"Hey, blonde." I heard a voice behind me and I slowly turned around to see Tyson, walking towards me.

"Can I borrow your phone?" He asked as he stood beside me and I looked around before raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why?" I asked, curiously as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"My phone battery is dead and I want to call someone at home." He told me with a sigh as he fixed his bag over his shoulder and I slowly nodded.

I swiped in the password and I handed it to him then he stepped aside while I held my bag.

Today, I had the most boring day since Chase nor Mason didn't show up at school and I accidentally forgot to refill my car with gas, this morning.

I rolled my eyes.

"No response." I heard Tyson groaning and I looked at him while running a hand through my hair.

"What exactly did you want?" I questioned.

"Well, my bike tires are damaged and none of my friends aren't here to give me a ride home, so I decided to call home, but my phone is fucking dead." He seemed pissed off and I sighed since I could relate.

"Wait, you could give me a drive." He looked at me while he held out my phone and I shook my head.

"My car is out of gas." I said as I pointed to the parking lot and he scoffed while I placed my phone inside my bag.

"You came to school with a half filled tank?" He raised a brow as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Quarter." I corrected him and he rolled his eyes while looking the other way.

"I was running late for a test and I thought it would be sufficient." I said as I shrugged my shoulders and he looked at me with an unbelievable expression.

"So, did you called your Father?" He asked, curiously and I nodded.

"He didn't pick up, so I'm guessing he's busy and my stepmother is currently on a tour." I exhaled a deep breath while I looked at the school gates.

"That's why I was heading out to get a cab." I said with a slight smile as I returned my attention to him and he slowly nodded.

"Okay, let me join you." He suggested with a small sigh and I shrugged it off.

We both started to exit the school in silence and we walked towards the nearest town in the City.

When we were about to walk past a green park, I started to feel a strange energy as if we were being followed.

I glanced behind me and I noticed a black car tailing us on the partly empty road then I slowly looked ahead.

"Tyson, I think we are being followed." I informed him though I thought I was being paranoid.

"I see the car too." He confirmed and my breathing hitched in my chest as I stared at him.

"Who is following us?" I asked, curiously while I looked ahead as we continued to walk.

"I am not quite sure, but I memorized an image of the license plate in my head." He told me as he stared ahead and I slowly nodded.

"Just keep your eyes ahead." He informed me as he fixed his bag over his shoulder.

"And it's getting darker." I noticed as I glanced up at the sky.

"I can see that too." He sounded annoyed at the moment and I kept my attention ahead as we walked.

"Do you have a plan in mind?" I questioned as I glanced at him.

He tensed up before he looked at me and I stared at him in curiosity of my...well our safety.

"Okay." He exhaled a breath while he slowly looked around at our surroundings.

"We will turn left on that road ahead and we should see an abandoned warehouse nearby." He started to explain while looking ahead on the road.

"We should be able to hide inside until the car is out of sight, but we are going to run as fast as we can." He declared while looking at me and I slowly nodded.

"So, how are you so sure there's an abandoned warehouse nearby?" I asked, suspiciously.

"It's a long story." He slightly chuckled and I stared at him as we continued to walk.

Then suddenly, the car which was tailing behind us started to speed up and I heard bullets firing.

"Run!" He shouted as he grabbed my hand and we started to run across the road.

By the time we arrived at the road ahead, we quickly turned left onto a different road and we continued to run until we stumbled upon a warehouse.

I stared at the warehouse which seemed as if it was abandoned from many years.

Then I looked at Tyson as he pulled me through the opened corroded gates and we ran towards the warehouse which had a wide property.

We managed to get inside though the doors were rusty and I discovered the warehouse was completely empty while I looked around.

Then we cautiously walked up the old staircase which led to six different rooms and he quickly led me into one of the rooms.

The rooms turned out to be offices and I looked around as Tyson opened a basement entry in the rooftop of the room.

Tyson pulled down the entry ladder and he climbed into basement by using the ladder before extending a hand.

"It's safe, trust me." He told me while he held out his hand and I slowly looked behind me when I heard sound coming from the outside.

Then I looked at him in silence and I exhaled a breath before I climb up the entry ladder.

I took his hand and he pulled me into the basement.

He slowly closed the entry by pulling up the ladder then I realized my surrounding was flat, but also dark and mucky.

"Ashley. Are you okay?" I heard Tyson whispering as we both stood inside the basement.

"We are not safe yet, so no, I am not." I whispered while I tried to stay still and he chuckled, softly.

Then I grabbed for his hand when I heard a sudden noise coming from downstairs.

He held my hand and I looked in his direction though the basement was filled with darkness.

It was silent for a while before the sound of footsteps started to ascend up the staircase and we both tried to control our breathing to remain quiet.

"Search every single open space inside this old piece of junk." I heard the voice of the man ordering.

I tightly held onto Tyson hand as thoughts filled my head and he slowly started to caress my fingers while we listened, carefully.

"There is no one here, sir." I heard another voice after few minutes.

"What do you mean, there's no one here!" I heard the first man questioning with aggressiveness in his husky voice.

"Where the fuck could he have went?" He continued to question in the same tone.

He...who? Wait...are they talking about Tyson?

"He was with a girl, but I'm very sure there's no one here, sir." I heard a third voice.

"Let's go."

I heard the frustration of groans followed by a group of footsteps retreating below us and we waited in silence for a next ten minutes.

Then we both exhaled a deep breath when we returned downstairs and I slowly retreated my hand from his held.

We cautiously exited the old warehouse and we found our way to the nearest store in the town.

I looked around at the street lights and people shopping while others were moving around, casually.

We both sat on an outside bench with our bags in hand and I curiously looked at Tyson.

"Who were those people and why were they after you?" I placed my questions before me and he sighed.

"And were they the ones who damaged your bike tires?" I asked, curiously while examining the situation.

"It's a long story." Tyson told me while looking in another direction.

"And now would be the right time for a long story which apparently concerns my life." I informed him and he slowly turned his attention to me.

"But, I don't know if I can trust you, blonde." He said, bluntly and my mouth fell wide open.

"You don't trust me, but you agreed to be friends with me? How does that work?" I scoffed at him though I didn't actually trust him either.

"Friends?" I watched as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, 'friends'." I spoke with gestures and he slowly ruffled his hair.

"Well, I just don't want to get you involved with my personal problems." He declared as he leans back in the bench.

"What personal problems?" I asked, curiously as I stared at him.

"Just get over it, already." He said, coldly while looking at the ground and I scoffed.

"I am already in it, so how am I supposed to get over it? Didn't you hear when he said, a girl was with 'him' and I don't know if they saw my face with you." I raised my voice at him and he rolled his eyes.

"And now, you're telling me...you don't trust me, so I'm supposed to just get over it?" I asked, angrily while I glared at him.

"Okay, stop freaking out." He held me by the ear and I frowned before I slightly smacked him in the chest.

"I'm sure other girls would've just simply listened to me, but you're one stubborn chick." He sighed as he released my ear and I watched as he touched his forehead.

"Well, that's a pity, so start explaining what just happened." I returned to the main topic and he slowly looked at me.

"I'm a gang leader and I built one of the strongest gang in this City, so other leaders always try to pick a war to take a chance of winning over gangsters." He started to explain and I stared at him in silence.

"But, they mostly go after leaders to gain the opportunity of becoming the next strongest Boss to run the criminal organization in the City and I'm currently the youngest leader in this City, so I'm regularly targeted." He slowly explained.

Then I started to laugh.

"Are you being serious, right now?" I chuckled while running a hand through my hair.

He stared at me with bluntness in his eyes and my eyes widened.

"Oh, my God...You're actually being serious." I said as I touched my face and he sighed while he looked at the stores.

Tyson is a gang leader?

"Okay, the thing is, I used to be in a gang back home with my ex-boyfriend and my brother along with some old friends, so this is basically karma catching up with me." I confessed as I stared at him and he was the one laughing now.

"You were in a gang?" He scoffed before he shook his head and I rolled my eyes.

"Can you even use a pistol, blonde?" He narrowed his eyes at me and I lean back in the bench while I looked at the road.

"Unbelievable." He continued to chuckle at me.

"Have you killed anyone?" I decided to asked him.

"Only dangerous and guilty people who try to interfere with my gang, family and life." He confirmed, tensely while we exchanged eye contact.

"What about you?" He asked with a slight smirk on his face.

"Only one boy." I lied while stretching my feet and he raised a brow at me.

"What did he do?" He asked, seeming curious.

"He tried to kiss me." I smirked at him and he playfully rolled his eyes.

"Well, I am glad you understand the situation and I will try to sort out this minor issue which occurred today, to avoid risking your life." He informed me with a nod and I slowly nodded.

"We should probably head home first, though." He suggested while looking around at our surroundings and I agreed.

"Try calling your father." He told me and I took out my phone to ring my Dad.

After five calls, he finally decided to answer...

"Ashley! Where the hell are you, it's minutes past 7 o'clock and I just arrived to hear you never came home!" I heard my Dad yelling through my phone.

"Dad, my car ran out of gas and I am currently at some sort of grocery store." I said while looking around.

"Okay, I will send a vehicle to pick you up, so text me the street address." He informed me.

"I'm not the only one here." I told him while I looked at Tyson.

"Who else is with you?" I heard my Dad sounding curious over my phone.

"A friend." I said as I ran a hand through my hair and Tyson looked at me.

"Boy or girl?" I heard my Dad questioning before clearing his throat.

"A boy." I sighed before I quickly hung up.

"What did he say?" I heard Tyson asking and I looked at him.

"He's sending someone to pick us up, so I'm going to text him the street address." I confirmed while I exhaled a deep breath.

He nods.