CHAPTER 25

Tuesday morning starts off with my sister Liz in a different mood than previous mornings. She's not happy or grumpy, just in a kind of blah mood as we all get ready for school. I let her be alone with her thoughts while I attempt to ask my Father for something I don't usually ask for.

"Dad I've got a problem," I tell him as he's getting his boots on for work.

"What kind of a problem Guy," Dad replies without missing a knot.

"I need some money for a date tonight," I say watching him pause as he's lacing up his boot.

"And who are we taking out," Dad asks, finishing the final knot.

"Mathilda, I need to get her out and do stuff that doesn't involve her weight set and I figured a date mid week would be a nice change," I explain hoping for a miracle.

"Well I think that it's a wonderful idea," Mom says joining the conversation," You need to have some normal time with all these girlfriends you keep around. And when are we going to meet this other one from Texas?"

"Soon Mom I promise," I tell her to placate the question for now," I just need like a hundred bucks for a nice dinner or something."

I watch my Mother turn on her expectant gaze to my Father who stands up and takes out five twenty dollar bills then hands them off to me, I try to take them but my Dad has them in a tight grip to get my attention.

"A nice date, you will dress up and you will take the car," Dad orders me.

I nod and he releases his hold on the money which immediately goes back into my room and in the lockbox in my computer desk. Getting to school after picking up Kori I notice Allison has elected to not follow us around like a happy puppy today. I don't mention it to the crew at all as we head off to classes.

I just start to grab my bag and head off to lunch after the third period when I get a visitor in Hanna waiting for me outside my class door. I get outside and am greeted with a goofy salute.

"Ginger ninja reporting for duty," Hanna jokes as we head towards the cafeteria.

"So aside from you we have two others I've recruited, both are guys but that's not a problem for you anymore is it," I joke back.

"Yeah, some of the girls found out about my jumping the fence and while some were okay with it a few don't want to even touch me," Hanna says with very little sadness," So what's on the big list of things to do for today?"

"Well first off you might not want to try to take my job as assistant, that's Natsuko's job," I tell Hanna as we get to the cafeteria," You keep Mathilda up to speed and relay messages."

I can see she doesn't like being put into a single job informing someone else but it's not like I have a million things that need to be done in a day and I make it a point to emphasize how important it's important to me. We get seated at my usual table and I watch as the rest of the crew fills in the table crowding it up to the point where I have to get a second table and pick people to move over.

"Okay, we're too crowded so I want Jun and Lilly to pull that table over and I want Ben to join them," I tell the crew getting odd looks.

"Why are we being moved," Lilly asks confused.

"Jun has been here longest of the guys, you are his girlfriend and Ben is the second best fighter in the group," I explain and watch my reasoning register in their brains.

As we get adjusted I see Hanna move over as well and then I watch as a few punks move over to the second table and quietly sit down. It doesn't take long for me to recognize the girl and her guy friend after the ass-chewing I gave them for not standing up for themselves. I warned Johnny about this type of shit and now here they are creeping into the circle for protection. I finish my milk and tap Katy to get her attention as I stand up and head over to their spot at MY crew's second table. I watch the girl get rigid as I stand behind her before moving over to the guy who turns to see my face.

"Outside now," I ordered him, getting a puzzled look.

"Ummm we can move to a different spot if that's okay," the punk says trying to worm his way out.

"Maybe you didn't fucking hear him but when he says 'outside now' that means get your ass outside right now or your ass becomes three different colors of paste on the ground," Katy barks at the two raising her voice enough for the cafeteria to pay attention.

I watch the punk couple get up and after grabbing their bags get lead out by Katy, I start to follow but getting an idea I stop at Jun's nerd table and grab one of the guys I see him talking to more than most and point for him to go outside.

"Nothing to worry about everyone, just some business among the Pariah's," Jun says, getting people to focus on their own lives.

Once outside I catch up to Katy who is taking the punk couple around the corner of the gym. Once we're out of sight I back them up against the wall and turn my attention to the Asian nerd I had followed us.

"What's your name man," I ask quickly.

"I'm Hideo, I've been friends with Jun for…," He starts in before I cut him off with a look.

"And you two morons, names now," I demand from the punk couple.

"I'm Vince and she's Jenny," the punk boy says quietly.

"Wonderful, now hand over what you're holding," I tell them, getting a desperate look.

"Maybe you didn't understand him, hand it over now or we go tag team on your asses," Katy says grabbing Vince by the shirt," First we'll kick your asses then I'm gonna fuck the two of you."

I watch Hideo's face go completely shocked at the thought and both the punks don't like their prospects as they slowly take a plastic bag out of their backpacks. Each bag has what I can only guess is about a hundred dollars in smaller portioned bags of drugs in them, mostly weed and a few pills. I snatch the bags out of their hands and take Hideo's bag from him and move everything up and place the bags under a few of his books. The look on Hideo's face is priceless as I turn him into a drug runner for the day.

"I'm going to make this simple, you answer to me right," I ask Hideo getting a nod," Good, now unless I tell you to you do not let what's in your bag out for anyone to see, you don't show it off and you don't let anyone take it from you. If someone tries you come find one of my people and you tell them that I said you were protected. Understand?"

"Yes sir, does this mean I'm a Pariah now," Hideo asks, getting a withering glare from Katy.

"No but it means that I know your name, and if I know your name then I know that I can either trust you or I need to hurt you," I tell Hideo coldly," Pick one."

I see him register the implications of failure with me before nodding and heading back to the cafeteria. Once out of sight I return my attention to the punk couple who are more nervous now than when they were being threatened.

"I will be bringing those in today when I go meet Johnny, Katy and I will be showing up there after school," I start to explain," now you will leave that boy alone and you will let Johnny know that I'm coming by and that I will not be in a pleasant mood when I get there. Do we have an understanding?"