All For Us || Oscar Diaz

77: All For Us

All For Us by Labyrinth and Zendaya
Guilty or innocent, my love is infinite

Guess you figured my two times two always equates to one
Dreamers are selfish, when it all comes down to it
I hope one of you come back to remind me of who I was before I disappear
Into black of night

I'm taking it all for us, doing it all for love

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

"You want my advise?" Nina asked Monse. The young teen was just desperate for answers on what to do now. All the mess with Cuchillos and the Santos were put away now and the kids were finally in the clear. Jamal got his Rollerworld money back, Ruby got his share to help his family, Jasmine got Ruby, Cesar and Oscar made amends, but Monse has some other plans.

"Take the offer of Mayfield," Nina told her as Monse sighed. "Look, I know that's not exactly what you want to hear. But if you think I'm telling you to stay here then I might as well just head out now," she added standing up but Monse pulled her back down to sit.

"No," Monse whined. "Just tell me, why should I go?"

"Well for starters I did not help you with your essay and proof read that shit for you not to go. And your dad did not pay that fee for you not to go," Nina joked but Monse just groaned again. "Alright, alright. Let's get serious about it," she added placing a hand on Monse's knee.

"This is your opportunity on making it out of here. You got potential don't waste it on being stuck here," Nina said sincerely. "That kind of thing takes you places. It'll benefit you and your dad. New environment will be good for you and build up your potential to become a writer. This is for you, Monse. Take it."

"What about you? You got potential that's beyond me!" Monse argued.

"Staying here was my choice. My family is here, they need me. And considering my place now with the Santos it's not like I'm getting out any time soon either. My relationship with Oscar is open to that idea but I still gotta sort things out," Nina explained. "Either way I'm finding more opportunities for myself anyway."

"Well my family is here too!"

"You mean your friends are here. They don't depend on you the way you think," Nina corrected earning a somberly expression from Monse. "Look, I get it. You're scared that things will change when you leave this place. But regardless of you, leaving things will change because everything is just prone to change."

"When I left Washington Heights I thought the exact same thing. For things to hurt a little less, I ended up telling my friends not to come and see me before I left," she continued in relation. "They ended up saying fuck it and they came to see me anyway."

"Did me leaving change things between us? Yes it did absolutely, but look where we are now," she added with a small smile hoping to assure Monse. "Change is just a part of growing up. If you're scared that you guys would drift apart then its fine. But I know you guys love each other too much to make sure that shit doesn't happen."

"Plus, you guys have been friends since you were five!" Nina mused. "I know I came into your lives five years later but I've seen you guys grow. You guys fight over the last piece of cookie but end up making things up over a glass of milk or something," she reminisced as Monse cracked a smile.

"Change is normal and sometimes its good but in the end it'll be totally up to you and your friends on what happens next," Nina gave Monse a small squeeze before pulling away.

Monse understood what Nina was trying to say to her. She'd thought about it but she still needed some assurance from her own friends. Because what Nina said was right, this was all going to fall back on Monse and her crew for staying together. But again she needed the assurance.