Chapter Seven

“S**t River, your crazy a*s sister is beating the s**t out of Kennedy!” Tyler called from the front window. All the guys turned their attention from the girls in their bathing suits to the fight. Tyler watched, horrified as Kennedy grabbed Mira's hand and hit her in the eye. Mira didn't even cry. She just looked pissed. Tyler glanced around him, wondering if everybody was watching the same thing he was. He had no doubt that most of them would cry from getting hit by Kennedy, the dude was a beast! But this girl seemed to get even angrier, she started beating the s**t out of him. Tyler couldn't take it anymore. He sprinted outside right as Kennedy yanked Mira's hair back and hit her again in the face.

“Kennedy! What the f**k are you doing?” Tyler shouted. He grabbed Kennedy and dragged him backwards. It was a good thing the kid was wasted or Tyler would have never been able to pull him off. Mira jumped at the Beast and got in a few more good hits before Niko got hold of her.

“Mia, are you okay?” Niko asked gently as the rest of the team pulled Kennedy into the house, Tyler and Niko were the only two left outside with Mira.

“Yeah, I've had worse,” Mira answered with a shrug. Niko and Tyler glanced at each other. Niko gently grabbed hold of Mira's face, inspecting it.

“Nothing looks broken,” he finally said as he lightly pressed on the bruises. Mira didn't flinch.

“Of course not, the kid was drunk and weak. You shouldn't be worrying about me though, I'm pretty sure I broke a few of his bones.” Mira's face fell suddenly as she looked at her hand. “D****t!” she growled. “I hope I didn't break my hand.”

“That's all your worried about?” Niko sneered. “Your hand? I will never bring you around here again. I wouldn't be surprised if Tyler here banned you from his house!” Tyler laughed.

“No way River! This is the most entertainment I've had all year. Your sister is awesome! First of all, she is the only girl ever who isn't afraid to make fun of me, she doesn't drool all over us 'cause we're jocks. She pulled a knife on Matthews and beat the hell out of Kennedy without shedding a single tear!” Tyler was laughing so hard he could barely speak. “I would be offended if you didn't come around again.” Niko rolled his eyes.

“Well, I'm gonna go get you ice, might as well just stay out here,” Niko said grimly. His fists were clenched at his side as he headed for the house. Mira kept moving her hand, feeling the bones rub together the wrong way. Her hand was so swollen, it was hard to move it. But she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it wasn't broken.

“Damn, it's dislocated,” Mira muttered. And to Tyler's horror, she pulled her finger out and maneuvered it back into place with a sickening POP.

“That was nasty,” Tyler commented, feeling like he was gonna puke. Mira laughed.

“Not really. One time I had to put some kid's shoulder back into place after he dislocated it. Now that was nasty,” Mira replied. Tyler shuddered.

“So, New York, what did you mean, you've had worse? How much worse? You kicked the a*s of a kid appropriately nicknamed, Beast.” Mira shrugged.

“I've been kicked out of boarding schools for bad kids. Let's just say, I never ever want to go up against six guys ever again. I was in the hospital for a month and in juvy for three.” Tyler stared at her.

“What'd you go to juvy for?” he asked, not too sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

“I stabbed some kid. They let me off the hook though, 'cause it was self defense, and I got my a*s kicked for it anyway.” Mira smiled reassuringly at the wide-eyed boy. “So this was nothing I couldn't handle.” Tyler grinned at her.

“I don't think we were properly introduced, New York. I'm Nate Tyler Diovola. But everybody just calls me, Tyler.” Mira grinned back at him.

“Sweet.” She shrugged, not offering him her name.

“Mira, I heard what happened, are you okay?” Kacey asked, rushing over to her with a bag of ice in his hands.

“It's just a flesh wound,” Mira replied. “I don't need the ice actually. I'll be fine.” She waved him off lightly. Kacey glared at her sternly.

“You just got out of a coma two days ago stupid! Do you have some kind of death wish? Kennedy is the biggest guy on our team!” Kacey shouted. Mira raised her eyebrows at him.

“Don't worry about me Kacey,” she replied dismissively. “I can handle myself. I've been doing it for the last thirteen years, I don't need too much help now.” Tyler stared at her.

“You were in a coma? For how long?” he asked mystified. Why did she act like she didn't care?

“For three weeks. It's no big deal,” she answered as she got to her feet and sauntered away. Kacey and Tyler glanced at each other and shrugged halfheartedly.

“Heya.” Mira grinned and sat across from Kennedy on the couch. Kennedy had a big cup of coffee in his hands trying to get sobered up. He glared at her. His face was swollen and two teeth were missing. His nose was broken and jaw dislocated. Another kid on his team, Jamison, was going take him to the hospital after he was sober. “Your jaw looks like it hurts, do you want me to fix it?” Mira offered to everyone's surprise. Kennedy shook his head slowly. “Don't be stupid. I've done this millions of times.”

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Jamison said, worry creasing his forehead.

“Come on, I won't hurt you, I promise.” Before anyone could say anything else, Mira crossed the room and touched his jaw gently. She then pulled it out and over. Another sickening POP, told her it had been moved back into its rightful place. “How's that feel?” Mira asked returning to the couch.

“Better,” Kennedy mumbled. Mira didn't say anything after that, she just walked toward the back door and out by the pool. She walked behind three girls that were standing close to the water.

“That new River girl is such a b***h. He was just playing around,” one girl said loudly.

“Yeah. Why did she even come? She should never be allowed around here ever again.” Mira rolled her eyes and thought about pushing each of them into the cold, chlorine-filled pool. Screw 'em, she thought. They aren't even worth it.

Mira turned away slowly. She wandered around the large estate. This was an entirely different world to her. Her entire life she'd been relatively poor. Gangs wandered the streets, stealing the innocent away. Mira's best friend, Ryan, was roped into a gang when he was eleven. He was killed two years later.

***

Mira had gone to see him that night, but he wasn't home. His mother told her he was at The Lot a few blocks away. The Lot was where a lot of drug trades went on. During the night it was always protected by the neighborhood gang. Ever since Ryan had joined, Mira had been around them quite a bit. They didn't allow her to join, but they allowed her to hang around them, sometimes. That warm July night, Mira hurried to The Lot. As she got closer, she heard shouting. Maybe a deal had gone wrong. She reached The Lot just in time to see a guy around seventeen, pull out a gun.

“This isn't the right amount kid!” he shouted. The newest recruit, Ethan, stood frozen in front of him. The kid was only ten.

“I... I'm sure it is,” Ethan stuttered.

“You lying, disrespectful...!” He didn't finish his sentence. The gun he was holding shot off. Ryan shoved Ethan as hard as he could. The bullet hit him in the stomach. Mira didn't care that she was running straight into a battle field. She raced toward her best friend. His eyes were still open and his breathing shallow. She fell to her knees beside him. Her dark brown eyes filled with tears. She was almost oblivious to the fighting that went on around her.

“You promised,” she whispered harshly. She refused to cry. She had to be strong for Ryan. “You promised you wouldn't leave.” Ryan smiled up at her.

“I'm not leaving you,” he whispered. He grimaced, but tried to smile once again. “I'll never leave. You know that.” His dark brown eyes were filled with tears too. “Tell Mama I love her for me, okay?” Mira nodded her head. He started to close his eyes as his hand found Mira's.

“Rye, you can't die. I don't have anyone but you.” She squeezed his hand tightly. He grinned up at her. “I love you, Bro,” she whispered, not even sure he could hear her.

“I'll always be around Mia. Always.” His breath was getting shallower. Tears were flowing now and his face was twisted up in agony, even with his constant smile. “I love you too, Sis.” His eyes stayed open even though his breathing had stopped. Mira reached over and shut his eyelids. She was suddenly aware that Ethan had been huddling close to her. He was crying so hard he was shaking. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to cry. She believed what Ryan said, he was still with her. She narrowed her dark eyes at the kid who'd now wrapped his arms around her torso.

“Ethan,” she whispered softly. “You have to stop crying okay? Ryan will be alright. You have to stop crying though. You listening to me kid?” She felt the boy nod into her shirt. She stroked his long, matted, dirty hair. She held him for a long moment, laying her head on top of his. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. The two of them kneeling next to Ryan's bloody body, embracing tightly.

Ethan fell asleep in Mira's arms. She stroked his hair as he slept. Finally, as sirens roared in the distance, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Mira glanced up, no fear in her eyes. It was Ethan's older brother, Roger. Roger's eyes were red from crying. The whole gang gathered around Ryan's body. She stood up and handed Roger the tiny, sleeping ten-year-old. She felt empty without the warmth that Ethan had provided.

“I'm sorry,” the oldest, Darwin, said roughly. He was the meanest guy Mira had ever met, but he'd had a soft spot for Ryan. Ryan was of course, his younger brother, but he usually didn't treat him like it. He treated him as an equal. And now Ryan was dead and it was Darwin's fault. Darwin didn't have to recruit Ryan. But he did.

Mira didn't say anything back. Instead, she ran. She was faster than any of them. She was faster than anyone they'd ever met. She never looked back. She ran until the cops found her the next morning. She was still running, but they had cars. They brought her home to her mother and step-father. She was never the same after that. Mama and Luka didn't understand why. They didn't care. Mira had always been an unruly child in Mama and Luka's eyes, so on the outside nothing changed. But Mira had been permanently altered.