west side

.04

"hey seb, you want breakfast?" reina turned to him, pausing the music she had been playing.

"i'm good." he grabbed the chocolate limber out of the freezer. "thanks though."

"well i'm leaving this on the counter for your brother." she slid the eggs onto a plate. "i have to go by tío cesar's house and i'll be back by two."

"you sure you don't want him to go with you?" seb propped his feet on the table.

"i'll be fine." she turned towards the door. "and feet off the table."

he sighed, taking his feet off and putting them on the carpet.

"if he's not up by 12, put his plate in the microwave." she smiled, grabbing her purse and walking out the door.

she wasn't aloud to take chico's car without him, so she'd walk. it was not even a block down, she could see his house from chico's.

it was about six houses down, and she could hear her cousins screaming in the yard. reina kept walking, one house away.

"reina!" her cousin elisia screamed,running to her.

"hey!" she yelled back excitedly, opening her arms.

"reina." her uncle stepped off the porch, a beer in hand.

"hello." she waves, walking up the steps to sit on the porch.

"how are you?" her aunt comes out the door.

"good." she smiled.

"we haven't heard from you since christmas." her aunt sat near her uncle, a concerned look on her face.

"i've been doing alright. i moved out in late december and i'm staying with chico." she looked down and smiled weakly.

"how is chico? we haven't seen him since christmas either." her uncle lifted the beer to his lips again.

when chico had gotten out of juvie in december, he had nowhere to go or spend time with on christmas other than reina. she had missed him for so long that she didn't want him to not come with her. she took him to her family christmas and everyone was happy to see him except for her dad.

her family had treated chico like their own since his dad had gotten locked up. her uncle and aunt cared the most, because they knew that reina and chico were 19 year old kids raising a 15 year old.

"he's doing a lot better." she nods, taking the beer her uncle passed to her.

"staying out of trouble?"

"yes." she cracked the can open.

"good." he nodded.

"you two moving in together seems like the best thing for both of you." her aunt smiled.

"we aren't getting married tía." reina softly laughs, running a hand through her hair as she took a sip of the beer.

"you will." her tía smiles. "you've already moved in together. cesar and i didn't move in together until after we were married."

"i moved in with him to get away from dad." reina stretched her legs.

"your father asks about you. he wonders how you are." cesar chimes in.

"i'm not going back. he should've thought about that before he went off on me." reina shook her head, thinking about him.

"you should call him. let him know you're safe. he thinks you're out in the streets."

"you can tell him i'm not." reina wanted to change the subject. "i don't want to talk to him."

"you need to a-"