"Hey." Angelo said, pulling up his zipper and buttoning his jeans.
Lola looked up, "what's up?"
"You wanna go to prom with me?" He fixed his collar in his mirror, then ran a hand through his hair.
Lola stood off of her knees, wiping her mouth. "Prom?"
He nodded, "my senior prom is in two weeks."
She gasped, sarcastically. "Me? A freshman? At the senior prom?"
"Come on now." Angelo sighed, setting his hands on either side of her neck. "You're my girl and I want you there with me."
He leaned down to kiss her but she dodged him, "you're gonna kiss me after I just–"
He pulled her toward him, filling her mouth with his tongue.
She laughed, licking her lips. "Oh you're nasty."
Angelo smirked, winking at her, then he walked around her, "you should go, your brothers gonna start asking where you are."
"So you're just gonna kiss me like that and make me go home?" She grabbed her backpack. "I'll remember that when you text me at three in the morning, begging me to come over."
He blew her a kiss when she walked out of his room, then she continued out of his house and down the road.
"Lola!" Jamal jogged up behind her, "hey I was just thinking about you. How'd your talk with Oscar go?"
"Oh you know." She shrugged, "the usual, continuous apologizing, cringey begging, crocodile tears and forced bro-hugs."
Jamal shook his head, "only you Lola."
"Well at least he let me come home." She chuckled, "and then he promised me a quince which will probably never happen, but I'm not too worried about it."
"You shouldn't be so mean to him, Lola, he's trying."
Lola rolled her eyes, "so you ran over here to give me a life lesson?"
Jamal put his index finger up, "I didn't run, I jogged. I don't like to perspire."
"Right." She chuckled, shaking her head at him.
"And I came because I saw Officer Hammel patrolling down the street wouldn't want you to get arrested."
She sucked her teeth, "I'm not worried about Hammel, I have him wrapped around my finger."
"You say that like..." his eyes went wide, "Lola you didn't!"
She nodded, puckering her lips, "but I did."
Jamal clutched his chest, gasping. "I feel so dirty with that information."
"Hey well it got me out of being arrested so." She shrugged, nodding to her house. "This is me, see you around?"
"You bet." He put his fist up, she hit it with hers and he jogged away.
She walked into her house, setting her backpack down. "Oscar I'm home!"
"Good," he walked out of his room, "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Hit me." She nodded, "I hope it's about my door being put back in it's place 'cause the kitchen is scary to look at at night."
He shook his head, "no hermanita, I've been thinking;"
"That's never good." She sat down, crossing her legs as he spoke.
"Your quince, we can have it here." He pointed to the backyard, "of course I'd have to clean, maybe move some shit." He smiled at her, "so what do you think?"
She shrugged, "can you make me a sandwich?"
He glared at her, "I'm serious!"
"Hermano." She chuckled, standing up. "I told you I'm okay with not having one."
"But I'm not okay with you being okay with that." He stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders. "It's happening, start looking for a dress."
He went to walk away but she spoke up, causing him to freeze. "Speaking of dresses!"
He turned around again, his eyebrows pulling together.
"I got invited to prom."
He crossed his arms, "unless it was by God himself you can forget it."
"Oscar!" She followed him, tugging on his black tank, "come on, he's just a homie."
"What's his name?"
"Angelo." She said.
He shook his head, "I don't like him."
"You don't know him!" She scoffed, then he shut his bedroom door in her face.
She pouted her bottom lip, knocking on his door.
He opened it slightly, "what?"
"My sandwich?"
He chuckled, "make it yourself, you're a girl."
When he shut the door again she flicked him off, "that's why you didn't go to culinary school bitch." She said under her breath so he wouldn't hear her.
"I'll just go eat somewhere less hostile!" She yelled, earning an "okay" from her brother.
She groaned, stomping her foot.
Then she walked out of her house, strutting down the street.
She passed Ruby's house, but then stopped, turned around and knocked on his door.
"Hey." Jamal opened the door, "didn't I just see you?"
"No." She shook her head, "you must have me confused with another Diaz."
"Can't confuse my favorite Diaz." He clicked his tongue, pointing at her.
She smiled, awing at him.
"I know we just had a moment, but is Ruby here? I really should apologize."
He nodded, "yeah, come on in."
"Actually," she shook her head, "do you mind telling him to come out here? I heard Cesar's voice in there and I don't like him."
Jamal chuckled, "yeah, I'll tell him, just sit tight."
She grinned at him and he walked away.
Minutes later, Ruby was standing in front of her. He glared at her. "Did you want something? You already took my virginity and that's all I had left."
She pulled him out of the house, onto the porch. "Listen," She began, "I'm sorry I exploded on you the other day Ruby, I got scared that you told the wrong person that we slept together and I started thinking about the things my brothers would do. I didn't want you to get hurt."
He crossed his arms. "Then why seduce me in the first place?"
Her jaw dropped, "I seduced you?"
He nodded, cockily.
"Wow." She shook her head, "I don't remember it going down like that."
He scoffed, "what would you call that then?"
"A kiss between two people that like each other that escalated quickly."
"How do you even know I like you?" He raised an eyebrow, a smug smile on his face.
"Don't make me hit you." She shook her head, "not again."
"I'm joking!" He laughed, "we're okay Lola, no hard feelings."
"You stress me the fuck out, honestly." She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated.
"Do you want to come inside?"
She smirked, "do you have food?"