Thank you so much for 10K, this is a bonus chapter just for you guys! Enjoy x

Cameron

10 years ago

"Hey man," Leo tumbled out of the classroom with a grin and his bag slung across his shoulder, he always looked so happy something I had always struggled with, "That was hard, wasn't it? Maths, not really for me you know, luckily I won't need any of that, cause all I need to be able to do is shoot straight,"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Shooting straight requires maths,"

His face scrunched up in confusion before he frowned, "No it doesn't."

"You know a straight line is 180 degrees right?"

He paused a second, a completely blank look on his face as he scratched the back of his neck and let out a, "No?"

"You're hopeless you know," but I couldn't fault Leo in that, math was hard, but it came easily to me, not that it mattered that I enjoyed numbers, and the satisfaction of solving a particularly difficult problem, my life was already planned for me.

It was set in stone.

I was Cameron Grayson the heir to the Vipers, the largest gang in our area, I had seen more violence than what should have been acceptable for any child. And Leo had too.

"Well, I'm going to be your right hand, you be the brains and I'll be the brawn," and with a stupid look on his face, he pretended to flex his muscles, that was when Latrell came sprinting over to us, a look of panic on his face, his glasses half falling off as he was running, "CAM, CAM, you need to do something!"

He was shouting and all of a sudden there was a commotion, students were running and the all too familiar cry of 'FIGHT' was ringing through the halls.

But it was never like this, there would be small spat here or there, someone roughing someone up but never with this many people, all running in one direction. The teachers were bewildered shouting at the trampling students to get back and before I knew it I was running, with Latrell and Leo by my side all three of us sporting the same concerned face.

People knew who I was so they parted like the Red Sea when I approached allowing us through. We burst from the doors onto the playground and sure enough, there was a circle of people, all jeering and in the middle of it was a girl standing tall, wiping blood from her lip.

"Touch her again and I'll break your arm, Tommy," she sneered and there was venom in her voice. Her hair was a wild and stormy sort of brown that pooled at her shoulders, her skin a sunkissed hue that shone and accentuated the blood and bruises on her arms.

Near her on the floor was another girl in tears, her headscarf ripped and muddy, she was sobbing, soft cries falling from her lips. I recognised her, she was from the year below, her name was Haifa I think.

"You think you can break my arm you bitch," Tommy used a word many of us had been forbidden to say, so there was a chorus of 'oohs' as the pathetic bystanders spurred on the fight.

She gave a wicked grin squaring herself up and having a perfect fighting stance as the sun shone on her back, and her eyes glowed a certain gold in the light, she looked ready to kill, "I'll show you just how much of bitch I can be," and without warning, she lunged forward and hit Tommy square in the jaw, he staggered back almost tripping over his own two feet, rage pooling off him, and a sizeable angry red mark painted on his jaw.

He lurched forward ready to inflict just as much damage, but the girl swerved around him, dodging his blow and grabbing his arm, twisting it behind him, he let a guttural cry as she forced him to the ground, and with a satisfied shout she taunted, "Who's the bitch now?"

And then with deadly intent, whilst pressing his knees against the coarse concrete and gravel, she hissed, "Touch Haifa again and it will be the last thing you, do," she paused a moment, her honeyed eyes drifting over to her friend who was being comforted by another boy, and who had helped her pick herself up, looking gratefully at her friend, "And that is a promise,"

There was pure pain on Tommy's face but that's not what caught my attention.

Behind her, Johnathon, Tommy's best friend was getting ready to throw a punch at the girl, whilst she was unaware and none of these pathetic people had the decency to tell her.

He was inches away from her and I don't know how, I was already running, and before I knew it I was between Johnathon and the girl, fear laced his eyes as I caught his visit a malevolent grin spreading across my face, "Did no one ever teach you not to hit girls, Johnny?" He hated that nickname and I knew all too well, but at that moment he couldn't have cared less.

His face paled, and he swallowed, "Hey Cam, it's just a bit of fun, people like her shouldn't even be here, they should go back to their own country right?" and my blood boiled. My eyes snapped to Haifa who was still in tears, and the mystery girl who had shoved Tommy to the ground and now he was the crying heap on the floor.

"Oh yeah," she challenged ignoring my presence, "And who the fuck," she cursed an ever worse word than Tommy had used and the crowd went feral with shouts and jeers but she ignored them all, "gave you the right to decide that? You are pathetic, you're so small-brained that you don't realise that there are people that are different to you, and have every right to be here, now get your racist ass out of here before I rip you a new one like your friend over there," and to emphasise her point she stepped to the side to reveal Tommy crying for his mum on the floor.

She turned to me, and then smiled, "And he'll help me, right?"

I gave her stupid sort of grin, "Of course,"

And Johnathon needed no further convincing as he scuttled away. The crowd turned to us both as if they were waiting to be dismissed, and when a few teachers ushered them away they dispersed just leaving me and the mystery girl together.

She brushed the dirt from her elbows which had been skinned during the fight and blew out a breath that caused a loose strand of hair to fall on her face.

I wanted to brush it away from her golden eyes but knew she would probably throw me to the ground next.

"Thanks, you didn't have to, but you helped,"

"Of course, darling, I hate those guys,"

She laughed and the sound was addicting to listen to the way her whole body lit up as the laughter coursed through her, "I beg to differ, no one can hate those guys as much as I do,"

I smiled at her, "I haven't seen you before,"

"And I have no idea who you are either, " she admitted.

"Really?" I tried to separate the shock from my voice but she caught on.

"Am I supposed to know?"

"Well-uh" I was saved from answering when Leo barrelled into me, "THAT WAS AMAZING," but he wasn't talking to me, his eyes were fixed on the girl that just beat Tommy up.

"Thanks," she said rolling down the sleeves of her uniform, "Ugh, Theo's going to kill me,"

"Wait," Leo spoke, "Theo as in Theo Mortello?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "He doesn't go here, but that's my brother,"

That was when Leo began to whisper to me, "Dude, do you even know who that is?"

I shook my head slightly but my eyes had never left the perfect frame, standing there in the sun, she looked utterly beautiful.

She held out her hand, "Lara, My name's Lara,"

I took her hand and it was as soft as I had imagined it, it was crazy to think that those same hands had dealt out a real beating.

"Cam," I responded and the grin never left my face.

She turned to see Haifa running towards her, wrapping small arms around her, and then their other friend who I was unsure of their name, gave me a scathing look, "We should go, Lara," he spoke softly and she smiled back at him. And for some reason that sent a jolt through me, I didn't know her but from that one encounter, I knew I wanted to.

She gave me one last brilliant smile, "See you around," before turning on her heel and chasing after her friends, knocking into them and placing her arms around them both, her laughter filling the air as she left.

"See you around, darling."