SEVEN

Then I ran into the crowded hallways. I walked to my locker to get my books out and when my locker opened a note fell out. This had never happened in all my sixteen years of being a teenage girl.

I picked the paper up and looked around to make sure no one saw that. I opened it and the word spilled out of them in my head, I felt dizzy reading, I was so scared I couldn’t lose Rivers like that, I needed to go to Beck and fast.

I ran to class and fell into the empty seat in between Beck and one of his friends from earlier.

‘what’s up?’, he asked.

I pushed the note into his hands and then whispered that I had seen Sierra and Bullet outside school.

‘what do you want us to do?’, he asked.

‘we need to save Rivers’, I said, there was no way I was going to loose the only friend I have had for all my years.

‘we can get you a new one?’, he said.

I scrunched my nose at him in disgust willing the tears in my eyes not to come rolling down but they failed me as usual. I quickly wiped the tears and ran out of class, I hated me. the hallways were pretty much empty as I walked to my locker to get to my stuff. This was the first time I would be cutting school but if Beck wasn’t going to help me with getting my cat back then I guess I would go by myself. I was so close to the front door, the tears hot in my eyes. I kept thinking about my fifth birthday when Dad gave Rivers to me, she was blind little kitten, I remember watching her for hours and even removed my glasses so I could see how she saw things. I remember going on youtube to watch videos of how to raise a blind cat.

A hand grabbed my wrist and I turned; Beck was standing right there. He had confused look on his face. I realized that my cheeks where stained with tears. I slid my hand out of his and wiped my cheeks.

‘we better leave now so we don’t get caught”, he whispered when we heard a door close in the distance. I managed a nod and we were in his car shotgun.

As he drove off to the place Sierra had asked to meet up he made a few phone calls but every call ended with rapid Spanish cusses and a frustrated look in his eyes.

“what’s wrong”, I asked and he looked at me with the corner of his eyes.  he looked like he didn’t want ot tell me what was wrong so he didn’t have to disappoint me because no one in his gang would like to help a girl save a blind cat, I mean we were talking about gangsters here with guns and tattoos not your friendly neighborhood superhero.

“it’s okay, Beck, they don’t need to help we can take Sierra”, I said with a smile.

He smiled too. It was the prettiest smile I had ever been honoured to see. Oh my God I had to stop thinking like that it was going too far.

“I believe in you”, I whispered but he heard. Awkward!

I wanted to say something but he stooped for a while and djust continued flying down the express in supersonic speed.

The car didn’t stop till we got to that really lonely road you know the kind in the movies with nothing but silence and then a shot from far away that makes it look like someone’s watching from afar.  The car stopped and he alighted after specifically telling me to stay in the car. I went back into his car like that morning when I was meeting his friends but I didn’t go too down so I would be able to see Beck as he was standing on guard with his gun in his hand looking over and all about the lonely road of route 17

Suddenly as he stood there in a flash I saw him on the floor with me beside him blood was all over my palms; his blood actually. Bullet dragged me into the woods and then I saw River tied in the same position of the crucifix at the church Mom and I went to on Easters. My eyes let down tears as I saw River whimpering in pain, soon that scene faded and I was infront of a small cottage at the side of a little lake and then the whole scene faded again and still standing in front of the car on guard was Beck.

“BECK!!!”, I said to myself in realization that I had seen another vision. I climbed out of the car and ran towards him.

“what the heck, I said you should stay inside that means stay inside the car!”, he said moving me clser to him.

“I need you to come back into the car this is not where Rivers is”, I said and he looked at me confused in way but as soon as we moved we heard an uproar of gunshots.

“keep your head low!”, he yelled to over shadow the gunshots. I ran with my heart in my mouth and then I got into the car and then Beck did, the car scrr scrr away in the fastest drift I have ever seen I am talking lightning McQueeen fast ladies and Gents and just like that he had saved my life again or was it the other way around. It was and unknowingly I chuckled.

“ did you find that funny?”, he asked I didn’t know what to reply, his voice was blank void of any emotions, I didn’t want to make him upset. I mean the guy was helping me rescue my bestfriend.

“it was kind of fun, I guess?”, he smiled and that was a sign of relief. He had this little cute smirk on his face and it somehow drew me to him in a slow movement like I was in a trance.

“look who’s loving the bad side what happened to and I quote I don’t wish to speak to you because you are an epitome of trouble?”, he said and I smiled looking out the window shyly.

“you kept that in your brain?”, I asked and he let something slip something I quickly saved for later.

“I plays in my head the way your lips…”, I couldn’t control the gasp that escape my lips and he cleared his throat.

“so where exactly are we headed?”, he asked. I was so mad at myself for gasping caouse I was dead set on hearing him slip again but I guess that wasn’t happening.

“the lake”, I said and then realized how dumb that was I mean, we had twenty five thousand lakes in Ontario alone.

“I mean the one near Cedar route the one surrounded with the oak and pine trees.” He nodded and drifted from the route we were on to another one and just as we entered Cedar route there was a whole entourage of cars were waiting for us.

“you stay here I will go talk to them, okay?”, he asked and nodded in the negative.

“no, I am coming and that’s finally “, I said in my most bossy voice ever.

He looked hard at me like he would you use some kind of mind control to change my mind and when his faux mind control powers showed their faux. He gave up and I climbed down the car with him at the same time Sierra was climbing out of her Ferrari.

I was strangely not the slight scared that I was facing an entire gang of armed men and that was the first time in the entire time that I was facing them. We were almost half way there when Sierra pulled down her sunshades and started towards us.

“hi, Beckie”, she drawled. Her heels were 6 inch Gucci, her clothes were almost not clothing I mean she was literally in a big bandana and very short shorts and then her heels. She was almost naked if you asked me.

She walked so close to Beck and planted her lip glossed lips on his cheek and then she whispered I missed you. A felt a chill run down my spine and very slowly I looked away to the side where I saw a slim path that I could see the lake and I had to squint behind my glasses till I could see the roof of the pretty cottage. It was just so close I could run fast and get to River but I had to re think everything over and over again.

“I didn’t know you would risk your life for a cat?”, she said still talking to Beck. I stilled when he put his hand in mine it was the first time in my life that I felt ticklish inside.

“I am risking my life for her, Sierra something you can only get by paying bodyguards to work for you”, he said.

She hissed almost like a snake, this girl was crazy. She quickly got out her gun and pressed it to the side of Beck’s nape. He didn’t even flinch like the harsh cold metal of a terminal weapon was not being pressed against his nape.

“my daddy would risk everything for me actually”, she said and he laughed sarcastically.

“that’s probably the reason he sent you here alone with all these armed men. He doesn’t risk anything for you Sierra, your just like him the way they are to you”, he paused and I don’t know why but my heart rate came up a notch or two.

“body guard”. He whispered and the sound of a gunshot made me jump in my skin. I looked at myself to make sure I was not the dead one and then at Beck; he was not dead either, phew! 

She had just shot into the air and nothing else I imagined for a split second that the bullet would fall on me and I would drop dead but it did not happen. Sierra laughed more like a giggle. I scoffed too loud and she looked at me with the corner of her eyes, she was furious she must think of me as someone who dares her someone she would want to kill. She moved to me and I felt my lower abdomen tighten it felt like the liquids in my body were going to betray me. 

“don’t go feeling all special because he would drop you when the next hottie arrives just the way he dropped me for you”, she said with spite laced in her voice.

“he didn’t leave you because I was the next hottie. he left you because you are just bat shit crazy”, I didn’t know why I did that I mean the girl had a freaking murder weapon in her hand but I didn’t care, I guess. Beck was also surprised I said that and he turned to me slightly with shock in his eyes but a smile on his face. I smiled slightly at him and looked towards the place where I had seen in my vision, I wished there was a way to tell him that I knew where exactly River was so we could save her and just leave. Like God heard me he answered my prayers and Sierra started towards her entourage.  I inched towards him putting my body on his side and then he leaned down a bit so I could match his height and be able to whisper in his ear. It frlt weird for a second because my lip touched his earlobe and he if he had noticed he didn’t show because he didn’t flinch. When I had whispered what I needed to I moved and steadied back on my feet.

“Sierra, are we done with your games? We need to get back to school before it’s over. I have practice”, he said and I laughed. It was so funny how he said it, he was so calm like he couldn’t be dead any second from now.

“come on, Beckie don’t tell me you are scared so easily I was thinking you could last longer”, she said and Beck smiled with confidence. Suddenly fom behind us I heard a loud sound. I turned and it was exactly what I had thought, cars about fifty of them ranging from sports cars to pickups were approaching. The demonions had outdid themselves, I mean they had beat Sierra crew by about thirty cars. Then Nehemiah came out of the first car and then his other brother.

“did you call them?”, I asked then regretted because of course he called them. Of course, he called them I mean who else would?

“my brothers have always been looking for an opportunity to meet Sierra after what she did to me”, he put his hand around my waist and in a flash we were running down towards the woods and immediately their was an array of gunshots in the air. I was scared for shit. How did my quiet, boring life turn into a life full of gunshots and the gang clashes? I mean what the heck.

We ran till I could feel the squish-squash sound of the wet grass under my shoes. He didn’t let go of my waist, I wasn’t complaining because I was enjoying this a lot. I mean! We came to a clearing and finally said. “where next, OB?”.

It took me like two seconds to comprehend what he had said because you know I was still distracted by his hand that was fixed to my side.

“ummm”, I mumbled struggling for words. “it’s that way towards the lake”, I said, he let go off my waist and then smiled at me. “now can you concentrate”, he said with a smirk and kept running. I swear if I was white my whole face would be a tomato but God thank you, I am black. Negroes hit different!

I was so dead! Please keep it together. I said to myself as I ran after him. He was standing in front of the cottage looking at the door. I followed his eyes and hanging fom the door ppost was a dead cat. My heart broke into a thousand pieces and I was almost in tears as I walked to the door post and took the cat’s limp body in my hands, I looked at the cat and relief washed over me that was not my cat, River had a thin scar from a cut when she was two. I laid the cat slowly to the ground and then I pushed the door open, River wwas the first thing I saw and I ran to her and unbound her from the ropes that psycho used to tie her up. She meowed weakly.

“we need to take her to the vet, she’s ill”, I said to Beck and he nodded. I was carrying River in my hand as we ran out back towards the street when we got there, Sierra’s crew had scrammed and it was just Beck’s car now. We entered into our car and we drove off.