Lo Recuerdo Todo (Oscar Diaz/ OMB)

16.

"I don't have much time." I started getting our of my car, all of his friends watching me in awe as I marched to him sitting on the porch steps. "Let's go." I encouraged, barging into his house.
"Naomi, slow down lil mama." He pressured, following behind. I walked into his room and began to pace as he was close behind and shut the door after entrance.
"I have to talk to you." I continued, my body temperature rising.
"Okay, talk." He gave me the floor as I began to tie my hair up, and I took off my work shirt, standing in only my bralette and high waisted shorts. "That kind of talk?" He clarified and I shook my head, before speaking again.
"I found something out, and I wanna do something about it." I was pacing genuinely stressed with this weight on my shoulders.
"What are you talking about, Mi? Slow down, come sit." He patted the spot on the bed beside him.
I sat down, gathering myself as his hand rubbed circles on my back, trying to comfort me.
"Oscar," I sighed, "Kehlani was raped, and I don't know what to do about it..." I shrug, feeling useless
"Not anymore." He shot out of his seat, his eyes dark.
I grabbed him hand and pulled him back to me, snapping him out of it momentarily.
As he looked at me I could see him soften, then becoming hard again, trying to be strong for my sake.
"It's mine." I plead. "I don't want you to get too involved, but I'll need your help."
"I will do anything, Naomi." He was on his knees now before me.
"I need to get to him. I need to make it quick, I need to do it now, and I need it to work." I explain and he nods, holding onto my hands in my lap.
"Now as in-"
"Tonight, and I need you to come with." I eased into.
"Tonight? Come with you where?" He continued with a shrug, assuming it was local.
"Arizona." I blurted as if the fast I said it the easier it would be to convince him.
"Arizona? Naomi." He put his head in my lap, defeated.
"I know, but he went to her high school, and I figured it out..."
"Figured what out?" He continued, shaking his head, looking at my lap.
"Figured out who it was. He was the only other student accepted to Columbia from her high school." I caught him up and he looked at me.
"What's the plan?"
"I need you to come and be my look out."
"Your look out?" He scoffed, as if to say 'Spooky don't do that shit.'
"I have to get to him hurt him, scare him, make him pull out of Columbia." I rambled.
"Naomi, I don't want you to get hurt." He became a voice of reason and I pushed him off my lap, and stood up going to the door.
"I didn't come here for a caring and compassionate Oscar." I started, shooting him a glare. "I came here for Oscar 'Spooky' mother-fucking Diaz." I spat, becoming enraged. "You always tryna pick a fight that doesn't need to happen! You always tryna fight Marcus, get all tough up in his face and shit. But here I am, coming to you now with something important to me- and this is what I get?" I snapped, seeing him walk to me as I turned around almost to the door.
He was immediately behind me, his hand on my hip, spinning me around to face him.
"You're in or you're not, if don't wanna go, don't. But I am. I'm getting this straight." I pressed a finger into his chest, trying to push him away.
"Okay, I'm in, but if it gets messy, I'm taking the fall." He caved, stepping back.
"No, what-"
"Naomi, trust me. I can handle prison, I don't need you fucking up your future. Just like you say, mines already fucked, I got that street cred- and aye maybe you can even be my lawyer when I'm tryna get a retrial for killing that fucking scumbag."
I swallowed hard, the situation and the reality settling in.
"Oscar." I became quiet, he put both of his hands in my face, our eyes locked on one another.
"I know you wanna do right," he started to whisper, pressing our foreheads together, "but this could end very badly, for you- me- Kehlani..." he continued, and I looked away, embarrassed to have been so blind as to how this would effect her. "I'll do it. I'll do anything for you, mi alma, I want you to know that."
"Oscar." I repeated, shaking my head before his grip on my cheeks tightened.
"Think, baby, think. Be smarter than your instinct, be what Kehlani needs from you." He pleaded, his thumb stroking my cheek.
I looked at him, tears stinging my eyes as he pulled me to his chest.
"Sh."
"How could I have not seen it?" I cried into his chest.
He continually kissed the top of my head, his hand rubbing my back as I just melted into him.
"She's stubborn, remind you of someone?" He teased, pulling me to eye level. "This isn't your fault, you not knowing isn't your fault. But, you reacting wrong would be your fault, and could hurt more than heal..." he reasoned, his wisdom even shocking me.
"You soft ass hell for a gang leader." I tried to perk myself with a joke.
He smiled a smile I didn't know I needed so badly right now and pulled my forehead to his lips.
"You got that thing over me, making me wanna be soft for you, making me think about prison time for you..." he confessed, unapologetically.

***

I heard a knock at my door as I paced beside my bed.
The things Oscar said to me still so fresh in my mind, making me feel stupid for reacting so crass when this whole time Kehlani came to me- for me. She needed me, not necessarily to fix it, but to just be there if and when she needed...
I walked to the door and opened it up seeing Kehlani standing there, puffy eyes and messy hair.
"What's up?" I asked setting my own worry aside and letting her in.
"I'm sorry for telling you." She apologized quickly, trying to say it before she broke down completely in my arms.
"No, no." I rubbed her back, soothing her quietly. "Sh." I pressed, kissing the top of her head.
"I didn't know what to do..." she sobbed, her tears pooling onto my thigh.
"I know, baby." I agreed, biting my lip to fight back tears.
We stayed quiet, her crying beginning to slow down as I continued to hold her.
"I was so happy to see you." She whispered, sniffling to sort out her breathing.
"I'm happy to see you." I agree.
Kehlani was the little sister I always wanted, and when I found out I was getting one of each i was ecstatic.
Kehlani and I always had the best relationship. We would borrow each other's clothes, hang out with each other's friends, listen to the same music, it's almost like she was my twin.
Going to school was hard on both of us, we would FaceTime, and text constantly, but it was never serious... we didn't have time to be that serious. We would sometimes just Skype with our head phones in, listening to our own music while doing homework, just to be in each other's presence.
She never gave me a sign, she never let it slip that she was hurt, and hurting.
We both fell silent and I sighed-
I have to tell her...
"Kehlani, I was going to hurt him." I confess, and she slowly straightened up.
"What?"
"I talked to Oscar, I have plane tickets in my cart... I almost went there and hurt him..." I shrug, looking at the floor.
"Naomi." She grabbed my hand.
"I wanted to just kill him." I couldn't stop, the anger reigniting.
"You were right, I need to do something." She changed the subject. "I joined a support group online." She explained and I slowly looked up at her. She smiled, consoling me this time. "I knew telling you would be an important step, but I haven't confronted my main trigger. Him."
"I can come with you."
"No, it's something I have to do myself." She assured, shaking her head. "But you're just a phone call away."
"Exactly." I nod, and she smiled pushing herself up from the seat. "Well, good night." She stood up, stretching.
"Kehlani." I stood up to walking to her and pulling her into a tight hug. We both began to whimper, overcome with emotion. "You're the strongest person I know." I told her, kissing the top of her head as we stood there in each other's arms.
"I learned from you." She whispered back.