Wings

Housing

School finished and we were still together. And I wanted to take Franny-Ruth somewhere. "Come on, I've something to show you. Together we wandered out of the school gates and down the path. There were other people around so Franny was being her old quiet self again. Where I was taking her was just a couple dozen metres away. So I waited, for her to respond first. Things can get awkward if I try to generate a friendly conversation. "Where are we going?" I smiled. "All in good time." I grabbed her hand and picked up walking pace into a slow jog. I didn't want it to get too dark where we were going. We were about fifteen metres away when the big concrete block started to tower over us."That." Franny-Ruth looked confused. "Is where we're heading." She shrunk back and stopped. Once again she looked petrified. I looked at her, I could understand why she was scared. "Really? Why?" I smiled and rubbed her back reassuringly. "All will be revealed soon." Once again I grabbed Franny by the hand and started running. To be honest, I was a little scared. I was praying we wouldn't see anybody I used to know. We approached the fence. There was a small white laminated piece of paper tied to one of the spiky points on top of the gating with string, the writing was smudged and the laminate was peeling off in the rain, it was hardly worth being word processed, or so I thought. It said 'NO ENTRY, RESIDENCE ONLY.' I assumed it meant 'residents only' rather than 'residence only' the spelling error explained this joint completely. "Come on, we gotta be well quick if we wanna make it." Franny pointed to the sign, as if I hadn't notice. But I just started climbing the prison-like fence. "Come on... Don't be a girl about this." Franny-Ruth looked at me sarcastically, was she offended? Naa. She smirked "if you haven't already noticed... I am a girl." I smiled at her as she hoisted herself up and over the gate (which was locked), by which point I was all ready over. "So why are we here?" I looked up at the high rise building. "This is where I spent almost the whole of last year. Spraying, skating... Befriending gangs." "Gangs?" I nodded miserably, I guess you could say I was suitably ashamed of myself. I unglued my eyes from the ugly building and looked at Franny. "Yes. Gangs. Horrid, but I didn't live here... All my friends did, Joey, Trick, Paddy and Bryce... Bryce was the worst, he was Welsh, he moved over at the end of March, soon after my Mum and Dad split up. I thought he was pretty cool, but he just led me astray, changed me completely. But when I decided I wanted to go back to school and study and get back on track he wasn't too happy. I told him straight out and I remember... I remember his face, he had a look on it that made me think he was going to kill me. I ran for my life... And I never saw any of them again. Apart from Trick, it was a nickname, he was crafty, proper streetwise lad, always knew everyone, where they went to school, their rep. He wasn't as bad as some of the others, I hear he still lives he, but he goes to school now, up at Bleckmoore. They got some dodgy kids going there now." Then I saw it, in the distance behind a big green dumpster rose a figure, a boy of about my age... Looked a lot like Bryce actually... Oh god. I ushered Franny out quickly, she climbed over the fence, but dropped halfway and cut right down the side of her forearm. It was bleeding. "Go, quickly, run!" I stayed behind the fence, if I ran, Bryce would have seen me and just chased after me. Bryce wandered closer, squinting in the sunlight, his hair was newly cropped and he was wearing his famous grey hoodie. He was well built and much taller than me now, he'd grown up a lot. "Well if it isn't my little pretty boy." I stayed calm as he aproached. That last year had not been kind, I could remember a boyish slightly cute looking face with shaggy black hair falling just below his chin, but no, not anymore. He wasn't exactly my age I don't think, about a year older. And proud of it. "Look Bryce, I don't want any trouble. I'm just looking to leave. I was just a little lost is all." Bryce sneered at me as he walked a circle around me, inspecting me. "Lost? In your own territory boy?" Bryce laughed evily and flicked the back of my head. "I don't suppose you'd be looking for your old pal Joey would you?" I shook my head. "Good." Bryce smirked, walking another circle around me, I felt like bolting, he was speaking slowly and scarily, like he was about to pounce. "Why's that so good?" I was just wondering, I couldn't care in the slightest "he's dead. Got in a dead bad fight, to the death with some kid from Atlanta Rise, it got proper nasty, like knifes and everything, not just fists. So... I's just me and Pads now, since you and Trick went wussy and joined school. I mean... School? Wassa point, not like you'll ever get a job, I bet, by then end of this year you'll be back in our gang eh? Watcha say? Why not join us back now?" I determinedly shook my head, like I'd ever go back there. "Never Bryce, it was a year dirty for me, well bad." Bryce sneered again and grabbed the knot in my tie and almost lifted me off the ground. "You've no idea what I'll do to you 'f I were you... I'd take the deal, you need us Will, y'know you do, you haven't grown or changed for the better since I last saw you, you're becoming a girl Will! I bet they call you Willy now don't they? Willy, Willy, Willy." Bryce dropped my tie and laughed. "Now scram... Get off my turf... You disgust me." I legged it out and over the the fence back to where Franny-Ruth was standing patiently, watching the building. "Sorry about that Fran. I just have one more thing to show you, we also have to be careful there, Pads hangs around this next place a lot, and I mean... A lot." Franny looked scared, but not her usual scared, a normal, kind of humanly scared. This next place was actually pretty special, it was only across the highway and into another road. We rushed to a lay-by and rushed across the road as quickly as we could, dodging cars. When I saw the bridge, it cross the motorway and was for pedestrians and cars, you know, those pointless bridges that cross one road over another. Well bestowed upon that bridge was my first ever 'LOVE HURTS' piece and it's the only painting that hasn't been washed off from that position to this day, everyone who drove on that road would see it, commuters, holiday goers, tourists, truck drivers, you name it. They see it. "Why love hurts? Why not, love can go. Love stinks, I hate love." I tilted my head to one side, I sort of understood, so I sort of answered. "Well... When my mum was like... depressed and all. She seemed so broken. It hurt inside, seems like love never works out, it just... hurts."