shots - spooky

four - let's get this party started

Yajel

A pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt is as dressed up as I'm going to get. I spray on some perfume and take my hair out of its usual ponytail. 

In my living room sits Spooky and King at the table counting money and drinking beers. The TV is loud and the entire situation is complete chaos. I often wonder how King can live his life in such constant confusion.

"You wearing that to the dance?", King asks disapproving.

"Fuck off", I grab a soda from the fridge.

"I have to agree it's not very dance attire", Spooky says. My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I get a text from Olivia.

"Dance is cancelled. Party at Monse's"

I read the text and laugh putting the device back into my pants. Parties with high schoolers was not on my list of to-do's today. Maybe I can see how much it takes to irritate Spooky.

With a wide grin on my face I plop down at the table.

"Sooo...whatcha' doin'?", I ask in an innocent tone.

"Go away Yajel, I don't have time for games", Kings says pushing my face.

"Well that's not very nice of you", I turn to Spooky and give him the same wide grin.

"Can I help you?", Spooky says putting a stack of money in a rubber band. He didn't even meet my gaze.

"You guys, did you ever get that money from Juarez?", I ask pretending to give up. Both boys stop what they are doing for a brief second before King continues what he was doing.

"How did you know about that?", Spooky asks.

"Duh I go to school with Cesar, I hear your phone conversations. Besides I know he wasn't pulled out of school today for a family emergency", I shrug.

"Yea we did, he's also heading a job at some bank up the street. I know you haven't gotten to mingle much but that could be your chance", King says.

"Oh so you're deep in this huh?", Spooky says finally understanding.

"Since sixth grade, it's the only thing I know", I pull out one of my switch blades and play with it between my fingers.

"I never wanted this life for my younger sibling", he says.

"King didn't either, but I'm hard headed and like to fight so I got into a fighting ring back home and next thing I knew I was jumped in", I reflect on my initiation night, it was hell and half the people who fought me didn't make it out of that alleyway.

"Yajel goes after what she wants, no matter who or what is in the way", King says and rolls his eyes. Spooky looked me straight in my eyes before sizing me up like a piece of meat.

"Problem?"

"No, just trying to figure you out. We don't have many girls who are really in tune with everything here", he says.

"Yea it seems like California girls only want to sleep with guys and talk about the guy they sleep with", I sigh.

"That's not true, we have some valuable girls on our team", Spooky says defensive.

"Yea, and I'm guessing they just sit around with you all and make sure they get their money when it's nail appointment time?"

Spooky goes silent, I've finally gotten to him, who knew he'd be so sensitive about girls? King chuckles shaking his shoulders trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't take what she says to heart she just wants to get under your skin. Yajel, comportarse (behave)",King barks and I sigh picking up one the stacks.

"This isn't a thousand", the stack is too light in my hand. I wonder, which idiot over looked this?

"I counted these myself, I think I know", and it seems Spooky is the idiot, typical.

"This table is hostile, I'm going to go to a party and get drunk. But I would recount that money if I were you, later losers", I'm out the door, with my spray paint bag.

Now I can have some peace and quiet, the streets are dark and I love the atmosphere. Maybe this is better than New York.

Spooky

"So how old is Yajel? She seems to have the mentality of an old lady", I say to King as we smoke on the porch.

"18, she'll actually be nineteen in a month or so", King takes a drag on the blunt then hands it to me before exhaling smoke.

Yajel was such a mature eighteen, and I didn't mean just in her body. She was a strong woman who I could tell handled her own, that was evident by the switch blades she kept on her at all times.

"Is she ever not on edge? Or was she raised that way", maybe I was prodding a little to deep into their history. I just felt the urge to know more about her.

"We were almost normal kids, when I turned thirteen, Yajel was nine we watched our parents get gunned down. The only person we could turn to was our grandfather, he got us into this life. He took care of us, that is until we found out he was the reason our parents were dead in the first place", King sighs, "I think that's when Yajel changed, she used to be so happy but that spark is filled with hidden rage and paranoia."

"Damn, that's really fucked up."

"You know Spook, she is one incident away from snapping and I don't want her to end up in jail. But she doesn't talk to me about that stuff, we are close but she doesn't open up", he sighs again.

I feel so differently about her, at first she was just some young brat, but now I see she's just guarded, careful, and just doesn't want to get hurt. She needs protecting.