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I WOKE UP IN MY APARTMENT, HEAD BANGING as I found myself laying on the sofa, only wearing my bloody shirt. Glancing next to me, I spotted a little note that read 'get some rest', with a glass of water and some ibuprofen next to it. Slowly sitting myself up, I felt like my eye felt weird, as I slightly prodded it with my finger, it definitely felt swollen. "Fuck." I mumbled to myself, downing the water and taking the pills as I dragged myself off of the sofa, heading towards the window for some air. Opening it quickly, noticing the lack of light outside meaning I probably should be sleeping, I spotted a hooded figure rushing out from the apartment building, wearing a mask as he hopped into a luxury car. Instantly I thought of Samuel, Nano, and the watch. I grabbed some tracksuit bottoms from my bedroom, feeling my headache starting to wear off. Thank god. I shoved my shoes on my feet, rushing over to the Garcia apartment, knocking constantly but getting no response. It was then that his mother walked up the stairs, spotting me and clearly getting a bit worried after taking in my appearance. "Jada? What's wrong?" She looked me up and down, getting increasingly worried, and I smiled softly, trying to ease her anxieties. "I came to see if Samuel was okay. I saw some shady looking people outside and got a bit worried. I'm sure he's fine though." I rushed out, as she suddenly looked a bit frantic, hand shaking as she placed the key in the keyhole and twisted.
The door swung open, and the apartment was overwhelming. Broken furniture, chairs upside down, all the drawers open and a mess. And not a few steps from the door was Samuel, laying face down on the floor, a large cut on the back of his neck. "Mierda!" Pilar yells, tiptoeing through the mess to grab some bandages or something. I pull Samuel up, and he groans, which eases my fear that he was dead. I sat him up, watching his eyes flutter open as he regains consciousness, eyed widening in panic. "Samu, they've gone." I said, holding onto his shoulder to support him, reassure him. His mother returned with some equipment, and I held onto Samuel's hand as his mother tried to do some small stitches, not wanting to go to the hospital. He winced every now and then, gripping my hand a little tighter each time. Eventually, after almost breaking my hand, his mother was done. She sat down, sighing loudly, and handed me a big plaster, which I assumed I should put on Samuel's neck. Grabbing him a bag of ice, I placed the plaster or bandage over his neck, telling him to hold the ice bag on the back of his neck. As we all sat down, looking around at the mess, Nano walked in looking bright as day.
"What happened? Are you okay?" His mother almost laughed, standing up and staring at him in disgust. "Do we look alright, eh? This isn't the first tome our home has been broken into, by people looking for who knows what, since you got out the slammer. What a coincidence. Your brother could have been killed. I could have been killed. Do you even care about us? Huh? Do you?" Pilar asked, getting louder and louder causing Samuel to yell. "Mom! Calm down." He said, and she shook her head, walking away into her room.
"I'm sorry about your watch." Samuel said as Nano sat down, looking to Samuel's neck in concern. "Don't be. It wasn't here." Nano said, and Samuel looked at him wildly, before realising exactly where it was. "Oh. Of course. Well good. The sooner you get the money, the sooner you can leave." Samuel's harsh words must have cut like a knife, but Nano's face remained the same. "We're both getting out of her. Me and her." Samuel stood up for a second, looking to me in shook. My face mirrored his, and I turned to Nano, hoping he was joking. "You're kidding right?" I asked, but he shook his head. "Tomorrow. I had to tell you. I'm sick of lying to you. Of not being able to look at you in the eyes. I swear that from now on-" Samuel spoke over him, not even letting him finish, "You will never lie to me again, because I will never listen to anything you say again. You are no longer my brother." He said, slowly staggering to his room, slamming the door behind him. "I can't believe you." I said, in a rather hushed voice, as Nano leaned closer to me. "I'm sorry. I really am. For everything." He put a comforting hand on my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug. I didn't forgive him, not completely, but he was leaving, so what was the point in holding a grudge and later regretting not saying goodbye. Nano smiled softly, before grabbing his phone and dialling a number. "They will pay. Especially because they hurt Samuel." He said as the phone was ringing. I heard a deep voice on the other side, and I saw Nano's face change. "You went after my family, you son of a bitch. That will cost you." He said, and the man on the other end calmly replied, "You and I had a deal." Nano laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant laugh to hear. "You broke that deal when you sent your thugs to steal the watch. Now it will cost you a million." "You are crazy, kid." Carla's dad responded in disbelief, and Nano spits out, "No, you are. The way you're going, those documents will end up in all the papers." Carla's dad laughed, making my skin crawl, and I shook my head as he spoke, "You won't see a penny then." He spoke with such conviction, as if he was winning, but we knew differently. "I'm used to being penniless. To living in the shit. What about you? How will you feel about losing your business, your house, your damn family? One million. You have until seven o'clock tomorrow." Nano hung up the phone abruptly, and I gave him a short applause which he laughed at. "You did well Nano. Let's hope he's smart enough to pay." I said as I stood, heading for the door when he stopped me. "I hope so. Goodnight." He said, kissing me softly on the cheek as I opened the door, heading back home to sleep, although part of me didn't want tomorrow to come so quickly. Of course it was inevitable, and almost as soon as my head touched the pillow I fell into a deep slumber, dreaming of tomorrow's dance.
