Crow

Friends

Alonzo did not return home until well past midnight. Maria heard some hushed conversation, then silence again. It had really irked Maria to know that some else had been there in the alley when she was there. It could have been her the one that could've got attacked instead of Pedro. Her mom had asked her several times if she had not seen anything strange before, Maria had answered "no". Maria walked through that alley almost daily, and even when it was a little creepy, she had never actually seen anything suspicious or scary. Not even a ghost. Maria smiled at the thought of a ghost, she had tried before to see something supernatural, wished for it, but ghosts were just not real.

Because her mom was still worried about a crazy naked man running wild through the streets, Maria had to go to the store with her mom the next morning. Maria was grateful for that, as it gave her the excuse to not be at home alone with Alonzo. At the small grocery store that her mom owned, Maria's morning passed by fast, as she helped her mother with some inventory, and ordering the new products that they needed. It was almost three in the afternoon when Carlos and Luis walked to the store to buy some junk food as the excuse to see if Maria was there. When they saw her at the store, both of their faces looked relieved, neither of them liked when Maria was at home alone with her step dad either. Carlos said good morning to Maria's mom then walked towards the hallway were Maria was putting some products back into a shelf after she had cleaned it. Luis had stayed behind and was talking to Maria's mom in hushed voices. Maria smiled as she could see Luis' expression changing from a smile to what it looked like a worried expression mixed with some fear. Her mom was probably telling him the story of the naked man.

"Hey, good morning" said Carlos as he approached Maria, he kneeld down by her and started to help her to put the product back into its shelf.

"Good morning" Answered Maria with a big shy smile, her face going somewhat a little red.

"We came to see if you were here" said Carlos in a quiet tone, as he stopped his hand mid air to look at Maria. "Went by your house and saw that your step dad's pick-up was still there" he placed the box he had in his hand back in the self and then paused, as if he was trying to find the nicest words to express what he was trying to say. " You were not with Luz, so I feared you were there, alone with... with that creep" Maria's face now went full on red.

Even when Maria did not talked about her issues with her step dad, everybody seemed to know, to guess. It was not hard to for the people around Maria to see the way her step dad lusted over her. Probably a lot of people around town thought that Alonzo had already touched her. Mostly because they had seen the change in Maria's attitude, who went from being a happy little girl, to an introvert and quiet teenager since Alonzo had moved into her mother's house. Maria shuddered at the though, sadness clouded her eyes.

" I am fine, I am here" Maria told Carlos with a smile. “What happened was that..."

"Maria, are you okay? " interrupted Luis suddenly, he was approaching them, he looked upset, almost mad.

"Why?" Asked Carlos looking from Luis' worried look, to Maria's embarrassed face. "What happened, Maria? "

"Well last night when I was going home I saw Pedro....Pedro Alvarez" she added the last name when she saw the confused look on Carlos "Well , I saw him getting attacked by some one, so I ran to the house to get Alonzo to help. It seems that someone broke his arm." Maria shuddered again, remembering the awful sound breaking the silence of the night.

"She was there!" Exclaimed Luis mad, looking at Maria and surprising her by his reaction. She seemed to not understand his reaction, she was expecting for Luis to be concerned, scared even, but not mad at her. "She was in the alley alone when Pedro was there!" Now, to Maria's astonishment, Carlos' face started to form the same expression that Luis' had. "Good thing that decrepit old pig got attacked!" He took a big breath as if trying to calm himself down. "Did he tried to do anything to you while you were there? Probably that's why someone attacked the old bastard" he hissed, they were trying to have the conversation with out having Maria's mom hearing the insults.