on my block

Study "hard" (Monse x Cesar)

"You wanna throw a party or something, call a few days ahead. Out here, we're pretty good. But transport to your campus can get tricky." HoldUp nodded toward Josh. "Josh knows. We've been supplying your crew for years."

"I still don't get why we don't go to the disp-"

Josh rolled his eyes at Ryan. "Dude, I told you not to bring that up."

HoldUp's smile stretched into a strained grimace as he replied carefully. "It's all good. It's all good. No hard feelings if you do ese. But of course this is primo stuff. Fresh in from Mexico earlier this week. That stuff in the dispensaries is fine, but who knows how long it's been sitting around awaiting testing and shit."

"You know I'm loyal. We do have a party coming up. I'll give you a call." Josh patted the pack. "Like I said before, it's good doing business with you man." They all shook again and then he herded Ryan toward the store.

HoldUp turned down 14th street. "You walking home?"

Cesar crumpled up the remains of his burrito. "Yeah sure. So what's their story? They were pretty out of place here."

"Frat boys? Yeah, they don't belong here. But I been making a good profit off them fools since I was your age. With the school year starting this is a good time to be back in business."

"But why make them come all the way down here?"

HoldUp busted out a loud laugh. "You young guys all alike. Read the paper ese. California might be changing but campus is still a no hold zone. I might not want that stupid ass nine to five shit but I sure as hell don't want to land my ass in the lockup! Do you know how pissed DeeDee would be?" He frowned at the street. "She's got expectations now."

Cesar hadn't heard that news. "You're back with DeeDee? How?"

HoldUp shrugged. "She listened enough to find out she was angry over nothin'."

Cesar thought about Monse and how angry she was going to be with him once Ruby and Jamal told her what they had heard. He was pretty sure that she wasn't going to think it was nothing. It crushed him every time he saw Ruby and Jamal in the neighborhood and they ignored him, but he would never lie to them, even if it would make things easier. He might not always be an upstanding citizen, but lying was a line he wouldn't cross. "She was really pissed at you. Did she make you grovel or something?"

HoldUp stood a little taller. Indignation coloring his voice as he replied. "A Santos never grovels, least of all to a hyna."

"But something must have changed?"

"Yeah, I owe you for that you know."

Cesar couldn't think of anything he had done to change DeeDee's anger with HoldUp. "Me?"

"Yeah, after she saw how mad I was 'bout her flirting with you she finally listened to what I had to say. Told her how I was only getting a ride with a chick from 12th street so I could keep the job and make enough for us to get our own place. And two other guys were carpooling too so it wasn't like I was setting the bitch up on the side. Once she understood why I was doin' it then it was no biggie." They crossed the street into a small apartment block.

When Cesar saw Oscar's car parked out front he was curious but he didn't ask. "I gotta go over and see my tia." He made an excuse to part ways with HoldUp. Hopefully last year's school supplies were still on the shelf in her second bedroom. "I'm glad it's worked out."

"You're not coming up to the office?" HoldUp jerked a thumb toward where an antique low rider pickup, the back loaded with buckets of potting soil and manure was backed into the space next to Oscar's. "Looks like we got a new shipment come in."