Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 7

Sofia had slept most of the day. The nausea had faded, but it took a while. Her Abuelita was kind enough to pick her up, and she showered the moment she got home. Opting for a colder shower to make her feel less sick didn't work. So, she decided the best thing to do was sleep. Geny had come home after work and was informed of her daughter's sudden sickness.

Geny went to check on her, but seeing Sofia sound asleep in her bed caused her to stop. She didn't want to wake her daughter, knowing the amount of pressure she was under. They knew about the Peters grant, and they also knew Oscar didn't. Ruby had been the one to tell her, stressed about hiding it from Cesar. Geny knew the stress was starting to eat away at her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Geny pushed up from the kitchen table and headed towards the door. Believing Ruby had lost his key, again, she swung it open. However, she was surprised to see Oscar standing on the other side. "Oscar," she spoke. "I wasn't expecting you." Geny noticed he looked stressed, almost disheveled. "Are you looking for Sofia?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "She here?"

Geny smiled at him, almost thinking of turning him away. But Sofia would be upset if she did. "Yeah, she's a little under the weather, but I'll go wake her. Wait here." Without waiting for a response, she stepped back inside and closed the door. Trying not to think the worst, Geny walked into her daughter's bedroom. "Sofia," her tone was gentle. "Honey, wake up."

Sofia groaned as she rolled onto her side. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times. "Mom?" Sofia slowly pushed herself up, "is something wrong?"

"No, no," Geny assured her. She raised her hand to feel her head, "still no fever."

"I feel better now," Sofia promised. "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours," Geny pushed the hair out of her face. "Oscar's outside. I would have sent him away, but he looks a little-" she hesitated. "He looks like he needs to see you." Sofia pushed the blanket off of herself. Without thinking much about her attire, which consisted of running shorts, a baggy black sweater, and socks, she rushed out of the room. Geny stayed in her seat, watching her leave.

Heading towards the door, Sofia yanked it open. She noticed Oscar resting against his car. She smiled at him. "Hey," closing the door behind her, she hurried down the steps. "Is everything okay? What are you doing here so late?"

Oscar stared at her, forgetting why he was here for a moment. Sofia tried to comb her fingers through her hair, but it was a tricky task. Falling asleep with wet hair was never a good idea for anyone. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Sofia brushed him off. "I wasn't feeling well earlier, but I think I'm okay now."

"What was wrong?"

Sofia shrugged, "I think I'm just stressed out."

"About what," he continued to question her. "The tuition grant? You'll get it."

Sofia wanted to change the conversation, not in the right state of mind for this talk tonight. "What are you doing here, Oscar?" He sighed and looked away from her. His entire attitude shifted and he became fidgety. Sofia noticed this and grabbed his hands. "What's wrong?" She started to fear that something happened with Cuchillos or possibly the Prophets. "Oscar-"

"I cheated on you," the words came out in a rush.

Sofia dropped his hands, processing his words. It was like a punch in the gut. The idea made her want to vomit again. Oscar cheated on her? "What?" That was all she could manage to say.

Oscar winced at her tone, hearing how broken it was. "I'm sorry."

Sofia stared at him, almost not believing him. "With who?" He looked ashamed. "Oscar, who was it?" This time her tone was cold.

"Monse." Sofia turned away, blinking away her tears. She felt as if her heart was ripped out of her chest. "I went with her, Jasmine, and Cesar to that fair. They got wasted, and Cesar left. I felt guilty leaving them there," he began to explain. Sofia listened carefully, but inside, her heart was ripping apart. "She was mad at me and her mom." The story confused her the more he spoke. "And I wanted to help, you know? I tried to comfort her, and she was crying." Oscar was sputtering and making a lot of hand movements. "So I hugged her. I thought that was the right thing to do. I don't know. I do that with you." Sofia raised an eyebrow as he related her to Monse. "And then she kissed me, but I pushed her away right after." She stared at him, almost unsure of what to do. Monse did not like Oscar, and she didn't hide that. The guilty look on Oscar's face told her that this story was true. He didn't cheat on her, he was trying to do the right thing by helping Monse and she kissed him. The alcohol Monse consumed probably clouded her judgment because Sofia knew there was no way she would kiss Oscar. Not with how much she hated him. "Are you going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?"

They stared at each other, and Oscar shifted under her intense gaze. He couldn't tell what she was thinking at that moment. "I don't know."

Sofia thought about his words, but she knew him. She also knew Monse, and the girl was absolutely in love with Cesar. "You're an idiot."

"I know." His head hung low.

The entire situation was one Sofia never imagined being in, but for some reason, she wasn't mad. Oscar technically didn't actually cheat on her. Monse was drunk and sad. Oscar was there, but he didn't want that. Sofia could tell by his actions that he was remorseful of the entire situation. He was just trying to help. "Did you tell Cesar?"

"Yes." Sofia didn't care what his reaction was. It didn't matter. Sofia wasn't angry in the slightest. "I'm really sorry."

"I know that."

Oscar hated when she gave him short monotone responses. "Do you hate me now?"

"What," Sofia laughed. "No. Why would you say that?"

"I cheated on you."

"No, you didn't."

Oscar scoffed, "I did."

"Not really," Sofia chuckled to herself. "She kissed you, and she was drunk." The explanation was easy. "Monse doesn't even like you." Oscar flinched, and she felt partly guilty for saying the last part. But it was true. Monse wouldn't be around Oscar any longer than she had to be to please Cesar. "Did you want to kiss her?"

"No," Oscar spoke. "No."

"Okay," Sofia wasn't sure what the problem was. "Then you didn't cheat."

He didn't seem to understand, "but-"

"Oscar," Sofia put her hands on his chest. "Monse kissed you. You didn't cheat. You wouldn't do that. I know you." He seemed hesitant to believe her words. Abruptly she slapped his chest. The action caught Oscar by surprise. "Why would you even start the conversation like that?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. Of all things, that's what she was mad about. "Because it's what I did-"

"You were helping her," Sofia argued with him. "If I was helping Cesar while he was drunk and upset about his dad, and then he kissed me. Would you be mad at me?"

"No," Oscar whispered. "But-"

"But nothing," Sofia knew Oscar well enough to know he wouldn't cheat on her. He loved her, and she loved him. "You're a good person, Oscar. I'm glad you tried to help Monse with whatever is bothering her."

"But what I did-"

"Was not your fault," Sofia promised him. "You didn't do anything wrong, okay? Stop beating yourself up over this." Oscar sighed, "hey." She moved his head with her fingers, forcing him to look at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered. 

Oscar leans forward, going to kiss her. Sofia tilted her head to the side, his lips meeting her cheek. "You don't want to kiss me right now," she smiled at him. "I've been sick all day."

"I don't care."

"Well, I do," Sofia wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her head rest against his chest. Oscar relaxed at her touch, letting himself hold onto her. They stayed like this for a while, but she eventually broke the silence. "I can't believe Monse kissed you."

"Me neither." She laughed against his chest, letting her eyes flutter closed.