~9~

3 days later...

"Ahh, que paso? Your face, chiquito." (What happened?)

Enzo closed the screen door behind him and kicked his sneakers off. His socks slid on the linoleum as he made his way to the counter. 

"Buenos dias Señora Cortez," Enzo said. (Good morning, Mrs. Cortez.)

"No, no buenos dias shit to me. What happened to face?" she said, walking around the counter and wiping her hands on a dish towel with a black Santa printed on it. She was a firm believer in Christmas in July. And black Santa. 

"Nada," (Nothing) he said, smiling sheepishly and shrugging his shoulders. "Realmente, I mean it." (Really, I mean it)

She pursed her lips so tight they looked white, and crossed her thick arms over her chest. "Next time, I beat him for you, good?" she said, spitting the word him like venom from a snake. Enzo chuckled, nodded. 

She shook her head at him. "God help you, chico," she muttered, turning and shuffling into the living room, her pink slipper backs scuffing the ground as she went. 

Rafael's Mama reminded Enzo of a heavier, more crass version of his own. He'd met Señora Cortez when he was eight years old, and the first thing she ever said to him was; "Enzo, for every thing you break in Cortez house, I break two bones." He hadn't broken one thing in that house since. 

Despite all this, Enzo knew that she still cared too much about him. 

He grabbed a cookie from the open pack on the counter and headed upstairs to Rafael's room. He could hear shouting as he ascended the stairs, and he could tell that Raf's brothers, Gabriel and Tito, were in Raf's room playing video games. 

Enzo heard Gabe and Tito brutally arguing in a rapid-fire mix of Spanish and English upstairs. As he jogged up the last three, he heard slapping sounds. 

The tiny bathroom door at the end of the short, dark upstairs hallway swung open, spreading a triangle of light over the carpet. 

"Ese!" Raf shouted, shoving Enzo and grinning a bright toothed smile. The single gold tooth on the side of Raf's mouth twinkled in the mellow orange light coming from the bathroom. "Where've you been, man?" 

"Around. Busy," Enzo said, following Raf into his bedroom, where Gabe and Tito were rolling on the floor, wrestling over a play station controller. 

"Chicos, vamos. Get out," (Guys, c'mon. Get out.) 

"Destornillar, Rafael," (Screw off, Rafael.) Tito shouted, sitting up and spiking up his little faux hawk with his front four fingers. Gabriel pushed Tito off of him and climbed up on the bed. Tito tried to pull him off by the ankles, straining for the controller. The thin blue veins in his neck popped out as he struggled. 

"Tito!"

Tito visibly stiffened, and his big brown eyes widened as he turned his little baby face towards the hallway. He could hear his Mama clomping up the stairs. 

"You're a dead man, Tito," Gabriel whispered, giggling. Señora Cortez barged in the doorway and grabbed Tito roughly by the arm, practically dragging him through the door and down the stairs, shouting hushed, angry Spanish at him the entire time. 

Señora Cortez had always had a rule about cursing; The only person in her house who was allowed to was herself. 

"Gabriel, gimme," Raf said, pulling the controller from Gabe's hand. Gabe groaned and slid off the bed, his socked heels slamming the ground hard as he ran out of the room and down the stairs after Tito. 

"So what happened?" Raf asked, resetting the game and tossing Enzo the second controller. Enzo didn't even have to ask what he was talking about as he flopped back onto the bed, leaning on his elbows. Rafael leaned back with him. 

"The usual. I broke his nose though, I think," Enzo said, feeling the leftover adrenaline in his chest flaring up when he thought about it. 

"You punched him?" Raf said, trying to hide his disbelief. Enzo grinned. 

"Yeah, man." 

Raf glanced at Enzo, half of a proud smirk evident on his face. "Good," was all he said, then turned his head back to the game. Raf's fingers were flying over the controls, his right leg bouncing absentmindedly, and he seemed entirely ensconced in his play station. But Enzo noticed a certain pride in his eyes that hadn't been there before. 

That, Enzo thought, was more than enough.