𝐕𝐔𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 - 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘻, 𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

"Ew." Ruby gagged.

"I could help your needs. You're the one being stubborn." He shrugs.

"I'm stubborn for not wanting to be with a gang banger!?" She exclaims.

Oscar sucked his teeth in anger. "Wouldn't be the first time, eh? I heard about you and Sapo."

"What?" Ruby looks at the girl in shock.

"Okay, let me rephrase, I don't date grown men." She glares at him, ignoring the questioning look Ruby was giving her.

Oscar only stared at her with his tongue pressed against his cheek as he pulled out a cigarette. He ripped his eyes away from Marianna and lifted his hand up to Ruby. "Smoke?" He offers.

"Trying to quit." Ruby denies, making his sister roll her eyes at his constant lying.

Oscar sighs before looking at the girl beside him. "Red?" He offers.

"I'd like to keep my odds of getting cancer low." She says, watching as he placed it in his mouth and she quickly pulled it away. "You should keep your odds low too."

"You looking out for me?" He smirks, putting his pack of cigarettes away, not bothering to get a new one. "Watcha wanna chop it up about?"

"Um..." Ruby started nervously. "Mr. Oscar..." Marianna snorted, causing her brother to shoot her a death glare. "I mean, Spooky. I know you're a busy man, so I'll cut right to it. Is that acid?"

"Dios mío, Ruby." oh my god. Marianna groaned, letting her head fall into her palm.

"You know what? Don't answer. None of my business." He immediately says. "So, Cesar. I mean, can we just talk about how smart he is? You know, I'm smart, but he's like... a certifiable genius. And he has off-the-charts emotional intelligence, which is rare. I mean, combine that with his innate ability to empathize and problem solve, and you get the real deal. A natural leader. Which is a testament to you and how well you raised him."

"Ass kisser." Marianna muttered, rolling her eyes and crossing her right leg over her left.

Oscar noticed the movement, his eyes getting stuck on the crease of the girl's thigh and shorts. Thoughts ran through his head— like how he wanted his hands to run over her thighs, gripping them and kissing them—

"So what I'm saying is," Ruby pulled the man out of his thoughts. "he has so much potential that hasn't been realized. He's just a baby bird waiting to take flight. And who knows how high that bird can fly given the right wind and lack of avian predators."

"I never looked at him that way." Oscar states.

Marianna has zoned out as her eyes trailed over Oscar's appearance. His lack of clothing ( shirt ), the long necklace hanging around his neck, the tattoos scattered around his body, the diamond earrings in his ears. Everything about him was nice— except his personality.

She was snapped out of her daze when she realized Oscar caught her staring. She rolled her eyes at the sloppy, cocky smirk planted on his lips. She sucked in a deep breath before focusing back in on the conversation.

"You're right." Oscar tells the younger Martinez sibling. "He just needs to be given that right opportunity, with good wind and no vultures and shit."

"Well, vultures are more like scavengers." Ruby explains. "I was thinking hawks."

"Hawks can suck a dick!" Oscar exclaims.

The fuck, Marianna thought to herself.

"Exactly." Ruby mutters, giving the man a weird look. "I mean, you feeling me, Spook. Spooky."