How am I supposed to tell Reyna the truth? I'm the new kid who's just trying to fit in and get around. I've always had an interest in her. Always noticed the delicate beauty she had and the way her eyes scanned the room and took in everything. The one thing she never noticed was me noticing her noticing...however that works. So when the opportunity presented itself that I could actually talk to her, I jumped on it. Before that night, I had always been a little intimidated by her. I was afraid she would see the part of me that's a little too damaged for comfort – the part that I try so hard to hide. Maybe it was the drinks that gave me false confidence, but I managed to talk to her. If I'm not mistaken, I think she kind of liked me.

 But then that happened to be the night that ruined any chance of us starting a normal friendship. Now, with all of the information about Destiny coming out, I'm worried that I'm somehow tied to all of us. One of the mixes in the DNA blood was Enzo King. In case you don't read the giant bold words at the top of this page, my last name is King. My halfbrother is Enzo. Growing up, he was pretty abusive. He got into drugs and spent a few months in rehab during my teenage years – the time when advice from a sibling would've been terribly helpful. There's a gap in our relationship. When Enzo came back from rehab, he acted like he got all cleaned up and changed his ways.

But when I would come home from school or hanging out with friends and my parents would ask why I was bruised up, I would tell them about some freak accident that never happened, instead of telling them that Enzo would beat on me to either A) take his anger or drug fits out on me, or B) wrestle me up for money.

On top of that, Enzo became a deputy, and a crooked one, too. He took bribes and would confiscate drugs from cars and houses just to keep them for himself. The fact that his DNA is mixed with the blood splatters doesn't surprise me. He's probably the one who crafted all of this. Enzo loves to torture people and cause them pain just for the hell of it. He looks at everyone like an experiment, or an ant in a magnifying glass. He watches them and causes them pain until they crumble and die. 

But he knows I see beneath the surface, and he uses that to irk me. When he goes out of his way to be nice to mom and dad, he knows it pisses me off because that's not who he is. When he brags about potentially saving someone's life on the job, he knows it gets tome because he's murdered someone in cold blood, and I'm the only one in the entire world who knows it

A friend of mine smoked a lot of weed. He grew it on his own, actually. He supplied himself and dealt the drugs. Enzo King had taken acid and come over to get some pot. When the weed wasn't done growing, Enzo got mad and claimed he "saw a demon" on his acid trip and shot my friend. 

He snatched me by my arm and dragged me into my truck and demanded we drive. He never told me where he got the gun or what happened to my friend's parents, but I don't want to know. He lives in an apartment in some ghetto, but he visits every so often. His room is a hodgepodge of hidden compartments stuffed with illegals. While he was on some drug-induced high, he confessed that he was even working with a cartel. 

My parents don't know any of this. My dad has a vague idea, but he chooses to ignore it. Wherever Enzo goes, people get hurt. Why do you think I wanted to go to Reyna'shouse so bad? Not only do I like her, but it's a chance to get away from my home. 

 But here's the real bonus: if I can prove Enzo King is up to no good, it won't be out of direct resentment towards him. I have a missing kind of friend, so of course, I want to dig up the clues and find him. Enzo "just happens" to be in the mix, so when he gets busted, it won't look like I went after him and him only.

The bell to go to the fourth block sounds and I exit my calculus class. My phone vibrates in my pocket.

Enzo: Hey, baby brother. 

You: What do you want? 

Enzo: Did you know Destiny Prior??? 

You: Mhmm. 

Enzo: She says hi.

I huff an enormous exhale of fury. This is the kind of shit I'm talking about with Enzo. Of course, he knows about his DNA in the mix and he'll use that to torture me. If I ask about it, he'll know that I'm trying to figure everything out, and he'll just find new ways to push me over the edge. 

You: Stop. That isn't funny. 

Enzo: Learn to laugh. Makai always knew how to laugh. 

You: I have class, Enzo. Stop screwing around.

I venture to the second segment of school and pass Della, a bloody cut down her arm.

 "Woah," I call. "It's Adelina, right?" I question, knowing I'm already correct. 

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes. "People call me Della, but yeah. What do you want?" 

 "I heard you're going to Reyna's house..." 

She looks me up and down with disgust. "Of course she invited you." I think, growing up with a man who acted so emotional to hide his emotionless soul, I can figure out why people act certain ways. Della is acting extra snotty because, sometime today, she felt extra weak, and for that, I feel sorry for her. 

"I was just stopping to say I think we'll find Makai. Also, you should see a nurse about that," I tap my own arm to reference what I'm talking about. 

 "Oh. Yeah, thanks. And my arm is fine." With that, Della shoves past me and continues down the hall.

"Don't mind her," another voice says from behind me. I recognize her as Allister. We both have Spanish together; our next class. "She's just scared."

 "I can't blame her," I say with a small grin. "This is insane."

Enzo: What time do you get out of school? 

You: Around 2:30.

 Enzo: Knew it. 

You: How? 

Enzo: I asked Makai. I just wanted to make sure he knew what he was talking about, being missing and whatnot. 

You: Piss off, Enzo. 

"You alright?" Allister questions, placing a hand on my arm. She leans into me when she talks to me and her eyes search mine – she's a little more into me than "just friends." 

 "Mhmm," I assure, shrugging a little harder than normal to get her hand off my arm. If Reyna was around, I wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea. "Yeah, I'm just tired. We're nearing the end of the day." 

We waltz into Spanish class with Mr Esposito and take our assigned seats, Allistersitting behind me. My phone buzzes and I brace for another cold text from Enzo.

 Instead, I get this:

Unknown: Your brother is a real asshole. Would you like me to take care of that for you?

 You: Who is this? 

Unknown: Would you like me to take care of him for you?

 You: I'm really not in the mood for this broken record stuff. Who is this?

 Unknown: Would you like me to take care of him for you? 

You: I can take care of myself. That includes my brother. 

Unknown: Alright. Text or call me if you have any issues with him. 

You: Whatever.

"Mr King," my teacher booms. "Are you aware that the late bell rang three minutes ago?"

 I freeze. "Yes?" Really, I wasn't, but I'd just look stupid if I said no.

 "And why is your phone still out?" he inquires, arms crossed over his chest. "Because I didn't put it away..." 

 Mr Esposito walks over and extends a hand towards me. "Come on, Aero. Hand it over." 

 I sigh and put my phone in his hand.

"You can get it at the end of the day when you learn not to be a Smart Alec."

 I remain silent and think about the messages. Who else knows about Enzo being a total tool? And how would they have taken care of it? I was tempted to say "yes, please take care of him for me forever," but with everything happening, I can't risk having him hurt. He hurts everyone, but one of us has to rise above all the negativity and abuse. If he was hurt, my parents would be devastated. 

But don't get me wrong...if he got hurt and it wasn't my fault, I would be fine with it