"Him and I?" I asked, curiously and Noah nodded.

"Perfect couple?" I almost laughed at the sound of it while I looked the other way.

"That's nonsense." Tyson slightly chuckled as he shook his head and I started to laugh in agreement.

"Why would I even be with her?" Tyson asked while sounding curious and I slowly pushed my loose hair behind my ear as I lean back in the sofa.

"You said, you wanted a bad bitch and she's an average bad bitch, no fucking offense, plus she's our number one girl." Mason said as he pointed a finger at me and I raised a brow at him.

"Oh, come on, bro...Not you, too." I heard Chase groaning at the topic.

"And guess what, Mason and Noah?" Tyson exhaled a breath as he looked between both boys.

"I don't give a fuck about what you both think at this point." Tyson said before he spread his hands onto the headrest of the sofa.

"Or two." I added with a nod.

"Perfect...Ashley and Tyson...Ashanti...Ash for Ashley and Tyson can be quite antisocial at times, so Ashanti." Noah started to speak while touching his jaw as he looked between us.

"That's my ship for you both." Noah told us with a nod and Tyson shared a look with me before we both burst into laughter.

"What?" I asked, confusingly while I tried to catch my breath.

"I don't even want to know what you're thinking about." Tyson shook his head at Noah.

"I want a ship for them, too." I heard Mason saying as he sat up in the sofa chair and I stared at him in questioning.

"What about Tashley?" Mason snapped his fingers while he looked at Noah.

Noah chuckled.

"Okay, what's up with the ships?" I asked, curiously while I looked between them.

"Why are we here again?" Chase suddenly asked with a hand underneath his jaw and he seemed quite annoyed at the moment.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Tyson said as removed his hands from the headrest with a tensed expression on his face.

"I will go upstairs." I spoke too soon as I stood up from the sofa, since I wanted to escape from the presence of these boys.

"No...You are supposed to hear about this, too, Ashley." Tyson informed me as he held my hand and I curiously looked at him.

I slowly nodded before I took my seat in the sofa, between Tyson and Tyler, once again.

"Guys." Tyson released my hand before he ruffled his hair and I watched as the air got tensed in the living room.

"Ashley knows about the alliance." Tyson said as he looked at them and I stared at him in silence.

"What...You fricking told her?" I heard Mason asking with a groan while he gestured a hand towards me.

"We are not going to kill her, right, because she's sitting right before us and I just fucking met her." Noah said with a sigh while he looked at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What?" I immediately looked at Tyson and he shook his head while he rested a hand against my leg.

"He's just joking, we don't kill innocent girls." Mason informed me while he glared at Noah and I suspiciously looked around at them.

"Or women." Tyler added with a nod and Noah chuckled nervously while staring at me.

"Nor children." I heard Chase confirming.

Noah slowly nodded.

"My bad, I thought Tyson was changing the rules." Noah told me with an upside smile.

"Anyways...She found out, so I had to explain the situation." Tyson informed them while he pat my leg and they slowly nodded.

"Oh, the gang." I muttered to myself then I looked over at Noah as he spoke...

"So, you don't hate us, right?" Noah decided to question while he scratched the back of his head.

"What...Why would I?" I asked, curiously.

"Though I thought you were just about to kill me." I slightly chuckled while running a hand through my hair.

Noah smiled at me.

"Since most people would freak out and say we are criminals and blah blah blah." I heard Chase responding and I looked at him since his words reminded me about my stepmother.

"Well, I am not like most people, but I understand what you are saying." I informed him and he stared at me in silence.

"As I was saying, she knows." I heard Tyson breaking the silence as he removed his hand from my leg and I looked at him, instead.

"So, what's the problem?" Tyler asked, curiously from my left side in the sofa.

"One of our old rivals knows about her." Tyson looked at me with his face tensed and I kept eye contact with him until...

"What...How...Who?" I heard Mason asking, furiously as he stood up from his chair.

I slightly smiled at him.

"It's a long story, but it's the Western Gang." Tyson spoke with a small sigh.

Mason slowly started to walk around in the living room while looking pissed off.

"So, we have to protect her, right?" Chase asked while leaning backwards in his seat and Tyson slowly nodded.

"But, I don't see the big deal about this." I admitted while looking around at them.

"They will stalk you down and debate with each other whether they should try to hurt you before or after they kidnap you." I watched as Tyson stood up from the sofa and I stared at him.

"If they somehow succeed, that will make us quite contagious when we start hunting them down and killing them, one by one while starting with the leader." Tyson slowly spoke as he looked at me with his hands in his pockets.

"And we are currently not in the condition of confirming a gang war or duel between leaders, so we have to keep you safe until we have a conclusion since you're now my liability." He sighed as if it was his fault and I continued to stare at him.

"Oh." Is all I could say, since the situation was starting to remind me of my old town while I was trying to forget...

"Let's just go and play some soccer, before Mason loses his mind." Noah suggested while looking over at Mason.

Mason was currently leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and Tyson sighed.

"Yeah...Let's go." I agreed while I stood up from the sofa.

"You play soccer?" Tyson looked at me with a raised brow.

"Not professionally, but I like the game." I told him with a slight smile and he slowly nods.

"Come on, guys, this is soccer we're talking about." Mason was getting fired up as he walked away and I chuckled while Noah stood up from the floor.

"I will be right back." I said when I remembered I was wearing a casual dress.

"Hurry up, blonde." Tyson told me and I rolled my eyes, playfully.

I ran up the staircase to my bedroom and I quickly slide out of my dress to wear a basic blouse with a pair of shorts.

Then I returned downstairs and I entered the backyard to see the boys standing in a mowed lawn beside a large pool which was filled with water.

"Maybe I will like it here?" I muttered to myself as I approached the boys.

"Ashley, Tyson and Noah will be on one team." Mason suggested as he looked around at us and we nodded.

"Tyler, Chase and I will be on the next team." Mason continued then we began the game of soccer.

"Let's play ball, boys!"

*********

"Ashley, you fucking rock, I can't believe we won again." Noah cheered with his hands in the air and I tried to catch my breath.

We won by four points and Mason along with the others were currently facing the feeling of losing.

"I can't believe we got beaten by a girl." I heard Chase saying as he ran a hand over his messy hair and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked, curiously as I stood straight with my hands resting on my hips.

"Girls can play soccer too, bro." Noah informed Chase as he leans against Mason and I nodded in agreement.

"You know what...I just remembered I got a party to attend, tonight and it's getting dark, so I will see you soon, Ashley." Chase exhaled a deep breath before he waves 'bye'.

I simply nodded.

"I am going, too." Mason said as he threw his arm over Noah's shoulder.

"Count me in." Tyler agreed while he slide into his shirt.

"Me, three." Noah said as he lends his enthusiastic strength to Mason while they both started to walk.

"Aren't you going with them?" I turned my attention to Tyson and I watched as he ruffled his hair with his shirt.

"I am too exhausted, right now." Tyson rejected before he slowly stretched his hands into the air.

"Whatever, dude." Mason waved him off as he continued to walk away with Noah.

"Bye, Ashley." Noah shouted and Tyler waved 'bye' to me while leaving with Chase.

Then I looked at Tyson and he started to walk towards the house in silence. I slowly looked around in the backyard and I slightly smiled to myself as I returned to the guest room which was currently my bedroom.

An hour later, I was laying on the bed after taking a warm bath and putting on a pair of night clothes.

As I scrolled through my phone, I heard a knock and I looked at the door before I answered...

"Enter." I said while I slowly sat on the bed then I saw Tyson stepping into my room.

"Let's watch a movie in the living room." He suggested as he leans against the door frame with his hands inside the pockets of his sweatpants while he was shirtless.

"Are you asking or telling me?" I raised a brow at his tone.

He slightly chuckled as he rested his head against the door frame while looking at me.

"Come on, blonde, you know I'm not good at this." He told me and I ran a hand through my hair as I chuckled.

"Okay, but only in one condition." I said as I placed my phone on the bed and he slowly nods while standing straight.

"You have to stop calling me, blonde." I declared while staring at him and he chuckled as he approached my bed.

"Okay." Is all he said while he shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait...that was too easy." I said as I pointed a finger at him while he stood by my bed.

"Come on, baby." He smirked as he held my hand and I groaned while he pulled me up from the bed.

Then we went down the stairs to the living room in silence.

We sat on the sofa and I watched as he turned the television on then he entered a Netflix account to start a suggested movie.

He placed an arm around my shoulders while we sat side by side and I slowly relaxed in the sofa as he looked at me.

I looked at him as my lips curved into a small smile and he softly chuckled before we started to watch the movie.