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Ξ GU,OD Ξ
As the days stretched past the inhabitants of Freeridge, friends and foes lived in a twisted, sick delusion of harmony, yet no one knew about the war that was simmering beneath that veil of harmony. Young kids dared to wander the streets again with the solid truce that formed a barrier between the Prophets and Santos.
With this, Jamal finally grew the courage to tell his friends the masked truth. "I found the Rollerworld money," He stated, stretching his arms ahead of him to gain attention. "Yeah, and I think Monse's pretty." Ruby scoffed sarcastically whilst rolling his eyes. "Hey," Monse scolded, connecting her fist with his arm.
The four friends continued to stroll down the block, but not without casting anxious glances over their shoulders. "Oh, Ruby, you don't have to be salty about the fact that your fingers count as toes because they're so short." Jamal snapped, jabbing his forefinger in Ruby's face in enunciation. Monse and Cesar pursed their lips into a thin line — attempting to omit their laughter.
"And what about it? Megan loves my fingers." The shortest of the four backfired, a smirk caging the corners of his lips. "Megan? Who's Megan?" Cesar queried. "She's Ruby's new boo thang. She also wears glasses so that obviously justifies her attraction towards—" Ruby swiftly cut Jamal off, "You know what, I'm tired of your presence. You're dismissed."
Jamal's mouth fell agape at the foul words that spewed from Ruby's lips. "You can't just dismiss me. I'm the glue that holds this crew together!" Cesar slipped his hand into Monse's before entwining their fingers. He stealthily slithered her away from the arguing pair.
"How are you holding up without your sister?" Cesar questioned—pure and utter concern latching unto his gentle words. The younger girl shrugged indifferently. "I miss her, but my mom's been really helpful. I feel like once we sort this mess out, Sin, my parents and I can finally become a real family." A distant, reminiscent smile emerged from her lips as she kept her gaze locked on her sneakers.
"How are they actually? Oscar and Sin? I haven't spoken to my sister in days." Cesar warily bit his bottom lip as his dark eyes flashed brood. "They are happy right now. Only thing is—" His words died against his tongue as they stopped before Monse's house. "What's the only thing?"
He shook his head before clasping both of her hands in his. "Nothing your pretty mind needs to worry about." Her lips twisted into a gentle smile. "If it weren't for your smooth talk I would say you're hiding something from me," She coaxed before swinging her arms around his neck. "But I trust you. If you say I've got nothing to worry about, then so be it."
Cesar brushed a light kiss against her lips. "Is that the best you could do?" She teased, slowly closing the remnants of the gap of still air between them. Their lips molded into one another's touch. In oblivion to their surroundings, both failed to perceive the creaking of hinges as the door to Monse's house swung open.
"Monse?" Monty, her father barked—voice full of ire and pure disbelief. Both teenagers swiftly withdrew from each other's touch. "Dad, I-" He stepped out of the house, menacingly approaching the two. "Save it." He hissed, flickering his eyes along Cesar's form. "And you," Monty lifted his forefinger, hovering it before the young Santo's face.
"You will leave my daughter the hell alone! You hear me?!" His voice was deep. Deeper than normal. The singular vein that popped out of his neck gave away the fury that coursed through his being.
"Why are you doing this? I love her!" Cesar pleaded, his thick eyebrows furrowing in frustration. "Like hell you do! Is the gang bullshit you're putting her through your definition of love?!" Monty fired back whilst taking an ominous step forward.
"Dad!" Monse interjected, pushing herself between the two bickering men. "What my definition of love is, is not important, but yet you show me that anything you do for her and Sin is out of spite. You don't love them at all, do you?" Cesar scoffed, trailing his eyes along Monty's tall form in disgust.
"If you weren't a kid I would've—" Monty's threats were cut short by Monse's screeching. "That's enough! Cesar, you don't get to patronize my dad out of pettiness and you," She turned towards her father, "You should stop trying to protect us when there is nothing to be protective about! You are more scared of Sin's heart breaking than she is herself. Dad, Oscar treats her better than any man has treated her. Better than you treated mom."
The last part exited her lips as a whisper—soft enough to lessen the pain behind that sentence but hard enough to hear as a faint murmur. "You know nothing about your mother. She is not who she says she is. I fell into her sick, delusional trap of love and I will not have you go through that same pain." Monty forced out, tears pooling his molten brown eyes.
"I'm not a kid anymore! I can take care of myself fine enough. If I want to spend time with my mother, let me." She exclaimed. She casted him one last glance before taking ahold of Cesar's hand and walking away.
"I'm gonna show him that my mother isn't as bad as he says she is. He's just afraid." Monse sighed. Tears wallowed in her brown eyes, clinging to her moist eyelashes as she swept her fallen tears away.
Cesar took ahold of her hand and rested his other upon her cheek. "Hey, it's gonna be fine. You can stay with Oscar, me and your sister, alright? That'll show him what he misses."
Monse chuckled before nodding sheepishly to his broken promise. It'll show him.
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Just a short filler since I've been gone so long! A sis wasn't feel the book but I refused to delete it so I'm going to try my best to deliver some wig-snatching chapters from now on💓
