Neighborhood Music

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Monse and Cesar woke up early the next morning and slipped out of the house. Cesar insisted on walking Monse home, despite strict instructions from his brother the night before to "stay the fuck inside".

"You shouldn't have come with me," Monse scolded, "It's 100 yards, I could have walked on my own. I would have been fine."

Cesar squeeze her hand, which was holding his. "I wouldn't be fine."

Monse tried her best not to smile, but Cesar being sweet to her was always her weakness. He was so charming when he wanted to be, I was disarming and amazing all at the same time. She found her self swept up in a wave of emotions whenever they were together like this. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that she felt guilty for them going behind Olivia's back, or for the fact that Cesar now had a green light on his back, shed swear things were perfect in that moment.

As they approached her front door, Monse smiled up at Cesar, who was looking down at her with a matching grin.

"It's been a crazy few days" he muttered, taking her hips in his hands and resting his forehead against hers.

Monse took a deep breath, "Everything is going to be ok."

"I know, but I like to hear you say it." He replied

She pressed a kiss to his lips, before backing up and opening her door. Once she was safely inside, and Cesar heard the locks slide into place, he hurried back across the street and down the block to his own front door. Slipping inside, he thanked god that his brother didn't seem to be awake yet. Cesar went back to his room to get ready for school.

*Oscar y Letty*

Oscar lay awake counting the minutes from when he heard the front door close. He could tell Letty was doing the same next to him but neither one said a word until they heard his baby brother's footsteps coming back down the hall.

"That boy doesn't listen" he groaned, "I told him to stay in the damn house."

Letty shifted, rolling over so she could see him.

"He was probably worried about Monse walking by herself" she replied

Oscar studied her face. She was Cesar's biggest defender, but he could tell that his little excursion had worried her. He had never told her, but one of the things he loved most about Letty was the way she cared for his hermanito. He worried about a lot of things in this life, but he was certain that no matter what happened to him, Letty would ride for Cesar.

"I don't know what we are going to do with him." He mumbled, wrapping an arm around the tiny Latina.

She sighed, "He wouldn't be in this situation if he wasn't a Santos, you know that right?"

Oscar scowled, "don't start that shit again."

They'd had this discussion a million times. Letty didn't understand his motivation for jumping Cesar in, but Oscar didn't need her to understand. He just needed her to trust him. Cesar was born a Santos, the initiation was just a formality, a way to solidify his legacy, a way for both brothers to honor their father. A man Oscar loved and respected deeply.

"He's not like you." Letty whispered, Oscar could feel tears dripping down onto his chest.

He hated it when she cried. He remembered all the nights she spent trying to hide the fact that she was crying on the phone the first few months he was in prison. It made the experience so much harder knowing how much it hurt her.

He knew she wasn't cut out for this life. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised every morning he woke up to find that she hadn't runaway over night. There was nothing he could give her, and whether or not he showed it, she deserved the world.