𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 • 𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐙

𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞 𝖘𝖎𝖝

𝕵𝖔

We already arrived at the theater and everyone went inside expect for me, I stayed in the truck with coco. I know I should be in there helping them but I got a lot on my mind. Between thinking about Jordan and Oscar, Cesar and Latrelle my mind spinning and I just need a break

20 minutes passed they come back to the car and I don't bother to ask where we're going next. We arrived at the church I went inside with them, I standing next to Abuelita

"God help me" Abuelita says lightning candles

"Are you praying for Cesar?" Monse asked

"No, For Sylvia" Abuelita says

"Who's Sylvia?" I asked

"Fernando's wife—He poisoned her and her twin sister, after he woke up from his coma" she says

"That's horrible" Monse says

"She's talking about her telenovela—Let's go" Ruby says, Monse and I started to help look around the church

"Not here" Jamal says

"Not here" Monse says

"I don't see anything" I say

"It's not here" Ruby says as the three of them sat down on the bench

"Is it just me or is that baby Jesus throwing a gang sign?" Monse asked

"He's repping the Santos!" Jamal says making the three of them rush to the platform, I stood near by

"There's nothing here!" Ruby says slamming his hand on the alter, he then proceeds to knock on it, I walked closer to him "Monse, help me with this" he says, "Okay" She says going to pick up the Bible, "Hey! Have some respect" Ruby says before giving the Bible to Monse before continued to knock on it

"What are you doing?" Jamal and Monse asked

"This isn't just an altar—It's a magic box. Like Ms. Uyeshiro's box. Don't you remember her box?" Ruby asked

Jamal laughs

"Come on, man, grow up!—But don't you remember her box in the fourth grade? It was like this intriguing, impenetrable cypher" Ruby says

Jamal laughs again

"Dude, we don't have time for that!" Ruby says

"Oh, so we got time for dick jokes, but not box jokes?" Monse asked

"When was there a dick joke?" I asked

"At the library" Jamal says just then we hear something click " You heard that?" Ruby asked as it clicks again "You heard that?" He asked excitedly

"Yeah"

"Hey, Jamal, help me—Here! Here! Here! Lift it. Lift it." Ruby says as they lift up the top revealing a box making Jamal gasp, they open the box to reveal gold—like actual gold

"What the what? I told you it was real—We just saved Cesar! We just saved Cesar!" Jamal says with excitement

"This is surreal. We need to memorialize the moment and send it to Cesar" Ruby says taking out his phone for selfie, he grabbed the gold and bite into for the selfie, he dropped his phone before looking at the gold

"It's chocolate" Ruby says

"Hell, yeah, we got chocolate! We can buy chocolate, vanilla, that new Tesla with the gull wings" Jamal says

"No, the gold. It's not gold, it's chocolate." Ruby says as Monse run her hands through it

"Maybe it's only chocolate on the top" Jamal says looking through the chocolate to find a small gnome "Chivo" Jamal says

"It's Cesar—Hey" Monse says before answering her phone, "Um...Nothing—I'm so sorry, Cesar?—Cesar?—Cesar, say something" Monse says before hanging up the call "Oh, my God—Oh, my God" Monse says as she start to freak out, Jamal hugs to try to calm her down but she push him away

"You better pray he's okay" she says

"We'll get the money, and he'll be safe" Jamal tried to reassure her

"We could've had him out of town by now!" Monse says

"This is just a mislead. A red herring. A MacGuffin Tell her, Ruby" Jamal says

"I told you we should've just put him on a bus" Ruby says

"He needs money to get away—RollerWorld is that money, We just got to..." Jamal says

"Got to what? You live in a fantasy. Grow up, Jamal. You just ruined Cesar's life. He's never gonna be the same" Monse says, "okay let's calm down" I say but no one listened to me

"I didn't ruin his life. He ruined his own life. Cesar's in a gang! Okay? That's the reality, all right? And you think I'm living in a fantasy? You're the one who's living in a fantasy thinking you can save Cesar. It's not going to happen. Ever!
Cesar was born a Santo, he's gonna die a Santo. So stop lying to yourself, sweetie." Jamal ranted

"I'm lying to myself? Your whole life is a lie. Those fake-ass injuries. Bullshitting your parents. The football team. You're the biggest, fakest liar ever. I hope I never see you again" Monse says before storming out

"And you never will" Jamal says

"Jamal, Monse, chill!" Ruby says

"No! I'm sick and tired of chilling. And I'm sick and tired of y'all telling me that it's always my fault, So you can miss me with that crap!" Jamal says pushing Ruby and Ruby paused him back

"Get over here!" Jamal grabs ruby by his shirt "Hey, hey, hey. ¡No más!" Abuelita says breaking them up, and Ruby leaves, "I can't believe I got played. There has to be a way. RollerWorld has to be true" Jamal says to Abuelita

"Jamal, for what it's worth, I believed it too. But... some mysteries aren't meant to be solved" she says, Jamal starts to walking "Abuelita...tell Olivia...I can't make her quince" he says before leaving

"Abuelita?" I say

"Yes?" She turned to me

"Can you give me a ride home?" I asked

_

𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖕𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖙 of the house, I thanked her before getting out the car, I opened the truck and grabbed coco's leash as she jumped out the vehicle, I close the truck before walking up to the door. Mid-way there the door opened and Oscar walked out "whose that?" He pointed to the car, "its just abuelita" I say as I entered the house

Oscar followed me inside and closed the door behind him as I took the leash off of coco as she went straight to her food "where were you, I was worried sick about you—I had my guys out looking for you" he says, "no need to worry I'm here" I say, "whose hoodie is that?" He asked, "Jamal's" I answered as I took the hoodie off, "why are you wearing Jamal's hoodie?" He asked

"It doesn't matter—where's Cesar?" I asked, "In his room" he says, "I gotta speak to him" I say, "he's sleeping—he was stress about a math test—went to bed early" he says. After a stressful night I just had I don't question him "God—I need to take a shower—I feel like I have STDs all over me" I say as I walk to the bathroom

"What?!" Oscar asked

"Don't ask" I say before closing the door behind me

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