoulders of the people who stood in his way. There seemed to be a long line that stretched from the main entry door that extended all the way out to the gates where we stood. Luca, who was seen to be the tallest amongst all of us, got a better look of the situation, and hissed in frustration.
"If we enter through the front, it will take a while for all of us to get in." Jordan concluded.
"And judging by the type of people here it looks like everyone and their dog won't budge or move aside for us even if we tried." Jordan sighed.
"I'm not about to provoke an unnecessary war with unfamiliar kids as well. We already have enough as it is on our plate." I could see the disapproval in Jordan's eyes.
"Everyone can't wait to party, huh?" Luca snickered, turning around back to the main road.
"Where you going?" I asked.
"To find another way in." Luca said bluntly as the distance between us and him grew bigger by the second. What felt like a lifetime only translated to a couple minutes, and it wasn't until Luca turned around with one eyebrow raised.
"You coming or not?" He grinned, raising his voice amongst all the other people that chattered amongst themselves.
I sighed, and began walking towards him. I stopped abruptly when I felt a firm hand gripping my arm. I turned back to see Allie who looked concerned.
"I won't be long, okay?" I reassured.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Allie said, then brought her lips closer to my cheek.
"I don't know Luca well enough to know what his true intentions are, and why he came here without his friends." She began, speaking softly.
"But he is dangerous Jacky, just remember that." She let go of my arm and gave me a final look of concern until I turned my back on her to accompany Luca.
-
It was just the two of us, with Luca leading the way. The further we got away from the party the less people their were. We took a detour through a side street until we finally reached the opposite end of the block.
"This must be the back end of the units." Luca started, glaring at the houses that dimly lit the outside of the rendered walls where we were situated.
"Brighton Bay homes some of the most expensive houses. Wont be surprised if these units have hidden cameras planted around the backyards." Luca took his top off, using the sleeves of his top to cover his mouth and eyes.
"Do as I say, and say as I do." Luca instructed, his voice muffled from his sleeves as he spoke. I nodded quietly and removed my top, doing the same until it was just us two with t-shirts on and a makeshift face cover. Luca took a couple steps back and with enough momentum gained from sprinting towards the walls, he lifted himself up, adjusting the strap on his bag. Once he got his footing, he leaned over and offered a hand, his firm grip lifting me up onto the top platform of the wall. The wall was thick enough for us to safely sneak through.
"It looks like the walls are all laid out across the entire block. We'll just walk along the wall until we get to Tristan's house."
"Alright." I said simply, Luca nodding to me before turning his back against me, as he clutched his back and began crouch walking with care. I mimicked exactly what Luca was doing, trodding carefully while trying to not make any noise. I tried not to think about getting caught in action, as what we were doing wasn't exactly legal; we were trespassing. As we cleared the first house I could feel my heart pounding from my chest. The fear of getting caught caused my hearing to amplify, my ears picking up even the faintest of leaves bristling from a tree located miles away from my vicinity. Focused and alert as ever, I continued behind Luca at a reasonable pace, and it wasn't until he stopped abruptly that caused me to bump into him. Luca raised his hand, his back still turned. I glanced over his shoulder to assess the situation, only to see what caused him to stop suddenly. A woman with a large bathrobe was seen to be smoking a cigarette on the balcony facing the back streets. Concerned, I couldn't help but look down, only to realise that we were metres above from ground. It seemed as though the walls must've gained elevation as it stretched through the entire block. One wrong move and it was a guaranteed broken leg. Luca took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he laid low on his stomach. He gestured me to do the same and to lay low, his eyes still fixated on the woman who seemed to take her time smoking her cigarette. Unsure of how camouflaged we were, I was hoping the street lights were dim enough to not reveal our location, because all it took was for the lady to turn to her head to the left and it was game over.
What felt like ages laying still as a statue, Luca proceeded to crawl forward at a snails pace. I did the same, crawling on top of the render that began cracking every time I dragged my shoes across to cover more ground. Where there was light that illuminated brightly on various areas of the wall was when Luca and I wasted no time to evade and walk quickly across out of clear sight. The light was our worst enemy and this was coming from someone who preferred to spend his leisure underneath the sun and not during the presence of a starry night. I felt slightly relieved as we walked carefully along the walls, because the music from Tristan's house was getting louder. Just when I thought we were almost there, Luca stopped to gasp, which was loud enough for me to hear from behind.
"What's wrong?" I mumbled. Luca turned to face me, putting a finger on his lips as a gesture to be quiet. Confused, I peered over the next house over and saw the issue. There were two big dogs seen to be laying softly on the false grass of the backyards. Oh no, I thought. It didn't matter how quiet we were, a dogs instinct is to be territorial, and they weren't going be happy if they sensed two outsiders that didn't belong in their household. Luca patted me on the shoulder, and upon receiving my attention he pointed towards a balcony ahead and like a game of charades, he placed both hands close to his chin, and I tried not to laugh as he re-enacted a bunny hopping using his hands and face at the same time. I got the memo; he was planning on hopping from the wall and onto someone's balcony. I gave the 'ok' hand gesture and followed Luca who walked a couple steps forward, removing the bag once he knew he was in position, and without hesitation, he threw the bag over the balcony, and without wasting anymore time, began bracing himself for what could possibly be the hardest part of the mission. With one final swing of his arms, he ducked low, gained enough momentum, and jumped across the balcony, gripping tightly across the bars. With one deep breath he got his footing right, and reached over the other side using his arms first. Once he got comfortable enough, he used the weight of his upper body to maintain stability, his long legs following the motion of his body as he reached over safely until he was well and truly on the other side. Once Luca got his bearings right, he peeped through the see through balcony door and placed his hands on the handle, gently turning it until it clicked, the house welcoming us in as the balcony door opened with ease.
Luca gestured me to hurry, and I didn't hesitate to get into position, bracing myself for the leap of faith. I gulped nervously, took a deep breath and hopped towards the balcony, my knees smashing against the barrier poles, creating a loud clanking noise. Luca, who was already inside had turned around, his eyes wide in shock as his hands gripped the top of his head in sheer nervousness. I gritted my teeth not because I was in pain, but because I had almost compromised the mission. From the corner of my eyes I could see the dogs from the neighbouring backyard peer upwards to the direction of the noise, well and truly awake. Without wasting anymore time I lifted myself up and hopped onto the balcony with ease, wiping my hands on my trousers.
Before trespassing through uncharted territory, I exhaled as deeply as I could to prepare myself for what was to come. The suspense was killing me to be honest, and being in the dark as to what lay ahead caused me to overthink and worry about the worst case scenario; till this day I wonder if this was my self conscious going to war against what I believed was morally right and ethically correct; a core ingredient to the foundation of my soul. It was the first time I had ever felt like this, my instincts disallowing me to twist the door handle any further as this went against my only value of treating others the way I would want to be treated; that is- I wouldn't dare to break into someone's house full knowing that I wouldn't want it done to me.
My thoughts began racing further within; dwelling deeper into the depths of my soul which contained all spiritual values that felt important to me; and that was the belief in the existence of karma. I was a heavy believer in karma, and there was more to it than just opening a door. To me there was an underlying metaphor not obvious to the naked eye, which gave life much more meaning to what I could just physically touch and see infront of me; contributing to my definition of reality, and tonight was the night I truly felt something within me change; more so awaken. For those that were in my position at this point in time, for an average person what stood infront of me was just an unopened door made of wood, glass, and brass. But in my eyes it was more than just an interactive door; it was a portal- a gateway to sin.
I grew up believing and didn't dare challenge the fact that an unforgivable curse or unknown Deity in charge of dishing out punishment to all sinners was going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and this one very action by going against all that I valued and believed in will turn my darkest nightmares into reality; and tonight, I was not willing to contest that very belief. I let go of the handle, and backed away from the door. Luca, who was waiting for me to enter shook his head at me in confusion. I sighed, and waved at him, hopping onto the rails, bracing myself to jump back onto the wall. I was over it. Exhausted. I felt lost for once in my life, my feet dangling hopelessly on the wall for what seemed like 10mins. It was then I made my decision. I walked back to where I started, back to Allie.
"What do you think you're doing?" Luca muffled, stopping me dead at my tracks with a hand over his mouth, crouching low on the rooftop tiles of the home that housed the dogs. How he got up there is beyond me.
"I'm going home."
"We're almost there!" He pleaded.
"I'm not breaking into someone's home." I pursed my lips. Luca, looking confused, rolled his eyes and gestured to head to the direction of the party.
"I'll meet you at the party then, just walk along the the wall this way until you reach Tristan's." He murmured.
"What about the dogs?" I pointed out.
"I'll distract them, don't worry about it. Just go!" He waved his hands to the direction of the party one last time. I sighed, inhaling yet another big breath of fresh air. I quickly calculated the situation ethically, morally, and spiritually. Ethically speaking, being caught on top of this wall was deemed illegal, I shouldn't be here. My only solution out of this mess was to hop down and attend Tristan's party from here. Morally speaking, I wasn't harming anyone but myself, and in this case, it felt like Luca needed my help, and I felt obliged to help as long as it was under my rules and conditions; and to define if I was doing anything wrong spiritually, well; I wasn't mistreating anyone or performing any acts of terror or injustice towards anyone specifically; so my conscious was clear. Nice, I thought. As long as I knew where to draw the line and remind myself what was right and wrong kept me not only mentally stable and balanced, but it reminded me that I needed to place limits and boundaries which should not be crossed when it came to questionable choices I made in life. If not for my own limits, I may as well be called a puppet, or a robot who lived only to serve. I wanted to be more than that. I wanted to make my own decisions that felt right to me. I wanted to feel human.
"Okay, I trust you!" And just like that, my entire values that held dear to me rested upon the opening of the door handle. I began making my way to the direction of the party. My worst nightmare came true when the dogs began barking at me. I bit my lips in both nervousness and frustration, getting goosebumps as I felt the hairs on my skin pop up. I groaned out of impatience, as I was placed in a sticky situation. I stood up, ready to make a dash for it, not caring if I was going to get caught or be yelled at.
"Hi doggie! Come and get me! Over here!" Luca yelled, catching him through the corner of my eyes as he took off his t-shirt, wrapping it in a ball and throwing it at the dogs. I began running along the wall as fast as I could until Tristan's party was in sight. The noise of the dogs barking became nothing more than a distant memory as my ears began absorbing the new stimulation of bass, electric music, and people yelling and dancing. Quickly realising that people were pointing and looking at me, I found the closest bush that could cushion my fall in Tristan's backyard and took my last leap of faith, hoping for nothing but the best as I jumped off the wall and into safe territory. I made it- I thought, brushing off any unwanted leaves and branches that stuck through my clothes.
People who saw me enter the party like a titan gate crashing the 18th birthday party had approached me, and began interrogating me. With adrenaline slowly wearing off, my head hurt as I tried to calm the annoyed party goers.
"You need to leave." One guy said as he grabbed my shirt. I tried to brush him off but he was too strong, and too tall. It wasn't until a tiny baseball flew past me, hitting the man on the shoulder. He looked up at the direction of the best throw I had witnessed ever. Noticing his grip loosened, I quickly doubled down and ducked, his grip finally letting go as I attempted to head straight into the house in a desperate effort to breach through the crowd that blocked the entrance to the home, failing miserably due to how packed it was.
I turned around angrily, almost losing hope until a familiar face was seen jumping immaculately into the same pair of bushes I fell into, my mouth open in awe. Fortunately for Luca, he won the luck of the draw, entering the party undetected. Without moving and relocating, I waved my hands up in the air in hopes that he could see me. After Luca was done wiping himself clean from dirt, he stretched his arms, the bag still hanging tightly over his shoulders. Hesitant on getting caught again, I proceeded to jump up on the spot, people standing around me giving me questionable looks. What felt stressful for what felt like a lifetime, he had finally noticed me, nodding at me as he approached closer.
"Fancy seeing you here. Thought you got lost." He said as we met finally met halfway. Luca laughed, then averted his grim attention to the crowd that covered the only entryway into the house.
"How on earth are we suppose to get in if the crowd is blocking the last entry inside? No one will budge for us." I complained, crossing my arms as my vision focused on the entryway, its double timbered oiled doors in Jarrah inviting us in only for Luca and I to be stuck beyond the crowd.
"Give me a second, I'm going to speak to a few people I know to find out of this guy I'm chasing is really here or not; otherwise we're bolting." Luca explained.
"Okay, I got you." I said as I stood my ground. I watched as Luca approached a few familiar faces of some nice welcoming Filipino girls holding red party cups and casually sipping on them as they spoke to one another. Moments after a few brief minutes of chit chat, laughter, and hugs exchanged, Luca came back to me with a grin on his face.
"He's here, but we're going to do this quick and easy." He began.
"He's upstairs. We're going to run up and get him, all you have to do is follow my lead alright?" I nodded in reply. As soon as Luca knew we were on the same page, he turned to face the double doors and whipped out the machete from his bag.
"Get down everyone! I've got a weapon and I'm not afraid to swing it!" He yelled on top of his voice. Everyone turned to look; some cowered away in fear and others actually switched on and ready to challenge us. I scoffed at the thought of these guys thinking they had a chance against us. I took a few steps forward at a few kids who sneered at us.
"What bro, you think you got a chance at us?" I growled, arms wide open to invite him for the first swing. The kids hesitated for a moment, unsure whether it was the seriousness in my eyes that translated to an intent to kill, or perhaps I had just stolen their thunder the moment I engaged before they could build up their own confidence to even think about fighting. Luca swung to my direction, catching a glimpse of the kids who were giving me a hard time.
"This is serious, step back or I'll swing this is no joke." He said as he showed his teeth, both his canine teeth seen sharp and covered in silver platinum. The boys murmured amongst themselves and backed off, the crowd huddling close to the doors now dispersing, making way for us as Luca began taunting his way in. The two kids seen chatting with Luca previously began chuckling amongst themselves, enjoying the entertainment. As we entered the birthday boy's house, people began stepping away from each other, the two of us walking further in until we were stopped by a rather old teenager with a birthday hat on and a confetti in his mouth.
"What seems to be the problem gentleman?" The boy asked.
"You the birthday boy?" Luca asked, raising an eyebrow as he lowered his blade.
"Perhaps. Depends who's asking." He said, raising an eyebrow.
"I am." Luca began.
"I'm looking for Wong. I know he's upstairs." He said defiantly.
"Okay, sure man. I'll take you guys to him. No need for weapons here, we're all just hanging out." Tristan chuckled as he gestured us to follow him, Luca hiding the weapon in his bag as quick as he could incase any children or parents could see. As far as the both of us were concerned, this birthday party was family orientated and the last thing this birthday boy needed was for a bunch of gate crashers invading his house without much plausible cause; although we got lucky seeing as though Tristan was chill about it. He motioned us to walk up the flight of steps up onto second floor only to see a kid who looked half-cast and relatively tall sitting down on a couch drinking chocolate milk with a face that read; what am I doing here? The moment he saw the two of us he had stood up swiftly, finishing off the drink as he slurped what little remains he had left, scrunching it on the floor and placing it somewhere on the window seal; there were no rubbish bins anywhere.
"Yo bro, I know you." The half-cast kid pointed out, his fingers pointing at Luca.
"Do you now?" Luca asked curiously. Tristan then gave us a thumbs up as if to say, enjoy boys my job is done.
"What the hell are you guys doing here? Aren't you a freakin' convicted killer." Half-cast kid said as he chuckled.
"So? What's it to you?" Luca muttered, clutching his bag.
"Oh no trouble. I thought I'd ask if I can join in on whatever adventure you're on right now; beats babysitting this joint- I've literally beaten all the kids on their old Mario 64 system; Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario whatever." He said as he pursed his lips, trying not to show how exhausted he was at looking after kids. Luca looked at him, trying to mask the seriousness attitude he revealed to everyone just moments ago. Half-cast kid realised that Luca demeanour rarely changed.
"Chubba chub?" The kid asked, to brighten up Luca's mood as he revealed one from his pockets.
"Depends on the flavour." Luca scoffed.
"Cola." Luca's eyes widened in anticipation as he snatched it from his hands and instantly unwrapped the lolliepop, shoving it into his mouth; his mood changing instantly.
"Your name?" Luca asked as he finally calmed down.
"You can call me Frankie." He said as he offered his hand.
"Luca." They shook hands, the two of them nodding in agreement.
"Now that I got the two of you, both of you are to help me drag this delinquent out." Luca plotted.
"Who is he?" He asked.
"Wong Lam." Luca growled. Frankie leaned back, slightly ajar.
"Yeah bro he's in the next room over, I can grab him if you want." Frankie shrugged, heading to one of the doors to the right, knocking on it politely.
"Who is it?" A female voice asked from behind the door.
"Yo, can Wong come out to play? We got some boys here who want to chill." Frankie said casually.
"Okay sure, yeah he's coming out give him a couple of minutes he's in the shower." The girl said. Frankie turned back to the two of us, and I had never seen Luca's face so perplexed; as if the entire situation unfolded completely differently than what he expected in his head. Wong came out with a plain black shirt and baggy trousers, as if he had just woken up, an orange scarf seen in his hand as he swing it over his shoulders.
"Man, I don't know about you but it's freezing." Wong said as he shuttered, his whole body stiffening up from the sudden change in temperature.
"Dude. Do you remember me?" Luca said, gesturing both Frankie and I to move aside. Wong, who was seen scratching the inside of his ear all too casually had his attention averted to his fingers instead of Luca.
"Hmm. No, no I don't. Are you suppose to be important or something?" He exclaimed, flicking a piece of ear wax out as he finally averted his gaze back at Luca.
"You're a fool; I could murder you right now if you don't drop this heroic act." Luca hissed.
"What? With all these kids and parents running around both up here and down there? Please don't tell me you've lost your marbles to even consider showing an ounce of violence here." Wong began.
"Be grateful you even reached up here safely." Wong laughed, although not menacingly.
"Whatever." Luca said, exhaling his breath to try and calm down, finding the right words to say. Frankie realised how serious this might get, patting a few kids on the shoulder who were seen minding their business on the couch and motioning them to go to downstairs where it was safe.
"I'm here because you went around selling these Warheads gummie bears that's turned out to be fake." Luca began. Frankie's eyes widened in shock, as if to hear this news first hand.
"I don't know what you've been handing out but it needs to stop. It's literally poisoning the delinquent scene." Luca inhaled a breath, pausing before continuing. His face had gone red from trying to contain his anger. It was obvious that he was in pain, not even the lolliepop did any good; Luca seen biting down on it instantly as if the sugar coated dome was fickle, easily crumbling between his teeth.
"So what?" Wong said as he sat down on one of the more comfortable couches.
"They deserve it. It's what they get for not listening to their parents in the first place. These kids should be in school, to be at home, listen to their parents; perhaps whine about what happened during recess break over dinner tables- the simple things, you know?" Wong folded his arms.
"When was the last time you had dinner with your parents Luca?" He asked.
"What my parents and I go through behind close doors is none of your concern." Luca said as he began fiddling with the lolliepop stick in his mouth.
"You drive illegally for starters; everyone knows that Mitsubishi Evo is stolen, and thirdly- do you even stop to check up on your boys from school? Or your boys from B2K?" Wong turned his head away, trying to hold a grin from his face.
"You do realise two of your commanders sold their soul to L2K, a gang we all thought was dead but has been revived for one single purpose- to re-solidify what their name truly stands for; to Live 2 Kill. A truly chaotic and evil gang I must say." Wong said, rolling his eyes.
"You're one to talk, Wong- you're pure evil."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree either, Luca- you're not so perfect either. Prince of pride? Ugh, give me a break." Luca took a step forward before I stopped him with one hand.
"Do me a favour. Go check up on your two fighters; I'm sure you know who they are because as we speak they're either dead or alive." Wong laughed as he continued to lounge peacefully on the couch, his arms stretched out as he yawned; almost sarcastically. If there was a word to describe this man who was gain enough to disrespect Luca it was sadistic.
"Let's go boys, we're going for a drive." Luca grunted as he turned away, not wanting to look at Wong who was incomparable to him; Wongs' idealistic view on humanity not only made him a monster, but his lack of values and integrity made him nothing more than crumb.
"I'm done talking to filth." Luca walked down the steps, before turning back to face Wong one last time.
"I'm more than what you'll ever achieve Wong; and I will show you why I'm King of Perfect Plays. I'll be seeing you on the battlefield the next time we visit- and it won't be a pleasant encounter I assure you." Luca said as he stomped down the steps, bag in hand as Frankie and I followed behind.