Gangs And Pains

1 Tyler

I sigh as I look at my new school, South Gwinnett High, the school that is known for the crimes around. My mom doesn't want me to go here but it's the only high school in our city, Snellville. There is another school but it is several hours away and in another city. I'm just glad to be able to go to a good school. If you get past all the crimes, this school has a decent education system. I walk up the steps, managing to avoid a few people who are running to get to their classes. I manage to find the front office and walk up to the receptionist. The lady behind the desk has soft blond hair and bright blues eyes. She seems to be in her mid fifties, and is typing away at her computer.

"Hi, i'm Tyler Vo. I'm the new student. I was told to come here to meet my tour guide. Can you tell me where they are?" I ask, giving her a small smile.

She smiles back before responding, "Of course. She is in the counseling office. It's the first door on the right. Just head down that hall." she explains while pointing to a nearby hallway.

I nod in understanding. "Alright thank you." I wave a quick goodbye to her before heading down the hallway she told me. I get to the right door but stop right outside of it. I can hear muffled yelling but I can make it out.

"Why do I have to do it?" A female voice screams.

A male voice groans in annoyance. "Melissa, we have been over this. Your parents made a donation to the school, and you are representing them by interacting with your peers. You can't do that if you don't try to socialize."

"I have my reason not to and you know it. I won't interact with anyone but-"

"Yes I know! But this student will be a fresh start. You need to get out of your comfort zone. And please take off that jacket. We don't want the new kid frightened by you."

There is rustling then the female speaks again, "So when do I get to meet him?" she ask.

I knock on the door. I hear a small 'Come in' before entering the room. I am met by a middle-aged man wearing a light green dress shirt and plaid sweater vest with brown slacks and brown dress shoes. He has light brown hair with a few grey streaks here and there. His beard is neatly trimmed and so is his mustache. The person he must have been talking to has their back facing me so I can't see their face.

"Ah, you must be the new student, Tyler. A pleasure to meet you," he extends his hand out for a handshake, which I do. "I'm Dr.Jones. I'm the head counselor here at the high school. If you have any issues just come to me. This is Melissa," he gestures to the girl.

She turns around and my breathing stops. I don't want to say I instantly fall in love with her, but she is beautiful. She has soft pale skin. Her long jet black hair stands out against it. Her hair is braided down to her left side and a thick red strand of dyed hair is among the braid. She has almond shaped eyes and her dark mocha iris are clearly visible through her glasses, which have thin black frames and silver pieces on each side. Her entire outfit is either red or black. She has on a black and red striped t-shirt, a black skirt that stops at her knees, red leggings, and black combat boots with red laces. She also has a lip ring and an eyebrow piercing. On her ears are small little dragon earrings that glint in a dark red. She is wearing black fingerless gloves that have studs on the knuckles. She has a black messenger bag with the strap being red. I can see something that is red and black on her forearm but she hides it.

"Melissa here will be showing you around the school, you two have the same schedules so it will be easier." Dr.Jones explains. At the mention of our schedules Melissa's eyes widen. But she forces a smile.

"I'll give you your schedule then you two may leave." Dr.Jones goes behind his desk and starts to type something into it.

I glance over at Melissa and see that her arms are out in the open. I notice the thing on her forearm is a tattoo. I can only make out a dragon symbol before she notices me staring. She quickly crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at me.

"What are you staring at?" She growls at me. Before I can explain myself Dr.Jones walks away from his computer and makes his way towards us.

"Now, don't be rude Melissa. I am going to the break room to get his schedule. You two introduce yourselves. I'll be back in a minute." He walks to the door and exits the room. Leaving me with Melissa.

"So, can you at least tell me a little about yourself?" I ask her as politely as possible.

She sighs, "The name's Melissa Cruz. Does my last name sound familiar?" She asks with a frown. I think for a moment before realization hit me.

"Cruz Tech., that's why it's familiar. So your parents are-"

She cuts me off. "Inna and Lucas Cruz. Yup, that's them. Always putting their company before their own kid." She says, she grips her forearm where her tattoo is. It's almost like her parents are the reason she has it.

"Well," I say, trying to change the topic. "I'm Tyler Vo. Me and my family moved here a week ago. I heard that this school is known for its crimes but, I'm not really sure what that means." I explain. She lets out a small laugh.

"There is this local gang here in the city. They're called the Death Dragons. One of their members actually attends this school. That's why there is a crime record with this school. That person brought their record when they started attending so it affects the school." She explains, shrugging.

"Can you tell me why this gang is such a big deal?" I ask her out of curiosity. She shakes her head.

"It's not my place to say. But I can tell you to stay away from the alley on Creekwood Drive. Rumor has it that it leads to the gang's hideout. It may not be true but I recommend you don't take any chances. You never know. You can't trust everyone in this city." She sighs. I want to ask how she knows so much but decide to keep quiet.

Before I can ask anything else Dr.Jones comes back with a piece of paper. "Alright, here is your locker number and classes. You will be with Melissa for the rest of the day. She will tell you when your lunch break is and will show you around the school." Dr.Jones explains as he hands me the paper. Melissa starts to make her way to the door. When she reaches the door she turns around and faces me.

"Well, are you coming?" she ask annoyed. I nod and thank Dr.Jones. Then I leave after her. I see her heading for a hallway full of blue lockers. I run after her.

"Hey, my locker is 103. Not 265." I tell her when we stop at a locker.

She sighs, "That's because this is my locker. Since I can't wear the jacket I usually wear I have to use another one." She explains.

She quickly turns in her code and opens her locker. She takes a black leather jacket out of her bag and puts it in her locker. She then takes out another black jacket. That looks just like the last one. She slips it on before closing her locker and walking away. I go after her.

"I forgot to ask, how old are you?" I ask her.

"Fifteen, and i'm a sophomore." She answers.

A smirk forms on my face. "Then that means you're younger than me." I smile.

"Okay then, that means that you're sixteen. Since when?" she ask.

I shrug, "Since last month." I tell her.

She shakes her head with a smile. "I'm not sixteen 'till October." She says.

I blink, "So, when is your birthday?" I ask. She smiles and keeps walking. I follow. She then stops at a classroom.

"This is our homeroom, Mr. Ward." She walks in. I follow and noticed that the room was basically empty. It is just us, the teacher, and three other kids.

"Where is everybody else?" I ask Melissa.

She frowns, "Not here, almost no one comes to school anymore. The teachers think it's my- I mean the girl that is in the gang, is the one to blame. No one comes here because they're scared of her or they don't want to be in the same classes as her." Melissa makes her way to the far corner of the class, away from everyone else and sits down.

I just decide to sit next to her since I know no one else. She glances at me before kicking her feet up on the desk and leaning back in her chair.

I frown, "Don't do that you can hurt yourself." I tell her, making her put her feet down and sit correctly. She rolls her eyes at me when she is seated correctly,

"You're no fun." she mumbles. Just then the bell rings. Melissa and the students get up and started to leave the room. I get up and follow Melissa.

"So what class do we have next?" I ask her.

"Advanced math." she says.

I groan, "I hate math, why would they give me advanced math?" I complain.

Melissa only shakes her head. "It took me months to get accepted into this class. Mainly because I wanted to not because of my folks." She tells me. I really don't get this girl. She talks about her parents as if they are the most horrible people on Earth.

We arrive at the next class and I notice how many more students are in this class than the last. There are at least fifteen kids and they all look like the stereotypical 'nerd'. They all have glasses and are focusing on their work. The teacher isn't even here yet so I still have to follow Melissa.

We sit down and the bell rings, then the teacher shows up. "Good morning class, we have a new student so please be nice and show him the ropes please." The teacher says. I can feel people glancing at me. And it feels weird.

"Alright class, take out yesterday's notes, Melissa please give Tyler yours. He will need to catch up." the teacher tells her.

Melissa pulls out a red journal from her bag and tosses it to me. I catch it. I look at it not knowing where to turn to in the journal.

Melissa sighs, "Go to where that bookmark is." I nod turning to the page to see almost nothing but numbers, exponents, order of operations, and a lot of other things I never learned.

Melissa notices my expression. She lets out a small laugh, "Told you it was advanced math."

When the class ends I just can't believe what we just learned. How is this sophomore material? I hear Melissa laugh. "Dude, this is just the beginning." then she walks away.

And again I have to go after her. I'm stopped when a large wave of people passes in front of me. I try to see over them to find Melissa but I can't. After the crowd leaves I see Melissa standing there with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"What took you so long?" she asks, and walks away again.

I am getting really tired of this. As I follow her I notice how a crowd is forming again. Melissa just shakes her head and keeps walking and what surprises me most is that the crowd parts for her! And some of them look... afraid. She turns around and motions for me to follow her. Not wanting to look like an idiot I do as I'm told.

So the next class is social studies. When we get there I am introduced to a very cheerful teacher Mr.Cox. According to Melissa he actually makes his class fun by using music as a way of teaching. He can be seen as tough but he is a sweetheart deep down. I had some teachers like this but I never really was interested in their classes. We arrive at the classroom and there are a lot more kids in this class than any other.

Melissa smiles, "He's one of the best teachers here. A lot of kids have his class because he makes learning easy. He has almost forty kids. He's one of the best at this school."

Melissa walks in the class and goes to talk to the teacher who is at his desk. I can't hear what they're saying but after a while I see Melissa gesture towards me and the teacher faces me.

He walks up to me, "So you are our new student! Nice to meet you. I'm Mr.Cox, I'll be your social studies teacher. Just a heads up, I don't give homework, you will only have to do four tests in my class, we will take notes and it's only for fifteen minutes, and you'll pass if you really like music. So, any questions?"

I stare at the guy. He has a slightly buff build, sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He has a bit of a beard growing, and he's wearing a white dress shirt, blue tie, brown slacks, and brown dress shoes. His glasses are rectangular and have thin copper frames.

"No sir, I have no questions." I say.

He smiles, "Good, now you'll be sitting next to Melissa, alright?" I nod.

The rest of the class is pretty chill. He cracks jokes every now and then and it is the first time i've seen Melissa laugh. After she calms down from one of the teacher's jokes she glances at me.

Then she glares, "Don't even think you can hold this against me. Don't you dare tell anyone."

I hold my hands in surrender and pay attention for the rest of class. I have to admit, Mr.Cox makes his class fun. I can't really remember the last time I had fun in any of my classes. I'm about to walk out as the bell rings but I notice that Melissa stays behind to talk to Mr.Cox. I can't hear what they're saying but it must be serious if Melissa keeps grabbing her arm where her tattoo is. After a while she smiles at Mr.Cox and runs up to me.

"Come on we still have three more classes." Then she runs off into the hall. I of course have to run after her.

She weaves in and out of people and somehow seems to avoid the people and their lockers. I run into a few people but I have to keep following her. After a while she stops in front of a darkly lit classroom.

I adjust my bag, "So what class is this?" I ask.

She only grins, "You'll see."

She goes in and motions for me to follow her. The class only has one light. It was a small lamp in the back of the class. There are just ten other kids in the class. I jump when I hear a door slam shut. Then another lamp turns on on a desk.

"Okay class, you have three minutes to copy the board and to turn it in."

I turn around to see Melissa already having her notebook out and jotting down the notes. I rush to sit and take out my things then as quickly as possible copy everything on the board. Before I know it it is time to turn it in. I am only barely halfway done.

"Hurry up next time." Melissa says before getting out of her chair and turning in her paper.

The teacher starts to tell us to turn in what we have. I give her my paper and she just frowns, "It's your first day,so you get a pass."

I simply turn around and go back to my seat. Melissa shakes her head before tearing a page out of her notebook and getting ready to write something.

When I sit down, I look at the board and notice that there are more notes. "All this done by the end of class." the teacher says and we all get to work.

"Okay, I have no idea what just happened. What class was that?" I ask Melissa when we get in line in the cafeteria.

She grabs two trays, handing me one. "That was ELA. I hope you can keep up, her class is just notes. She will never give us a writing assignment. If you just turn in all the notes by the end of class you'll be fine."

She gets to the front of the line and orders her food. I notice how bad the food actually looks. It says that they're serving Chicken tenders but they just look like a brown lump.

"How can you guys eat this?" I ask Melissa when we sit down.

She just shrugs and pushes her tray away. "I would usually go to a nearby place and get something but since i'm babysitting you, I can't." She says.

I glare at her. "Look I don't need a baby-" I'm interrupted.

"Oh this is the new kid. If he's stuck with Melissa, do you think he'll join her little cult?" someone ask from behind me.

I turn around and see the most fakest girl ever. A blonde with her face caked in makeup, a tight shirt, a short skirt, heels, and the fakest piercings ever. She takes a seat next to me and starts to twirl her hair between her fingers. She glares at Melissa before facing me again.

"Hey, cutie. So how about you stay with me the rest of the day? I know a good place to spend the next period." She says winking at me.

I open my mouth to answer but before I can Melissa speaks up. "Or Adora, how about you go see what other guy you need to lose your virginity to, again."

I have to admit, I have to laugh. I've seen girls fight at my old school and yell things like this at each other, but this is so much funnier. Adora's face is red and she is fuming. Melissa smiles, grabs her fork, stands up, and points the fork in the direction of the doors of the cafeteria.

"The door is that way honey." Adora gets up in a huff and leaves.

I face Melissa as she sits down again. "That was hilarious." I tell her.

She smiles and gets her things. "Come on, lunch is over. Time for the next class."

I gather my things and follow her out. After taking many complicated turns we turn into a classroom. I see a huge print out version of the periodic table at the back of the room and I can already tell what class this is.

I turn to look at Melissa, "Science, really?" I ask annoyed.

She simply smiles and pats my back. She goes to the back of the room like always and takes a seat. I take the seat next to her and take in the things around me. The desks are actually tables with a glossy black surface. On one of the walls is a picture of a duck wearing a santa hat. Then on the cabinets is a teddy bear with sunglasses and a fake beer.

I look at Melissa with a confused face, "What even is this?" I ask.

She lets out a small laugh. "You'll see."

Just then the door bursts open and in comes a man in his mid fifties with red hair, bright green eyes, a black dress shirt, white tie, white jeans, and black shoes.

"Okay kids, you all know the drill. I could care less about this. So just finish yesterday's worksheet then do what you want for the rest of class."

Melissa just smiles and does the same thing she did in homeroom. She leans back in her chair and kicks her feet up on the table.

"Aren't you going to finish the assignment? I ask her.

"Nah, I finished it last night."

"Do I have to do it?"

"Nope," she answers, popping the 'P' "You're new, you get a pass."

The rest of class is pretty quiet. When the bell rings the teacher yells, "Leave you heathens!"

I swear this is the weirdest school ever. I follow Melissa as we go to the next class, which is Spanish. When we get there Melissa tells me to go in and that she'll be in in a while.

"I have to go to the library for something." is her excuse. She runs off leaving me in the doorway. I shake my head and walk in.

"Oh you are the new student! It is so nice to meet you! I am Ms. Rivera. I'll be your teacher." She is a small woman with dark hair in a tight bun and soft brown eyes. She has a Spanish accent as she speaks but you can still understand her. She's wearing a black shirt that has a colorful skull on it and a flower pattern skirt that goes to her ankles, and black flats.

I smile, "Nice to meet you too, Ms. Rivera. I'm Tyler."

She nods. "You can take a seat next to Dillan over there. I understand that Melissa is your tour guide but I can tell you now that she will not be with you in this class." I don't know how to respond to that but I just nod and sit where she told me.

"Hey, so you're the new kid? I'm Dillan Wallace." He extends his hand for a shake which I do.

"Tyler Vo." I say.

Dillan is a African American with his hair in braids all gathered in the back. He is wearing a red long sleeved shirt with a blue and red striped shirt on top of it, brown jeans and black tennis shoes. He's actually a pretty chill dude. When class ends he shows me to my locker since Melissa didn't. When we get there Melissa is already waiting.

"I'll take care of him from here Dillan." She tells him. He only nods quickly and walks away quickly. I turn and face Melissa.

"Why is everyone afraid of you?" I ask her. She goes still for a moment and I see her eyes soften.

Then just as quickly as it came her face became hard again and her eyes show no emotion. "That is none of your business." The bell rings.

"Well it's time to go, do you have a ride because the busses just left at that bell." Melissa tells me.

My eyes widen in panic. "I don't. My car is at the mechanics, and my little sister is sick so my parents are too busy taking care of her." I groan and hit my head on my locker.

"I can give you a ride." Melissa offers.

I perk up. "Really?"

She nods. "Yeah, just let me get something out of my locker then we'll go. Wait right here." and then she takes off running.

I smile in relief but jump when I hear a voice. "So you're going with her?" someone asks. It's Dillan.

I nod. "Yeah, why is that so bad?" I ask him.

He just shakes his head. "Just be careful around her. I don't have the right to talk about her in a bad way but I can tell you that she is dangerous. So watch your back. I'll see you tomorrow." He says and then walks off.

I turn around and jump, "What is it with this school and scaring people?" I complain.

Melissa just laughs. She has a helmet under each of her arms. She hands me one. "You'll need this." She says and walks off. I, confused, follow her to the parking lot. We walk up to a motorcycle and Melissa just smiles.

"Have you ever ridden one?" she ask with her eyebrows raised. I shake my head. She giggles.

"Put your bag in the trunk and then hop on." she says.

She opens a box at the back of the bike and she puts her bag in and gets on kicking up the bike stand. I put my bag in the box and close it then hop on the bike.

Melissa starts the bike, "Hang on." she says. And before I know we are speeding out of the parking lot and down the road.

We come to a stop light and Melissa yells over the engine. "Where do you live?"

I think for a moment. "Adams Pointe. Third house on the left." I yell back. She nods and when the light turns green she starts to drive again.

"Lean left." she yells.

I do, and we take a turn into a small forest covered street. She keeps telling me to lean in different directions and after a while we end up in my neighborhood. She speeds up and I close my eyes. After a few seconds I feel the bike coming to a stop.

"You can let go of me now." I hear her say. This is when I realize how tight I was actually holding her.

"Sorry." I tell her, my face probably red as a tomato.

I go to the back of the bike and get my bag out of the box. Melissa takes off her helmet, shaking her head to let her hair out properly, kicks the bike stand down, and goes to the back of the bike. She takes off her jacket and puts it in the box, all while taking out another jacket.

"Are your parents home? I don't see a car." She says. I look at the drive way and notice that there in fact are no cars.

"I think they went to the doctors. I mean my sister was throwing up last night. Poor thing, i'm worried for her." I say frowning. I really care for my sister. I mean I was an only child for twelve years, I was happy to no longer be lonely.

"Well, it must be fun to have siblings. Someone you can care for. " Melissa says with sad eyes.

I frown at her. "Are you an only child?" I ask her.

She nods. "I was once an older sister, but fate had other plans." She looks at the ground as if trying to hide her face. She looks back up at me and hastily wipes her eyes. "Well I have to go. So I'll see you tomorrow."

She slips on her jacket, grabs her helmet, hops on her bike, kicks up the stand, turns on the bike, then she waves at me. She puts her helmet on and leaves. I notice something on the back of her jacket. It was the same dragon symbol she has tattooed on her forearm.

I shake my head ignoring it and walk up the driveway. I pull my keys out of my pockets and go inside the house. I hear noise coming from the kitchen. I walk in and see my mom standing over the stove making dinner. She turns around and her face lights up when she sees me.

"Oh Tyler your home. I was worried, I didn't think you had a ride." She says worriedly.

I shake my head laughing. "No mom, I was okay. I had a ride. My tour guide brought me over."

My mom smiles, but then frowns. "I heard a loud engine outside, was that them? Is their car loud or something."

I shake my head. "No, she has a motorcycle." I say, and then instantly regret it.

My mom's eyes widen in horror. "Tyler Alexander Vo! You were riding a motorcycle? Why on Earth would you do that?" I back away as she nears me, she has a knife so I want to keep my distance.

"There was no one else at the school and I only really knew her so I had no other choice. Please don't hurt me." I say.

My mom just blinks then laughs. "Oh I won't hurt you, yet."

She turns around and grabs a tea cup out of the cabinet. Then makes her way to the stove where she has tea brewing, I can easily tell who it's for.

"Here." She says handing it to me. "Make sure your sister drinks it all. It should help her stomach settle. I really don't know why or how she keeps getting sick. But you know that it's the reason we moved, much closer to a doctors office than our last house."

I nod and head up the stairs to my sisters room. She's only four, but she is a strange kid. I can tell which room is hers because she had the door painted blue. I knock and hear a weak, "Come in."

I open the door and see my little sister laying in bed while hugging her favorite stuffed bear.

"Hey, squirt. I brought you your tea. You have to drink all of it this time. Not just half." I tell my sister.

She nods and sits up. I hand her the tea and brush some of her hair out of her eyes. My sister is just like any other kid. Dark black hair, bluebell eyes, and long eyelashes. We don't know why but she can just easily get sick. We don't really know how or why, she just does. Mom always gives her lemon, honey, and peppermint tea to help her. She should be going to school next year, but until we can get her a bit stable, that won't be happening. She also has epilepsy, this kid worries me. Last time she was just playing with her toys, and then the next she just zoned out and she stopped breathing for a minute before I pulled her out of it. We may have to homeschool her, and she does not want to be homeschooled.

"So who was that girl that dropped you off? She was cute." She taunts me. For a four year old, she sure knows her stuff.

I feel my face go red, "It is not like that, Lizzy. She is just my tour guide. I had no one else to bring me here. Stop giving me that face." I tell my sister as I flick her on the forehead.

She laughs, it just makes me smile. I just have to remember that she is a normal kid, and that soon she will get better. She finishes her tea then hands me the cup.

"Can I go downstairs for a while? Please." She ask me giving me puppy eyes. How can I say no to that face?

I shake my head. "You are going to be the death of me. Dinner is almost ready anyways. Dad should be coming home soon too." I tell her.

She smiles and makes grabbing motions with her hands, showing that she wants to be carried. I laugh and pick her up, we head downstairs and I put her down, she goes straight to her toys. I smile, it's good to know that Elizabeth is okay. I just wish it could stay that way.