Force You Down

Chapter One

Jacklyn

*two years ago*

Three years until I'm in my brother's place. A graduation party.

My family from both sides easily fills up the venue. This is the third Cordy graduation party, and they only seem to get bigger each time.

I massage my scalp that is taut with pressure from the amount of Bobby pins holding my hair into place, sighing. My great grandma strikes up conversation again.

"Jacklyn, honey, how old are you?" Grandma Janice asks for the third time that day. I force a smile, trying to hold back tears. She has Alzheimer's, and it's hard to see someone decline physically and mentally fast.

"I'm fifteen, Grandma." I say, and she plays with her short, white hair.

"Oh, that's right!" She says, and she leans forward, putting her aged hand on top of mine. "You're beautiful just like your older sister. You are a Cordy after all!" She says, and like the age question, this was her fifth time saying this  today.

I excuse myself and walk outside for some fresh air. I love my great grandma, but I can't help but admit I feel sad when I talk to her. Her family is her life and she's starting to forget them.

I sit on a bench right outside the venue, breathing in the muggy June air. I enjoy the peace and quiet noise of the outside world, trying to rid of the headache that had been developing since the party started.

"I said I wanted my fucking money, and that if you didn't have it when we met up I'd put a fucking bullet in your head!" I hear a man scream, and I jump to my feet. Anxiety instantly makes my throat tighten and my pulse throbs in my ears. But I stay in place for a moment.

I creep towards the direction where I heard the man. I can hear people shuffling around and loud grunts. I follow the sounds of their footsteps and I'm led to a vacant alleyway. I know I should have turned around at that point, but I hide behind a car. Somehow the group of men I was following didn't notice me trailing behind.

I see five burly, tall men dressed in all black circled around a bleeding man on the ground, who was currently begging for his life.

"I'm sorry man, I-I thought I would have it but my guy fucked me over!" The bloodied man stutters out.

"I supplied you a week ago. You know how my business works. You didn't pay on time and now your life is going to fucking pay for it." A deep voice yells. My eyes shift to the tallest of the five men, who was wearing a clearly expensive leather jacket and un-scuffed, shiny combat boots. I could see the tattoos peeking above his shirt, and his hands had scattered tattoos on them as well.

His dark brown hair is buzzed on the sides and the top is long, and it looks messy as he continues to scream at the man.

His eyebrows were dark, and his eyes looked scary from a distance. A straight nose, those high cheekbones, and-

He is too hot. Especially considering he's threatening to kill someone right now.

"Look Mike, I can pay you tomorrow, double of what you asked for! Please man, it won't happen again." The man is panicking, and starts to dry sob at the man's feet, who I guess is Mike.

Mike shakes his head and smirks coldly. "That's just not how it works Raphael." He pulls out a black pistol, presses it against Raphael's forehead.

He pulls the trigger and kicks the man to the ground. I jump two feet in the air and I let out a short scream, my heart frozen in place as I stare at Raphael's glassy eyes, blood pouring out of the bullet wound.

My hands are smooshed against my lips and I can't even blink. It's dead silent and I look up to find the five men staring straight at me. Mike, seemingly the leader, is gazing intently at me with a twisted smirk.

Finally, I come to my senses and start running the fastest I've ever ran in my life. I don't stop until I'm back in the venue. I go into the only single person bathroom and lock the door, my hands shaking. I slowly slip to the bathroom floor as I try to process what I saw.

I just witnessed a murder. Holy shit. I try to close my eyes to clear the image from my mind but the entire scene only plays over and over in my head, vividly.

Tears are sliding off my face and I'm hyperventilating, pulling at my hair. My head feels fuzzy.

Mike's stare penetrates my mind and I stifle a sob. I couldn't tell my parents. We would all receive the same fate as Raphael. Clearly those men are apart of a gang. The police in this city usually don't intervene with the growing gangs, so they wouldn't be much help.

I must've sat in the bathroom for a couple hours because next thing I know it's quiet in the venue and my mom is knocking on the bathroom door, calling my name. I pick myself up and glance in the mirror to make sure it didn't look like I had been crying. I unlock the door and my mom looks at me curiously. I shrug nonchalantly and walk past her, walking up to my graduated brother, Allan. He was standing by the entrance of the venue speaking to my dad, both of them laughing wildly. I couldn't imagine myself doing that for a very long time.

I lean against the wall until we were walking out the venue doors, which I made sure to sandwich myself in between my brother and my parents. My eyes flicker around the parking lot and I couldn't bring myself to look in the direction of the alleyway.

As soon as my door is shut I lock it and strap myself in, bringing my knees to my chest and letting out a shaky breath. It is eight o'clock and it was still very bright out. The windows are rolled down in an attempt to draw in fresh air. As my dad slowly pulls out of the parking spot, my eyes are drawn to a parked black Lamborghini, with all of the windows rolled down.

My eyes inspect the glamorous car and I make eye contact with the driver. A shiver runs down my spine as I realize it's Mike. He's already staring at me, and he presses his long pointer finger against his lips, winking. I blink harshly and look away, quickly rolling up my window.

I try to control my breathing and as we pull out of the parking lot, my eyes shift back over to the Lamborghini, where Mike and all of his gang-friends are still staring me down. I make eye contact with Mike again and he laughs, probably at the terrified look on my face.

And as we pass his car, he yells out, "See you again." I fall back against my seat and try to tune out Allan excitedly talk about the expensive car we had just driven by.

I had no idea as I numbly tucked myself into bed, that in two years time, that I really would see Mike again.