It was fairly easy for students to get a day off at the academy, and due to Gary's position it was easier for him. It wasn't as if he was a failing student. With that, he was following the instructions he had been given by Izzy.
Heading outside of the academy, there was the driveway and here she was waiting, unlike himself she wasn't in her AFC uniform and appeared to be dressed up a bit, at least the most dressed up he had ever seen Izzy before.
She was wearing black shorts with fishnet stockings, and a relatively short open black top that showed her midriff and belly button. The clothing showed off her hard working body in a different light that Gary had never seen before.
"Now I feel a bit underdressed." Gary commented.
"It's okay." Izzy smiled. "It's just when I see my parents I always feel a bit more comfortable in something like this. They will understand."
It was hitting Gary a little bit that he was going to see Izzy's parents, it was a strange development because he wasn't going as someone from the Howlers, but more so someone from the AFA who knew their daughter but happened to be in the Howlers.
The two waited for a bit, and it felt strange. Usually the two would be able to speak if they were on their own but it would always be related to stuff in the AFA, now without Ian, it for some reason just felt awkward to say anything.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJust as Gary was about to open his mouth to at least say something, he could hear the sound of tires screeching. Someone was coming toward them and they were driving relatively roughly, and it looked like he was right, as he could see what looked like a van drive around the corner and stop right in front of them.
"Oh, no." Izzy mumbled to herself as she saw the van. It wasn't just a regular van, as on the side there was a large picture of someone cooking with a wok and chucking food in the air. It was one of the many food vans that her family owned.
The problem wasn't with the van itself though, it was with who was in it. The van came to a screeching halt in front of the two, and immediately the door slid open as well as the driver's door.
"So… I am here to pick up a Gary… is that correct?" The voice was coming from the driver, a muscular man with a sleeveless shirt on and a bandana who also had a big grin on his face when saying those words.
It wasn't just him though, as a row of people came out from the van standing tall, and each of them were looking at them and in particular staring at Gary. All of them had a bandana on their head, and sleeveless shirts like they were part of some gang, but they were just cooks.
There were a total of five including the driver, four males and one female, who also didn't look like a cook but more like a fighter, based on toned muscles on the body.
"Gary… these are all of my cousins, everyone, meet Gary… and please don't embarrass me." Izzy said.
After introductions were done, with a nice firm handshake from them all, and a look up and down from them, they entered the van and were on their way. Both Gary and Izzy were sitting in the back of the van and Izzy couldn't stop shaking her head.
She couldn't believe her parents, because they hadn't just sent one of her cousins, but had sent them all, and it was quite obvious what they were trying to do.
"So Gary, it's a big day, meeting one of your classmates' parents, don't you think you should have dressed up a bit. What's wrong, don't you own a nice suit?" One of the men asked.
"That isn't his fault, you guys suddenly wanted to meet as soon as possible, and besides I told him to look casual." Izzy replied before Gary could answer.
Another cousin of Izzy, named Shanesea, was seated just in front of him. She turned her head looking at Gary up and down, and reached out to grab his bicep, she was stroking his arm almost.
"I kind of like what you're wearing, it shows off his body." Shanesea said with a wink. "Tell me something, Gary, how experienced are you?"
"Experienced?" Gary replied gulping, and his heart rate was rising a bit.
"Come on, you know what I'm talking about, are you still a virgin?"
"Shanesea!" Izzy screamed red faced and she couldn't be more embarrassed by her family right now.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Oh come on, you guys are practically adults, is it really so strange?" Shanesea said. "I mean, isn't he a member of a gang, surely he has done worse things than that."
When Shanesea put it like that, it did make Gary think. He had killed people, but he had yet to do the deed. As a young adult his priorities were certainly in the wrong place than they usually would be.
"Speaking of your gang, I've heard a lot of things about the Howlers!" Maz shouted as he was busy driving the car. "Although your gang has done a lot of impressive things, what about yourself?
"How can you promise to protect Izzy, are you even in a position to promise that, and does your gang even pay you well for your current position? What if you have a family, it's expensive to have a family, what will you do to fund that?"
Gary kept silent, because the truth was, he was the leader of the gang they were talking about, although they didn't know that. Because of this, he had more money than he could handle for the rest of his life, but it was hard to explain his position to these guys, and Izzy knew that as well.
"The Howlers support Gary a lot, that's why he's in the AFA to begin with." Izzy answered for him once again.
The interrogating questions continued while they were on their journey, but it soon came to an end, as the van was put to a sudden stop when Maz slammed on the brakes.
"What's going on?" Shanesa asked.
"It… looks like we got trouble." Maz grunted, as through his window shield there was a barrier of cars and cones that had been made, heading into the city, and there were a number of unfriendly looking people standing on the outside.
*****