Nirvana

chapter 22 : Suspicion

 I wouldn't say i grew up perfectly as a child. Mom and dad we're always arguing. They drove each other insane. Mom's story was that she wasted her life being married to a 'playboy'. Dad's issue is that he's stuck with a 'cranky bitch', 'gold digger'. If I had to choose I'd side with mom since dad is barely home to be a father.

I played alone in my yard, never venturing the streets until i met Ezra in 3rd grade. We played frequently in the park and in the canal separating the residential area from the factories. There was a constant sound of loud hanging, railways clacks and cars driving on the highway on top of the canal. The thick polluted air brings a nostalgic tear to my eye. The canal was always dry and filled with shrubs, skaters, bikers and gangsters.

Ezra came from a more broken house than mine. He understood my deeply. We we're about 9 when one night tri poloski gangsters were rioting and laundering the streets. There was some kind of conflict going on with them. Ezra's parents we're arguing in the car. Not paying attention, the gangsters ran towards the car to hijack them. Shocked, they drove into a light pole. The car burst into flames and Ezra's parents died. From then on Ezra was never the same. That day I lost a good friend.

He was in our house so frequently that he was basically family. So we adopted him after the deaths. We worked as post boys to support him. We frequently stayed at the opposite neighbour's house, an old woman we called tannie. She used to treat us like an old grandmother, listening to the radio and knitting sweaters .But some gangsters broke into her house and shot her. Times we're getting tougher, we couldn't afford private school anymore. Ever since we came to this school, Ezra and I had become distant.

I wake up in my mother's hospital room. It's been 5 months since we got here. She's been so stressed and had a panic attack, almost dying from overwork. Even worse when it happened she passed out a stairway, fell and hit her head badly. She's in a bad condition, sometimes not waking up for weeks. All I can think of is how much I regret our last conversation. All I did was fight with her, yet she did so much for me. I wish I could tell her I love her one last time. I want to change for her. Ezra was right, Iris doesn't care about me. She just wants my money and fame. If I really care for both of us then I'd break up with her. Ezra is my only sanity left. I want to see him proud of me.

I'm eating lunch with nick.

" You know Nick, recently alot of members from multiple gangs are suspicious. They're secretly part of the masterminds gang."

" that's just a rumour. No one really knows if the masterminds gang exists."

" This mastermind claims to unite the gangs and bring peace so we can live normal lives."

" The residents will like that. Not so much our guys, their drug supply will stop."

" We don't know if this info is trustworthy though."

" Well we should take it into account. Wouldn't it benefit you and the student council. It'll make their job alot easier."

" Yeah but it won't help you Michael. It's not like all the gangs will just get along if you tell them too. If anything this will

exacerbate the tension and create more conflict."

" You're right nick. A war is around the corner."