PROMISE ME (OSCAR DIAZ x OC)

Chapter Twenty-Two (Oscar)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Oscar

ONE WEEK LATER

Even though it's night I'm outside working on my Impala. Just tweaking a few things that I've been wanting to fix up for a bit now. Alana comes outside and hands me a beer, she's wearing a fluffy pink robe with slippers and my heart skips a beat.

"I like you in bright colors. It's how you looked when I met you." I tell her truthfully. I know she wanted to blend in with my crew but I like seeing her be herself again. Colorful and happy. She always loved pink but stopped wearing it until recently.

She grins at me and I take a swig of the beer, wrapping one of my arms around her shoulders and she gasps. "Don't you dare get me dirty! You just said you like when I wear bright colors. I can't wear them if you get them covered in car gunk."

Laughing I kiss her nose and she smirks up at me. "So small and yet so angry, mi amor."

I bend back down into the hood of the car and she shakes her head. "I'm going back inside. You should have a jacket on, mi Corazón. It's chilly."

"I'll be fine. I survived prison."

"Ugh," She grunts. "Don't cry to me when you have a sinus infection, Oscar."

Watching Alana's hips sway as she goes back into the house. I feel my cock twitch and press against the seam of my jeans. Fuck, I pick up a wrench and start working to get my mind off of the things I'll be doing to her as soon as I get back in the house.

The sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching raises my attention. I turn over my shoulder slightly when I hear more footsteps. It's not Alana. Not from behind me. She knows better than to creep up on me like that.

Twisting, I reach and pull my gun. Pointing it forward when I realize it's Cesar. Breathing heavily like he ran a marathon. I tuck my gun behind me and shake my head at him in disappointment. I heard about his little stunt that he pulled with Ruby. But all the stories are all over the place. No one knows who it was who pulled the gun on Latrelle but I have my own suspicions.

That's twice Latrelle has escaped death at the hands of Cesar.

"Get outta here." I tell him.

Cesar continues breathing hard. "I need protection." He coughs out. "Please, Oscar."

"Go buy condoms then." I turn away. "You came to the wrong place, mano."

Cesar pleads. "I found Latrelle. I went to go finish the job."

"And?"

He throws his head back in disappointment. Fighting tears. I already heard about the gun jamming. I just want to hear it from his mouth. To hear the side of the story that he has to share. To see who's story matches up the best.

"The gun jammed."

"You're oh-for-two." I say with a shrug. Grabbing a rag and cleaning off some of my tools. "Ain't no third chances in this life. You'll be the one with the bullet in you before this is done. Just go."

"Where!?" Cesar shouts. "I have nowhere to go!"

"Lower your voice." I say as I turn slowly to look at him again. "Not my problem. And Alana isn't going to be helping you anymore. She's got other things to worry about."

Cesar nods. "Because of Ruby? Ruby can stay here whenever he wants? He can crash in my old room and wear my old clothes but I can't come home-"

"Ruby is no longer welcome here. You and him both jeopardize everyone you care about by staying here. So leave. I don't care where you go. The further away the better."

I watch as Cesar starts to walk away but he turns back around. "You know what, Oscar? You should have handled it for me. You knew I was never cut out for this life. You knew that... And yet you put a gun in my hand and told me to go for it. You're not just my big brother- you're my father. You're the father I never had and... And you wanted me to become a killer. You got mad at Alana for helping me and now you're telling me she's done helping me? Doesn't sound like her. I have a feeling you won't be telling her about any of this."

"Shut the hell up about things you don't know about Cesar."

"Why didn't you just take out Latrelle for me? I'm the kid-"

"I was a kid too!" I argue with him. " I was a kid when you were thrown into my arms and I was told I had to raise you. I was a kid when I was hustling and moving product to feed you and clothe you. To keep the fucking lights on. You always had the newest shoes that you wanted, huh? Always had video games and the newest phone? All those field trips you got to go on in school? I never got that. I never got to do any of that!"

"I'm thankful for you, Oscar but what you did was wrong. The point of you raising me was to break the cycle. But you threw me into it. You didn't give me a chance to decide! I had to lie and claim Monse so no one else would touch her because you pushed me to become a man. Just like you claimed Alana-"

"I never claimed her." I fight the shaking urge to hit him for that. To throw him down to the ground and scream at the top of my lungs. "There is a difference between being in love and claiming someone, mano. Learn that difference."

"You love her... But you're hurting her by pushing me away. By telling me to fuck off and never see you again. You realize this is going to kill her knowing that you won't offer me any protection."

"What's going to kill her is you and Ruby." I collect myself and point him toward the cold hard truth. The one he and Ruby don't want to realize. The one even Alana doesn't want to realize is right there. "You're too pussy to kill Latrelle and Ruby is too fucking eager to kill him. That girl is losing everyone around her that she loves whether it's to the streets, graves, or a jail cell. She's losing everyone."

Cesar heaves a breath and shakes his head. "I don't want this life! I never wanted it! Please! Oscar! I just want protection! I have nowhere to go and no one to help me."

I pull him into a hug. "I love you, mano... But you're done."

He pulls back and holds back a sob. Nodding and finally understanding that this is it. He's done. I can't help him anymore...

I pat his chest and fix his shirt. "Happy Birthday."

I fight back tears when I turn away from him as he finally leaves. Disappearing into the darkness. I clean up my tools and let the tears stream down my face after letting my little brother go off.

-

Alana lays with her head in my lap as we lay on the couch watching TV. She reaches for the remote and then pauses. Turning to look up at me and smiling. God knows I love that smile more than anything else.

"So, I'm thinking... Prom is soon."

"Uh huh..." I hope to God she's not saying what I think she's trying to say. "You planning on going or something?"

She smiles again and giggles. "I was thinking you and I could go together... You got locked up before you could experience anything. Your prom would have been last year with Mario's and you never got graduation either. And you had to give up football too."

"I can't attend prom. I'm a felon."

"So is half of Freeridge High." She sits up and holds my hand with the two of hers. "Please, Oscar? Come to prom with me... I want to see you in a real suit and I want to finally get my slow dance with you. You didn't want to do the Valentine's dance but this is my senior prom.. I'm only 18 once. I turn 19 in a few months I don't want all of this to be a waste."

I shake my head at her. "Fine..." I scoff. "Buy the damn tickets and let me know when I need to have a suit by." She wraps her arms around me and nearly squeezes all the air from my body, taking my breath away like she always has. "You're lucky I love you."