BEAUTIFUL DISASTER ➸ OSCAR DIAZ [2]

ONE

I STARE BLANKLY at the pale coloured wall, tuning out the sound of everyone moving around the house. It's been three weeks since the shooting. Three weeks since Olivia died. I don't regret anything as much as I regret being a bitch to Olivia during the last few weeks of her life. I would take it back if I could, but I can't.

I slowly sit up, my eyes drifting over to the cardboard box full of Olivia's things. Who knew someone's entire life could fit in a box? I shuffle backwards on my bed until my back is pressed against the wall and my knees are hugging my chest. I rest my chin on top of my knees and sigh quietly.

Why did I survive? Olivia should've lived. Ruby needs her.

"I don't know if she'll talk to you. She's been really quiet and... numb lately." I hear my mom's muffled voice through the closed door. Not again, who's she going to bring now? For the past week and a half, she's been bringing everyone I know to come and talk to me, to get me out of this 'phase' that I'm in. But I don't want to talk to anyone. I don't want to leave my room. Leaving this room brings back too many harsh memories.

The door opens and a familiar voice that I haven't heard in a while says, "Hey Cami, how you feeling?" I look over at the door and see my older brother Mario with a soft smile on his face.

"Mario," I whisper, my eyes stinging with tears as I hop off the bed and engulf him in a hug. I ignore the pain that shoots through my body because of my abrupt movement and focus on not breaking down in tears. "What're you doing here?"

"I had to come back and see if my baby sister was okay." Mario sighs as he pulls away from me and stares into my eyes. "Why won't you talk to anyone? Everyone's so worried about you."

"Mami won't let me see or talk to Oscar and Cesar anymore. This isn't their fault, I don't understand why she's blaming them." I frown, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying. When I woke up in the hospital, the only people that weren't there were the Diaz brothers. And they were the only people that I actually wanted to see, besides Ruby. And since then, I haven't heard a word from either of them. For all I know, Oscar's in jail and Cesar's dead for not killing Latrelle.

"She's just looking out for you," Mario says quietly, glancing over his shoulder at my half-open bedroom door. He shuts it before saying, "Why didn't you tell me about you and Oscar?"

I shrug my shoulders as I sit down on the edge of my bed. "I knew you were busy with college and I didn't want to bother you. I know you guys are friends, so have you heard anything from him?"

Mario hesitates, inhaling a sharp breath. "Well, I'm not supposed to talk about him with you."

I scoff, running my hand through my hair. "Does Mami think I'm going to forget about him because I'm not. I love him, Mario. And I know he does stupid things but he does them to protect the people he cares about. He'd do anything for me and Cesar."

Mario shakes his head as he crouches down in front of me. "Cami, he kicked Cesar out. And... he hasn't spoken a single word about you. I think he has a new girl..."

My heart drops down to my stomach as I stare at my older brother in disbelief. I shake my head as my eyes well up with tears, "You're lying, he wouldn't do that." I whisper harshly. I love him and he loves me. He wouldn't hang around some new girl, he's not like Elijah. And he'd never kick Cesar out, Cesar is practically his whole world.

"Cami-"

"You're lying!" I shout as the tears begin to stream freely down my cheeks. "You're lying! You're lying! You're lying!" Mario wraps his arms around my body and rubs circles on my back to calm me down, while I scream and cry. "No, no, no, he wouldn't do that. He loves me and Cesar. He told me he'd do anything for us!"