Stuck Between Gangs

Chapter Eight

A week after the factory incident, I haven't seen Rob in school. Noah and I are at the old terms again, we're not talking. After that brief talk with him outside my house, we haven't spoken to each other.

You could say everything is the way it used to be. Except Rob's not here.

Finally, school is over and I get to go home. To that disfunctional, tense place I call home. Fights are getting worse every day. I don't know if they'll finally put an end to this.

I see Rob in the parking place. He's standing next to his precious black Mustang. He sighs. I'm surprised to see him. I thought he left somewhere.

Slowly I make my way towards him. Okay, Amelia, think about a good way to start a conversation. When I come closer to him, I see his face is clean of all injuries from the fight recently.

I stand a little further than him. He sends me a small smile before he speechlessly opens drivers' door.

"Get in.", he says somewhat cold and slams them shut.

I stay frozen on the spot. What's up with that mood swing? Suddenly, I don't feel so safe with him as I used to. There's something about his tone that makes my blood freeze in my veins. I'm not sure how much safe it is to get into a car with him. Especially if he's mad at me. Maybe he's mad about Noah? Maybe he thinks I chose Noah over him? Finally, he raises his eyebrows which signalizes me to get in. In obeyance I get inside. Seems like he changed after that. I can't say it's positive.

"Rob...", I start, but he just turns the radio up.

Why am I here if he doesn't wanna talk to me? I let out a sigh. This is gonna be a long day. I really hoped he'd want to talk. At least about that 'date' and kiss. Maybe he's mad about that?

We ride in complete silence till we get to his place. This is my first time seeing where he lives. Looks like a villa, enormous yard, there are two silver Mercedes parked in front of the house. Rob parks behind one and turns the car off.

He gets out of the car. I probably look dull still sitting there. My face expression apparently makes him get to my side and open the door for me. If he didn't have annoyed face expression, I'd say he was a gentleman. Or maybe he's afraid I'd slam them shut again.

I follow him up the stairs, to his room. It looks too neat for a boy. Or is that just a stereotype? Everything is clean and modern, you could say no one lives there.

Rob sits on the bed. He points to a chair opposite of him. I drag myself there and make myself comfortable. 

"What you've seen...", he starts.

I give him a dull look and wait for him to be more specific. I've seen lotta shit. More than I should have. That's what I get for not minding my own bussiness.

Now when I'm looking at him, I don't see that goofy guy which gets pissed off when I call him Robby. His eyes are dark, sharp and...dangerous. There is some other Rob sitting in front of me. The one I've never seen before. Some other person. I have a need to be careful of how I'm gonna talk to him. I don't know who this is.

The feeling was same when I saw Noah's dark side.

Unknown. Dangerous. Scary.

"What do you know about what you've seen?", he asks with neutral vigilant voice.

"Nothing.", I answer truthfully.

I really don't know anything. Noah started a conversation, but he changed his mind and never finished it. I tried to get that out of my head, since I don't even know what's going on. Looks like them two won't let me forget.

"Amelia, don't play dumb with me.", he taunts "Tell me what he told you."

I get slightly offended. What's with everyone insulting me lately? I'm not sure if day went by without some subtle insult thrown my way. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, nobody told me anything.", I answer.

Rob is glaring at me. He can't figure me out. I'm not really sure what he's looking for on my face. I guess he thinks I'm lying.

"Look, just to make sure, I'm not the bad guy in this story.", he finally says.

His face expression finally changes. He looks even a bit tired. I wish I could read him that well to see what's going on in his head.

"Will you be a doll and tell me what exactly are we talking about?", I taunt impoudently.

All of a sudden, he gets up off a bed and stands in front of the window. He looks outside for a while before he turns to me. The sun is illuminating his body so it makes him look like a soulless dark silhouette. Is he though?

"You shouldn't have seen what you saw. Lots of people remembered your face. We did not want that to happen.", he says.

"Rob, just tell me what's going on.", I start to lose my patience.

He sighs again and goes back to his spot on bed.

"Since the inception of this town, there have been East and West. Yes, we are going to that cliche about town gangs that can't stand each other. I am East, Noah is West. And you are that neutral middle.", Rob says.

I give him a confused look. Nah, this can't be real. He's just messing with me. So I start to laugh. That whole story sounds so ridicioulus and impossible. Come on, Rob, gangs in a peaceful little town like Rosenwell? I'm the neutral middle?

Rob doesn't change his face expression. He can't be serious, right?

"Amelia, we're talking about your safety here.", Rob says dead-serious.

"Come on, gangs? In this town? There's literally nothing happening here.", I don't buy his story.

I want to believe that what I've witnessed was just a conflict between two highschool boys that couldn't make a deal who gets a girl or makes the team. I want to believe it so hard. But Rob's face doesn't let me believe it.

"You can't see what's going on, cause you're the neutral middle.", he says "Look, you followed him to the factory and gotten yourself into trouble. Both Noah and I showed weakness for you. You jeopardized your safety."

"Weakness for me? Endangered myself?", I mimic his voice "Come on, Robby, do you hear yourself?"

He rashly gets off a bed and comes near me. He's few centimeters away from my face.

"There are some things we don't joke about, Houston.", his voice on my cheeks gives me goosebumps "And you have to figure out if you want East or West for your protection."

Rob drops me in front of my house. He didn't want to tell me anything else. His tires screech as he leaves my street. I glance at Noah's driveway. His car is not there, so he's not home. This is gonna be another long day.

On my way in, I find dad sitting in the kitchen. Alone. Oddly, there is no usual yelling and swearing I'm used to. He gives me a concerned look.

"Please, sit.", he shows a chair opposite to his.

What's with everyone wanting to talk to me today? Dad sighs and looks at me with teary eyes. What's going on?

"Your mom...", he starts, and my heart races faster "She left."

I open my mouth in shock trying to process what he just told me. I wanted them to stop fighting, but not this way.

And just like that, my whole idyllic world crushed in a blink of an eye.