Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 5

Oscar was unhappy, but he was good at hiding it from everyone but Sofia. She could read him like a book. It didn't help that the last few weeks had been stressful for him. Now, his father was in town and working at Dwayne's BBQ. 

Sofia couldn't help but be a little hopeful. Oscar was still holding on to all of the anger with his father. If Ray was truly turning himself around, it could be good for the two of them to reconnect. She knew Oscar needed at least one stable parent in his life. Ray had been here a week, but it was incredibly odd between the two men.

Summer was nearly here. Sofia was finishing up her last week at college. Since her interview with the Peters, things had been quiet. They hadn't called about the tuition donation, and it worried her. Part of her hoped she wouldn't get it. That meant her choice was made for her. But if she did get it? That would be the hard part. How was she supposed to leave in the fall for a college over six hours away? How would Ruby react? Would he be okay? Would Oscar and her manage the long-distance?

The answer to that was something Sofia already knew deep down. Their relationship would not handle the distance well. Not with how stressful things are now. They would have to work really hard, but Sofia feared it still wouldn't work. Oscar was already so busy with the Santos and now with Cuchillios. He wouldn't have time to see her across the state, and Sofia would be too busy to return home.

The entire situation was stressful, and Sofia wished she had never agreed to do the interview. Maybe that way, things would be easier and she wouldn't be stressed about the What Ifs. "What's going in that pretty little head of yours," Oscar whispered from behind.

Sofia leaned into his embrace. His arm now slung over the front half of her body. A few of the Santos were hanging in the backyard, but she always kept to herself. Not because she didn't like the Santos. It was mainly because she didn't know them. Angelica was there also, alongside an old friend named Ananda. However, they were both talking to a few of the older Santos. "Nothing interesting," was her response.

"Lies," he kissed the side of her head. "It's always something interesting." Sofia remained quiet, watching the people in front of her. "Want something to drink then?"

"No," Sofia sighed. "I'm okay."

Oscar could something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Baby, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Sofia continued. "I'm fine." But she was far from fine. Cuchillos had threatened her life, along with her family. Ruby was being forced to hunt down a dead Santos. Oscar was stressed because of his father, and she might be moving across the state. There were a lot of issues going on with her.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No," Sofia didn't want to leave. Although, she didn't want to stay either. What she really wanted was to sleep. "I want to stay with you."

Oscar let his arm fall off of her and grabbed her hand gently. No words were spoken as the taller man led the girl inside. Sofia kept her head down, ignoring the look that Ray had on his face. "Is this about Cuchillos," Oscar asked once they were alone in his room. "Or the Peters? You're stressed out, and I can see it from a mile away."

Sofia tilted her hand back, running her fingers through her hair. "I don't know."

"Sofia-"

"Oscar," she cut him off. "I honestly don't know. This whole week I've been so tired and worn out. I just want to sleep, and I can't think straight because I'm worried about pretty much everything." Oscar couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. He knew that Sofia felt this way partly because of him. "I'm sorry. You didn't ask for any of this." She gestured to herself. "Just go back outside. I'll go home."