January 5th, 2008
Saturday, 1:20pm - Kendall, Miami
"Lola, I already told you why I can't come home. Just wait for me. Watch over the girls and make sure no one is mistreating them in any way. And when Sugar comes by tomorrow, there's ten grand waiting for her to cover this month's protection. Show her around first before you give her the money."
"Can we really trust her?"
"We can't trust nobody but Sugar is not our enemy. She's going to drop by every now and then to do business. And when you're gone for your session in Orlando tomorrow, she'll send somebody to take over and handle everything you usually do. Just telling you now so there aren't any surprises for anyone."
Lola sighed. "Bueno. Candy...I miss you. Let me come visit you. Allow me to take care of you."
"I miss you too but I don't need anybody taking care of me. I'm doing my thing, don't worry about me," Candy scooped a small amount of cocaine onto her tiny silver spoon then snorted it away from the phone. She sniffled, getting all the substance in as she pinched her nose and tossed her head back against the headrest. Candy closed her eyes and moaned with delight, the desired effects hitting her instantly. She put the phone back to her ear and said, "Take a ride with Kells and find me some muscle. What I need most right now is a lot of muscle and loyalty."
"And where do you suggest I bring them, muñeca?"
"Estoy comprando una casa nueva para quedarme permanentemente. Hay una villa española en la costa de la isla Hibiscus de la que he estado escuchando. Acaba de salir al mercado por once millones de dólares," said Candy. She snorted again to swallow the cocaine dripping down the back of her throat, then reached for water to wash out what she could of the taste. "Qué piensas?" (I am buying a new house to stay in permanently. There is a Spanish villa on the coast of Hibiscus Island that I've been hearing about. It just went on the market for eleven million dollars. What do you think?)
"Qué le pasa a nuestro condominio?" (What's wrong with our condo?)
"No es lo suficientemente grande y ya no es seguro para mí quedarme allí. For you, too. My family has yet to discover the property but I don't wanna wait around for when they do and they take YOU out. I suggest you don't stay in the apartment too often." (It's not big enough and it's no longer safe for me to stay there.)
"Vale. Y veré lo que puedo hacer. There's five million saved up, I'll come up with the difference after we finished selling the product and paying the Colombians what we owe them." (Okay. And I'll see what I can do.)
"Gracias, baby," Candy purred with a grin. "Hablar con usted ahorita. Bye-bye." (Talk to you in a little while.)
Candy hung up and rewarded herself with another bump of coke. How else was she going to feel confident, secure, focused and alive these days? She couldn't do it on her own, that's for damn sure. And it wasn't like she could go to a therapist for help or even a priest anymore. Man, fuck those good-for-nothing priests. Not getting high off of your own supply was the golden rule everyone in the drug business had to follow; Candy bent the rule to her liking and assured herself it'd be fine as long as she paid for it and didn't overdo it.
She put the yellow pouch back in her Louis Vuitton bag, kissed her rosary for a blessing, then stepped out of her '05 Ford Mustang, exposing herself to a sun so hot, she could fry bacon on the concrete. Candy jogged across the wide street in her white pumps, pressing down over her royal purple skirt as the wind tried to flash what was beneath it. Hiking up the long rocky soiled path surrounded by exotic trees that complimented the lush tropical landscape, Candy fretted with her appearance and kept fixing her hair, sweeping back her bouncy curls to a presentable state before she reached the brown door and raised a balled fist, knocking four times.
"Who is it?" Aleesia yelled on the other side.
Candy stifled a laugh. She dropped her head and stuck her tongue against her teeth, grinning as she shook her head in disbelief. Of course she was met with her former best friend instead of Lauren. "It's Candy."
There was a brief wait before the locks switched and the door opened. Aleesia stood there with a hand above her hip and the other holding the brass knob. The arch in her brow and the look in her honey eyes said it all; Aleesia wasn't impressed or amused. "What?"
"Hi...is Lauren home?" she forced a smile.
"She's working. She won't be back 'til two."
"Oh. That's only a couple of minutes. Do you mind if I come in and just wait for her?" Candy glanced over Aleesia's shoulder.
"What do you want with her? Let me know now so there won't be any more surprises," Aleesia demanded, tapping her foot.
"I just need to talk to her about something. It's strictly work related," Candy assured her. "I promise."
Aleesia's eyes rolled hard. She sighed and turned away from the door, returning to the small dining table as Candy stepped inside the house, closing and locking the door behind her. She noticed how clean and spotless everything was...except for the kitchen. There were stacks of college books and papers everywhere on the round table Aleesia currently worked at, a bowl of mac and cheese with a large quantity of pickles in her possession, a tall glass of orange juice filled to the top, and bags of spicy chips and beef jerky spread out on the island. The dishes weren't washed either. Candy snickered, knowing that would probably be the first thing Lauren noticed as soon as she came home. However Candy didn't judge or question it. By the looks of it, Aleesia was just bombarded with too much course work to clean up and the weird food combinations might just be pregnancy cravings.
Candy set her bag down on the far end of the couch against the wall and took her seat, crossing her legs and holding her knee. The more she took the time to study the house's decor, the more she found and ended up noticing what previously slipped past her. There was a big picture frame hanging on the beige wall to her right, containing a photo from an unknown time with Lauren and a lot of Carnales members posed in front of Super Wheels. She was at the center next to Aleesia throwing up gang signs; Candy also spotted Ariel, Jhene, Normani, Emiliano, Jesús, and Jaquan in the photo and their faces a mix of goofy, ecstatic, and serious. Other photos of her parents, her and her brother, and her and Aleesia were scattered around the picture frame. But the one that stood out to her most was little Lauren wearing what appeared to be a first communion dress and a wreath of flowers around her head, standing next to Chris with what had to be their family behind them.
Lauren used to be religious and Candy had no idea. That was so odd to her but so pleasing to know.
Her eyes danced across the red mahogany wedged ceiling and fell to the galley, giving her access to view inside the kitchen from where she sat. Aleesia kept grabbing at the roots of her short black hair, on the verge of losing her mind over whatever problem she worked on. Candy endured the silence between them for so long until the urge to talk to Aleesia was too unbearable to keep resisting. It wasn't comfortable waiting there as long as she'd have to with the tension so thick and her quietly staring, too afraid to ask to turn on the television or ask anything really.
"Aleesia?" Candy shyly called for her, rising from the couch.
"Speak," she replied flatly, not bothering with Candy's figure nearing the galley. She continued scribbling answers and highlighting key phrases and sentences to go back for while multi-tasking stuffing her face with her pickled mac and cheese.
Candy folded her arms over the galley, leaning into the open space. "Can we please talk to each other?"
"What is there to talk about?"
"There's plenty to talk about. How's the baby for starters?"
"He's fine. We're fine."
"He?? Isn't it too early to tell?" Candy probed, bewildered.
"My brother thinks I'm having a boy because I'm acting exactly how my mother did when she had my two other brothers, not when she had me. If he says that's what I'm having, that's what I'm having," Aleesia flipped the page, going to read some more but abruptly stopping to gulp down half of her orange juice. Funny how a drink she used to despise now hit the spot.
"Huh," Candy thought about it. "What does Lauren think?"
"Be honest with me, did you fuck her on New Years? If you say you did, you can have her. If you say you didn't, then tell me what REALLY happened so I can hurry up and move past this," Aleesia flat out stated, meeting Candy's reddening face. She was stunned and currently conflicted over the ultimatum. What if she just lied?
"We didn't have sex," Candy settled for honesty. Aleesia still looked like she didn't believe it. "And even if she wanted to—which she didn't—I wouldn't have been able to go through with it considering I'd prefer to stay as far away from sex as possible."
"She told me something horrible happened to you and she was comforting you. Is that true?" Aleesia had started putting the puzzle pieces together.
Candy pressed her lips together and sniffled, grateful for the drips still trickling down her throat. The direction this conversation was headed would not be possible if not for that drug. Candy gestured to the empty chair across from the Angeleno. "Can I sit?" Aleesia hesitated when she nodded. She made room for Candy while she went around the wall to meet Aleesia at the table. She plopped down on the cushionless wood, dreading talking about it for what felt like the hundredth time. Aleesia waited as Candy folded her arms over the table, eyes downcast and a crease between her knitted brows. "What did Lauren tell you?"
"She didn't tell me anything, only to talk to you because she didn't feel like it was her place to explain what happened."
"Hm," Candy bit the inside of her cheek. She rubbed her nose then parted her lips to speak, though her speech was delayed as she struggled to gather her unorganised thoughts racing a mile a minute. "You were always aware of how evil and vile my family could be at times, right? Saw most of the things they did when you'd sleep over sometimes...witnessed a lot of what you can never unsee or unhear..." Candy cleared her throat and swallowed dryly. "Do you remember any of it?"
"I remember all of it, I just don't ever really think about it. Why?"
"Did you ever once think any of it could happen to me at some point?"
"No..." Aleesia slowly dragged out, her head turning an inch as her eyes narrowed. "Candy, just get to the point. What happened to you that was so terrible? Did they hurt you?"
"They had me tied down watching four girls, who were also tied down, get raped by men you've met before, in the mansion's basement. And then I was next. They watched it happen and didn't stop it...didn't show remorse or any ounce of sadness when this man smacked me around anytime I was refusing or crying. They encouraged it," Candy's words sounded rehearsed and her voice was monotone. Aleesia didn't doubt the sincerity though, Candy's eyes held all the emotions the rest of her resisted to show. "Why they did that to me? Simple. I don't even have to say it, you know them and you know me enough to not need it spelt out for you."
Aleesia's hands covered her mouth as she stared at Candy in complete and utter shock. For a solid half minute, neither of them said anything. Aleesia, stupefied, couldn't form a coherent sentence let alone articulate her thoughts. Waves of nausea suddenly hit her like a truck and she began to feel faint. It honestly broke her heart. Aleesia didn't particularly like Candy but she never wished something like that on her or enjoyed hearing about her misfortune at times. If she wasn't so stubborn and prideful, she'd hug Candy and be there for her the way she would if they were still friends. But Aleesia remained right where she was and worked her way up to reaching out to hold Candy's hand as her way of showing support.
"I...I don't know what to say—I had no idea, I never thought they'd put you through that," she stammered. "Fuck, Candy, I'm sorry—if I had known, I wouldn't have freaked out like that—"
"Aleesia, you had every right to be upset. I know what it looked like, I know how it sounded. Considering the circumstances and everything the three of us have been through together, I would've bugged the fuck out as well," Candy squeezed her hand then let it go, appreciative of the fact that this was the first time in almost two years where their touch wasn't intentionally harmful. "But Lauren was just trying to be a supportive friend, she didn't do anything with the intent to disrespect or hurt you. I came to the party because she invited me and I just wanted to see her because I knew she'd make me feel better and safer. That's it."
"But what about Lola? I thought you two were together, wouldn't she be the one you'd run to first?"
"She was working that night," Candy sighed. "Look, Lauren really loves you. I'll admit, I envy you more than I hate your guts for it, but she chooses you every single day even when I'm around or even if she's tempted. Don't punish her and push her away for past mistakes she doesn't plan on repeating."
Aleesia couldn't help the smile stretching across her face. She rolled her eyes and turned her head, propping her cheek against her palm, rethinking her choices. Aleesia glanced at Candy again, "Thanks for telling me that. It means a lot to actually hear it."
"Sure thing," Candy smiled back. "Now can I ask you why on earth are you eating mac and cheese with pickles of all things?? It's been bugging me ever since I noticed it, I don't understand how you can sit there eating it like it actually tastes good."
Aleesia sucked her teeth and cradled her bowl protectively. "Bitch, because it does. Don't knock it until you've tried it."
"Was that an invitation?"
"No. All of this is for me, go make some of your own on your own time," Aleesia said and they both giggled. After Aleesia's smile disappeared, the room went quiet like before and Candy tried racking her brain for something new to say. Aleesia beat her to it. "Are you hungry though? You don't have to eat pickles and macaroni, we have other stuff."
"Actually, I am kind of hun—"
"Mami!" Lauren's voice boomed from the front door she just walked in through, her keys jingling when she pulled it out of the lock. Both girls jumped to their feet to find the gang leader holding a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolate covered strawberries in the same hand—which was super fucking impressive considering the sizes. Her back was turned so she didn't see them yet. "Donde estás? I got you something! It's a—oh shit...hey. I didn't know you were here."
"You didn't see my car?" Candy stayed in the kitchen while Aleesia practically ran to her girlfriend's side for a hug and a kiss Candy looked away from.
"No. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings this time," Lauren admitted. She smiled at Aleesia before her head was unexpectedly pulled down for a more passionate kiss. Aleesia ran her hand up and down Lauren's neck, pouring all her love into their kiss. "Wow," Lauren breathed when they separated, in a trance. Guess they were back to normal again. She gave her the flowers and chocolate strawberries. "These are for you, mami. I hope you like them. I wanted to get you different flowers but these are the only ones I know the meaning to, so..."
"I love them. I love you. They're perfect, mi amor, thank you," Aleesia grabbed her chin with the softest touch and brushed her lips over Lauren's before she connected them once more.
As much as Lauren wanted this to continue, she didn't want to make Candy uncomfortable. The gang leader dropped her lips then quickly got down to kiss her belly too, saying a quick hello to the fetus growing inside her. She shifted her gaze and nodded to Candy, "Qué onda, Candy? How are you feeling? You okay?" (What's up?)
Candy shifted her weight and quickly wiped her nose, confirming with a casual shrug. "I'm fine. I actually only came by to talk to you about something regarding my family and that pimp. There's a favour I need from you."
"Sure, anything," Lauren chimed, more than happy to help. "Come over here and sit down with me," she waved as she plopped down onto the couch, sinking comfortably into the cushions.
Candy passed by Aleesia who returned to her spot in the kitchen to eat some more and continue working; this clearly had nothing to do with her, therefore she minded her own business. Candy took a seat directly next to Lauren and blushed when the green eyed girl looked her up and down and quietly told her she looked really good. At this point Candy thought Lauren did simple shit like that on purpose just to get a reaction out of her. Candy stirred and crossed her legs, keeping her composure, coming across as unphased.
"First things first, do you know anyone that can rig a few cars with explosives?"
"Explosives??" Lauren pushed herself forward and leaned in closer to Candy, both intrigued and puzzled. "Why do you need cars rigged to blow?"
"Answer my question first then I'll answer yours."
"Yes, I know somebody who can do that. But he doesn't come cheap and neither do those cars...depending on the models and where we'd get them from."
"You're not buying any cars, I am. There will be four Ferraris; one is for Thomas, one for Don Ashley, one for Fabian, and one for Steven. What'll happen after your guy rigs it is I'll have somebody deliver the cars and blow it up when all of them are either next to it or in it," Candy explained calmly while Lauren was getting riled up. She happened to be more thrilled about it than Candy was, as Lauren has never done something like this before but it sounded fucking cool.
"Woah," her eyes went wide like saucers. "Okay, that's definitely happening. I'll hook you up. But, wait, shouldn't you leave a note for them so they know it's you right before they die?"
"I will. Which reminds me of the other thing I wanted to talk to you about," Candy braced herself because this wasn't an easy one. The possibility of Lauren loving what she did was high but so was the possibility of her being absolutely disgusted with her as a person.
"You can spit it out, Candy," Lauren chuckled lightly, sensing her nervousness.
Candy tucked her hair behind both ears, took a deep breath then released with a short huff. "I've done something with the body...something out of pocket. You'll either love it or hate it but this message is definitely big enough for them to know I'm not to be fucked with ever again."
A quizzical smile fell upon Lauren's pink lips her two fingers brushed against. Soft spoken, "I'm listening."
-
2:10pm - OLA, Miami Beach
OLA (a traditional old Havana styled restaurant) has been in partnership with Estrabao Cartel for two decades. The owner, Rafael Gonzaléz, gave the Estrabaos fantastic hospitality, their own private table no one else was allowed to dine near, and would often close down the restaurant for anytime they wanted to do business there. Rafael catered to their every need in exchange for a large sum of money and protection from street gangs all over south Miami. The man who came all the way from a poverty stricken neighbourhood in Havana didn't particularly like the Estrabao family—he had a set of morals and beliefs that didn't align with theirs, and he seldom agreed with anything they did—but he had no choice other than to suck it up and continue giving them anything they wanted. Because if not, that'd be his life, his family's life, and his restaurant on the line. It only took one bribery at the right time in his life to be bound to the Estrabaos indefinitely.
But Candy was the exception. Rafael was always fond of Candy ever since she was a little girl coming to the restaurants. Sweet little Candy unlike the rest of her family members. She had been special from the very beginning—different but also still tainted with some of the distasteful traits of an Estrabao. Candy had been aware of his charades and the truth lying behind Rafael's bright smile since the age of seven. In fact, she confronted him about it when he took only her to the kitchen because she wanted to fix her own ice cream Sundae. She swore to keep his secret because she knew he'd get killed if she didn't, and from that day forward he's been in debt to her. As of today, that debt has been repaid.
Seated at the round white cloth table was: Sinu, Alejandro, Luca, Don Ashley, Steven, Fabian, and Thomas—the main members with more power than the others in the cartel. It was tradition to meet here before every first Sunday of the new year. The purpose was to discuss new goals set for the cartel, who to get rid of or who to take in, higher aspirations and politics, and to treat themselves to an amazing meal prepared by Rafael's chef who changed the specialty every year. They swore each one was cooked by God himself—it had to be, as he was just that good; so were the rum and wine choices the restaurant had to offer.
"Enough about all this talk of expanding across the map, it's giving me a headache. Let's see what the specialty is, ah?" said Alejandro, setting down his glass of rum to snap his finger at the waiter standing around due to the Estrabaos being the only party to serve at this hour. "Antonio!"
"Sí, señor?" the man rushed to their table and bowed respectively, at his service.
"We want the specialty. Está listo?" (Is it ready?)
"Sí, señor. Se lo serviré a tu familia ahora mismo," he said then scurried off in a state of anxiety, disappearing behind the kitchen doors. (Yes, sir. I will serve it to your family right now.)
"That boy is gonna shit his pants around you one of these days," Thomas commented as he whirled the rum in his glass then took a sip. The others laughed because they noticed the same thing he did.
"Rafael has pansies working for him, it's a shame. A man's employees says a lot about himself as a person, no? They reflect Rafael as a boss; and to have a man who is easily scared by another man that hasn't even pulled out his gun yet is not a good look for him or his reputation," said Luca.
"Eso, mi hijo," Sinu raised her wine glass to his point. (That's it, my son.)
"Creo que tal vez la razón por la que está nervioso es porque Sinu está aquí. Maybe he has a little crush," Thomas pinched the air for emphasis. (I think the reason he's nervous is because Sinu is here.)
"Watch that tongue when speaking of my wife. I will cut it if you aren't careful," Alejandro warned.
"Órale," sang Fabian, his mouth watering over the sight of chef Bernardeau's specialty. All heads turned to find what he was so fascinated by. "That looks goood."
The waiter presented the dishes to them before carefully setting the plates down in front of them. It looked like some kind of dark meat cut in thick slices, seasoned and cooked to absolute perfection with wine sauce pooling over it, blending in well with the baby carrots, Portobello mushrooms, potatoes, and lastly white rice decorated with herbs.
"Qué es esto?" asked Steven, thoroughly impressed with the presentation. (What is this?)
"Lung and Loin à la Bourguignonne. It is a highly requested dish Chef Bernardeau makes on rare occasion. This time, he made it unique and saw to it that it was the best he's ever cooked it to please all of you."
"How about that!" Don Ashley cheered, already digging in. He moaned upon taking the first bite and dropped his fork, taking his time to chew and savour the flavour. "Mmm! Wow. It is unique. It has a taste I've never had before."
"Where is chef Bernardeau? Is he still here, is he busy? Tell him to come out," said Luca, also having tasted the food and was just as pleased as Don Ashley.
"Ah, no. Lo siento pero he stepped out for a cigarette break," the waiter fidgeted while he watched them consume the dish like animals, chowing down bite after bite and washing it down with wine or rum like they were competing. The timid man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip. "El chef Bernardeau quería que te diera esta nota. Toma, señor." (Chef Bernardeau wanted me to give you this note. Here, sir.)
Alejandro snatched the note before Luca did, shooting him a glare as he blindly unfolded the note. He cleared his throat and began reading out loud, "Revenge is the best dish...served cold..." Alejandro paused, realising what he was reading, "but I figured it'd be best to serve it to you hot. Enjoy the taste of Mr. Underwood—unfortunately, I didn't. Candy Estrabao."
Sinu burped and retched, covering her mouth with her fist, Luca sprung to his feet and whipped out his gun, Fabian leant over his chair and projectile vomited onto the floor and coffee coloured walls, Steven and Thomas kept shaking their heads in denial, cursing Candy's very name.
"That bitch! That cook is dead!" Luca thundered, sending his chair flying across the room.
"This is an act of war," Alejandro shouted and got up with his pistol equipped as well. "Can you believe the balls on my own daughter!? She's dead to me! Ella acaba de firmar su propia sentencia de muerte!" (She just signed her own death warrant!)
"Go! Go find chef Bernardeau, he must've escaped already!" Sinu ordered all the men, watching as her son bolted for the door first with his firearm aimed at no one yet. Alejandro stayed behind with her and chugged all the rum on the table as if it'd clean out the taste of a human body already halfway down his digestive system. Sinu brought her phone to her ear and waited irritably for her daughter to pick up. "This cannot be forgiven. Once we find her, we kill her before she kills us."
"Miami is a big place but our cartel is bigger. She can't hide for long," said Alejandro. He flipped the table over in a fit of rage; if he looked at the plates of food any longer he'd throw up just like Fabian did.
"Hola mamá. Qué tal?" Candy's voice light and cheery. (Hi, mom. What's up?)
"Acabas de cometer el mayor error de tu vida. Corre, Karla. Corre tan rápido como puedas. Porque cuando te encontramos, eres una mujer muerta!" Sinu carried more venom and bite as intended, slowly walking away from the table. (You just made the biggest mistake of your life. Run, Karla. Run as fast as you can. Because when we find you, you are a dead woman.)
"Ay, mamá," Candy groaned, mocking her mother. "Te equivocas. No fui yo quien cometió el error y ciertamente no estoy corriendo. You wanna find me? Come find me. Pero te lo haré muy difícil. Buena suerte." (You're wrong. It wasn't me who made the mistake and I'm certainly not running. But I will make it very difficult for you. Good luck.)
***
6:33pm - Arcola Lakes Park
"So Jesús is going to L.A. to do some house hunting for us. He says there's a chance we can all live in the same neighbourhood as my primos, tía and abuela," said Aleesia, sat between Lauren's open legs with her head against her collarbone. She shared a vanilla ice cream cone with Lauren as they watched Jesús, Jhene, Normani and Big Mike play a competitive game of handball. Other members were there but they stayed off to the side or at different parts of the park, smoking and selling.
"Oh yeah?" Lauren murmured, her lips pressed against Aleesia's head. Her hands caressed her belly affectionately, slipping beneath her black shirt. "Do they know about me?"
"Yes, all of them. Don't worry, they make money the dirty way, too. No one judges. They'll talk shit about other things about you behind your back though," Aleesia giggled as Lauren started kissing her neck. "Stop, that tickles!"
Lauren laid a big kiss on her cheek then took the ice cream, scooping up some rainbow sprinkles with her tongue. "And your other brother? Not the one in the Peace Corp, the one who was transferred to San Quentin. Will he be with us too once he gets out?"
"Hell no. He's dangerous, babe, I don't want him around our kid. Will he be around? Most likely. But I'm not gonna let him get too close."
"Should I keep an eye on him down there then? Because if he's going to be a problem—"
"Let's not talk about that right now. Let's talk about when we can finally leave. I need a date," Aleesia shifted to look up at her.
The older woman sharply inhaled and squinted as her eyes danced around the scenery of the park at night. They settled on the sight of Ariel selling weed and heroin to two people at a bench outside the gated handball court. Lauren studied the boy for a minute as she contemplated her leaving, conflicted over the timing—whether it was good or not. "I don't know. I'm not leaving Miami until Luca's dead and Candy introduces her own cartel. I can't leave things unfinished or risk anything troubling catching up to me in El Sereno."
"Sooo...when will that be happening exactly?"
"Yo no se, Aleesia, yo no se. Soon. Candy already started the war, it shouldn't take too long to finish it. We have the advantage. She has me and she has Sugar backing her, they don't exactly stand a chance now," Lauren lowered the ice cream to Aleesia's lips for her to have a lick before returning it to her own.
"Just promise me we'll be safe until it's all over. I don't want you getting hurt, arrested, or killed. You have to be here for our son," Aleesia emphasised seriously when she turned around and sat on her ankles, holding Lauren's gaze.
Lauren softened and the corners of her lips raised, a ghost of a smile settling on her lips. She reached out to touch Aleesia's cheek, the smaller woman leaned into her palm and sighed as Lauren brushed her thumb over her skin. "The three of us are gonna be okay, I promise. We'll survive this whole thing together and we'll leave together. You don't have to worry as much as you do."
"Okay," Aleesia grabbed Lauren's hand and began kissing her palm and the inside of her wrist, holding her tender gaze. She squealed when Lauren eagerly pulled her close and captured her plush lips between hers—tasting of vanilla and as addicting as what the people around her were selling. Lauren ditched the ice cream cone and crossed her legs, forcing Aleesia's legs to wrap around her waist as she sat on her lap and embraced her, their fluttering lips still connected.
"Yo, boss," Ariel called out as he rode his BMX bike across the back of the court, hardly pedaling. Lauren dropped Aleesia's lips and looked over her shoulder while Aleesia hid her face in her neck. "My bad," Ariel chuckled, "didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to give you your money and let you know I'm out of goods. Already counted what I made today."
"Nice," Lauren accepted the five hundred for herself while Ariel kept the other half. She gave it to Aleesia then pat the empty spot next to her. "Come over here, I need to talk to you for a minute."
Ariel hopped off his bike and let it fall to the ground. The handball their friends were playing with nearly hit him but he caught it in time and threw it back to Jesús who ran up to catch it.
"Thanks," Jesús husked, all sweaty and out of breath.
"No prob," replied Ariel. He dropped down next to the couple and thrust out his chin. "What's good?"
"You know that I'm leaving for Los Angeles soon, right? And that Normani is taking my place?"
"Unfortunately. Why?"
"What you mean 'unfortunately'?" Lauren made a face.
"Not about Normani but about you leaving. I wanna come with you but now that I think about it...I doubt there'd be any room for me. Know what I mean?" the corners of his lips were drawn-down.
"No," Lauren said.
Aleesia picked up her head to face Ariel. "There's room for you. We want you to come with us. Jhene's staying here, Normani is staying here, Smokey is most likely staying here but doesn't know yet. You're the only other family Lauren has and I love you like you're my brother. It'd be a waste to leave you behind."
Ariel's face lit up brighter than the lamp post behind them, providing them with a soft orange glow. "Y'all sure? Like SURE sure?"
"Don't be stupid, mano. Come on," Lauren sucked her teeth and pushed his shoulder, almost knocking him over. "Of course we're sure! You'll be set in L.A. with your own crib close by, I'll hook you up just as long as you save up some money. We'll start over, try something new with our lives. And you have a better shot than I do, your record is clean."
"What if it doesn't work out?"
"Well then it doesn't work out. Not everything does."
"Just think about it some more. Even if your answer is already yes and you're ready to go, think about what you're gonna do and where you wanna go. Okay?" said Aleesia.
"Shit, you got it. I'mma be thinking about that all night," he looked down between his legs, unable to get rid of his cheesy grin. "Especially since I'mma be eighteen soon. Man, I really hope I make it to eighteen."
"Three months, niño. Try to stay alive for three more months. I know exactly what waiting to turn that age feels like. Shit, I almost stood my ass inside my parents's house for five fucking months just to better my chances so I can say I made it," Lauren looked up at the sky with an unfocused gaze. Those were hard times. All of it felt so long ago. "But I didn't stay inside. My dumbass was running around fucking everything up."
"And then you got fucked up in return. The minute you turned eighteen your house got shot up then burned down," Ariel recalled, laughing. It really wasn't funny but the fact that Lauren excitedly waited to turn 18, thinking it'll be the best day of her life, just for everything to automatically go to shit was a little laughable.
Aleesia rolled her eyes and scowled, leaning away from her chuckling girlfriend. "Ugh, I fucking hated that day. You straight up lied to me about who Lauren was with then I caught her not even two seconds later."
"Girl, you don't forget for SHIT," Lauren groaned and Ariel laughed even harder. "Let it go."
"Bro, I was about to ask where you think that Shawn kid is at but then I remembered that Jhene killed his ass," Ariel slapped Lauren's arm playfully.
"Oh yeah. I forgot all about that asshole. Oh well. I had a good time torturing his ass with Cand—I mean—"
"All right, I'm leaving," Aleesia got up before Lauren could stop her. She ignored Lauren calling after her, apologising and swearing she didn't mean it like that, and decided to join the game of handball. "Pinche puta," she muttered under her breath. (Fucking whore.)
"Yo, you gotta watch your mouth around your girl, stupid," Ariel reprimanded. "You're on thin fucking ice. And I hope that when we go to L.A. y'all are not gonna keep ruining my peaceful ass moments with your fighting. Y'all get really loud, too."
"You should hear us having sex," Lauren retorted, removing the blunt from behind her ear to put it between her lips and light it. Ariel snorted.
"Heard enough of that mess with Candy. And what's up with that, by the way? Y'all really cuddled or did you give it to her?"
Lauren took one hit then held out the blunt in front of her, inspecting it as she thought back to that night, blowing out the excess smoke. She shook her head and passed the blunt to him. "Nah. We cuddled but it wasn't even like that."
"Did you want it to be like that?" Ariel persisted with his interrogation, hitting the blunt after he asked. "You can trust me, you know I don't judge you or tell your secrets. I just wanna know."
"To be honest with you?" Lauren looked at him then lost focus as her eyes fell with shame. "I wasn't thinking about sex. I just wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad...and I hate myself for it. That doesn't take away from the fact that I love and want to be with Aleesia, but I just wonder sometimes...what if, you know?"
"What if you and Candy tried again now that things are different with her?"
"Yeah," Lauren sighed, throwing herself against the gate defeatedly.
Ariel raised his eyebrows and pushed up his lips, not knowing how to respond to that. He kissed his teeth and shook his head at her dilemma that seemed to be never ending, then he handed her the blunt as his simple and best way of telling her to chill the fuck out.
-
7:01pm - Los Carnales Hideout
Limbs and hair sprawled out on Lauren's former bed, Candy had her eyes shut as she spent hours and hours combating a sea of stormy thoughts. There was no off switch for her, no easy way to unwind anymore, no company available or worth keeping to keep her distracted for long. She felt doomed in her own body but, hey, at least the room was nice and the bed was comfortable. How the sheets still smelled like Lauren after all this time of not sleeping in it? Candy didn't know but she wasn't complaining. It sort of gave her the illusion that the green eyed girl was still around inside this underground gang clubhouse—whatever the hell they called it—guarding her, just one whisper away, one breath apart.
Since leaving her house, Candy hasn't spoken to Lauren except for when she called to say she made it back to the hideout safe. The gang leader's reaction to the stunt she pulled on her family was pricless; Lauren couldn't believe Candy had it in her to do something like or even think about it after taking one look at the pimp's dead body. She lost her words, tripped over them, paced restlessly around her living room, praised Candy for her brilliance and wicked ways, then stressfully started washing the dishes when Candy got the phone call from Sinu. It was on for real now and Candy wasn't even fully prepared yet. But that bit of revenge felt great. All of it felt better than just sitting around waiting like Sugar advised her not to do.
But now she was right back to doing just that: waiting. Waiting for a phone call from Jonathan Bernardeau, her most recent recruit, waiting for Carter's shift to end so he could maybe entertain her somehow, waiting for those fucking goons downstairs to stop screaming at whatever the hell they were playing on TV, for the time to pass her by—fuck, who knew time could ever go this slow? Should she just do some lines in the meantime? There was a bunch of it downstairs...
The sound of her ringtone suddenly going off made Candy fly out of bed and leap across the room to take her phone off the charger and answer it. Her heart raced as she picked up, "Hello??"
"Candy, it's Jonathan. Sorry I haven't called sooner, they're everywhere looking for the both of us and I'm still in hiding. It's not safe to go out and travel anywhere yet," he rushed out with a strained low voice.
"Shit. Where are you right now? I'll have somebody come pick you up, you'll be safe."
"I'd rather not say over the phone."
"Then give me a hint," Candy tried, biting her nails.
"Not the music genre, but the animal. Inside a shed."
"What?" Candy dropped her hand and cocked her head back.
"I have to go. Bye."
"Wait, Jonath—shit!" Candy tossed her phone back onto the dresser then paced around, repeating his hint over and over. "Not the music genre, but the animal. Not the music genre, but the animal..." Two minutes later and she was slapping herself for not getting it sooner. Of course, it was too obvious! Candy grabbed her phone again and called up Lauren this time, hoping she'd answer.
On the first ring, "Dime."
"Hey...you busy?" Candy crossed one leg over the other as she leaned against the flat long dresser, sitting on the very edge of it.
"No. I'm just at the park, chillin' with the crew—"
"Which park??" Candy pressed. Lauren produced a hearty, raspy sounding laugh.
"You're not coming outside, Candy. Stay home."
"No, I'm serious. That chef I was telling you about has been running and hiding from my family for hours and I need you to pick him up for me. Better you because they won't suspect anything from Los Carnales."
"Carajo. All right, where is he?"
"Flamingo Park, inside a—"
"Oh no, you're out of your fucking mind thinking I would ever go back down there. Fuck that, Candy. I'm not doing it."
"Please? Lauren, that park isn't cursed or anything, nothing bad is going to happen to you."
"Ok, realise why you telling me to go to Flamingo Park right now is not working out for me."
Candy grimaced, pushing herself off the piece of furniture. "What, you don't trust me?? Are you kidding?"
"I have trust issues with you and that fucking park. Sorry. No one's going there tonight or ever—"
"Fine, then I'll just go there myself," Candy spat, moving around to locate her shoes and jacket. "And that's really a shame because they're looking for me too. You know that, right?"
"Are you seriously trying to manipulate me into changing my mind? Really? You can't just ask Lola to do it?"
Candy huffed with a pout. "No because I was really hoping to see you instead. I'm extremely bored here and I was hoping we could have some fun together...at least after he's brought to me safe and sound. It's not like you're actually busy, you're just fucking around. But fine, forget it, I'll do it myself. Sorry I asked—"
"I'm going to kill you if you don't stay your ass inside of that fucking house. I'm not playing with you, Candy. Wait thirty minutes for my call then come outside. In the meantime, don't do anything stupid. Oíste?"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, I lo—will see you soon," she put the phone away from her ear to curse herself for almost slipping up that way, then brought it back to her ear, frightened over the possibility that Lauren heard it.
"Fuck you, you owe me so much for this. And I'mma kick his ass too for choosing that park of all places. Like I said, stay there and don't move."
"I won't," Candy sighed with relief and smiled to herself. That was fucking close.
"And Candy?"
"Yeah?"
Lauren went static for a moment before she said in the quietest, soothing voice, "I love you, too."
***