"It's about damn time Jameson!" Mason joked holding Jamie's driving permit in the air. "You sure this is real." he inspected it. The two walked through the crowded hallway.

"Will you give it a rest!" Jamie snatched his card back, placing it neatly in his wallet.

"It only took you two tries to pass the test!" Mason teased.

"So what! I have it don't I?" Jamie defended.

"I got mine first try." He held up his driving permit as well, stars lit up in Mason's eyes. Jamie shook his head. "Let me put my wallet and my binder in your backpack." Mason unzipped Jamie's backpack;

"Why wouldn't you bring your own backpack?" Jamie complained.

"Because it's the last day of school?" Mason retorted. "Only reason why you have your backpack is that you're a dork and want to take home extra summer homework."

"That's not true." Jamie pouted. Jamie and Mason finally made it out of the building and their summer vacation starts NOW: "I can't believe it's finally over, Junior year here we come."

"I know." Mason stretched. "But not so fast Reagan we have to make this summer count! I hear Junior year is a kick in the ass." They both began the 2 ½ mile walking journey home.

"Hey, guys!" A voice called immediately having two turn around. They both watched a dorky kid running up to them, although he was older than them you never would have thought looking at them side by side.

"What's his name again," Mason whispered, turning his head sideways.

"Clay, remember," Jamie whispered back.

"Hey Clay." Mason greeted, he finally caught up to them a bit out of breath.

"You remember me?" Clay smiled genuinely.

"Of course we do." Jamie smiled, Clay was a nice kid, he kept to himself and he didn't have many friends being that he moved here a few weeks ago, Jamie and Mason would eat lunch with him a couple of times.

"I didn't know you two walked home." Clay said.

"We never really do, today was a half-day and everyone in our families are working, so no ride." Clay nodded understanding. The three walked In the same direction for quite a while laughing making jokes along the way.

"So how long have you known each other?" Clay thought he'd asked, every time he'd see Jamie he was never without Mason and vice versa.

"About…" Mason looked at Jamie thinking. "14 ½ years?" Clay's eyes widened. "Our parents went to college together and ended up moving into the same neighborhood where they raised us."

"That's crazy!" Clay laughed.

"Yeah" Jamie laughed, "His dad is FDNY and my dad is NYPD totally different paths they're still good friends."

"Your families sound amazing."

"They're not all that," Mason replied.

"Look... they're a lot better than mine!" Clay laughed. "Do you guys want to go to the arcade for a little?" Jamie looked at Mason.

"Yeah sure, I've never been to the one on Fullerton," Jamie said. When the boys arrive to the arcade they played game after game after game until they noticed the sun began to set.

"Shit, its 6:30" Clay grabbed his bag. Jamie and Mason too, they couldn't believe time would fly like this.

"I gotta go, I'll see you two later!" Clay ran off, They both walked the same direction Clay ran off into.

"I wonder why he was in such a rush." Jamie wondered. Not seeing him in the distance anymore.

"Probably strict parents." Mason shrugged not giving it much thought. "We need to come here more, this arcade is so much better than the one in Bay Ridge."

"I know! Death zombies 3!" Jamie fan boy'd. "Ours only have number 1." Jamie continued to rant a bit about the games they played, Mason wasn't really listening he was more vigilant of their surroundings. The two have walked through this neighborhood a few times but never at night before and on top of that, the streets were empty.

"Shhhh! you hear that?" Mason stopped walking Jamie did too.

"Stop playing Mas, you always-"

"I'm not playing Jamie." Mason interrupted, he was dead serious.

"please … no, I'm not like them, believe me!" Their eyes widened, they both walked up further hearing a man's voice also were they heard the small cries. When they looked around the corner they saw a very familiar backpack on the floor, their eyes wandered further where they have seen no other than a man and a few other silhouettes standing around. what looked to be someone one the floor.

"Nothing personal kid." Loud gunshots rang out repeatedly stopping after five or so.

'Clay…' Jamie stood there trembling, he wanted to run but his legs were shaking too badly, Mason was doing very much the same, Jamie grabbed Mason's shoulder, pulling him to follow. Mason arm, unfortunately, hit the poll making a loud rattling noise and all eyes were on them. The two dashed off, causing the three from the ally following in close foot pursuit.

"Come on Mas." Jamie ran and ran hard as hell, Mason was behind him but he needed to run faster, The two hopped a wall and then another, looking back Jamie could only see one person, he wasn't too far behind but he knew if they kept this pace they could definitely outrun him.

"Over here, Mas." Jamie lead them, they ran through a park, Jamie thought they were in the clear so they let up running a little bit, but that turned out to be his and Mason's greatest mistake, looking back running, they both would periodically turn forward again but they're eyes stayed behind them watching. He turned right into two men blindsiding them, Jamie gasped for air, the tackle literally took the air out of them both he couldn't believe they were snuck up on like that.

"You boys run track?" One man said sarcastically a bit out of breath. Jamie rolled in the dirt holding his side tight, his ribs had to be cracked nothing else could explain this dying pain.

"Please! we didn't see anything, we heard shots and we ran-" other man kicked Mason, causing his nose to bleed. The one who kicked Mason checked his pockets, nothing, he then checked Jamie's pockets, nothing either, shoved Jamie over pulling off his backpack, causing the pain to be more excruciating.

"Two wallets." He tossed them to another man.

"Jameson Henry Reagan… Mason Derek Reid.. is that right?" They both nodded, Jamie still held his side in agony. "Let me tell you both, I'm feeling generous.." Jamie kind of sat up getting a look at the man. He swears something about him is..

"I'm going to let you both live.." The other men looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not going to kill two innocent kids."

"You're kidding… let's whack these two." One protested. The others seemingly agreed.

"Shut the hell up!" The man roared, that confirmed to Jamie that he was the boss.

"Let me tell you two something, you never saw a thing, we never met.." Mason and Jamie shook their heads yes, agreeing, tears streaming. "If you two so much as look left and not right.. if you say a word to the police… I'm Going To Come Back And Kill You." That threat sent shock waves throughout their skin. "After I kill you, I will then kill your families, you have sisters? I'll rape and kill them." His sinister laugh frightened them beyond anything. "By the look of it, you both live on the same street, so my killing spree shouldn't be hard at all." He stood up. "Go get those injuries to check out and oh.. I'll be taking these with me and I will be watching, don't slip up boys." He tossed their wallets back walking off with their permit cards in hand, the other three hesitantly followed him leaving Jamie and Mason graviling in the dirty.

"Are you okay?" Jamie winced, noticing Mason's nose bleed hadn't slowed down. Mason laidback in the dirty and let the tears flow. Jamie has known him all his life and never since elementary has he seen Mason cry. Mason took off his white now brown/ bloody sweaty t-shirt, carefully not to hit his nose in the process. He held it to his face and the bleeding began to stop but the pain hadn't. He watched Jamie and he was looking worse and worse, he had a hard time breathing.

"Can you stand up Jamie?" Mason gave him a hand. Jamie stood on his feet but the breathing got worse,

"I… can't breath-..." Mason had no idea what to do,

"Listen. Jamie I'm going to get help." Jamie grabbed his arm.

"No! what if something happens.." Jamie protested.

"I can't leave you here like this!" Just stay here okay? ill be back." Mason ran off, his shirt still cuddling his nose. Jamie laid their waves of pain flash over him and he gave in to it, he passed out.


"Jameson." Jamie heard in the distance, his name was said again causing him to open his eyes, his vision blurred, a breathing face mask laid on his face which he grabbed to take off but his hand was stopped, gaining his vision he finally saw who was calling him, a man in his 40s maybe? dark hair light-colored eyes. Jamie snatched his hand trying to move away from the man when an excruciating pain struck his side.

"Jamie calm down!" A woman's voice he knows shouted. Jamie turned to see his whole family staring in shock.

"Are you okay?" The doctor asked.

"How did I get here?" he ignored the question.

"What do you remember Jamie." Those words brought back the nightmare he experienced. He chose not to say a thing.

"I'm going to give you some more pain killers for your side." The doctor did, "If anything changes, let me know immediately he left giving them privacy.

"Jamie, what happened to you?" Joe asked concerned.

"Are you feeling well sweetheart." Mary looked at her youngest laid in a hospital bed.

"Yeah, mom." Jamie's eyes were blank. "Where's Mason!" Jamie again winced in pain.

"Calm down son." He came in with a fractured nose, but he's here. Jamie felt relieved.

"Mason said you two were playing football? is that what happened?" Erin interrupted. Danny rolled his eyes he wanted to hear it straight from Jamie.

"Oh yeah, I was tackled." He laughed nervously.

"Breaking two ribs and fracturing one?" Mary pondered.

"Mas came in with a broken nose and a cracked cheekbone." Joe added not believing their 'football' incident. "Jamie are you sure it was just football?" Jamie pulled the cover over his face.

"Yes!, it was football I wouldn't lie." Jamie spat. "Can you guys please leave me alone." He covered his face with the blanket. They all looked around confused by Jamie's dismissal. Joe huffed walking out of the room Danny then followed after Joe down the hall entering Mason's room. They paused in their steps Mason looked a hell of a lot different his nose now wrapped around and the long purple bruise vibrant under both his eyes.

"Tell me the truth!" David, Mason's father shouted. Joe and Danny walked in on an argument.

"I am Dad! we were playing football!" Mason protested.

"Okay... who were the kids that hurt you and Jamie!" David was obviously frustrated, being a firefighter/paramedic he knew these injuries did not add up.

"I don't..- they went to a different school." Mason shrugged. David looked over at Danny and Joe.

"Is Jamie okay?" Mason sat up wanting to hear the response to the question.

"Yeah, he just woke up," Joe replied a wave of relief washed over Mason.

"Just tell us the truth!" Mason's mom Amanda raised her voice.

"I did." Mason looked the other way.

"Mason I know those aren't from football!" David was again angry.

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you." Mason pulled the hospital blanket over his face. "Just leave me alone please." Mason broke. Joe and Danny made eye contact, the same exact thing what Mason is doing is what Jamie did. David bit his lip, his frustration was to the roof.

"Since you and Jamie are playing this game, you're grounded." Mason removed the blanket at his dad's words. "And better yet, until one of you confesses to what actually happened, you will not be allowed to go to his house and he can't come to ours." Mason's mom made eye contact with her husband, he's never gone as far when punishing to keep Jamie and him apart.

"Wha-" Mason bit his lip. "Whatever, please leave." Mason covered himself back upholding in the tears.

"Can we talk?" Joe asked David, David nodded. following the two men out the door.

"What did Jamie say on your end?" David asked after hearing the door shut.

"The same thing. He even covered his head like Mason with the blanket." Danny replied.

"Could they be telling the truth?"

"No." David and Danny replied in the same tone simultaneously.

"Mason's cracked cheekbone and the broken nose is a sign he was either punched, hit with an object, or kicked in the face."

"Jamie broke two ribs and fractured one, what high school kids are able to inflict that kind of damage." David nodded agreeing.

"Do you think they were Jumped?"

"Their hands are in the way to good condition, I mean if they were they would've fought back, whatever happened to them was completely one-sided.

"I agree." Hours later Mason was discharged Jamie hadn't been, his ribs made it extremely hard to breathe let alone move. Erin left first kissing her baby brother on the forehead, Danny left a few hours later, he mentioned a new case had come up. Mary, Frank, and Joe remained at the hospital alongside Jamie. When Jamie had dozed off, Joe took the remote and changed the channel to the evening news. Breaking news banners ran along with the whole screen, definitely gaining Joe's and Frank's attention.

'Tonight we brought you the breaking news of a Brooklyn teenager gunned down this evening in Fullerton Brooklyn, Sixteen-year-old Clayton Rizzotti was killed on his way from school, detectives are still investigating but at this time there are no current witness or suspects.

'He died.' Jaime slowly pulled the blanket over his face, he tried so hard to keep his sobs quiet, Frank pulled the blanket down from Jamie's head.

"Jamie?" Frank saw the tears.

"What's wrong sweetie?" When Mary's question went unanswered Joe stood out of his seat.

"Talk to us J."

"My side really hurts." tears and louder sobs echoed the room, the guilt of lying and hiding this deadly erect from his family was eating him alive.

"I'll get the doctor." Mary had rushed out of the room moments later returning with the doctor. just an hour earlier already gave Jamie morphine. The doctor overlooked his vitals.

"I can give Jamie just a little bit more of morphine if I give anymore he could overdose." Mary's eyes widened. "I'll check back in 30 minutes if the pain continues I'll have to take him out for a CT scan."Jamie tried his hardest to calm down a bit He didn't want to go for a CT scan when there was no need for it. Joe looked at his phone, he walked over to his dad bring what was on the screen to his father attention.

"The kid was apart of the Rizzoit crime family."

"You're kidding…" Frank pinched the bridge of his nose. "This could start a mob war."

"You think someone would put a hit out on a kid?" Frank certainly could, these mob families are ruthless.

"Let me go make some calls."


TBC

Just a little something I had in the drafts chapter two is ready, so drop a review if you're interested