Chapter 28 - Will

   After our heated kiss, we hadn't done much. We cuddled on the swing before we decided to turn in for the night and slept together in my bed. Now, it was the following Monday and we were currently walking into school, hand in hand. At first, Analise wanted to keep it under wraps because she didn't want people to make fun of me and we were still figuring out the relationship thing, but we decided we didn't care what people thought. We weren't official yet; at least not in my mind. I wanted to properly ask her.

We decided we'd break the news to Drew and Alisha after school today, since they said they'd be there. Analise still hadn't met my mom but we decided they would meet tomorrow for dinner. I'd already asked her to clear her schedule to meet the girl I was talking to and to my surprise, she obliged. I was nervous and I hoped she'd like Analise at least half as much as I did.

I gave Analise a reassuring squeeze before we walked into the school, causing her to look over at me. I offered her a reassuring smile, wrapping the arm attached to the hand I was holding around her shoulders. I placed a soft kiss on her temple, smiling against it. "We've got this, okay? You and me."

She smiled up at me, nodding her head. "I know."

"Pinky promise?" I asked sheepishly, holding my pinky finger out.

She grinned, wrapping her pinky around mine. "Pinky promise."

As soon as the doors opened the atmosphere changed significantly. Justin, Mallory and Toby flocked to our sides, walking next to us with big smiles. We'd told them all the day after the sleepover and they couldn't have been happier for us. Toby's arm was around Mal's shoulders, Analise and I were in the same position, and Justin was on my other side, smiling at the gawking faces we passed.

"Hey, Ana, I'm still available," Justin flirted, earning a punch in the shoulder from me.

"Still not gonna happen, Justin," Annie called, smirking over at him.

"Leave my girl alone, Justin," I mumbled, shaking my head bemusedly. "You can't say that anymore."

"Will, I will always say that to your girl. Look at her."

I smiled lovingly at Analise. "I do as much as possible."

"Gag me," Justin muttered, shaking his head. We'd stopped at my locker by this point, and he looked between Analise and I. "That's our thing, me and Analise. I tell her I'm still available and she tells me it's still not gonna happen; you can't ruin our thing."

"So what about when you finally get a poor soul to date you?" Toby questioned, smirking at Justin. "You can't say that when you have a girlfriend."

He shrugged. "If I don't find a girl with my sense of humor, she's not the girl for me."

Analise put a hand over her heart. "So I was never the girl for you, Justin?"

Justin winked at her, putting his arm over her other shoulder. "You were always the girl for me, Ana."

The stares of our peers were starting to make me uncomfortable and I stole a glance around. Some were looking at us with curiosity, and some were staring in astonishment. It was unnerving, to say the least. I sent them all a glare, which did nothing to their wandering eyes. Analise noticed, and with one heated glare from her everyone went back to what they were previously doing.

I looked around again, and noticed four sets of eyes still on us; Raelynn Smith, Colin Thompson, Tommy Williams, and Ashlynn Collins. While Raelynn and Colin were staring in our general direction, Tommy and Ashlynn's eyes were trained on my arm over Analise's shoulder. Tommy looked as if he could kill me right then and there, even though his hand was locked with Ashlynn's.

In ten swift strides, Tommy was in my face in a second, pushing me against the lockers with a loud clank. My head ricocheted off the lockers, causing pain to spread throughout my head and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Get off of me."

"You stole my girl," Tommy growled. His eyes were full of fire and he was spitting in my face he was so angry. In one swift movement, he lifted his hand to punch me and I closed my eyes, ready to take the first hit so I could fight back in the form of self defense. I'd wanted to fight this guy since I got to Harrison Park High School, and now was my chance.

When his fist didn't connect with my face, I opened my eyes hesitantly only to see his fist entrapped in the hand of my girl. Analise had caught his fist mid swing, and she looked absolutely furious. "Leave us alone, Tommy."

Tommy shoved Analise to the lockers across the hall, sending her flying. She hit them and slid down them, cursing to herself. The students around us gasped and at the sight of him pushing my girl, I was furious. With no hesitation, I sent my fist to his face; the first punch I'd ever thrown in my life. And I didn't stop there.

In a matter of seconds we were rolling around on the ground, fists flying at each other but I was getting more hits than Tommy. All I could see was him shoving Analise into the lockers and I saw red. After a few seconds we were pulled apart, me by Toby and Justin and him by Colin.

I pointed a finger in his direction, panting heavily. "Never touch my girl again, you creep."

Tommy, who had a busted lip, a swollen shut eye, and bruises and blood all over his face obviously hadn't learned his lesson because he smirked, taunting me. "Who's gonna make me?"

I struggled to get free from Toby and Justin, trying to make them let me go but they wouldn't budge. Analise stepped in between us, staring straight at me, her back to Tommy. "Babe, leave it."

I looked at her incredulously. "He just hurt you Annie, you really expect me-"

She put a hand on my shoulder and the calming warmth she always provided me spread through me instantly. I calmed my breathing, looking into her eyes to calm down. She took my hand and walked me away from the scene. When we came to the bench outside of the school we sat down next to her. "Annie I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize to me, Rando," Analise mumbled and I cracked a smile at the nickname. "You know who I am. Before you got here I was fighting at least once a week. The old Analise would have just kicked Tommy's ass, but you've taught me to be better than that."

I scoffed. "Yeah right. You saw what just happened."

"That's called losing yourself to anger. It happens to the best of us. I appreciate you defending me, though," she admitted. "It was hot."

"Thank you but I'm still not sure how I taught you anything."

She paused before playing with her hands. "I lied to you, about my parents. Well, I guess I didn't lie, but I gave you the short version..." Analise trailed off before continuing. "My whole life, I've resorted to violence. Even as a kid. My dad was in the gang I'm in, and so I always grew up around violence. Then when I was twelve, my house was on the receiving end of a drive-by. My parents put Drew and I in their bedroom which was the furthest from the front of the house. Then they ran out to the street, I guess to assess the damage done - but whoever did it wasn't done. There was definitely a struggle, the second time wasn't a drive by and it was personal."

At this point, Analise was getting choked up and I pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms around her. She continued, a tear escaping her eye which I wiped away. "Drew and I," her voice cracked. "We stayed in that room for an hour, because our parents told us they'd come tell us when it was safe to come out. When we heard the second round of gunshots and they weren't back, we knew something was wrong."

"When we got out there, our mom and dad were dead. My mom had defensive wounds on her hands which were apparent of a struggle, and she was shot in the back. She was in our yard, facing towards the front door, so the police can only assume she struggled with the culprit. She had skin underneath her fingernails, so she obviously got them pretty good, but they couldn't trace it to anyone, they tried. They assume she got free from the struggle and started running back to the house, either to lock the door and call them or get us, they have no clue."

I had tears of my own escaping by this point, listening to Analise's story but I didn't dare interrupt. She needed to get this out, and I was prepared to let her. "My dad had his hands tied behind his back. Fucking cowards couldn't even fight him one on one without restraining him and prohibiting him from fighting back. His was the personal one, it was definitely meant to be an attack on him. He was slumped over on the curb with a gunshot wound to the front temple; and as if that wasn't enough, because obviously that killed him, they shot him four more times. They shot him in the heart, they shot him in each hand, and they shot him in the groin."

The imagery in my head was mentally scarring and I could only imagine what this beautiful girl in front of me was going through. Now I understood why she liked to do things that gave her a rush; I presume, for that little bit of time, the images and memories went away.

"Drew and I found them before calling the cops. I guess they didn't think to check for their kids or didn't care, but we were unharmed. My dad had unfinished business in the gang, and next in line was Drew, who he'd already been training. That's why I turned my emotions off, like a light switch because everyone I love leaves me. They took the two people who gave me life. And Drew, thank god for him because he was eighteen and took me on. The gang plus his job at the shop has been enough for him to continue raising me, and he's the best person I could've asked for."

"He didn't want me in the system," she explained, wiping the tears I missed. "So he decided he would be the one to finish my upbringing. He didn't have to, but I'm so thankful he did because I couldn't imagine if I had had to go into the system and leave Drew; He really is my best friend."

Upon hearing all this, I had a newfound respect for Drew and Analise. I had seen my dad die too, but I couldn't imagine walking into a scene that gruesome. I knew when I got here Analise was just misunderstood, but I had no idea she was that misunderstood. My heart ached and I squeezed her closer to me. And since she was in the mood for sharing, I decided to ask the question that had been plaguing my mind all weekend.

"When you said that you have gang members after you..."

She sniffled. "It's the enemy gang. They were stealing our property, so to teach them a lesson we kidnapped their second in command's sister. We didn't hurt her or anything, it was just a warning to leave us and our property alone. But now they want to retaliate, and second in command in our gang is-"

"Drew?" I guessed, afraid of the answer.

Analise nodded and my world felt like it was crashing down around me. "So to retaliate, they want to kidnap his sister, which is you?"

Again, she nodded. "But they're different then us. They're ruthless, they're under new command and this guy's tough and if they do get me, they won't hold back. My gang has people watching me, but the most helpful person would be Drew but he doesn't know I'm in it."

I shuddered at the thought of them taking her from me. "Why not just tell him? He could help you, Annie."

Analise shook her head, her curls bouncing with her. "He's getting jumped out in a couple days. I can't spring that news on him, it would kill him and he'd stay in. I need to let him live his life and Alisha makes him happy; he owes it to himself to get jumped out so he can be fully one hundred percent happy with her and I won't stand in the way of that."

I squeezed the selfless girl in front of me a little tighter with one thought in mind; they'd only get to hurt her over my dead body.

A/N: FUN FACT, this chapter was originally supposed to be in Analise's point of view. Of course, as the pattern goes, Analise, Will, Analise, it was supposed to be in her point of view. But after writing the first five ish paragraphs in her POV, for some reason I accidentally switched to Will's and it flowed so well I just rewrote the beginning. It's alright, though, I wanted it to be in his POV when he heard her story. Love you guys! Thank you for reading :)