YOUNG, DUMB & BROKE - ON MY BLOCK

[1] .357

The smell of skunk and alcohol filled Nadia's brain as she inhaled, crinkling her nose at the stench. Monse had managed to get Nadia to leave her room after a heated discussion on the phone, and dragged her to hang out with the guys. And by hang out, Monse meant watch a bunch of high schoolers at a party grind on each other and get drunk off their asses from behind a wall.

Nadia's thoughts were interrupted by Monse tapping her shoulder and giving her a pointed look, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Monse pestered, knowing the angry look on her best friend's face could mean nothing good, and would most likely mean that Nadia was going to be sneaking over to her house later in the night.

The young teen nodded, taking a deep breath, "It's just my mom again, some issue with her dealer that she's blaming on me." Nadia muttered before Cesar joined them, squeezing between the girls and wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

Ruby and Jamal were talking about something, probably Jamal rambling about Rollerworld and Ruby explaining what he was going to do with his new single room. Nadia smiled softly at Cesar, "Want to go grab us something to drink?" She asked, knowing that he was the best at sneaking around out of the group, and could pass off as a high schooler the easiest compared to the rest of them.

Cesar rolled his eyes at her but nodded, "Give me five minutes guy, I've got this" he said, jogging off to the other side of the house.

The curly haired girl next to her bumped her shoulder, and Nadia bumped back, ignoring Monse's disapproving look, "What? It's not like we'll get drunk off of one of whatever he gets us." The teen defended, putting her hands up in surrender.

"I just don't want him in there, what if the high school kids realize he isn't one of them?" Monse retorted, brows furrowed in concern.

Nadia shook her head, "They won't, don't worry, plus he's a Diaz, he'll be okay." It was a shitty thing to say, but it was true, the Diaz name carried a lot of weight around there.

Monse grumbled something under her breath, and Nadia blew a piece of hair out of her face, pulling her friend to stand with her between Ruby and Jamal as they looked over the fence again.

"Do you see him? I don't see him" Monse fretted, looking around the party for Cesar. Nadia looked knowingly at Monse, having a hunch that she was worried about him for more reasons than she actually let on. It was easy for Nadia to tell, especially since she was so close to Monse, that there was something special going on, at least from Monse's side.

Jamal took a quick scan of the party, "Something bad is happening. I can feel it. I knew this was a dumb idea."

The rest of the group gave him looks, shaking heads at him, "Take a chill pill, Jamal" Nadia said as Ruby told him to pop a zannie.

Ruby turned to smile at Nadia, putting his fist out for her to bump, which Nadia sighed at, but complied. "Great minds think a like" the teen muttered, turning her attention back to the party.

"We can't see him 'cause he's being stealth" Ruby continued after the fist bump, his eyes trailing over the girls in the party.

Nadia nodded in agreement as Monse spoke, "No doubt, he's got this. When has Cesar ever disappointed?"

"Mmm, fourth grade. Kickball tourney, we lost." Jamal said at the same time as Nadia said "Seventh grade, he told me Lola liked me, she didn't."

Cesar, almost out of no where, popped back into the conversation, "Only 'cause I picked the kid with no skills., and I'd pick you again." He argued back with Jamal, tossing each of them a  beer can, "Loyalty trumps victory, compa, and Nadia, are you really still upset about the whole Lola debacle? She's got pink hair now." Cesar laughed, climbing up onto the little space left on the crate they were standing on to see over the wall, elbowing Nadia in the side.