Chapter Ten

Kelly

"You are leaving?"

Murphy continues packing his bags before shifting his glance from me to his aunt and her kids. The noise has never bothered him before but today it's a different story.

"We were looking for you everywhere? What happened to you? Where were you?"

"You know how it goes - the Chiccoz would have ended us on sight. We couldn't risk putting you and Matt in jeopardy by letting you know where we were."

He never stops packing.

"Still you are leaving?"

"Its big deals in a big city Kelz, high life, high stakes nothing can top that. You finish school here and in no time you'll be out of this place."

"What happened to let's finish school and leave Coverton together?"

His mother passes us holding laundry. "Tell him Kelly - the boy thinks he can live his dreams overnight."

"Mum please, this is my side of the room right now."

He looks at me and stops packing.

"You hated the stolen car, the money... every time you did a job you never failed to mention it was the last time, 'I'm out' - your words. Now you're getting what you want you won't stop complaining."

"Stop attacking Kelly!" His mum passes by on her way outside. "She's got your best interests at heart."

"Mum?" He warns her placidly.

"I thought we both wanted to get out." I intervene ignoring both of them.

He throws his shirt over the bag.

"Get out of what? This life? It's all I have ever known. I'm not some genius like you or Matt. I gathered that from the moment that science teacher Mr. Emmersen separated us in eighth grade and started monitoring your every progress and don't get me started on detective Nori. You think I don't know about that. How his son Lamont used to tutor you. You have options - I don't."

"Everybody has options. So you're going to leave me here alone to face the Chiccoz, the pilgrims, the tens?"

His eyes are cast down. "You can come with us."

"Yeah obviously." I imply sarcastically. "I was laying up late thinking about where you were - you didn't even call. I thought you were ..." I swallow. At this point my words are coming out in vain. "F you Murphy. You're going to leave me, X and Matt as collateral. You did this and you don't even care."

"Hey that's not fair."

At this point I am willing to say anything to make him stay.

"What we did we did it for everybody. They came here and disrespected our turf. They held Sir Earl hostage. Now I'm sorry it has gone too far and I have to leave but I'm not sorry we got pay back. I will always put Dem squad first no matter where I go."

"Or you can just st... You're just too set in your ways to see that you can stay. We can fight the Chiccoz together. You don't have to run. We've been doing this ever since we were.."

"Trust me it's better this way. You and Matt belong here. I just don't anymore."

"F you ." I start running out of the house.

"Come on Kelly..."

*****

Matthais bends over to reach the lower bunk bed where I'm laying.

It's been three days since Murphy and the gang left and I'm confused as to how I should get by?

I mean they will come back right?

"X called. Marianna got arrested last night."

Marianna is the Chiccoz gang leader, without him there is nothing the gang can do. This would be great if I had my whole crew to share it with.

"It's safe to go to school for now" He speaks gently. "I came to get you so we can go to school."

Wait, Is Matt happy?

In forty five minutes we are back in the school corridor talking like nothing happened.

It's becoming obvious why Matt and I were left behind, aka the nerds of the group. We probably never would have made it in a big City as anything than law abiding citizens with a 9 to 5.

I still think we as a group could have worked it out instead of this sudden change. We could have, worked hard, found an apartment in the city, and took pictures to celebrate leaving the basement amongst many other fairy tales playing in my head.

Matthais keeps talking about keeping up appearances, what we probably missed in the past three days and what to say to our homeroom teacher as an excuse.

"Everybody's already meddling in our business. They know the crew is dismantled. Don't entertain them." I nod while opening my locker and somehow my eyes land on Sonny. He is in a Coverton football jacket. Those blue eyes are piercing at me from the other side of the hallway. Quarter to eight, he is walking in my direction. I start to recall our last interaction.

Seriously, I have just lost my crew I have no time to deal with him at this moment.

"Hey," He acknowledges Matthias and the latter responds. He shifts his attention to me. "Hi, can we talk?"

Matt is unbelievably courteous nodding at us before heading for class.

Hey, whatever happened to 'who is this guy'?

"Look Sonny I don't owe you any further explanation about that day. No offense but just move on. Okay."

"Are you done?"

"That's what I'm telling you."

"Okay. Now can I talk?"

"If it's necessary."

"You haven't been showing up for the program in three days let alone normal class."

He looks around as if checking to see if anyone is looking, "I have no choice."

He hands me a warning slip and two detention slips. Wow, I would laugh if it wasn't so downright pathetic.

"I told you I was finished and your incentive was to report me to Mrs. Tiley. You got me slips?"

"Hey." His voice drops an octave. "You may have nothing to do with your time and may have told me you where finished but you didn't bother remove your name from the register. She called me. This is your responsibility as much as it is mine. Stop being infantile."

"And stop being a d*ck."

He walks away. I bang my locker.

Turns out if you don't put your student on a leash you get detention slips too. Free advice to anyone out there: read your contracts. Even when I wasn't showing up Sonny was getting detention. So I felt notoriously stupid when I saw him join me during detention,

No why he came off unhinged this morning. This was the first time I saw him off his usual calm demeanor. He always seems 'contained'.

As soon as I get home the day takes a toll on me, boy am I exhausted. I lean against the living room wall and slide down to the floor. All of a sudden the apartment door opens.

"Kelly!" Nate rushes over and hugs me.

"Hey buddy?"

"Craig took me to the zoo! I saw a chimpanzee!"

"Wow during week day how awesome."

Craig passes me on his way to the kitchen well aware of my sarcasm.

"Go get ready for homework." He orders Nate.

"Okay." He gallops off.

"Had a good day there?"

I get off the floor. "Go F yourself."