. ⋆ ⭑✧*:･ﾟ

TWO WEEKS. That's all it had been before Jamal, Ruby and Monse, put together a perfect plan to get Cesar out of the gang. Okay, maybe it wasn't perfect, but Ruby thought so and presented their plan to Cesar, who pretty much just laughed in their faces when they told him they wanted to break him out. They'd asked Andres if we wanted to help, but he made the football team, so that was taking up a lot of his free time. Cora wasn't there, but Cesar had summed up the whole thing for her after he left Ruby's house that day. He was determined to live a normal life, however normal it could be for being part of the Santos.

"We got to get him out before he puts in work," Cesar and Cora heard as they approached Monse, Jamal and Ruby in the hallway. Cesar held Cora's hand in one of his, and in the other, he held onto his backstrap strap, keeping it secured over his shoulder. She bit her lip, knowing her man looked damn fine today.

"Who's putting in work? You still with that?" Cesar furrowed his eyebrows, searching the three for an answer.

"No. With what?" Monse and Ruby answered at the same time.

"Jamal?" Cesar asked.

"We're still with it."

Cora let out a low chuckle, but Cesar ignored it as he began talking. "This isn't funny anymore. Trying to reason with my brother's dumb. You gotta promise you're gonna drop it."

"You're overreacting," Monse said.

"Especially you," Cesar cut her off. "Promise."

"I promise."

"Okay, good. See you after class," Cesar said, waving his friends goodbye as he turned to Cora and started walking her to class. 

⋆ ⋅ ☆

"Hey. Why're you being so nonchalant? Being a Santo is serious shit."

"Monse, you and I both know there are plenty of people in the life that nothing happens to. They live and die and in between get a contact high and a couple of tattoos." Cesar said. Cora giggled.

"Save the BS for someone who's buying."

"I think that's the most accurate thing about it though," Cora defended. "It's not the worst thing that could possibly happen."

"You're giving in without a fight," Monse turned to Cesar. "You used to be a fighter."

"There's nothing to fight. Look, I got a reprieve when my brother went to prison. I thought I could coast through high school being affiliated and then disappear when we graduated. But Oscar got out early, so here I am."

"What if you disappear now?"

"And go where, hmm? Do what? I'm in. It's done. I don't wanna live my life thinking about dying, so I'm just gonna live," Cesar threw his arm over Cora's shoulder, letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to rev up the pressure. I was trying to help."

"I know. I appreciate it, but don't worry about me," Cesar said, looking down at Cora. "I'm fine right where I am." Monse nodded with a tightlipped smile before walking away. "God, the pressures on, huh?"

"At least you have someone who cares about you enough to try and get you out," Cora turned to face Cesar, taking his hand into hers. "I don't have anyone trying to do that for me."

Cesar's eyes filled with realization and sorrow. "Lena, I'm so sorry."

"No, I don't want you to be sorry," Cora said. "The point is, your friends care. It's nice that they do," she smiled. "But are you starting to feel stressed about it?"

Cesar looked down at their hands before looking back into her dark eyes. "Honestly, yeah."

"How can I help?" Cora tilted her head.

"You wanna help me relieve my stress?" Cesar asked with a knowing smile. Cora nodded, her own gloss covered lips forming a small, toothless smile on her face as her long curly ponytail bounced up and down. "Maybe there is something you can do."

"I'd be happy to assist you at my place when Lola and Adam aren't there. Clothing's optional."

"Yo! I am all about this 'clothing's optional' thing. How about we take this twosome, make it into a threesome, and we can get some? Jasmine came over, wrapping her arms over Cesar and Cora's shoulders. Her cell phone, which was in her bra, rang, and she checked it. "Damn. Jasmine's in demand. I'm gonna check you guys later, okay? Bye!"

"I think I have a small headache now," Cora blinked as Cesar chuckled.

⋆ ⋅ ☆

"Three? I'm pretty sure that was lap four," Jamal whined.

"Why are you still wearing that fake neck brace? Your dad's nowhere in sight," Ruby asked.

"Yeah? It's a little odd, don't you think?" Cora added.

"It's not about my dad. It's about muscle memory. The longer I wear it, the sorer my neck feels and the more legit the injury looks," Jamal explained.

"So the brace is doing damage," Ruby concluded.

"No. Maybe. Crap, I didn't think about that."

"That's exactly what you're doing, amigo," Andres chimed in for the first time, smiling at his new friend. He looked at Cora, who was smiling too. "We should've just played volleyball instead of running laps with them," Andres said to Cora, who only nodded in response.

"What should I do?" Jamal worried.

"No clue," Ruby said before anyone else could talk. "And I've got other problems."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like I have to have a sit down with a cold-blooded gang leader and attempt to explain why his brother should be exempt from the life he's living. I mean, how do you do that without being insulting?" Ruby's voice got more high pitched the faster he spoke.

"Or getting killed?" Jamal added.

"Why would you say that?"

"Look. Look, clear your mind, dude. Breathe. Margarita Ramirez, two o'clock."

"Oh my God," Cora whined. "Don't even think about it."

"Come on! Give me the ball!" Margarita yelled to her team members. The boys were obviously watching her chest area as her arms waved around in the air.

"Follow the bounce. Imagine you're riding that wave of bounce up and down. It's washing over you like a full body massage." Jamal told Ruby.

"Do all men do this?" Cora whispered to Andres.

"Men don't, boys do," Andres whispered back.

"I'm riding the wave. I'm bouncing. Can I rub 'em down with sunscreen?"

"No. No sunscreen," Jamal said, earning an offended look from Ruby. "Baby oil. She likes to take risks." Cora rolled her eyes.

"Mmm. And I can be dangerous," Ruby said before screaming.

"After school. Ruby's house. 3:30," Monse showed up out of nowhere.

"For what?" Jamal threw his hands up.

"Practice," Monse got in front of the four, jogging backwards as she spoke. "If it's not gonna be me talking to Oscar, then we need a script. I've whittled down the primary arguments into talking points for obvious reasons."

"Which are obviously what?" Ruby asked.

"That we don't want you to die," Monse bluntly answered.

Ruby tilted his head back, Jamal hurrying to save him. "Breathe. Follow the bounce."

"Don't worry. I'll dumb it down," Monse said before leaving the four.

"What the hell was that?" Ruby breathed heavily. "She's not even in this class!"

"Up and down. Look, take a mental snapshot. Deposit it in your bank and then make a withdrawal later in your room." Cora rolled her eyes as Jamal spoke.

"My room! I forgot! I finally, finally have my own room!"

"Good for you, now keep jogging, I don't wanna fail this class," Andres said.

⋆ ⋅ ☆

"Hey!" Cesar popped his head out of the passengers' side of an Impala, spotting Monse, Andres and Jamal walking on the sidewalk. "Where you headed?"

"Nowhere," Monse dully answered. Cora smiled from the backseat. She knew someday she'd get to see some emotion that Monse was hiding behind her walls.

"Whatcha doing, Jamal?" Cesar pushed.

"Decorating Ruby's room!" Monse answered instead.

"So there's no scheming?" Cesar asked.

"We're scheming," Jamal answered. Monse grabbed his ear and answered faster, ignoring how Andres was trying to hide a laugh.

"With colour! Every good room rehab needs a colour scheme."

"I know a lot about the colour theory. Cora and I will come along to help!" he told Monse before turning to the man driving the car. "You can drop me and El here, homie." they got out of the car and pranced over to their friends. Cesar dropped his arms over Monse and Jamal similar to how Jasmine did to him and Cora earlier that day. Cora walked in front of Jamal, next to Andres.

"Don't you have to go tag something?" Monse angrily asked.

"Nope." Cesar smiled. 

"We're here to feng shui your room!" Monse awkwardly smiled when Ruby answered the door to his house. "That's why we're here."

"This is a nice house," Cora said to Cesar as she stood on the porch. Cesar nodded.

"I don't have my own room, but," Ruby closed the door and walked them a couple of steps backwards. "I have a boner." Everyone looked disgusted. "My cousin just moved in. Not like my cousin cousin, like, "What's up, cuz?" You know, like fam, but not fam."

"Like if you can't keep it in your pants, keep it in the family," Cesar said. Cora slapped his arm.

"Exactly! No. No, not exactly," Cora could see the wheels turning in Ruby's head as he thought. "There's no blood relation. There is no inbreeding. Oh, and call me Ruben. I'm going by Ruben now."

"Ruby!" his mother called.

"Ruben," he corrected her with a sigh.

"Are you forgetting something?" his mom brought out a tall girl. She wore an orange tank top and her brown hair was clipped away from her face with a single barrette. "Guys, this is Olivia. She's staying with us for a little while. Okay?" she said before disappearing back inside.

"Is it me or did things just get weird?" Olivia asked.

"It's you," Monse said. Cora nodded from right next to her. "I'm Monse. These are the boys Jamal, Andres, and Cesar." Monse pointed to each one.

"Hey," Olivia waved.

"Ignore the stares. They haven't been neutered," Monse said.

Cora laughed in agreement. "You could say that again. I'm Cora, by the way."

"You act like I'm such an animal," Andres shook his head.

"Jamal, why don't you tell Olivia what you didn't do to your neck. Ruby, can we discuss our chem assignment?" Monse pulled him off to the side. Cora knew it definitely wasn't for their chemistry assignment, but she didn't say anything.

Olivia bought everything Jamal and Cesar, especially Cesar, said. She laughed loudly, placing her hand on Cesar's shoulder. "You're hilarious."

"I'm saving Cesar!" Ruby blurted out when he and Monse were done talking. The whole group fell silent. Cora looked at Cesar from the corner of her eye, knowing he wasn't happy with the information Ruby just gave up.

⋆ ⋅ ☆

[ NOTE ik right now it looks like i'm just following the other
characters but i promise it's not going to be this boring all the time ]

CHAPTER TEN
1,891 words

PUBLISHED november 2, 2018
EDITED may 27, 2020