LOCA POR TI ✗ On My Block

DIECISIETE

the next morning, esperanza woke up to what she believed was an empty bed. as her phone besides her vibrated, she check it, seeing that she had multiple messages from monse and a few from olivia.

sitting up, espy slightly stretched before glancing around her room, spotting cesar sit on the side edge of her bed. moving to sit next to him, she put her head on his shoulder, listening to him as he spoke.

"my life is over," cesar started.

"it's not, cesar," esperanza argued.

"it's true. i'm dead either way. if i kill latrelle, i'll be dead inside. if i don't kill him, i'll just be dead,"

"what if we got out of here?" esperanza spoke, now standing and pacing infront of the boy, his eyes watching her the whole time.

"how?" cesar asked, looking into the latinas hazel eyes.

"with rollerworld."

⌑

espy 🕊
monse, you ruby and
jamal better find
rollerworld fast.
and i mean fast!

monse👯‍♀️
why?
whats doing on esperanza??

espy🕊
it's a long story.
but the short version is that
oscar is going to have
cesar put a round
in latrelle by tonight.

⌑

esperanza was constantly checking her phone, waiting for updates from monse on the whole rollerworld situation. checking her phone for the umpteenth time, she saw that she had a message from her best friend.

monse👯‍♀️
we're making headway.

reading the news made esperanza let out a sigh she never knew she was holding.

"monse said they were 'making headway'," espy informed the anxious boy that sat infront of her.

"we can't just stay here forever," cesar shook his head, knowing that sooner or later spooky would look for him at the navarra's house.

not knowing what to respond with, esperanza sat there, watching to see what cesar's next move was.

grabbing the gun that layed on the bed next to cesar, he held it and stood up, making his way out of the house.

"cesar! qué haces?" esperanza called out from behind the boy who now opened the front door, and was leaving.

"what i have to do," was all cesar said before he closed the door behind him.

⌑

the whole day, esperanza had been worrying. monse never updated her and cesar didn't text her.

to say the least, espy was scared shitless for her amor.

although she never told him, or anyone for that matter, she knew that she loved him. and now, esperanza had regretted not telling the boy her true feelings.

however, as the day went on, more and more santos stood post outside of esperanza's house – and she knew why. she knew that they would be there to protect her in case any prophets tried to put a bullet in her because they lost one of their own.

as esperanza scrolled through her phone, she received a long awaited text from cesar.

cesar🤞
lo siento, espy.
i have to do this
now or both of us
will get hurt. and
i don't want you to
get hurt because
of me. okay?
te amo.

esperanza 🤗
okay, cesar.
te amo también.

without a doubt, espy hit sent and the message had gone through. her heart was doing flips as she reread his text over and over. she knew he meant that he loved her as a friend, but she wished that he would mean more.

and once reality set in again, esperanza was left in worry, not only for cesar and hers safety, but for everyone who's getting involved.

soon after sending the text, esperanza found herself in her bathroom analyzing herself in the mirror again.

this time, she saw the same girl, yet her eyes were less puffy, her skin had gained its color back, and the spark was evident in her hazelnut eyes.

as esperanza layed in her bed as she scrolled aimlessly through her phone, every once and a while a notification for twitter would pop up. every time the notifications came up, she was sent a false sense of hope.

espy hoped that her friends were okay. that olivia wasn't freaking out. that cesar would come home. nearly twenty minutes later, esperanza got bored of going through instagram and twitter, so she grabbed her pencil along with her notebook and drew.

after what felt like hours, esperanza was sitting on her bed, shading in her new drawing. as she did so, derek knocked and entered her room.

"hey hermanita," derek said, sitting on the chair from infront of the vanity she had.

"hey," esperanza said, still focusing on shading the parts where shadows would normally be.

"yo sé que no te gusta esto, but it has to be done,"

laughing a little, esperanza shook her head, before looking up at her brother.

"did it? oscar is going to ruin cesar's life because of this!" espy said, her voice getting slightly louder.

"you don't get it! you have a green light on you and you're more worried about cesar's green light –"

"because i love him, okay?" esperanza said, her hands were made into tiny fist.

taken back from her words, derek's eyes widened, while he furrowed his brows, taking in what she had said.

"i care more about him than i do myself," esperanza finished, her chest raising and falling from how frustrated she had gotten, only for derek's phone to go off, "i know you remember your first love,"

"it's done," derek said, as he read a text message that he had just received, ignoring his sisters words.

and just like that, everything was over – well, actually it was far from over.

⌑