Chapter 6

            I woke up the next morning at eight o'clock, feeling refreshed. I sat up, soaking up all of the Wednesday sun's rays. Today was a different day, and I was finally goin' back to my old church, cause there was no school and I was bored. Ever since my dad had died, I haven't even stepped foot in the place, so I'm going back. I smiled, getting up and turning on my stereo, blasting Group 1 Crew's song "His Kind of Love (Capital Kings Remix)", heading toward the closet. I love my church.

            You see, my church doesn't care what you wear. It's a hey-you-showed-up-so-let's-get-the-party-started type of church. We don't get up at six in the mornin'. Performances start at ten, then the preacher/speaker talks, then lunch; more performances, then we're done. Thursday nights, though, it's a mega-party. That's where everyone has fun, there's food, music, games, dancing, and then there's a fifteen minute speech, then more party. Lasts until three in the morning. I loved goin' before, and it was fun.

            I rolled up to the church, my sky-blue "I Found Mr. Right" shirt rippling in the wind. I stuck my skateboard into my old locker, stickin' my new shiny silver lock on it. I whirled around, walking into the church and seeing seven people doin' the sound check. "Hey guys!" I waved, and they looked up, smiling and waving. "What's new, stranger?" G-Man called out, his DC hoodie strings interfering with the wires. He was fifteen, with brown spiky hair and blue eyes. He had cargo shorts on and black Converse shoes. I smirked. "Ha-ha. You know how hard it's been on me, dog!" Tiny looked up and smiled, her blue eyes clashing with her bright red wavy hair. She was eighteen and wearing a red tank-top with red basketball shorts. (Told ya, wear whatever you want, we don't judge.) Her German Sheperd playfully followed Tiger, runnin' outside. I smirked. Lilly came runnin' up to me, givin' me a hug. I taught the now fourteen-year-old how to skateboard when she was six. She has purple hair and brown eyes, and she was wearing blue jean shorts with blue flip-flops and a-you guessed it- blue tank-top. (Who wears flip-flops in winter?) Her bunny, Bun-Bun, was sitting on a table beside Hasona, G-Man's parrot. Kacey was sitting at the table, her blonde hair covering her blue eyes. She was texting her friend Alex, probably. She's seventeen, and was wearing a Hello Kitty tank with white skinnys with Hello Kitty vans. She had a Hello Kitty phone cover, with Hello Kitty as her background on her Android. (Did I mention she's seventeen and still likes Hello Kitty?) T-Booty had the same hair and eye color as Kacey, but she was sixteen and she didn't like Hello Kitty. She has a pet cat named Fluff. Don't ask why. She was wearing a white tank with blue jeans covering her blue and white Nikes. Destiny and Katie, or Bug were chatting when I walked in. Destiny was sixteen, with brown hair and eyes. She was wearing a lime green tank under a TAPOUT tee that was tied up with a green hairbow. Her lime-green and black Nikes were covered by her blue jeans. Bug was seventeen, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her black pants clashed with her bright pink tank. She was Tater's cousin. Then the preacher, Mike, who was twenty-two, walked in. His blue jeans hid under his Romans 1:16 T-Shirt, which stood out. "Hey, Mike, what's up?" We high-fived. "Nothing much, Case. Ready to speak in two hours?" I nodded, holding up my old composition book. "Found it last night. I guess God wanted me to do this sermon!" We chuckled and I showed him the sermon. "Yes. That one is perfect. Just perfect.  Thursday, though, you better come. We got a surprise for ya." "Now you're scarin' me, man. The way you smiled and you said it... you are REALLY scarin' me." We both laughed, and the others were smirking. Then we started talking about the Christmas play. I took the next hour learning my lines. I was a narrator, but the narrator in this play was an angel. I get to dress up. Yay! I got measured for the costume while spoutin' out my lines, puttin' them into memory. Meanwhile, the church was filling up and I was waiting in the right wing of the stage. Then Mike stepped out on the stage, and the church roared to life. I smirked and listened in to what Mike was saying. "Okay, quiet down, guys. Today, we have a guest speaker. Some of you know her, but she hasn't been here for a while. She's been going through some tough times lately, but she's the best speaker in this town. She writes her speeches from both personal experience and problems around her. But, she also throws in this-I don't know what to call it- this type of humor and edge that gives it this teen view, but it also sounds like an adult wrote it. She didn't deserve the things that have happened to her over the years, but she's fearless, 'cause she's got God. I swear, he uses her to speak through. And if I'm swearin', then it's gotta be good. Anyway, before you fall asleep, please welcome...KC!" The church roared again as I stepped onto the stage, causing them to get louder. I raised my hand, quieting the room. "Thanks! You guys are awesome. I know some of you from years ago, when I first walked through those doors. My father was never sober. He even cut me with a knife. Then we started to come to church here. After my dad had died, I couldn't even stand to walk through those doors. Then my mom had died, and I almost lost it. Then my man Mike gave me a shout on the phone and he's like: "Hey, Case, can you come speak to the church? Really need ya to." So, I'm here. I know what's it like to lose things. I've lost my parents, my home, I have even lost my innocence. But, then a Bible verse popped into my head. I forgot the whole verse, but it talks about how He won't give you more than you can bear. You may bend, but you won't break. I wake up, every morning, and look at it as "Hey, if I messed up yesterday, then today is the day to fix it. TODAY is a new day. TODAY is the day to start over. TODAY is God's second chance. Someone do you wrong yesterday, then let it blow over today and give them another chance. When you hold a grudge, you're lettin' people rent head space in your mind. Don't hold grudges. I've held a grudge on someone for the past six years, and I had just went to see what's up. I can tell he still has a grudge. I could tell by his bullet gnawin' through my shoulder. Is my shoulder really that tasty? Still, I forgave him for that. Even though the scar will be there, I will heal. Eventually. I have something that everyone needs to hear. I ain't no preacher, but just hear me out. You see, it's not our words. Our words aren't gonna be what stops people in their tracks. Our words will not change the world. They've heard it all. It not normally our music. Normally we make our music for us, to sharpen each other, edify the body, glorify our God. Yeah, once in a while one crosses over like I did, but it's not typically the music that's gonna stop the world in their tracks. Our music's not gonna change the world, more than likely. It isn't the buildings, as grand and beautiful as some of our church buildings are, it's not the architecture that's gonna change the world. But I believe what will change the world... is when we begin to love each other. And when we begin to love the world, and when we begin to reach out to the orphans and the widows, the lower-income families in our communities. When the world sees that kind of love, I'm talkin' about undeniable love, I believe they'll stop in their tracks and say "Yo! Whatever you people have over there, I want some of that man, I want some of that there for me!" When our houses are packed so full of love that we have to open the back door to let it ooze out into the valleys and the suburbs and the city streets. When the world sees that kind of love-Real love- they're gonna stop in their tracks, man. They're gonna say "Whatever, homie, homie! Yo! Yo, homie! Whatever you have over there, you Jesus Freaks! I want some of that, man! I want some of that Jesus fo me, man, if it's doin' all of that! I mean, dang! Ok, so I'm goin' to close off with a tobyMac song." The band gets on stage and I give them the sheet. "First, let's pray." Everyone bowed their heads. "Father God, I pray for Morganton today. I pray for everyone that's here in this church. I pray that you will refresh them, that you would renew them, that you would revive them. That they would leave this church in passion and pursuit of You, Father. Take that passion to their work, their school, the city streets of Morganton. Let the news of Your love, Your grace, your AWESOMENESS spread to those who need it. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen. Now, if you are a Jesus Freak, I want you to hold your hand up, and pump it while you say "Ho, Ho, Ho-oo!" Everyone copied. We done it abot six times while I continued. "This is the sound of the Jesus Freaks! DO WE HAVE ANY JESUS FREAKS IN MORGANTON? Where my freaks at?" Everyone joined in with the DJ while he sung the first part of the chorus, then I came in. We partied until noon, when we finished and I bolted to the skate park, my pen gripping my shirt for dear life.

            I swerved into the skate spot, the place crowded. There was music blaring out of the boombox in the corner, some food stands, and there was a freakin' stage. A FREAKIN' STAGE! Why the HECK is there a freakin' STAGE at the skate spot, along with all of the food and stuff? Then I took a look at the stuff and listened to the music. It was a Christmas party/festival/get-together thing. The music was the WOW Christian Christmas CDs we had from years ago. We're still listenin' to this? We have "Christmas in Diverse City", ya know? I walked over to the boombox, switchin' CDs and started blaring out "Christmas This Year" by tobyMac. Then I headed over to where Drept was paintin' "Wild Grinders!" on one of the ramps with his new graffiti kit. It looked EPIC! I accidentally startled him, causing him to jump and whirl around. " 'Sup?" He asked nonchalantly. I smirked. "Nothin' much. Cool graffiti, man!" He turned back to the painting, adding a few touches. "Thanks! I thought, since it was yo gang's spot, it should have yo name on it." I nodded in agreement. "Can't wait for it to dry, dog!" I noticed his board again, getting a better look at it. "Dude, why dont'cha get a new board? I mean, that one could break." He shrugged. "Don't want a new one. I love the kit, though. Pretty dope!" I smirked. "It's cool you like it. I saw the graffiti downtown a few years back and I've been wantin' to meet you." He smiled. "Cool. You performin' on the stage?" I shrugged. "Maybe. I've been writin' a new song, so... I might try it out." He nodded. "Cool, dog. Heard you singin' at the church and I was just curious." My eyes popped out of my head. "What? You were there? Wow..." He nodded again. Hey, don't judge me, dog. There was a lot of people there. A LOT. Chris skated over to us. "Hey, Case! Wassup, Drept?" We high-fived him and watched him look down at the graffiti. "Cool, dog! Hey, are you guys gonna perform on the stage tonight?" I shrugged and looked over at Drept, who was noddin' his head. Chris snorted, smirking. I grunted, givin' Chris a "Na dip, tater chip" look, which he disregarded and gestured to me. "Yea, KC here writes songs. She's almost wrote her fourth song!" I glared at him. "Dude! Not cool! Yo know NO ONE other than us knows about that! And, plus, I have seven finished songs." He smirked, and Drept had his eyebrows raised. "Really? Let's hear one." My face pale, but a crowd had gathered, and they were chanting "KC! KC!", pumpin' their fists. "FINE! Fine! I'll drop one. Here we go...

I'll find strength in the weak,

On any day of the week!

I don't care what people think,

I'm a seekin' Jesus Freak!

Even if I fail,

And then I have to bail,

I'm gonna hold back the hail,

And keep my mind on the rail,

Of leadership and faith,

And keepin' them awake.

In Christ I put my faith,

'Cause He's not a fake!"

By now there was chanting and Drept had brought his DJ set, which was already set up earlier that morning. He was droppin' some sick beats! I signaled for him to slow it down to 2/4 measure, which he did. Throughout the chorus, he was droppin' beats like no tomorrow, and he chimed in on the chorus. We did back-to-back style, the crowd roaring.

"Tonight is the night we're gonna break this party down,

I'm steppin' in with my Freaks from the crowd!

We're gonna bring it down, then build it up!

With our Savior as DJ, we can't burn up!"

The crowd was going haywire as we moved onto the stage and the colored lights came on, covering us in an array of color. I rose my hand, quieting everyone as Drept kept spittin' out hot beats in the background as I started to speak. "Hey, peeps! Thanks for comin' out here tonight, and, here in a minute, I'll finish my song. But, first, give a round of applause to Drept, our newer member and our DJ!" The crowd exploded ad Drept waved, grinning. "A'ight! So, how many here are Jesus Freaks?" Everyone's hands shot up into the sky. "On the next two choruses, I want you guys to do this simple dance, so check it. First, you raise your hands, if they're not raised by then, when we say "Tonight is the night". Then, make yo hands into guns and point down at the ground to break this party down. Next, you point at yoself with your thumbs and then point behind you when we say "I'm steppin in with my Freaks from the crowd!" Then, make the guns again and point down, then up. We're bringin' it down and then building it up! Last, I want you to point straight up to point at Jesus. Without him, we'll be charred to pieces. So, there's the dance. I'm writin' a song right now that is based on a dance that I made, so can't wait! But, before you get bored, here we go!

"Feelin' fly like an eagle

But I'm still stayin' legal!

Loyal like a disciple

"Cause I still read the Bible!

I don't need a label

To make it on the table

The Holy Spirit makes me able

To break free from the cable!

I pointed at myself and gestured for everyone to copy. "A'ight, get ready!" Drept set the board to replay the same thing as the last chorus and joined me on the stage. We nodded at each other and continued.

"Tonight is the night we're gonna break this party down,

I'm steppin' in with my Freaks from the crowd!

We're gonna bring it down, then build it up!

With our Savior as DJ, we can't burn up!"

Drept went back to the set, setting the tempo for the bridge. Then something had covered the whole park. There was a feeling of protection and safety, and I knew it was the perfect time for the bridge.

"Tonight is the night that we're gonna break the walls down,

Then His presence will make the lost become found.

From here all the way to Puget Sound,

Then everyone, everywhere will be unbound.

All around the world, the bells will sound,

And the praises, and the parties will be loud."

The crowd was jumping, energized by the beats Drept was droppin' and the rhymes we were spittin'. Some were trying to climb the railing in front of the stage. (Thank GOD for the little blue rail. Hey, it's blue. My fave color. :-] ) Others were chanting our names. A few were actually wearing graffiti-style Wild Grinders hats! I grinned and looked over at Drept, who was smirking. He nodded, and I gave him a thumbs-up.

"Tonight is the night we're gonna break this party down,

I'm steppin' in with my Freaks from the crowd!

We're gonna bring it down, then build it up!

With our Savior as DJ, we can't burn up!"

We stood with our hands raised, letting the crowd's deafening roar shower us. I took a deep breath, feeling complete. I pulled my hand down and brought the mic to my face. "Thank you! A'ight, so I got more, but I'm not gonna perform them right now. I have some Christmas songs, but I'm just warmin' yo guys up! We have some local bands tonight, along with a few famous artists! So, give a round of applause for After Burn, the newest Christian rock band in the music biz!" The crowd cheered as three dudes and one chick stepped onto the stage. They were wearing black clothes with matching fedoras. The lead singer, a.k.a. the chick, was wearing a red zip-up vest, though. They were also wearing black, fingerless gloves. The chick, her name was Jess, took the extended mic. "Thanks, KC! What's up, guys?" The crowd roared. I nodded and waved, stepping off of the stage and heading toward Drept and Chris. "Well, I guess it was combined, after all." I smirked, high-fiving Drept. "That was so AWE to the SOME! Can't wait for tonight!" Drept and Chris both nodded. "So, where is Alex?" I asked, lookin' around. Chris looked at me longingly. "Oh, she's hangin' out with Derek. You know..." I smirked, nodding. "Boyfriend/Girlfriend crap. I get it. They're perfect together. I just wish that I had come here before I met Demon." Drept's hands curled up into fists. "Demon? You mean, THE Demon?!" I nodded. Drept growled. "After he messed around with those girls, I wanted to murder him." Wait... I wasn't the only one? WTF! "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... there was more than one?" He nodded. "Yeah, dog. There was three. All treated the same way, except the last one. It sickens me. I mean, those girls must be either dead, mentally disturbed, or seriously messed up. (Interjection: Hey, dog. I'm not screwed.... am I?) The last girl was the strongest one, I heard. She was stabbed over and over, but she still lived, amazingly. She had a Canadian accent, but I hear she lost it. She must be crippled." Fun fact: I was in the hospital for half a year... not fun. I glanced over at Chris, the question "Should I tell him?" smolderin' in my eyes. He nodded and I looked back over at Drept. "Dog, this may shock you, but... brace yourself for this..." I didn't lose my Canadian accent, I just use a different, more Morganton-street accent. I dropped my new accent and pulled my Canadian out of the bag...well, the lttle bit I had. Fun Fact 2: My mom was Canadian. "Well, I'm that girl. The third one. And, FYI, you can't lose an accent." His eyes widened, his mouth becoming the Grand Canyon. Seriously, I probably could fit my fist in that black hole. "Dang, man. How yo dealin' with the whoIe thing, dog?" I shrugged, goin' back to my newer accent. "Went to go and patch it up, but I almost had it happen again. Then, I was runnin' away, and I got shot." I pulled the short sleeve up on my right shoulder, showin' him the now healin' wound. Then I pulled it back down and held my fist up. "Fist bump?" He pounded my fist and then we all went to check out the booths. (We three teens from Morganton...lol. My dad was a HUGE fan of Wizard of Oz.) There was a crapload of booths, some clothing, some merch for the bands here, some food and drink booths, and game/toy booths. There was people of all ages, even little tykes. That was pretty cool. l walked over to the Pepsi booth and got me a Mountain Dew to sip. (I had finished my Sun Drop that morning at church.... I drink a lot when I'm nervous.) Drept and Chris was talkin', Chris tellin' Drept about me and my story. I headed over to the merch booths, seeing about thirty bands/artist booths set up. There was music ranging from rap to rock to contemporary, but, here's the kicker: They were ALL Christian. (Notice how the word ALL is in CAPS...wink, wink.) This one little fact lifted my spirits. I mean, thirty Christian bands in one spot at one time.... wow. After Burn was still rockin' the mic, while I caught a glimpse of someone running around, high-fiving people backstage. I walked up the steps while Chris came up and threw a VIP pass over my head. "Wha-" He shushed me. "Come on!" I followed him and then gasped. The dude runnin' around was KJ-52 himself! Chris shouted over the music at him as I stood there, shocked. He looked at us and jogged over, me snapping out of my daze. "Yo, KJ, what's new?" They high-fived and Chris pointed at me. "This is KC, a.k.a. Manafestfan1423." (I'm on Twitter and Myspace. Hit me up!) KJ held his hand up, and we high-fived. "I've heard about you. You're that one kid who was... you know..." I nodded, too excited to be worried. "Eh, I'm still good. Your songs helped... A lot. I mean, you've inspired me. I wrote about that in one of my own songs. Thanks for writin' about Christ. It's helped." He smiled. "KJ, can you sign my poster?" I held up my "Tweezyman" poster and a Sharpie. He smirked and signed it. "Here ya go!" I beamed. "Thanks! Hey, also, thanks for 52 Academy." Fun Fact #3: I am a proud graduate of 52 Academy. Blow the horns! "You took the course?" I nodded. "Sweet! That's cool! Can you freestyle?" I shrugged. "Still workin' on it." He thought for a minute and then snapped. "Freestyle!" I smirked.

 "I got a Aston Martin,

it's better than the cart, and

I'm used to dartin'

When somebody is fartin'

I can't describe the smell,

But it does ring a bell,

It's worse than a Dell,

Oh, sorry, cause I fell

But I'm not goin' to hell,

Cause Christ is 'bout to sell,

So, I'm gonna tell,

How I was in a well,

I didn't have to yell,

Christ sent an angel!

             Chris and KJ-52 was a little taken back, Chris more than KJ. "Wow, KC. Wow...." I smiled. I special... KJ cleared his throat. "What time you goin' on?" "Around eight-thirty-ish. You?" He smirked. "Eight. I'm before you." I pumped my fist. "Yes! Hey, can you perform "Daddy's Girl"? That song means a lot to me." He nodded. "Sure." Then someone called for him to help and we fist-bumped. "See ya on stage!" He said, and I gave him a thumbs-up. He ran off and I looked over at the clock. It was only 3:15, and I was anxious to get on stage. The band on now, a Christian hip-hop group named Cross, was rockin' the stage. I listened to them perform their hit song "Pierced On a Tree" before hittin' the KJ-52 merch booth, getting some blue shuttershades and a black KJ-52 hat. I put them on and headed toward the gang, seeing Alex holdin' hands with Derek. She saw me and waved, me wavin' back. Then Marianna noticed me and ran up to me, huggin' me to death. I finally broke away, Marianna lookin' like she was about to pee on herself. I smirked as she started speakin' at 50 mph. "Hey, Marianna, slow down. You're breakin' the speed limit." I pointed at the 45 mph sign for the road. She grimaced as the gang laughed. "Anyway, I'm datin' Ryan now." I took a spittake as she laughed. I punched her in the shoulder and she whimpered. Then Ryan walked up, puttin' his shoulder around Marianna's. " 'Sup?" "Sup." Then they left as a new group got onto the stage. This band was the Followers, a Christian dubstep/dance band from Tennesee, who traveled for this. I listened in to what they had to say. "Hey, peeps!" The crowd cheered in reply. "We just wanna shout-out to that last girl who was... well, you know, but she was one of our biggest inspirations. If she's here, please step forward." I stepped onstage as their mouths gaped. There was dead silence. The lead singer held the mic to his face slowly. "KC? You're...how?" I took the mic. "This may be surprising, but...it's true. Homeboy over in Winston messed with me. But...you know what? Even though he both physically and mentally scarred me, even though he's damaged this soul... I still forgive him. I'm open to him changing. I've forgiven (and I'm tryin' to forget,) what he did. I know he's still salvagable. He's still able to be saved. Jesus Himself favored the prostitutes and theives and tax collectors as much as the righteous. Bein' a Christian isn't just about believin' in God, it's about walkin' the talk. Don't just talk about forgivin' everyone, FORGIVE EVERYONE! That's what's wrong wit homeboy. He doesn't know our party's DJ, the Savior Himself! We walk our talk, and haters gonna hate. But, what happens to the haters and the critics who embrace Him? They ain't haters anymore! They're fighters! WE ARE FIGHTERS! We FIGHT through the troubles, We FIGHT against the hate, and we WIN! No matter what; fights, terrorists, loss, hate, disgrace, disease, all kinds of crap, we will fight and WE WILL WIN! We're down wit it with Christ! No one will bring us down! We will own the dance floor! So, with no further ado, the Followers!" The crowd burst out roaring like lions, and the Followers opened with "Get Up and Dance" as I went backstage, where everyone cheered as I stepped in. I raised my eyebrows in question. "Great speech! Can't wait 'til eight!" KJ said, and I smiled. "Thanks, man." He ran off and I went to my own booth, drinkin' my Mountain Dew. (How the heck did I have my own booth....oh, yeah, I'm the SURVIVOR spokesperson. Right...figures.) I had pencils, pamphlets, candy, a Christmas tree beside me, some flashlights, some ornaments, a few pairs of sunglasses, some stickers, some tattoos (the fake put-on-with-a-washcloth ones) and some toys. As soon as I sat down and flipped the sign to "Open", the crowd rushed in to get things signed, to buy, or to chat. When six rolled around, I was gone. The big acts were on. I dashed to the stage, where the last small-town band was just gettin' off. I went backstage to see who was all there. There was Family Force 5, Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, B.Reith, Britt Nicole, Canton Jones, Lecrae, Third Day, Casting Crowns, George Moss, BarlowGirl, Superchick, Manafest, and tobyMac, with Diverse City. I almost fainted at the sight of my favorite fourteen Christian artists in one spot. I went on stage to stall the crowd and get them pumped for B.Reith. "Hey, peeps! Me again. Here in a minute, we're gonna start the big acts with B.Reith!" The crowd cheered. "Okay then! Who doesn't know this cat?" Not one hand moved. "Sweet!" I heard a grunt and knew he was ready. "So, give a warm North Cakkalacky welcome to B.Reith!" I headed off as B.Reith passed me, givin' me a high-five. "Thanks!" He went on as I jogged backstage. "Nice North Cakkalacky welcome." I whirled around to see George Moss standin' behind me. "Dude! It's the one and only George Moss! Wassup?" We high-fived and then headed over to his booth. "Pick out something!" "Seriously?" "Sure, man!" I chose a shirt that matched the blue/black bracelet I got on a Free Stuff Friday and I set it in my bag. "Thanks!" He smiled. "Welcome! Hey, you part of The Circle?" I nodded. (The Circle is George Moss's fan community on www.gmlifeonline.com. It's sweet!) He nodded, givin' me a thumbs-up. Then KJ came over, and I burst out singin'. "Ridin' windows up, ridin' windows up!" They looked at me, grins breakin' out on their faces. (The song is "Ridin' Windows Up" by George Moss featuring KJ-52 off of  "It's Time". Great Album!) We sung together until someone called for George Moss and KJ. We high-fived and they bolted as B.Reith finished "The Comeback Kid" and was walkin' off the stage as I stepped up. "Give a cheer for B.Reith!" The crowd roared. "Okay, next is a cat that has inspired me since I moved here. Welcome Lecrae!" The crowd went wild as Lecrae himself stepped onstage. We shook hands and he took the mic. "Wassup? Thanks for the intro, KC!" I nodded as he burst into "Church Clothes" and I stepped offstage... only to get mobbed. I turned and ran backstage, where no one followed. I took a minute to eat a chocolate-covered doughnut and then went over my songlist with Drept, my DJ, of course. I had a setlist of six songs to perform, one of them were holiday. We finished setting up and headed over to Chris, who was mannin' the booth. "Scootch." I sat on the bench with him, Drept getting the stool. I heard cheerin' and looked to my right, where there was a crowd heading toward us. I ducked, rollin' under the table. I was safe and hidden by the tablecover. I peeped and saw about twenty blue million feet surroundin' the booth. (Yes, Twenty BLUE millon feet... again, welcome to North Cakkalacky, where we say 'twenty blue million' when we're estimatin' things and we deep-fry anything that fits into the deep-fryer. Ever tried Deep-Fried Kool-aid? Or how about Deep-Fried Reese's? Deep-Fried Ice Cream? Didn't think so.) They were screaming and bangin' on the table. I peeped my head and looked at Chris and Drept, who was startin' to panic. I crawled out and stood up, everyone screamin' and handin' me stuff to sign. I smirked and told them to get in line.

            I had signed seventy-five things by seven-fifteen when the last person had left and I charged to the stage. I grabbed the mic. "Whassup, peeps? Enjoyin' the concert?" The crowd roared. "A'ight! Next up is one of my biggest inspirations, along with tobyMac, Lecrae, and KJ-52. This dude's a Christian skateboarder from Canada that can drop an awesome tune that gets the crowd sucked in. So, please welcome...MANAFEST!" He came jogging up on stage, high-fivin' me as the crowd burst into cheers. "Thanks, KC! What's new in the US of the A?" The crowd cheered as he burst into "4-3-2-1" I stepped off-stage and met up with KJ, Drept, and Chris. "So, KJ, intro you before you go on?" He shrugged. "It's up to you, man." I smirked. "Sweet!" Then we heard a crash backstage and bolted over there to see our DJ system destroyed and a kid in all black running away. Drept got ticked and started chasin' him as KJ and I started to clean up the damage. "Hey, man, you can use ours." I raised my eyebrows. "Seriously?" He nodded and I smiled. "Thanks! I have my beats backed up on my MP3." I pull it out to show him and slip it back into my pocket. "Why did he or she do that?" KJ asked. "Well..." I told him my story, from when the accident happened with Demon. "Wow. I didn't know 'bout that." I nodded, standin' up. "Eh, well, I think God's preparin' me for somethin', but I don't know what. He'll let me know, though." KJ stood up and smiled at me. "You're tough." I smirked. "Thanks." I slipped the broke system into the box and put on my shutter-shades while KJ checked the time on his white watch. "Seven-fifty-five. Let's go!" We headed to the stage, where Mana was performin' his last song. He stepped off as I jogged onto the stage. "Thanks, Mana! Now, here's a guy who's really hilarious, but he's mature. He's kinda like Mana, but neither fit in any category, anyway, except the Christian category, so...Ladies and gents, please welcome KJ-52!" I saw about fifty shuttershades whip out and go on peoples' faces. I stepped back as KJ stepped on stage, causing the crowd to freak out. I gave the mic to him while the DJ set up the song "It's Goin' Down" on the setlist. "What's new, guys?" The crowd roared. "If you haven't, then go ahead and put on your shuttershades while it's goin' down!" The song started and the crowd sung along with him. When the song finished, KJ cleared his throat. "So, we have a request from KC, it's the song "Daddy's Girl". She wanted me to perform it and I want to dedicate it, right now, to every girl and woman who has lost their father through a traumatic experience. KC, here, if you don't know, her dad was killed in a terrorist attack at the soccer game. Her mom made it, and shout-out to her, wherever she is right now. So, here we go..." The song kicked up and he gestured for me to join him onstage. I stepped up beside him, the music bangin' in my ears. He sung the first verse and then I sung the chorus and the second verse. We finished the song, me lowerin' my raised hand slowly. A tear trickled my cheek, and I wiped it away. "OK, now to lighten this concert. Who here knows the Bill Cosby?" Everyone with shuttershades raised their hands. I smirked and stretched while KJ taught them. "If you get lost, watch KC and George Moss to see what they're doin'." George Moss stepped out onto the stage, recievin' a warm welcome from the crowd. Then the beat dropped and I started to bob my head while KJ started to sing. When he got to the instructions, me and George Moss danced, showin' the crowd how we got down. We finished the song and then KJ played a few more songs. "Now, it's eight-thirty. Y'all know what that means...I'm out. But, there's a person almost ALL of you know here... It's KC! I'm out. Deuces!" He tossed me the mic as I stepped onto the stage, the crowd shakin' the ground with their jumping. My ears hurt when they roared. "Thanks, KJ and George Moss! Hey, what's new in North Cakkalacky? You keepin' it C-R-U-N-K in the U-S of the -A?" The crowd replied with a deafenin' roar. "Sweet! Now, shoutout to KJ, man, my mom just passed away in the apartment fire a few months ago. It's all good, though. Now, I have some songs that I've been workin' on, and my objective is to reach everyone. I know it's impossible, but if I help one person, then the purpose of these songs will be filled. It's not about the money, the awards, the sell-outs, the popularity, or even the sponsors. It's about reachin' others with the gospel in a form that will make them want to listen. Hey! We are JESUS freaks, mot MONEY freaks! Not POPULARITY freaks! Not AWARD freaks!  JC is the DJ at this party! Hey, followers gonna follow, haters gonna hate...but God's love will make all hate dissipate! Right?" The crowd roared as the beat dropped. We performed the song we performed earlier to get the crowd pumped. "Now this next song is one I wrote just for fun. It's called "Dance", and I hope you like it." The beat dropped and I started bouncin' to it. "Here we go!

I gotta new dance, just listen to the song

So then, when I dance, you can just dance along!

First off, what you do is you slide to the right

Then spread your arms like an eagle in flight!

Slide to the left and pull your arms in

Drop 'em down so they hang, but you're not at the end!

Step back, then forth, repeat it again,

Left and right so you don't get pinned!

Move your arms like a robot through the next bar,

Turn left, lean back, push forward like a car,

Whirl around and do the same thing, but to the right,

Just listen to what I got to say and you'll do it right!

The crowd was tryin' to dance to the music, but they were epically failin'. I smiled and swung right into the chorus of the song.

Come on, everybody, join in with me and dance,

Come on down to the dance floor and do a little prance!

Get out of of the sidelines, come on, advance!

Get down on the floor, get down wit it and dance!

The crowd was crazy when I stepped out,

I had my road planned, but it was the wrong route!

Then He erased my pain, so now I don't doubt,

I just party on, not carin' and not hearin' them pout!

I'm tearin' up the floor with my crazy rave,

Hearin' this beat pound out with the newest crave!

I know that I'll carry this tune to the grave,

But I'm gonna stare death in the face and be brave!

This time, KJ came out and performed the dance with me as we sung the chorus. Then he stepped back as I stepped forward.

Now, there's a ton of dances in this place,

Here, I'll name a few, just in case.

There's the T-Rex, the dino dance,

Then there's the one with the little tiny prance.

Then there's the two-step, I bet you know,

Bet you didn't know the wobble, though!

Did you know the "Do the Bill Cosby",

A.K.A. the dance that's created by Five-Tweezy!

Do you know any type of dance?

If so, come on down, come on and advance!

As we finished the performance, the crowd was goin' crazy as everyone there to perform came out and sung the chorus with me. ALL FOURTEEN of them. I sang loud and proud as the crowd sang along with us. We finished in a pose with me up front with my mic held high. My head hung low, and I slowly raised it to see the crowd going ballistic. I smirked as the others high-fived me and walked off-stage while I stayed on. "Thanks, you guys! Now, the next song that I perform is the holiday freestyle, so get ready for Christmas!" The lights dimmed as the neon red and green lights were warming up. They weren't fully on until I started to sing.

"Hey guys, it's KC again,

Here to celebrate the Christmas season!

Now that Halloween has to an end,

And our faces stuffed from Bambi and all of his friends,

We all get together and drink egg nog,

And we sit around and sing some Christmas songs!

            After I finished the song, I shot the peace sign to the crowd. "Well, time's out, so I'll be at my booth. But, the next rock group will set it off, so here's Thousand Foot Krutch! Peace out, peeps!" I stepped off as they stepped on, high-fivin' each other. I walked over to the gang where Alex was talking with Marianna, who was startin' to piss her off. "Dude, I told you already, you need to shut the heck up!" Marianna stuck her tounge out at Alex, who shot her infamous death stare back at her. (Seriously, that stare could make MARIANNA shut up. Call Guiness World Records, we got a winner!) I walked over to them while Marianna sulked away, runnin' away to Ryan. Little wimp. Alex saw me comin' and grinned. "Sup, bro?" "Sup, man?" We high-fived. "Hey, remember what went down in health?" I chuckled as she grinned like a freakin' possum. "She even showed pictures. Ugh." We both laughed, getting a few what-the-heck-are-they-laughin'-at looks from the crowd. Oh, yeah, we went to health, math, and reading together. Sorry, Alex. Heh-heh...whoops. "Hey, what's new with you and Derek?" Alex smirked. "It's steady. We're gonna be careful, though. I don't want to lose him, and vice versa. I'm not sure you'd understand. But, at least you listen." I smirked, my fist clenching in my pocket. She didn't know me as well as I thought. Wow. "I understand, dude." You see, this is a side of Alex only Derek and I see. She really trusts me. She smiled as Derek came over. "Sup, Hawk?" That was the gang nickname for him. We got it from Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. Rob gets a hawk to stop the pigeons from crappin' all over his car. Hawk's name: Derek. Get it? "Sup, dog?" We pounded fists and Alex hugged Derek. "Hey, babe." Derek said nonchalantly. "Hey!" They hugged for a minute before I deliberately cleared my throat. "Sorry, KC. I'll holler at ya later! Peace!" "A'ight. Deuces!" She left and I sat down at my booth, traffic slowed down. Chris saw me and walked over, leaning on the side of the booth. "Wanna walk with me?" I shrugged. "Sure." I told Alex to stand guard, and she sat down, Derek followin' her like a lovesick puppy. (Need a bodyguard? She's also known as Killer, our personal bouncer. She has a mean accuracy when it comes to someone's head and that board. Board's name: Old Faithful. Mortal enemy: My mom.) I walked to the park, which was across the street, and walked on the gravel paths cut into the ground. Chris walked beside me, looking up at the moon, surrounded by stars. I looked up with him, reminded how awesome God is and how beautiful His creations are. I looked behind me at the skate spot, realizin' that I was so wrapped up in life, I wasn't payin' attention to the things that matter. I looked over to Chris, who was looking at me, his electric eyes sparkling. His breathing had slowed down, I could tell. I smiled and he smiled back. He held his hand out and I took it, leading him to the center of the park, where a bench and a glorious fountain sat alone, isolated by the trees. We sat down, the bench chilly against my sheltered leg. I sat forward, my hands clasped together. The breeze flowed over us, making me shudder a bit. I looked over at Chris, who was staring at me, worried. "Everythin' okay?" I smirked. "Other than the fact that I'm a teen that has to watch over a whole town and stand up to the metropolis that is Winston-Salem, and the fact that I am so freakin' sick of havin' to run, I'm great!" His puzzled look made me smirk. "How are we supposed to fight fifteen different gangs in less than a week? Battle's Monday." He smiled. "They're made out of tougher material than you think, girl. I mean, even the dogs can tear up an enemy. And, our gang has been through a ton of crap. We feel what you feel." "Only what you see. You guys, you don't know the feelin' of bein' , well, raped. And, also, how it feels to be shot. So, yeah. When you have, then we'll talk." I said this with a smirk so he wouldn't take it the wrong way. He smirked and then cleared his throat. "Well, we better live it up 'til then. I gotta Q... will you go to prom with me?" He said this with a scared tone, and I smiled. "Yeah, why not." He hugged me for a minute, and I hugged him back. Then we walked back to the skate spot, where the party was.

Okay, I'm almost done with Ch. 6. The gang is about to KILL ME over this, but I say bite me. This chapter is the longest one yet, so if you print this out, you better have, like, 20 sheets of paper or more. It's crazy. So, hang in there, and please be patient with me. Deuces!

Chapter 4

I snorted, Mountain Dew spewing out of my nose. "What?!" Chris nodded. "Yep. West Side attack at the abandonded factory this morning. Three injured, two uninjured." I whipped my head toward him. "How many West Side dudes?" "About ten. They bumped up their attack, too: They were armed with knives this time." I looked down at my now empty Mountain Dew can, crunching it in my now clenched hand. Then I jumped up, looking down at Chris. "Know anyone who sells knives?"

We swerved into the Jamestown Flea Market, home to some of the cheapest things on the planet. Great place to shop. I had a twenty in my pocket; just enough for knives. Chris had the money for lunch. I jumped forward, the board hitting the back of my foot. Chris screetched to a halt beside me, grinning. "I see him. Hey, Tater-Tot!" I looked over to see a short, spunky teen with a bright red mohawk and brown eyes. His outfit stood out: a red, green, and purple shirt with black gym shorts. "KC, this is Tater-Tot. His real name's Tracker, but he's really short. He's 18." He looked like he was, like, twelve. Dude, you need steroids. Bad. "He moved here from Texas. He joined last week." Tater-Tot jogged over to us. "Hey, dog! Wassup?!" Chris high-fived him. "Hey, Tot! Nuthin' much. You got any more knives?" Tot grinned, leading us to his station, where there was about sixty knives on display. Literally. I'm not kidding. Dude's selling SIXTY freakin' knives at the age of eighteen. What the heck? "Dude, how much?" Tot looked at me. "How many you need?" I looked over at Chris. "How many homies we got in the gang?" Chris computed some calculations. "We have twenty, so get about forty, just in case more join." I looked back at Tot, who looked amazed. "Okay, how's this: Forty knives for twenty bucks." Perfect! I nodded, smiling, and pulled the money out of my pocket. "Man, the gang's gonna love these!" I put the knives in the bag, thanking Tater Tot for the knives and the deal. "Aw, it's nuthin. Anything for another gang member!" Then Chris and I shot out of there, heading toward Jake's house first, since it was closest.

I knocked on the front door of Jake's house, Chris backing me up. Jake's mother came to the door, Jake's two-year-old brother Charlie in her arms. Behind her, the fam was going crazy, as usual. "Hey, guys! Jake's upstairs. Come in, come in!" We walked through the doorway, a red dodgeball almost thwacking my face when I ducked below it, the ball flying into the yard. "Whoa there, sport!" Devin, Jake's seven-year-old bro, came tearing through the hall, chasing the ball outside. I chuckled, walking into the kitchen where Jake's dad and Jake's thirteen-year-old sister Chanelle was cooking something delicious. I waved at them and headed upstairs with an alert Chris following me. I kniocked on Jake's door, hearing Lecrae blare out of his boombox. The music paused and Jake's face popped out of his door. "Hey, guys! What's up? Come on in!" He opened the door up all the way, sitting down at his computer. "Check it!" He pulled up a video on Windows Media Player, which played automatically. I knew at once that it was his Gotee Records promo. He's been trying to get noticed for a year. After it was done, we congradulated him. "So, what's up, my homies?" I looked at him. "Have you heard about the recent West Side attacks with their added attack on East Side peeps?" Jake nodded. "Well, I decided to get everyone a knife, so they could fight back." I handed him a knife with a eagle engraved in the handle. "Dang, man! High-quality wood and a blade that's really sharp. Thanks, guys." He held it properly. "It fits perfectly! Wow, you guys are great!" I grinned and locked eyes with Chris, who was grinning with me. I looked back at Jake, who was still gawking over his knife. "Well, dog, we gotta hand these other knives out, so we'll be in touch." We headed out, fighting the family to the door. The other houses were like that, just minus the promo and the dodgeball.

I walked into my room, throwing my bag on the bed and my shoes on the floor. Then I headed to the bathroom, shutting the door and leaning on it, sighing. I walked toward the sink, turning the faucet on and splashing my face with the cool water. I looked up into the mirror and rubbed under my right eye, now noticing the dark circles forming under my eyes. I haven't been able to get good sleep ever since the incident, but now I haven't even been able to sleep period. I groaned and sat on the edge of the tub, holding my head in my heads. I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, would you know what to do with THIRTY kids in your gang alone and seven other gangs to take care of? And they were all about to fight WAY stronger gangs? [There's about fifteen gangs over there.] On top of that, you couldn't sleep because of what happened four years ago that still gives you nightmares and the fact that you were an orphan? I didn't think so. I stood up and headed toward my room, laying down on my bed. I sighed and turned over, knowing that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Chris poked his head in. "Hey, Case, can I come in?" I sat up. "Yeah." He came in and sat down on the bed. "What's wrong, Casey?" I sighed and looked down. "I haven't been able to sleep since...since what Demon did to me. He done more than stab me." Chris snorted. "I can tell. You're starting to get circles under your eyes. What happened?" I wiped a tear from my eye. "Remember at the training at school, I said something about what we've been through? What were my examples?" Chris thought for a minute. "Fire, Fights, Loss, and....oh. Rape." I smiled weakly. "Bingo. Give the kid a prize. He took me to a party, and I used to like him. We were going out. Then we went to his apartment with a few guys and then they locked the doors and the windows, closed the blinds. I thought it was for security measures. Then they went to the bedroom, and I followed. I wasn't the omega of the pack. I was 'the chick Demon was dating' to the gang. Then, when we were all in there, they locked the door and hid the key somewhere, so I couldn't run away. And that's when I realized what was going on. They pulled out handcuffs and chained me to the bed. It was one of those beds that had the metal bars for a headboard. After they chained me, Demon charged. I screamed for help the whole time, but the other guys were egging him on. And then, when he was done, the other guys took turns, like a ride at Carowinds or something. This went on until about eight in the morning, when I was so tired, I was KO'ed. They cleaned up and unhooked me from the bed, unlocking the door. I hurt and ached so bad. Then Demon heard me cry out, so he went in there and stabbed me over ten times. That's when someone heard the noise, called the cops, and they found me, near death, barely breathing, and laying in a small pool of blood. They never sought out the one who did it. Then we made the truce and I came over here. Haven't been able to sleep well ever since. That's why, when we battle, I'm gonna tear him to strips and then burn that." I didn't notice that I was crying and quivering with anger. Chris came closer and took me into his arms. Now it was me who was tensing up at someone's touch. Chris held me like a loving father holds his daughter when her boyfriend broke up with her. He held me until I fell asleep in his arms, then laid me down, quietly sneaking out of my room.

I woke up to the morning light, feeling a new day dawning as it poured over me. I smiled, yawning. Then I froze, realizing I actually slept well. I thanked God for a great sleep and got my rebellion clothes on. My new protest T-Shirt was laid out with some jeans and my new shoes. I slipped into the outfit, grabbed my board and ran downstairs where Chris was crashed out on the couch, his song-pad beside him. He was writing a new song. Cool. I looked down to see a large drool spot and snickered, writing him a note:

Hey man! Went down to the skate store to get stuff for the protest today. See ya there!

--Skatin' Homie,

KC

P.S.: Don't forget to wipe up your drool, dog. Yo dreamin' of food again? :P

I walked into the skate store, where Mrs. Macheffer was helping a short teen with emo hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a beanie, a torn tank-top, black skinnys, and high top DC's. I recognized him as Ryan from school. He owns his own skateboard company, Chaos Skate Decks, and he has his own gang. Mrs. Macheffer left him and I walked over to him. "Hey, Moose!" He whirled around and nodded. "What's up, KC!" I shrugged. "Eh. You comin to the protest?" He nodded. "Yep. Just talking with Chris's mom bout it. We'll be there. I'm bringing Chaotic with me." Chaotic was his gang. "You hear about the West Side attacks on our side?" Moose shook his head. "Here. Give these to your gang." I handed him six knives, which he stuck in his pocket. "Thanks, dog! I have to go round Chaotic up, so talk to you later!" He rode out with protest bracelets and T-Shirts. I smirked and went to the counter, where Mrs. Macheffer was hauling the last of the T-Shirts and bracelets onto the truck. "Ready?" I nodded, and we headed to the skate spot, me on my board, her in the truck.

We pulled up to see all of the East Side skaters waiting, armed with signs and stuff like that. I grabbed a bracelet and slipped it on, climbing into the skate spot. I went over to Chris, who smiled when he saw me. His smile was different, more....sincere. Hmm... I walked over to the gang, who was anxiously waiting for me to get there. "Hey guys, you ready to protest? Everyone's here!" I rode up to the highest ramp, standing at the top with a megaphone. "We skaters have a say in the destruction of this park. We helped make it into what it is today, and we're not gonna let it fall without a fight. We want to talk with the president of the Advert company." A bulky, fat dude came out of the crowd. "Are you the President of Advert?" He yelled in answer. "Yes!" I heard some skaters shout in hatred at him. "Skaters! Quiet!" Everyone shut up. I rode down the ramp to face the dude. "Why tear down the skate park?" He sighed. "We need more buildings! And we can't tear down the skate store." When he said that, he sparked an idea in my head. "If you help fund my new idea, then you can. We can reserve a corner here to build a skate store, and then we skaters can test our equipment here to see if it's right, and then you can have the spot that the skate store takes up now. Are you up to it?" The dude nodded. We shook hands and I told the rest of the East Side what's happening. Everyone cheered and we set out to prep for the construction workers to build the new skate store.

A week later...

I scratched the back of my head as I stood in line for the bus to Winston-Salem. It turns out that I have to go see what's up with the whole truce thing, since everyone's a wimp and I know every twist and turn. Even Chris stayed back. I almost murdered him when he said he was staying. Eh, well, he's in charge until I get back. I jumped onto the bus, paying the driver two bucks and taking a seat. We made about five stops before we pulled up to Winston-Salem's bus stop, the area bringing up old memories and flashbacks. I stepped off the bus to see an old friend waiting for me. "Hey, Casey, what's new?" "Nothin much, Thunder." Thunder [His real name's Charlie] was a sixteen-year-old, colored, cool dude with black hair and turquoise eyes. He always wore blue, black, and white. He lived in a condo with Thadeius [seven, real name's Chuck] and Fhadeius [ten, real names Buck] and he has two parents, who are never there. Thunder nodded. "Man, Demon's been different since that night. He's been... changed." Thunder tried to talk the others out of the little thing at the apartment, but it didn't work. I snorted. "I'm still not takin that sleazebag back. I still can't sleep peacefully. Anyway, my mom just died a month ago, which didn't help at all. Then, we're getting attacked by this side, so I'm here to see what's up." Thunder gulped. "He's tryin to get your attention. He wants you back. And, if you say no, then it's all-out war. Before that starts, though, I'm heading to the East Side. I'm joining your gang, if you're in a gang." I nodded. "I'm the alpha of the Wild Grinders. You know, the gang that's on top." Thunder raised his eyebrows, shocked. "Really?! Holy crap! Demon's gonna spaz! He thought you were living on the streets and that you were gonna come back whining and wanting him back. He was gonna give you the omega spot. He's gonna be pissed. " I grinned. "Well, let him be pissed. I'm gonna go talk with him. But, before that, can I visit the Stormgliders's hideout?" Hey, they were my fave gang back then. Don't be hatin'. Thunder nodded. "They've missed you the most. Come on!" We jumped on our boards and sped downtown, heading toward the Hideaway, the surburbs of Winston-Salem.

I walked into the abandonded home of the Stormgliders, seeing old and new faces. Only one dude noticed me and whooped. "Hey guys! Check it! It's Casey, Demon's old girlfriend!" Then he whistled, checking me out. This dude was anotha' skater who was an old friend. His name is Ryan Collier. He has brown bedraggled hair and blue eyes, and he's sixteen. He's always in black. He also hates apricots. Just lettin ya know. I glared playfully and he laughed, his hair bouncing. I rolled my eyes and I went into the kitchen where there was a dude digging through the fridge. "Dangit! Alright, where'd ya'll put the Sun Drop?" I heard Ryan burst out laughing and the guy in front of me groan. "Come on, dog! Not funny!" I snorted and he turned around to show a colored dude who looked pretty dope. He was wearing a white hoodie with a matching hat, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. His face kinda looked like Lecrae. I nodded and he smiled. "Hey, who's girl is this?" Thunder popped in. "Nobody's, now. She's the girl Demon used to love. You remember the story at the apartment?" He nodded. "Well, this is the girl." I grinned, and his mouth dropped. "You're.... wow." I looked over and saw the Sun Drop on the counter. I grabbed two and handed him one. He grabbed it and yelled into the living room: "Ha-ha, very funny!" I snickered and went to sit down at the table to see a Rottweiler in my spot. "Rex, get down, boy! You crazy pup." He jumped down and I sat in the chair, the fridge dude sitting down. "Name's KC. What's yo name?" He looked up to meet my gaze. "Jason, but everyone calls me Wolf. Where'd you go for the last four years? I mean, you've been my hero." I smirked. "Went to the East Side for a fresh start. Now, I'm the alpha of the Wild Grinders, the top dog gang. But, I'mma find out what's up with this truce thing, and what's goin on; West Side peeps are attacking our side, so soon it might be an all-out war. I'm stayin for a week, though, so your 'hero' is gonna be here for a couple of days. I'm actually thinking about taking the Stormgliders over to the East Side with me. Over there, you don't need to worry about rape, theft, death, things like that. Well, actually, my mom just died in a fire from a dropped cigarette, so, eh. It depends. It's fun there." Jason seemed excited. "Sweet! That'll be epic!" I smiled. "Hey, Wolf, you heard of Christ?" He looked at me all confused. "Christ?" I nodded. "He was crucified on the cross for our sins; the bad things we do. Demon doesn't know about him, and he didn't listen to me earlier. Are you willing to become a Christian?" He thought about it for a minute and nodded, eager. "Ok, so God created the whole world and everything on it. It talks about it in His book, the Bible. He created the heavens and the earth. And he created two people, a man and a woman. Adam and Eve were their names. And they lived in paradise for a long time. And, in the center of this garden, there was this special tree, which God commanded Adam and Eve NOT to eat the fruit off of. But, one day, Eve was walking past the tree when this snake slithered out of it. The snake was the Devil, or Satan, and he tempted Eve to eat the fruit, telling her it would open her eyes. And she ate the fruit, had Adam eat it, and then they realized that they were naked. So they made clothes out of leaves and hid from God, who cast them out of the garden and put an angel at each entrance. Then Adam and Eve had kids, which had kids, and so on. Then, one day, this virgin, Mary, was pregnant with a kid. And the guy she was going to marry, Joseph, didn't want to humiliate Mary, so he planned to break up with her in silence. But, then an angel told Joseph not to, that this child was one of the Holy Spirit, not another dude. Yo with me so far?" Wolf nodded. "So, on a starry night, this couple came to Bethlehem, where they were looking for a place to crash for the night. But, everywhere was full. So, they found a stable, and that's where our Savior, Jesus, was born. And people came from far and wide to see this miracle, because it was prophesized that the Messiah would be coming soon. So, Jesus was born, and that's how Christmas came along to be. The Christmas tree stands for the wooden cross that Jesus was crucified on for our sins. God gave his only son so that, if we believed in Him, we wouldn't be thrown into the eternal lake of fire, or Hell. The presents stand for the gifts that the kings and people brought for Jesus. But, there's arguement that He was born around Easter, so, we can't tell. Here's the cool thing: When JC was crucified, He was put inside a stone tomb and a huge circular stone covered the door. But, on the third day, Mary and a couple of other women went to put things outside of the tomb to see the stone rolled away from the doorway and the tomb was empty! When they started to panic, an angel came to them and sat on top of the rolled-away stone and told them the Messiah has came back to life! He stayed for a month, and then went up to Heaven, telling everyone He'll be back for His followers." Wolf snorted. "Kinda sounds like Jesus has His own Twitter account and everyone who follows him will be taken with him when he comes back! Am I right?" I laughed and nodded. "Yep. Nice comparison. So, if you come back with me, I have a few extra Bibles at my place. I'll get ya one!" Wolf whooped and jumped up, throwing his Sun Drop can away. "But, here's the trick, you have to welcome Christ and God into yo heart. Don't be scared that there's something in your heart that God will turn yo away from Him. He already knows everything in there! If you remind me later, we'll get together and pray. I'll help you with what to pray about." I smiled at him warmly, seeing his face light up. "I'mma tell Ryan about Him and ask him to be a Christian!" He dashed into the living room and I could hear him tell Ryan about Christ. I chuckled, sipping my drink and petting Rex. He licked my hand and I realized that he's changed. He used to hate people period. Now he's a big softie. I smiled. Thunder came in, chuckling and shaking his head. I looked at him quizzically. "I have never seen Wolf that happy. What did you do, ask him out?" Good idea, man! "Nah, just told him about Christ. But, he is pretty dope! If he's up to it, he should ask ME out, not vice versa." Thunder shrugged. I coughed. "Well, tomorrow I'll go confront Demon. The little son-of-a-gun better be ready, cause I'm not even gonna knock." Thunder's eyes grew big. "Holy crap, I think some of his demon stuff got into ya, girl." I looked up. "Eh, I guess his torture woke the monster up, and now he's cravin' some Demon right now." We both chuckled at that. "Well, at least now that the Stormgliders are noticing Christ, they'll fit in right at home on the East Side with my gangs. We're all hard-core Christians that don't care much for anything; except when another skater is going through some kind of crisis. Then, we care. But, other than that, it's a care-free side. Here, you guys worry about theft, fights, rape, hurt, anger. This place needs Christ, but Demon is against that. I don't know why, but he just is. You guys should be able to believe anything; not be Atheyist. Over on our side, everyone chose to be Christians. But, they can change when they want to. Over here, there's social ranks and stuff like that. You guys focus too much on the outward appearance then what's on the inside." By now, Ryan and Wolf was in there, listening in on what I was saying. "Demon is a sorry excuse for a leader. He murders, rapes, steals, and stuff like that to prove his 'power'. He's weak, though. Throw him in an emotional battle. He may be physically strong, but he's nothing without mental and emotional strength. He still has both parents and a loving home. He has warm food to eat every night and a warm bed to sleep in. He takes everything for granted. He doesn't give anything to his followers. Me, I give skaters some of my hard-earned cash and even a place to crash, before that was burned in a fire. But, I still have God and my fellow skaters. I'm crashin' with a dude name Chris right now, actually. We're like bro and sis. So, I know I'm in good hands. What if Demon suddenly lost everything? Would you guys help him?" They shrugged. "I never put any thought to that." Ryan admitted. I smirked. "Well, I would, but out of the kindness of my heart. I forgive him, you know. For the whole incident. Even though he done it in hatred, I still forgive him. With His help, of course. You know, he still may be evil, but there's still hope for him. He still may be good. When I confront him later, I'm gonna tell him about Christ. Then, if that fails, then the truce will be brought up. So, we cool with it?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, now, that's tomorrow. Wake up around eight. We'll roll out at nine." I glanced at the clock, and it glowed nine-fifteen. Wolf cleared his throat. 'Hey, KC, you wanna do the prayer thing?" I grinned and nodded. "Everyone have a seat. Clap your hands together and keep them there, as if frozen. Ok, after this prayer, then you tell Christ and God what's on your mind. First, I want you to silently repeat what I say in your head. Here we go. Heavenly Father, I open my heart and my mind for you to come in and heal me. I give everything to You, Lord, to follow in your footsteps, and to listen to Your every command and wish. I want You to fill me with peace, hope and love, and wipe my slate clean, give me another chance, a fresh start. I have heard of Your everlasting forgiveness and grace and I am willing to leave everything behind to follow You, Father. In Christ's name I pray, Amen." I gave them enough time to finish praying, and smirked. "Feel the Spirit now? Can you feel His grace in this kitchen?" Everyone nodded. "Alright. G'night! See ya'll at eight!" I got up and went to the guest room, where my stuff was, and crashed, feeling complete.

I woke up, feeling the sun on my face, and I told myself "Well, KC, it's a new day! Can't wait!" I hopped out of the bed to see the clock show eight o'clock exactly. I yawned, getting up to brush my hair and then went into the living room, seeing everyone up. "Hey guys." Everyone hollered back and Wolf came up to me, changed. "Man, I got the best sleep last night! It was great!" I grinned. "Cool, dog." I walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out some eggs and cheese. I fished a pan out and made some scrambled eggs for everyone, along with some pancakes. We ate and headed out, prepared for what was ahead of us.

We swerved under the bridge and into the sewer pipe that lead to the FireDemonz hideout. The hideout was underground, in a blocked area in the sewers. The pipe was the only way to get to it. We stopped at the door, taking a deep breath. I nodded, my knife deep in my pocket. Everyone surrounded me, and Thunder opened the door, walking in front of me. Demon was sitting on a recliner, which was on top of a trampoline. His blonde hair was long, and his bright green eyes were piercing, making me start to silently hyperventilate. His outfit was all leather black, with a collar and gloves, both spiked. He smirked when he noticed me, leaning forward to see me better. "Ah, there's my girl. How's my love muffin?" I growled. "I'm NO-ONE'S love muffin. Especially not YOURS." He whistled. "My, my, you've bittered. You used to be sweet." "I was, until you messed with me! But, I'm only bitter toward you. Even though I forgive you for that night, (and that's because of God), I still have nightmares and stuff. But, now I love everyone." I pulled Wolf and Ryan closer, hugging them. I heard Wolf sigh, and I rolled my eyes. "Well, then, I guess you have those nightmares on the street, where you've been living for the past four years. Am I right?" I shook my head. "Nope, you're wrong. I am the Alpha of the Wild Grinders!" That statement echoed off of the walls and came back; Demon gasped; and I smirked. "I didn't come whining back for more love. I came here about the truce." Now Demon smirked. "Well, now that some sleazebag took my girl, the truce is broken! It's war! Sharon, Bruce, get her!" Two really buff people came and grabbed me from behind. "Take her to the bedroom! I'll be in there in ten." My eyes widened and I fought back, biting and kicking. They pulled me into the room, shoving me in there and locking the door. I growled and looked around for something to help, and then I remembered my knife. Demon came in there and shut the door behind him, and I glared. "Ah, Kitty-Cat, come on, girl." Kitty-Cat used to be my nickname. I growled back. He came closer and I backed up until I hit the wall and he trapped me, bent in, and before I could move, he kissed me. I tried to escape, but he leaned onto me, unzipping his pants. I gave a final shove and pushed him onto the bed, pulling my knife out. His eyes widened and I evilly grinned. "Dude, no. No!" I charged him and he whipped his foot up, tripping me onto the bed, where he rolled me over and sat down on me, smirking. I squirmed, but he was too heavy. Then he unzipped my pants, and I went ballistic. I grabbed my knife and cut his chest, making him cry out. I got free and zipped my pants, swearing for the first time. Then I dashed to the door and tore it open, running out to see the others tied up. There was no one there, so I slid over and cut the rope, freeing them. As we were running, I heard Demon cry out and a gunshot. Seconds later, I felt excrutiating pain in my shoulder and I dropped to my knees, Wolf shouting at the others. They helped me up and I kept running, jumping on my board. We made it to the Hideaway, and I fell onto the couch while the others got bandages and things like that. I tore my shirt off, having a tank-top under it, and the boys got to work.

I whimpered, the pain still shooting from my shoulder. They got the bullet out and cleaned me up, and now the Stormgliders and I were all getting on the bus to get back to Morganton. Rex was allowed on, but only because the bus driver and I were buds. We got to our stop and I stepped off, clutching my arm to my side. It seemed to help the pain. I got onto my board, heading toward the skate spot, where I hoped to see my gang.

We swerved into the gate, where Chris and the gang were sitting around, just chilling. Chris looked up, whooped, and then noticed the bandages. He ran to me, freaking out. "KC! What happened?!" I sighed. "Demon tried to do it. Again. Then, when we were running away, he shot me. The truce is broken, and now it's all-out war. Here's another thing: The attacks; they were meant to catch my eye and make me crawl back to him. I said No. Then he got pissed. So, it's us against a pissed-off Demon and his gangs. Oh, guys, I want to introduce the Stormgliders." They met and then were chatting it up. I sat down on the bench, tired and hurt. Chris sat down with me. "He tried to... rape you again?" I nodded. "Got as far as unzipping my pants. Then I slashed him across the chest. He moved then. Then, during our escape, he shot me. So, it's war." He sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have stayed. I knew it!" I laid my hand on his shoulder. "Dude, it wasn't your fault! He tied up the Stormgliders, or they would have helped stop them! Thunder was the only gang leader who didn't rape me at the apartment! That's why they're here. They deserve the good life." Wolf came over and sat on the other side of me. "Hey, guys. I felt left out over there." He looked at me. "How's the arm?" I whimpered. "It aches a little." Chris snorted. "I heard a whimper. Whimpering and you don't mix well." I frowned, discovered. "I just don't like peeps worryin' about me. I mean, dang." I sighed. "Well, thank God no one's callin' me Kitty-Cat. I would murder that kid. We have to be on our guard at all times. No traveling alone." Chris snorted. "KC, you need to lay down. You can't fight like this." I whipped my head toward him, standing up. "You think I can't fight right now? Well, you can't tell me what I can and can't do." I stomped away, hearing Wolf explain to Chris that Demon said the same thing a few years back. I walked into the new skate store, Mrs. Macheffer gasping when she laid her eyes on the bandages. "Case, what happened? Who hurt you?" I looked up at her and weakly smiled. "Whatever happened to 'Hey, Casey, what's up?'" Mrs. Macheffer smiled, knowing I wasn't gonna answer her. "I'm now pissed at Chris. He told me that I had to lay down and sit this fight out. Said I can't fight. And, on top of that, he sounded exactly like Demon. I almost broke. I needed to get away, and now I feel bad." I sighed, realizing that she wasn't even listening to me. I went back outside and left the skate spot, no one noticing me leave.

Chapter 2

              I barged into Chris's house, the smell of cooking meat hitting me. I looked to my left to see Mrs. Macheffer cooking what I supposed was dinner. "Hey there, Mrs. Macheffer! I see you're feeling loads better!" Mrs. Macheffer looked up and smiled, realizing who I was. "Hey, Casey! I am feeling loads better! And, apparently, you are, too! You know, that was a brave thing you did, back there at the apartment. Thanks for saving my son. If I lost him, I...I don't know what I would do. We already lost his dad, and I thought he would never be happy again...until he met you. I knew there was something about you I liked. When I saw him come racing through that front door, his hand in a brace, him laughing, I could tell he was happy, and then I realized, I needed to get off my lazy butt and spend time with him, helping him, supporting him. So, I got a job at the skate store downtown. I get discounts, too! So, you guys can stop working at Aldi's." I sat down at the litter bar separating the living room from the kitchen. "I'm making steak, mashed potatoes, and macaroni & cheese for dinner." I licked my lips, my mouth watering. "That sounds- and smells- good." I heard a scratching sound in the hallway, and Tiger bolted out into the living room, coming to a screeching halt as he glimpsed me sitting there. "Hey, Tiger, you energetic mutt! Did you miss me, boy? Did you?" "Rawf!" I patted my lap and he leapt into it. His pink-and-black tongue crept up my face, leaving a slimy trail of spit beside my ear. Then he yipped, whapping my legs with his tail. I looked around me at my surroundings, taking in the homey feeling it had to it. Chris's hangout was cozy and loads better than my apartment ever was. He had a three-story house with a carport and a fenced-in yard for Tiger and Snow, Chris's snow-white husky. Chris and I thought about mating the two and selling all but two pups, but the dogs won't listen, so we gave up on that. On the first floor, there was the living room, the kitchen, a bathroom, a closet, Mrs. Macheffer's room, and the staircase leading up and down. Downstairs was a party room, with a bar, a fridge, a few couches, an XBox 360, a PS3, a Wii, and Dish TV. Upstairs was another bathroom, the guest room, and Chris's room, which was decked out in skateboarding stuff. Chris had DC, Young & Reckless, and other brand name clothes and skateboarding supplies. He also had posters of famous skateboarders like Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek (the gang are big fans of Fantasy Factory and Ridiculousness) covering his walls. His carpet was white, his walls (what you could see of them, anyway) a light blue, one of my favorite colors. The guest room was the same color, but the bathroom had dark-blue colored walls, so it stood out. I turned back to Mrs. Macheffer. "I gotta Q. Can I stay here for awhile? I have nowhere to go." She looked up, a warming smile on her face. "Sure! I'll have Chris get out the supplies for the guest room when he gets here. Speaking of Chris, where is he?" As soon as she said that, Chris and the rest of the gang came barging into the door, Chris kicking up his skateboard into his hands. "Hey, Mom! What do you..." He stopped in his tracks, his mouth wide open. "Who are you and what the heck happened to Mom?" Mrs. Macheffer laughed. "I am your mom, Chris, just...better now. I was thinking about some things and, I realized, I was acting like a bit-" Here Chris accidently dropped his skateboard, so it cut off what she was saying. "Oh, for dinner, we're having steak, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese." She finished, smirking. I looked over to see Brianna’s cat, Tabby, with her skateboard. Then Snow bounded in, spotting Chris and tackling him down to the ground. "Snow! Hey, girl! How have you been?" She barked and, as if she sensed him, she whirled around and jumped on Tiger, who had been creeping up on her. They playfully rolled, growling, into the hall. I sat there, rubbing my eyes as Chris snuck up on me, catching me off guard. He wrapped his arms around my neck, throwing me down to the couch. I whirled around and caught him, throwing him down to the ground. We laughed, getting up. “Dang, girl! Pretty strong for a girl who just got out of the hospital! Wait…..that’s it! I know what to call Snow!” I looked up at him. “What?” “I’m gonna name her after you! Here, Casey!” Snow came running into the room, Tiger lazily following. “Hey, Chris. For the benefit of me not being compared to Snow, no offense, Snow, let’s call her Faith. You know, for whenever your soul gets cleansed, it’s white as snow.” Chris grinned. “Sweet! Here, Faith!” Faith barked happily, jumping into Chris’s lap. “Hey, Chris. Get Casey her surprise!” Ben put in, making me jump. Hey, don’t judge me. I forgot. Chris ran into the hallway, his feet thudding up the staircase. I sat there; petting Tiger and watching Mrs. Macheffer cook the steak. Then Chris bounded in with a huge box and sat it on the counter, a grin slapped on his face. I slowly reached over and pulled the box to me, opening it to see... a cardboard box. I smirked and opened that box to pull out a brand-new Rob Dyrdek DC blue & white skateboard with a new pair of matching DC shoes and hat. I stared at the stuff, totally speechless. Chris came over and sat down beside me. "Do you like it?" he cautiously asked. I slowly turned to face him, a grin breaking across the surface. "I love it, man! Thanks!" I tackled him, inclosing him in a bear hug. Then I let go, kicking off my old, torn black Nike shoes and slipped into the DC shoes, the shoes perfectly fitting to my feet. I then pulled the hat on my head, threading my ponytail through the little hole in back. I stood up on the skateboard. All of the gifts were perfect for me. I rode in a complete circle, the board's urethane wheels moving smoothly and flawlessly across the hardwood floor. I slid to a stop, kicking the skateboard up onto the bar. I looked up to see everyone staring at me, amazed. "Dude! You look like you just walked off of the MTV channel or something! Hey, later, why don't we all go to the skate park and hang out with the other gangs? I mean, we haven't rode around town since a month before the apartment fire. I think, guys, that it's time for the Wild Grinders to shred the streets again!" Tiffany exclaimed, egging everyone on. Mrs. Macheffer cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Uhhh... there's a BIG problem with that plan. While you were in the hospital, the Advert company went by the skate park and closed it down, posting signs that say that next Thursday, they're going to start destroying the park for their new buildings!" I looked over at the gang. "Guys, I think we need to fight for what's rightfully ours! Let's roll, Wild Grinders!" I stood up, pushing my skateboard off the bar onto the floor, where it thudded. I jumped onto it, pushing off through the door, the gang following me out. "Be back by nine-thirty!" Mrs. Macheffer called after us, Chris shooting her a thumbs-up. Faith and Tiger was bringing up the rear. Oh, I forgot to mention, our pets skateboard, too.

                        We pulled up to our skate spot, signs posted everywhere. The front gate was shut and padlocked, with chains wrapped all around and through the chain-link fence. We rode around to the back of the lot, where we dug a hole a couple of years ago. It was for whenever the park was closed, we could get in and skate. All of the gangs use it. We crawled through the opening, me zipping up the tallest, steepest ramp in the whole spot. I turned to face the opening where the gang was still crawling through the opening. "Wow, guys. We may be the best skateboarders / rollerbladers in this town, but we won't be going out for the most slyest one. You guys are slowww..." Everyone finally made it to the top after fifty blue million years passed, and I cleared my throat. "Guys, we have to stop that company from destroying our own skate spot. This is OUR skate spot, not theirs! Who cleaned it up and paid for the cement? Who planted the trees, the shrubs, even the grass around the trees? Who even painted this park black, blue, and green, our school's colors? That's right, we did! The skaters and skateboarders of this small town of Morganton NC! They should ask us to destroy our spot! This is basically our second home! Remember that time we stayed the weekend here, just for fun?" Everyone nodded simultaneously. "If you look at this ground, you could probably see our blood, sweat, and tears. There's no way in the whole freaking world that we're gonna let that stupid company tear this place down!" By this time, the other gangs had snuck in and was surrounding the ramp. Some of the more vicious skaters shouted in agreement. "We're gonna make signs, make some noise, let those Advert people know that we skaters don't stand down. We're not pushovers, we're not gonna go down without a fight. We're fighters! We're gonna protest for the sake of our skate spot and for the future skaters to have a place to skate! For our gangs now, LET'S SAVE OUR SKATE PARK!!!" The Wild Grinders rode down the ramp, splitting up to talk with the other gangs that came. The only gang that wasn't there was the Fireblazers. Go figure. I walked up to our closest gang, the Light Speeders. (I swear, some of these names, man. They crazy!) "Hey, man, what up, KC?" The leader asked me, riding up on his board. KC's my nickname, along with Case. "Yo! Vincent, what's up, my man How's the Light Speeders?" "They good, man. They good. What's up in the top dog group, the Wild Grinders?" Our skate group was the most well-known gang in the county. We won the skate-offs against the Fireblazers last year. "Nothing, my man." Vincent nodded. "Hey, KC, heard about what happened with the apartment." "Aw, I'm good." Dang, word spreads fast around here! "Hey, you guys gonna help protest with us?" Vincent nodded, his blonde hair bobbing around. "Man, this is great! I saw you guys heading over this direction, and that you were out of the hospital, so I hollered at the other cats, and then my gang, told them that the Wild Grinders were back in the game and you guys were heading toward the skate spot. So, we pull up to you givin' a great speech. Ma, we were like 'Dang, man!' I mean, a day out of the hospital, and the leader, and hero, of the Wild Grinders is already bringing a challenge, protesting, and rallying everyone up. Guess you guys are tough!" I chuckled, looking around at my gang, spread out and talking with the other gangs. "Yeah, we tough, man, we tough." Then I heard the fence rattling, and I looked over to see the Fireblazers scaling the fence. "I hope you guys know there's a hole right there, right? It's there so you don't have to scale the fence. Just FYI." The leader, Devin "Flame" Korman looked up at me, then back at the fence, then smacked his forehead. I shook my head, chuckling. "Holler at'cha later, Grinder!" Vincent said, running to catch up with the rest of his gang as I rode over to Flame. "Hey, Flame." Flame looked up, his red eyes focusing on me. "Wild Grinder! Yo, what's new, Case?" I smirked. "Nothing. You have your contacts in?" He nodded, his bright-orange hair quivering in the wind. "Hey, what's going on here?" He looked around, curious. "Protests for the park. I'm the firestarter, you guys are the fuses to a great battle for this park." Flame nodded, looking down and taking notice of my new board. "Hey, nice board, man! Love it!" I kicked it up into my hands to show him closer, turning it around. "Case, that is an award-winning board right there. Who got it for you?" I glanced over at Chris, who was over with the Shadowboarders. "Chris did." Flame whistled a teasing tune with a grin on his face. "You know, I think he likes you. He's always with you, man! But, to tell you the truth, a lot of the guys dig you. I saw a few of the other gang leaders having a skate-off over you, but then Chris came along, and it just died." I laughed softly. "Wow. But, why me?" Flame smirked. "You're everything a dude skateboarder wants: a girl skateboarder with leader qualities, a beautiful face, and the character alone... that's another story altogether." I looked down at the ground. "Oh." "Well, I'mma go, so talk to you later. Peace out, Case!" He rode away as I rode over to the Flareboarders, the Shadowboarders' right hand gang. I snuck up on their leader, Peter "Flare" King,  jumping on his back. "Heya, Flare!" Flare looked over his shoulder, a grin breaking on his face. "Hey, girl! Wazzup?" "Nothin'." I jumped off his back as he turned to face me. "Same here. Hey, great speech! I guess even fire won't kill the Wild Grinder! When I got the call from the Light Speeders' leader Vince, I was like 'No way, man! She just got out of the hospital! But I called the other Flareboarders and we headed over here. And what do you know? You're up there, givin' a speech! One day out of the hospital, and you're at it again! Do you ever take a break? Let someone else lead the Wild Grinders?" I shook my head. "Not even for a day?" I kept on shaking my head. "Even if I did, the person couldn't be able to fully lead the gang, because my presence is always there." He nodded understandingly. "I see. Even when you were in the hospital, your presence was still there. That's cool! When I'm gone from the gang, it isn't like that. Someone else in the gang will try to take over, but they epically fail. Before you know it, I'm back, no more fighting. Your guys don't fight when you're gone." I chuckled. "It's because the Wild Grinders never actually designated a leader. If you ask the others, yeah, they'll say I'm the leader, but, here's a tip. Notice that all of the other gangs dress and act the same. Then look at us. We're diverse. I let them do whatever they want. The other gangs, well, they're like dogs. They follow their leader like dogs cause they think they have to. Also, take notice that my gang is the only one spread out among the other gangs. That's why we're respected. We allow anything and anyone- as long as it's not from the county west from here. You dig?" Flare nodded, glancing at his watch. "It's nine fifteen. I'm outta here. Peace!" "Peace out, man." I jumped onto my skateboard, rushing over to Chris. "Yo, Chris, round up the others. I' et the pets." He nodded and we split up, completing our missions and meeting up outside the fence. Then we split up again, everyone going home, Chris, me and the pups heading toward Chris's house in the cool night air

                        We barged into the house, the heat blowing in our faces. Chris turned to me. "I'll go fix up the guest room. You do whatever you want- just don't go into the guest room." I nodded, heading for the backyard. I sat down on the steps leading from the door to the yard, lost in thought about what was going to happen tomorrow at school. Would everyone hate on me or respect me? I was running myself through different scenarios when Chris yelled from the window. "Hey, KC! I'm done! Come in here and check it!" I looked up to see Chris hanging halfway out the window and I grinned. I scrambled up the stairs to the guest room, where I calmed down and opened the door, which had a sign on it that said "KC's room- STAY OUT!" and had a DC sign on it. Inside was a fully decked-out room. It was pretty epic, what Chris did to my room. There was Manafest, tobyMac, and Rob Dyrdek posters all over my wall, five hooks for hoodies and hats and stuff, a blue desk with a new blue laptop, a speaker deck for MP3s, and my skateboarding clock on top, my own flat-screen plasma TV hooked up to my own XBox360 with Kinect and Wii, my skateboard-shaped bed, and my closet was walk-in, with my own DC and Young&Reckless clothing collection, with crates for socks, shoes, and other stuff. I jumped onto my bed, which was beyond awesome. Then I rolled over to the TV to look at what games I had. There was too many to count! I grinned at the thought of playing all of those games. "You like?" Chris cautiously asked. I turned to him. "Dude, I love it! It's so awesome here! Actually, now, I'm not surprised at the foam pit in the basement. I wanna jump in it tomorrow." Chris grinned and grabbed my shoulder. "Let's go now!" He grabbed his skateboard and we both ran to the basement. He just rushed in there and shot up the make-shift sketchy ramp and into the foam pit. "Yeah!" Chris shouted, climbing out of the foamy black hole. I cheered and shot from where I was up the ramp and performed an eggplant before dropping back into the pit, a few cubes of foam falling down the ramp. Chris burst out laughing, me trying to escape from the sea of foamy cubes. I finally scrambled out, pulling my skateboard with me. I walked over to Chris, stopping in front of him, and leaning onto my skateboard. "Man, that was an epic eggplant! How did you DO it?!" I smirked. "I'm just that good!" Chris scoffed. "Yeah, right." I yawned, a giant gaping hole in the middle of my face. "I'm tired. Peace out. G'night, Chris." "G'night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" He said it in rap-format, making us both laugh tiredly. Then we went to our rooms, got into our PJs, and went to bed.

I ran into the burning apartment, hearing the cries of the people telling me not to faltering as the cackling of the flames surrounded me, as if the fire was laughing at me. Yes, I was a fool. But, man, I wasn't leaving my best friend in there, or my skateboard. I climbed up the staircase that I had, just a couple of minutes ago, dashed down to get away from the fire. And, the ironic thing was, I am now running back into it! Well, it was worth it, though. My friend was worth more than this. It was smoking hot in there, man! I ran through the hallway, looking for the right doorway to get to my mother's apartment. It was hard, though, because most of them were covered in flame. Then I tripped on a piece of burning timber and fell, my arm falling into flame. I jumped up, the pain excrutiating. I found a piece of cloth that wasn't on fire and put out the fire on my arm, the blood still flowing. I ignored the pain and finally found the apartment door. I kicked down the door, a cloud of smoke welcoming me into the burning place. I waved the smoke away, my ponytail that protruded from my hat smacking the back of my neck. I spotted my West 49 skateboard that said "Manafest", one of my favorite Christian rappers on the bottom on it and grabbed it, dashing toward my room and grabbing my mother's touch screen phone, my blue-and-white small MP3 with my headphones in their case on the way. I dashed into my room to see my friend Chris huddled in one of the corners of my room, knocked out from smoke inhalation, probably. Then I remembered that he was napping before I fell asleep, so. I don't know much on this type of stuff, personally, but I try to go with the flow. Chris's jacket protected his back from the flames that would have threatened him if I didn't arrive at the time I did. I ran over to Chris and shook him awake. He coughed and looked up at me. "C-C-Casey?" I nodded, yanking him off his knees and brushing him off. "Yes, you retard! Of course it is! Who did ya think it was? The President? Come on! The place is collasping!" I pushed him toward the door, skateboard tucked under my arm. "Dang, girl! Stop with the pushing!" I growled at him and he turned around to see me glaring up at him. I got in front of him and pulled him through the door that creaked ominously. I pulled him all the way through the door right when it crashed behind us, sending up smoke and flames. I looked behind me to see Chris there, determination aflame in his eyes. I smiled at his bravery and turned toward the staircase that was covered in smoke. I coughed as I dashed through the smoke, pulling Chris through with me. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we ran to the middle of the commons room, looking for a way out, since our main exit was blocked by flames. Chris stumbled into me and made me hit my arm on his chest. A deluge of pain ran up my arm and I hissed as the pain subsided. There was no way out, now. I looked at Chris, who looked at me, the determination that was there only minutes ago replaced by fear and hopelessness. I sighed and looked around as Chris sat down. "Casey, there's no way out. The only option is to wait-which, even I have to admit, isn't really an option right now." I grunted, realizing what he was saying was true. I took off my hat and wiped off my forehead, and then sat beside him, resting my head on my knees. "You can lay your head on my shoulder." Chris offered, and I took the offer. I could feel him tense up at my touch because he wasn't from a loving home like I was. One time, I hugged him and he became rock solid. It was either the home he came from or he liked me. Either one, he wasn't very accustomed to anyone touching him. He started to hum his favorite song, "Hold On" by tobyMac. A few minutes after he stopped humming the song, I heard his breath deepen and his muscles loosen, so I knew he was asleep. I curled up beside him and fell into a light sleep, only getting an hour of sleep myself, as the flames enclosed on us.

I woke up in a moving vehicle with figures moving around hurriedly, talking in low voices. My body ached everywhere, and I tried to remember what had happened. "She's coming around." A man with a Monopoly-style moustache walked over to me, softly laying his hand on my shoulder. I coughed toward the floor and looked back up at him. "Ugh. What happened? Where's Chris?" The Monopoly dude chuckled. "Slow down with the questions. The apartment building you and your mom lived in caught on fire, possibly by the dropped cigarette on the bottom floor. Your friend was in there with you guys, napping. Is he Chris?" I nod, my eyes widening. "Okay, then I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that he burnt his hand badly. The others saw it and they all gasped, mortified. It wasn't as bad as it looked, though, because most of the blood was yours. He wrapped his arms around you while you were sleeping. Don't tell him I told you, though, but he likes you." I took a deep breath and continued with "How bad am I? Really bad or so-so bad?" He copied me with the whole deep-breath thing and looked at my hand. "You're pretty bad. You're covered with third-degree burns and slices. You almost lost your arm and may still have to get it amputated. We'll order you an auto-mail arm in the mail and take the skin from your old arm to put on it if we have to cut it off. The old skin will heal, though. You lost your skateboard, but you recovered everything else. Chris is in the other ambulance behind us. You're a brave young lady. You know that? You haven't cried one tear! One!" I nodded, smirking. "Well, just try to go to sleep." I closed my eyes as the ambulance's sirens wailed as we hit heavy traffic.

I opened my eyes, rapidly blinking to adjust my eyes to the bright light coming from the window of the room. I heard a continuous obnoxous beeping sound coming from the direction of the window, and I looked up to see a heart monitor attached to me with a cord. An IV drip stood tall beside me, it's needle sticking out of my arm, and it itched. I would have scratched it, but I had no feeling in my right arm, which was bandaged up. Most of my skin was burnt or scarred, and my body ached for a bath. I heard footsteps in the hallway, which sounded like they were getting closer, and I turned my head toward the door. A nurse hurried in, a doctor following her. The nurse went to the counter on the opposite side of the room while the doctor came to my side with scissors, a canister and more gauze for my arm. He cut the old gauze off my arm, revealing scarred and inflamed flesh covered in pus. The doctor gestured toward the nurse for a wet piece of cloth to wipe off my arm. After he wiped it off, he opened the canister and rubbed some stuff that looked like chewed-up gummy bears on my arm. When he finished wiping the sticky stuff on my arm, he wrapped it back up in gauze. He looked up to see me watching him intently. He smirked and stood up, gathering all of his medical supplies. I looked out the window when I heard Chris's voice in the hall, pleading to let him in. "Please, Doc? Please?!" The doctor sighed, annoyed. "Only family is allowed in. No one else." "Hey, man! Open your freakin' eyes! We're the only family she has left! Haven't you heard the news? Her father was killed in that explosion down in the soccer game because he went back in to save her mother, who was killed in the fire! She has no grandparents or relatives left livin'! We made a vow. We won't leave her side." Chris said, defiant. The doctor looked into my room, saw me there, awake, and turned back to them. "Alright. You can go in." Chris barged into the room and saw me lying there, my body gauzed and scarred. His eyes widened at the sight, and he rushed to my side. The others followed, worried sick. I smiled. "Hey guys." The six of them grinned like idiots, and I laughed. Breanna and Tiffany, two of my friends, popped up beside me, worried. I smiled at them and yawned, makiing them laugh. Breanna held up a picture. It was me and Chris standing in front of the burning apartment, the flames raging behind us. Chris's jet-black spikey hair was accented by the heated flames behind us, his icy blue eyes blazing in the picture's highlighting. I stood beside him, my long auburn hair flaring up behind us, like as if the wind was blowing in our faces. My hazel eyes were burning with determination to get out of there. I seemed menacing, a monster waiting to break out of these chains. Both of our clothes were burnt and tattered, our skin scarred, burnt, and bloody. Chris's hand was covered in flame and burning blood, while my arm was matching his hand. My skateboard was under my foot, and the tip was burned black. Behind us was the apartment, collapsing in a cloud of smoke and debris. We were holding hands, a grin slapped on our faces. Huh. I wish it was like that.

You see, Chris had the looks and voice of Manafest, but acted way different. He was hilarious, especially when he tried. Chris wrestled and played basketball while I played soccer and ran in the 100-meter in track. We all love to rap and sing, and we're very talented. We thought of forming a band, but we needed a bassist. "We" is the seven of us. Me, Chris, Breanna, Tiffany, Ben, Perry, and Miranda make up the gang. The gang isn't racist, we're skateboarders, we never cuss, we never lie or steal, and we don't use or deal tobacco. We would ride our skateboards to school and put them in our lockers 'til school let out or 'til it was gym time and we could go outside on the track. Then we would ride them to the skate park and hang out there for a while after school. I'm learning how to perform the kickflip because I've mastered the ollie. Easy as riding a skateboard. Here's a little tip-- NEVER GIVE UP!!!! If we didn't go to the park, or after we did, we would go to one of our homie's house or apartments and work on our homework, talk, snack or eat dinner, watch television, sing, or draw. We're all rappin', hard-core Christians. Actually, on the bottom of Ben's skateboard, there's a pic that shows Jesus standing in front of the cross with the nails still in His hands. Then, it shows the tomb in the background. It's pretty awesome. The whole gang was in the tenth grade, so we always stuck together. If we had to seperate, then we would always make sure that no one was left alone. It's a we-got-each-other's-back kind of thing. We do have an aggresive front, which dosen't play along well with the preps or the jocks. But, we never provoke fights; people just don't like us. If one of us did get into a fight, then it depends on the circumstances how we react. If we're outnumbered, then we get our people together and bail. If we outnumber them, then we would fight back. For me, it also depends on who's in the fight if I join. If I do, then I get my skateboard ready to bring the ruckus! If I break up the fight, then I pull our person out and give the opponent a warning shove. But, behind my bold front, I'm a friendly, sarcastic, kind, creative, perverted, happy-go-lucky chick that acts as a bodyguard for the others. Chris is like me, just that he's funnier and he's the only one that knows my weakness. Miranda is a creative, artistic, perky chick that possesses leader qualities. But, no one's an appointed leader. Breanna is the anime freak of the gang, with all of the latest anime shows and movies, mangas, and things like that. Tiffany was a Christian-rappin', life-lovin', quiet person that loved to write. Ben was Miranda's boyfriend, a crazy, wolf-loving dude that didn't care about much. While Chris and I make sure that everything's in order and watch over everyone, he sits there, doing NOTHING. Perry is the idiot of the gang. He has a jacked-up personality, with red contacts, hot sauce that's even too hot for me, and hair like grass. It shoots straight up, like blonde grass! He's weird. Just sayin'. Our families aren't ordinary, either. Well, Chris's and my families, aat least. I lived with my mom and my pet dog -a husky-beagle mix- in the apartment. It was just us, since my dad died tryin' to save my mom at the explosion at the last soccer game for our school downtown. Chris's dad commited suicide when he was just a toddler, so he just lived with his mom, too. The others still had both parents and siblings at home, so they don't understand what Chris and I are going through. Chris and I fight for our food. I hunt for both of our families, since my mom's a missionary and his mom's been a wreck since then. We live in the suburbs, but there's woods behind our street. Chris scavenges for food and grows a garden for veggies and fruit. So, we have it the hard way. We worked at Aldi's, the grocery store down the road, and earned 9$ an hour behind the register. We saved enough to pay off Chris's bills, get small presents for the holidays and birthdays, and we were able to get ourselves new clothes. That's where I go shopping for food because it's cheap. We got an XBox360 for Christmas from my mom, and we always play the Halo games, the Rock Band series, the Guitar Hero series, and Call of Duty. I also have a red Acer Aspire One Netbook. I also got this for Christmas. We have never been to a concert, but, in a couple of months, Manafest, tobyMac, and Thousand Foot Krutch will be on tour here, so I wanna catch that. But, I doubt that I will. VIP cost 40$, and I have 75$. I would have to pay for me and Chris. Anyway, I nodded in approvement at the picture, a smirk on my face. The two artists squealed and then everyone was chased out by the doctor. I sighed, looking out the window to see snow flurries drifting down to the ground. I fought the urge to roll over, drifting into a light sleep, wanting to just get out of this life and drift into oblivion.

I started awake, sweat pouring down my face and neck. My heart monitor was going off like a fast-paced alarm clock and felt my heart in my chest, pounding. I felt like I had just ran away from a wild animal or something along those lines. I shook my head and raised the upper half of my hospital bed, so that now I was in a seated position. My arm hurt like heck, but I felt fine other than that. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I looked out the window to see snow covering everything and I groaned. I LOATHE the cold weather. I love warm weather, with swimming, skateboarding, being able to wear shorts and a T-shirt without freezing to death...Anyway! I wiped off my face and neck on my shoulder sleeve as I wondered why I had woken up like that. I gave up, shaking my head. My heart ached for my mom, but she wasn't going to be there anymore. All I had was my gang, a rockin' awesome group of outcasts. I sighed as the doctor came in and unhooked me from everything. "You're free." I nodded and stood up, stretching my tight muscles. It felt so good to actually stretch. I walked over to the window that I always stared out of and looked at the snow-covered ground outside. I groaned inwardly, turning around to see Ben, Miranda, and Chris at the door, and I smiled. "Hey." "Hey?! That's all you got to say, girl? HEY!?" I laughed at Miranda's stricken expression, embracing her as she ran at me, arms outstretched. She was like a little sister to me. After we broke apart, she started talking and wouldn't shut up! Correction: she was an annoying little sister to me. I looked up at ben, who was cracking up about something, and Chris, who shrugged when I shot him a "What?" face. I smiled and looked at Miranda, who didn't notice a thing. "Am I right?" I nodded, patting her shoulder. She grinned and charged Ben,who had stopped laughing and was leaning against the framework of the door, smirking. The two embraced each other, laughing. I smiled and looked over at Chris, who was watching them longingly, probably wishing for a date. I rolled my eyes and looked outside to see an ambulance pull up to the ER entrance and the back doors flung open, four people and a stretcher dashing out of them. I pictured myself on that stretcher, burns and blood covering me. I shuddered at the thought and then felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Chris there, a worried look on his face. "You okay?" I smacked on a fake smile and nodded, not wanting him to worry about me. He shrugged and looked out the window with me. I could feel my heart speed up and my breathing shallow as we stood there for a minute. Then, as if it were timed, my stomach growled loudly. "What does a girl gotta do for food around here, people? It better be better than the food I got in bed because that wasn't food. That was crap." I laughed while Chris shook his head, chuckling. I pushed past him and dashed through the doorway to the elevator. I pounded on the down button while Chris caught up with me, out of breath. Then the doors slid open and I hopped in, Chris following me, eyes wide, surprised at how much energy I had, especially since I had just gotten out of the hospital. We dropped four floors, and I almost ran into someone when the doors opened and I barged out into the snack area. I bounded to the line while Chris went to sit with the others. I ordered a burger and a large sweet tea, since it was lunchtime. I walked over to the table where the others where sitting, now noticing a short, spiky black-haired chick sitting with the others. She was wearing a turquoise tank top with a ripped black pullover shirt that was not button-up. She had on a black skirt over fish-net tights, which covered her beach-tan skin. The gang was a bit pale, but we're not albino. We just hate cold weather, so we don't go outside much anymore. I sat down between Chris and Ben. The new girl looked at me and then I realized that she had ocean-blue eyes with green and gold flecks in them. I smiled and waved at her, and she waved back. "Marianna, Casey. Casey, Marianna." Chris said, introducing us to each other. "So, hero, how's the arm?" Ben asked me, being annoying like always. I smacked him with it, not feeling any pain at all when the impact left his arm red. He yelped and clutched his arm, rubbing it. I smirked. "Still hits pretty good! Did it hurt?" Ben gawked at me, astonished. "Of course it did, you idiot!" Then I nodded. "So it works. There's your answer." He glowered at me, and I grinned. Then I heard Marianna calling for someone, waving them over. I looked where she was waving to see a pale, skinny teen waking over to us, her jet-black hair covering one of her eyes. The stripe of blue dye in her hair brought out the electric blue in her eyes. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a Green Day T-shirt with a chain necklace around her neck. There was a little silver heart dangling from the chain. Her white skinny jeans were ripped, with black combat boots lacing up to her knees, the jeans tucked into them. She was also wearing a leather bracelet that had the name ALEX engraved into it. I waved at her, expecting her to just sneer at me and walk on to Marianna, but she actually waved back at me. "Is this Casey, the leader of the Wild Grinders?" I nodded, smirking. "I'm Alex, Marianna's friend." "Sweet!" I turned to the gang, who was STILL laughing. I looked over at Chris, who was laughing like a freakin' idiot, and shook my head. "Well, then." Chris calmed down and looked over at me. "Hey, Casey, there's another dude that we want you to meet. His name's Matthew Curtis. He loves basketball, and he's also really funny. I think you'll like him." I smirked and and rolled my eyes. "Not as much as the gang!" I laughed as he shook his head. "Anyway, he goes to our school, so he's gonna meet up with us in fourth period, where all of the gang is together. I told him a bit about you, warning him that you can be demonic at times." I shot him a glare, and he gestured to my face. "See?" We broke out in peals of laughter, the gang giving us confused looks. My head shook from the laughter. We finally calmed down and I found out a bit of info on the new girl's past. Marianna only had one parent, her father, and she also had a pet mini-horse, Midnight. She moved here from Virginia, where she learned how to skateboard. (They skateboard there? Awkward....) But, to my surprise, she didn't know the ollie. Yet. "I'll teach ya!" I offered. Her face lit up. "Really? You'd do that? Thanks!" She hugged me, and I stood as stiff as a pole. When she let go, I scooted away from her, creeped out. Everyone laughed at my reaction as I grimaced. The only ones not laughing was the ones not paying attention to us. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I looked over to see Alex beside me, eager to telll me something. "You okay there, Alex?" She nodded. "I got a boyfriend!" The word "boyfriend" made my blood run ice-cold. "Cool." The thing is, I've always wanted a dude to like, but I can't find one. I thought about dating Chris, but... that's awkward. He's like a brother to me. We've always helped each other through our troubles, fending for each other. We haven't even talked about that crap. But, that Monopoly dude said that...Never mind. "Did Tiger make it?" Tiger is the husky-beagle mix I mentioned earlier. He's built like a husky, but he's covered in beagle colors. His eyes are different, one electric blue, the other a hazel. The tip of his tail looked like he dipped it in a pail of white paint. I found him on the side of the road; him a pup, me a kid. He had a broken front right paw, and he had an infected eye, which the doctor fixed right up. "Yeah, he survived. He ran out first and went to my house, warning my mom by leading her to the apartment. Poor little dog." Chris said. "I also got your mom's phone and your MP3. They're at my house, along with a little gift that you'll love." My eyes widened, curiosity geting the best of me. "It was funny, last night. Tiger kept me up all night last night. But, when I was finally drifting off to sleep, he curled up next to me. I think he's finally trusting me." I smirked, picturing Tiger curled up next to Chris. "Hey, guys, who brought their skateboards? I got my rollerblades!" Everyone said they had their rides. I said I would run. "Let's go to Chris's!" Breanna offered. We all hopped on our rides and rode/ran to Chris's house, me still leading.