Two weeks passed and James and I were still together. But, something stood in our way...it was time for me to go home. I had been good for the remaining thirteen days, I hadn't gotten in one single fight and I hadn't started any riots. But, for some reason, a reason which still hasn't struck me, the hardest part of camp was letting James go. Or, so I thought. James, as it turns out, had other plans.

I walked down to the Liberty Bell, the ship which would take me back to my parents on the mainland, with James at nine in the morning. We talked very little on the way, both of us a little upset about the fact that we were about to lose each other. But James surprised me. He looked down at me when we reached the dock and smiled a little, the perfect, white smile that I had started to really love in the past couple weeks. "I'm leaving today too." He said. I looked up at him in disbelief. "But you have to stay...you're going to college here!" I said. He put his hand over my mouth and smiled. "Some things are more important." he said finally. I smiled and we walked onto the Liberty Bell together. We split up when we hit the meeting dock on the mainland, so that my parents wouldn't spot me with a twenty-year old man. As my father drove me home that night, all I could think about was James, the only boy I had ever laid eyes on that had actually looked back.
The next night, I heard a tap on my door at around midnight. I got up, tried to pretend my hair wasn't sticking out straight on end, and opened my bedroom door a little crankily. "What?" I asked. James leaned down and kissed me softly, and I barely registered that he had kissed me. I stared at him in surprise. "You're in my house! What if one of my parents wakes up..." I started. James shushed me quietly and walked into my room, grabbing a pair of my pants and a sweatshirt out of my laundry basket. "Put these on...you're coming out with me tonight." He said. I stared at him dumbly. "Ah...no...I'm actually going to get back in bed and sleep." I stated. James sighed. " Do you want to live the same, boring life as every other person in the world or do you want to make something of yourself?" he asked. I grinned a little. "You sound like you're trying to recruit me for the military." I said. James growled a little. "Trust me. You'll love this. After seeing the way you bounced Tabitha, I bet you could crack where I'm taking you." I stared again. "Bounced? Crack? You're a gangsta aren't you?" I said, realizing that my tone was a little patronizing. James sighed and smacked his forehead in frustration. "Either you get dressed or I will dress you myself." he said, his voice cracking a little. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "You wouldn't."

And that was my first sex experience.

I think I might conveniently skip over that part.

Anyway, the next night I decided that I'd go out and see what the deal was with James. I didn't understand what I was getting myself into. Now that I know, I wish I could leave. But it doesn't work like that.

I climbed out onto my room and down the side of the garage slowly...carefully because I hate heights. I ran down my driveway and into a black dodge ram pickup that was parked carefully at the end of my driveway. Getting in the truck, I realized how drastically my life was going to change. Especially when the first punch came.

That's right. I got into my very first street fight right outside of my house. James had brought an old girlfriend, who also happened to be the head of a fighting organization. She didn't like me it turns out. Her name was Starr...I say was because she died of cancer this past year. Anyway, the minute I climbed in the truck she punched me in the side of the head, to which I responded by turning and smashing her back as hard as I could. I ended up climbing into the back seat and I shoved her out the back door of the Ram, all the while being screamed at by James just to cut it out....

To be continued.