*****Arin's POV*****
I stopped, feeling my heart stop as well. "I'd never be able to forget my only son, Arin" he said, but I couldn't think of what to say. I turned and looked at him, speechless. "Arin, please just listen to me" he said, walking towards me. With every step he took forward, I took one back. When my back hit the wall, I slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I shook my head back and forth, trying to forget what he had just told me. "No. No, that can't be true? My father left us and I'm positive he died on the streets" I said, trying to convince him that I wasn't my father. But he was persistant.
He sat down next to me, "I would never forget my only son". I still couldn't believe him, I needed proof. "Prove it" I said, not looking up from the floor. He held up his arm, showing me a large birthmark on the inside of his left arm. "What does this pr-" he cut me off my saying, "Give me your arm". I lifted my left arm to him, and he flipped it, revealing the same birthmark. It was identical. The same color. The same irregular shape. And the same location. I was shocked, but I still wouldn't believe he was my dad.
"Ray!" someone yelled, and we both looked up to the cop. "Yes?" we both said, and the cop looked lost. "Which one of you is Ray?" he asked, and we both said we were. "Stop bullshitting me, or I'll have you thrown in solitary" he yelled. "I'm Arin Ray" I said, standing up. "And I'm Mason Ray". He looked confused, and then shook it off. "Well, show Arin to his room Mason, cause you guys are in the same room" he said, and then left us alone. We walked to our room, and it just like I remember.
Two beds, both across from each other. And a toilet, nothing else. I sighed, 'Welcome back' I thought in my head. I waited for Mason to sit down, so I made sure I didn't choose his bed. Once he sat, I sat. "Well" I started, "How do you even know I'm your son?" "I used to watch you from a far when I was out on the streets. You and your mother. And I saw you one time when you were young after I left. You didn't know who I was then, either". "When?" I asked, but then it hit me. "You came into the liqour store one day, asking for something to protect your mom. You had to be only, like, 6".
------flashback(Arin's POV)------
I walked in to the liquor, wearing my jeans and basketball sweatshirt my mom got me. People kept getting arrested around our area, and my mom said it wasn't safe. Me, vowing to protect my mom, went looking for something to protect us. She thought I was sleeping, and I was out on the streets. I walked up to the front desk, not able to see over to it. "Hello?" I said, and no one approached the counter. I was about to just go home, but then I heard laughing from a door. It had a sign that said "DO NOT ENTER", but I entered anyway.
A bunch of guys were sitting around a table, and they all stopped when they saw me. "Who's the kid?" one guy said, and he had a scary peircing that went into his neck. "I'm Arin" I said, trying to be confident. "Well Arin" one guy said kneeling in front of me, "What the fuck are you doing here?" All the guys at the table laughed.
"I need a gun" I said, and they laughed again. "Stop laughing, I have to protect my mom" I yelled, and they continued to laugh. Except one guy, his face softened. He came over to me and asked, "Your last name Ray , ain't it?" He asked in a deep and powerful voice. "Yes sir" I replied, and then he took me out the took out of the room and to the counter.
He set up five bottles on the counter and then came back over with the gun. "You ever shoot one before kid?" he asked, grabbing a clip to put in it. I nodded no, and he laughed a little. "It's a good time to start learning".He showed me how to load it, and then he showed me how to shoot it.
"Just load the gun and pull the trigger" he started, "you got it kid". I focused my eyes on the bottle, and then pulled the trigger. One, two, three, four, five. Down one by one. five shots, five direct hits. "Woah" he said, patting my shoulder, "Not bad kid. Not bad at all". I smiled up at him, and he ruffled my hair. I looked up to this guy, kind of like a son does to his dad.
"Here kid" he said, handing me a few refills of amo for the gun. He got on his knee to get to my level. He handed me a big roll of cash tied with a rubber band, and then put his hat on my head. "Hold on to these kid, and don't waste any bullets. All shots are a hit" he said, rubbing my head again. He walked me to my house and I snuck back into my window, where I waved goodbye to him.
Crazy thing is that I never learned his name.
------End of flashback-----
"I remember" I said. He smiled a little, "I knew you would". I fell back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, "So what now?" I ask. "What do you mean?" I sat up and said "Do you think this makes you my father? After all these years?"
And this time, he was quiet.
*****Normani's POV*****
Dinah picked us up from the airport and we were currently talking about what to do about Arin. "How long has he been in there, Dinah?" I asked. "It's been about a week" she said. I felt my heart drop. I hated knowing that he was in there. I had got him out of there before, and I knew I had to get him back out.
No matter what I had to do.
Sorry for the wait. I'm gonna update again Friday, cause this is more of a filler chapter. Love you guys. Comment and let me know what you guys think. Can Arin really trust Mason, his "father"? What is Normani gonna do to get him out?