"There better be a damn good reason as to why you're forcing me up against my own will at 9 in the morning." I said as I came out of the bathroom after showering.
I emerged from the bathroom in a pair of jeans and an oversized shirt.
"There is, you'll love it." Chris said.
I gave him a hard look but followed him outside. I looked to see we were outside a garage shed. Lily, emo girl and two other boys that looked quite similar stood outside, waiting for the both of us.
"Hi!" Lily exclaimed when she saw me.
I gave her a subtle nod and she frowned.
"I'm not bothered about that whole thing you said by the way. I don't get offended easily." She said dismissively, making me purse my lips together.
"Cool."
"Oh stop being so bitchy!" She said, giving me a friendly shove.
"Sorry." I said casually.
The garage door opened and Chris handed me a giddy smirk. Someone in the sleek looking BMW drove forwards and I stared at him.
"So Tate's new car came in today. He forgot to give them the new address so now we're stuck with it. And we have other nice cars...so we don't really need this one."
It seemed everyone knew where we were going with this except me.
"You can send anonymous texts can't you?" One of the boys asked me.
I nodded my head.
I only caught their drift when another blond came skipping around the corner with three tubs of paint and two sledge hammers in his hand.
"Are you thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing?"
He smirked and handed me a bucket of paint.
"Go ape."
****
Half a successful hour later Tate's new car was in pieces.
Each hit with the hammer felt like a weight being lifted off my chest as I pounded the metal into the car window and smashed through the glass.
Lily squirted paint over his car and rolled around in it, laughing loudly whilst trying not to get cut on any broken pieces.
By the end of it we were all stood back breathlessly staring at our work.
"Will you do the honours?"
Chris whipped his shirt off and I blushed and grabbed the phone that was in his hand.
I snapped a picture of our delinquency and quickly found Tate's number on the phone.
"To make it anonymous you just put 454 in the beginning of the number." I explained as I retyped the number.
I looked down at the message box. I decided to type my feelings out in a simple sentence.
This is only the beginning. I told you I'm making you pay.
I had no doubt in my mind he knew who was typing this, but it didn't make the thrill any less exciting as I sent the image.
"You're becoming more bad ass. I don't know if I like it." Chris commented.
I shot him a smirk and patted his chest.
"Deal with it."
I sauntered off and Chris looked impressed. I could never keep up that whole 'bad ass' attitude. I guess it was in my genes to be a natural sarcastic.
"Hey Ally, wait up!"
I wanted to groan but I held it in. Lily was still a gang member therefore she did terrify the hell out of me but I wasn't going to let that show.
"The guys and I are going for a pizza, we were wondering if you wanted to join."
I gave her the friendliest smile I could muster. I felt eyes on my and looked to see Chris staring at us. I knew he could hear our conversation.
"I'm going to have to pass."
The smile on her face faded and was soon replaced with an angry expression that looked foreign but deadly.
"For goodness sake! Is this about the whole gang member thing again?"
Her cold voice surprised me, it got the attention of everyone else around me.
"When are you going to accept the fact that you're a gang member now. You work for us! I should be ordering you to do this! You've been helping us kill people for three months, get it into your head the only way out of this is death so you're going to have to suck it up or die."
I'd rather die.
She remained angry while I gave her a meek shrug.
"I just don't want to go out."
She threw her hands up and tossed me a sarcastic smile.
"Of course. Ally The Great is too worthy and precious to spend time with us. I'm pretty sure you were freaking out about killing somebody the other day."
My hands shot to my ears, a desperate attempt to block out her voice and the nightmares that came with it.
"Don't." I said in warning.
"Ally, I think you need to hear this."
I turned in shock to glare at Chris.
He's defending her?
"You have got so much potential. Harvey and Tate have thrown you under the bus, but pretending you're royalty isn't going to get you anywhere. You need to learn to live without Chelsea and stop depending on her."
"I don't depend on her! She's the only sane person in this house!"
Emo girl and the other two boys stayed silent.
"You know that's not true Ally. There are so many people out there for you to befriend, you don't have to constantly cower away in fear, they can help yo-" Chris began.
"Help me what, be like you? You want me to be like you? You want me to kill for fun and then blame it on being forced to do it. You're not forced to do anything, there's always another way out. I think I've been too friendly with you all, leading you on to think I actually want to be friends with you. I don't. You're murders, all of you."
Lily laughed, a loud annoying laugh that made my blood boil.
"Funny thing is Ally...so are you."
I turned on my heel and marched towards the house, stomping my feet purposefully.
When I got into my room I felt the heat inside of me. I felt the burning hot anger that I had only ever felt when I was in the gymnasium, punching the lights out that girl. I stood up and grabbed the door handle, flinging the door open and running outside to the gymnasium.
Very few people lingered around the actual gym section, I made my way to the empty hall and grabbed some boxing gloves.
I began to punch it. I felt like I was in some kind of weird movie where this was my coping strategy. It wasn't working.
I hit the bag harder, and harder, until my arms started to ache and I could feel a strain. My body was telling me to hit it harder and I began to let out an agonizing groan. I hadn't even noticed it turned into a loud scream until I collapsed on the floor and buried my face in my hands, tears making their way down my face.
"What's wrong?" A voice asked from the other end of the hall.
"I'm weak." I cried back.
"From the way you beat the living daylights out of that punching bag, I doubt it."
I lifted my head t see a muscly looking gut, sleek with a nearly shaved head and playful eyes sat on the bench across the room from me.
"I'm a nerd computer girl, what the hell am I doing here? I'm supposed to be typing away at some damn computer whilst being locked away in some office.
The guy stood up.
"I'm sure that's not true."
I scanned him and realized I knew him from somewhere. He had been the guy from Chris's gang, the one that called me weak and then walked away. The scary one.
"You said it yourself." I spat bitterly.
"I didn't see you fight. You've got some potential."
I let out a groan.
"Can everyone stop saying that? I'm a nerd girl, give me my computer back."
He laughed and shook his head.
"I think all you need is to do some more training, get beefed up and show them all who's boss."
"I tried that, it failed."
"But now you've got a completely different group of people to lead the gang, ones that actually like you and see potential, just like I do. I'm usually in here everyday, if you need me you know where I am."
I watched him as he walked to the door, my eyes beady.
"I don't trust you. Or your little leader either."
He laughed and didn't turn to face me.
"You don't need to change that attitude of yours at least."
He chuckled as he walked outside, I couldn't help myself from wondering what the hell just happened.
****
I was sat in my room with a pizza that someone else had dropped off. At least Chris wasn't starving me to death, yet.
After that little argument I had with the gang they had ignored me all night, which I couldn't help but feeling happy about.
Chelsea had rung the home phone and we talked for a couple hours, I filled her in on everything that happened and she laughed at me, telling me to watch my mouth or else I'd get the same treatment she was getting. I told her I was on the verge of it, why stop now?
Chelsea was still a slave wherever they were. They had forced her to hack into a security system with twice the amount of protection and when the unbeatable Chelsea Hanaway got defeated, they laughed at her, called her useless and locked her in the basement.
They were all out and wouldn't be back home until late.
The thought angered me as I ripped into the pizza with my teeth.
I sent an update email to Harvey which he most likely wouldn't read himself. I guessed it was Chelsea reading it so I added my own special touches.
Well he's got two meetings, tell him they're important! They're coming from Ireland and Turkey. I've given them his new address so be expecting visitors. Not much has changed really. You have a long list of demands from your financial advisor that I suggest you see to. Something about being hundreds of dollars over your balance. I'd say don't worry about it but I think you should. Oh wait, that's right. You don't worry about a thing because you're Harvey White. Hey Chelsea, I knew you'd be reading this. Just tell him the basics.
Your best friend xo.
I waited for a while and finished off my pizza, half watching whatever was on the TV and reading a book. The laptop made a loud beep and I turned to the screen. The pizza slice dropped out of my mouth.
Thank you for your completely unasked for advice geek but I'll pass. Just arrange a meeting my financial officer, you can attend it. And for once in your life, don't screw it up.
I'm pretty sure I was the one that made Chris join the gang. He angered me to a point where I nearly typed back a string of curse words and banged my head against the wall. Instead I screamed into the pillow loudly.
He thinks I'm weak.
"That's it! That's freaking it! I'm done with being weak!" I yelled at myself.
I threw myself down the stairs angrily and stomped past other gang members who glared at me for pushing them. I walked outside and ran into the gym, my face tight with anger.
I scanned the crowd of people in the gym, my eyes finding the big muscular figure that offered to help me in the department of 'I don't give a damn'.
The anger suddenly dissolved inside of me and was replaced with slight fear as he talked to other people. Their eyes were on me as I went through the crowd. Attractive girls punching bags or running on the treadmill scanned my body with their eyes and turned away when they realized there was nothing to see.
I made my way up to the burly guy with a nervous smile. He smirked when he saw me.
"I'm guessing you're here to take me up on my offer."
I let out a sigh and the group of people around him turned to stare at me.
"Yes. But what does this include exactly?"
"From the look on your face that attitude thing isn't perfect. We'll need to get you socially active."
"I am socially active!"
"You look like you're about to piss yourself!" Commented a scruffy haired guy.
I just scowled and ducked my head.
"Confidence. We'll need to teach you confidence. And training wise, probably eight hours a day."
My eyes widened and he caught my shocked regretful expression.
"Well if you want to be a door mat for the rest of your life then go ahead, walk away."
I stared him down for a minuet. Could I really do this? Did I actually have the potential to do this?
He waited patiently for my answer.
"And no one else finds out about this." I said lowly.
He caught on who I was talking about and gave me a discreet nod.
"I won't tell 'em."
I let out an irritated sigh and shoved my hands in my pockets.
"Deal?"
"Wait! What do you want from me? I mean you're obviously not just going to train me, debt free."
"I'm insulted."
"Don't lie, I know you gang members."
He tossed me a smirk.
"I just want you to give me credit when you turn out to be the most fearless bad ass member of the gang."
I laughed.
"Confident I see. Although I doubt your skill, you have yourself a deal...whatever your name is."
"Chad. And believe me, this time next year you'll be on your knee's thanking me."
I gave him an unsure nod as he held out his hand.
"Deal?"
I hesitantly shook it, a small smile finding its way onto my face.
"Deal."