CRIMINAL.

CHAPTER 13

Jackie's laugh rings out from upstairs as she runs down the stairs with Jessie hot on her heels.

We're celebrating our victory and welcoming party downstairs in the living room. We decided not to go out to a club or a bar because the police are hot on our trails as said by Josh. So we're celebrating in the mansion with bottles of beer and champagne and bags of gummy worms, Jolly Ranchers, and all kinds of candy. I'll probably be high on sugar for the next four hours and I'll have a killer hangover tomorrow morning, but right now, I'm just enjoying myself.

We plugged in Ricky's iPhone to two small speakers and you can hear his music blaring from the kitchen.

I'm wearing a faded, black tank top with a rock band on the front that I borrowed from Sweet Pea and jean shorts along with golden hoop earrings and red lip gloss, and I took my hair out and curled it and teased it up a bit. I really went all out for Ricky. Does he think I look good?

So far, he's been sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette, and staring at me. I'm only sitting a few centimeters away from him, but I can still feel the heat coming from his body.

I want be closer to him.

I want his hands on me.

The thought of it makes me blush.

Maybe I had one too many drinks.

So far, we've popped in two horror movies and laughed at the fakeness of it, played beer pong and something the guys made up called "piggyback racing" which is basically getting on someone's back and holding on while the person you're on tries to crawl to the finish line (Nicki and I tried racing Louis and Jerry, and I got on Nicki's back at that time, but we both fell to the ground, laughing before we could even move.) listened to four rap and dance songs, and now we're just fooling around.

I'm suddenly awake of two legs on either side of me and an arm draped around me in the front. "Are you having fun?" Ricky whispers in my ear, his hot, cigarette-scented breath in my ear. I freeze, my whole body going hot and still, and all I can do is nod. Does he know what he does to me? I hear him chuckle and feel him kiss my cheek before inhaling more smoke and blowing it into the air.

I watch as Josh goes into the kitchen and Liv, Jackie, Nicki, Sweet Pea dance around as "Show Me" by Kid Ink plays through the speakers. Jackie turns to me, her hair all over the place, her face sweaty and beautiful.

"C'mon, Kate!" she says, holding out her hand. I feel Ricky unwrap himself from me and I feel oddly cold before Jackie's pulling me up on my feet and towards her. I can feel Ricky's eyes on me, burning into the back of my head, and I'm suddenly drunk with the feeling of it. I start swaying my hips, singing along to the words since I've been hearing this all week on the radio, laughing when Nicki twirls me around. "Oh, my God!" Sweet Pea yells with a high-pitched laugh and I'm suddenly seeing Jessie trying to twerk, but failing epically as Jerry behind him with a camera, laughing. I see Ricky throw his head back and laugh, long and loud and I smile.

I love his laugh so much.

I'm twirled by Sweet Pea and she makes an attempt in dipping me effortlessly to the ground, but fails and she falls on top of me, trapping me. I try to breathe, but I can't, partly because of Sweet Pea on my stomach and partly because I'm laughing too hard.

I've never felt so happy before.

I feel as if this is were I had belonged all along, with Ricky.

And I finally realize it:

I don't want to leave.

Ever.

I want to stay here, to live here with Ricky and the rest. I want to learn how to shoot guns more and fight other street gangs and jump from city to city, from state to state with them when the police or more street gangs find us. I want to keep the electric, thrilling feeling I always feel when I'm with them in my heart, lock it up, and throw away the key.