The Saints and The Jewels.
Two rival gangs in a small town in America 1960's.
Both fight for dominance and total control. The Saints, descendants of Hispanic immigrants who lack money but make up for in family. The Jewels, rich American teens who b...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Antonio's POV
Mike had dropped me off at the alley and I made my way home, carrying the gifts in hand. At this point, I've pretty much blamed all my gifts onto Ms. Bella to avoid speculations. Which Manny seems to believe but I know it'll get to a point where he'll wonder if she's actually giving me these gifts.
Upon walking in, I was met with Manny punching a punching bag that was hanging in our living room. He completely forgot that I existed. I just walked past him hoping he wouldn't see me carrying my gifts. Luckily, Manny was enamored with his training so I was able to escape his grasp.
I made sure to hide my gifts under my bed. A few years ago I discovered that I had a piece of my wall missing under my bed so I sometimes would put things in there when I had to hide something of value.
Once everything was settled, I walked into the living room and this time Manny noticed that I was here.
"When did you come in?" He asked. He stopped punching the bag and walked to the kitchen to get a sip of water.
"I was here an hour ago." I lied. Just so he didn't know how long I was out.
"Mmhmm. Well, Dolores needs help setting the new curtains in our room. Go help her." He stepped past me and went back to the punching bag.
"Why are you training so hard?" I asked. Manny stopped his punches and turned to me, his hair falling over his face. He does look like dad so much.
"You don't know?" I shook my head. "Pues, my fight with Jack is at the end of the month. Only got a few weeks left to train." He went back to throwing punches.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked. Rather than stopping, he kept punching.
"Shut... up... Tonio... and... mind... you... business!" He grunted between every punch.
"I'm going to Dina's. You stay here and train or whatever..." I began to walk towards the front door before he stepped in front of me.
"Are you actually going to Dina's?" He asked. He looked a bit annoyed.
"Yeah, I am. Why?" I asked.
"Because you've been acting weird! And I feel like you're lying to me everyday!" He argued.
"I'm not lying!" I said while lying. "I promise, I'm going to Dina's. I'll even call you from their home phone. Will that make you feel better?" Manny huffed, running his fingers through his sweaty hair.
"Go then." He stepped aside. "But come back before the sun sets. I don't want you being out too long."
"Okay. Adios!" I yelled and opened the door. I have at least three hours before nightfall comes. So I ran to Dina's, hoping her dad wasn't there.
"Tonio?" She said, opening her door. "¿Qué estás haciendo aquí? (What are you doing here?)" She asked. I caught my breath.
"I need to talk to you about something." I said. She opened her door all the way and snuck me into her room. Luckily, I think only her mom was home.
Dina sat on her bed while I sat on the floor. "Well?" She asked.
"Oh, right! So, Mike and I have decided to announce our relationship after the fight between Manny and Jack." I said. Dina started to laugh and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was a small chuckle. "What? What's funny?" I asked.
"Oh, Antonio." She sounded like a mom comforting her toddler. Then her attitude changed to anger. "Do you have any idea how stupid that is?!" She lashed out at me.
"Wha- we both just figured we might as well tell them before it gets out of hand." I tried to convey my reasoning but Dina wasn't having it.
"Tonio! You do realize what will happen after the fight, right?" She asked.
"Uhh, not really. I just know that whoever loses has to disband their gang." I responded.
"Correct! But, the resentment from the aftermath will be so bad. No matter who wins, one side will get angry. Who knows, there might even be a pseudo-war!" Dina explained to me. Then it clicked.
"So, if we were to reveal our relationship, then either Mike or I would be in danger." I came to that realization.
"Exactly! If the Saints win, you'll be a target from the Jewels who want revenge. If the Jewels win, Michael will become a target from the Saints. No matter what, both of you are in danger." Dina said. I sat and thought for a while. She makes a lot of sense. Not to mention, some may accuse us of feeding information to the other.
"Yeah, I get it. Shit! Now I'm not sure if I want to come out." I groaned and rubbed my face.
"Was Michael on board with you coming out?" She asked.
"Mmhmm. He agreed to it and said we'd both come out. But the thought that we might be injured..."
"Or worse." Dina added.
"Yeah, maybe. I guess I'll just have to think about it. I still have over a month to come up with another plan." I said.
"Unless someone decides to expose you two. Don't forget about the pictures. You still need to figure out who it is. I suggest you focus on that before coming up." Dina was giving me good ideas.
"You think Manny would get mad if he found out I was gay from someone else and not from me?" I asked.
"Duh! He's your brother! You don't have to tell him everything, but if he needs to know something, you'll have to be the one to tell him." Wise words from Dina.
A lot is coming up now. I'll have to talk with Mike about my revelation. Whatever we decide to do will be both of our plans.
Later that week, Mike asked me to tell Manny that I was having a sleepover at Dina's house. In reality, Mike said we would be sleeping at his house. Our day when he took me shopping and to see my parents was so amazing to him that he wants another day like it as soon as possible. I guess I'll start packing my bags..
Because this weekend feels like something will happen. Something fantastic.
