Andrew’s Dilemma

Part 22

By, Cain129

Special Thanks to Wren Phoenix for the editing.

Synopsis:   Life has not been very easy for Jessica lately as she find herself trying to make a new life for herself while at the same time dealing with a past that she wished that she could just leave behind.

Running into her mother and the fight that followed had left her emotionally drained. In a strange way was also therapeutic and gave her a better understanding of who her mother really was. Deep down she no longer hated her mother but could she trust her?

 

Chapter 52

 
 

Adrian had spent most of the day trying to find Andrew Roberts and just as Vincent had said, the child had completely disappeared. There was the record of Andrew at the hospital after a failed suicide attempt but according to the police sources, child services released him to the care of Anthony and Janice Tanner.

If he was to believe the Reports, the child should still be there but Rocco had already been down that road and the only people living at that address was Anthony, his wife and their daughters.   

Adrian thought long and hard. He could not see the police placing the child in a safe house, not for a child abuse case. The answer was the Tanners, they had to know where the child was and he hated the idea of what he was about to do. He would first check the schools computers and see what he could find out.

If that turned out to be a dead end then he would grab one of the girls and get some answers.   There was one thing that had him concerned. Rocco had taken him under his wing and pretty much taught him everything he knows. This really bothered him. He knew that Rocco would have already done everything that he was about to do, and if that was the case Rocco would have already found the child, considering how long he had been working on the case.

Adrian thought to himself, was Rocco going against the family? If so, where did that leave him? When he joined the organization, he was nothing and barely able to survive. After his parents kicked him out of the house, he was homeless and starving. In those days, he used to hang out of the Denny’s panning for whatever change people would through his way.   Almost everyday, he would see Rocco going into the restaurant for breakfast and he would always throw a few dollars his way.   Eventually they had become friends and Rocco had brought him into the organization and over the years taught him everything he needed to know and because of that, he was able to make a good life for himself.

Things were different back then though. Vincent hadn’t been the one running things, and since he took over after his father ended up in jail the organization changed along with the way they operated.

Vincent was driven by greed and would do anything if it meant that he could make money. Running drugs and prostitutions were always part of the equation, but Vincent had done the unthinkable and allowed his men to pick up street kids and befriend them after getting them hooked on heroin. After the child was hooked on drugs, they would pimp the child out to the highest bidder.

Adrian hated this part of the business. It made him feel dirty inside, knowing the things that were happening, but he also knew that once you were part of the family there was no going back.   If he chose to walk away, it would most likely cost him his life. He was in a position with no easy way out of. If he was right and Rocco was making a move, he would have to do something about it.   The question was, could he kill Rocco?

Adrian picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Bobby I have a job for you, I need you to pickup a computer for me.”

  [-][+][-]

 

The time is 2am, and all is quiet except for the faint sound of a security alarm going off at Burnaby High school.   Three men make their way inside. One stands guard, while the other two go to the office. They have only one goal and that is to break into the principal’s office. While the two men are busy, the third man disables the alarm system.

Inside the principal’s office, the thieves quickly unhook the tower from the monitor and remove the cables. Within minutes, the job is finished and the three men exit the school, and drive off with the principal’s computer.

 

[-][+][-]

 

A half hour later the burglars meet up with Adrian, who has been waiting across town for the computer to be dropped off.

“How did it go?” asked Adrian.

“It was like taking candy from a baby, the security is a joke.”

“So I take it you have the computer then?”

“Yeah Adrian, it’s in the trunk. I’ll get it for you.”

After receiving the computer, Adrian handed an envelope to Bobby, climbed into his car, and headed for home. He would drop it off at Wayne’s in the morning and hoped Wayne would be able to find something in the school records.

 

[-][+][-]

 
 

I woke up early to the sound of knocking, still half asleep, I slowly climbed out of bed and made my way to the door. I opened it to find no one there. I shook my head, and thought to myself, I must still be dreaming.   I headed back to bed and climbed under my blankets, I would get another hour or so of sleep but as soon as I closed my eyes.

“Knock, Knock, Knock”

“Damn it, I said to myself climbing out of bed again. I went to open the door and once again there was no one there.”

“Just wait Megan, paybacks a bitch.” I said, then headed back to my bed.

Now fully awake, I was going to go downstairs and girl her piece of my mind, as I approached the door again.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

It was then that I realized that it wasn’t the door it was coming from outside as I peered out the window and found a freaking woodpecker.

I felt like opening the window and throwing my pillow at him, but that would have likely killed the little bugger.

I put on my housecoat and made my way downstairs, thankful that I never flew into Megan as I had planned on doing.

As I entered the kitchen, I found Mom and Megan at the table.

“You’re up early honey”, Mom said with a smile.

I yawned. “You can thank Woody Woodpecker for that.”

Megan and started Mom both started giggling as I told them about waking up to the knocking and thinking that it was Megan being a smartass. In my defense, my bedroom door and the window are almost side-by-side.

“Jessica honey, I was going to head over to the high school later to have you enrolled.   I just want to make sure that you are sure you want to attend there, we could always set you up in another school.” Mom said, knowing the trouble I had in the past at that school.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared about going back, Mom. I think everything will work out, though. Megan and Jennifer will be there, and Scotty will look out for me. Besides, I’ve already started making new friends.”

“Alright honey, but I want you to keep me informed.” Mom said, smiling.

“Don’t worry mom, she’ll be fine. Me and Jennifer will keep her out of trouble.”

“Alright, Megan. I’m just over protective right now, I guess. I want you both home after school, your father’s going to be coming home around supper time and I want to make him something special.” Mom said with a smile.

“Jessica, if we can get you setup today, what do you want to do? Attend classes or wait until Monday and start fresh.” Mom asked

“I guess if I had a choice, I would start today its boring sitting around the house all day and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Alright honey, we’ll see what happens once we have you enrolled.” Mom said

“A lot of catching up to do?”   Megan giggled. “You just want to see Scotty.”

I smiled. “That’s true, but there is no reason I can’t do both.”

 

[-][+][-]

After finishing breakfast, I took a quick shower and got ready to go to the school with Megan and mom. I was a little nervous because so much had happened there in the past. It held so many painful memories, but I knew that I had to put the past behind me if I ever wanted to find happiness.   In many ways, I was not the same person that I once was. That person died the day that I tried to take my own life, and since then there has been only Jessica.

The past is a hard thing to put behind you, and the things that you experienced tend to follow you into adulthood.   When I thought about school, it brought back all those feelings of being alone. The worst part for me was being transgender, or at least that was what I believed at the time. I knew in my heart that I was a girl, trapped in the wrong body.   

Then there was Scotty, and how painful it was watching him with other girls, wishing more than anything that I could have been one of them. I knew that there could never be anything between the two of us. I was a freak, or at least that is how I felt about myself back then.

How things have changed though, in such a short period. I still carry plenty of baggage, but for the most part, I’m happy and looking forward to the future. I hate to say it, and it might sound funny, but the best thing that I ever did was trying to kill myself. It forced me to become the person that I am today. It is hard to believe that one stupid act of desperation could have such a widespread effect over my life, but this one sure did.

It took me about a half hour but I was finally ready to leave, and made my way into the kitchen where both Mom and Megan were waiting.

“You ready to go now, Jessica?” Mom asked

“I guess so,” I said, frowning.

“Don’t worry Sis, everything will work out.” Megan told me

“I have something for you,” Mom said, reaching under the table and handing me a pink knapsack. You should find everything you will need for school. If there is anything that I forgot just let me know.” Mom smiled her reassurance.

 

[-][+][-]

After picking up Jennifer, we made the short ride to the school.   We could have made the walk but Mom had some errands to run after the meeting with the school’s principal.

“Hey Jessica, are you starting school today?” Jennifer asked smiling.

“Maybe, it depends on what the principal says.”

“Well, either way it will be nice to have you there.” Jennifer said with a smile

“Yeah, really, Scotty can stop asking us about you! I am starting to feel like your secretary, and an unpaid one at that.” Megan said grinning.

“Mom I ask a question? The principal knows who I am, doesn’t he?”

“Yes honey, he knows who you are, and the only reason is because someone had to arrange for your school records to be changed over to your new name and sex. I really don’t see him being a problem, and I will make sure he keeps what he knows to himself. There is no reason that the other teachers need to know, but I’m afraid some of them might figure it out on their own, Jessica.” Mom said sadly, knowing that secrets can be very hard to keep.

“I guess that what scares me. I’m not worried about the teachers knowing about me, because I doubt that they would react badly. I was always a girl. It was just a medical problem that made it hard to tell, what does worry me is if one of the teachers says something and one of the students overhears it. The way gossip gets around the school everyone will know before long. A few students would make my life a living hell if they found out who I really am. They wouldn’t care if I was a boy or girl, to them I would be just another target.” I said sadly.

“You’re talking about Steve and Dennis, aren’t you?” Megan said, frowning.

“Yeah Megan, if anyone was to try anything it would be them.” I said, with a worried expression.

Both Megan and Jennifer started giggling and I just looked at them. “This isn’t funny! They would seriously hurt me if they could.” I said a little angry with the both of them for laughing.

After the two of them finish their giggle fest Megan turned to me, “Jessica if any of those jerks even look at you funny, they will have the whole football team paying them a visit. I know you are new to being a girl, but you are dating Scotty and friends with some of the most popular kids in school now. Not to mention that Britney and Natasha have asked you to join the cheering squad. You are no longer on the outside looking in. I hate to tell you, but you are part of the in crowd now!” Megan said with a smile.

I found myself starting to understand what Megan had just said. It was true, for most of my life I didn’t feel that I belonged.   I used to sit and watch other people, wishing that I could change places with them and have their life because mine sucked big time, and most of those people wouldn’t have giving me the time of day. They knew who they were and had it easy for the most part.

Now I realized that I had crossed that invisible line and hadn’t even noticed. If what Megan had just said was true, I was now part of the group and no longer a nonentity. I was not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.   I had seen from first hand experience how many of these people treated the less fortunate students, who were unlucky enough not to fit in.

After Megan and Jennifer became part of this group, I was the one that did not fit in and because of peer pressure they choose to listen to the other kids and choose to end their friendship with me. They were afraid to loose their newfound popularity.   I am not willing to sell my soul just to be part of this group, not after everything I had gone through. I wasn’t going to allow myself become a nonentity again, either.    

 

[-][+][-]

 

“What’s wrong Jessica?” Jennifer asked looking worried

I looked over at Jennifer. “I think that I am way too easy to read.”

“No really Jessica, what’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about what Megan said about me being part of the popular crowd. I’m not sure if that is really a good thing or not.”

“Why would you say that, Jessica?” asked Megan.

“Experience, mostly. I know what it’s like to be on the other side.   I was pretty much a nonentity before, and I saw first hand how most of the popular kids were towards the kids that didn’t fit into their little clique. Megan, Jennifer please don’t take me wrong with I am about to say because I love the both of you to pieces but look what happened between us. “

“The three of us had been friends for years.   Then the two of you fell into the popular crowd. I wasn’t welcome, and I lost my best friends because of the two of you wanted to be popular.” I said in frustration

“You know that Megan and I are really sorry about that Jessica. We should have just told them to go to hell, but we didn’t.” Jennifer said, a tear running down her cheek.

“I know, Jennifer and I have forgiven the both of you, but, I am not willing to sell my soul so they will accept me into that clique. When looking back over my life I was always alone, and I watched life pass me by, it scares me to death thinking of going back to that existence.”

“There are some good people Jessica, look at Scotty, Britney and Natasha there all pretty popular but haven’t sold there soul to get where they are.” Megan said with a smile.

“We can have our own little clique, Jessica.   You may have noticed Megan and I have dropped the group that we were hanging with and we did it because of you. After everything that had happened, Megan and I felt terrible.” Jennifer said. “Those people only cared about themselves, and made fun of you and said things about you even after you ended up in the hospital.”

“The only people we talk to now you already know and they’re all good people. They’re popular, but don’t think they’re better then everyone else.” Jennifer said smiling

I had to admit, she was right. Britney and Natasha were not like the others that I had met, ever. Their boyfriends were decent, nice, and I enjoyed their company.

“You know Jessica that everything comes down to a choice. If you’re not sure of something, then talk about it with someone you trust before making a decision.   That is what I do and it helps to hear another person’s point of view.” Mom said with a smile.

[-][+][-]

 

Mom was right, it did help to talk things through rather then just act on them. I was sure, though, that I would make a lot of mistakes in the future. Sometimes its easier said then done, especially when emotions are involved. At least I knew that I had parents that cared for me and I could turn to them when I needed help, which was something that I never had before.

Its a good feeling, knowing that you have people in your life that will love and support you, even when you do something stupid. I knew that I could depend on them being there for me when the time came, and it made me feel wonderful.

 

 

Chapter 53

 

Wayne was busy working on his computer, when he heard the doorbell. Wayne clicked a button on his keyboard that turned on his wireless webcam. It was setup to give him a good view of who was coming and going, in his line of work one could never be to careful.   As the camera came to life and the image became clear, he had no problem recognizing that it was Adrian outside. He was holding a computer tower. Wayne didn’t need to guess where it had come from and took a deep breath. “Here we go,” he said to himself as he walked over to the door and let Adrian inside.

“I take it that’s the school’s computer?” Wayne said, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah I had some guys pick it up last night.” Adrian said as he placed it on Wayne’s workbench.

Adrian looked at Wayne, “How long do you think that you will need”

“I don’t know give me a few minutes to get it setup and I should be able to give you some idea.” Wayne said

After setting the computer up, Wayne hit the power button and the computer came to life-that is, until it hit the log on screen and asked for a username and password. Wayne tried a bunch of common ones that people that weren’t very computer savvy would likely use, knowing full well none of them would work.  

He then restarted the computer and did a fake attempt of going into safe mode.   Which wouldn’t work because he had been pressing the wrong button, he knew that Adrian didn’t know anything about computers so it was a good way to bluff that he was actually trying to break the security.

After trying a few other things he turned to Adrian, “The computer is locked down pretty tight; whoever the technician is that is taking care of the computers knows what he is doing.” Wayne said frowning

“So how long is it going to take you?” Adrian asked in frustration.

“Call me back around 4pm Adrian and I should have what you are looking for.”

“That’s eight hours, Wayne. It shouldn’t take you that long.” Adrian said

“Normally it wouldn’t, but the computer is locked down pretty good, what I would have normally done is use safe mode and create a new account. Then it’s pretty easy but whoever is taking care of the schools computer has locked me out.   I will have to install another drive to it, then an operating system so I can boot the computer. After that, I have to decrypt all the files on the drive.” Wayne said

“Alright Wayne, do what you have to, then call me as soon as you are done.”

“Sure thing, Adrian.” Wayne said, and watched as Adrian let himself out.

Wayne took a deep breath. “Well, I bought Rocco 8 hours.” he said to himself as he picked up the phone and called Rocco and let him know what happened.

[-][+][-]

 

Rocco was setting at St. Michaels Church wait for Daniel Gibson to arrive. Wayne had contacted him late in the night, and was able to setup a meeting. As Rocco sat there he thought about what he was doing and the implication of what he was about to do. He knew that he had the support of some of the family, but would it be enough when the shit hit the fan.  

While he was sitting there thinking, he heard someone call his name, turned around, and saw Daniel Gibson walking towards him.

“You wanted to see me?” Daniel asked as he took a seat next to Rocco

“Not really, but I didn’t have a choice, something bad is going down and there are some things that I won’t stand for.”

“So, what do you have for me?”

“Vincent needs to go, and I am willing to help you take him down.” Rocco said sadly

“Why are you doing this, Rocco? Are you looking to take his place?”

“That really depends on me making it through all this alive. To answer your question, there is a low life named Jake Roberts, and he went to Vincent to get help kidnapping he son.

I was given the job of finding Andrew Roberts and I’m good at my job. Vincent does not know that I have already found the child. If he did, then chances are the child would already be dead. I may have done some rotten things in my life Daniel, but I have never harmed a child and I am not going to start now.

Because I have been holding out, Vincent has hired someone else to find Andrew and it is only a matter of time before he puts the pieces together.   When he does, he’ll make his move and I’m sure that whatever happens, it won’t be good. Jake Roberts is the worst kind of scum.

“So when do you think that Vincent is going to make his move?” Daniel asked

“It will likely be in the next couple of days. The problem is Vincent has people inside the police force. If I had gone to them for help, it wouldn’t be very long before Vincent found out.” Rocco said sadly

“I see the problem.” Daniel thought for a few minutes. “There is only one solution that I can think of. If Vincent has people in the OPP, then I will have to contact the RCMP. We need an outside police force to handle this, otherwise Vincent will be tipped off and that is the last thing we need right now.

“So what happens to me after all this is done?” asked Rocco

“You don’t deserve to go to jail, that is for sure Rocco. I’ll find a way to keep your name out of it.” Daniel said with a smile

“Thanks, Daniel.” Rocco said wiping his brow.

“I’d better get going Rocco, I have a lot of work to do and I have to do it fast.”

While Daniel stood up and was about to shake Rocco’s hand, Rocco’s phone went off. When he looked at the number, he turned to Daniel. “You’d better wait, this might be important.”

“Hi Wayne, what’s up?” asked Rocco

Rocco hit the speaker button so Daniel could hear also

“I just had a visit from Adrian, he dropped the schools computer off with me and wants me to break the security, I told him that it would take about eight hours for me to get into the files. So whatever you are going to do you better do it now.” Wayne said, sounding worried.

“Alright thanks, Wayne. I’ll call you later.” Rocco said, hitting the end button on his phone. Then turning to Daniel, he asked, “Is that enough time for you to get something in place?

“I don’t know, but I’ll try, I hate to ask but is there anything else you can do to try and slow Adrian down?” Daniel asked, a little frustrated.

“Maybe, but I can’t promise anything, I’ll call you if anything changes.” Rocco said with a smile.

Rocco had an idea, it was a long shot but he was running out of time. Something needed to be done. He picked up his phone and called Adrian.

“Hey Adrian, I heard that Vincent gave you the job of finding Andrew Roberts. What the hell is going on, I do all the work and you walk in and take all the credit.”

“It’s not like that Rocco! To be honest, when Vincent asked me to take over I really didn’t want to, but he is the boss and you know what that means as well as I do. Please realize this is nothing personal.”

“I know Adrian, I am sorry it’s just a piss off. I did all that work and finally found the kid and was ready to grab him.”

“You found the kid?” Adrian said

“Yeah, it took a little work because they changed the kid’s name and everything.” Rocco said with a smile.

“Alright Rocco, we can bring him in together. I don’t mind sharing the credit.” Adrian said excited

“I can’t tell you the information over the phone Adrian. I think that there might be someone listening. Meet me at studio 5 and I’ll give you all the details, I’ll tell you everything that I know, be there at 3 pm.” Rocco said ending the call.

Chapter 54

 

After dropping Megan and Jennifer off Mom and I made our way to the principal’s office.   As I made my way down that hallway, it was like walking backwards in time for me. I saw familiar faces that I had attended classes when I was still living as Andrew, I think the hardest part though was as I passed the gym and found myself stopping dead in my tracks. I had thought that I had prepared myself mentally for this. I guess there are always some things that there is no really way to prepare for especially emotional connections.

As I stood there, I was watching the events of that day, playing in my mind. The day I tried to end my life. This was where it had happened. I had been in so much pain and was so confused and just wanted to be at peace.”

“Jessica, are you alright?” I kept hearing mom saying.

I finally started coming to my senses. “This is where it all started.” I said softly.

Mom reached over and put her arm around me, I was still kind of in a trance like state.   I opened the door and slowly walked inside looking over at the bleachers.

“This is where I took the pills, I was so confused, Mom. I just didn’t see hope, I was so lost and in so much pain.”

I found myself taking a seat.   Mom sat next to me and put her arm around me.

“It’s alright, Jessica. I should have realized this would happen. I know its hard baby, but what happened is over now. It’s in the past, and you need to move forward. The only way to do that is to put what happened behind you. You are a different person now, you have friends and a family that loves you and you will never have to feel like that again. Whatever happens, you will never be alone.” Mom said as she gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

I looked over at Mom. “I know, lets get this over with, and I will be alright.”

“Are you sure Jessica?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, the past just kind of crept up on me for a minute.” I decided to push those memories down, deep in my mind. I was Jessica, NOT Andrew, ever again.

“Alright, Jessica lets go see the principal.” Mom said with a smile.

 

[-][+][-]

 

John Hanson had been the principal at Burnaby High for close to 10 years. It had only been my first year at Burnaby, so to be honest I did not really know that man at all. I was pretty much an A+ student that never really got into any trouble so I really didn’t know what to make of him.

Mom and I waited in the office while the receptionist let him know that Mom and I were there. He only kept us waiting for a few minutes then invited Mom and I into his office. After we took a seat, he looked over at me then shook his head.

“Unbelievable,” he said shaking his head, and then smiled. “I am sorry, Jessica. It’s very hard to believe, seeing you now, that you were ever a boy.”

I looked at him and smiled. “Mr. Hanson, I’ve always been a girl. If it wasn’t for that medical disorder, everyone would have seen that.”

“I am sorry that you had to go though that Jessica. It couldn’t have been easy for you, spending all those years as a boy when all along you were a girl.”, Mr. Hanson said sadly. “Well, things are sorted now and you can start leaving the life that you were meant to live.”

He then turned to mom

“It’s good to see you again Janice, I have taken care of everything, and Jessica is free to start school. I took the liberty to setup a few of her classes already. I thought it would be easier for her to be in the same classes that Megan and Jennifer are in. I have left a few classes open though.” Mr. Hanson said with a smile.

“What classes are available?” I asked

“Music, Art and I believe there are a few others. Just take some time to let me know what you want and I’ll make the arrangements, Jessica.”

“Music and Art are both good, and how about Home Ed?” I asked.

“Done. Is there anything else I can do for you, my lady?” He said with a smile.

“Nope!” I said, returning his smile with one of my own.

“Mr. Hanson, I’m just wondering, what have you told her teachers?” Mom asked

“I figured that it would be best if I said nothing. There is no reason for me to say anything, other than that she is a new student.” Mr. Hanson said with a smile then turned to me. “I want you to know Jessica, if you have any problems or just need to talk, my door is always open.”

“Thanks Mr. Hanson but I think that I will be alright.   If anything does happen, I will remember what you said.” I said with a smile. “Would it be possible for me to start today?”

“I don’t see a problem with that Jessica. Are you sure that you are ready?” Mr. Hanson said, concerned.

“Yeah! I’ve been bored to death at home, and could use something to keep me busy. Besides, all my friends are here.” I said

“Well if that is what you want. I’ll arrange for the secretary to print out your class list, if it’s alright with your mother, that is?”

“If she wants to start today it’s fine with me.” She has everything with her that she will need to start classes,” Mom said with a smile.

 

[-][+][-]

 

I walked back to the car with mom and grabbed my knapsack out of the back seat them Mom turned to me.   “Do you want me to pick you up after school honey?”

“No Mom, I will likely get a ride back with Scotty if that’s alright”

“Have a good day baby, if anything happens I am just a phone call away.” Mom said as she leaned over and gave me a hug and kiss, she then smiled. “I am so proud of you Jessica, with everything you have been through and the way you’re dealing with things.”

I smiled, “Thanks Mom, but I think that you should take some of the credit. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think that I would have been able to make it. My real mother gave birth to me but she didn’t love me, not the way that you do and I couldn’t talk to her like I can you.” I said as the tears ran down my face.

Mom smiled, “Baby I always wanted another daughter and now I have two beautiful daughters. I am the lucky one.” Mom said, she was crying now also.

“I think we’re both lucky Mom, but I better get going, I’m already late for class! I will see you when I get home, I love you.” I said, and then headed into the school.

 

[-][+][-]

 

I arrived late for my first class but being a new student I had a good excuse, everyone seemed friendly.   In just about all my classes, I found that either Megan or Jennifer was there and it made it a lot easier.

It didn’t take long for word to get around that there was a new girl in the school and when the lunch bell went off, I found myself in the cafeteria, sitting at a table with Megan, Jennifer, Britney and Natasha, along the rest of the gang.

There was only one person that I was waiting to see, and when he came into the cafeteria, the first thing he did was look around the room until he saw me. It really didn’t take him long before he came over and I found myself in his arms. The food wasn’t the greatest but the atmosphere at our table seemed electric, well, at least it was to me. Everyone sat and enjoyed each other’s company.   Dinner went by way too fast, and before I knew it, school was finished for the day.

My first day at school turned out to be enjoyable. There were still times that the odd memory came into play, especially when I would see people that I used to know when I was living as Andrew but I did my best to try not to let myself get carried away and placed my focus on what was really important. The past was the past and I needed to look towards my future, so I tried to focus on positive things, like my family and friends and that seemed to snap me out of it.

Considering everything that happened, it should be interesting attending my first cheerleader practice tomorrow after school. To be honest, I was really looking forward to it, mostly because it would give me a chance to hang out with my friends, even if I had to wear a skimpy little skirt.

 

[-][+][-]

 

Adrian made his way inside Studio 5, which was pretty much abandoned these days. It was one of the properties that were owned by his organization.

  “Rocco are you in here?” he called out.

“Yeah Adrian, I’m in the office”, Rocco yelled back

Adrian walked towards that back of the building. It was hard to see, because the power had been turned off for over a year. All he had to light his way was the sunlight that made its way through the dirty windows.

Eventually he made his way into the office but there was no sign of Rocco. It was then that he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his back. He reached for his gun but it was too late, as everything went back and his body hit the floor.

 

 

[-][+][-]

 

End of part 22

To be continued in part 23