Amaya's POV

"So you're stalking me now?"

"No, just making sure that your safe."

"Oscar, you followed me all the way here."

"Yeah but this is also the place we always used to come to. So, you could be following me."

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. He looked too happy, too smug for my liking.

"'Kay well I'm here. Bye."

I climbed the rocky ground higher and higher away from him.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He calls out.

"Getting away from all humanity. Need to clear my head."

Finally reaching the clearing that leads to the edge of the ocean. Kids were spread out all over the place but I kept walking up higher and higher until no one was around.

"How did you even figure out it was me?"

"Dude you drive the worst car to try and blend in with everyone else's crappy car."

Oscar stood above me unsure of what to do.

"Do you wanna sit?"

"Uhhh."

"Afraid of heights."

"Afraid of the unknown."

I laughed at him. Pulled out the weed and grinder and started to go to town.

"You remember how to roll?"

"I used to roll cigarettes and joints. That's not a hard job."

"You rolled as a job?" I nodded.

Part-time when I wasn't DJing at the club I was a roller for VIP sections. That paid the bills so I couldn't complain. Definitely helping me right now.

"What else did you do?" I cocked my head at him. I know he wants answers about Cuchillos but so do I.

"I went to school, DJed, waitressed and sewed."

"All at once?" He jokes.

I was done and I lifted the joint for him to inspect.

"Not bad, not bad at all. You know I'm gonna have to blacklist Abuelita for awhile because of this, right?"

"Oh please. That woman is a saint. She'll bat one crazy viejita eyelash at you and you'll be down at Geny's giving her another baggie."

Oscar laughed and then smiled. He looked nice when he smiled.

"True. That woman had done a lot."

"Damn straight." I took back the joint and lit it.

Taking a drag, Oscar looked over at me shaking his head. "Aren't you afraid of smoking weed?" I shook my head.

"This came from 19th street. It isn't laced with anything, so I'm guessing Abuelita pays for the good shit."

"For someone who was only saying they were afraid of drugs a month ago you're trusting a viejita?"

"Yup and I didn't say I was afraid of other drugs just weed. Last time I smoked this Freeridge shit, I wrapped my car around a pole. But you already knew that."

Oscar perked up from where he had sit.

"Cuchillos laced your weed?"

The smoke in my lungs caught in my throat and I started violently coughing.

"She did, didn't she! But why? What the hell happened where she'd want you dead?"

"Cuchillos wasn't against taking anyone's lives. Santos went to jail for her, trying to protect the gang. So, what makes you think she was above taking mine?"

"Because you were my novia."

I sat there not knowing what to say or do. There wasn't a whole presentation that I wanted to do about Cuchillos and AJ for Oscar. There wasn't anything I wanted to do with that bitch.

I kept taking drags before Oscar plucked the joint from between my lips.

"We were fighting that night. You packed your shi...stuff from my room. You yelled at me like never before. Nothing seemed to make sense."

"Cause I was high." I finally let him in.

"You remember that night?"

"There are holes to my memory like large chunks except that night. I remember it clear as day. But this isn't the time to do this."

"And you were faking that you didn't know Spanish. What else are you lying about?"

"I guess a lot. A lot of things I'm not gonna tell you because Cuchillos is still out there and if she knew we were even sitting near each other right now. I'd have a red dot on my head."

His face went from laughing and smiling to fucking deadpanning me.

"We gotta go." He pulled my arm.

"Wait! I wanna do a jump." Oscar stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.

"Hell no. We gotta go!"

My bathing suit was already secured under my clothes and he was far enough away to not catch me. Removing my shorts, phone and keys, I stepped back from the ledge.

"Amaya, no!" Oscar took a few steps forward but I was already running.

"See ya later!" I screamed as I plunged further down, closer to the Pacific.

Oscar's POV

"I can't believe you just did that."

"What? Can't believe that I was having fun! Thanks for picking up my shit.

"Get your wet shoes off my dash board now!" Amaya let out a hyena laugh.

"Sorry. Forgot how anal you are about her."

"Yeah, yeah I get it. You have amnesia." Poking fun at her made her laugh even more.

"I called Frankie and he said Lupe was bringing you clothes."

"Clothes for what?"

"The kickback at my house tonight. I invited you at Hugo's shop."

"Oh right, right."

"Minutiae."

"What?"

"You're minutiae."

Amaya sat in my passenger seat stumped.

"M, I, N, U, T, I, A, E. Minutiae."

"Who the fuck uses words like minutiae?" 

"The spelling bee champ, seventh and eighth grade." She let out another laugh.

"Yeah okay. Just keep driving Mister Sesquipedalian."

"Oh damn! Pulling out the big words!" I laughed.

It was fun following her to our old spot. Especially great being back in my car messing around and calling each other way too big of words to understand at this point. The drive home was over too quick and Lupe butted in too fast for anymore of a conversation.

Amaya went inside my house to change out of her wet clothes and I went across the street.

Abuelita was sitting out front stitching someone's pants.

"Como fue, hijo?"

"Bien, gracias."

"What did she tell you?"

"Nothing yet."

"Well like I tell Hamal. Every story behind a story has a beginning. Maybe she needs closure to one story to reveal her true story."

"That makes no sense. Thanks." I pushed off their fence, back over to my house.

Every story behind a story had a beginning. I keep repeating in my head.

Maybe she does need closure.

Before I could make any decisions on letting her in about Cuchillos I needed to talk to someone else besides a noisy viejita.

I went into my room to grab something and there was naked Amaya. Staying there nudist colony camp advisor.

"Hey! Close your fucking eyes creep!" She yelled at me.

We played the oh fuck, turn around? Keep looking? Her trying to cover herself up.

It ended with me doing the most reasonable thing to do. Laugh my ass off and then say oh shit.

I closed my door and stood next to it.

"Why are you changing in my room?"

"Cause your brother is having sex in the bathroom and I was afraid to go into his room and he walk in!"

"Nah, I think you wanted to give me a show."

"You want a show then come watch." I didn't dare move. Her threats were worse than her promises.

"Not like its the first time I've seen your naked ass."

"Probably not but its the first time a dude's seen my 'naked ass' in a while. Come on in. What else could happen today?"

I heard her move around my room and I crept the door open enough to see that she was almost dressed so I walked in.

"Your turn." I said pulling off my dirty clothes from our hour hangout.

"Please God! You need to loss those socks. You look like an Abuelo that has diabetes and needs those compression socks."

"Just preparing for my future. What about you? You look like Lupe's pimping you out on West Boulevard."

Her clothes were clearly Lupe's. Short skirt, cropped shirt, big ass hoop earrings.

"At least I don't look like every single cholo outside this house right now rocking long Dixie's with my black tank."

"No but you do look like every chola or ruca."

"Rucas? Please. Side bitches. Rucas got class to not come here."

"Lupe's a ruca, Does she not have class?"

"Puto, if you want me to fight someone tonight. Its not gonna be Lupe hearing that comment out of your mouth."

"Psst. You wouldn't hurt a fly. Not let me get changed." I pushed her gently out of my room and changed into pants and grabbed a flannel.

Amaya's gonna kill me tonight.

I have a feeling.