Pulling the ski mask down over his face, Charlie looked around to make sure no one was watching. His heart thudded loudly in his chest...

"How on earth did it come to this?" thought Charlie to himself. He had grown up like most kids with dreams and ambitions of a glorious career that could be had if one only put his mind to it. What people didn't take into account was that not everyone is given the same opportunities, especially kids growing up in the New York Broncs. Charlie's world was one in which the only goal was to survive your walk to school and back home each day. School in its self was a joke. Teachers and administrators only thought they ran the show, but everyone knew the gangs had full control over everything. Even if a kid did want to learn and grow beyond the broncs, just trying to service made it impossible to do so. Charlie's dad was out of the picture and his mom was never home. Carol worked 3 jobs just to make ends meet. Most days ends didn't meet. There was safety in numbers, security in gangs. To become part of that security however you had to sacrifice a lot, including yourself. Charlie's heart thudded at the threshold of the biggest decision in his life - in fact, it could cost him his life. "God, what should I do?" Charlie pleaded to some unforeseen hand he knew was there holding him back.