California Dreamin

12

-1977
Nina will always remember it as the year everything changed.

In summer '76, Nina preferred gritting her teeth and remaining with her father instead of going to stay over Ruth's place and sleep with Richard again, despite the Ramirez woman trying to convince her everyday as she was building a new room for the upcoming kid.
"It will be no problem for me and Roberto to add a bed if sleeping with Richard is a problem for you."

But she did everything she could to forget the young Ramirez only to go back to being a normal best friend for Nancy. And things were going pretty good between the two girls. So she always denied Ruth's offer.

Richard even dropped out of school and spent entire days with the same old bad company, which secretly worried Nina.

But in 1977, everything slowly started to go down, beginning with her birthday.
She stopped celebrating it when she turned twelve years old. The reason was pretty clear, although she never told anyone.
A few days later her twelfth birthday, someone was shot, she knew the victim very well. When she was about to turn thirteen, she specifically asked her parents not to celebrate it, but no one ever tried to guess the reason.
And for the first time, in 1977 they ignored her yearly demand.

June 3rd 1977.
"Oh by the way, your mother invited me over your place for dinner. At least we should be together, right?" Nancy said, taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake while slightly swinging on the park's squeaky swing.

That noise was annoying Nina so much that she almost forgot to answer Nancy.
"Right." She finally said, speaking with gritted teeth.
Nancy noticed it and laughed as she stopped swinging.

Nina soon relaxed and noticed something peculiar.
"Aren't you too well dressed for a simple dinner with my parents? Are you trying to seduce my father or something?" She joked in the end, pointing her finger at her friend's skirt.

"We should probably get going." Nancy later said, noticing the sun setting.
As they were walking down the street, Nina's thoughts started roaming around. Something wasn't right and she was too smart.

Her hypothesis were all confirmed when she opened the main door of her house and was greeted by all of her friends and the Ramirez's screaming "happy birthday".
She sighed, not sure if she had to enjoy it or not.

But one person in particular was making room for themself between Nina's parents.
Her brother, with much more defined facial features, more muscles and buzzed hair.

"Diego?" Nina asked, her face completely changing from a discomforting expression to a surprised smile.
"OH MY GOD IT'S YOU." She screamed happily while running up to him and hug him so tight like she wanted him to stop breathing.
"You're really here."

"I assumed you would have enjoyed this surprise more if I had been here." He said to her ear, caressing her head.

Everything was going well except for Nancy and Richard. Nina caught them talking a few times with the corner of her eye and she couldn't ignore the weird feeling in her chest.

But it all started going south when Ruth went next to her and whispered the worst thing ever to her ear.
"They're freeing him."
Nina froze. She couldn't believe it.

"What?" She asked, her face pale, her hands shaking. She looked like she would've fainted in a couple of seconds.

Ruth took her out in the small backyard by the arm not to capture any attention.
Nina soon grabbed a cigarette out of her jacket's pocket.

"I don't know how or why but he seems fine. At least that's what the doctors said." Ruth then scoffed. "I seriously have no idea."

The younger girl was smoking her cigarette like her life depended on it. How was that possible? A man shoots his wife and kills her, he doesn't go to jail but he's put into a mental hospital and then he gets released after four years because he seems fine, out of the blue?

"He better stay away from Richard. He won't keep ruining him."
The last sentence left Ruth confused.
"What are you talking about?"

Fuck. Was all that came into Nina's mind as realization hit her.
"No I mean- He's already what he is, you know." She said nervously, that excuse coming out of nowhere. Still, Ruth believed her and sighed.

"Hey birthday girl? We can't go on without the main subject!" Nancy screamed, coming out to the backyard with something that looked like a drink in her hand.

"Roberto made it to you right?" Ruth asked, alluding to the glass Nancy was holding.
Nina rolled her eyes and took her friend's drink.
"You're too young for this."

"Look who's talking. The one who started drinking and smoking at fourteen."
Ruth couldn't help but laugh at Nancy's response.
But Nina wasn't in the mood for partying anymore, she was getting anxious and paranoid. She went back into her house with one specific purpose in mind.

Richard was chatting with Diego when he felt someone pulling him by his shirt and within a second, he found himself outside the Ayala's house.
"Tell me you have it with you."
Nina asked, not looking at his face and with a heavy breath.

Richard was about to get mad at her as she ignored him for almost two years before asking him for anything. But then he saw something was wrong, her eyes were glossy and she was breathing irregularly.
"Please just tell me." She insisted before he could give her an answer.

"Uh- Yes, if it is what I'm thinking about."
She nodded, like she was relieved and started walking fast to the nearest park, followed by him.

They sat at a bench in silence, smoking the joint Nina thought she really needed.
Richard didn't ask anything but he was hoping she'd say something, as silent tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Did you know it?" She finally spoke.

"What?"
She faced him for the first time in two years.
"That he's getting out."
He sighed, not having troubles understanding what she was talking about at that point.
"I'm the one Ruth told it first."