Getting Along is Easier Said Than Done

In the city of Chicago things between the people of the east side and the west side have not been very good. Ever since Chase Hamilton was killed, and then as a result Chris Jackson was sent to a mental hospital. Things had been even worse, the two sides blamed each other for what happened, the two schools had even more of a rivalry, and the kids were more hostile to each other.

On the west side, West Side High was the only place that the kids felt like they were safe. Their parents worked so hard to give them the things they needed, but it never seemed to be enough, they were always a little short on money, and sometimes the kids had to work or do odd jobs for neighbors. The school was nothing special, but it felt like home to them. The students worked so hard at their school work, so they could pay their way to a good education, and the ones that had a harder time with academics played sports to give them an almost free ride.

The Cobras ruled the turf on the west side, and no one crossed them. They had been friends with Chase and Jake Fleet a kid from the east side had been the one who killed him. They hated them for it, and the only reason Jake did it was because he felt that Chris belong to him.

Chris had left Jake for Chase and no one had known, they say that Chase's sister Cheyanne knew, and when asked about it she was too distraught that Chase was dead to give a clear answer.

On the east side, the kids don't really give much thought to school. Their parents gave them everything they wanted; money was no object to them. When Chris went crazy and his parents thought he was a danger to his little brother, the Cougars blamed Chase for everything. They had lost their leader and the only way he was coming back was if he got better.

They went to see him often (they still do), and there was no way that he was getting out. His doctor told them that when he had watched Chase die in his arms, it had mentally scarred him. He stilled believed that Chase was with him, and that he was talking to him. He could never remember who it was that came to visit him, no matter how may times they had come, and for them it was hard seeing the smartest one of them, the one who actually stood a chance in life without his parents, wither away. What no one ever knew was that Chase's sister came to visit him often, she felt that he was one of the last things that was left of her brother. Her parents had sold most of his stuff, Chris was all that was left, and she loved him because he was a part of Chase.

It hit even harder for the Cougars when Jake was arrested for this, their second was gone too, and they had to pick a new leader. None of them felt they were good enough for the position, so they gave the job to Chris' little brother.

The people of the city wondered if the two groups would ever get along, it didn't seem possible, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.