I can't Hurt You - Marcus Lopez Arguello

58

Another couple hours had passed. I had lost track of time if I'm being honest.

Marcus had put on some music on Willie's boom box. I guess it helped him focus since he was now picking the lock with a screwdriver. Like that was going to work.

Viktor found all of Willie's roommate's snacks and was loudly munching on them from the other bed. Seriously, I swear I heard that shit over the music.

Willie distracted himself however he could, looking for different things in his desk.

I on the other hand did what I always do when I'm bored: learned some new knife tricks.

"If we're gonna be stuck in here, you don't get to dictate the music. Got to get with the times, Arguello." Willie mispronounced Marcus's last name as he took the tape out of the boom box.

"Get with the times? Doesn't that mean just copy what some other people decided we should like recently?" Marcus said as he continued to pick with the screwdriver.

"Always so controversial." I teased.

"You hate mainstream because everyone can enjoy it." Viktor guessed.

"I guess that's how someone like you would boil it down. Spoon fed art, film, and music by whatever corporate facility decided you should have it." Marcus said, clearly frustrated.

"You are just desperate for people to think you are unique."  Viktor said as he picked out chips from his half empty chip bag.

"You're a vanilla person, okay? So you go ahead and enjoy whatever vanilla shit your served and told to ingest. You're boring." Marcus said passive aggressively.

"Is Bon Jovi vanilla? Of course not." Viktor justified before basically inhaling his snacks again.

"You're a narcissist, yo." Willie said to Marcus, making him finally slightly turn around to look at him.

"Because I have an opinion about music?" Marcus said as he stood up.

"No, because nobody else gets to have one." Willie said as he stepped towards Marcus.

"You're just mad about before, that I'm more worried about this gang war brewing up than you scuffling up with your new girlfriend. Guess what? I have a girlfriend too. And I'd much rather be hooking up with her than being stuck in here with you." Marcus said rudely.

"I mean, we could give them a show." I muttered.

"See, that's it, right there. You take me to Vegas under false pretenses, got me involved in a dangerous situation, and then you lie about everything." Willie scolded rudely, ignoring my comment.

"Dude-" I said before he cut me off.

"Don't even get me started on you. You're doin' the same thing he is." Willie turned to me.

"Ever thought that maybe we're keeping secrets from you so your pacifist ass doesn't get into any more dangerous situations? Or did that not cross your pea-sized mind?" I stood up and got in his face, not caring if Viktor knew about Willie's morals or not.

"This isn't about you, man-" Marcus tried to explain.

"When is it about me, Marcus? Huh?" Willie turned to Marcus angrily again.

Marcus and I looked at each other before looking back at Willie. We were mentally asking each other the same question. When would we tell everyone about all this Chester bullshit and let them help us? When would we stop the secrets? When would everything be normal again?

"Y'all need to stop keeping shit, man." Willie said before rolling his eyes and sitting on his bed.

Great. Just great.