stay ➵ OSCAR DIAZ [1]

chapter zero.

at least oscar had something to look forward to. he doesn't get that feeling a lot anymore - the feeling of something good coming his way. not since his dad left, or his mom, or being appointed leader of the santos.

"and cesar? have you checked on him? is he okay?"

"he's doing fine, babe. he's staying with me, after all."

oscar let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "i told you you didn't have to do that. i had it taken care of."

melina couldn't help but to scoff. "you mean your homies? no way was i going to leave him with them."

"you're just gonna put more stress on yourself."

"he's a good kid. we'll be fine."

now melina only believed one of those things, and hint: it wasn't the latter.

silence from his end overtook the call. melina thought she fucked up in some way, but really, oscar was working up the courage to ask the next question.

"you still keeping the baby name?"

he shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for a "fuck no" or her signature "you wish, fool".

while they hadn't touched on the topic of girl names, the baby was supposed to take oscar's first name if it was a boy. the decision was made by the two a week before he got caught up. he wasn't sure if the plan was still solid after everything that went down.

a chuckle was melina's response. "of course. why wouldn't i?"

oscar felt his body, tense and on the verge of giving out, relax. for the first time, he genuinely smiled while locked up. while him not being able to be there for her pregnancy, their kid's birth, first steps, or first words made a home in the back of his mind - greeting him in the morning and sending him to sleep every night - he was glad melina wasn't trying or planning to keep the kid away from him.

oscar was young and stupid, but damn, he loved her and their unborn kid more than he could fathom. the day melina called him, nervously asking him to come over, his life changed for the third, maybe fourth time. melina sat him down, bursting in to tears before she could even get a word out.

a baby was the last thing he should have had to worry about. melina knew that. he didn't have the time or the means to deal with another kid and the stress they bring. he was barely 19 and trying to raise his brother while also leading a gang. she expected him to be furious and end things right then and there.

but that's not what happened at all. to her surprise, he held her and let her cry everything out, whispering sweet nothings in spanish against her hair. she cried herself into a nap and while she was curled up against his chest, he promised himself he would be there for her no matter what. girls have come and gone before her, but she's the only one he's ever really truly loved. the only one he could see himself being with for a long, long time.

they met during the seventh grade spelling bee. it was down to the two of them. the word was 'arbitrary', but melina heard 'obituary'. she was cut off right after the first letter and the word was then given to a smug oscar who ended up becoming the champ.

after the competition concluded, oscar couldn't forget the way her eyes widened when she was abruptly cut off, or how she looked at him after he said "a" instead of "o". he still laughs about it to himself sometimes.

it didn't take long for them to become friends after, although melina was still a little petty over losing. they had gotten close fast, like a natural click. he would leave early in the morning to walk to her house where they would then walk to school together. she lived a little farther than him but he didn't care. he liked being around her and hearing her laugh.

like most things in oscar's life, it didn't last. they lost connection when melina and her family abruptly went to stay in mexico towards the end of eighth grade.

melina's father was deported a few years before she met oscar. he was a good man just trying to make ends meet for his family who unfortunately met his downfall after a traffic stop. the father was working hard on getting back into the country after but fell sick in the process. melina had to leave freeridge and live a temporary new life while helping to tend to her dad and grandparents.

she returned to california in the middle of sophomore year after her father's death, fully developed and unrecognizable to oscar at first. she started wearing makeup and hoops the size of his hand. her dark hair got longer and her skin was tanner. her attitude changed, too. she became closed off and bitter to those around her - nothing like he remembered her at all.

the girl was grieving harder than the rest of her family because she was the one to find her dad on the bathroom floor. the sight is seared in to her mind: him on his side and a pool of blood near his head from colliding with the tile floor. he was long gone by that time but she didn't know. her first thought was that he passed out again. she tried to shake him awake but jumped back after the ice cold feeling of his arm. sometimes she can still feel it on her fingertips.

she continuously pushed oscar and his attempts to reunite away. she didn't know why but she just didn't feel like being around anyone anymore. while her old group of friends gave up on her, oscar didn't. she was unconditionally there for him when he had his own shit going on at home, so who is he to not return the favor?

slowly but surely, she started to get back to her old self thanks to him. she let him in again and she started to genuinely laugh and smile again. oscar felt a sense of accomplishment every time.

they started officially dating in junior year after both of them realized their love for each other ran deeper than they thought. their relationship was a little rocky at first because at the same time, oscar was preparing to move up in the santos. he was jumped in a little after she left and by senior year, he had dropped out of school and taken control of the gang.

melina was absolutely furious at him for throwing everything away. he had plans - actual plans to do something with his life. he could have been a freeridge success story, but after his mom left, he felt like he had no choice but to stay behind for his baby brother. melina understood that part. cesar was a sweet boy and he didn't deserve to be left for the third time, especially when the only parental figure in his life was his brother.

as time went on, melina learned to accept the fact that this was oscar's life now. he was a gang leader with some bodies behind him and nothing could change that. he was in it for life and his fresh cross tattoo served as a reminder for both of them.

even though he put on the front as the big and bad leader, he did his best to keep his girl close to him and away from anything dangerous (which was ironic). if something happened to her or cesar as a result of his choices, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

like any other couple, they fight and say some things they don't mean. the difference between them and others, though, is that no matter what, melina is still there to clean his wounds and patch him up after a long day.

oscar couldn't be any more grateful to have someone as rare as her in his life.