Back Alley Boys

Tommy

They all stood behind me. Harley had a reassuring hand on my shoulder, Quinn stood a little to the side as he surveyed the obnoxious uptown onlookers. I could practically feel Grey's jealousy at not being the one coming here, and Ajax, for the first time in a long time, hadn't come out with a witty comment or joke to lighten the mood. He was nervous for me, they all were.

The gates were standing tall above my head and seemed to tower over me. No school needed gates this extravagant, it wasn't the prime minister's house.

Whispers swarmed around us and people seemed to slow their walk to get a look at us. Most eyes seemed to linger on me though as I was the one in the overly expensive uniform that I would have to endure the pain of for however long I was going to be here.

"Why did you enroll me here?" I asked Harley for the twentieth time.

"At least one of us deserves a chance, and you're the smartest of us all Tommy, you're the only one I could get in."

"He's going to get killed." Ajax whispered to Grey.

"I can hear you dipshit." I grumbled. He was right though. Every uptowner hated us downtowners, and people here knew us specifically. We were the back alley boys. People knew us. And not in a good way. I would be outnumbered here. My boys wouldn't be with me. This place was going to kill me, or at least disable me.

"If only you could've gotten me in. I would be loving this. Being in their house, able to get info on them. This is a chance to get to those rich scumbags." Grey groaned.

"He's here to learn and keep his head down. It'll be dangerous if he brings too much attention his way." Harley fathered.

"I don't think keeping my head down will be an option. All I've done is stand here and I've already got their full attention."

None of them said anything to that. Unfortunately, this situation didn't come with guidelines. I would just have to live it and see what the bloody hell happens.

Suddenly a bell went off. This was one thing I was used to. The bell in our school didn't work so we used to just go by whenever this preppy schools bell went off. We never had to worry about hearing it. The people weren't the only obnoxious thing about this school, the bell was obnoxiously loud too.

"That's your que!" Grey seemed to be loving this a little too much.

"Yeh and it's yours too, smart arse. Get to school." Harley sneered back. Ajax grabbed a fighting Grey by the hoodie and hauled him across the train tracks. Harley saluted me with an encouraging smile and began to walk away too.

I couldn't believe they were leaving me here. They were actually leaving me uptown, alone. And people say downtown is dangerous, I'm going to have a shiv in my gut if I stay here.

Quinn, who still hadn't said a word approached me.

"If anything happens, ring the number on this phone. It's the bike shop." I looked down, a small brick phone sat folded in his hand. This was Quinn's phone, he saved up so much money to get this so he could keep in contact with his sister and momma.

"Quinn, I can't take that. I don't need it, I'll be fine."

"Tommy just take it. It's just for school. If anything happens here and you need back up there isn't going to be any way we will know unless you have this. Just take it alright." He looked worried. Grey was usually just stone. Cold, glaring and still. But his always heald concern, and today his face did too. I nodded my head in understanding and slipped the phone into my jeans.

He gave a short nod of his head and hugged me quickly before he turned awkwardly and walked away.

I think the phone was less for me and more of a security blanket for him. He played the act of not caring, but we all knew that family was massive to him. A small smile graced my lips and I was suddenly not so afraid anymore.