BURNING PILE » MIGUEL DIAZ

𝟬𝟬𝟬 prologue

PROLOGUE

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"Shit," Nadia cursed under her breath, switching off the silver faucet a bit more aggressive than she should've.

The move from her huge home in Atlanta to the tiny apartment her mother lived in would undoubtedly take some getting used to. She brushed a curl out of her face, standing up from the squatting position she had been in previously next to the tub.

The house had been awfully quiet, giving her the impression that her mom had left for work. The brunette walked into the bedroom she shared with her sister, plopping down onto her under-sized bed. It had always been there since her parents divorced and the two sisters started visiting their mom but Layla never had enough cash to buy bigger ones. Not that her daughters minded.

Nadia's brown orbs wandered over to her half-unpacked suitcase. She had been able to pack literally everything she wanted from Atlanta. Her dad decided to take the long route and drive to Los Angeles rather than take a plane. The reasoning behind it, she wasn't sure of. She didn't care though, she was set as far as she cared.

"Kie, did you check the mail?" Nadia called throughout the tiny apartment. No response.

"Kiara?"

The silence seemed to shout back at her. Nadia let out an annoyed sigh, upset that she would have to get up and move from her bed that she had just managed to get comfortable in.

The girl was smacked in the face with the harsh sunlight of California, which wasn't remotely the same as Atlanta, where it felt like the seasons changed weekly. In a place like California, it was just constant sun. She didn't hate it, but she didn't particularly enjoy the consequences of forgetting to wear sunscreen.

She made her way over to the cluster box unit, taking the keys from her pocket and sticking it into the hole. Perfect fit.

Nadia carelessly shifted through the mail for that day and stopped when she saw her name. Her face lit up in excitement when she saw who it was from.

"Hi."

The smile on her face faded into a curious one as she turned to the sound of the voice. It was a boy. He was wearing a genuine smile and he had braces on. It was...refreshing. Since her three weeks of being there, everyone else either stayed inside, or just gave dirty looks to each other for no reason.

"Hi?" It came out as more of a question, which wasn't exactly what Nadia intended. "Did you just move in?"

"Uh, Yeah," The boy nodded, the grin still shining brightly on his face. "We moved from Riverside yesterday. I'm Miguel. I just wanted to get to know some of my neighbors."

Eventually, Nadia's lips twitched upwards as she turned her full attention to the dork in front of her. She considered warning him about the crankiness of her neighbors, but ended up not doing so. "Nadia. I beat you by three weeks."

"Oh, you're new too?"

Her eyebrow lowered at the sudden drop of interest in his tone. "Is that a bad thing?"

His eyes widened, realizing how he sounded. "No! No. Of course not. I was just hoping I could make a few friends at school."

She shrugged. "We can make them together, I guess." Miguel hummed in response. Nadia turned back to the mail she was in the process of opening and peeked into it, pulling out a lot more cash than expected. It had to have been at least $800 dollars.

"Whoaaa..." Miguel noticed it, peering over sneakily with his jaw practically to the ground. "Are you a drug dealer or something?"

Her eyebrows narrowed.

"I won't tell anyone, I'm just wondering." He quickly added, earning a small giggle from the girl in front of him.

"Relax, I'm not a drug dealer," Nadia laughed breathily. She shoved the money back into the envelope, holding it in the air for a moment. "I live with my mom and my sister. It's just the three of us, and I guess my dad's way of showing love is green paper."

"Oh," He spoke simply. "Well, It's just me, my mom, and my yaya."

"Guess we both have daddy issues of our own," She joked, an uneasy chuckle escaping the boy's lips. "So, are  you by any chance going to West Valley High school?"

"I am," He answered. "Maybe I'll see you then?"

Nadia nervously smiled.  "Or before that."

"Yeah," Miguel nodded, pointing at her as he walked off backwards. "Or before that."

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AUTHORS NOTE

they're cute i love them sm already
i can't wait to write them 🫶🏽
still questioning on whether or not i
want them to be a slowburn