Mas Adelante | Ruby Martinez

Mas Adelante - Chapter Three

Lola sparked the blunt, taking it to her lips then handed it to Ruby.

He finished sticking a towel under his door before grabbing it and sitting next to her.

"So what happened?"

She sighed, exhaling the smoke. "Oscar and I's relationship ain't ever been good." She shook her head, "since way before my parents..."

Ruby nodded, he handed the blunt back to her. "I can tell."

"Yeah, well." She shrugged, "even though he hates me, I don't hate him." She looked down at the floor. "I just don't like being a liability to him you know?"

"Liability?" He tilted his head, "he's your big brother, Lola."

"I know." She rubbed her lips together, then spoke. "He's been through so much just to keep me with him and I don't know why he just won't give up. He's never shown me any compassion, if he hates me then why won't he let me leave?"

Ruby took her hand, "hey." She looked up, her eyes glossy. "Spooky loves you Lola, you're his baby sister, he can't hate you."

"He can." She nodded, "and he does, I'm sure he was happy when CPS took me."

"If he was happy then why'd he go back for you?"

She chuckled, shaking her head softly. "So he wouldn't feel guilty, letting his little sister float around the system, getting raped by her foster parents."

"Oh my god." Ruby gasped softly, "I'm so sorry Lola, I didn't know."

"No." She laughed, "don't be sorry." She wiped her under eyes, "I've managed to get over it."

He took the blunt, turning it off by smashing it against his dresser. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She stared at the wall for a second, she wasn't sure if he was being sincere and wanted her to get it off of her chest, or if he was just being nosy. Nobody knew the story of her being picked up by Child Protective Services, no body but Oscar and Cesar.

"My mom died when I was nine and Oscar started taking care of us."

Ruby nodded, listening.

"That lasted two months for me. One day, I was walking home from school and Oscar was outside with his friends, I remember walking up to him and asking him why he wasn't at Cesar's basketball game. He ignored me when I spoke to him. I just thought he was in a bad mood." She ran a hand through her hair before continuing, "I walked inside and there was a suit case next to the couch, I was confused because it was mine. I walked back outside and Oscar stood up, told me we had to talk."

Ruby took in the information, while also thinking of ways to comfort her if she began to cry.

"He told me a lady from CPS had came by and that I had to leave with her. I told him I wasn't leaving with anybody and then I ran away." She played with the strings of her ripped jeans, "I was gone for two months when they found me." The thought of being all alone in the streets brought goosebumps to her arms. "Anyways, I was put in the system and then an older man and his wife adopted me."

He hummed, interested.

"Long story short, he would abuse me, wouldn't let me leave the house. He didn't let me shower if it wasn't..." she swallowed, "with him."

Ruby's mouth parted, shaking his head. "Oh Lola." He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side.

She sniffled, but no tears came yet. "And so I ran away, CPS found me and I was put into the system again. I guess when Oscar turned eighteen he started looking for me."

"He saved you."

Lola scoffed, "saved me?" Ruby raised an eyebrow, confused. "When he found me he couldn't even look me in the eye." She chuckled, "and you know why?"

Ruby shook his head, "Why?"

"Because he chose Cesar, he begged them not to take Cesar. He told them he was turning eighteen in a couple of months and that he would take care of him."

"So then why didn't he just take care of both of you?"

"He was only eighteen and one of us had to go." She bit the inside of her lip to hold back the tears, "obviously I was the one who went."

"I can't believe you had to go through that Lola, and at such a young age." He wrapped his arms around her, "if you ever need anything you can come to me okay?"

She nodded softly, "thank you Ruby."

He smiled, sitting back.

"Ruby." She said.

He nodded at her, "yes?"

"I uh-" she sighed, "I'm sorry if I've ever been mean to you, I do things without thinking about them first and then I regret them later."

"I get it." He grinned, "don't worry." He stood, "I have school in the morning so I should go to bed."

"Wait." She grabbed his hand, pulling him back.

He raised his eyebrows at her, freezing when she began to lean closer.

"Oh my god," he thought, "is this really happening?"

She pressed her lips onto his softly, setting her hand on the side of his neck.

He began to slowly move his lips with hers, unaware of how to react to the fact her brother would cut his tongue off and replace it with his toe for kissing her.

But he let himself go with the moment, until she was pushing him onto the bed and unbuttoning his shirt.

He stopped her for a second, shaking his head. "Lola I've never..."

She smiled, "it's okay, I'll take care of you."