Club Paradise was already filled to the brim with people and the DJ was already playing the hottest disco songs of the summer.
Nathan and Jessica arrived hand in hand alongside Andy and Kim. Mario decided to stay home for the night, which was better for Jess, who was still mad at him for last weekend and he knows it. Both couples made their separated ways, with Jessica dragging Nathan behind her to meet a couple of her neighborhood friends.
"Jessie!" A girl in a tank top, bell bottoms and an Afro puff, reached out for a hug. Beside her was a taller, darker fella with two more guys and girls hanging besides them. "I️ haven't seen you around lately," she said, before looking over at Nathan. "And you found yourself a white boy?" She sounded excited and surprised at the same time.
Jessica rolled her eyes, and amused smirk on her lips. "Rachel, Nathan. Nathan, this is Rachel, her fiancee Calvin," she pointed to the man next to her, "her sister Felicia, their brother Harvey, Denise, John, Gary and Gina," she introduced everyone. "We all live on the same block and used to go to school with each other," she explained.
Nathan smiles at everyone and politely shakes their hands. "Nice to meet everyone," he nods before wrapping his arm around Jessica again.
"So what you doing down here white boy?" Harvey sounded curious, eyeing him up and down. "We don't see a lot of white people on this side. Too dangerous for their taste I️ assume. You bold for venturing out here," he says, making a couple of the guys laugh.
"Harv," Jessica's tone said it all. Watch yourself.
"It's okay Jess," Nate assures her. "I'm just spending the summer with my buddy Andy from college. No big deal," he shrugs.
"Andy's back from college?!" Felicia gasps. "I️ gotta go say hi," she stands up from where she was sitting.
"Bitch calm down, Andy don't want you no more," Rachel practically pulls her sister back down.
"Plus, he's with my cousin," Jessica let slip.
Felicia groans. "Dammit. The whole neighborhood he had a crush on Kim since he came out the womb," she pouts. "Now I'm never gonna get the chance."
Everyone laughs at her, and continues talking and sharing about what's been going on in their lives. Any questions Nate had about his life he kept at a minimum, not wanting to out himself.
He just didn't want his new friends to view him as somebody he wasn't. He knew the second he admitted he had money, they would try to portray him as all kinds of things. A fake, a liar, a pretender- anything. But he wasn't any of those things, he was just a boy trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life and accidentally might've fallen in love along the way.
He looked down at Jessica, who looked radiant. And not just because of the body glitter. She laughed at something Gary had said as she sipped on her drink. God, was he lucky to have met her. He had to remind himself to thank Andy one day.
Soon, Rachel pulled everyone up to head out into the dance before. Jessica pulled Nate by the hand and soon they were moving and grooving to the best of Curtis Mayfield's Superfly. He spun her around and dipped her, making her laugh as she came back up. "I️ see you got moves, white boy," she teased.
"Like you've never seen before baby," he replies smoothly with a wink, making her throw her head back and laugh. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him even closer. She leans in, and just as Nate was about to meet her halfway, they get pulled away from each other.
"What the hell Andy?" Nate angrily yells over the music.
"Kim!" Jessica scolds, but the two didn't care. The worried looks on their face was enough to make them realize that something was wrong. "Wait, what's going on?" She asked him.
"It's Rico man," Andy reaches out and grabs his shoulder. "He's looking for you!" He points at Nate. "And he's extremely pissed!"
Jessica groaned. "Can't he find someone else to bother?" She scoffs as she snuggles closer to Nate again.
"Jessie, this isn't a joke!" Kim says seriously, making her eyes widen in alarm. If Kim looked concerned, then she should be concerned too cause that girl is more laidback than anybody she's know. "You two have to get out of here, now!" She urged.
"Jess...I️ think we should go," Nate calmly yet firmly tells her in her ear. "Andy, I'll see you back home," Nate nods at him before placing his hand on the small of her back and escorting her off the dance floor.
Just as they were about to leave the club, Rico makes an appearance, blocking their way with five other guys behind him. "Hey! Where are you two going so soon?" He asked. "La fiesta acaba de comenzar!" He says with a vindictive smile.
"Yeah well, we're all partied out so," she takes Nate's hand and tries to go around them but one of his friends actually shove her back into Nate, making her gasp.
Nate angrily steps up to the guy who pushed her, grabbing him by his collar. "Don't put your hands on her man!" He growls, as now they're both roughly shoving each other. Jessica reaches out and pulls Nate back just as Rico steps in between the two, holding his friend back. He then lifts his shirt to show off the gun snugly tucked away in the waistband of his jeans, making Nate protectively push Jessica behind her. "What do you want?" He asked.
"Oye Rico, enough playing around carajo! When are we gonna pop this rich bastard!" His friend heatedly stares.
Rico pulls the gun out while he eyes them up and down. He places it squarely on Nate's chest, making Jess whimper behind him. "There are a lot of things that I️ want in life Nathan," he said. "I️ want money. I️ want power. I want control of the barrio. But most of all, I️ want her," he looks over at Jessica. "And you're the only one in my way to getting what I️ want so-"
"Stop!" Jessica cries out, stepping out from behind him and in front of Rico. She placed her hands on his chest, hoping it would console him and push him away from Nate. "Okay, you win! You want me? You got me," she says. "You don't have to shoot anyone to get to me," she pleads. "Please."
Rico keeps his eyes and gun trained on Nate. "That sound good to you, lover boy?" He asks.
"Jess-" before he could get another word out, the gun moved from his chest to his forehead, making him even more nervous. "Alright fine," he grinds out. "If that's what she wants."
Rico simply smirks. "Looks like that college education came in handy," he cruelly jokes. "I️ knew you would make the smart decision, the right decision, and see things my way," he now moves the gun and positions it under his jaw. "I️ don't want to see you around here again, me oyes?" He pressed, making Nate shut his eyes.
"Yes," he stubbornly answers.
"Good. Cause if I️ do, it's not gonna be as civil or as merciful as our last two encounters," he threatens. "Now vete de mi barrio," he hissed, lowering the gun. Nate glares at him as he makes his way towards the door, casting one last look at Jessica, who looked like she wanted to fall apart.
But suddenly, everything completely went black.