Chapter 3

After the embarrassing incident that had occurred with Troy and me, Jenny and Harris were nowhere to be found, so I thought it would be better to go home and do whatever there was to do.

When I got closer to my busy neighborhood street, I decided to do something; eat as much junk food as I can and watch my favorite shows. So, I went to the mini market that was around my place and bought Cheetos, Oreos, and a tub of chocolate chip cookie flavored ice cream, my jam.

I paid for them all and left the mini-market with a smile on my face. I can't wait to spend the rest of my night with myself and just relaxing without anybody disturbing my peace. Being an only child sucks sometimes, but at times like these, it's like I've got everything right here with me and got the golden ticket for myself only. I was leaving the store when I suddenly saw the very familiar asshole who almost crashed into me to death. He was with a couple of adults who looked terribly terrifying. They looked exactly like those gangsters who will immediately attack you if they caught you looking at them, I shuddered at the thought.

Why would Carter be with these monster-looking guys?

I mentally scoffed at myself. Of course, he would, he almost looks like them, but a little leaner and smaller since they are definitely older than him. They are standing at the corner of the building that was the opposite side from where I am. One of the guys said something for the other guy, and they nodded altogether, then all of them started to walk to the narrow space between the building and the high fence of a home.

Where the hell is he going? And why did he go with them there?

That's really none of your concern, Kate. Now go home and watch a movie, it is supposed to be your night.

But I'm too curious to just drop it off and leave. It's actually better to go there than to watch a movie.

Don't. Go. There. It's pretty dangerous if you really thought about it. For your own sake, please, don't go.

But the curious part won and diminished the small voice opposing it. And before I knew it, I'm crossing the street to the place where Carter and his — friends? — went.

I stood in front of the narrow space, and at that instant, my stomach did a little flip, my eyes almost bulging out from their sockets.

This isn't a great scene to be in at this time.

The branches of the trees and bushes that are on the other side of the fence are hanging out of the holes that look ready to scratch where it got you. Dried leaves and twigs are all over the ground, the wall plant on the building looks like a huge amount of cracks waiting for anyone to swallow and end them, and it looks very dark comparing it to the place where I am standing. Generally, it is a very great place for anyone, who wants to experience a nightmare in real life.

I took my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight, took a deep breath, and stepped into the nightmare. I really struggled to walk in here because of the branches that were literally everywhere, which made it ten times harder to step and pass without making a sound.

When I got nearer and nearer to the end of this tunnel like space, I heard voices booming from the other far left corner of the building. I lowered my phone so I wouldn't be noticed, so I let the light flash on the ground.

"This is very dangerous kid, are you sure you would go for it?" A very scratchy and deep voice spoke, which made me nearly piss my pants.

"I was born dangerous, man, and do not call me kid," Carter replied with a little bitterness in his voice at the end.

"Well, there should be things we should tell you, or to be more specific warn you about," a very cool and calm voice spoke very slowly, very softly that sent chills running down my spine.

What is the dangerous thing they are talking about? Who the hell are these people who are scary starting from their body structures, voices and maybe their soul for God's sake?

"If you're going to act all parental on me just go fuck yourself. Give it to me right now, my friends will be coming here at any moment."

"There there kid, better watch your words coming from your filthy mouth or you'll wish you we—"

"Calm down, Ivan. This kid is dealing with us, you wanna mess it up with the leader?"

"You guys are really getting on my fucking nerves right now, I said do not call me kid." Carter snapped, with a hint of annoyance and anger in his voice.

"Listen here, I have been very patient with you since yesterday and if I hear you talking bullshit, I swear I'm going to go all hits and bangs on you," Ivan growled.

"Hits? The new one or the old one? I prefer hip hop though." Carter replied sarcastically. Wow, what a wrong timer dumb smarty mouth he has.

"That's it!" Ivan shouts, then after, a rustling of clothes, branches, and dried leaves are all I can hear. But, the rustling of those leaves and branches was behind me.

Holy mother trooping on a rooftop with a scooter and a booze shit.

I didn't even dare to turn around, I am totally petrified and scared to even move from my spot and hide. His friends came, I never met them, hell I never met him before, but the shitty part is that I am sandwiched right now.

Carter with the guys and his friends are the pairs of buns, and I am the main ingredient here, which means we perfectly made a real sandwich, and there is a probability they would squish me, and eat me too...

You are so weird, I will just ignore you.

"Oh fuck it, my shirt is fucking torn, why the hell Scott would choose this place?" One of his friends said behind me. His voice was far away.

Scott? Did he just call Carter Scott or is it the other guy?

"I see someone over there, maybe it's him, Scott!" Another person spoke and that just made my stomach do triple flips. Uh-oh, they are two. Gaining control over my legs now, I quickly ducked down to hide by the branchy bushes, and let me tell you, it is just so painful.

The crunches of their steps came nearer and nearer, making me tremble. What if they are serial killers? What if they would use me as their punching bag when they find me? No, they won't hurt girls, would they? Oh god...why am I even here?

Ehem, I think I am the one who must say I told you so.

Ugh, please shut the hell up.

"Wait, I think I saw him over there, weird, where did he go?"

"Maybe your eyes were doing some magic trick on you, what the fuck do you think, Cole? He went to the usual place at the corner." Cole's companion replied to him.

"Woah Mr. Twisty pants, calm your nippies down, geez," Cole said, and that made me laugh quietly. These two are bickering while they are in this creepy place? What imbecile boys they are.

While I was thinking about their stupidity and laugh silently like a stupid goat, two huge shadows blanketed me. Abruptly snapping from my thoughts, I looked up, the two boys towering me with suspicious looks on their faces.

I gasped and tried to run, but the Goddamn bushes wouldn't let me, so I ended up stumbling backward and hanging on the branches. I quickly look up, and the guys are having amused smiles plastered on their faces.

"Want some help or would you like to embarrass yourself a little more?" The guy whose voice was Cole spoke. Even though it was dark here, he has dark hair with manly features outlined on his face. He held his hand out to me, and I hesitantly grabbed it.

To be pulled up in this small space was nearly impossible, he had to glue himself to the opposite wall and I had to put my legs between his and stretch them out so that he could successfully pull me. After the third trial, finally, we did it. And just think how very uncomfortable and embarrassing the position we are in.

"Thank you," I mumbled and tried to walk away, but thick and firm fingers stopped me by grabbing me tightly, making me yelp loudly, and pull me to him.

When I met his face, I was immediately greeted with light green or brown eyes, I couldn't decipher, "Where do you think you are going, angel?" he asked, Mr. Twisty Pants.

"What the heck is the noise there?" Ivan's voice boomed from the corner.

"Must be Cole and Xavier," Carter spoke. A couple of footsteps and rustling of dried leaves later, there he is right in front of me, the handsome jerk.

I didn't just say that.

When our eyes locked, I can tell that is surprised to see me, but I immediately doubt it when that small fraction of flickered emotion turned into a scowl and an angry expression.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here." He empathized with every word, his voice getting colder one after the other.

I gulped, hard.

Oh my God.

"Isn't she," he pointed his thumb towards my direction, "your girlfriend or something?" Cole asked, Xavier — as Carter called him — still holding my arm, but at least he loosened his grip.

Get ready for the biggest bruise, Kate.

"Something, definitely something," Carter said still throwing a deadly glare at me.

What I can do right now is just look at the ground and say nothing. I can't humiliate myself anymore, I am in the hottest mess and I have this gut feeling that it won't be this easy to get out of it, "Well, what are you waiting for? Speak up."

"I... uh... I was looking... for... the... I—"

"What's taking you so long kid? Taking a nap?" The calm voice spoke right now, silently thanking him for ending my horrible stuttering.

"Let's get this straight," Cole spoke "If you are not here for anything, then why are you here?" When I looked up I saw Cole's eyes again, they were dark, maybe brownish or black?

It's not the time to admire and guess people's eye color, you've got a bigger problem on your plate. The little voice snapped at me, right.

I think I should lie telling them that I live in the building and my stuff fell around here? That's actual bullshit, I'm not even sure what's the building is exactly; an apartment? A random building? Or maybe I was looking for my dog and ended up here? Nope, it surely won't work. I think I should just tell the truth I guess.

Seriously? Oh, you will say that you came here stalking him without knowing a brief thing about him?

Well, have any ideas? Because these three sinfully handsome boys won't let me go easily.

I am not the one who decided to come here, and I've already warned you.

"Actually, I was just-"

"Ah, I see you brought some 'fun' girl over here?" I nearly jumped out of my skin when what was he called Ivan spoke behind Carter, who looked as startled as I was.

I gasped, he looks even more scarier when looked closely. He has a squared face with his jaw looking like the top of a grater, a deep scar across his right side of his forehead clearly spotted, his eyes are pitch black, just like a black hole trying to suck out your soul from your body, and the worst thing is that he is looking directly at me.

But amidst this chaos of thoughts, I just realized that he called me a... 'fun' girl? I instantly knew what he meant by that, which made me more furious. I, Kate Anderson, being called a name and get disrespected as if I'm nothing? I can't help but yell at him despite how dangerously looking he was, "Excuse me? You, you useless crap of shit calling me a 'stripper'? How do you even try to roll that disgust off your tongue and call me a st—"

Before I could finish my screaming speech, a hand gently clamped my mouth shut and made my next words muffled. I looked at Xavier and shot him a glare, but he didn't seem to get the point. He looked at me, probably telling me to better keep quiet with his eyes, I get that.

"Pardon, young lady?" I heard Ivan say with his jaw tensing and putting both of his hands in a fist.

There was a long silence, a very long and uncomfortable silence. The other left guys came from the corner and I am surprised to see they were four, but none of them were uttering a word. I guess those two are the leaders or the upper hand, or just the boss? What does even a gang leader is called?

After the longest silence I have ever been in, Xavier opened his mouth and replied, "Nothing bro, my... girlfriend is sometimes feisty"

"What!?" Carter, Cole, and I yelled at his sudden outburst, only mine was muffled.

He looked down at me as if to make me go along with the lie, and carefully, as if I am a wild predator, removed his hands off my mouth.

"Yeah! Xavier is right! His girlfriend is so feisty that could even be a furious lion in a circus festival! Right, girlfriend? Careful of her, she can be dangerous sometimes! Rawr!!" Cole said exclaiming the 'rawr' with both of his hands in the air, clawing them to look like a lion's I suppose...

Could he be any more stupid? Weird? Just like me to be honest...

"I think it's time to go cause it has been ages since I finished the deal with them." Carter finally spoke and both boys nodded their head, I felt nodding myself too, frantically.

When all of us started heading to the exit of this horrible place, a voice startled and froze me at the same time, "Don't you think you'll get out of this one easily, young lady." Ivan yelled.

Carter passed through Xavier and me, held my other hand — which by the way, Xavier is still holding my arm — and yanked me out of the place, yelling back, "You are dealing with me, not with her you motherfuckers." and with that, we are now out and on the sidewalk.

"Don't make me come and rip your head off kid!!" was the last thing I heard from those monster-like gangsters.

As much as I felt so relieved, I am still anxious and overwhelmed about two things that will be happening sooner or later this lovely night;

A) The look Carter gave me showed me that he still is not done with me yet so I will be late,

B) Mom and dad are surely worried about me being late to get home. And they will kill me too.

What a freaking hot mess have I gotten myself into?