My Bad Boy

Chapter thirteen

When he saw the still turning black eye,  he darted from his room and headed to the small kitchen.

Mi madre, still in her wrapped reality, brought in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Smoke and all. “You watch your language,”She said, but that wasn’t all. She finally looked over to me and I could see from her red eyes that she had been crying.

  “You know I never wanted this life. I try so hard to produce something, to be proud of something, but -”

She stopped talking, as if it has became too much, and she brought her cigarette back to her mouth, her hand shaking in the process.

I stepped over Marcia’s toys and made my way next to her on the couch. As much as I wanted to blame her for picking my dad, I couldn’t blame her.

Sometimes love gets the better of people and as I sat there, looking at her, I remember how I felt. I knew with anything in me that I would protect my family the best way I could.

So when Jose handed me a ice packet I ran my hand through his hair wistfully and he sat next to me, his eyes just as curious as mine were at his age. My mother looked at the two of us and smiled a sad smile. 

“I’m sorry,” She mouthed to me and I shook my head. It wasn’t her fault. Hell, it wasn’t even my fault. All I knew at that moment was I was going to find a way out of it, no matter what I had to do.

I brought my hand out and I pulled my mother into a hug and soon Jose joined until Carlos woke from his nap. Fuck, I wasn’t an emotional guy.

Far from.

But like I said, family meant something to me and I swore on my life I would do anything to protect them.

Now, four days after the incident, I find myself in a totally different predicament.

I stand in front of my mirror, a comb in one hand and a hair gel in the other. I never used the stuff before but when Jose walked by and heard me on the phone with Kelsey, he told me that I needed to look ‘Fresh’.

Whatever the hell that meant.

“This shit isn’t working.” I say to Jose as I lean toward the mirror. A piece of hair sticks up in the back and no matter how many times I run my hand over it, it’s going nowhere.

I have no idea why the hell I’m worrying about what I look like, but for some reason I don’t want to know the answer in the first place.

“You kiddin’? This stuff is easy.” My lil bro laughs through his nose and I turn my head to the side.

Yeah, as easy as taking candy from a Mexican baby.

“Here.” I take a step back and Jose comes forward and gets a glob of the blue stuff in his hand. He looks up at me with his eyebrows raised and turns toward the mirror.

“Watch.” He demands as he leans his face toward the mirror like I did earlier and in a matter of five minutes, his hair is spiked like some celebrities hair you would see on t.v.

“Move,” I push him out of my way as I get a big glob of the gel like he did on my hand and try to glide my hands through my hair the same way he did.

In the end, I still looked like a damn peacock.

Aggravated, I throw the thing of gel on the dresser and reach to take my shirt off.

The truth is, the reason I even asked to meet Kelsey is because my mother, Marci, and Carlos was going to my nana’s house and my other brother was hanging out with a few kids from the neighborhood.

When I called Aiden earlier and asked if he wanted to get pissed face drunk, he ended up talking about Mia and I had to hang up.

There was only so much I could take of hearing about that girl before I flipped my shit. It’s Not like I didn’t like the girl, she was good enough, but even a stranger had to admit she turned my best friend into a living, breathing valentine fuck card.

So, when I remembered my little deal with Kelsey, I realized tonight could be better than I predicted. When I called the she-devil herself, Mia, and got her number , I was beyond excited.

That all changed when she answered though.

To tell the truth, I thought the chica would be studying.  She seemed like the type. But when she said she was busy and I heard talking in the background, I realized maybe the girl got out more than I assumed she did.

When I hung up, I came to the conclusion that I was... Pissed.

Not at her, but at the fact that if it came down to it, if that girl asked to have a just one night with me, the chances are I would drop everything and go meet her.

Which isn’t like me.

At all.

So when she did call back, I was in the middle of this little eternal battle when I answered. I wasn’t expecting much, so when I answered with my usual opening, I was surprised when she cut me off, throwing her own little opening out.

At the time, I had no idea what I was going to do with her.

Sure, there was a few things I would love to do with that girl, but I am sure she wouldn’t be open to the suggestion’s I was willing to make.

“Hello, Julio? You there?!” I look over to see my lil bro snapping his fingers in my face. I push his arm away and he crosses his arms over his chest.

When I realize I was standing here, lost in my thoughts, I reach over for my shirt avoiding his condescending look.

Turns out my brother was more like me then I would have liked.

“Would you like to tell me where you were for the last minute or two?” When I don’t answer, he laughs and re- crosses his arms. “You were probably thinking of that sweet little mamacita weren’t you?!”

I bring my hand out fast and smack it across the back of his head. “Watch your mouth,” I state before taking a step back and bringing my arms out. “Now, how do I look?”

I watch as he sets a finger on his chin and starts to circle me. After making me spin two times, he comes to his conclusion.

“Do you love her?”

I cough back my surprise. “W-what?”

“Julio better not be in love.” I hear my mother say from the doorway and when I turn to look at her, she smiles.

She comes up and runs her hand over my black button down shirt. Carlos makes bubble in the arm next to her and I smile at him and he tries to smile back.

“Do you ever wear anything but black?” Before I can answer, I feel someone tug on my hand. When I look down, I see Marcia smiling up at me.

“You look handsome!” She squeals and my mother laughs and scoops her up in her other arm, even though she was too old for it. 

She gives me and Jose a look. “I better see you both back here at reasonable times. Jose, eleven. Julio, you know better.”

Jose starts to complain and I give my mother a lopsided grin. “Have I ever let you down?” She rolls her eyes and puts Mia back on the ground.

“Ready to go?” She says, leaning over to poke her nose,  and when Marcia starts to clap, the three of them head out.

I turn to Jose and give him a look like my mother did. When he shakes his head, I think he figures out what I’m trying to say. I reach for my key and make my way to the front door.

“Wait, you never answered my question!” Jose says, trailing behind me like a lost little dog on the street. I stop and look at him over my shoulder. All I knew in that exact moment was I was falling.

I might not have guessed it or known it, but I felt it. So, when my little brother looked up at me, waiting for my answer, I gave him the only answer I could.

“ I don't believe in love.”

Then I opened the door, heading to give the only girl in the world I wanted to see the best night she would ever have.