Ride Or Die | o. diaz

veintiocho

"I finished rehab."  Yesenia smiled.  "So I could come home clean to you and your abuela.  Where is she?"

Oscar looked at Tatiana and watched her tense up at the mention of her abuela.  "She died four years ago."

Yesenia's smile dropped and she just stared into the house.  "But she payed for the rehab for the past year."

"I don't know who the hell payed, but it wasn't abuela.  I found her body and watched her get buried."  Tatiana told her.  "We have to go."

Tatiana left with Oscar, leaving her mother on the porch in confusion.  "Ana, mija!  I wanna talk and make everything better."

"No, you left 8 years ago with a woman who could barely take care of herself.  All because your want drugs was stronger than your love for me." 

Yesenia shook her head and tried reaching for Tatiana's hand.  "That's not true.  I always loved you, you're my little princesa."

Tatiana pulled away and opened the passenger door.  "I'm not a little girl anymore, you would've know that if you didn't leave."  Tatiana stated.  "You can stay in the house, I've been staying with Oscar for a while."

"Ana, please."

Tatiana froze at the childhood nickname and shook her head.  "Not now."  Yesenia watched her daughter get into the red impala, glaring as she realized her daughter was still in love with the dangerous gang member.  As the car drove down the street, Oscar looked over at Tatiana who looked distraught. 

Reaching over, Oscar grabbed her hand and lifted it up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of it.  "You good?"

Tatiana shrugged and looked down at their hands.  "I'm confused."

× × ×

"Thotiana!  I missed you!"  Aiyana yelled out, running pass the Santos and hugging her best friend who was sitting on the short wall on the porch. 

"Yana, I said to stop calling me that.  And I saw you two days ago."  Tatians told her best friend, continuing to hug her despite her dislike for the nickname.

Aiyana pulled away and sat beside her.  "I know, long time, huh?  Anyways, I came here because I wanna know if you're going to prom.  And are you bringing your mans?"  Aiyana asked, whispering the last part since Oscar was right behind Tatiana.

"Unless I end up in the hospital again, I'm going.  It's our last prom before adulthood."

"Tati, you've been an adult since you were like 12."  Oscar commented, blowing smoke out of his mouth and in the opposite direction of his girlfriend.  "Go play at a park or something."

"No, I wanna stay here."  Tatiana said stubbornly, leaning back against Oscar's chest and putting his arm around her to make herself caged in. 

"And here I thought Oscar was the clingy one."  Aiyana commented, watching Tatiana get herself comfortable by holding onto the arm she threw over herself.  "Shit, I'm supposed to be babysitting."  Aiyana stated, realizing she left her 5 year old sister at home.  "If you don't see me tomorrow, my mom beat my ass."  She yelled out, quickly walking away from the house then running to her house to try and beat her mom.

"Loud ass."  Oscar commented.

Tatiana smiled, but didn't disagree to the truth.  "Be nice."  She let her head fall and let it rest on Oscar's shoulder.  "Is Cesar visiting Ruby?"

Oscar nodded and put out his cigarette.  "They're all waiting for him to wake up."  Tatiana nodded, a wave of disappointment coming over her body as she recalled the night's events.  "Are you going to talk to your mom?"

Tatiana shrugged her shoulders and sighed when Oscar's head came down to her neck.  "What am I supposed to say to her?  We don't even know each other anymore."

"Maybe listen to her first, then figure out what to say."  Oscar suggested, ignoring the stares directed to the two of them as he wrapped his other arm around Tatiana's body and pulled her closer.  "Can we help you dumbasses?"

All the cholos turned around going back to minding their business while Tatiana pulled Oscar's flannel around her.  "Am I suffocating you yet?"

"Why you always trying to kill me?"

"Because it's fun."

Tatiana sat in silence, letting the cool Los Angeles hair blow pass her while Oscar was keeping her warm with his body heat and flannel.  "Tati..."

At the call of her name, she looked up and to the source of the voice.  She followed the cholos' line of vision and saw her mother standing on the sidewalk with a timid smile.  "I'll be back."

Tatiana jumped down from the ledge and walked pass all the cholos on the lawn.  "What are you doing here?"

"You said later when I told you I wanted to talk.  It's later now."  Yesenia stated, trying to be stern, but her motherly side being long gone.  "All I want is to apologize.  For everything: leaving, missing you growing up, graduations, your dance recitals.  Every little thing."

"What could say to get me to forgive you?  You even lied about my father."  Tatiana exclaimed quietly.  "I had to find out about him in a liquor store, for God sake."

Yesenia's face turned sour, making Tatiana shake her head.  "You found him?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you."  Tatiana nodded.  "If it weren't for him recognizing me, I would've thought my father was some deadbeat that left just like you did.  But he's the complete opposite and he adores me.  Why would you lie about where he went?  And make abuela go along with it?"

"Because you would've thought of me different if you knew the truth."

Tatiana scoffed and shook her head, looking back to make sure none of the cholos were looking, but they sure as hell were listening.  "No excuse that you have can justify separating me from my father.  And I know damn well he wasn't the one cheating, so why'd you kick him out of my life?"

"Can we not talk about this out here?"  Yesenia asked, glancing at all the cholos that were not-so-subtly eavesdropping on the conversation.

Tatiana sighed, looking at her mother as she thought.  "We can go inside."

Love that for them :')