𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 | 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐌
Marianna marched up to the Díaz home, banging on the door aggressively and repeatedly. A line of profanities and threats left her mouth as she continued to knock over and over.
"What!?" Oscar shouted as he ripped the door open before his face rested. "Red—"
"Are you fucking kidding!?" She yells at him, banging her fist against his chest as she entered the house, pulling away and continuing to hit him as he tried to grab her hands. "You fucking puto." bitch.
"Red, calm down!" He yells over her.
"Don't tell me to calm down! You ruined his life!" Tears began to fall out of her eyes and she didn't know why. "Why would you do this to him!?"
"You're not in the gang, you don't understand!" He yells at her, causing her to cower back in fear. "You don't know shit, so stop coming at me sideways!"
"You're exactly who I thought you were." She glares at him, rushing out the house and slamming the door shut, but Oscar followed.
"And you're exactly who I thought you were!" His words were coming out like venom. "You're a little ass girl who doesn't understand the real world! You're a coddled little bitch who wouldn't last a second in my world!"
"Oh, I wouldn't!?" Marianna rushes back, her chest heaving up and down quickly in anger. "I dated someone just like you. I've seen things too! I watched Sapo's best friend who was like a brother to me get shot and killed! I grew up in Freeridge too. I know what goes on in this town without being in a gang."
"Shit, Red." Oscar looks down shamefully. "I didn't know—"
"Yeah. You don't know shit." She was shooting daggers at him. "¡Eres tan vanidoso!" you're so conceited!
"How am I supposed to know this shit, huh!?" He regained his defense. "You don't talk to me! You get close enough to keep me on a leash, but you don't tell me the deep stuff."
"I don't tell you the deep stuff?" She scoffs out a laugh. "I told you about the most depressing time in my life! I told you about Sapo and you've told me shit! Absolutely nothing! But I don't wanna know shit about you. I'm done with you."
"Red." He grabs her before she can walk away, his heart breaking as she begged to be let go and fought against his grip. "R— Re— Red, please. Please, Mari, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? Please don't give up on me."
Marianna continued to glare at him, but calmed down as she noticed the slight begging look in his eyes, and she melted. Of course she melted.
"I don't— I don't..." She shakes her head as she cries. "I don't want this to be another Sapo situation. I don't want to be hurt, Oscar."
"I'm not going to hurt you. Jesus, Red, I'm sorry." He pulls the crying teen into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
He regretted every word he had said to her during their argument. He never wanted to hurt her or remind her of her relationship with Sapo.
He kissed the top of her head as he continued to comfort her. He wouldn't let go of her until she stopped crying. His heart was breaking even more as she clung to his shirt like a little kid who had scraped their knee.
†
"Bless you." Ruby spoke as one of the guests entered the chapel. "Can you believe we were here only a few hours ago?"
"When there was hope." Monse says.
"Oh, my god!" Ruby exclaims before looking over at the priest as he cleared his throat. "I mean, goodness. Seriously!?"
"What is your problem?" Marianna glares at her brother.
"There's a typo in the program." He tells her. ""There" is spelled with an e-r-e instead of e-i-r. Only e-i-r shows possession."
"Really? You think this is a time for a grammar troll?" Monse questions the boy in annoyance.
"Jamal was supposed to double-check before they were printed." He informs the girls.
"Add it to the list. He's a loser." Monse says.
"And you can't leave Jamal with important tasks like making sure there aren't any typo's or— I don't know, saving Cesar." Marianna says angrily.
"Hey!" Ruby gives a stern look to the girls dressed in purple and sequins. "I know y'all are mad, but try to temper your guys' 'tude today. And be cool when Jamal gets here."
"He's not coming." Marianna rolls her eyes.
"And we're better for it." Monse adds.
"What about Olivia?" Ruby asks. "Cesar probably wont show either."
"We don't know that." Monse states.
"Be a little real, Monse." Marianna groans.
"He just killed someone." Ruby says quietly.
"We don't know that for sure." She glares at the siblings.
"Monse... we know." He gives her a knowing look.
The group turn around quickly as Jasmine approaches them, letting out a symphony of coughs.
"Lover, can I borrow your pocket square?" Jasmine questions the Martinez boy.
"Ugh, use your hand!" He yells at her.
"You're disgustingly sick." Marianna gags as she watches the girl try to choke down her vomit.
"I think you need to go back inside." Monse advises.
"But away from me." Olivia adds.
"Then where should I go!?" The sick teen exclaims.
"The daycare center." Ruby tells her, earning sharp glares from the girls. "What? Babies are always sick."
Jasmine grabs one of the programs before rushing off, hopefully to find a bathroom or a trash can to throw up in.
"Have you seen Cesar?" Olivia asks the trio.
"Not yet." Monse answers. "But you know Cesar. Dude takes forever to primp. Bet he's on his way."
Ruby hits the girl as Olivia walks away. ""Bet he's on his way?" Why would you say that?"
"So she wouldn't worry!" She defends.
"He's not coming, Monse." Marianna groans.
"We should've showed her the typo." Ruby states.
"What's that gonna do?" She asks.
"Distraction." He answers. "Some people like taking their mind off what's big by sweating the small stuff."
"Bet that's the story of your life." Marianna snorts.
"Shut up." Ruby gives her an annoyed look before focusing back on the program. "Jesus Christ!" His appearance falters as a man clears his throat. "Amen."
"What now, princess?" Marianna rolls her eyes.
"They're in the wrong font." He says angrily. "They were supposed to be printed in Palatino, not Helvetica. Now I can't unsee that."
"We gotta tell Olivia." Monse admits to the duo.
"I don't think she'll even notice." Ruby shrugs it off.
"Idioto." idiot. Marianna mutters under her breath.
"About Cesar." Monse elaborates. "She needs to know. He's not coming."
"But he's already here." The teen approaches his friends, watching their eyes go wide at his shaved head. "Give me some of those." He says, gesturing towards the programs.
After handing out the programs, staring at Cesar for the whole ceremony, it was finally over. The group stood to the side as Olivia thanked people for coming and said goodbyes.
"Hey." Cesar greeted the girl, the other three still staying on the sidelines. "You looked incredible out there."
"That's good to know because my knees are wrecked." She laughs. "Kneeling for an hour is not a blessing."
"But you are blessed." He tells her.
"And officially a woman." She states.
"Feel different?" He asks.
"Yeah!" She exclaims. "I want to vote, and change the world, and bear children, and— no. Not even a little. And you? Everything okay?"
"As good as it gets." He nods.
"Give me a minute. I'm almost done here." She walks off.
"It was, uh, a nice ceremony." Ruby says as the trio approach the Santo.
"Yeah." Cesar nods with a smile.
"You didn't kill him." Monse says, earning a hit to the arm by both Martinez siblings.
"Monse!" Ruby grills the girl.
"He's not dead, but... he's gone." Cesar confirms.
"So, that means I went psycho on your brother for no reason." Marianna scoffs out a laugh.
"What?" Cesar looks at the girl confused, dropping his serious demeanor.
"There... may have been a bit of, um, hitting and harsh words." She looks down shamefully.
"Wait..." Monse speaks up. "What do you mean he's gone?"
Cesar explains to the trio how he spared Latrelle's life, in return, he'd disappear. How Latrelle helped him convince his homies that he actually killed him. And now, they were all taking photos together.
"Ay, qué lindos." how pretty. The woman who was taking their photo gushed.
"Come on, Ruby and Red. Help your dad pack the car." Geny orders her children. "Come on!"
"I do need help." He states, making sure Geny was gone before he said, "With your mother. Not the car."
"Give me a minute." Ruby speaks for the both of them.
"If Latrelle's not dead, doesn't that leave you vulnerable?" Monse questions the teen.
"It's handled." He tells his friends. "And we never talk about it again." They nod. "Now, this is Olivia's day, and if I were you, I'd be more worried about those dance steps."
"Ruby! Red! Por favor." please. Geny glares at her two children.
"We'll see you back at the house." Ruby says as the teens rush off fearfully, meeting their family outside by the car.
†
Marianna had been hiding in her room since they got home from the chapel, waiting until it was time for the dance. She had been blowing up Oscar's phone, but no response. She had been texting, calling, leaving voicemails. What was the problem now? They had just talked.
"Oscar, please call me back whenever you get the chance." She left another voicemail— her last one.
She dropped her phone, getting ready to go back to the party, but stopped as her phone began to ring. She immediately rushed back, picking it up and answering.
"Oscar?" She questioned. "Why have you been dodging me?"
"Hey, I'm sorry, Lil' Red." His voice instantly soothed her, causing her to let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "How's the party going?"
"It's... kind of a mess." She laughs. "Jamal didn't show, meaning I don't have a dance partner. You think I'm out of doing it?"
Oscar laughed on the other end of the phone, causing her to smile. "I don't think Ruby'll let that happen. He's probably already teaching somebody new."
Marianna quickly whipped around at the noise of her door opening. "Mari, this is Chris. I just taught him all of the moves, but I want to see you guys dancing together." Ruby speaks.
"God, you were right." Marianna told Oscar.
"Ha-ha. Go dance, hermosa. See you tomorrow, yeah?" He says.
"You saying I can come over?" She smiles.
"Of course. Now, go dance. I didn't make you perfect for nothing." He says before hanging up.
Marianna throws her phone down on the bed before looking over at her brother and Chris. She groans as she walks out to where everyone else was.
"The party's ruined! It's a total disaster." Ruby tells Olivia.
"What's going on?" Cesar questions the frantic boy.
"There's no horse." Monse answers.
"Okay." Olivia shrugs it off.
"Okay?" Ruby scoffs. "How are you gonna get pulled in your carriage? Wait. Maybe we can get Jasmine to come back. She's crazy strong."
"Probably not crazy strong while yacking up her lunch." Marianna shudders in disgust.
"We're so jacked." Ruby shakes his head. "And do you smell that? Some asshole's getting lit in the middle of all of this."
"Maybe Ruby needs to get a hit." Marianna rolls her eyes as her brother walks off. "Maybe his panties will unravel out of a bunch on its own."
"Okay, everyone out here now!" Ruby calls everyone out of Olivia's room. "We're 20 minutes and counting from the presentation, and after a little second-hand high, I'm starting to chill. We're gonna do a little improvising. Monse, you remember the walking pas de bourrée that we were gonna incorporate into the dance?"
"No." She scoffs.
"We're gonna do those so we can give Olivia and Cesar a proper entrance without the carriage." He informs the group.
"I'm not dancing with Cesar." Olivia admits.
"What?" The Martinez siblings question at the same time.
"Why?" Monse adds on.
"We just broke up." Olivia answers.
"Are you kidding me?" Ruby answers angrily. "The whole day is falling apart. Cesar, your timing is terrible."
"She dumped me." He admits.
"We dumped each other." She rolls her eyes.
"If you're not gonna dance with Cesar, who are you gonna dance with?" Ruby asks.
"You." She answers.
Marianna turned towards her brother, a huge smile on her face as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.
†
After lots of dancing, and complaining from Marianna, it had settled down a bit. Marianna's shoes were nowhere to be found, due to her taking them off and placing them somewhere in the crowd. Usually, she'd hate being barefooted, but that was last thing on her mind.
"Hey, your hair is falling." Marianna pulled the birthday girl away from the crowd. "Here, let me fix it for you."
"Do you know what you're doing?" Olivia questioned the girl.
"I know I don't seem like I know what I'm doing, but— I don't know what I'm doing." She let's her hand fall. "I'm good with makeup, not hair. That's why I wear the same hairstyle everyday."
Olivia laughed. "Show me where it is." Marianna placed the girl's hand on the loose hair. "Does it look messy?" She asks after finishing it.
"Nope." Marianna shakes her head. "Looks perfect. Like you."
"Thanks for having my back." She hugs the older girl. "It's time for me to have yours."
"What do you mean?" Marianna furrows her eyebrows.
"I know you don't wanna hear this, so, please, let me finish." Olivia sucked in a breath. "Oscar. I know you have your own personal issues. Issues that I don't know, but he treats you like you're the only girl in the world. We all see it. So, as a birthday gift to me, give him a chance."
"Did Cesar put you up to this?" Marianna rolls her eyes.
"No!" Olivia quickly interjects. "I know we've only lived together for a couple of months, but you've become a sister to me. I only want to see you happy Marianna, especially with everything you've been through. And it's clear that Oscar makes you happy and comfortable. I want you to be like this for the rest of your life. I know Oscar is the key to that. So, as your sister, I'm telling you to put your walls down and go to him."
"R-Right now?" Marianna asks.
"Definitely not. Today is my day, but tomorrow is yours." Olivia smiles at her. "And I want you to tell me everything."
Marianna smiles at the girl. "Thank you, Liv. I'm so happy you came into my life. You've helped me in so many ways... I don't know what I would do without you."
"Same goes to you." Olivia grips her hand. "I was so... lost when I was separated from my parents. I didn't think I would ever be happy, but you... and everyone else brought me a second family. I'm so grateful. And, in seven days, we will be celebrating your birthday."
"You better get me an awesome gift because we all know mine was the best of them all." Marianna laughs.
"Of course." Olivia laughs with her.
†
Somehow, everyone had convinced Marianna to do one more dance. The group of friends were all gathered in the middle of the dancer floor, celebrating not only Olivia's birthday, but life. They appreciated being together, breathing, having things that everyone else couldn't have.
"Look at that pimp stick." Ruby laughs, causing the group to look over at the man who was enjoying life as much as them.
"I miss Jamal. I gotta apologize." Monse speaks up.
"That makes two of us." Marianna sighs as Cesar spins her. "I said some pretty harsh things."
"You guys will." Ruby confirms. "But right now, you got to dance."
"Then this one's for Jamal." Monse smiles.
"For Jamal!" The group of friends exclaim.
Marianna laughed as Cesar pulled her into his chest, dancing with her dramatically before grabbing Monse and spinning her. Laughs erupted from the friend group as they danced, enjoying each other's company. Everything is perfect... or was.
"Cesar!" Ruby shouted, causing the group to freeze as they noticed Latrelle pointing a gun at the Santo.
As the fire was shot, Cesar pulled the two girl's down. Marianna slowly lifted her head from her hands as she processed the scene. Her brother on her left side, covered in blood, Olivia on the right in the same state.
A scream erupted from her as she struggled to decide which way to go. She shouted both of their names, tears running down her face.
Her parents rushed to Ruby, causing her to join her Abuelita at Olivia's side. Her heart broke as she listened to her mother's screams and cries. Her hand was pressed firmly to Olivia's wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but her eyes were glued to her brother.
Tears ran down her cheek, neck, and chest. She brought her hand up, wiping the tears, only to be replaced by another wet substance. She looked down at the blood on her hands, her chest heaving up and down quickly as she began to freak out.
She stood up from her spot on the ground, her Abuelita's words becoming muffled as the only noise she could hear was her heart beat and breathing.
The night was a perfect. Dancing with friends, laughing about everything and nothing, appreciating life, eating amazing food, smelling the soft floral scent of flowers, playing games, arguing over music choices. Life was amazing. Then...
Boom.
Everything fell to absolute hell. Nothing would ever be the same again. Life didn't seem that great anymore...
Author's note:
In tears currently... Olivia, you will be missed.