New on the block

Three Ms

Monse's POV:
The doctor leads the way to his room and I try to calm down before I get there. He's gonna be ok. "Don't worry Cesar hopefully this will only be temporary. Who knows, you might just find the family that you're meant to be with." I hear the social worker say. "I'll just wait until she leaves." I tell the doctor. "I know you're just trying to help but-" Cesar's voice sounds raspy like he can't breathe. "But nothing, I've let this go on way too long you should've been out of here years ago. A gang is no place for a child." She says before she leaves the room. "What the hell happened?" I was planning on sounding sweet and loving but I can't stop myself. "He was drunk." Cesar says. "No the doctor said he was sober." I lie. "No she didn't." He tries to laugh. "Ugh yes she did." I just want the truth. "I shot him in the leg." He says bluntly. "You did what?!" I yell. "He wanted me to shoot Latrelle." He says. "Again?" I ask. "I didn't kill him the first time." He shrugs. "I'm so sorry. What are we going to do?" I ask. "Nothing, I'm gonna go and you're gonna be ok over here with your whole family still breathing." He says. "So what happened?" I asks him. "I already told you." He says. "I mean to you." I sit down by his bed. "Cracked rib, punctured lung and a broken leg." He says. "I get out of the hospital soon and then I go to a foster home." He informs me. "Ok so I'm leaving too... where you go I go." I say assertively. "No that's not how this works." He shakes his head. "Actually it is. I'll do online school, I'll use my rollerworld money for a hotel and I'll come back to the 'ridge every now and then so my dad doesn't completely freak and-" He cuts me off. "Don't be stupid Monse I'm leaving because I have to and you're staying because one day I will come back." He says. "No, maybe I want to go wherever you go. You're not forcing me to stay here." I sound like a bitch. "I almost lost you today and you almost lost me a couple months ago so why shouldn't I try my best and be with you? With our luck we'll both be dead in twenty years or less." I laugh. "You can't just leave everything." He says. "Ok so we have to find a way to keep you here without Oscar." When he doesn't respond I know I'm pushing it. "You probably should get some rest, I'll tell Latrelle to name his baby after you." I say before I kiss him.

I walk through the hospital halls and hope my not so planned out plan works out. "Hi I was wondering if nurse Kaia still works here?" I ask someone at the fourth floor nurses station. "Yeah, she's right over there." He says without looking up from the computer he's typing away on. "Hey Kaia, I don't know if you remember me, my name's Monse." I reintroduce myself. "If you want extra drugs I can't help you." She says seriously. "What? No, I was actually wondering if you could do me a favor... well actually do Cesar Diaz a favor." I can tell this sparked her interest. "Spooky's little brother? Tell him I stopped paying for his brother's bail the second that he left me to raise a toddler alone." She hisses. "Oscar's in a coma and Cesar might end up in foster care. I know you care about them." I tell her. "Ok I don't care about Spooky like at all... he's a piece of shit." She tells me. "You heard the part about him being in a coma, right?" I ask. "Yeah so? Now he's just a piece of shit that can't wake up." She shrugs. "Anyways, I do care about Cesar but I can't take care of a teenager." She says. "That's the best part, you don't have to. All you have to do is pretend like he's gonna live with you, maybe put up a few pictures of you guys together, and collect a get for like three hundred dollars for his expenses." I explain. "I'm not using Cesar as a pay check." She sounds disgusted. "You have a kid to take care and you would be doing Cesar a huge favor." I really hope she still has a soft spot for Cesar. "Even if I wanted to I'm not a foster parent and I can't just tell them to give me Cesar." She says sadly. "Is your kid Oscar's?" I ask. "Yes he's Oscar's!" She scoffs. "Ok then technically you guys are family that has to count for something!" I exclaim. "Ok how about this, if you can figure out how to get the little puto in my custody then I'll take him." Thank God this actually worked! "Leave it to me I'll have everything figured out before Cesar leaves the hospital." I assure her. "Great, now can you leave me alone I really need to keep working." She begs. "Yeah of course... oh and thank you!" I say as she walks away. "Don't thank me yet kid." She shrugs. Now all I have to do is find a way to trick a social worker into letting an eighteen year old have custody of a teenager. I might have underestimated how hard this is gonna be. It's fine I have about two weeks until Cesar leaves the hospital that means to week to bring out the three Ms.

*later at Ruby's house*

"New plan guys, how to keep Cesar in a gang." I tell Jamal, Ruby and Olivia. "What the hell did I miss?" She asks. "I'll explain later but right now we need to keep Cesar in Freeridge. So money, murder, manipulation." I smile and Ruby looks excited that I'm using his idea again.