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Chapter 21 – Cracks Beneath the Surface

The sun was rising, but it felt like dusk inside Jake’s heart.

He couldn’t sleep the whole night.

His desk was covered in pages — sketches of Don’s old notebook, scribbles of names, symbols he didn’t understand. That word again: “Vice.”

Vice what? Vice leader? Vice captain? Vice what?

There were too many questions.

And no answers.

He ran a hand through his messy hair, grabbed his schoolbag, and headed out before his parents could even ask where he was going.

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Gor hadn't spoken to Don in two days.

He sat across the class but didn’t even glance his way.

Jake noticed it. The silence wasn’t casual anymore — it was like an invisible glass wall between them.

During recess, Jake walked up to Gor, who was sitting alone on the back stairs.

“I know what you saw the other day.”

Gor didn’t react.

“You followed Don.”

Finally, Gor looked up. “He’s not just our friend anymore, Jake. He’s someone else.”

Jake sat beside him. “You think he’s in trouble?”

“I think we are.”

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Meanwhile, Don was sitting on the school terrace, smoking quietly behind a broken water tank.

The wind was strong up there — like the world trying to shake him out of his thoughts.

He looked out at the horizon, eyes dark and far away.

He still remembered the first time Reaper called him “Vice.”

“Don, you’ve got a calm mind. That’s rare in the street. You’re second only to me. One day, you’ll wear the black fang.”

He laughed bitterly.

And where is Reaper now?

Gone. Vanished after the gang war that broke everything.

They weren’t brothers anymore. Just ghosts clinging to fading graffiti.

Still… someone was calling.

Old numbers buzzing his burner phone. Old names showing up near school. Whispered words.

Was B.F.G. returning?

Don wasn’t sure if he was ready.

But he knew one thing:

Jake and Gor could never know.

Not yet.

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That evening, Jake decided to take the risk.

He followed Don after school.

From a distance — like a shadow.

Don walked fast, past the station, through narrow lanes Jake didn’t even know existed. Past shuttered shops, old warehouses.

Then he turned.

And disappeared behind a rusted gate.

Jake waited. Listened.

He heard voices. Laughter. The clinking of metal.

Then—

A familiar voice.

“Vice is back.”

Jake froze.

Vice?

His heart sank.

Suddenly, the pieces clicked.

Don wasn’t just a member.

He was second-in-command of something he’d never told them about.

He turned and ran — not out of fear.

But heartbreak.

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At home, Gor stared at his phone.

He wanted to call Don.

He really did.

But his thumb hovered above the screen and never moved.

Because the Don he wanted to talk to… might not exist anymore.

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End of Chapter 21

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