Chapter 3
Knock! Knock! "What could you possibly want?" I exclaimed into my pillow, irritated. "Case, girl! Get up and get your butt ready for school!" I groaned, pushing myself upwards into a sitting position. Knock! Knock! Knock! "Gosh dangit, I’m up already! Give me a minute! Pushy, pushy..." I listened to his footsteps thud down the hall as I sat there, rubbing my eyes. I shoved myself off the bed towards the closet, almost slamming my face into the door. I huffed and rolled my eyes, opening the door and grabbing my outfit for the day: my blue-and-white DC shirt with its matching hoodie, my blue jeans, my new skateboard, shoes, and hat from yesterday, and my blue-and-white book bag with the words "Boomin’ out the stereo system!" with a boom box on the back. After I slipped on all the clothes and slung my book bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my board and opened the door, the smell of pancakes causing my stomach to growl. I rubbed my belly, grinning. I dropped my board, jumping on its gritty surface. I pushed off, jumping onto the stair’s rail, grinding it down to the bottom. I landed on the floor, holding the board in my hand. I strolled into the kitchen, where Mrs. Macheffer was cooking pancakes, eggs, and...OMG, she’s cookin’ bacon! (Oh, wow...I just sounded like a prep. Lord, shoot me now, I’m losin’ it!) I love meat. Just puttin’ that out there. Chris was watching the TV while petting the two dogs, not even noticing the epic entrance. I slumped down at the bar and yawned, Chris finally noticing a third living person in the room. "Morning, KC! Sleep well?" Chris asked me, his energy vibe messing my mind up. I grunted, dropping my head on the bar’s cold, flat marble-stone surface. Chris laughed heartily. "I guess not!" he managed to squeeze out. I glared up at him, growling. Chris’s laughter died and he patted my back. "Kay, guys! Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Macheffer exclaimed, setting down three pancakes, four pieces of bacon, and some scrambled eggs, with an espresso from Starbucks. (We ordered it. Duh. Starbucks takes all my money, Redbull takes all my money. Heh-heh.) I licked my lips, said a quick prayer, and vacuumed my food into the black hole known as my stomach. Chris took a sip of his coffee and looked over at me, immediately doing a spittake. "Where did yo food go, woman? There's no way you ate that freakin' fast. Show me the food." I grinned. "Dude, the only food you'll find is in my belly! And, trust me, you do NOT wanna see that." I took my plate to the sink, rinsing it off and sticking it into the dishwasher. After that, I sat down onto the couch, petting the pups and watching Ridiculousness on MTV. Chris finished eating his breakfast and then he grabbed his backpack, along with his skateboard. I jumped up, my skateboard dropping to the floor. "Ready?" Chris nodded. I opened the front door, the morning breeze cooling me off. ( It was burnin up in there!) I waved bye to Mrs. Macheffer and headed out, the skateboard rolling smoothly on the asphalt sidewalk. The sun was rising and I paused, stunned at it's beauty. Chris caught up with me and then we shot off, proving why we were the top dog gang. I stopped to check if I had my mp3 in my pocket while Chris shot on, wanting to get to school thirty minutes early. As I was digging through my crap, I heard shouting coming from the alleyway across the street from where I was standing. I zipped up my bag and rode across the street into the alleyway to see a group of six West Side teens gaining up on about three kids- one brown boy and two really pale girls. The tallest kid was a girl, had strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and was about six feet tall. She was wearing jeans and a NC hoodie.The other girl was short, had long, brown hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing jean shorts with a hot pink tank-top. The dude had brown eyes, black hair, and was wearing a black shirt with purple shorts. I recognized him from somewhere, I just couldn't remember from where. The West Side peeps were wearing all black, so I couldn't tell who they were. I growled, glaring at the West Side group. They whirled around and squeaked when they realized who I was. But then one brave teen smirked and scoffed. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the Wild Grinder's petty wimp of a leader. Fight us!" The other teens charged at me, battle cries breaking the morning silence. I smirked, shifting my weight and balled my hands into fists. The first teen jumped at me, fist pulled back. My foot lashed out, landing square into his chest, knocking him down to the cement. I heard a crack when he landed on his arm. Guess he won't be playing any video games anytime soon. The next teen threw a knife at me, which I ducked down and rolled to him, raising my skateboard and cracking it down on his head, hearing him yelp with pain. The third teen jumped on my back, bashing my skull in with his fists. I reached up, pulled him off, and slammed him down, the crash of his skull on the ground cracking the sky. The fourth teen tried to kick me in the stomach, but it kinda backfired when I caught his foot and twisted it to the right, making him scream like a girl. He limped away, whimpering. The leader tried to pull off a Jackie Chan, but then I kicked him in the balls, sending him into the wall. Then the teens wept away, whining. "Yeah, right, wimps. Who's the petty one now, freaks? Don't mess with the East gangs again!" I turned to face the other teens, who were staring at me with wide eyes. "Hey, guys, no need to be freaked out. I'm not gonna bash yo skull in. It's safe." The teens seemed to calmed down enough to talk. "Who are you guys, anyway?" The taller girl stepped forward. "I'm Syd Carz. Call me Syd. The dude is John, or JB. The other girl is Ella, or L.A. for short." I smirked. "Hey, it's like L.A. Symphony! You guys listen to Christian music?" Syd nodded. "Heck yeah!" I nodded. Then JB stepped up. "I don't know if yo remember me, but I used to be a Shadowboarder. See my board?" He flipped it around to show the skull with purple and black flames behind it that was the Shadowboarder logo. I grinned. "Cool. Well, I'm goin to school, so... you guys wanna tag along?" They nodded, hopping onto their boards. Then we rolled out, heading off to join the other Wild Grinders.
We swerved into the parking lot of Blue Sky High School, the lot half-empty. I rode to the door, hopping off my board and kicking it up into my hands. The three other teens followed me into the school, where everyone was waiting to welcome me back. "Welcome back, KC!" Everyone shouted, some people I didn't even know coming up to hug me. I grinned, hugging and giving out high-fives to whoever wanted them. After everything semi-calmed down, I went over to the gang, who were meeting Syd, JB, and L.A. for the first time. "Hey, gang!" Everyone replied and Chris came up to me. "What happened?" I told the gang what had happened, the three teens filling in the details. After we were done, the others were shocked, their mouths hanging wide open. I grinned. "So, we have three more teens joining the gang." Chris looked at me. "KC, they broke the truce. The West Side peeps crossed the line. It's a battlefield now. We have to be careful." I snorted. "I know their weakness, man. Remember? That gaylord of a leader for the FireDemonz was the reason I came over here! I told you about that. Don't you remember?" Chris nodded gravely. I walked over to my locker, putting in my combination. I stuck my skateboard and all of my books in there and took out my drawing notebook, my Math books, and my pencil pouch. I shut my locker, locking my lock. Me, Chris, Vaniell, and Breanna headed off to Math, Vaniell, Breanna, and Chris chatting it up. I walked quietly, lost in thought. 'What if the West Side wants to fight? Are we prepared for this? I'll just talk to the gang later. ' I walked into Math class, which was almost empty. Mr. Weiner was at the front of the class, bored out of his mind. He cheered up when he saw me walk in. "KC! Come here for a min, girl." I walked over with a smile. "Yeah, what's up, Mr. Weiner?" Mr. Weiner smiled. "I just got kicked out of my house by my ex-wife. Can you help me?" I nodded. "Yeah! After school, meet us in the back. And bring your board. I need your help later, training more Wild Grinders. We need as many as we can get." Mr Weiner was the adult Wild Grinder trainer; he trained me to do the ollie. He's really patient and friendly, with his dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. "Why? What's up?" "The West Side broke the truce. You know, the one that sent me over here after the 'incident', if you know what I mean." Mr. Weiner grimaced, nodding. "Alright. after school, 2:45. See ya there! Oh, here's my homework." I turned in my homework from the past month I was in the hospital and then sat down with my buds. We talked about what I missed in school and on the streets, the gang news, and about the other people joining the gang. Then we went to Reading, where it was me, Ben, Miranda, and Chris in the same class. After Reading is Science, where me, Chris, Syd, JB, L.A., Jake, and Miranda was in the same class together, and then- everyone's fave class- Gym! I walked into the gymnasium, where the gang was hanging out in one of the corners, chatting with a small group of people. I jogged over to them, hearing them laugh at something Chris said. "Hey guys! What's up?" Chris turned to me. "KC, you have to meet Matthew! Matt!" A blue-eyed kid walked over to us. "Matthew, KC. KC, Matthew." I waved at him, smiling. He waved back at me, his dark-blonde hair wavering in the breeze his hand caused. I turned to Chris. "Hey, man, I got Mr. Weiner to help train more Wild Grinders. We already have seventeen, taking all of these peeps have joined. We need all the help we can get, just in case they do wanna brawl. Remember, I get Demon. It's time to pay him back for that one dark night... Four years later, and I still have nightmares about that. Only God can help me forgive that son of a stain. Anyway, they have fifteen gangs- one of them are bikers. So, after school, 2:45, training starts. Be there...and spread the word. Anyone who wants to become an official Wild Grinder needs to meet us at 2:45 today." Then the bell rang, sending us to lunch, and then we had Art, Chorus, and, last but certainly not least, Computers.
I slammed my locker shut, resting my head on the cold metal. I didn't know what I was gonna do. I had a whole east side of a county depending on me and my master, God. Hey, God, it's me, Casey. What do I do? I'm stuck, and IDK what to do. Help, please? Jehovah, Jah, I know you're there and that you're listening, so please, help! I lifted my head and sighed, looking at my watch. It was 2:35. I grabbed my board and walked to the back parking lot, where Mr. Weiner was trying to calm down about fifteen people at once. I stopped and took a deep breath. "QUIET! EVERYONE, SHUT YO TRAP AND SIT YO BUTTS DOWN ON YO BOARDS!" Everyone sat down and shut up after that. "Okay... much better. First, if you are a wimp, then leave." No one moved. "Second, I am KC, the one who's called you guys out here. You are here to train, not play. You are gonna learn how to skateboard." Then I burst out laughing. "I can't do this. It's too hilarious! I'm not a drill seargent, so stop being scared. I'm not gonna work you to death. I'm not that type of person. Okay, here's the thing: Mr. Weiner here will teach you the basics of being a Wild Grinder. You have been called to join the top-dog skateboarding gang out there. The first seven of us have been through alot. Here's a few examples: Rape, Fire, Fights, Loss. But, I think we all know the saying: What doesn't kill you makes you sronger. Also, we had God, or Jehovah, or even Jah. So, we're pretty tough. Don't mess with an angry Wild Grinder. Remember, even fire didn't kill the Wild Grinder. FIRE. We didn't burn. I actually got in a fight this morning, with six West Side $%^#-heads trapping three potential skaters. FYI: The West Side peeps are our enemies. They are who we are fighting soon. This is why we need as many peeps to join. They have fifteen gangs. One's chock-full of bikers. And not the wimpy ones. High- grade. They broke a truce that was formed four years ago. So, now, they are gonna pay. Tomorrow we're protesting against the destruction of our skate spot downtown, so meet us there! Okay, Mr. Weiner, they're all yours!" I jumped the fence, hopping onto my board and racing to the skate store, where Mrs. Macheffer was working.
I walked into the air-conditioned store, amazed at all of the skate equipment that was available. I walked to the counter where Mrs. Macheffer was busy putting on a blue and white rubber bracelet. She looked up to see me enter the store and smiled. "Hey, KC! Got something for ya! They're bracelets for the protests! They say "Stop, Drop, and Roll for the skate park!" Get it! Fire, you, skate park." I nodded, smirking. "Protest's tomorrow, so we'll stop by. Thank God it's Friday. I can sleep in. Hey, do you think you could hang these?" I pulled out some posters for the protest. Mrs. Macheffer's grin went from ear to ear. She walked around the counter to take about half of the posters from my hands. "Let's hang these things up, girl!" We split up, me attacking the outside, her attacking the inside. When we finished, you could tell we had something going on. Then we went inside and made signs out of scrap wood and posterboard. This was an original protest. And we were not about to quit.
Knock! Knock! "What could you possibly want?" I exclaimed into my pillow, irritated. "Case, girl! Get up and get your butt ready for school!" I groaned, pushing myself upwards into a sitting position. Knock! Knock! Knock! "Gosh dangit, I’m up already! Give me a minute! Pushy, pushy..." I listened to his footsteps thud down the hall as I sat there, rubbing my eyes. I shoved myself off the bed towards the closet, almost slamming my face into the door. I huffed and rolled my eyes, opening the door and grabbing my outfit for the day: my blue-and-white DC shirt with its matching hoodie, my blue jeans, my new skateboard, shoes, and hat from yesterday, and my blue-and-white book bag with the words "Boomin’ out the stereo system!" with a boom box on the back. After I slipped on all the clothes and slung my book bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my board and opened the door, the smell of pancakes causing my stomach to growl. I rubbed my belly, grinning. I dropped my board, jumping on its gritty surface. I pushed off, jumping onto the stair’s rail, grinding it down to the bottom. I landed on the floor, holding the board in my hand. I strolled into the kitchen, where Mrs. Macheffer was cooking pancakes, eggs, and...OMG, she’s cookin’ bacon! (Oh, wow...I just sounded like a prep. Lord, shoot me now, I’m losin’ it!) I love meat. Just puttin’ that out there. Chris was watching the TV while petting the two dogs, not even noticing the epic entrance. I slumped down at the bar and yawned, Chris finally noticing a third living person in the room. "Morning, KC! Sleep well?" Chris asked me, his energy vibe messing my mind up. I grunted, dropping my head on the bar’s cold, flat marble-stone surface. Chris laughed heartily. "I guess not!" he managed to squeeze out. I glared up at him, growling. Chris’s laughter died and he patted my back. "Kay, guys! Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Macheffer exclaimed, setting down three pancakes, four pieces of bacon, and some scrambled eggs, with an espresso from Starbucks. (We ordered it. Duh. Starbucks takes all my money, Redbull takes all my money. Heh-heh.) I licked my lips, said a quick prayer, and vacuumed my food into the black hole known as my stomach. Chris took a sip of his coffee and looked over at me, immediately doing a spittake. "Where did yo food go, woman? There's no way you ate that freakin' fast. Show me the food." I grinned. "Dude, the only food you'll find is in my belly! And, trust me, you do NOT wanna see that." I took my plate to the sink, rinsing it off and sticking it into the dishwasher. After that, I sat down onto the couch, petting the pups and watching Ridiculousness on MTV. Chris finished eating his breakfast and then he grabbed his backpack, along with his skateboard. I jumped up, my skateboard dropping to the floor. "Ready?" Chris nodded. I opened the front door, the morning breeze cooling me off. ( It was burnin up in there!) I waved bye to Mrs. Macheffer and headed out, the skateboard rolling smoothly on the asphalt sidewalk. The sun was rising and I paused, stunned at it's beauty. Chris caught up with me and then we shot off, proving why we were the top dog gang. I stopped to check if I had my mp3 in my pocket while Chris shot on, wanting to get to school thirty minutes early. As I was digging through my crap, I heard shouting coming from the alleyway across the street from where I was standing. I zipped up my bag and rode across the street into the alleyway to see a group of six West Side teens gaining up on about three kids- one brown boy and two really pale girls. The tallest kid was a girl, had strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes, and was about six feet tall. She was wearing jeans and a NC hoodie.The other girl was short, had long, brown hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing jean shorts with a hot pink tank-top. The dude had brown eyes, black hair, and was wearing a black shirt with purple shorts. I recognized him from somewhere, I just couldn't remember from where. The West Side peeps were wearing all black, so I couldn't tell who they were. I growled, glaring at the West Side group. They whirled around and squeaked when they realized who I was. But then one brave teen smirked and scoffed. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the Wild Grinder's petty wimp of a leader. Fight us!" The other teens charged at me, battle cries breaking the morning silence. I smirked, shifting my weight and balled my hands into fists. The first teen jumped at me, fist pulled back. My foot lashed out, landing square into his chest, knocking him down to the cement. I heard a crack when he landed on his arm. Guess he won't be playing any video games anytime soon. The next teen threw a knife at me, which I ducked down and rolled to him, raising my skateboard and cracking it down on his head, hearing him yelp with pain. The third teen jumped on my back, bashing my skull in with his fists. I reached up, pulled him off, and slammed him down, the crash of his skull on the ground cracking the sky. The fourth teen tried to kick me in the stomach, but it kinda backfired when I caught his foot and twisted it to the right, making him scream like a girl. He limped away, whimpering. The leader tried to pull off a Jackie Chan, but then I kicked him in the balls, sending him into the wall. Then the teens wept away, whining. "Yeah, right, wimps. Who's the petty one now, freaks? Don't mess with the East gangs again!" I turned to face the other teens, who were staring at me with wide eyes. "Hey, guys, no need to be freaked out. I'm not gonna bash yo skull in. It's safe." The teens seemed to calmed down enough to talk. "Who are you guys, anyway?" The taller girl stepped forward. "I'm Syd Carz. Call me Syd. The dude is John, or JB. The other girl is Ella, or L.A. for short." I smirked. "Hey, it's like L.A. Symphony! You guys listen to Christian music?" Syd nodded. "Heck yeah!" I nodded. Then JB stepped up. "I don't know if yo remember me, but I used to be a Shadowboarder. See my board?" He flipped it around to show the skull with purple and black flames behind it that was the Shadowboarder logo. I grinned. "Cool. Well, I'm goin to school, so... you guys wanna tag along?" They nodded, hopping onto their boards. Then we rolled out, heading off to join the other Wild Grinders.
We swerved into the parking lot of Blue Sky High School, the lot half-empty. I rode to the door, hopping off my board and kicking it up into my hands. The three other teens followed me into the school, where everyone was waiting to welcome me back. "Welcome back, KC!" Everyone shouted, some people I didn't even know coming up to hug me. I grinned, hugging and giving out high-fives to whoever wanted them. After everything semi-calmed down, I went over to the gang, who were meeting Syd, JB, and L.A. for the first time. "Hey, gang!" Everyone replied and Chris came up to me. "What happened?" I told the gang what had happened, the three teens filling in the details. After we were done, the others were shocked, their mouths hanging wide open. I grinned. "So, we have three more teens joining the gang." Chris looked at me. "KC, they broke the truce. The West Side peeps crossed the line. It's a battlefield now. We have to be careful." I snorted. "I know their weakness, man. Remember? That gaylord of a leader for the FireDemonz was the reason I came over here! I told you about that. Don't you remember?" Chris nodded gravely. I walked over to my locker, putting in my combination. I stuck my skateboard and all of my books in there and took out my drawing notebook, my Math books, and my pencil pouch. I shut my locker, locking my lock. Me, Chris, Vaniell, and Breanna headed off to Math, Vaniell, Breanna, and Chris chatting it up. I walked quietly, lost in thought. 'What if the West Side wants to fight? Are we prepared for this? I'll just talk to the gang later. ' I walked into Math class, which was almost empty. Mr. Weiner was at the front of the class, bored out of his mind. He cheered up when he saw me walk in. "KC! Come here for a min, girl." I walked over with a smile. "Yeah, what's up, Mr. Weiner?" Mr. Weiner smiled. "I just got kicked out of my house by my ex-wife. Can you help me?" I nodded. "Yeah! After school, meet us in the back. And bring your board. I need your help later, training more Wild Grinders. We need as many as we can get." Mr Weiner was the adult Wild Grinder trainer; he trained me to do the ollie. He's really patient and friendly, with his dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. "Why? What's up?" "The West Side broke the truce. You know, the one that sent me over here after the 'incident', if you know what I mean." Mr. Weiner grimaced, nodding. "Alright. after school, 2:45. See ya there! Oh, here's my homework." I turned in my homework from the past month I was in the hospital and then sat down with my buds. We talked about what I missed in school and on the streets, the gang news, and about the other people joining the gang. Then we went to Reading, where it was me, Ben, Miranda, and Chris in the same class. After Reading is Science, where me, Chris, Syd, JB, L.A., Jake, and Miranda was in the same class together, and then- everyone's fave class- Gym! I walked into the gymnasium, where the gang was hanging out in one of the corners, chatting with a small group of people. I jogged over to them, hearing them laugh at something Chris said. "Hey guys! What's up?" Chris turned to me. "KC, you have to meet Matthew! Matt!" A blue-eyed kid walked over to us. "Matthew, KC. KC, Matthew." I waved at him, smiling. He waved back at me, his dark-blonde hair wavering in the breeze his hand caused. I turned to Chris. "Hey, man, I got Mr. Weiner to help train more Wild Grinders. We already have seventeen, taking all of these peeps have joined. We need all the help we can get, just in case they do wanna brawl. Remember, I get Demon. It's time to pay him back for that one dark night... Four years later, and I still have nightmares about that. Only God can help me forgive that son of a stain. Anyway, they have fifteen gangs- one of them are bikers. So, after school, 2:45, training starts. Be there...and spread the word. Anyone who wants to become an official Wild Grinder needs to meet us at 2:45 today." Then the bell rang, sending us to lunch, and then we had Art, Chorus, and, last but certainly not least, Computers.
I slammed my locker shut, resting my head on the cold metal. I didn't know what I was gonna do. I had a whole east side of a county depending on me and my master, God. Hey, God, it's me, Casey. What do I do? I'm stuck, and IDK what to do. Help, please? Jehovah, Jah, I know you're there and that you're listening, so please, help! I lifted my head and sighed, looking at my watch. It was 2:35. I grabbed my board and walked to the back parking lot, where Mr. Weiner was trying to calm down about fifteen people at once. I stopped and took a deep breath. "QUIET! EVERYONE, SHUT YO TRAP AND SIT YO BUTTS DOWN ON YO BOARDS!" Everyone sat down and shut up after that. "Okay... much better. First, if you are a wimp, then leave." No one moved. "Second, I am KC, the one who's called you guys out here. You are here to train, not play. You are gonna learn how to skateboard." Then I burst out laughing. "I can't do this. It's too hilarious! I'm not a drill seargent, so stop being scared. I'm not gonna work you to death. I'm not that type of person. Okay, here's the thing: Mr. Weiner here will teach you the basics of being a Wild Grinder. You have been called to join the top-dog skateboarding gang out there. The first seven of us have been through alot. Here's a few examples: Rape, Fire, Fights, Loss. But, I think we all know the saying: What doesn't kill you makes you sronger. Also, we had God, or Jehovah, or even Jah. So, we're pretty tough. Don't mess with an angry Wild Grinder. Remember, even fire didn't kill the Wild Grinder. FIRE. We didn't burn. I actually got in a fight this morning, with six West Side $%^#-heads trapping three potential skaters. FYI: The West Side peeps are our enemies. They are who we are fighting soon. This is why we need as many peeps to join. They have fifteen gangs. One's chock-full of bikers. And not the wimpy ones. High- grade. They broke a truce that was formed four years ago. So, now, they are gonna pay. Tomorrow we're protesting against the destruction of our skate spot downtown, so meet us there! Okay, Mr. Weiner, they're all yours!" I jumped the fence, hopping onto my board and racing to the skate store, where Mrs. Macheffer was working.
I walked into the air-conditioned store, amazed at all of the skate equipment that was available. I walked to the counter where Mrs. Macheffer was busy putting on a blue and white rubber bracelet. She looked up to see me enter the store and smiled. "Hey, KC! Got something for ya! They're bracelets for the protests! They say "Stop, Drop, and Roll for the skate park!" Get it! Fire, you, skate park." I nodded, smirking. "Protest's tomorrow, so we'll stop by. Thank God it's Friday. I can sleep in. Hey, do you think you could hang these?" I pulled out some posters for the protest. Mrs. Macheffer's grin went from ear to ear. She walked around the counter to take about half of the posters from my hands. "Let's hang these things up, girl!" We split up, me attacking the outside, her attacking the inside. When we finished, you could tell we had something going on. Then we went inside and made signs out of scrap wood and posterboard. This was an original protest. And we were not about to quit.
RSS Feed