Chapter 23 - one day after one another

With Sylvia nursing me for the whole night, I never had decent sleep trying to be on guard from her.

“Seems you fit enough to be discharge today…I’m impressed with your fitness but please restrain from going any strenuous activities. Or else you wound will open again.”

Looks like they me breakfast

“You eat it, I’m not hungry…”

Sylvia spoon feed me

“I’ll eat it myself and I’m not hungry…”

She shoved the spoon to my mouth

“You need the energy..”

While we had breakfast, I was discharged from the hospital, I see a police truck that brought the gangster, I saw Jagus he is bald now. He saw me and I look at him with my killer eyes. He look scared.

Sylvia pull my ears

“Stop it…you scaring people”

“ah…sorry…got carried away..”

“Come on lets head back to school”

The hospital is close to the school, we walk together to school.

“How about Steward?”

“Mother brought them since we are close to the school, we just walk to school”

“But I gotta meet Damien…”

“Alex is that your friend in the states?”

“Yeah..what about it?”

“Is she is here as well?”

“Don’t think so, she’s now in UCLA”

“She is a university student?”

“Yeah…”

“Wow she sound amazing..”

“Yeah..she does always crazy…”

“I wonder if I could be like that…”

“Huh? Don’t be.. just be yourself..will ya”

“Nope, if I could be her equal at least you look at me and Natalie the same”

“Huh?”

“Nothing..”she giggle

We reach the school at least the school is like usual rowdiness, Mom is here as well including Mr Rahman.

“So this is the new kid…”

“yes but she is not adapted in malay or English may need some help”

Sylvia offer her help

“Let me help her mother”

“Oh ok..”

“Then she will be in 2 - Catsy with Sylvia”

“Tama she will guide you to this school”

Tama only nod and Sylvia brought her she wave goodbye to us.

“Alex..you need to rest.. for 1 day again”

“eh…I just got here”

“You got your friend in the states right.?”

“How do you know that?”

“Just go kid…at least you settle all of it then you continued back”

I remember that Damien is returning back to American today. I head to the airport and meet them with mom.

“Hey there they are.”

“Yo homie!!”

“Puan Mas, Alex…”

“Going back already?”

“Yeah we going back to the states, our Visa is only temporary and business only. Plus Damien need to prepare himself to MIT soon.”

“Well, the nerd need to do some study soon…”

“Shut up asshole….you also is slacking off”

We tried to beat each other up like we used as kids.

“There are you guys done?”

“At least I meet you again…”

“Dad can you let me talk to Alex alone…”

“Got it”

“You kids got something to talk about eh…”

“Yeah…”

“Yeah…”

We walk another place and we head to the top roof where the airplane is, the view point of the airport.

“Homie…I got something to tell you about…”

“Yeah?”

“About Natalie….Mr Hawk also had plans for her to find a suitable man for her…”

“……..” I feel that sharp pain in my chest but I understand why Mr Hawk wanted her to go through.

“So….homie when I saw you with that girl at least you’re not just fixed with Natalie….”

“Mom also had plans for me and her crazy games of her….”

“Seems both parents had games you two had to play”

“Yeah..I wonder who would that be”

“Hiew, Matt, another smart guy in UCLA, really gunning at Natalie…”

I just smile but inside me felt frustration, I felt at least she had that experience.

“You know what homie…I just want to tell that it is up to Natalie because I know how well she is, if she choose that then it will be…I will accept it”

“Homie that’s being sentimental but is that what you want?”

“No, but I have to because we still young, a lot things need to experience before that day”

“Well I hope when that day comes don’t forget to invite me”

“I hope you become my best man”

“I’m not sure about that though”

“Have been dreaming about Darrel?”

“Yeah..as if he want to guide us to something”

“So it must something about this right?”

“Yeah, Its just that if I don’t do this I will not be at peace”

“That’s what I’m worried about”

“But….never mind we see each other again homie”

“Then what is this all about?”

“Because I found out about Darrel’s part of the story another letter that Darrel received before he form the 102”

I’m pretty sure he still wanted to investigate about the incident with that night. The night that change us forever. When Darrel died.

“I hope you don’t do anything stupid or else…”

“Heh I will not do that homie”

“But homie find another girl because Natalie is going to get even farther that you could ever been”

“What do you mean?” I glared at him

“Hmmm. Homie I love you bro, I don’t want that day when you congratulate on her wedding while you being alone homie”

I could not believed that my own best friend said that but at the same time I always think that because I know destiny had its way to choose.

I laugh at Damien “HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!! Homie”

“Why you laughing?”

“Laughing at destiny if she choose destiny then so be it but I’m not, I’ll be like I always have homie”

“Gangsta for life is it?”

I nod at him

“Stonecold..asshole”

“I was once a street gangster like you this kind of bullshit is not my style beside Hana and Sam is my duty to protect them even if I had to choose the dark path.” I look at him like when I did it in LA.

“That gaze is the same look that when you decide to choose”

“Yeah it my own life, I choose my own life no one else will choose for me, I choose to become a monster if I have to”

“A monster eh..but same goes to me, Matt and Travis does not understand that a country bumpkin don’t understand that”

“Right…you understand what I mean”

“So, if you went dark what will you do homie”

“102…”

“I was thinking the same thing”

“That’s what I’m good at”

“Yeah..even I had that feeling still yearning for it”

We both fist pump and hug like brothers, brothers of guilt, we have a sin that will not cleanse. What we both went through to become like this.

“I heard you just wreck a whole gang nigga?”

“Yeah homie, is just that there is no guns just fist..but they do have guns but they bunch of fools thinking just bringing a gun they called themselves gangster”

“They really don’t know what it means to be a gangster”

102 is not just street gangster we were really an organise crime group, robbery, and killing is a normal thing for us but the difference is we are a child soldier breed to kill.

“But homie…just wait for me….I want to get shit done then I return back homie we settle this together…we going to close the book with Darrel”

“Got it homie make sure no turning back…”

“Got it homie”

“Here a gift…”

An open ticket to LA

“Shit homie you really prepared”

“A cut from your share from Darrel”

“Yeah I wonder how much already?”

“More than millions, we already a multi millionaire homie, Hollywood life”

“Hah…then hold it for me homie”

“Got it homie”

“This is something not even Nat is going to interrupt because once we start this we going to become a monster again homie?”

“Yeah..can’t wait”

“Train up…but I going first”

“Whatever, get your exam done then we talk got it homie”

“Shut up nigga!!”

Damien Hopkins and Hopkins Jordan please proceed to the departure hall.

“Look like I got a call, well then this is it homie…”

“Yeah homie”

“Homie, you got it right?”

“Yeah…”

“Our home is always the streets the wild west”

“Heh…get your ass in that airplane nigga”

“See ya nigga”

“See ya”

We return back where his dad is calling us.

“Alright Alex glad to meet you again…”

“See you Mr Hopkins”

“See you son”

“Hope we meet again Puan Mas”

We wave them goodbye. They entered the departure hall and we head back home.

“Mom, I want to go somewhere is it ok?”

“Don’t be late..”

“Got it”

I ride the bike and head out to place behind my house. And stay there while taking a smoke.

“Gotta train myself even stronger or else I ain’t going to survive in the hood this time”

Looks like I need to train harder now. I return back and workout, train my CQC and shadow boxing.

This is what I’m good at. I’m doing the monkey bar training, push up, sit up. All the training method that Darrel taught us. This time I’m not going to pass out again, not even hospitalise myself again. Now I need a gun, better ask Mr Haqib but he is not going to like it.