PROMISE ME (OSCAR DIAZ x OC)

Chapter Forty-One (Oscar)

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Oscar

Bakersfield

Ray brought Cesar and I to a diner in the area for dinner tonight. It isn't what I'd normally pop myself into since becoming a cook myself, but it'll do. I can't say that I won't critique everything I see though. That's just who I am now.

"I'm pretty upset with you, Oscar." Ray says as he dunks a fry in ketchup. "You didn't bring my grandbaby to see me. I miss that little girl; you named her after me-"

"I didn't." I tease him as I reach for my soda. "Alana is the one who insisted her middle name be Rae. Not me."

He pops the fry into his mouth and shrugs. "Either way.. She's named after me. And I want to see her as much as possible but my car can't make it down to Freeridge. It breaks down half the time just going around town here."

"I can fix it for you while I'm in school up here." Cesar says with a smile. "Mr. Galindo says there's an awesome school right here in Bakersfield."

"Is that so?" Ray smiles. "Will you be living on campus?"

Cesar shakes his head. "No, actually I was thinking that maybe... You and I... We could uh... Roommate?"

"Mijo, I'm your dad. Not a roommate. But if you want to live with me it's fine with me but only if it's okay with Oscar and Alana. I don't want to overstep. I'm your dad but I'm not your father." He points in my direction. "He is."

"I know that." Cesar says softly. "And Alana already texted me and said it's fine and that when I get home we'll talk more. I guess there's some shit going down at the Martinez house right now. Like big shit. Even Jasmine texted me because she heard all the screaming."

"Screaming?" My head whips toward Cesar. "Bad screaming?"

Cesar looks down at his phone and his jaw drops. "No way. No-"

"What? Is Mia okay? Alana? Cesar-"

"Geny and Alana are losing their minds on Ruby and Vero right now. Jasmine doesn't know about what but I guess Alana took Ruby outside and beat the fuck out of him." Cesar says with a grin on his face.

After everything went down a few years ago Cesar and Jamal had decided to distance themselves from Ruby. Especially since he kept wanting to go astray from everything Sad Eyez was doing to better the community. Even Joker had said enough was enough and at one point he beat the fuck out of Ruby.

That was when the block really started getting quiet. Because Ruby wasn't stirring shit up anymore. Alana didn't trust him to be around Mia either, if he came over she never left Mia in a room alone with him. She pretends like she's scared of germs or Mia being a handful but she's absolutely terrified that Ruby will snap. That he'll hurt Mia is some way. Which isn't the kid I know at all.

I think she's only fearful because he and Luis, their youngest brother, get into some gnarly fights since Ruby is back living at home. The twins, Luis and Luisa, are only nine years old so for Ruby to be picking fights with a kid who isn't even double digits yet... I know that really bothers Alana.

It bothers me too.

"Did Jasmine say why?" Ray asks with a smirk. He knows Alana isn't shy to kicking Ruby's ass.

Last year when he first started dating Vero, it was around Thanksgiving and we went to Geny's house, Ray had joined us but I did all the cooking. After I had spent the days before that up here in Bakersfield making meals to freeze for Mr. Galindo's workers who were going to stay instead of going to see family or if they didn't have family.

Geny made a comment about keeping the doors open and legs closed because there had already been complaints of what Ruby and Vero were doing in the bedroom. Ruby then made a comment while looking right at Alana about some people not keeping their legs closed but had been tight lipped about their relationships.

Vero had snickered at that and Alana lost it. I tried to get her to stop but there was no stopping her. She dragged Ruby by his hair to the backyard and pounded his face in. Vero tried to get a swing in on Alana and next thing I knew Geny was ripping Vero by the hair away from Alana.

Alana and Geny are two bitches you do not want to piss off. Ruben Sr. spent the rest of Thanksgiving trying to calm Geny down in any way possible. Which meant him throwing Ruby out of the house and telling Vero to get the fuck out. All of his cussing was very unlike him and I know it hurt him to put his own son out like that.

Ray, however, told me if I don't put a real ring on Alana's finger after that I might as well be the next one to get my ass beat. He was high fiving her and cheering her on all night. Those two are inseparable and I never would have imagined my father coming home from eleven years in prison to all of a sudden being my wife's best friend.

Cesar shakes his head in response to Ray's question. "No, she just said Alana was screaming like a banshee."

My phone vibrates and I see it's Alana calling me. "Oh shit." I mutter before clicking answer. "Hola, mi amor." I put on the sweetest voice possible. I can't let her know that I know something went down.

"This little fucking slut." Alana says into the phone and it sounds like she's sniffling but not crying. "My fucking nose is bleeding and I think I broke one or two of my fingers."

"What the fuck did you do!?" I gasp. Listening intently to the background to make sure Mia is okay. I listen closely and can hear Abuelita playing with Mia. Sounds like they're back in the house.

"I beat the fuck out of Ruby since I can't beat his fucking girlfriend."

"Why can't you beat Vero?"

Cesar looks at me. "Dude, Alana's an adult. Ruby and Vero aren't. She needs to be careful."

"She does. Those charges won't be easily forgiven." Ray adds in.

Alana breathes shakily. The fumes of her anger coming directly though the phone. I feel myself shaking now trying to figure out what the actual fuck could have just happened there. I'm almost jealous that I missed it.

"Vero is pregnant." Alana sighs. "And she's keeping it and planning to live at my parents house with Ruby and they want to kick Abuelita out of her room and take that room because it's bigger so they'll have space for the baby. Lot of things were said and let's just say... Ruby is dead to me."

"Like Mario was dead to you when he brought Amber over? Or like I was dead to you because I wanted to marry you when I got home from prison-"

"Yeah. I'm still waiting on that, Oscar. You knocked me up instead." I know she's rolling her eyes hard at me. "I'm serious. This is so fucking bad, Oscar. If you were there you probably would have gone... You know who... On Ruby."

A smirk tugs on my lips. One thing about Alana? She has never called me Spooky. Never. She won't even say that name. I've tried to get her to say it before and she won't. Refuses to let the word even slip from her tongue. Halloween time? She avoids it at all costs. Ray had gotten Mia a teddy bear wearing a hoodie with a ghost on it that said "spooky" because it's just a Halloween teddy bear... Alana threw it to the back of the closet. She won't even let Mia look at it. She's terrified Mia will ask questions.

But I won't lie to my daughter about my past. About whom I am beneath the surface. I still have my tattoos but I'm working on covering most of them. Especially the one on my face. It isn't me anymore. No one wants to go to a restaurant owned by the guy with the teardrop on his face. That's a fact.

"If he fucks with you again... Spooky will return. Let Ruby know that." I tell her plainly. "In your own words of course." I will never try to force her to say that again. I know she won't. And that's due to her love for me. She loves me as Oscar. Not as Spooky.

Which is why I'm doing everything I can to bury Spooky deep into the ground.