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Sitting around with the Santos was the last thing Tori wanted to do. She was going to help Jamal find the roller world money but her outing with Leo lead her to sleep in.
Ruby walked by angrily looking at the Men sitting next to her and walked faster. They spoke very little these few days. Both not aware they were suffering.
"Hey" Oscar spoke grabbing the boys attention but no for long as he ignored him. "Hey I'm talking to you" Oscar screamed causing to boy to aruptly stop. He approached the men and kicked a crate lying around. " Just wanted to check up on you, you good?" answered the santo drinking his beer.
"No I'm not good" answers Ruby not even acknowledging his friend and the other Santos. "Yo, chill out" responded Oscar in a more stern voice. " that all you got as you sit there on your damn throne? I got shot! My friend who is the most amazing person I've known died because of you and for what? Nothing but some bullshit beef that means nothing that night won't stop repeating in my head and everytime I move my arm which is often because I'm a gesticulator it kills" the Santos and even Tori didn't need to listen to his story because they've lived it.
"He must be in the anger stage" joked Oscar patting Renés arm. Rene not finding this fun knowing what his sister was going through just kept looking at his sister. Tori sat playing with her nails not looking at any of them. ... "Ruby here saved you from basket duty, Victoria" Spooky chuckled after minutes of torturing the boy. Victoria walked around the store with Oscar grabbing stuff to cook with but didn't speak much. It worried Oscar but Victoria unlike Ruby was know for bottling her feeling.
"How many times can I say I'm sorry I know I stepped out of line but I really don't have your time to be your valet" Ruby tried to reason with Oscar even trying to get help from Tori who wouldn't even look his way. She was different and he noticed but couldn't understand why.
"So what else don't you like about me" asked Oscar dropping more stuff in the bag. He looked for Tori who was currently searching for avocados. Yet, he noticed that her mind was somewhere else. "Not falling for that" answered the boy still holding the basket.
"It's not a debate" said Spooky still placing things in the basket. The young girl was done grabbing the avocados but stopped to grab a some tomatoes. Oscar never took his eyes of the girl he knew that after the death of her so called boyfriend the prophets will want to do something to her in no time and not only that he knew that once again the girl was broken.
"Speak Queen" joked Oscar after Ruby finished explaining queen for the day phrase. " well you guys call yourself the santos the saints and yet you hurt people so what's the point of you, really" Ruby raised his voice catching Tori's attention. "You're coming at me but i didn't start this war" replied Oscar.
Tori approached them in fear they would kill each other. "You like history" asked Oscar. "World or American" joked Ruby. "Freeridge doesn't get more American than that back in the day the pinche prophets terrorized Freeridge didn't matter who you were paletero trying to make a living viejita coming home from church you were target" said Oscar approaching the young boy as he coward away in fear.
"Until finally, lil Ricky said, "No Mas" this neighborhood is his familia and you don't mess with family" he said glancing at the young girl. She was the one he needed to protect the most but he always seemed to fail. "He started the Santos with his brother in law to protect the hood" he finished not removing his eyes from the boy. "Great so then you had two groups terrorizing the neighborhood" Ruby remarked.
"Terrorizing.. you mean protecting" answered Oscar getting close to Ruby's face. "It complicated the Santos are a family. families are complicated" Oscar walked to register. "What do they know about family! The Santos killed my parents and you threw out your own brother" chuckled the young girl finally speaking. "I said it complicated" he screamed not being able to look at the girl.
" The Santos would have never killed your parents because your mother was Ricardo Galindo's sister and for Cesar cuchillos made that call" the girl stood in shock not understanding if the man was lying but why would he lie.
"Cuchillos can suck a dick" screamed the short boy. People in the store gasped and stared at them. "Look all I'm saying is If you are saint then save people don't kill em" Oscar looks down then I a handed the basket by Ruby. The young boy answered his phone. ... "Damn, you get off me already it's my mom she was on me about going to church. On me about hanging out with my friends now she's blowing me up wondering where I am can I just be left alone already" the boy complained.
"Pressures of the privileged" answered Oscar still cutting some food. "Privileged i live in a house with bars on the window" said the boy not realizing how lucky he really was.
"With two parents inside and a college future waiting outside don't whine to me about your mom no one took care of me an Cesar when my mom was out there or worst you see her" Oscar said pointing at the young girl sleeping in the couch. " Rene and Tori witnessed their parents death at a young age both not one not having any one to turn to but themselves" Oscar said staring at the broken girl.
"I didn't me to—" ,mumbled the boy. "Be ungrateful? I get that you got shot but why do you think now one came to finish the job, huh cause of me and think about how fast that truce happened me again" the man screamed at the boy who was lost for words. "I'm sorry I didn't know " mumbled the boy drink some beer.
"Yeah there lots of things you don't know like what's it like to walk into a job interview with a record you think Walmart's gonna hire someone with two strikes" asked the young boy still cutting up meat. "See I wouldn't work there they have poor employeee satisfaction" joked the boy already a bit tipsy.
"I ain't joking this shits real that's the kind of stuff that makes a man snap." Ruby was uneasy with Oscar but kept drinking.
"But being mad at the world won't help you, it'll only hurt you" explained Oscar looking inside the house to see Rene coming home. He carried his sister into her room. Oscar always admired Rene because much like himself he cared for other things not just drug and money. He like Oscar cared for his sibling. "Imagine this your parents are finally going to make it out of gang banging and raise their kids the right way when two police officers enter your home and murder them as you watch" asked Oscar and Ruby couldn't even allow himself to think of it.
"That's what happened to Rene and Tori their father was willing to do time for his crimes for his wife and children but the police killed him because they thought the fork he was eating dinner was a gun and unlike you the bullet killed them" everytime Oscar recalls the story his body chills.
"The Santos they helped them because they were family and that's why Tori is the princess of the Santos because they all know her story. There is another level of respect for her and we protect her at all cost because she has lived what half of these Santos only have seen in their nightmares and that's why she's my weakness because I promised myself to never let her be broken again but it seems that the girl can never catch a break" Oscar recalled seeing the girl cry on birthdays because her parents weren't there.
There were times that she would have nightmares of gunshots. He was there and so was Rene but trying to fix your broken sister when you too are breaking inside isn't easy. Rene cried but always on his own. He is grateful for Oscar because he was there to help him with his sister.
When she really wanted a strawberry shortcake doll from Walmart Oscar and Rene busted their ass to buy her that doll. Same when Cesar wanted his first skateboard. Rene and Oscar sold their shoes in order to buy it for the boy. They were teen parents for both their siblings at a age where they should be studying to go off to college. Yet, life had other plans for the teen boys.
