don't wanna rush | oscar diaz

aire y esperanza

"I just think you should stay over."

Claudia raises her  eyebrows. It's her lunch period, but she's allowed to leave campus, so  they're at the burger joint two blocks from the school. It's the last  Friday before winter break, and she's got a shift at the church after  her last class, but she doesn't have another until Sunday. His mom's  driving out to San Bernardino with Cesar tonight—got into a fight with  Oscar about it. Her cousin, the one they stayed with while they were in  Tijuana, lives out there now, and his mom seems like she's finally  kicked the habit.

He doesn't expect it to last. She did the same  shit after their dad got locked up, kept it clean for a few months  before crashing bad enough that he had to stay up a whole night with  her, cussing her out whenever she'd start to fall asleep. His tía won't  tolerate that shit, though. Probably why they never see her, and the  only reason Oscar's letting her take Cesar with.

His ma got real uppity about that—What, you think you in charge now, niño?—and  started arguing with him, threatened to grab the belt if he kept giving  her shit. She's never been able to land a hit that actually hurt him,  not even with the chancla. She was more mad that she couldn't force him  to come with, the way she could when he was still little. Oscar ain't  been one to listen to nobody since he was about fourteen. There are a  few exceptions, but his ma ain't one of them.

Which means he's got  the house to himself until Saturday afternoon, maybe Sunday morning if  his tía convinces Penelope to spend another night there, which she'll  want since it's the holidays. Something tells him he'll end up dragged  over for New Years next weekend, anyway, but if he's got an empty house  then he wants to use it to his advantage. Meaning he wants Claudia in  his shitty twin so he can try some things they haven't managed in the  backseat of his car. From the look on her face, she's onto him.

"What  am I supposed to tell my folks, huh?" she says, stealing one of his  fries. They're playing footsie underneath the table, and he rubs her  ankle, just a little.

"Say you're staying with Celi."

"They'll call if they don't believe me," she says. "Tomorrow's Nochebuena."

"So make them believe you," he says.

She  wrinkles her nose. "I didn't bring any clothes to school with me," she  tells him, "I'm not about to walk out your house tomorrow and have  everyone know what went down."

"Oh, is that what we doing?" he says, "I was just tryna make you dinner."

She scowls, looks pleased, "Ay, dundo, don't try and act—what else was I gonna think!"

"You only want me for one thing, huh," he says, grinning, "I thought you was a real one and you just tryna get in my pants."

"You're annoying," she says, biting her lip to keep from smiling too wide, "fine. I think I have some stuff in my gym locker."

"Lemme guess. You want me to do your laundry, too?"

"I don't want you for just one  thing," she says, shit-eating grin on her face now, and he laughs.  Feels giddy at the thought of getting to wake up next to her the next  day.

"Whatchu want for dinner, then?"

"Surprise me," she says, and when he drops her off at school again, kisses him goodbye.

In  between then and dinner, though, he's got shit to do. Has a few drops,  standard stuff he does during the afternoons. Heads home afterwards to  say goodbye to Cesar and ignore his mother's last ditch efforts to drag  him with her, doesn't hit the grocery store until long after the sun's  already set.