I lost my mom almost a year ago to cancer. Now it's just me, my dad Andy and my brother Joe. Joe is two years older than me. He's seventeen, soon to be eighteen in just a few months. My dad's two brothers and one sister all live within a few miles from us. We are and always have been a very close family. Uncle Michael is the oldest and was promoted from police officer to detective several years ago. My dad, who is the second oldest, owns his own construction company, Phillips Construction. Uncle Chuck is an attorney and my Aunt Dakota is a veterinarian. She is married to a really sweet guy, Jeff, who is a firefighter and paramedic.

The family has been through a lot over the years. My dad's parents, Alan and Joan, were killed in an auto accident when he was eighteen. Several years later, Aunt Dakota started dating a man that became very abusive early in the relationship. The relationship ended when my dad and uncles learned of the abuse. Then Aunt Dakota started receiving death threats; she was almost killed twice. My dad and uncles resorted to using the services of a group called "The Pack" in order to keep Dakota safe. The Pack was a club that took the law into their own hands when they felt that justice wasn't served the legal way. And, The Pack had some help, too. The Chief of police, John Franks, was not only the chief when my grandfather was on the force; he was also his best friend. He helped my family and The Pack find Aunt Dakota when the man that was threatening her abducted her. Chief John Franks has been there for my family every time they have needed him. He's like a family member to us.

My dad and uncles have always been very over protective of the girls in our family. It's the way they were brought up; they all think alike. Neither my girl cousins nor me are allowed to date until we are seventeen. I've always felt that was unfair. Why do the boys get to date sooner? A few months ago, I started dating behind my dad's back. Nobody has any idea, not even my brother.

Shawn, my boyfriend, and I are two years apart in age and have known each other for four years. We became best friends and then it turned into something more serious. My dad doesn't like me even hanging around with Shawn, says that Shawn is trouble. He thinks Shawn gets too close and friendly with me.

I have never been to Shawn's house because his mom doesn't work so she's home all the time and she can be very critical of other people. It's always been just him and his mom, not sure what happened to his dad. I was always too afraid to ask.

Both my brother and dad are at work and not expected home for another hour or so, so Shawn and I thought it would be a perfect time to be alone. We're in my bedroom, sitting on the bed talking, when we hear a knock on the door.

"Bethany?"

"SHIT!" I whisper. "That's my brother!"

Shawn whispers back in a panicky tone as he puts his shirt on. "SHIT! I thought he wasn't supposed to be home for another hour?"

"He wasn't supposed to be."

"Bethany?" Joe says again as he opens the door. "Bethany, do you want ..." He's stunned as he sees Shawn leap to his feet. "What the hell?"

"Joe ..."

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Bethany?"

"Joe, please." Joe grabs Shawn and throws him up against the wall. I rush to my feet grabbing Joe's arm trying to pull him back. "JOE, STOP! WHY ARE YOU ACTING SO CRAZY? PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM! HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!"

"YOUR WHAT?" He glances at me then back at Shawn.

I yell out again. "He's my boyfriend!"

Joe lets go of Shawn then threatens him. "If you ever come near my sister again, I will kill you."

Shawn gets up in Joe's face. "You better be very careful who you're threatening!"

"Get the hell out of our house!"

"You will pay." Shawn says as he points to Joe. "I'll see you later, Bethany."

"No, you won't see her later!" Joe follows Shawn out of my room making sure he leaves our house. He returns a moment later with fire in his eyes. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? You're only fifteen years old! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? You're not even allowed to date yet and you're having sex! If dad finds out about this he's going to flip out!"

"We weren't having sex! We were just talking! Why are you acting so crazy?"

"I'm not stupid, Bethany! He was just putting his damn shirt on when I opened the door! You are not allowed to be hanging with Shawn! Mom and Dad made that perfectly clear to you last year!"

"Please don't tell dad!"

"You have no idea what you just got yourself into dating him, Bethany!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Shawn is a gangbanger!"

"No, he's not!"

"Downstairs, now! I'm not having this conversation in your bedroom!"

"Joe ..."

"NOW!"

Shit! I will be in so much trouble if my dad finds out about this. What the hell is my brother doing home early? I've never seen him act crazy like this. I follow him downstairs to the family room where he starts to pace back and forth.

"Joe, please don't tell dad that Shawn was here."

"What the hell are you thinking getting involved with a gangbanger?"

"He's not a gangbanger! Quit calling him that!"

"Did you not notice the black teardrop tattooed next to his eye?" Joe asks sarcastically.

"Yes, I did, so what!"

"So what?" Joe raises his arm likes he's going to hit me but doesn't. "Have you ever asked him why he has it?"

"No, I haven't because it's none of my business! Why are you acting so crazy? I've never seen you like act this before, Joe!"

Joe ignores my question. "If you're dating the guy then it's your business! It means that he has either killed someone or lost a fellow gang member! It's a tattoo that all gangs use! You know this! Uncle Michael tells us stories all the time about gangs! Have you not learned anything from our uncle?"

"He would have told me if he were in a gang!"

"Well, it's obvious that he hasn't been completely truthful with you! What does that tell you, Bethany? You're breaking up with him and you will NOT see him again!"

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

Joe takes a couple of steps toward me. Not knowing what he's going to do, I take a few steps back. "You need to stay away from him! He's bad news!"

"Are you going to tell dad?"

"The way dad's temper has been since mom died? I don't want to tell him if I don't have to! We promised that we would never keep any secrets from him and you've already broken that promise and now you're making me break it!"

"Please don't tell dad, Joe. You know how our family is, over protective and always up in our business and you're just like dad! Always so over protective! I can see why this family has always driven Aunt Dakota nuts! What's gotten into you, Joe?" He keeps avoiding answering my question.

"You're fifteen years old, dad should be all up in your damn business!"

I start crying out of fear that he's going to tell our dad. "Please don't tell dad."

He lets out a huge sigh and thinks for a moment. "You're really putting me in a tough position. You're making me break a promise to dad that we wouldn't keep any secrets from him! But today is your lucky day. I won't tell him only because of the way his temper has been lately. There's no telling what he'd do to you if he found out."

"Look who's talking about tempers? You're acting crazy yourself right now."

Joe still ignores my comments about his temper. "You're lucky I...