On the Right Side of a Line

By Shandy L. Kurth

**Contains adult language.
I thought I knew where I was going. I had my life all planned out. It had been mapped for me since I was ten. When I turned fourteen I became a Raven, just like my big brother. It was a lifer thing, not something you could walk away from. I moved up the ranks quickly, just like everyone thought I would. Now at eighteen, I was close to the top. I could break thumbs with the best of 'em and and bust heads with the best. I was a force to be reckoned with. Yeah. I had it all together before that one event tore my life apart, and that one girl got me all confused.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shandy L. Kurth
• Release date: Jul 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301863747

Shandy L. Kurth

Shandy L. Kurth is a writer of Young Adult fiction. She is a teacher by day and a writer by night. She was born and raised in Kanas and lives and writes there with her husband.

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ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF A LINE

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Published by Shandy L. Kurth at Smashwords

Copyright © 2013 Shandy L. Kurth

All rights reserved

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CHAPTER 1

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I sat on my bike, a cigarette dangling from my lips, right there, right where it happened. It meant so many things, that one event, things that I couldn’t shake, and I sure as hell couldn’t go back from, back to the way things used to be. I watched the whole scene play over in my mind, the blood, the cops, the red and blue lights. His eyes had met mine with a look of…I didn't even know what.

Shit, I cursed as my cigarette burned down, me not paying a lick of attention, scorching my fingers. I dropped it into the gutter. It shook me from the memory, and I became aware of tense voices to my right.

There stood two dirty looking guys, probably forty years old, one with a hand on a chick’s bicycle handle bars, her cheeks were flushed red, her hand clutching the other side of her bike. She was good looking too, white shorts on and a spaghetti strap top, hair long, blonde down her back. She was not from around here, that I was sure of. Man was she a looker.

We’ll just give you a ride, okay? A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t be walking all the way home.

No…uh no thanks. I’ll be fine, she stuttered, her eyes huge as she tried to stand her ground, trying to push her bike a couple of steps, the bike chain hanging and clinking against the pedal, but the other guy stepped up, blocking her way.

I glanced around, sure her big football player type boyfriend had to be around here someplace, but no. There was no one, no cars on the street, not one person besides me and them in sight.

Well shit, it looked like I was going to have to step in and play knight in shining armor. Now, I’m no saint, and I’ve given plenty of girls a hard time, but this was different. As I watched, one of the slime balls put his hand on the back of her neck.

I kicked my bike to life, gaining only a glance from the predators. I revved the bike loudly before racing toward them, skidding to a stop beside the group.

Hey baby, you wanna drag race? I asked, ignoring the guys and focusing all of my attention on the girl.

Mind your own damn business, punk. Slime Bucket number one.

I flicked my eyes toward him quickly, and then back to the girl. I kicked out my stand and swung my leg over my bike, now showing my full stature to these scrawny old men. I pushed my sunglasses up on my head.

Slime bucket number two did not remove his hand, and I thought strongly about breaking it—as I was just in the mood to hurt someone. Slime ball number one now looked a little nervous in my presence, taking a step back. I’m a nice sized guy. I’m a solid one hundred and eighty pounds and muscle climbs all six feet of me. Most people would probably say I looked pretty damned threatening, but I think what usually wards people off is that I would rather squash you than look at you attitude that radiates from me.

"You know, I would. I really would, if you didn’t have your hands on my girlfriend. Now, darling— I grabbed her handle bars and looked back up at her, shall we go?" I stared at her intensely, wishing she would make a move because as much as I was itching to lay into someone, I didn’t feel like touching these dirty creeps.

And she looked confused and scared as she looked from them to me and back. I could tell she was taking me in. My hair was long, threatening my eyes. I had tattoos snaking down both of my arms, not concealed by my white wife beater. A blue bandana was hanging from the belt loop of my black jeans, marking me as a gang banger. So what was her decision going to be? Go with me, a banger on the street, who seemed like he was trying to help her or risk sticking around with the slime balls that were a clear danger?

Uh, yeah, uh, ready. She moved forward, me pushing her bike ahead of us. Slime Ball number one made a move to grab her, but one look from me sent him reeling backwards.

Hey Mike, I called, inside the business one lot over. My uncle stuck his head out from the kitchen.

What kid?

Watch my bike, would ya? Got some scumbags itching to lay it over.

Sure.

We continued on, me pushing her bike between us. After walking three fourths of a block, blondie glanced behind us, and I followed suite. Both guys had disappeared.

I…uh …thanks, she said, straightening her hair and then her dress.

Sure, I nodded, giving her the once over and watching her squirm. Like I said, I’m no innocent.

She reached for her handlebars, and I let her take them from me. I’ll see you around. I walked ahead of her, not wanting to get involved. Surely she had a pretty little BMW sitting there somewhere waiting for her to throw her ruined bike in before she headed back to the south side.

I threw a glance back over my shoulder after walking thirty yards to see her standing on the damned curb like she didn’t have a brain in her head. I shook my head and told myself to keep going, before I started back toward her.

You lost? I called.

Umm, sort of, she said, biting her lip and looking up the street.

Lose your car? Probably stolen, I thought.

Uh, no. I rode my bike here.

Where the hell from? I said, looking around like there was some ritzy neighborhood that had just popped up in the ghetto.

Umm, Columbus.

Now I was floored. Columbus was my street and a bad place to be. What in the hell was she doing on Columbus?

Uh, well, I would call someone to take you home 'cause Columbus isn’t a place for a girl like you to be hanging out.

She looked at me, biting her lip again before looking back up the road. I live there.

I probably looked like a moron with my mouth hanging open, but I couldn’t help it. There was no way a pretty little thing like her lived on Columbus. Her jeans probably cost more than my entire closet.

So, is it… that way? She pointed up the street when I didn't answer.

Um, no, it’s back this way. I nodded in the direction I had been heading.

Well, okay, thanks…for uh, back there and directions. She moved past me heading back to my neighborhood. I let her take about ten steps before I snapped to and caught up with her.

Um, I’ll walk you.

She looked at me, her eyes still full of fear. I think I’ll be okay.

Ha, um no, I’ll walk you. I’m not a gentleman by any stretch of the imagination, but the thought of this good looking, rich girl walking onto Columbus by herself brought it out of me. The guys in my neighborhood would be on her like dogs attacking raw meat. I wished I had my jacket to give her to cover her up a bit. Surely no one knew what we had living on our block.

Really, I’ll be fine.

I didn’t say nothing to that. She obviously didn’t trust me even after I had saved her sexy ass back there, but she wasn’t going to shake me, because unlike the scum that lived on my street, I did have a decent bone somewhere in my body. So I walked beside her, hoping no one would see her until I got her safely inside her house.

So, how long you lived here? I asked, reaching over and taking the bike back.

Two days.

Hmm, and you rode to the store yourself?

Yeah.

I was quiet. Did I even want to go there? Protecting this girl was going to be a lot of work. What the hell did I care anyway? I didn’t. There was no reason to get involved. She wasn't my kind, so I wasn’t interested in her in that way, and I didn’t owe this girl a thing. So it was settled then. I would walk her home and my responsibility would end there.

And so I did. She pushed her bike up the walk, and we didn’t say another word. I washed my hands clean of her as I walked back up the block.

***

Hey V, what's up bro? It was Stark. He thought he was more badass than he was, but he was a big time so I had to keep that opinion to myself if I wanted to keep my teeth. I was hopping on my bike, leaving work when he pulled up looking important. I worked for some extra cash, but also as a front. It kept the law off my back and half the guys working there were Ravens like me, so we conducted business some.

Nothing, I grunted, not wanting to talk to him or anyone else. I had managed it for most of the day.

You-know-who is looking for you, brother.

Yeah, well, he knows where to find me. I revved my bike, pulling on my sun glasses.

The question is, Stark yelled over the roar of the engine, do you want him to come looking for you?

No, I didn’t, and I didn’t want to face what he had to say. I just wanted to be left alone, but I knew that was an impossible request. This is me, who I’d agreed to be. I had made the decision a long time ago to live this life, and I knew where that would lead. I just didn’t think it would lead me there alone.

***

Hey kid. It was Mike. He was my uncle. He owned a small diner just off of Columbus. I never called him Uncle because he was kind of young to be an uncle, so to me he was just Mike.

Hey.

He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me in for a quick hug before letting me go and looking into my face. You okay? he asked staring hard at me, not letting go of my neck.

Yeah, yeah, I’m alright.

I hear Bobby is already looking for you.

Yeah, I know. I dropped down in a booth and he followed suit, sitting across from me.

How’s your ma?

Shit, I don’t know. I’ve been avoiding the house, I admitted because if there was anyone I could be real with, it was Mike.

He looked away from me, his eyes steady. You know, Lane—

I really don’t want to talk about him, I said, rubbing my eyes with my palms, trying to rub the look on Lane’s face out of my head, but it wasn’t working. It was a mixture of defiance and exhilaration. But there had also been fear and … something else…victory maybe. Something I didn't quite understand. Lane wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but I had seen a lot cross his face in those quick couple of minutes.

Mike was quiet, studying me when I looked back up. You’re going to have to deal with it. You need to be there for your mother and the girls.

Why the hell do I have to play fucking daddy all of a sudden? I demanded, bringing my fists down hard on the table. Mike didn’t flinch. He knew all about me and my temper. Just because your brother was a piece of shit doesn’t mean I have to step into where his ass should be.

My words didn’t seem to touch him. I was lashing out at Mike when I wanted to be lashing out at Lane or hell my father. I gotta go, I said, hopping up from the table.

Sit, eat, he urged, standing too.

I can’t. I’ve gotta clear my head.

Well, if you need anything, you know where to find me.

I felt like I could ride forever. I should, just keep on going, try somewhere in the Midwest, surely somewhere like that would be calmer, less violent. I could work on a farm. The thought made me laugh a bit. I really couldn’t see myself somewhere like that. This was me, and this was my life.

Lane always said you don’t get to pick the hand you’re dealt, but you get to decide how you play it. He’d played his by joining the Ravens. He’d been fifteen when he had joined up. He did it for the protection, protection for our little sisters who unless they were under someone's wing were bound not to make it to high school in one piece in this neighborhood and for me I guess. He did it for the money too, the drug money. He said it had been a two-for-one decision. How could he pass it up? It was a good job that paid, and it offered protection for the family as a benefit. So, he got in.

It always seemed inevitable, me joining the Ravens. If I hadn’t it would have made him look bad, disloyal. He never told me I had to join. He never asked me to join, but it always seemed like an unspoken truth. Everyone just acted like it was the only option, like when he played his hand, he went ahead and played mine too.

And I was good at what I did. I was a badass, one that you didn’t mess with because I was homegrown. I had grown up with the best and been surrounded by the meanest. I could throw down with the worst of ‘em, and I could bust heads when needed and break thumbs when required. I was not someone to be screwed with. My brother was a badass, but I wasn’t living in anyone's shadow. I made my own name. But that didn’t mean I exactly liked what the hell it was I was doing, although I would never let that slip out loud because loyalty meant a hell of a lot in a situation like this, and if word got up to the administration... you might as well consider yourself a dead man. I played the game, and I was good at the game, but that didn’t mean I wanted to step into Lane’s place.

I had taken him for granted, Lane. And I was being a selfish bastard now because he had stepped into our father’s shoes when he picked up and left and had never complained, and here I didn’t even want to go home and face the fact that he was gone and now I was the man of the house. I had never had the chance to play my hand the way I wanted.

So my guilt ate at me as I rode my bike around town, and it finally conquered. Before I knew what the hell I was doing I was pulling up in my driveway.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t been home since it happened. It was that I hadn’t said more than four words to anyone since, and it was time I manned up and stopped feeling sorry for myself. I wasn’t the only person who lost something that day.

Hey V, Mom said as I walked in the door. She looked tired and older standing with one hand on her hip, the other brushing her graying hair from her forehead. Oh the difference two days can make.

Hey, how you holding up? I asked.

Okay, I guess. The girls aren’t doing so hot though.

Yeah, I’ll talk to 'em. I kissed her on the forehead before moving to the sink to wash my hands and face. It was muggy as hell outside.

Hey, Cass, how you doing? I asked, walking into my twelve year old sister’s room and dropping down beside her on the bed. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t slept. Her face was pale against her dark blue blanket.

Okay.

Everything is going to be okay. You know that right? I looked at her, trying to decide if she was really going to be okay.

Everything, huh? Malory said, sounding sarcastic as she came in and dropped down on the bed across from us. She was fourteen years old and tried to act like she was seventeen. She was a spitting image of our mother, thank God because I hated anything to do with our father. Sadly, I was cursed with his eyes. Word is that Bobby is looking for you.

She sure as shit thought she was all grown up. The way her arms were across her chest, and the