More Than What Meets the Eye-Oscar Diaz-On My Block

11

"And the blood will dry

Underneath my nails

And the wind will rise up

To fill my sails"

Today has marked the third month since my parents died in that fatal car accident. I sat back and looked out at the streets and sighed.

Every time I closed my eyes and lean my head against this staring wheel, I was reliving those memories.

"My entire body violently lurches forward, my head bouncing back, as the truck slams into our car from behind, going no less than 50 miles per hour. As I sit in the seat, completely frozen, unable to comprehend what just happened, I cannot help but think: "it is not when a teenager first gets behind the wheel of a car that they become an adult, but it is when they experience a terrifying accident, waiting for the parent to immediately take control of the situation, only to realize they are more than thirty minutes away, that the realization hits you, almost as quickly as the truck did, that you are supposed to be the responsible adult."

But it wasn't the car accident that had ended their lives. No, it was the planned assassination that took their lives.

I remembered when I had begun racing, I had gotten cocky and would constantly win. Well, one gang wasn't too pleased that their bet didn't go through, so they did their research and happened to have known that I was going with my parents to visit my grandmother.

The bullet punched it's way through my mother's neck into my father's major artery, causing a gaping hole in its wake that quickly filled with blood and gushed out. My mother died instantly in the back seat while my father with the fell to the ground in the front, a pool of blood forming around them both and soaked into their clothes and the chair while he began choking to death on it.

"Dad!" I yelled.

I couldn't breathe, it felt as if someone was choking me.

Another shot fired causing a flat on the tire. The car skidded off the road and crashed off of a bridge and into the waters below.

My heart was racing and all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait for someone to save me. But no one would no one was there. A choked cry for help forced itself up my throat. It seemed as if this was the end of the road for me.

After only thirty seconds more I was sinking again, my legs tired and struggling to bring me back toward the sun-speckled surface. I couldn't hear the music and laughter from before anymore and my hair rises like seaweed upwards, rippling in the currents.

My head is pounding, every cell in my body is screaming for oxygen. I keep fighting until I feel like my head is about to explode, I have to take a breath. So I do. For some reason it doesn't hurt like I thought it would, I'm not scared anymore, it's almost peaceful actually. I begin to fall. I fall further and further into the darkness until it threatens to swallow me whole.

I soon opened my eyes once I heard the loud music that was becoming all too familiar.

The red impala stopped outside of Ruby's house. Oscar ran out of the car and ran up the stairs. From his expression, he seemed annoyed.

Once the door was opened, I could hear Jamal's scream and the door slam in Oscar's face. I could only imagine the thoughts running through their head.

Soon the door opened again.

"One of the homes got shot, have seen Cesar?" He asked, "He ain't answering his phone."

"His phone ain't working," Jamal said, "I haven't I didn't see him or anything, I never see anything. I don't know anything," Jamal said rambling.

Oscar nodded. "Tell him I'm looking for him if you see him."

Oscar ran down the stairs but soon turned his head my way. I sigh and rose from the seat from the porch to walk into my house until the red and blue lights flashing brightly in the gathering gloom of the autumn day.

The moment the door opened again at Ruby's house Oscar ran up the stairs and shut the door of Ruby's house was closed shut.

"This is L.A.P.D. This block is on lockdown. For your safety, remain inside until further advised."

My eyes began to panic as I rose from the seat on my porch and ran towards the gate. But soon came to a halt when a cruiser pulled up towards my house. Shit! It also happened to be the one day my grandmother wasn't home because she was running errands on her own accord.

Soon a tall officer with broad shoulders came out of the car. As he walked up to the fence.

"Good afternoon ma'am," the officer started.

"Afternoon," I said questionably.

The officer took off his hat out of respect and my eyes immediately widen at who the officer was. I knew something was off about that guy from last night and now I knew why.

"There have been shootings in this area, I would advise that you stay inside." the officer said.

"And let my abuelita be out on these streets," I replied, "You must be on something, Mierdoso!"

"I am only doing my job," the officer responded calmly.

"Well, then thanks for the advice but I am going to have to go against it!" I yelled opening the fence to my gate only to be blocked from going through.

"Ma'am, I can't let you do that!" the officer said, "I need you to go back inside the house."

"¡Suéltame! Did you not hear me!" I yelled, "My grandmother is on these streets and she is the only family I have left!"

"Ma'am," the officer stated, "I assure you that I will make sure that she is brought back but I need you to stay in a house that is safe."

I tsked and pressed my hand against his chest to push him away from my gate and walked out of the gate heading towards the store my grandmother would most likely be at.

"Ma'am!" the officer yelled as he held my shoulder with a tight grip.

"¡Suéltame! ¡Suéltame! ¡Suéltame! Cabrón!" I yelled pushing my shoulders out of his grip.

"I will make sure she gets here!" the officer yelled, "Just please stay somewhere safe."

"How the hell can you promise something and you don't even know who or what she looks like?" I questioned.

"I know who she is," he responded, "I just didn't know she had a beautiful granddaughter."

I smacked my lips a bit annoyed at this officer holding me back. But one thing that sat in the back of my mind is the fact that he didn't even know who I was. Man, did I wear that much makeup and placed in so much extensions?

"Fine," I replied, "Make sure my grandmother comes back safe and I am going to stay at my neighbor's house."

"Thank you," the officer sighed.

"I swear to god if you come back with bad news," I replied.

"You do realize, I am a cop right," the officer replied with a smug smile.

"I don't care," I replied, "My family is more important and I will do anything to make sure they are alive, happy, and healthy."

"My father would tell me stories about your grandmother and she was kind of like you."

"Who would have thought that Blancos were in this part of town," I replied walking up to Ruby's house.

"Well, it is about time someone, regardless of race and background, actually care about this neighborhood."

"That's what they called Gentrification, and we really don't need that around here, it will just bring more violence." I replied while unlocking the door of Ruby's house and slamming it shut. I turned around to see Ruby, Jamal, and some girl clinging to one another while looking at me.

"You need to learn to lock your door, Ruby," I said simply while taking a seat on the couch closer to the door.