Chapter 3

But I saw the electric clippers tucked in his back pocket.

When I was eight, a local creep tried to touch my face in the alley.

Again, I said nothing.

But the next day, that creep was kneeling in front of our porch, his face swollen like a balloon, begging for my forgiveness.

Blade was leaning against the wall, smoking. He smiled when he saw me. "Hey, sis. This guy wanted to apologize, so we helped him find his manners."

Later, I found out Blade had taken on that creep and four of his friends by himself. Blade spent two weeks in the hospital, but when he came home, he brought me a cheap hair clip.

"Got it from a street vendor for two bucks. Don't hate it," he grunted.

I still have that clip.

...

"May! Why are you walking so fast? Guilty conscience?"

Chloe's voice snapped me back to reality.

She jogged up to match my pace, a smug smile plastered on her face.

"Are you scared of us seeing how you live? I heard the area you live in is basically a slum. Are you renting some sketchy room? Or do you live with your weird relatives?"

I ignored her.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a text from Gizmo, my youngest brother.

*“Hey sis, how was orientation? Get your butt home quick, the guys put together a huge surprise for you!”*

A surprise.

My palms started sweating.

I knew exactly what their "surprises" looked like.

The day I finished my high school exams, they said they had a surprise. I ran home excited, only to find a guy kneeling on our living room floor. It was a bully from the high school next door who used to corner me for lunch money. My brothers had handled him before, but that day, he was black and blue, sobbing.

"I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! Please tell your brothers to let me go..."

Jax was sitting on a lawn chair, eating watermelon. He tossed the rind aside when he saw me. "Sis, this guy wanted to apologize face-to-face. We just facilitated. You satisfied? If not, I can make him kneel a bit longer."

What was I supposed to say?

So, seeing the word "surprise" now made my heart race.

Chloe leaned over to peep at my screen before I could lock it.

"Ooh, who's texting you?" she sneered. "Some street trash boyfriend? Figures. With your background, you’d only attract lowlifes."

I shoved the phone into my pocket and remained silent.

She leaned in closer, whispering, but loud enough for Mrs. Miller and her parents to hear.

"May, are you embarrassed of your home? Don't worry, being poor isn't a crime." She tossed her hair. "But stealing is. That necklace is four grand. You can't even pay your tuition—how are you going to pay me back? If you hand it over now, we can settle this privately. Otherwise, once we search your place and find it, I'm calling the cops."

I stopped walking.

"I didn't take it."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Sure, you didn't. Let’s see what you say when we find it."

Her mother caught up and grabbed my arm tightly. "Why are you stopping? Trying to run?"

"I'm not running," I said, trying to pull away.

"Not running?" Her mother gripped harder, her sharp acrylic nails digging painfully into my skin. "You look like you're about to bolt! We should hold her down, otherwise, she'll run for sure!"