New on the block

Black Bags

Monse's POV:
I wake up and it's still dark outside. It takes me a second but I remember what happened earlier. I feel like I can't breathe. I sit up and I start breathing heavy and shaking. I didn't realize when he woke up but Cesar wraps me in a tight hug. "You're ok Monse, we're safe right now." I burst out in tears and I just want to go home. "It's gonna be ok Monse." I hate that he understands what I'm going through. "I know it will be but he's my dad." I cry into his shoulder. "Once everything starts calming down he'll realize what he did wrong." He kisses the top of my head and I try to slow my breathing. "I think she's having a panic attack." Jamal says and Cesar flinches. "What the fuck, when did you wake up?" Cesar asks. "I heard her crying. Monse, does this happen to you a lot?" He asks as he sits by me. "For the last few weeks since I got shot." I admit. "Why didn't you tell me?" Cesar asks. "Because we've all been stressed and Ruby has PTSD and I thought I had it under control." I explain. "You can't just deal with it on your own, that's why you have us." Cesar tries to comfort me. "Don't think about us or your dad or the gangs. Think about yourself long enough to see what you need." Jamal says. "I need to know everyone's safe and I need my dad. I'm fourteen I'm not supposed to be on my own." I know I have Cesar and all my friends but it's not the same as having my dad. "I'll fix this, it's all my fault." Cesar says and I shake my head. "No, I shouldn't have gotten involved with either side. I could've been your girlfriend without being apart of all that shit but o made my choice and I wouldn't change it for anything." I say. "Jamal, thank you. You're right, I need to think about myself. Maybe I need to find my mom." I say and they both share a look. I'm too tired to ask any questions and a few minutes later I cry myself to sleep.

Cesar's POV:
Monse falls asleep on me again and I sneak away. I leave a pillow where I was sitting and she doesn't wake up. "Where are you going?" Jamal asks. "I told you guys I was gonna fix this." I say. "It's six in the morning you really think now's the best time to talk to her dad?" He asks. "Yeah, I need to talk to him before she tries to look for her mom. Her mom comes with a whole lot of problems that she doesn't need to deal with." I say as I put on my shoes. "What do you know about her mom?" He asks. "I'll explain once I convince her dad to stop being such a dick." I sneak down the block until I get to Monse's house. I would go through a window but it'll just make everything worse. I knock on the door and Monty opens it before I hit the door twice. "What's stopping me from finishing what I started last night?" He asks. "Monse wants to look for her mom because you decided to pick a gang that you were part of years ago over your own kid." I say quickly. "What did you tell her?" He asks angrily as he drags me into his house. "Nothing I swear!" I insist. "Stop fucking lying to me! She knows her moms in jail doesn't she?" He looks pissed. "No I swear, I would never do that to her." "She could've gone her whole life not knowing shit!" He punches me in the face and I black out.

Monse's POV:
I wake up at ten forty and Cesar's gone. I get up and look for Jamal. "Where's Cesar?" I ask when I get into his room. He's talking to a gnome but now is not the time. "What? Who? Cesar Diaz? There's a lot of Cesar's in the world Monse, I can't just guess which one you're talking about." He rambles. I really thought he got that in control. "Please Jamal." I ask sweetly but he just shakes his head vigorously. Shit, what am I gonna do?" I look at his nightstand and grab the gnome. "Tell me or the thing gets it." He doesn't budge so I hold it with only two fingers and he starts freaking out. "Ok, put her down slowly and we can talk about this." He says in a panicked tone. "Fine." I put it down and he grabs it. "Oh thank God." He mumbles. "Now tell me!" I remind him. "Tell you where Cesar is or what he's doing." I reach out for the gnome and he grabs it tighter. "Ok!" He yells. "Ok, I'm good. I'm cool." He breathes. "He went to talk to your dad at like six." He finally cracks. "Did he ever come back?" He shakes his head. "Maybe he went to his house. I'll just call Oscar." I say, thinking out loud. "Hey Oscar, did Cesar go back to your house this morning?" I ask over the phone. "No, I thought he was with you. What the hell happened?" Oscar asks. "My dad and a couple prophets jumped him last night... I pointed a gun at my dad. This morning he went to talk to my dad and he never came back." I explain to Oscar. "Shit, let me call Alejandro and see what he knows. I'll call you back." He hangs up and I call everyone I can but no ones seen him. "Something's wrong I have a feeling." I tell Jamal.

Jamal's POV:
It's almost twelve and I have a date with Mariana in an hour but I have to cancel. I can't leave Monse here freaking out especially after last night. I go outside while Monse's on the phone with Ruby and I call her. "Hey, I'm about to start getting ready." She sounds excited. "I can't go I'm sorry." I say sadly. "What? Why not, you were so excited last night." I feel bad for doing this but I don't have a choice. "Personal stuff, I'm sorry. I'll explain another time." I tell her. "Yeah, whatever. You've made it pretty obvious you don't like me." She hangs up and my heart drops. I can't be selfish, Cesar's missing that's way more important then a date. I take a deep breath and I walk back into my room.

Cesar's POV:
I wake up in a dark room and the only light is coming through some thin garbage bags on the windows. I rip one of the bags and I see the bars blocking the window. "Good morning." I hear Monty say as the door opens. "Where are we?" I ask but my jaw clicks. "Tell me everything Monse knows about her mom and then I'll tell you." He says. "She doesn't know anything you didn't tell her." I plead. Every time I open my mouth it hurts. "I guess you're not going anywhere anytime soon. We can try again tomorrow." He slams the door and I hear laughter on the other side of the door.