Covered in Blue

By M. Pink

About the Book
Jackie is torn between two lives, the one her parents have planned for her and her secret life as a member of a gang, the Hoods. When her parents find out about her double life, Jackie’s two worlds collide, and she must choose which path to take. Between fights with their rival gang, the Heat; skipping school; the worsening of her mother’s illness; and conflict within their own group, everything begins to crash around her. With the help of her gang, her family, Jackie will learn where she truly belongs.
A coming-of-age story, Covered in Blue is a look into the world of social status, growing up, grief, beginnings, and ends.

About the Author
M. Pink grew up in Texas and currently resides in Oklahoma. She has an incredible family which includes her twin sister, older brother, and dad, the first person to introduce her to her love of cars, and mom, who always taught her if you want something changed, you have to do it yourself. During her free time, Pink enjoys talking with friends and listening to music. Her love of writing began at a young age, and the art of storytelling has always been a close friend to her. Covered in Blue is her first novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Jul 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887297446

Book preview

Pink_Title_Page.eps

The contents of this work, including, but not limited to, the accuracy of events, people, and places depicted; opinions expressed; permission to use previously published materials included; and any advice given or actions advocated are solely the responsibility of the author, who assumes all liability for said work and indemnifies the publisher against any claims stemming from publication of the work.

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by M. Pink

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, downloaded, distributed, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without permission in writing from the publisher.

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eISBN: 979-8-88729-744-6

Dedication

Thank you to my mother Clarice, my first teacher who taught me

how to write my first essay. Your continued support has made this book

possible. My Father Quentin, for my love of cars and to always

work hard and show up. My brother Gerard and twin sister Vanessa,

I appreciate you both.

- Fake people do not surprise me, loyal people do.

Chapter One

A deal is a deal

Y’all ready? We ain’t got all night.

I’m just waiting for Ankle-biter over here to get his engine started. I knew exactly why Ankle-biter waited to start his engine last minute; it was to throw his older opponents off. Roger’s car was fast and better than most of the cars that came to the drag race. The crowd was overall content; so was I. Before I started the race, I looked around, back and forth, not for any incoming cars but for any cop cars. I knew I wouldn’t see any because anyone who’s got a brain knows damn well that the streets were closed. Drag racing was a common thing on Friday nights for everyone who wanted to drag race illegally. With the street ready, I got ready to start the race with little time for hesitation. I stood in front of the cars.

Ready…Set…Go! Before I knew, it two Mustangs passed me by. Rogers’s car had made a loud sound, know there was little to describe such a sound other than loud. A smell came along. It was burning rubber. The smell fueled the crowd as they went wild, and both of the cars disappeared into the night, trying  to take the lead. As they went, the crowd became loud and full of excitement. The crowd was filled with all kinds of social groups. Preps were the school’s rich kids that lived on the upper side of town. To the no-good group, who called themselves the Heats, definitely not from the upper side. Then, of course, there were the Norms, who went to school, minded their own business, and stayed out of trouble. Then there was my group. We never called ourselves anything; we were a group of friends that liked to have fun and get a thrill every once in a while. But somewhere, somehow, we got labeled as the Hoods, which was just an upgraded name for Greasers. Our town was pretty small and only had a selective number of Greasers (Hoods), but we Hoods lived downtown. Most of the time when we had fun; there were times we got in trouble, so that’s probably where our name came from.

Jackie! I looked up with a grin as Parker came up running to me with his faded blue eyes shining from the streetlights and his black hair combed into a slick hairdo, then gave me a look. The type of look when he’s up to no good. Parker Vaughn was the type of guy whom I could only describe as a renaissance boy, but never really showed that part of himself. He chose to show his tough, ruthless side; for the most part, he was nice guy when he wanted to be. He was part of our group; he liked the chase in life; he liked to find the thrill of anything that you weren’t supposed to do. I mean, all of us did. Parker bumped my shoulder. Bet you twenty bucks that Ankle-biter over there is gonna lose.

All right, why you say that?

Because Ankle-biter’s car sucks. Everyone knows that! He had a big smirk. I kept my face in endearment.

Well, I don’t think Roger will win. I smiled, which I rarely did, but Parker was the only one that made the gang smile, not because of a joke or a comment of some kind, that was just how he was; he made people smile just by being there.

Parker is the kind of guy who is accustomed to every female agreeing with him. The fact is, I thought differently than him. It always kept him on his toes, but that was also why we had known each other, since middle school differences of opinion go a long way. It wasn’t just about disagreeing with Parker. It was common sense Roger wasn’t going to win. I knew a lot about cars from my brother, but I guess I also knew a lot about cars for a girl. Now thinking about it, I knew a lot more things than most girls. Mostly because I hung a lot with the hood boys and not with the hood girls. I, of course, had a selective number of hood girls that were my friends. It’s never good to have bad blood with hoods, especially hood girls. After all, most Hood girls were overall what some would call fast. They showed interest in somebody. Not even because they loved someone, just because they could. They loved to make a laugh out of anybody, anytime they had a chance. I remember one time I took a ride with the hood girls. They were so self-centered and loud, I had never wanted to jump out of a car so bad, but all that noise and loud driving got us pulled over. The policeman was quite taken aback by how many girls fit in that car. There was this one girl named Samy. She was what some would call big. The policeman asked the driver, Jade, why they were driving so fast. She looked at all of us girls in the back and said, Oh, well, my friend over there is about to give birth, then pointed at Samy. All the girls in the car except me started playing along. So, he let us go. Samy started to cry. It made the girls so angry that as soon as the cop was out of sight, they kicked her out of the car in an alley and left her. A month later, she killed herself. I promised myself that night I would never be part of their sick game, in which I never understood. I found their behavior cruel, and distasteful, and of course, the whole Samy thing never sat well with me, not to mention I never fit in with them anyways.

As the crowd was waiting for the cars to come back, I saw Jack run out of the crowd to us. He ran and pushed Parker, swung me in a circle, and put me down So...what’s buzzing?

Jackie thinks Ankle-biter is gonna win.  Clearly, she’s lost her mind.

Jack looked up and down at me. You don’t say. Jack looked at me with his light brown eyes and freckles around his cheeks and nose. She knows something we don’t know. Spill.

Well, while Roger was showing off his car by burning the rubber off his tires, Ankle -biter got a head start there. Roger got himself in a treed, meaning he ain’t gonna win. Jack looked at the conner eyeing someone and kicked the ground.

God damm—

I stopped him. I knew that look; he’d probably done something stupid. What did you do, Jack?

He looked at me with a smirk hiding his anger, then hesitated, then finally said, I made a bet with a guy for my black Mustang for his car if Roger won.

Parker looked at Jack in complete confusion. ARE YOU MENTAL? You love that car like crazy!

Then the cars were back. No surprise, Ankle-Biter won, with Roger’s car barely behind him. Jack spit on the ground. That damn kid.

Then a Hood went running, yelling through the crowd, THE five-o are HERE!

Everyone hauled into their cars. Roger was already in his car when he saw the police. He rolled his eyes and hit his hand on the steering wheel, then cursed to himself, then he let us in.

Parker yelled, Step it! Jack jumped in the car, slammed the door. Roger stepped on the gas, and we were gone in minutes. We drove until we couldn’t hear the cops anymore. Roger didn’t say anything till he felt safe. What’s all this talk with Jack the idiot treading cars with the Heats?

Parker shook his head and smirked Jack, they for sure gonna want your car by tomorrow, so you better say your goodbye kisses to that car of yours

No crap, dipshit…

Then Jack and Parker were cursing and yelling at each other as they counted every reason of their opposite opinions. Roger looked at me with his almost hazel eyes, putting his fingers through his dark brown hair. He looked at me in a way only he could, seriously into the rearview mirror.

Chapter Two

The Grand Expectation

Where in the hell is your brother and Ankle-biter, Jackie? My brother was busy probably at a fight or helping Mom and Dad set up for dinner, which I found hard to believe. I wanted to say more but the only thing I could get out of my mouth was I don’t know, Roger. All I know is Ankle-biter was the last one who left the scene before the cops came.

We outta take you home. I swear that kid is gonna get himself killed, but he’s quick on his feet, which is probably the only reason why he’s ain’t shot dead yet. Ankle-biter was part of our gang. He had brown hair that was so light it was almost blond. He had light brown eyes to match. He was also the youngest of the group; I was the second youngest. He was almost the same height as me. His parents drank a lot; his mom was a night worker, and his father did nothing but take out his anger on him. One time, he ran all the way to Roger’s house because it was the closest. He came in with a deep slit on the side of his ear with blood dripping down. He still had a piece of glass in it. Roger had to take it out. First, he’d thought he got shot at by a Heat or beat up, but he took one look at Ankle-biter’s eyes and realized that wasn’t the case. Roger had to take the glass out of his ear. Apparently, his father had thrown a beer bottle at him. Now he’s got a dent on the left side of his ear. Ever since, he stayed clear from his parents; he’s never at home anymore. He stays at one of our houses most of the time.

Roger made a sharp turn. I knew that Jack, the stubborn person he was, was not gonna give his car away, not under his dead body. Parker looked up. You could fight for it.

Jack lit a cigarette. You say it like we have a choice. Then everyone looked at me as if I was a good fighter. I scrambled, if anything. I had to fight twice as hard and twice as rough because I was a girl. Gentlemen don’t want a girl around fights, much less be in one, but the people I fought were just boys, they didn’t care. I’ve been in a couple of fights, not to mention the occasional knife being pulled out on you. The Hoods always wanted me to fight with them, which was always for something stupid.

I looked at the window. Fine, but I want my twenty bucks. Everyone started to laugh. I needed to break the tension. They dropped me off. I was about to get out but then I looked straight at Jack. If you do any stupid deal like this again, I’m out. Got it? I already got my parents on me about how I’m not meeting their standards, whatever that means.

Roger looked at Jack because Jack is the most reckless person I’ve ever known. That’s why people like him so much; he just doesn’t care, except for his car. I got out. I still heard the conversation continue. You should be happy she’s even gonna fight. If I’ve seen anybody who can fight, it’s her, which is saying a lot for…

Then the car was out of distance. I went to my house, stepped on the front porch, and made sure to take off my leather jacket and replace it with a pink sweater before I got out of the car. It’s always a feeling of distinction of regret. I looked at the door, then looked at the street. I wanted to walk away but knew I still had my parents to deal with, rules they wanted me to follow. I walked in, looked up the stairs, and saw my brother as he mouthed, You didn’t see me. He took a bottle from the liquor cabinet and took it to his room.

My parents were at the kitchen table. They looked me up and down at my almost black hair that only looked brown in the summertime. I had on a black shirt, some denim old jeans rolled up, and high tops. I really didn’t dress like a typical girl or even like Hood girls. They wore tight leather jeans with tight tops and blouses and put on loads of makeup, and in the summer, they mostly wore miniskirts and high heels. I wore mascara but little else, not because I didn’t like makeup but because when you’re between a fight or getting in trouble with the police, makeup is the least of anyone worries; it would make a good mugshot. I’d still have my black leather jacket on, but my parents would freak if they knew I was a Hood. My family is considered poor, so my parents wanted me to study so when I go to college I could become a lawyer, but I didn’t want to. Not to mention my mother is extremely ill and has been for a long time. It always felt that they were throwing her illness in my face so I would have to do well in life for her. I realized a long time ago that the things I wanted in life would never come first. I knew if I kept peace with them, I would satisfy them. I had my own ambitions, that’s what I did know. Did I want to do more things with my life when I got out of high school? Yeah, I just didn’t know what. But if my parents had their way, which they did, they needed a successful child, and I fit the bill. I always kept my grades up, sometimes even liked school. The only people who truly knew who I really was were my gang, my brother, and the next-door neighbor who saw me jump in and out of cars, deeply judging me. I sat at the kitchen table where my parents were waiting to lecture me.

Jackie, where have you been?

With friends. I always kept responses short and meaningless. Then my brother Lee came downstairs and sat at the table as my parents wanted me to decide whether I was gonna do the whole law-school thing. What I realized was, whether I liked it or not, the answer was and will always be yes. To please them, I would ask them questions like, What kind of law do you think I should do? Showing interest of some kind. I got good at this, saying what they wanted to hear and what they found pleasing to their ears. They’ve been pushing this question on me since I was in eighth grade.

My father spoke. I think you should go to family law. My parents acted like I had a choice. I sat forward.

You know I thought about it...and I want to become a lawyer. They were so happy; it’s unbelievable how one sentence can change the whole direction of a conversation.

We’re so proud of you, Jackie.

My brother looked at me from across the table with a deepened tone in his voice and took a sip of his drink. Must be nice to have a choice in that matter. He looked away from me; it was something he knew. I couldn’t express what I wanted to say, much less words at the moment, not in front of our parents at least. He said things like that because he knew I couldn’t say anything. My parents just sat there in silence till my father spoke.

Lee, wanna tell me why you are hanging around those thugs? I choked on my drink.

You mean Hoods?

Dad turned to me lovingly. You don’t need to worry, sweetie. I was annoyed. I wanted to leave, then my father looked back at Lee, sat back in his seat, acting as if he found out something so important or some grand statement.

Some kids were drag racing on the public streets tonight. Those kids are no good, I tell you what. I’d go as far as to say they’re a waste of space. Lee, I’m sure you took part in this race. The police couldn’t catch not one of them thugs, what a shame.

I hated how our parents acted like we were some high-class family or something, but we were far from it. Lee sat himself up and looked at me. He knew what part I took in the night’s events but didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought the attention to himself as always.

No, siree, I was busy at that time.

Father chuckled in disapproval. Doing what?

With Shirley. I knew he only said that to aggravate our father, but he was telling the truth. Shirley was his girlfriend and also one of my friends. She was not part of our gang she was one of us even though she was a prep. I think that’s what Lee liked too

Everyone in our group liked her.

Father