It was a really long day in South Gate, California and I have just got home from work and have almost got in multiple fights already in one day, which is kind of normal for some reason. My name is Brianna; however, I am a guy, how unusual am I right? Maybe my parents didn’t love me at first; well only my mom because my dad left me when I was born. My homies call me B for short so I can sound more notorious. I don't live well but I don't live badly either. I have graduated from Aspire Gateway Academy with straight A’s and it was shocking for everyone, since I am a cholo. I decided not to go to college because I was tired of education and wanted to be free while having a job. I liked gangs and joined Barrio South Gate my senior year and they treated me like a brother. I was given a ‘63 Impala by them and I still drive it to this day. I thought it was cool to be in a gang in general. I moved out a year after I graduated into an apartment with my homie Chalino but we call him Chaco. We then moved to a bigger house. I have a job on the side while i deal.

“Yo here comes the boss,” warned Chaco to his soulmate. “Go through the back door before B comes.”

B doesn’t believe in that type of love so whenever B isn’t home his friend Chaco invites his soulmate over until he gets home

“Yo que onda B.”

“What’s up homes?” I said. “How is the house? Did you feed my perros? Did you sweep?”

“Yes bro you know I would take care of the dogs and la casa” said Chaco “Anything interesting happened today? Oh yea by the way, I brought some Modelos, have some.”

The two friends just started to drink since it was their own way of getting away from all their problems for at least a little while, especially on the weekends because there is no work on the weekend. Chaco and I just sat there drinking our Modelos while petting my perro and listening to corridos because they only spoke about the stuff we liked; the real stuff; especially from the 90’s. Me and my homie knocked out for a while then we went back inside and knocked out on the couch.

I woke up at 8 am this morning and decided to get ready to go to the swap meet because the swapmeet comes in handy for stuff I want or need and because I had nothing else better to do.

“Homie, want to go to the swapmeet?” I asked.

“No, I’m just going to sleep in this weekend,” Chaco responded.

“You’re hecka perezoso but it’s good ese,” I said.

Then I left to the swapmeet...walking because I like to walk to the swap meet because it isn’t very far from mi casa and it would be a waste of gasoline if I use the car to go somewhere like two minutes away from home. Right when I was going to leave I saw the new neighbors moving in. So I decided to talk to them.

“Hola señorita,” I said.

“Hola B,” she responded. “My name is Adriana.”

“How do you know my nickname?” I asked. “That’s crazy.”

“I’ve heard about you all the time, they call you the most notorious,” she responded.

“Wow through chisme,” I said as I was chuckling.

“Want me to help you with the boxes?”

“No it’s okay” she said.

“Well I have to go, see you later,” I said.

“See you later,” she said.

I went to the swapmeet after that and I was just looking around for what’s new since nearly every weekend there’s something new. After four hours I left the swapmeet with four jerseys, a belt, a speaker, and an agua fresca because it was hot.

A big group of people, most likely a gang, were seen at the moment B left. According to everyone, they were the Death Crowd Locos and it looked like they were taunting him.

“Aye it’s the man with a female name,” said the boss of the other gang.

“It’s the most notorious man in the city, ha ha,” said the other member.

“Y’all shut your mouths,” B said. “Why are y’all mocking me anyway? Y’all don’t even do things properly”

The boss and his gang members of the Death Crowd Locos were really mad and salty about what B said and then the gang snapped.

“Get the fool B,” shouted the boss.

B tried to fist fight them but he got hit hard and he tried to get up.

“Take the fool’s stuff,” the other gang members said.

They took his chains, his stuff he got from the swapmeet, and the money in his wallet. He was left with a bruise on his cheek.

“Kick his face,” yelled the gang members.

Right when they were going to kick him, B luckily got up and was able to run away before they were able to land anymore punches and kicks on his body and his face. He hopped over the fence where the train tracks were and hid from them and ran to his mom’s house instead of his house when the coast was clear.

“Mijo what happened to your face?” asked my mom.

“I fell mama,” I said.

“Tu eres un mentiroso,” she said. “Digame la verdad.”

“I got robbed and beat up by a gang,” I said.

“Ay yay yay mijo,” she said. “You’re always getting yourself into problems mijo.”

“I know, what am I supposed to do about that?” I asked. “Do I fight back? Shoot? What? I need my revenge! They would have left me out cold or even died; I would have died”

“You’re always trying to use violence to solve problems,” my mom said. “Try to not to use violence or quit gangs, I don’t even know why you’re in gangs in the first place.”

“Fine I’ll try,” I responded, knowing I was most likely not gonna follow her advice.

We told each other goodbye and I went walking back to my house butthurt and then I saw the Death Crowd Locos roaming around my house so I had to be really sneaky. I walked around and hopped over the fence of my back.

“Should I quit gang life or plan revenge?” I muttered to myself because my mom actually got me wondering.

After that I planned my revenge on the Death Crowd Locos.

When I was coming back home I saw my neighbor and she was nearly finished with her move-in process so I went to talk to her.

“Que onda senorita it’s me again,” I said

“Hi B,” she responded. “Wait, what happened to your face?”

“Um, I tripped and fell on metal,” I said.

“Mmhmm,” she said. “Well okay.”

“Anyways how was your day B?”

“It was good, how about yours,” I asked.

“Good too,” she said.

“Anyways I’m going back inside,” I said. “Before I leave can I have your number so we can talk even though we live next door?”

“Sure haha, here,” she said.

Adriana gave me her number before she went inside.

“Thank you,” I said. “Buenas noches.”

“Haha you’re welcome and good night to you too,” responded Adriana.

Then I went inside, brushed my teeth, and changed to go to sleep.

The next day, I woke up to go to church because I'm a child of god and Catholic.I got ready and turned on my car. I went and listened to the priest for an hour or so and then got my communion and then church ended. After that I took Chaco with me to go to eat somewhere. We went to La Barca, my favorite restaurant in South Gate.

“It’s weird that you brought me to eat somewhere esé,” Chaco said.

“Yes, I know Chalino,” B responded.

“Whoa you said my biological name too ese,” said Chaco. ‘That’s the first time in a while that you call me by my real name in a while.”

“Yup,” B said. “Wait la mesera is coming with our food, vamos a comer Chalino.”

They both ate and ate because they haven’t ate all day until they got full and couldn’t handle anymore food in them.

“Homie, you know how I hate chisme and stuff like that?” B asked. “I have chisme ese.”

“Damn bro you even have chisme and stuff like that? Spill it bro,” Chaco exclaimed quietly.

“Also, you know how I said I didn’t believe in love? B asked. “I want to try to get with the neighbor next door.”

“Orale vato,” Chaco said. “No wonder you’re acting really raro today ese.”

“Let’s go home foo, we forgot to clean and feed the dog.”

“Vamonos then,” B said.

They washed their dog and fed it then they cleaned their house; however, they got it dirty again a little bit for some reason. Then the two went to shower and got ready to sleep.

They got a week of break from work so they both slept in, B woke up and went outside to check his mailbox.

“Yo, who vandalized my yard?” I asked. “This shit ain’t funny or cool at all.

I saw the Death Crowd Locos disguised as homeless people thinking I wasn’t going to find them hidden.

“Maricones,” I yelled very loudly.

They all ran away from the house but I couldn’t do anything about it but just watch them run.

“You’re gonna pay for getting our founder arrested homie,” yelled one of the members.

Barrio South Gate and the Death Crowd Locos have been rivals for the longest time. We were on a mission long ago back when gangs were more powerful and dangerous and it was a crime scene this day. There was a gang shooting between Barrio South Gate and the Death Crowd Locos and the cops came to try to stop everything but then one of the Barrio South Gate members that were next to me shot at the cop and me and my homie dipped right when the founder of Death Crowd Locos was about to sneak attack us and the fallen cop had died and the cops saw and raged and then the whole gang left except one of them, which is the one that wants to find me to end me. He witnessed the founder being arrested. He overheard the judge say the founder will serve 20-30 years in prison for murder. Ever since the Death Crowd Locos were on the hunt on me even though I didn’t do it. I will just have to get them back. I need to get revenge on them back because of the time I almost got beat to death.

B told Chaco this story and Adriana overheard everything as she was watering her plants. Adriana didn’t like the story because B planned to kill and then she turned off her hose, ran inside, and started crying very loud to the point where Chaco heard it from outside and turned to B.

“Homie, la vecina is crying loud, check out what is going on,” said Chaco.

“I’ll call her right now vato,” I said. “Homie it went straight to voicemail.

“Go to her house, estupido,” said Chaco.

B walked to Adriana’s house then he opened the gate and he knocked on the door and then he saw the lights shut off.

“Cabron violento,” she yelled very loudly from inside. “Get away from me.”

B walked down back to his house and sat with Chaco in the front porch and grabbed his beer then chugged it.

“Estoy jodido Chaco,” I said.

“Maybe she overheard your story and plan vato,” said Chaco. “I don't know what to tell you.”

“This is on you this time homie. Talk to her meanwhile I take this call.”

Chaco walked inside to shower to get ready to sleep and then B sat down for half an hour outside alone before he walked in also and felt gloomy for a while.

B woke up and saw Adriana and decided to walk up to her.

“Sorry you had to hear about what I said last night,” I said. “It was just a thought, I'm not gonna do anything to them.”

“Are you sure?” asked Adriana.

“Yes I'm sure,” I said. “So do you forgive me?”

“Yes,” she said.

B and Adriana hugged it out and they both went inside.

“Yo so you’re going to go against the gang still?” asked Chaco. “They somehow got my number and told me to tell you that to meet them at Watts Tower at 9:00 pm or they will not only finish you, but me too.”

“Tell them I’ll be there at that time,” I told Chaco.

“I just told him boss,” said Chaco.

“Que hora es?” I asked.

“Eight-thirty bro,” said Chaco.

“Let’s go bro, better to have only one of us gone rather than both.”

Chaco giggled a little bit.

“Shut up big dummy,” I said. “Let’s go.”

The two guys stayed talking about various topics as they were heading to Watts Tower.

“Yo, so like I'm glad you showed me there's hope homes,” I said.

“Yee bro I told you so,” Chaco said. “So did it go well?”

“Yee bro, she loves me,” I said.

“That’s good to hear bro,” Chaco said.

“Aye, just in case I die, it was good hanging with you big dawg,” I said.

“Thanks bro,” Chaco responded.

“Welp we’re here. Good luck.”

B left and looked for the ones that challenged them. As he was looking Chaco saw Adrianna walking by the Watts Tower and Chaco wanted to warn B but he didn’t want to blow neither his cover nor B’s. Chaco got caught by one of the lieutenants of the gang and got taken out of the car and wasn’t heard of for a while. Adrianna saw B and she didn’t like what she saw. She saw B with a weapon roaming around and then B saw her and she ran away from him. He saw a car coming by slowly and then...