RIDE OR DIE ➸ OSCAR DIAZ [1]

TWELVE

"DO YOU GUYS ever stop sucking each other's faces?" Cesar scoffs, stopping next to Oscar's red impala. I'm sitting on the hood with my arms around Oscar's neck while he stands between my legs, playing with my hair.

Oscar rolls his eyes at his younger brother. "Go do your homework or some shit." He presses a soft kiss to the side of my head as he runs his hands through my hair.

"Don't have any." Cesar responds with a smirk, folding his arms across his chest.

"Then go do something else. Stop bugging us." Oscar scowls, making me laugh.

"Chill Oscar," I mumble, running my hands down his abs and playing with the waistband of his shorts. He glances down at me, his eyes full of lust and that look makes me bite down on my bottom lip.

"Oh baby," he chuckles with a shake of his head. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"Um gross." Cesar gags, and this time I roll my eyes along with Oscar. "I actually need to borrow your girlfriend for a quick second." I raise my eyebrow at him but he only waves me off.

Oscar glances from me to Cesar and then from Cesar to me, with a surprised look. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me."

"It's about Ruby." He says quickly, gesturing towards my house which isn't too far from here. "She'll be back in like ten minutes."

Oscar glances towards me with a raised eyebrow, and I shrug in response. "Sounds serious. I should go check it out." He nods his head and steps back, allowing me to hop off the hood. "I'll be back in ten," I say before pecking his lips.

"You better." Oscar gives his brother a glare before smiling down at me. "I'll be waiting." He mumbles, kissing me once again.

"Okay, let's go. You can kiss her all you want later." Cesar says impatiently, making me sigh.

"Cesar you're going to get hit." Oscar threatens him with a glare. I step between the brothers giving them a stern look.

"Nobody will be hitting anyone." I give Oscar a look, and he rolls his eyes in response. His eyes might actually fall out one day. "Cesar let's go."

"Finally!" He exclaims, turning around and walking down the driveway without waiting for me.

"I'll see you later okay?" I smile at Oscar, pushing my hair behind my ear as the midday sun beats down on my face.

Oscar nods his head. "Don't have too much fun with him." He says sarcastically, making me laugh.

"Well..." I trail off, shrugging my shoulders and walking down the driveway backwards.

Oscar rolls his eyes in response but the smile doesn't leave his face. "Later Cami."

"Later!" I say over my shoulder before jogging after Cesar, who's already halfway down the street. "Slow down!" I shout after him. He sighs loudly and stops walking, dramatically turning around to face me. He waits for me to catch up and then starts walking again. "What's this about?" I ask, curiously glancing over at him.

"I honestly don't know." Cesar shrugs. "Monse, Ruby and Jamal told me to go get you." He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he drops his gaze to the concrete sidewalk below us.

"Sounds sketchy," I say making him chuckle and nod his head. "You seem nervous. What's up?" I ask, bumping my shoulder against his. He exhales a breathy laugh and shrugs his shoulders. "Cesar," I say in a singsong voice.

"It's just, me and Monse," Cesar says quietly as he runs his hand through his short black hair. "There's just a lot going on right now."

I grab his arm and stop him from walking. He turns to face me with a raised eyebrow. "Then fuck them. Let's go somewhere and you can tell me everything that's bugging you." I suggest with a soft smile.

Cesar stares blankly at me for a few seconds before shaking his head. "They're waiting and I don't want to give them another reason to be mad at me." Cesar loops his arm through mine and forces me to keep walking.

"They're still upset about what happened over the summer?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, watching his expression carefully.

He shrugs, glancing over at me. His brown eyes scan my face before he says, "I'm assuming they are."

"Assuming is bad." I say matter-of-factly. "Besides, they're not mad anymore. They're over it."

"You sure?" He asks anxiously as he inhales a sharp breath. "I don't want them to hate me. They're my family."

"I'm positive Cesar." I assure him as my house comes into our view. "You have nothing to worry about."

"If you say so." Cesar sighs loudly, looking down at his feet again. I stare at him for a few seconds before sighing quietly and shifting my eyes to the street in front of me.

We walk up the driveway and the front door swings open before we're even on the porch. Cesar and I look at Ruby in surprise. His arms are folded across his chest, and his eyes are narrowed. "You're late," Ruby says sternly, moving to the side so we can walk inside.

"I'm sorry, Oscar wouldn't let her go," Cesar exclaims as Ruby drags us into my room. "What is this even about?"

"Why are we in my room?" I ask as Ruby forces Cesar and I to sit on my bed. He sits down on the chair across from the bed, next to Monse. I raise an eyebrow as Ruby hands out binders to Monse and Jamal.

"We're going to get you out of the gang," Ruby says to Cesar, catching me off guard. I glance between my brother and his friends with a shocked expression. When did this even happen?!

"Cesar," my voice won't go over a whisper as I place my hand on his arm, but he won't look at me. He's too young for this. How could Oscar do this to him?! "You're part of the gang? Why didn't you tell me?"

He glances over at me, his mouth pulled into a tight-lipped smile. "Because you'd fight with Oscar and you guys just got together. I don't want to ruin that."

I stand up abruptly, my lips tugging down into a frown. "That doesn't matter! How could Oscar do this to you?!" I exclaim, voicing my earlier thoughts as I pull my phone out of my back pocket.

"This is exactly why I didn't tell you." Cesar sighs, yanking my phone out of my hands and tossing it onto the bed behind him. "Just chill out Cami. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal." Monse says before I have the chance to respond. I nod my head in agreement, glancing at the binders that they're holding.

"What's up with the binders?" I ask as I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"A plan to get Cesar out of the gang. So if you'll shut up and listen, it might actually work." Ruby says sassily. I roll my eyes and reluctantly sit down next to Cesar.

"Fine, explain your brilliant idea."