𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒐

Capítulo Trece

⚠️ : mention of strong violence and alcohol

"Muévete, cabeza de pija." Lucas shoved Diego out the room with Santiago following behind him with his jaw clenched and Romeo stayed back to calm his uncle, Diego's father.
[Move it, dickhead]

The four of us headed outside through the front door and stood by the red carpet as the cars drove by in the street beside us.

"What the fuck did you yell at him like that for? In front of everyone?" Santiago snapped at Diego.

"I can't stand him, that's why. Him and his stupid wife," Diego retorted. "They can both fuck off."

Romeo jogged over to us so I assumed his uncle had calmed down.

"Give me a cigarette," Diego instructed.

Lucas fished out a packet from his suit pants and before Diego could hold it, Santiago snatched it from him and slid it into his pants.

"Smoking's bad for you," he muttered. "Go cool off at the club. Let's go." He pushed him by the shoulder in the direction of the club across the street.

Lucas led the way and before we crossed the road, Santiago got my attention after chucking the cigarette packet into a bin.

"Do you want me to put your bag in my car?"

I nodded and handed it to him so he split up with the group and headed a different way. Now I only had my phone which I used to text Layla what would be happening tonight. Five minutes passed and she didn't reply so I assumed she was out.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Lucas asked me when we reached the bar.

"Uh..." I looked at the chalk menu behind the bartender but couldn't find anything to drink. "Yeah, whatever you're having."

He called the guy over with a whistle and a click of the finger. He ordered some drink I didn't hear so I hoped it wasn't anything too strong. Diego and Romeo were together at the other end of the bar and Diego was giving him a good earful but Romeo was doing the exact same back and, by the looks of it, telling him off.

"Is it always like that?" I asked him.

"With Diego and his dad? All the time. I think the reason he hasn't moved out yet is because it's a lot of work to sign papers and all that shit. He's hardly home, anyway. Either at mine, at Romeo's or at his girls'. Santiago never takes any of his bullshit so he never stays over at his," he explained. "I feel bad for him... that's why I always let him stay. But I'm going to start kicking him out, too. He may be my cousin but... he's too much sometimes."

"You don't get to choose your family, that's what sucks the most sometimes," I mumbled.

"Yeah... what about you?" he turned to me. "What about you and your family?"

I shrugged. "I don't know the majority of them."

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "We're pretty divided... so much so that, if I'm honest with you, I don't even know my parents. They gave me to my uncle when I was a couple of months old and since then I've never seen them. Not any pictures, not any calls. Nothing. They disappeared off the radar."

The emotion on Lucas' face was one I couldn't quite get the words to describe. A mix of sadness and anger but also annoyance.

"For real? What kind of parents do that to their kid?"

"Mine, by the looks of it," I joked. "But it's OK." The server came back with the drinks and I held mine in my hand while twirling it around. "I've learnt to get past it and move on."