Chapter 3: Chapter 3

"She is right here." I said using my hand to gesture around myself.

"We can see that." Barbie snapped. I turned my head and glared at her when she said that.

"Okay Max, what's your story?" Mike asked me leaning forward while sitting with his elbows on his raised knees and hands holding his head up.

"I don't have one." I could tell that they had all seen through my lie. I hated lying, the only reason I did right then was because it was very important that the story of my life must stay hidden.

"How can you not have one?" Sean questioned in disbelief. "Everyone has a story."

"What's yours then?" I snapped trying to change the topic of our conversation. I didn't like that I was the centre of attention among Jake's friends.

"Don't change the subject baby doll. We're talking about you." Jake turned sideways to look at me. He is going against me too?

"Baby doll?" Barbie asked Jake. "You call her baby doll?" She continued looking hurt.

Jake stared at her, looking confused when she looked hurt.

"You don't have a nickname for me." Sean snorted when he heard that was the reason why she was acting like a hurt puppy, more like hurt female dog.

"Actually, he already has you a nickname for you. It's cli-" Mike started before he was cut off by Shane.

"We don't need to know that." He said giving Mike a look before he looked pointedly at me and continued, "What we do need to know is your story, Max."

I sighed running my hands through my hair. "I can't tell you." I had just met them, I couldn't trust them with the story of my life!

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Mike spoke staring at me, disbelievingly.

"I just can't. It's complicated." I replied standing up and dusting my jeans off.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jake asked me, also standing up.

"I have to go." I continued, backing up from them when I bumped into someone else. I turned around and was met with someone I had never wanted to meet again after we had parted ways.

"Well, if it isn't little Maxine." Kane taunted. Billy and Freddy were stood behind him like they were his bodyguards, he probably had them following him around because they were built like bulldozers.

Kane was the leader of the gang I had left before we had moved to L.A. He was known as 'the Kailler' because of how well he could shoot a gun and how he showed no mercy. It was the combination of Kane and killer. He was mostly known by it that other gangs didn't even know his real name.

I glowered at him when he called me 'little Maxine'. He knew I hated to be called by my full name and he probably did it on purpose just to rile me up.

"What do you want Kailler?" Jake growled from beside me. I noticed that the others sitting on the grass were now all standing behind us.

"Oh, you're with 'the Jaggers' now?" Kane said motioning with his head towards them.

"What's your business if she is with us?" Jake said before I even opened my mouth.

"What are you even doing here, in L.A Kane?" I asked before he had the chance to answer Jake.

"You want to know what I'm doing here?" Kane moved his face closer to mine until he was only inches away as he spoke. "What are you doing with them?"

I glared at him and moved my head back as I said lowly, "None of your business. I have things to do and a life to get to, and I don't want to waste any more of my time on you when I have far more important people I could spend my time on." I shouldered past him and went straight for the back door so that I could leave the party through the house and to the front door.

"Max!" I heard Jake's voice yell after me, but I didn't stop, I continued stomping away until I was stopped by Jake's hand on my shoulder as he turned me around.

"What?!" I folded my arms across my chest and yelled over the loud music in the house.

"You can't just runaway!"

I opened my mouth to yell back but was cut off by him.

"You're Max, remember? You shouldn't runaway when people are trying to get close to you or when Kane has done something to you, even if it's extremely awful." He lectured. He was right, I shouldn't runaway from my problems. I shouldn't runaway from Kane.

"You're right, I shouldn't. And I won't." I unfolded my arms and let them fall to my sides, clenching my fists before I replied after thinking over what he had said.

"Good, now let's get you out of here." He took my hand and pulled me the rest of the way to the front door.

* * *

"A tattoo parlour? That's your way of cheering me up?" I asked Jake turning my head sideways to look at him as we stood in front of 'Skink'.

"A bad ass like you?" He smirked as he started walking over to the building's entrance with his hands in his pockets. "Yes."

I followed behind him into the shop. As we walked through the door, I noticed that there were people covered in tattos all around the place discussing amongst themselves.

He suddenly stopped walking and turned around looking at me straight in the eyes.

"What do you want to be tattooed on you."

I had no idea what I wanted to get. Until an idea came to mind, and I was sure it was going to blow Jake away.

"I want your gang tattoo." Jake shook his head with a smile as he stare at me expectant when I said that but looked confused when he realized that I wasn't joking.

"You're serious?" He looked at me like I was out of my mind.

"And now you think I'm crazy." I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest.

"Why do you want to be in my gang? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be in my gang or any gang?"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to be in Kane's gang?"

Jake shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "Fine. But remember, it's your choice baby doll."

"I know."

He sighed before walking over to the receptionist's desk while I waited for him by the entrance.

He motioned for me to follow him when he finished discussing with the receptionist and I followed him to the back. A woman was standing over an autoclave when we walked in. She had a look of surprise when she saw us as she looked up from what she was doing.

"Jake." She greeted. "Didn't think you would come back this soon."

"You think six months is soon?" She chuckled as Jake walked over to her and flashed a smile then turned towards me.

"This is Max, uhm .... a friend of mine." He scratched his head when he said friend. "And this is Grace, my tattoo artist for two years now."

"Nice to meet you Max," She nodded at me and I nodded back. "So which one of you is getting a tat?" She said as she continued sterilizing the tattoo equipment with the autoclave.

"Me, actually."

"Get on then." She said referring to the tattoo chair. I reclined on the chair and Jake stood by my side as we waited for her.

"You didn't tell me you're in a gang, and that it is The Jaggers." I shifted my head to stare at Jake.

"You didn't tell me you were in a gang either. And that Kane is the leader." Jake shot back at me.

"How did that happen?"

"How did what happen?" I asked back which made Jake stare at me blankly. "Fine. I'll tell you but not now when I'm going to be tattoed on."

"I'll hold you to it." Jake replied just as Grace finished what she was doing and came to stand over me, tattoo gun in hand.

"What kind do you want?" Grace asked. "She wants our gang's tattoo, Jaggers." She didn't look surprised at that, guess she was expecting it.

"Where do you want it?" I showed her the inside of my forearm and she nodded. "You ready, Max?" I nodded to answer her.

* * *

"How come you're the only one in your house every time I come by." Jake said after he had parked his motorcycle in front of my house.

"And how many times have you come by?" I took off the helmet that was on my head and started walking to the door.

"My dad and I were the only ones that live here but since he travels a lot, I now am the only one that does." I used my key to unlock the front door when I noticed Jake was still on his bike.

"Hey, You coming?!" I yelled over to him. I entered the house, turned on the lights and took off my jacket. I had left the door open for Jake and he came in when I was taking off my heeled boots.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back." I ran up the stairs and went to my bathroom to freshen up.

Jake was on the couch watching TV when I descended down the stairs. I sat down beside him and picked up the cell phone to order pizza.

"Pizza's on the way." I told Jake after I got off the phone. "What are you watching?"

"Some horror movie that I found in the drawer below the TV."

"You sure know how to get comfortable." He smirked when I said that.

"You told me to, baby doll." I playfully punched his arm. He held his arm like it really hurt, when I was sure it didn't.

"Ow. Why did you do that?" He complained pouting, he looked so cute.

"Because."

The door bell rang at that moment and I got up to get it. Probably the pizza delivery guy, but Jake stopped me. I looked to him with raised eyebrows in question. "I'll get it."

"But I need to pay him." I protested, but he shook his head with a smile.

"It's fine, I've got it covered." He said, already standing up to go to the door.

Jake came back a few minutes later with the pizza. He placed it on the living room center table, and sat back down beside me. I opened the box and picked up a slice as Jake did the same.

"So why did your dad leave you all alone in this house without an adult?" Jake asked as he finished eating up his pizza slice then grabbed another while I was halfway through mine.

I took in a deep breath and released it then swallowed the piece I was chewing in my mouth. "I am an adult actually, I turned eighteen last month and even like that he still wanted to hire someone to live with me while he was away. But I fought him on it, saying that he had to trust me now."

"Typical Max, always trying to get her way, and that's one of the things that I love about you." Jake drawled as he stared at my face.

"Love?" I asked as I paused eating and stared at him with both eyebrows raised in question.

He let the corner of his lips lift up in that smirk of his, "Yes, love."

"That is shocking." I said as I finished off my second slice of pizza.

He let out a slow, deep laugh, "Calm down, baby doll. I said one of the things that I love about you, I didn't confess my undying love for you."

I let out a low laugh of my own because of course I knew that, and well, he was full of himself which made him even hotter. "I know, but it's still… very shocking."

"I guess not many people have things they love about you." He said as his eyes pried into mine.

"No, that's why I'm the school's bad ass bad girl, remember?" I said quietly as I took my gaze from him and brought it to the two remaining slices of pizza.

"How can I forget?" He muttered as he kept staring at me while I turned my attention to the movie.