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
Just as planned, Dina was waiting for me at the Mariposa painting. She wore capri pants and a light blue blouse, her hair styled back. She’s beautiful. Probably one of the prettiest girls in Newport.
“Dina!” I yelled at her. She turned and spat out her gum.
“Antonio!” She yelled back. I ran to her and jumped in her arms, giving her a tight hug.
“We only have 10 minutes. Papa needs me home quickly. What’s up?” She asked me.
“There’s no easy way to say this…” I looked deep into her brown eyes. Once again, her eyeliner was perfect.
“Better rip off the Band-Aid now.” She assured me. Her soft hand was on my shoulder, holding it tightly.
“I’m leaving!” I blurted out. Dina’s hand gripped my shoulder tightly.
“Like, for a college trip? With Manny, right?” Dina’s voice, from what I could tell, was shaky. Dina’s good at hiding anything but happy and snappy. That’s why it was hard for me to decode her tone.
“No.” I inhaled, getting ready to say it. “I mean, I’m running away, with Mike. We’re running away.” Dina’s fingernails were digging into my skin at this point.
“No.” She said. I looked at her and saw her crying. “No! You can’t fucking leave! How are we supposed to know if you’re okay? You’re really gonna take a gamble and leave this life for a guy you just met?!”
“Yes. I’m doing this for me. You may think it’s stupid…”
“Cause it is!” She yelled back.
“...But I’m doing this for me. I love Mike and I do plan on being with him for however long I live. And I’m sorry I’m leaving,” I broke down crying at this point. I leaned my back on the painting and sobbed.
Dina came up next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. She snuggled in, her tears dropping on my neck and collar bone.
“I’ve known you for so long. It’s gonna be hard to say goodbye.” Dina softly said, her face still snuggled in my neck. I kissed her forehead.
“Think of it as a temporary goodbye. I’ll still come and visit. But it won’t be for a while.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing. Manuel’s gonna be heartbroken when his last remaining family is gonna be gone.” That statement really hit me because it’s true. I’m leaving Manny.
“I promise to call him. I’ll make sure Manny knows that I’m safe and that I’m leaving on my free will. And I’ll come to visit sometimes whenever it’s possible.” I said to Dina. She wiped her tears and leaned up to kiss my cheek.
“And Michael? How’s he feel about this?” She asked.
“He’s on board. He’s looking for a place for us to live in. I’ll go to a nearby school and get a degree. We’ll both just work and live together.”
“While also being together.” She emphasized.
“Exactly. It’s like we’re married but not married.” I told her. She giggled a bit and played with my hair.
“Can I ever visit?” She asked.
“Yes. But I hope you don’t mind animals.” I teased her because I know how Dina is around animals. Especially horses. She always found them creepy.
“I just hope you guys don’t get horses. Those fucks are creepy as hell.” She shivered and we both began laughing.
I pulled in Dina for a long hug. We stood there in an embrace. I could’ve sworn I could’ve fallen asleep.
“When’s the departure?” Dina asked.
“Sometime at the end of this month or early December. We still don’t know the exact day.” I responded.
“Just promise to give me a final goodbye before you leave. Even if you’re about to miss your train, just swing by and give me a hug. I’ll know what it means.”
“I promise.” I said. I gave her a deep hug.
I said goodbye to Dina. I’m not sure where my final time with her will be, but I know it’s bound to come. The same with Manny and Dolores. And Ms. Bella. Heck, even Rafa cause he’s kinda like my cousin.
Breathing in the autumn air, with a hint of winter, I can only walk home with a smile on my face. Sure I’m gonna be losing everything. But I’ll be getting something else in return for waiting so long for it.
As I came into view of my home, a weird gut feeling came to me. Like I can feel something isn’t right. The oncoming dusk began to darken our side of time by now. Street lights were coming on and the streets were void of cars.
I walked up the steps to the front door and before opening it, took a deep breath and walked in.
There I saw Manny, red in the face, obviously angry, no, not angry. He was furious. Dolores was next to him calming him down, she herself looking like she was on the verge of tears.
When they heard the door open, both turned to look at me. Manny’s eyes have never held so much anger before.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“ANTONIO JOSE GARCIA!” Manny yelled my full government name.
“Mi amor, calm down-” Dolores tried to hold Manny down but he stood up.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” He yelled.
In his hand was a manila folder. I was confused until I looked at the coffee table and saw pictures. Several of them. There were several copies of my date with Mike at the carnival. Halloween night when we were kissing. And the explicit ones, only this time they weren’t blurred out.
I feel sick now.
“I- I can explain.” I stuttered out.
Manny just kept glaring at me. His fists were balled, like he wanted to punch something. Not even Dolores could calm him down.
