“Hey Anna drop that girl”, my home girl Brianna kept screaming at me.
Every time we would go out to chill it will be one of the things we always heard. All this brought to me in my teenage life is to have to watch some of the most important people in my life go away hoping to change it back someday.

Ever since finding out how cool and noticeable getting into a gang would be I really waned to get in to one. The days went on and I started hanging out with people that represented my raza, as u might know it my race. I really liked hanging out with them, because it made people look at me with a face that showed respect to me. More and more I began to know more about it and I said to my self, “ why not join in like come on what’s the worst thing that could happen.” Then I did they had finally jumped me in I was finally one of them.

The next weekend we went out. Yes, I was dressed the way they did with my nice baggy khaki Dickeys, and a brown buckle hanging down with a brown shirt to match the color of my shoes. We all got together at our hood which we call it the 5:8. Different gangs would always be hanging out near us.

Then suddenly a group of people the represented red passed by us and started mean mugging all of us. Well no, we didn’t stay quite we went ahead and shouted at them, “ que onda carnal (what’s up homy) you have a problem with us being here?”

That was the day my problems began and I had to face them, because once you’re in a gang you have to risk your life no matter what. I just prayed to my self god please protect us. But then it all went wrong my click was fighting with the others. For me it was such a tragic moment not knowing what to do.

That same day my best homeboy that I have known for 4 years already got stabbed fighting just so that we would look strong, and to prove we were the best. Now guess what, fighting with others resulted the opposite of what he had thought. I couldn’t believe my best homeboy ended up going to the hospital getting hurt, and me knowing that, that could be me one day. “Laying down in bed at a hospital suffering from pain, hell no that cant never be me,” I said to my self.

Then I did quit be in a gang. I thought it was going to be cool, but it really wasn’t. I wanted a good future that could make my family proud of something good and big I could become in life. Even though me being in that gang its something I will always have in the memories in my life. When I knew that I didn’t have to represent anymore made a big support in my life of being successful.

At the end for me all these things that I went through makes me strong in speaking with the younger people in my family letting them know to thing strong of their future, and to not make a stupid decision they will regret. I wish there was a way of going back, and making it all seem like it was all a dream. A great future waits for me, and I am proudly of working for it to make all come true.