Cold Hearted

•Should've Stayed Dead•

{•Unedited•}
~Ida's POV~

"It was nice to have Zeke back in town wasn't it?" My dad says, sitting down at the table beside my mom who scoots further away from him. None of us have been the same with each other since the night he hit me. We haven't even talked about that. I also haven't brought up the fact that I know he's the one who shot Santi.
These past two weeks have been the worst. I've hardly been able to sleep or concentrate. I'm a very loyal person, or was, so the guilt of my actions is eating me alive. Kissing Zeke was the worst thing I could have done under the circumstances, and just in general.
He's been avoiding me and I've tried to get his attention. In first period, he sits in the back now, so I've been making sure to get there after him to sit close. He doesn't say anything, but he's looked over a few times.
"I guess," I say. Awkward fills the room, not one us saying a word. Eliza should be here soon, so maybe then things can feel at least a little normal. She's a much better friend than I think Zeke was. When we were younger, she had a crush on him, but it went away after he said he didn't like her shoes (she then proceeded to kick him saying, "How do you like them now, huh?!").
"How's school?"
"Can we cut the shit?" I ask, shocked at my own language, but not letting that show. My parents eyes widen. "I'm tired of acting like everything is fine, cause it's not. Mom won't let you even lay a hand on her, you and I can't talk without yelling at each other, you hit me, and you shot my boyfriend. I mean ex-boyfriend, or-that doesn't matter."
My dad clears his throat, straightening up in the chair. His fingers tap in his coffee cup in a rhythm. "What makes you think I would shoot him? I might not like him, but I'm not him. I don't shoot people without reason."
I put my hand down on the table, running my fingers through my hair. "The police would only give certain details to what happened. There's no way in hell he could have gotten shot and then know nothing! That only happens when you guys are covering for each other and it's bullshit. Do you understand that you could have killed him?!"
"I would be doing you, and this whole town, a favor," he says, practically admitting to it. I look at him in disgust. This man isn't the man who raised me. That man taught me to always take at least one chance on anything, be respectful, to never judge someone. He's going against everything he taught me.
"If this really what you think, then you're worse than him," I tell him. His jaw clenches. "There is always a reason behind everything, even taking someone's life, yours is just plain selfish. He hasn't killed for no reason. There's is blood on his hands, yes, but his heart is good. You, you don't even seem to have that anymore."
He's about to say something, but the door flies open. Eliza slams the door shut, her face red and breathing hard. "When did the Robert's get a dog?"
••••••

"You look hot. Santi is gonna cum in his pants," Eliza says, stepping back to admire her work. I haven't told her what happened, mostly because I'm not sure what the status of Santi and mines relationship is. Are we broken up or still together?
"Its-It shows a lot," I say, turning to my side to see.
"Honey, it took you how many years just to show your shoulders. I'm not letting you cover up your entire life," she says with an exaggerated sigh. "He's not gonna be able to keep his hands off you." Knowing him, he'll probably throw a blanket over me.
"So where are we going again?" She mentioned it on the phone, but I was so tired that I agreed without actually knowing what it was.
"It's like a party, but more like a kick back," she says. "I've gone to a few with Junior and thought you might like it." It's too late to back out, so I don't try to refuse. I can only imagine the places Eliza and him go.
"And Santi will be there?"
"He's very close with the...host."
••••••

As soon as we pull up in front of the house I knew this wasn't somewhere I wanted to be. But when we pulled into the street, a realized this is somewhere I shouldn't be either. I usually don't like to judge the people just by the look of the neighborhood, but sadly, I can't help it. Eliza takes Juniors hand and mine, tugging us with her across the street.
The music is too loud for me to handle even just in the front yard. Once we step foot in the house, it smells like marijuana and alcohol. My face crunches up at the scent. Eliza doesn't let go of my hand as we make out each through the clouds of smoke and people. It's not really packed like a normal party, but definitely too small for this many people.
As were walking, I notice that all the men and women look the way way. The men are all covered in tattoos, wearing either a t-shirt or "wifebeater" with dickies. The women are the same except it's more girly. I stick out like a sore thumb. Eliza fits in only because of the way she looks in the face.
"Please tell me this isn't some gang meeting," I whisper in Eliza's ear. She shakes her head, body tense.
"No, but, you're not too far off." Oh god. Getting to the backyard, it feels good to get some fresh air instead of breathing in he smoke. I'll be surprised if I don't get a second hand high.
"Hey," Junior shouts, slapping his hand a buff mans shoulder. He turns around and my face automatically turns red. After all these years, I somehow still can't recognize him from the back. But I will give myself the benefit of the doubt, since literally all the men here look relatively similar body wise.
His eyes lock with mine. Not having said one word to each other in two weeks, it feels weird to be close to him, even like this. "Why is she here?" Santi asks through clenched teeth. I look down, wishing I hadn't come. Why I listen to Eliza when she tells me go out with her I'll never know. Glancing back up at him, he looks furious with Junior. The look in his eyes is almost murderous. I know he wouldn't do anything to his best friend, so I shouldn't worry...right?
    "Cause she's stuffed herself inside her house all week and needs to get out," Eliza tells him. He glares down at her, taking a deep breath. Someone shouting his name makes him turn for a small minute, forcing a smile and wave.
    "Get her out of here," he tells him angrily. "You know these things are safe, especially tonight." What's supposed to happen tonight? "If she's still here when it go-"
     "You're needed," another big man says as he purposefully bumps against Santi. Just moments later the sound of screaming and gunshots erupt around us. Eliza grabs onto me automatically as I reach for Santi. His fingers lace with mine, pulling us inside.
    "Why are you bringing them in there?" Junior yells at him, following close behind Eliza and I.
    "To hide them," Santi yells back. I force myself to remain as calm as possible. My grip tightens on his hand as he pulls us up the stairs. The door flings open and Junior stops, no longer following us. We get to the hall and Santi pulls his pocket knife out, picking the lock of the door and pushing it open.
    I look up at him with wide eyes. "You need to stay in here and don't come out!" He yells, veins in his arms and neck popping out. My eyes search his. He doesn't look like himself at all right now, but also does. Nothing about him is soft in this moment, like he's shut down. He shakes his hand out of mine and runs back down the stairs.
     I lock the door, taking deep breaths. The sound of yelling just gets louder. Eliza runs her hands through her hair. "I'm so sorry. Sh-should we call the cops?"
   "No!" I yell at her. Her eyes widen.
   "I don't want to be here if someone gets killed!" She yells back. I lean against the door, trying to calm myself down.
    "Neither do I, but if you call the cops Junior and Santi will get arrested! My dad will come and God knows what he will do. Unless you want your boyfriend to get locked up, I suggest you put your fucking phone down!" She lets out a deep breath, putting her phone in her pocket.
    "Fine." Someone knocks loudly on the door, making us jump. I rush over to where Eliza is sitting in the bed, my knees shaking. Please god, I don't want to die.
     The door opens loudly, hitting the opposite wall. Mr.Florencio looks at us like everything is perfectly fine and we're just crazy. He walks in like he's bored, closing and relocking the door.
    "What's going on?" I ask. He opens the closet door.
    "Just your typical gang rivalry going crazy," he says. The fact that he's acting so calm is helping me. Straightening up, he walks over and grabs both Eliza and mines wrists. "I should have stayed dead," he says, dragging Eliza and I into the closet and moving things around. "Usually I work alone or with Mr.Breadroller, but I'm not into this gang shit." Eliza and I side eye each other. He turns around.
    "Do you ramble when you're nervous?" Eliza asks.
    "J-just get in the closet. Thank god I only had one daughter."
     •••••••
                         ~Santi's POV~

      "You motherfuckers!" The man yells. I've only heard his nickname, Casper, but never the real one. They call him that because he looks nice but can kill quicker than you can flinch; it's never made sense to be. They could have easily came up with someone else.
      "You're the one who came to our town," Castel tells him. He shakes in my grasp, attempting to move his head without slicing his own throat with the knife in my hand.
       "Can I do it already?" I ask, my biceps starting to burn.
    "Give me a minute, would you? What did you guys do with the money you robbed from us?" He asks. Zurine laces back and forth, looking up at the sky with his arms crossed.
    "I'm not saying shit!" I look at Castel with pleading eyes, knowing I won't be able to hold him much longer. Rolling his eyes, he makes a hand gesture, giving the consent I need.
    The knife glides through his skin smoothly, the only sound being his shirt gasp for air, my actions too quick to let him scream. Maybe I should have made it slow. Blood squirts out from his neck, soaking his clothes and my hands.
    I let him go, watching his body fall. I stumble back a few steps, wiping my hand in my shirt. Zurine claps his hands together.
    "Now go get your dad from upstairs," he says, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "We haven't done this in a long time."
    ••••••
                          ~Ida's POV~
   
        The door opens and Santi comes in, gesturing for his dad to leave. I get up from hiding in the closet, the jeans and shirts falling from Eliza and I. My eyes lock with his, my body automatically relaxing. Not thinking, I throw myself into his arms.
     His arms wrap around me, giving me a quick squeeze before releasing me. "I'll drop you guys  off at home."
     ••••••
      
      The ride after we dropped Eliza off was nothing but silence. Neither of us have said anything since our goodbyes to her. He's as tense as ever and I don't know what I can do to help. The hand that's gripping the wheel is covered with dry blood. It's obvious he tried cleaning it quickly, but hardly got it off.
    His shirt and jeans are soaked as well. The sight is horrible and terrifying. It's obvious he killed someone, he killed someone's life, and I'm sitting right next to him.
    "A-are you okay?" I ask. He pulls in front of my house. He's used to this, he kills people and sells drugs for a living, yet in asking if he's okay. "No one is home," I tell him, turning my body towards him. He keeps his eyes fixed in front of him, looking intensely at nothing but the car parked ahead of us. "Please."
    "I don't want to be around you," he says emotionlessly. This feels like when his dad "died" all over again. I can't deal with the version of him that acts like he doesn't care about anything.
    "Listen, you don't have to be around me, just come inside and wash your hands. They're covered in blood, Santi." His eyes finally meet mine.
    "That's nothing new to me." I reach over and turn the key so the car is off. He releases a deep breath, resting his head on the seat. "Fine."
     •••••
       
        I lean against the wall as he washes his hands in the sink, the water turning a light shade of red. He turns the water off and dries his hands with the towel my mom leaves on the counter. He turns back towards me, releasing a deep breath.
    "Uh, thanks," he says. My eyes trail down his arms, my lower stomach tightening, a feelings that's become familiar to me.
    "Why would you let me be there that long? As soon as I got there and you seen me, you could have dragged me out," I say. I want him to relax and I know right now there's only one way to do that. Making him mad is the best option I can think of.
    "I wasn't expecting it to go down like that," he says.
    "Clearly. And you killed someone," I say. His eyes harden.
    "Are you trying to get me mad on purpose?" He asks, stepping closer. I look up at him through my lashes.
    "Would I do that?" He tilts my chin up, eyes softer than they were a minute ago. I place my hands on his broad chest, ignoring the blood.
   "Sorry, but I'm just not feeling that right now," he says, shocking me. My hands falling. "I already got off today."
    "W-What?" I say, not sure how to respond to that.
    "Remember that girl from the night at my apartment?" I feel like I'm gonna be sick. "What? I thought we were cheating on each other."

AN: Ugh this chapter was too much for me to write, so you better like it. Enjoy!
    Question: What do you think will happen? What would you like to see happen?
   Please check out my other stories, comment, vote, and share! Believe in yourself -Vaeh