I ran home after work and got there quicker than usual. I started unbraiding my hair as soon as I stepped into the house. I pulled out all the braiding hair that I had and took a shower, washing my hair. I didn't wash my hair with shampoo and condition that often, even though I did take showers every day.
Once I got out, I dried out my hair with a hairdryer and got a package of braiding hair. I started braiding my hair my hair in the living room. I had a good view of the front door so I could see when Josephina got here. By myself, I could braid my hair in two or three hours. With some else, it took about an hour and a half to two hours.
I had almost gotten one side of my head done by the time Josephina showed up. I let her in and after showing her how to braid hair, she started helping. We were done in no time and I thanked Josephina.
We went into my room and Josephina helped me choose an outfit. According to her, Victor was going to be coming over for a bit and then walking us to the party.
I chose a white crop top, black pants with rips in them, and a red flannel. I tied the flannel around my waist and Josephina grabbed a pair of black heels out of my closet.
After that, I sat in front of my mirror and put my hair up into a bun. It matched very well with my outfit. I saw one of my bandanas but I decided not to wear it. Victor warned me not to because of the gang presence around McFarland.
With that, I was ready for the party. Josephina touched up her makeup a little bit and she didn't need to change. She had already gotten ready. She complimented my outfit as we went out into the living room. I was excited to go because this was the first party I had been to, even though I had been in McFarland for about a year.
Victor arrived, looking handsome. When he saw my hair, he gasped and grabbed my face and grinned, staring at my new braids. I laughed and grabbed his wrists, smiling at him.
Victor pulled away. "I love your braids, Athena! They're beautiful."
My grin got wider. "Thanks, Victor. I did them today with the help of Josephina."
Victor offered out his hand. "Ready to go?"
I nodded, taking his hand. We left and headed toward the party. The sun was still out and shining bright, though it was getting closer to the horizon.
Victor wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close. I smiled up at him and did the same. From someone else's perspective, we would've seemed like a loving couple, which I hoped we were.
We arrived at the party and entered. The entire cross country team greeted us and started introducing me to other kids. They all greeted me and went back to their conversations.
I sat with Thomas, Julie, Victor, and Josephina at this table. We talked and got into a pretty deep conversation. Since barely anyone else knew sign language, no one could understand us.
"Julia and I are dating," Thomas said. "I didn't know when to tell you guys but now seemed like a good idea."
I smiled. "You guys are cute together. Does she knew ASL?"
"Not yet," Thomas said, glancing over at Julie. He translated for me and looked back at me. "She says she's trying."
"How's Blanco trying you guys?" Josephina asked. "Is he still riding your asses hard?"
"Of course," Victor said, his mouth moving like his fingers. "He's a good man though. We wouldn't have had such a good friend join our group."
Julie smiled and I saw her say thank you. I had gotten good at reading lips but I couldn't do it all the time. I did better at signing.
Victor tapped my hand. "They're playing a card game over there. Wanna join them?"
I nodded and we joined the people playing cards. We played for a while, Victor translating and me laughing at whatever went on.
We were stopped when two kids started throwing punches. Victor stood up and I grabbed his arm.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Those kids are fighting," Victor stated.
I rolled my eyes. "Obviously. What about?"
Victor stared at the kids. "Something about the kid in the blue stealing the other kid's girl. Don't worry about it."
By this time, the kids had been broken up. One of them yelled something at the other and stormed out. Victor's face turned to worry and gripped my hand.
I pulled my hand away. "What is it?"
Victor looked at me. "He threatened to bring his gang friends here and fuck the other kid up."
My mouth dropped. "Do you think he's serious?"
Victor shrugged, looking off to where the kid left. "I don't know. He might have been. Stick near me to be safe, okay?"
I nodded and we started playing cards again. We were playing for about a half an hour before a group of guys came into the backyard. Victor grabbed my wrist and dragged me back to where the cross country team was. Victor whispered something into Thomas's ear. He nodded and told everyone else.
"They're demanding the kid from before come forward," Victor said. "They want business and I don't want you to be here when shit hits the fan."
I nodded, glancing at the men. They looked like some of the guys who lived near my house.
"What will happen if something does?" I asked.
"We'll climb the fence." Victor pointed over to the nearest fence. "Do you know how to climb fences?"
I nodded.
"Good," Victor said. "If things do go bad, we'll climb that fence and us cross country kids will take you home. Josephina will come with us and we'll camp out at your house. We don't want anything bad happening."
"Is gang life really that bad?" I asked, filling with dread.
Victor nodded grimly. "Sometimes."
He didn't get to answer before the leader of the group shoved someone. Victor grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the fence. Everyone else was scattering as I climbed the fence. The other cross country kids were following me. I slipped over the fence and landed in an alley. I dashed down the street with the others.
We bolted down the streets, heading for my house. Everyone in our group was with me. We led the kids who hadn't been to my house there. Everyone walked in and I locked the door. Everyone went into the living room and Thomas peered out the window.
"No one followed us home," Thomas signed as he spoke. "Which is good. We should be fine."
"What was going on?" I asked. "I couldn't tell."
Thomas managed a smile. "The gang members came in and tried to fight one of the guys who was earlier. We couldn't stay any longer after the leader shoved the guy. We would've gotten hurt."
I sat on the floor in between Victor's legs. "I'm glad. How long do you guys have to stay here?"
"Maybe all night," Thomas replied. "When's your dad coming home?"
"I think around dinner time tomorrow," I replied. "You guys should be fine if you leave before that."
"Of course we would," Josephina said. "What should we do about our clothes though?"
"To be honest," Victor said, "I didn't think about that. Do you think we should head over to our houses and grab some clothes or wait until the morning?"
"Wait until the morning," Thomas replied. "We don't know where those gang members are and we want to be safe. We'll stay here. We change tomorrow and go to practice after church."
"You guys have practice tomorrow?" I asked.
Victor nodded. "You can join us. I'm sure Blanco wouldn't mind. You take a bike with us if you don't think you can keep up."
I smiled. "Of course I can. I'm just as fast as you guys."
Everyone laughed. We stayed up until close to one o'clock in the morning before we went to sleep in my room. Victor slept in my bed with me while everyone else slept on the floor with extra blankets and pillows. Julia cuddled up against Thomas and Josephina slept beside the Diaz boys. She was super close to them.
I looked at Victor. He already had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes too. I fell asleep soon, surely remembering that night for the rest of my life.