Time After Time 🌹 Daniel LaRusso [1]

Chapter 33: Loteria Night

A tense silence fills the room as they all replay what just happened in their heads. "Um, why don't we go somewhere else? Unless you want to go home now?" Rosalía acknowledges Jessica, breaking the silence. "Oh, no, it's fine. Those guys are gone now and there's no need to let them ruin the rest of the night, you know?" Jessica answers. They haven't been out for that long so she doesn't feel like going home already, especially when she just made these new friends and is finally out after two months of being here. Rosalía nods, satisfied with her response. "I agree, 100%. Let's not let those pendejos ruin our night," she pipes up, smiling optimistically at the other two.

"Alright," Jessica chuckles. Daniel returns the smile and questions, "alright then, where should we go?" He and Jessica look at Rosalía, expecting her to decide. The girl takes a moment to think of cool places they can go to that aren't too far. We could go to the mall or arcade or something, she thinks before an idea pops into her head. Her eyes light up and she eyes Jessica excitedly before looking at Daniel.

"Oh, I know! We can go to Kara's, the guys are usually there. She can meet the gang," she suggests. Kara's apartment is where the group usually chills. Sometimes they hang out at one of the guys' houses but they usually rotate between Rosalía, Kara, and Marissa's apartments since they live in the same building. However, Kara's home is more of the go-to spot for some reason. "Oh, yeah! You're gonna love them, they're really cool," Daniel tells Jessica. "Oh- you want me to meet your friends?" she asks nervously.

"Yeah! These are my girls and my homeboys, they're my best friends. I'd love to introduce you, I'm sure they'll like you... but we don't have to go with them," Rosalía claims, not wanting to force her to meet them. "Okay, I'd love to meet them," Jessica quickly replies, making Rosalía beam. "Yay! Then let's go," she cheerily voices before they exit the shop and climb into Daniel's car.

———(🌹)———

The three walk into the building and head toward Kara's door when Rosalía notices that her own door is wide open. She can hear voices coming from inside. "Wait," she utters, approaching her apartment, Daniel and Jessica following. She peeks inside and discovers her parents and homies sitting at the kitchen table. "Why are y'all in my house? I wasn't even home," she questions as she strides into the apartment.

"We were talking to your dad outside and then just came in here," Ricky summarizes. "Your mom was just telling us about how a guy tried to kill your grandpa with a machete," Marissa chimes in. Rosalía hums in response. She's heard the story of how a man swung a machete at her grandfather's head when his back was turned and he ducked right on time. "Yeah, he has Spider-sense or some shit," she jokes as she nears the table. She greets both parents by giving each of them a peck on the cheek. "No entiendo como todavía sigue viva, señora [I don't get how you're still alive, ma'am]," Sebastian comments to Rosalía's mom, making everyone laugh. "Dude, your tíos [uncles] are wild, man," he addresses the girl.

"I know," she laughs, recalling the stories of how her mom would get hurt badly when playing with her brothers as kids. At this point, her parents leave the kitchen to check on Adriana, who's in their bedroom, leaving the friends alone. "Um, so anyway, I have a new friend I'd like you all to meet," she announces, walking back to drag Jessica over. As she steps over to Jessica, Angel remarks, "look, she brought us a gringa." They all lightly snicker at the comment. "This is Jessica Andrews. No la vayan a asustar, eh? [Don't scare her.] Jessica, these are our friends, Ricky, Angel, Sebastian, Kara, Marissa, and Oscar," Rosalía speaks, pointing at each person as she names them.

"Hi," Jessica utters, waving at them while they all greet her back. "Here," Oscar voices as he stands up, offering his seat to Jessica. She thanks him and sits down. Rosalía glances at Daniel beside her and grins proudly, happy to see how Jessica is being treated. "So, where you from?" Kara asks the new girl. The conversation unfolds from there and they're all chatting for about two minutes when Oscar suddenly enters the kitchen with a box. "Aye, you guys wanna play Loteria?" he calls out. Everyone starts replying simultaneously, eager to play.