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[sub][color=#6A92B5][b]{[/b][/color][b] "Okay, so it all went down on a Friday night..." [/b][color=#6A92B5][b]}[/b][/color][/sub][/center][hr][hr]It was a cool, Friday night and Valentina Castro was headed for the bodega. In one hand she held her newly repaired cellphone to her ear, and in the other she held her wallet. The corner store was just a few blocks away from Tina's home, so she didn't bother driving or catching the bus. Instead, she walked briskly down the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior on the way. Having lived in North Long Beach her entire life, Valentina knew these streets like the back of her hand, which also meant that she knew just how dangerous they could be late at night. Nevertheless, she continued on, alone and slightly shivering from the gentle breeze. She only had one thing on her mind: food.

Just like every other Friday, Valentina had participated in another boxing match down at her father's gym earlier in the day; Just like every other match, she'd kicked some serious ass. As a reward, her Papa decided to let her have the rest of the day off; She spent the majority of her time laying around, eating junk food, and playing video games with her online buddies. In fact, the only reason she'd even left the comfort of her California king bed was because she'd run out of hot fries. 

[color=#6A92B5]"I'm comin' up there now, just wait a few minutes,"[/color] Tina spoke into her cellphone, [color=#6A92B5]"You know I usually get the 40 ounce and some honey Backwoods. I'll pay you back when I get there."[/color] On the other end of the line was none other than Charlie Benson, one of Tina's long term homeboys. The only reason she kept in touch with him, however, was because he was twenty-two years old and, therefore, old enough to purchase alcohol. Valentina didn't drink or smoke that often; In fact, working with her father in the gym made it nearly impossible to do without him finding out. However, whenever she did feel the need to ease the pain, Charlie was always the man to call.

She was just about to say something more to the older man when she suddenly felt a large hand wrap around her forearm. In a matter of seconds, Tina's cell phone was out of her hand and face down on the concrete, her wallet following soon after. The young woman was then pulled into a nearby alley, the attacker shoving her against the brick wall and wrapping his hand around her throat. [i]"What's a pretty little [i]bitch[/i] like you doing walking around these parts at this time of night, huh?"[/i] The man spoke in a raspy voice. Tina simply held the man's wrist with her free hand, trying desperately to escape from his tight grip. It was dark, especially now that she'd been pulled into an alley, but she still squinted her eyes to try and identify her attacker. The face she saw would be the same face she'd see in her nightmares for months to come.
[hr][hr][color=#6A92B5]"It was Marcus,"[/color] Tina said to her small group of friends as she leaned back in her seat, [color=#6A92B5]"he went to school with us, but he was a grade lower than me. I used to hang with him when we were kids. His older brother was gang affiliated, but I never would have guessed that Marcus would follow in his footsteps. He's such a smart kid."[/color] As the young woman spoke, scenes from that night replayed themselves in her mind, causing her to shudder. Although growing up in a rough area and witnessing a few crimes herself, Tina had, up until then, been fortunate enough to not be an actual [i]victim[/i]. Now she saw things in a completely different light, and she didn't like it in the slightest.

[color=#6A92B5]"I got away from him, thanks to my Papa's switchblade, but it was still a close call. That man could've killed me."[/color] After listening to the others tell their stories, Tina couldn't help but feel angry. She'd even clenched her teeth and balled up her fist when she heard about what happened to Ally the week before. It just seemed like so many people close to her were getting hurt thanks to these street thugs. [color=#6A92B5]"If only there was something we could do, you know?"[/color] Valentina muttered under her breath before folding her arms across her chest and preparing for another story.
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