The Fuentes Family

7

Alex

"You started the fight. You beat him to the ground, and I don't see a single scratch on your face."

"He deserved it." I stare out the window, my arms crossed.

"Tell me how exactly he deserved it?" Principal Harris says, his voice harsh. 

"I'd rather not."

He leans forward on his desk, raising his voice. "Alex, I am considering whether or not to call the police. So if I were you i'd talk me out of it."

My eyes snap to his. "You can't do that."

"The boy is black and blue. I have no reason not to."

I straighten up in my seat. "I would get jail time for this. You don't understand what that would do." I start to panic. If i'm not around to do jobs for Caligari, he'll get Santiago involved in his business. There's no way Santiago would accept the job, and that would get him killed.

"I don't want to do it, Alex. You're a good kid and I know your family needs you, but this is a serious thing you have done."

"He sent a picture of Amelia Miller to everyone!" I shout. "He was being all threatening towards her so I did something about it. I gave him what he deserved."

Harris leans back in his chair, studying me. "So this is about a girl."

"She's not just a girl. I live with her, so she's like... my sister." I cringe when the words come out, the thoughts of her naked and us kissing flooding back into my mind.

"I won't mention this to the police. But there is a high chance James Portland's parents will."

I nod a thank you. Harris has always liked me, no matter how much trouble I get into.

"You're suspended for the rest of the week. You're lucky it's not longer. I'll call your Mom – you can go home now."

"You're in deep shit, bro," Enrico says as soon as I get home. He always comes here when we're all at school on the days he's not working to watch our big flatscreen tv. I sit down beside him on the couch. "I hear you're crushin' on Amelia."

"Who said that?"

"Valentino."

I scoff. "He knows nada."

"Alejandro?" Mom calls from upstairs. "Is that you?"

"¡Sí! I'm ready for my beating." I mumble the last part. I wince with every step I hear Mom take down the stairs. There isn't must that scares me – not even Caligari and his estúpido minions do. But mi Mamá – she terrifies me.

She stands in front of me, her hands on her hips, and Enrico pauses the tv to pay full attention to us. The prick.

After just five straight agonising minutes of her screaming at me in spanish, she calms down. "Quiero saber por qué lo hiciste."

"I did it because the guy is a fucking dickhead."

She hits me on the side of my head. "Don't you dare use that language in front of me again, Alejandro! Are you trying to make me angrier?"

I put my head in my hands. "Lo siento," I sigh. "He did something bad to Amelia."

"Ohhh," Enrico says. "It all makes sense now." He nudges me with his elbow.

"What did he do, Alex?"

I run my hands through my hair, squeezing my eyes shut. I don't want to think about it. The thought of Amelia's puffy, sad face makes me want to hurt him all over again.