Guns and Mirrors

FIVE

This is a double update- Chapter 4 was updated before this so please make sure you read them in the correct order :)

♛Cameron Dawson♛

Irony.

Oh the fucking irony.

After everything I've done to try and escape the life that I was once forced to live, I just get pulled back in and get stuck at square one. After completely changing who I am, I still can't escape it. I still can't outrun this life. Even after putting my parents in jail and tearing one of the most powerful cartels in Colombia apart, here I am- having to join a gang.

The receptionist at the college administration doesn't hide her distaste that Harley and I have officially pulled out from this semester. And to say that I'm disappointed is an understatement. This was my last year, my last year before I got my degree and I could finally start up my own business and start a life on the straight and narrow and now I have to set it back. For who knows how long.

Harley is silent beside me as we make our way back to the car, no doubt as pained over this as me. But I know she's still feeling guilty from not telling Olivia. But I have to agree with her- it would only cause drama that we don't want and the last thing we need is for Olivia to come back to Oregon from Nevada to try and talk sense into Harley amongst all this gang related shit.

I drive over to the Retro Diner where we'll be meeting Caleb and Audrey to let them know we'll be leaving. My hands grip the wheel tightly and when we're parked in the parking lot, Harley doesn't climb out immediately and instead stares blankly at the dashboard.

"Do you think we'll ever get a degree?" She eventually asks and I purse my lips. With the way everything seems to constantly turn out and life seems to piss in our faces, I wouldn't put my money on it. But I'm not going to say that to Harley... she needs hope to cling onto amongst all of this and so do I.

"Maybe." I respond before giving her thigh a squeeze. "Come on. They're already waiting for us inside."

Harley nods and we both make our way into the diner. It seems as if nothing has changed from the last time I was here. Music still plays from a jukebox in the corner while there is still the rather hideous checkered red and white cloths over the tables. The smell of bagels is thick in the air and even the hair of some of the waitresses seemed to be styled old fashionably.

Audrey and Caleb have taken a booth by the window and talk quietly amongst themselves, a smile on both of their faces, and they turn their attention towards us when we slide into the booth.

"There you two are! What were you doing? Getting it on in the car?" Audrey teases just as I give Caleb a handshake over the table.

"Kind of hard to do that with the type of cars Cameron owns." Harley replies and I shrug with a laugh. I suppose getting it on in my Aston Martin would be a tight fit but then again, I'm sure we could get it to work.

"Remind me to test that out tonight." I remark and Harley hits my shoulder playfully as I chuckle. "So how was your game last night?" I ask Caleb and he leans back with a smile.

"It was great. We won by a long shot."

"So you're going to the state championships?" Harley asks and he shakes his head.

"We still have to play one more game before we can do that. If we win the next one, then yeah we'll make it."

"That's good though."