Saving Cesar { On My Block )

Chapter 1: Summer Secrets

The summer between eighth grade and freshman year of high school was one of the most important summers of your life. At least that's what Adrianna and Alexandria thought. The twin sisters spent every day of summer with their best friends Ruby and Jamal. Today was one of the last day couple of days of summer but most importantly it was the day Ruby's brother left for college. Ruby and his older brother Mario had always shared a room in their crowded house. But now that Mario was gone, Ruby finally got his own room.

"Check me out, guys! I got my own room!" Ruby celebrated, jumping on his bed with Jamal by his side. "My own room," he hopped off the bed followed by Jamal, "so let's not trash it."

Alexandria and Adrianna sat on the bed opposite Ruby's which previously belonged to Mario. "I can't believe we're gonna be in high school in a couple of days," Adri said and sighed. She was more nervous about high school than anyone else in the group. Compared to her sister she was the nicer of the two and the shyest.

"High school is an opportunity for reinvention, to become who we really want to be. For me it all starts with my kingdom," Ruby gestured to his room.

The front door slammed and a familiar dark skinned girl walked into Ruby's room. Alex was the first one to notice who it was.

"Monse! You're back!" Alex sped over to Monse and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Adri was hugging Monse as well.

Monse smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around them, "I missed both of you too."

"Monse, can you move that side table?" Ruby asked her.

"No. Seriously don't get too excited. I've been gone all summer but really it's no big deal. I don't even get a 'hi'." Monse rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Her attitude was an everyday thing, which meant it got her and sometimes her friends into trouble often.

Ruby sighed, "Fine. How was camp?"

Monse smiled, "Camp was alright. Notice anything new?"

"You got your braces off?" "You got boobs?" The girls and boys said in unison.

Alex hit both boys on the arm for the comment about Monse's boobs. Monse covered her chest and glared at them. Monse did look different thought. Her curly brown hair was down instead of in her usual ponytail. She had gotten a lot taller and looked more mature.

"You can wait for Cesar to move it," Monse told Ruby, her arms still covering her chest.

"We're gonna be waiting a while then." Jamal leaned against the nightstand by Ruby's bed.

"Why? Where is he?" Monse questioned. A look of confusion on her face.

"We aren't talking to him, like, at all right now," Adrianna took a seat back on the bed. Monse looked at her. Even more confusion covering her face.

Monse's confusion was understandable. Before she left for camp their friend group was super close. They did everything together. Nothing was weird, nothing was awkward, they got along all the time. On the rare occasion that they did have an argument it would get solved within minutes because they could never go too long without talking to each other. However, Monse leaving was around the same time that Cesar's older brother ,Oscar, got out of jail. Both events caused a rift in the group. Especially after what Cesar did.

"Are you guys in a fight?" Monse looked between each of her friends and waited for an answer.

"No, we're just never talking to him again," Alex said and shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal.