Chapter 7

I arrived at the park across the street from Bob's and I see Maria sitting on the hood of her car. "Sorry I'm late!", I said as I turned my engine off and got out the car. "I was uh, a bit tied up and lost track of time." She looked at me and started smiling. "It's okay. I just got here like 2 minutes ago anyway." I opened my mouth to make a smart ass comment but I quickly closed it. I walked over to her car and pointed at the hood to ask if I can sit with her. She nodded with a smile and I hopped up and sat on the hood. "I haven't came to this park since little bro got killed.", I said soft, in almost a whisper, but just loud enough so she heard me. I just stared at my hands in my lap but I could feel her eyes staring at me. "Why did Daisy's brother kill yours?", she asked.

I looked up and stared at the empty woods in front of us, "Me, my little bro and her brother used to be swipers. We used to go around and swipe credit cards, wallets, cell phones; anything we could touch, we swiped. So Martin, Daisy's brother, had a big one planned. It was a hit for 3 thousand dollars from some rich kid that grew up down the block from us. His parents were like famous explorers or some shit. We sneak in the house, crack the safe, get the money and was making our way out the door when the silent alarm tripped on the safe. David, my little bro, had the money in a duffle. The cops were on our road when my bro dropped the duffle and ran. I took off behind my bro while Martin was yelling "Pussies! Y'all are dead to me!" I didn't even look back, just kept running. Martin got charged with b&e and only spent a month in jail because his family has connections."

Maria didn't say anything just sat there listening. "Me and bro was outside tossing the football around when I heard a tires screeching. I looked and I saw Martins black Mustang speeding towards our road with the passenger window down. Then it all happen in a blur. The last thing I remember was running towards David then holding him in my arms crying and screaming." I felt a tear fall but I quickly wiped it away. I took a deep breath, "That very same night, I went to Martin's house and snuck in his room while he was sleep. I had the knife my mom left me in my right hand and I covered his mouth with my left hand and I stabbed and stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until he was still. I dropped the knife and I jumped out the window right when Daisy opened the door and screamed."

"But I was too late, the cops were already outside, I had blacked out. I didn't even hear the alarm on his window go off or the sirens outside, all I was worried about as getting revenge for David's death." I let out a sigh. "That's why I don't like Daisy." I could feel tears starting to form so I jumped off the hood of her car and walked over towards the bench by the old oak tree, sat and cried. I heard her walking over and I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to put my tough guy face on but who was I kidding, I really miss my little bro. Maria sat down beside me and didn't say a word for a while. I looked at her and chuckled, "I'm a tough guy, the schools badass. I'm not supposed to be crying." I laughed and turned away. I felt her hand touch mine, I looked at her and she said, "Sometimes the only thing you can do is cry the pain away." I looked into her emerald green eyes and I remembered seeing those same eyes when I was at the Pit. Nahh, she can't be Raven. There's no way.

I snapped back to reality when I heard a ringing noise. It was coming from Maria's phone. She reach into her pocket, pulled it out and said, "I have to take this. It's my parents." I smiled, "Go ahead." She walked over to her car and took the call. The conversation was brief because she came right back over to the bench with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry but I have to go.", she said in a rush. I looked up at her and tried now to frown, "Oh. Okay. It's cool.", I said trying to play it off like I didn't care. But deep down, somewhere in that cold heart of mine, I did but I can't let it be known. "I'll text you.", she said as she was getting into her car. Before I could say anything, she was pulling out of the park. That's when I realized: she doesn't even have my number.