"Oh my! Four hundred pesos? For the whole week? Are they insane? What about my projects?" These were the questions that echoed through the quiet room when Kevin got to know the amount of his allowance for the week.

Kevin sighed and dropped his hands in disappointment. He had so many dreams for himself, but now they were just as lukewarm as the chocolate he had been drinking before he received the allowance.

He placed the cup of tea in his hands on the table next to his bed and gave a disappointed glance at the money on the bed.

"I wonder how I'm ever going to survive this tremendously strenuous life! Urgh..." Kevin grunted while reaching out for his bag lying on the white tiled floor.

Though tormented by the callous justifications drawn by poverty, Kevin, however, lifted his feet with the strength that came from his will to draw a new picture for himself."Que sera sera!"He said.

While deliberating on how to make his money perfect for the week, Kevin put his allowance money in his aging wallet and put it back on his cabinet.

He started marching downstairs with a smile on the face, pretending not to crack his voice.

"I hope mom will acknowledge me if I'd tell her about my project," Kevin muttered to himself while heading towards his mom.

"Mom, I'm leaving right now," Kevin said with a poor voice. He was sounding more like 5 years old than a high school sophomore.

Hearing her son's voice, Risa's attention drew away from the coffee she was preparing and stared at her son's eyes; scenic mountain eyes just like his father.

"Oh dear," Risa said gladly, "you must have started chasing girls at school. Haven't you? " Risa said with a smile while ignoring the glare that Kevin gave her, "you look so terrifically neat these days, and that smell,— that lake scented smell, oh gosh—makes everything around feels special."

"Thanks! Mom," Kevin said, "mom, I have..."

"I guess you should have to add an extra definition to your abs and wear a new hairstyle and... What else?" Risa interrupts, preventing her son from speaking more words.

"You're fooling me again mom, I can't remember when was the last time you told something true about me." Kevin paused for a while and started observing his mom's countenance, "even a dead nerve can feel that you know what these poor eyes want! Am I right?" Kevin complained while gesturing with both hands.

Kevin noticed his mother's outdated tricks this time again, "It's better to go ahead. I know you wouldn't like to give any appreciation to my words, " Kevin said sadly and faced the door in disappointment.

"Son, I'm sorry. I should've said this to you." Risa placed her mug of coffee on the table.

Kevin turned around to face his mom with his hands crossed.

"When I brought you to this world, the only thing that I wished for you is to live happily. I didn't even spank you when we were a little right?" Risa's countenance changed to a sober one.

"Sorry if I can't give your needs right away. You know how I've been screwed up with life, only to give you a fortunate future, but things haven't been seeming to flow as I wanted to." Risa continued and a drop of tear that dropped from her left eye trickled down her cheek, "we are both sick with this, not only you, or your dreams." Risa ended her words which touched Kevin's guilt.

Kevin pondered over his mother's words and tried to delve into a reasonable understanding but he just couldn't.

"Gosh! Such words! You choose your destiny in the first place and I'm just a victim of this!"Kevin replied selfishly.

"Do you want to switch roles? You should accompany me in my ups and downs because I'm your mother. Life is not always sweet dear, we should know how to understand things!" Risa explained with a little elevation of her voice. She was beginning to get angry.

"You should understand me too, and don't call me dear!" Kevin answered back.

Kevin's words sounded like a stab in Risa's heart and she appeared dejected, "Okay, do what you to want," Risa said with a hard grasp on her mug, "I wish you will never be like your father!"

"What!" Kevin muttered to himself and pretended he didn't hear it.

"I didn't even see my father once," Kevin murmured as he stepped on the pavement of the road.

As Kevin walked slowly, his mind was filled up with fancy pictures of living with his father, but not back then. He just pivoted his focus on the street heading to his school.

"Urgh! Why would I have to think of him? Nonsense." Kevin hissed.

Nathan's Pov

"Find someone useful Nathan! Your boys were so fuck*** bulls***, it was just a simple task. I want money, money money!" Dimitri yelled angrily while clenching his fist so tight that his knuckles became white.

"Okay, okay, okay. Alright." Nathan replied, trying to mollify Dimitri, "just give me time."

"So take your fuc*** ass away from my sight and start you fuc*** business!"

Nathan did as Dimitri wanted and walked out of Dimitri's house while soothing himself.

"Where do those criminals and thieves hide their asses. I can't stroll the whole New York to find them." Nathan said to himself," if they only just did their task perfectly, I won't be in this mess. Those useless morons. I had once trusted them."

A few moments passed, a taxi pulled over Nathan's way.

"Taxi sir?" asked the driver.

Nathan took a few seconds to reply.

" No, um...I mean yes. Where is the near coffee shop here?"

"Get in, I can take you there."

"Do they serve hot vanilla coffee?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." replied the driver as he managed the wheels," plus they've got hot babes in there."

"Not interested," Nathan giggled.

"Just kidding."

Nathan is a member of a notorious gang whose leader is Dimitri. They are always involved in daily crimes that the city has to deal with.