I'll Be Right Back - In The Heights Fanfiction

Ch. 3

(This one's long, just warning you guys! Sorry for not getting this out sooner!)

A few days later:

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"Sonny. You're late."

Sonny staggered into the store, gasping for breath. He had run all the way to the bodega, and all he got was a reprimand? Excuse him?

"Chillax, you know you love me..."

Usnavi glared at him. Sonny got to work.

Cole Porter started playing on the radio and Sonny heard his cousin humming along.

"Oh, and by the way, the fridge is broken again. Fix it."

"Whatever you say, cuz," sighed Sonny.

The next customer wanted a few cold waters and a lottery ticket. The day continued.

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After his lunch break, Sonny strolled out to the front of the bodega, trying to see if Graffiti Pete would be there to notice him. Unfortunately, Usnavi spotted him first.

"What did I say? Go fix the fridge!"

Placing his hand over his heart in mock astonishment, Sonny replied, "Hells no, it was blowing fuses, sparking and shit."

Abuela Claudia's face popped out from behind Usnavi.

"Usnavi, send him to D.R. for the summer. Let him work on a farm so his Nikes can get some real dirt on them!"

Usnavi stood up and adjusted Sonny's hat. The teenager scowled as his cousin replied. "I ain't wastin' no plane ticket on this kid. I'll be on Playa Rincon with a rum and coke. Sonny can stay here and sell Twinkies."

"Sell? I'll give 'em away for free. I'm the Robin Hood of El Barrio!"

With that, Sonny flipped his hat back around and galloped out of the scene with an imaginary bow and arrow, shooting at Usnavi as he left.

Dropping the act as he entered the bodega, Sonny knelt, armed with a wrench and a screwdriver, in front of the sparking refrigerator.

"Alright, cabròn, let's get down to business."

Sonny cautiously opened the door, cringing at the scraping sound it made. It blew sparks at him.

"Oh, is that how you wanna play? Fine, have it your way."

A minute later, Sonny sat back, panting and sweaty, but with a malignant gleam in his eye. Placing his wrench on the shelf behind him, Sonny wiped his hand across his face and strutted outside. As he rounded the corner, he heard a familiar voice:

"...handed to me on a silver platter..."

The voice faded for a minute as a few others replied indistinguishably, but the unmistakable tone of Abuela finally penetrated the murmurs.

"The future Mayor of Nuevayork!"

Sonny burst in for a grand entrance.

"I wanna be your campaign manager! Yo, miss, recognize this face?"

Nina Rosario smiled. She'd been gone at Stanford for so long, Sonny hardly recognized her: she had bags under her eyes and seemed years older, but she was still the Nina who had babysat Sonny when he was little.

"Look who's a grown man!"

Sonny smirked, realizing he still had grease from the refrigerator on his hands. Which meant that when he had wiped his face... he saw Usnavi shaking his head, disbelieving, and Sonny struck a pose.

"Check outs the goatee." He winked at his unimpressed cousin, who, always the party pooper, called him out.

"That's fridge grease."

"Why you so jealous of my skills?"

"Back to work."

Sonny was marched out of the area as Usnavi not-so-gently ushered him back to the bodega, calling a farewell to Nina.

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Sonny spent all morning working on the refrigerator, mumbling to himself.

"Well - mmph - the one good thing about fixing this stupid fridge - rrgh - is that when I'm done - ouch, damn it - I get to be the first one to use it. Aha!"

Sonny stood back to look at his work, nodding and mhmming like a professional. Satisfied with his results, he dove into the sodas, grinning like a madman.

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Sonny proudly gestured to the sputtering yet running fridge.

"Fixed."

Usnavi's expression turned to one of mock astonishment.

"So he is capable of actually getting a job done!"

Sonny watched as his cousin accidentally bumped into the shelf behind him. Sonny's wrench teetered.

"Yo, Usnavi--"

Suddenly, three sounds rang out at once:

1. The thwump of the wrench hitting Usnavi's head

2. The stream of obscenities emanating from the wrench's victim

3. The door opening as Vanessa walked through the door.

Usnavi clutched his head and glared at Sonny, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Whoops...?"

Usnavi forced a pained smile and waved to Vanessa.

"H-hello, I - oof!"

Sonny watched in amusement and horror as Usnavi lifted his head right into the shelf above it.

Vanessa glanced at Sonny. He could tell she was snickering, but he decided it would be for the best to point it out to Usnavi.

Vanessa looked down at her watch.

"Oops, I just remembered - Daniela wanted me to meet her at the salon in three minutes. Bye!"

As soon as she was gone, Sonny grabbed his Country Club Cola Champagne and sprinted out of the store, followed by more expletives from his cousin. It was going to be a long day.