𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀 𝐕𝐔 :: 𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴

𝒖𝒏𝒐.

𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑧

WAKING UP IN A PEACEFUL HOME was one of the many things i've dreamt of, that never happens when you live with your loud hispanic grandmother who works her ass off to make sure her three grandkids are awake before afternoon. that includes pots and pans clashing against one another just to make scrambled eggs with peppers.

"marlena, mario, ana!" abuelita calls out, "if you three bribóns aren't up when i say to get up i will come in there myself!"

i groaned while trying to find my glasses, mario and ana must be sleeping all peacefully through abuelita's threat. if there's one thing those two should learn is that when abuelita says something as a threat, she really means it. i get up trying to brush down my pink nightgown, added my robe as it was a bit chilly in these tulsa mornings.

no sound was coming from the bedroom that mario and ana share, both are only 8 and know nothing about growth and privacy. i twist the doorknob to their bedroom to see them still sound asleep, i smirked before yanking the sheets off their beds.

"marlena, it's too early." ana rubs her eyes, all groggy and cranky.

"pendejo." mario mutters.

"ah ah ah, abuelita said if you have something to say, speak it en inglés." i sassed him.

"then start speaking inglés." he mocked my words in a more monstrous tone.

they all followed me through the cramped hallway to the kitchen, abuelita had just finished preparing our eggs. abuelita has lived in america for nearly 40 years, my siblings and i still know nothing about english from our whole life being here. mama lives on her own but we still come to visit, she thought living with abuelita was the best option for school as we lived not too far from will rogers high school and thomas jefferson elementary where mario and ana attend.

i'm currently a junior student at will rogers where i feel most loved, my friends find me fun to be around but one thing that i was forced to stay away from were the greasers who attended that school. mama has always told me that they're dangerous but nothing more, she said as i get older i'll understand but i'm 16 now and still know nothing.

"marlena, could you take mario and ana to school for me?" abuelita requests, "i gotta stop by the laundromat to help the aspers' with their load."

"of course, lita, you don't have to ask me." i smiled while stuffing my face with the eggs.

"gracias, mija." she thanks before pecking my cheek.

mario and ana laughed while looking at my face, abuela's lipstick must've rubbed off on my cheek like it always did. i finished up the eggs and began doing the dishes, mario and ana dropped theirs in that caused the water to splash all over my gown. ana laughed before heading to the bathroom, mario kept bitching about how she'll take her sweet time in there which made me grin.

i finally finished up and leave the dishes on the drying rack, mario was still waiting for amara to get out. i waited for that door to open, my hand pushed mario back, i slammed the bathroom door shut where mario began banging on the door.

i hummed a random song while brushing my teeth i was heard when i went on a trip to puerto rico with my family, just mama and abuela but they make my family tree complete. abuela got to see my aunts and uncles who were more than happy to see her, i haven't been back to puerto rico since i was 12. last time i ever heard from my family down there was when uncle bernardo died, wasn't a good man nor was he really that close with his family.

i finally finished and walked out of the bathroom, mario pushed past me while i stood there with an evil smile. the sounds of mario complaining about this family or running out of toothpaste just started my day.

making mario mad was one thing to accomplish, it's easy. try to empty out everything he uses or hide something of his like a comic book, you'll get a mean mug face from him over those things.

"hurry up, mario! you're gonna make us late!" i teased.

"you shut up, puta!" mario unleashed.

"ay, if i hear one more foul language i will bring out my chancleta!" abuelita threatens.

i laughed when picking out my outfit, a navy blue dress with a white laced sweater over it. i'm not a soc by the way i dress, i'd say i'm a middle class girl who remains on good terms with socs and some greasers. not a lot of socs have been around ever since bob's murder, some relocated to different states or town while others tried to stay away from greasers.

the story slipped out when it was said two greasers were labeled as runaways, they were found in windrixville saving kindergarteners from a church fire. none were killed but they were injured, i knew this after abuelita was reading the morning newspaper where a blonde greaser, a boy with tough looking hair, and a tan boy were photographed in the paper. one of them was known town-wide, dallas winston.

puerto ricans weren't fond of him, not after he robbed a restaurant that sold really good pasteles. it's been there ever since WWI, abuelita worked there when she first came to america, she tried to fill in as manager but at the time, women were forced to do certain roles.

i put the dress over my head before hiding my arms in the sleeves of the wool sweater. ans finished but she wanted me to do her hair, i loved doing ana's hair because it was soft and wavy, mine was too straight to do anything without a curling iron. i did two pigtails with pink bows to match her outfit, her pink long sleeve that slipped beneath her denim overalls.

"mario, we're gonna leave without you!" i went back to playing tricks on him.

"ay, marlena, can't ya just wait?!" mario asks while combing his greased hair, "i'm tryna look good here."

"you're only eight, no girl would go for your smelly culo." i grabbed his jacket and handed it to him.

ana and mario slipped their little arms into the straps of their backpack, i rolled my tote bag onto my shoulder while grabbing the house key. the two rascals followed me out the house where we were greeted by our neighbors, they're more like family from down the hall but not by blood.

"hola ana!" they would all say to her.

"marlena, wait!" i could hear david alfonso say while catching up.

"can i help you, gringo?" i always teased him about having a white dad.

"the dance is tomorrow, i was wondering if you'd like to go with me." david mentions tomorrow night.

"i don't even know if i'm going, if i am i'll let you know, okay?" i said to him, he nodded with a nervous smile before running back to his apartment.

"i'm 70% puerto rican!" he shouts, i just laughed while taking my siblings down the stairs.