CHAPTER 13

I watch Taylor look around to his people, then to my table and the nerds next to it. Everyone in my crew is standing up and the nerds are looking straight at Taylor like he's a marked man. I watch him back up smiling as the rest of his 'friends' start to back off. I watch them leave with Taylor still smiling even though he's the one leaving. Most of the three tables start to breathe a sigh of relief but I'm not happy with the situation and quickly grab my bag from my table and head out of the cafeteria. I get about a hundred feet away from the cafeteria before I get grabbed by my shoulder, it's Katy and the rest of the crew is hot on her heels to catch up.

"Hey what's wrong," Katy asks worriedly.

"I'm not some damn hero who is going to fight everyone's battles for them but for some damn reason when I don't you all stare at me like I'm doing something wrong," I say as everyone approaches," You know what just happened back there, that was me making a fool out of myself."

I watch Kori wave everyone off including Katy and quietly walk me over to a bench before sitting down with me. I let her take my hand and after a few moments she decided to speak.

"Baby that's not why you are mad is it," Kori asks.

"I don't know, I was just going to leave then that fucker decides to call me out right there," I tell her trying to find words to finish.

"Baby you did what you needed to do. People step up to you and they either back down or get knocked down. I think you're just upset that you didn't get to knock him down again," Kori says, keeping her eyes on my hand.

"I am trying to lead but I'm not seeing a point honey," I tell her quietly," I mean what they were doing was messed up but why does everyone wait for me to get involved before they consider standing up for themselves?"

I feel Kori put her arm around me and we sit quietly on the bench when I get that feeling that someone is watching me again. I raise my hood and head to see a couple of the punks from the table standing there. I stand up and they back up from me when I do.

"Next time start swinging back," I tell forcefully," You are supposed to be something that makes older people back off and people our age sit away from you."

I watch the girl who was being picked on the most steps forward and quickly look around before leaning in to speak.

"We can't get into trouble cause we're holding for Johnny," the girl whispers to me.

"Excuse me," I reply getting angry," you are fucking holding for Johnny? He's not even a student here anymore and you are holding him? Get on whatever you use for communication and tell him that he will show up after school today or I'm gonna hunt his ass down and bring a beating with me."

I watch the punks back up from me and taking Kori in hand we head off to our next classes. The rest of the day is a blur and I don't even react when Heather tries to stop me to talk as I'm getting my pass from homeroom before heading out to the Gym. I get there before everyone else and watch as the girls' basketball practice kicks off. I watch them work their drills with Coach Campbell shouting out orders as the rest of my friends start piling in and make their way to me. Everyone's a little more quiet than usual as Kori starts explaining what is going on and why I was angry at lunch. I let her get into the details when I get the creepy feeling of being watched and start looking around. Only Natsuko notices and I nod to her as she nonchalantly heads down the bleachers and starts making her way around the Gym.

With my freaking 'spidey sense' tingling for no damn reason and still being pissed off about jumping in to defend drug mules at school it's a wonder that I even noticed the final bell. I head out of the gym with the crew and almost plow through a group of white shirts as I beeline it towards one of the punk boys I saved during lunch. He sees me coming and puts his hands up like he doesn't want to fight.

"Where the fuck is Johnny," I growl more than ask.

"Dude, he told the others to bring their shit in and had one of them take what I was holding so that I could tell you that he couldn't make it today," the kid spits out to me scared.

I watch as the rest of the crew surrounds the punk and it's Katy who backs me up and decides to talk to the boy.

"Okay, I get that you're a messenger and don't want any trouble," Katy starts in," But Vlad Tepes was known famously for killing the messenger when they didn't do what he said."

"But he didn't ask me anything," the boy says, scared.

"Where is Johnny at right now," Katy asks in a calm voice.

The punk boy gives up the location where Johnny is waiting for the others. I let the crew disperse, taking Kori with me on my bike and heading off to where Johnny is waiting. It takes us about a half hour to get there but if there is another meeting ground of abandoned motorhomes and cars with punks, Goths, and general issue emo kids congregating I'd like to know where else it could be. We pull up on my bike and it gets a few admirers but as soon as my helmet comes off people start to keep their distance. I walk through the small army of unwashed masses and make my way to the 'nicest' of the homes in the shanty town where Johnny is sitting around with a couple girls just talking about how he's still running shit. All the bravado and boasting stop as soon as he sees me and Kori.

"Guy, it's so good to see you. I didn't know you were coming or I would have gotten out some… well shit I wouldn't have gotten out shit but I would have at least not been so busy," Johnny explains pulling himself off of a car backseat that doubles as a couch.

"Johnny you might want to find somewhere private we can talk or I'm going to have to do this in front of everyone," I tell him keeping my voice calm.

Johnny's normally dark features pale a little at the thought and for a black guy I'm not used to seeing someone get pale visibly. I let him lead us to a double wide and once he gets inside Kori and I wait a minute as a few other punks scramble out before we can get in. The whole trailer is decorated in early fuck with a side of dumpster but I pull up a reasonable looking chair for Kori to sit on and lean against the wall facing Johnny who is sitting in a broken recliner.

"So I'm just guessing you need me for something since we don't really socialize that much," Johnny says starting the conversation.

"Actually you have a problem, your runners are drawing too much attention and making themselves targets," I reply plainly.

I go into detail about the events surrounding lunch and explain a little about the new group that's bringing morals back into high school. Johnny doesn't take it seriously until I explain that five of his runners were all sitting down at the same table and hoping for the best when I intervened. I can see he's visibly upset but not so much at me.

"Well I guess I owe you for backing up my people," Johnny concedes.

"What are they running for you man," I ask genuinely concerned.

"Just blue pills and weed," Johnny says smiling," I stay away from the bigger stuff and since weed is legal I got my own license to grow it and I'm working on getting a real farm built in a couple years."

"Oh my god, you riding a punked out tractor to the theme of Old MacDonald is the first image I got," Kori bursts out getting all of us laughing.