Electric Tacos (Wattys 2023)

PART ONE: THE ANGELS OF THE SOUTH

CHAPTER ONE

"Come on, Mateo roll the damn dice!" Ricky said as he tapped his fingers against the wooden bench. "We don't have all day."

"I know." Mateo rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm trying to concentrate and figure out the best combination to win, and the best angle to drop the dice."

Ricky returned the look as he ran his hands through his buzzcut. "The most you're gonna lose is two dollars, and the most you can win is twenty."

Mateo glared back. "Yes, I know. That's why I'm trying to win it. I need twenty dollars to go to the cinema to see Coming to America, and get something to eat afterward."

Ricky nodded. "Well, the sooner you throw, the sooner you'll be able to find out if you can."

Chuck agreed. "My abuela's crippled and she's faster than you–"

Jay also. "--Mine's comatose–"

"ALRIGHT!" Mateo yelled as he fired the dice into a plastic taco bowl, shaking his head as they attached from his clammy hands. He looked at the jackpot placed on the table as he rolled a triple six and smirked. "I did it!"

Chuck groaned as he passed the money over. "There you go, you pinche duende."

Mateo put it in his jeans pocket. "Are we playing again?"

Ricky shook his head. "We're gonna have a life now."

Mateo smiled and pushed some stray hair strands from his face. "Then I get the jackpot, winner takes all remember?"

Jay looked at Ricky. "You did say that."

Ricky took the other forty dollars and gave it to Mateo. "Your jackpot tripled. Enjoy."

Mateo nodded. "I definitely will. So, where are we going now?"

"As far away from here as we can manage," Ricky said, as he kicked a Coke can from his path. He looked over at Chuck. "What's that diner with the horchata called? It has that chocolate version, it's unreal."

Chuck thought for a moment. "The one the fat man runs?"

Ricky nodded. "He's nice, though."

"Ay, it's called QuiQui's. It's not far from here." Chuck looked at Mateo. "He can pay for our drinks. It's his turn."

Jay smiled. "He also owes me a plate of fries from last week. His broke ass couldn't pay for his own after bowling."

Mateo glared. "Not my fault I had to pay back Fur Ass when he bought me those art supplies."

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "You got my bro to buy you art stuff? Is there some kinda illegal art market I dunno about or something?"

Mateo shook his head. "He was going to get a bus to San Diego, to some specialist store, so I told him to buy me some stuff too, and he agreed, so I had to pay him back. That's normal."

"Aight, I get it now," Ricky said, as he held QuiQui's door open and entered after Chuck. "Fur Ass went on a day trip and you took advantage of his kindness. Now you're broke."

"Of course," Mateo sat in a booth and slid beside Chuck. He slumped his head down into his hands. Jay and Ricky sat opposite them. "You smell like expired weed, Chuck."

Chuck nodded. "And so? You smell like my hermana. And she's a whore–"

"--Which one?" Ricky asked, smirking.

Chuck glared. "Elisa."

Ricky nodded. "Her ass is so tight, and a spaceship I'd ride any day. Is she single?"