CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nina was at work at the store like always. Later she would be making a trip to Brentwood for a tutorial session with the teens who needed help with their SATs.
Her and Oscar were on speaking terms after Monse fought with Cesar but she still acted cold. Although, they haven't really spoken about what happened. Oscar had to work for it this time because what happened really made Nina feel so cross with him.
He would bring her to work and everything just like he usually would. Even spend time in the store just to be with her. Oscar would be good to her by kissing her cheek, neck, shoulders just to get her attention but he would easily be brushed off like he was nothing.
"You guys still ain't talkin?" Martín asked leaning over the counter.
"What are you guys talking about? We talked this morning," Nina shrugged stocking up the cigarettes behind her.
"Then why is he broken like this?" Gabriel asked pointing to Oscar who had his forehead resting on the counter.
"He said he has a headache," Nina said bluntly not taking notice of her boyfriend.
"When was the last time you two had sex?" Gabriel's comment caused an old lady to stare. "Lo siento, señora," he apologized.
"C'mon Nina. The poor guy is experiencing drought," Martín butted in.
"I swear to God if you two don't shut up!" Oscar slowly began to raise his voice at the two cholos putting them in their place.
"See, I told you he wasn't feeling okay," Nina said finally turning around. "Alright, papi. Let's go get you some Advil," she said hooking her arm into Oscar's so he could get up.
She grabs a pill from the bag and a water bottle from one of the fridges before bringing Oscar to the back so they can talk. "Aight, out with it," Nina said leaning against one of the shelves.
"I actually do have a headache," Oscar admits as Nina hands him the pill and tosses him a water bottle.
Nina crosses her arms over her chest and avoids eye contact with him. Oscar glances at her and reads the disappointment all over her face.
"Babygirl, I said I was sorry," he says sincerely trying to find her eyes but she still refuses to look at him.
"I know. I heard you the first few times," she mutters followed by sighing heavily.
"Then why are you acting like this?" He asked calmly trying to approach her but she still wasn't having it.
"Because I don't think you actually realize how disappointed I am," she says finally turning to him making him stop in his place. "Look I know you made Cesar say those things but why? They're kids Oscar what the hell were you thinking?"
On the bright side at least they were finally talking about it.
"When are you gonna start trusting me when I say that I know what I'm doing?" He asked with a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Baby, I don't doubt that you do but having Cesar say nasty things like that about Monse for the sake of street cred?" Nina argued.
Oscar ran a hand through his face. "It was for her own good."
"Starting a rumor before she could enter high school? How is that something good for a teenager?" Nina was beginning to sound like her mother. It made her feel weird just thinking about it.
"It was for protection sake, Nina!"
"I figured! But you can't come for an innocent girl like that!"
"Nina!" He shouted causing her to jump a little. By that point people in the store were already facing the door that lead to the back of the store. Oscar pulls her further into the back so no one could hear them.
"The night I got out I knew the Prophet$ would come for me. Cos locking up the leader of the Santos was a very big deal. They threatened to go after Cesar through Monse. He had to claim her, for his sake and hers," Oscar whispers making Nina understand a little bit more.
"Was it necessary to make it sound so insulting?" she slumped her shoulders.
"You think the Prophet$ would take him seriously if he simply said that they were dating?"
"Point taken," Nina huffs. "How come you never put out a claim for me like that? I mean not that I wanted things to come out that way," the mere thought of it made her wonder if she would even be dating him if he said something like that.
"No because I knew you would react like this. But I gotta be honest, this was one of the reasons why I was hesitant dating you," he admits making her look directly into his eyes. Nina had to admit that hearing that stung a little.
"You being with me automatically puts a green light on you," he says as he unknowingly began fiddling with her fingers. "I said I wanted to keep you away from all of this but every time I feel like I keep dragging you in."
"That's why sometimes I think the less you know about this life, the better. You're safer that way," he added tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
Nina sigh before wrapping her arms around his waist for a hug. "I'm sorry," she muttered against his chest. "I didn't mean to question you like that. I'm still getting used to things. I'm sorry, Oscar."
"For what its worth, you're worth the risk. This is worth the risk," she said sincerely as she snuggles into his chest as he too wraps around his arms around her waist just before resting his chin on top of her head.
"You promised to protect me," she says mindlessly.
"And I will. I promise," he coos placing a hand by her cheek to make her look at him. He leans down to plant a kiss on her lips. "Does this mean we're cool, now?" He pouted pulling away from her.
"Mos def, homes," Nina smiles a little before pecking him again. "C'mon, they're gonna think we're having sex in here," she adds before pulling him by the arm to drag him out.
"Aye, what's the rush homie?" Oscar smirked before pulling her back in for a kiss.
"Oscar," she said in between a kiss. "If you're going through some drought, I'm not relieving you in some stock room. And I thought you had a headache?"
"Mamas, you be giving me blue balls because of this," Oscar whined causing Nina to giggle.
"Baby, I don't wanna lose this job," she whispers before trailing kisses along his Santos tattoo as her hand slowly travels down to his shaft. Her fingers trace along the fabric causing Oscar to groan.
"So if you wanna get it, you're gonna to wait," she teases before kissing his cheek and walking away.
"Dick move, Nina!"
-
Nina seemed to be forgiven later that day as Oscar still decides to drive her to Brentwood. Then again, Nina did promise Oscar that she would make up for all of the teasing later on. Like the usual, Oscar said to text when she was done. Although when she got to the house, she wanted nothing more but to leave already.
"Donny, where are the rest of your friends?" she asked entering the house.
"Oh, they all had plans so they had to cancel last minute," white boy Donny tried to play things smoothly. "So, its just the two of us today," he added with a smirk.
Nina did her best not to gag with him being such a try hard. "Let's begin then."
An hour and a half passes slowly and Nina wanted nothing more to be put out of her misery. She spent the time talking about context clues with some practice articles and readings she brought but the dumbass wasn't paying attention. He would always accidentally brush his fingers against her arms but every time she would move away he would brush against her legs. Them being situated on the couch wasn't helping either.
"Donny, maybe you should try going over this text while being mindful of the time. The last thing you want is to waste your time looking through the entire thing but not being able to maximize your time looking for the right answers to the questions-"
"Exactly, mami. We shouldn't be wasting time with this mindless reading," he said putting his hand on her thigh as he slowly began to lean in.
"What did you just call me, cabrón?" she pushed him away. The fuck was that?
"Chillax, mami. I'm just trying to show you a good time," he said approaching her again and putting a hand on her cheek for a kiss.
Nina quickly grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it. "Don't. fucking. touch. me," she said through grit teeth. The pain was enough to scare him just a bit but it only made him angry when she let him go.
"You ungrateful bitch! I pay you!"
"To teach you! This isn't some fantasy porno, Donny!" she retaliated as she hurriedly gathered her things. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Best to make a run for it while she still could.
"You broke my wrist!" he yelled clutching on to his sprained wrist.
"It didn't even snap, you pussy."
Just as she was about to make a run for it Donny grabs her wrist to force her to face him. She underestimated how strong he was. The grip on her wrist was really hurting her by this point.
"You don't get to fucking leave until I say so," he said angrily before pinning her against the wall next to the couch. "Come on, mami. Would it help if I said that I couldn't stop thinking about you? I'm sorry for being so rough with you. I thought you would like it rough."
Tears began to well in her eyes. She was angry and scared. She hated this.
"Oh baby don't be scared I'll take good care of you," he said putting his lips up to her ear.
She mustered the strength she had to give him a head butt. "Don't," she said as she hit him. "Touch," she kneed him in the balls causing him to topple over. "Me," she had kicked him to the floor where he began to curl up into a ball because of the pain.
Before she could make a run for it Oscar appears and makes his way over to Nina and the poor white boy on the floor. He goes past Nina and picks up the, now crippled, teen on the floor to pin him against the wall.
"What were you tryna do to my girlfriend, pendejo?!?" he growled to the gringo with his face mere inches away from Donny's. Oscar saw red, it was only a matter of time which he had arrived. He had witnessed Nina getting pinned to the wall from the house's window and he bolted from the car.
"You wanna play rough, cabrón? I'll teach you rough," before he could even strike Nina grabs his arm.
"Oscar, don't. Let's just get out of here. Let's go home. I want to go home," Nina pleaded still trying to hold back her tears. Oscar's scowl deepens but lets go heeding to Nina's plea.
"You're lucky I didn't put a bullet in your head," Oscar sneered before grabbing Nina's stuff. The two leave the house leaving Donny by the wall still frozen with fear.
The car ride back to Freeridge was silent as Nina was lost in a daze. Every now and then Oscar would glance over to her and it killed him to see her like this. He decided to pull the car over once they were out of Brentwood and within Santos territory.
He turns to her and still notices how frozen she was. He takes another moment before deciding to place his hand over hers. The moment they touch Nina jumps as her head snaps to him. Oscar's heart sank when he noticed the fear lingering in her brown eyes.
"Hey," he said softly. "Everything is okay. You're safe now," he reassures her. Nina slowly begins to share her head as she begins to breakdown in front of him.
"C'mere," he whispers before pulling her into an embrace. She grips onto his tank top as he drew circles into her back. Tears began to well in his eyes as well as he noticed how violently her hands were shaking.
"Nina, Nina, tranquila, tranquila," he repeated as she continued sobbing into his chest. "Inhala. Exhala," he says to her breathing in and out like he said. He continues to encourage her until she eventually follows suit.
"Ugh! I don't know what the fuck just happened. I-if things could've gone differently- I-I don't k-know-"
"Baby, you don't have to explain," he cooed as Nina covered her face as more of her tears were shed. "You're safe. You're safe now," he added placing a kiss on her head.
They stay in the same position for a little while before Oscar sobers up a bit and they continue to make their way home. He walks her into his room with Victoria confused at what caused Nina to go into such a mindless state. As Nina lays in her bed, Oscar takes the opportunity to explain what happened to Victoria.
Victoria couldn't help but reminisce her own experience before joining her sister in bed to comfort her. Oscar was beyond enraged with what that son of bitch tried to do to Nina. It had yet to sink in that Nina had found trouble outside of Freeridge. He could've shot him then and there, he couldn't care less about his two strikes. That fucker touched Nina.
They were in her room, Oscar was nursing her bruised wrist. Her head was also hurting after head butting the kid. He felt anger beginning to boil inside him when he noticed the bruise beginning to discolor.
"I'm gonna fucking kill him."
"Oscar-"
"I don't give a damn Nina! He hurt you! He touched you!" he stood up abruptly as he began to breathe heavily. "I should've placed a bullet in his head when I had the chance!"
"And then what huh? You're taken back to prison and you disappear until Cesar gets to college? Thats if you even make it out by time the he leaves this place!" Nina yelled back. She stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Oscar, look at me," she pleaded placing a hand on the side of his cheek. He did so as he was told.
"That ain't Freeridge. You can't just get what you want and get away so easily," she reminded him. "You can't afford going back to jail especially with two strikes on you as it is," she added calmly but he was still fuming.
"And I get that you're angry, I mean I am too! But Cesar can't afford to lose you again. I don't want to lose you," she cried before pulling him into a hug. That was when he began to soften a little bit. "Thank you for showing up when you did. I had things handled but you showing up just reminded me to breathe. Now, take my advice and calm down too."
Oscar slowly wrapped his arms around Nina as he shut his eyes and placing his shoulder over her head. "I want you to know that you're worth the two strikes."
"Well it's not worth it losing you to a cell."
At the back of Nina's head, she recounted that they've been together for a month. A month. They've known each other for two. She trusted Oscar with her life. The way he was willing to sacrifice everything for her was beginning to take a toll on her feelings for him. Deep down she knew she was beginning to fall in love with him.
Again their moment was ruined by Nina's phone ringing. She pulls away from him to take a look at her phone only to see that Monse was calling her.
"Monse?"
"Good, now you pick up!" she recognizes Ruby's phone at the other end. "Nina, where are you? We've been calling you nonstop. We need your guidance."
"I-I'm sorry I had a... slip up at work," she turns over to Oscar who had an unreadable expression on his face. "What kind of help do you guys need?"
"Just get over here," with that he ended the call leaving Nina in a state of confusion
"Who was that?" Oscar asked.
"Ruby. You know for a 14 year old kid he's pretty demanding," she huffed shoving he phone into her back pocket.
"What does he want?"
"I don't know. I just need to get over there," Nina shrugged. Her and Oscar ended up arguing again about how she didn't need to be up on her feet just yet but Nina insisted that she was fine. Or at least she will be eventually.
Oscar eventually gives into her arguments when Nina asks him to stay the night later on. She changes into on of Oscar's flannels that she stole a few days ago to hide her bruising wrist. For a moment, Oscar couldn't help but stare at how his clothes suited her well.
They ended up walking to the Martinez house. Before Oscar could leave, he kisses Nina on the lips not taking notice of the kids who were watching from the window. Monse and Cesar saw how much they cared for each other.
Monse was slowly starting to realize that the words Nina told her a few days ago was something Nina really meant. On the other hand, Ruby and Jamal were still trying to grasp the fact that her and Oscar were dating.
When Nina finally joined them inside the house, she felt like she didn't really miss much considering they were just arguing. However, the topic at hand was about saving Cesar. They figured that they would simply try and talk things out with Oscar. Nina tried to bite back any sort of side comment or reaction. She knew that talking wasn't going to sway Oscar in anyway.
"I'm telling you, Nina should do it!" Ruby argued.
"No!" Monse yelled. "Haven't you guys been listening to me for the past hours? Nina can't meddle in with Oscar like that. Doing so puts her and their relationship on the line."
"But she's Spooky's sweet spot! How the hell are we supposed to retaliate if we don't hit the sweet spot?" Jamal argued back before turning to Nina. "No offense."
"None taken," Nina answered with a shrug. "But I'm telling you guys, sending me in will do you no good. Trust me when I say that we've fought about it even before we were dating and sometimes during. You let me talk to him it's no use."
"That's true," Cesar nodded. "Nina's right, she can't sway Oscar talking about the Santos. Especially when my brother just wants to keep her out of it. My brother won't have it. And if Oscar finds out we used her like that then we're all dead."
"Great! If Nina can't get through to him, what makes y'all think I can?" Ruby pointed out in frustration. "I still think Monse is our best shot."
"Me?!" Monse yelled.
"Not Monse," Nina butted in before turning to Monse. "Cesar had to claim her for protection. Making her being the one to talk to Oscar cancels that out. Putting her in that situation will be seen as a threat on Cesar's part thinking you could head to head with the leader of Santos."
"I agree with Nina," Cesar replied just as everyone started arguing with each other again.
Nina took it upon herself to use the bathroom at this time. They were going nowhere. As Nina begins to wash her hands, she puts the bruise under cold running water making her wince a little bit. She scrunched her nose in disgust seeing the hues of black and purple beginning to form. She gently dabs the towel onto it before leaving the restroom.
Just as she was putting the sleeve down, she bumps into Monse. A surge of panic rushes through her as the teen couldn't take her eyes off from Nina's wrist.
"Did he do that to you?" she asked with her voice mixed with fear and anger.
"Monse-"
"Stop defending him! I looked like a complete idiot out there defending your relationship with him," Monse whisper yelled to her.
"Monse," Nina started sternly putting her hands on Monse's shoulders. "This wasn't Oscar's doing. He wouldn't hurt me like that, ever. I told you guys, I had slip up at work in Brentwood," she explained looking directly into Monse's eyes.
It took Monse a few moments before piecing it together. "You got assaulted, didn't you?"
Nina sighed. "Oscar was on the verge of literally killing the guy without question. I had to talk him out of it before he was going to do something we were gonna regret."
Monse looks down in embarrassment for assuming the worst. "What you said about protection and Cesar claiming me. Cesar said the same thing to me the day after," she began.
"You think I should give him a chance?"
Nina looks at her and gives an assuring smile. "With all things considered I think you should. But you gotta be prepared to take in all the good with the bad," Nina replied just as remembering what Oscar told her this morning. "But you gotta take into consideration that the less you know about his life as a Santo the better. You're safer that way."
Monse nodded.
"Which makes me think that we're hitting a wall," Nina added jokingly. "Have you guys decided who's gonna be talking to Oscar?"
Monse snorted. "We're going with Ruby."
Oh that poor kid.
---
Well, if you've seen the show, y'all know what happens when Ruby talks to Spooky 😬. Tell me what you guys think :))
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