Mas Adelante | Ruby Martinez

Mas Adelante - Chapter Thirteen

"Oscar." Lola handed him her phone, "please, just one more!"

Oscar huffed, kissing his teeth. "You said that twenty pictures ago Lola."

She whined, bopping up and down like an angry child who wasn't getting their way. "I'm serious this time!"

"Fine." He grabbed the device, taking a step back to point the camera at them. Lola wrapped her arms around Angelo and he pulled her close, causing Oscar to furrow his eyebrows. "That's too close homie." Angelo sighed, taking a small step to the side, lifting his arm to her shoulders. Then Oscar took the picture handing her the phone back. "Be carful mama."

Lola nodded, walking over to her big brother to kiss his cheek. "Always mano."

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head. "You look more and more like mom every day, beautiful."

She grinned, stepping back. "Thank you."

"Come on, don't wanna be late." Angelo nudged her, nodding to his car.

"I'll be home later." She smiled, causing Oscar to nod. "Love you."

"Love you." He mouthed.

After he watched them drive away he walked inside, taking in a deep breath. She was growing up fast, and after everything she went through he couldn't stop it.

The drive to the high school was short and quiet. They had barely spoken since the Prophet party. He knew she had kissed Latrelle and he wasn't happy about it. But when she told him she didn't want to go to prom anymore he begged her not to leave him hanging. She was confused, though. He begged her to come and now he was completely ignoring her.

"So listen." He parked, turning the engine off. "My friends are going to ask me who you are."

"They don't know?"

"Well." He pulled the keys out, leaning his head on the seat as he looked at her. "They know of you, most of my friends that you've met; like at parties don't go here. But my friends here," he pointed at the school, resting his hand on the steering wheel. "They know I got a girl, they just don't know she's..." Lola raised an eyebrow, testing him. "Younger." He cleared his throat, "Spooky's little sister."

She kissed her teeth, "so then?"

"I'm just gonna tell them you're my homie and I couldn't find a date so I..."

Her lips parted, "what?"

"It's not that big of a deal, babe."

She laughed, "nah homie. That's one jacket you not goin' give me cause I ain't gonna wear it."

"Lola." Angelo sighed, "I just don't want them to.. you know? Think wrong."

"Fine." She shrugged, "I don't care, say whatever you want."

"You don't have to get mad." He set his hand over hers. "I just can't have nobody disrespecting my baby." He leaned over, kissing her cheek.

She nodded, calling bullshit but ignoring it. She didn't have the energy to deal with him. Her mind was occupied by something much bigger: her baby and her babies father.

"We should head in." He opened his door, stepping out. She stepped out after, pulling her dress down.

They walked in together, but completely apart. He sat Lola down at a table and just walked away. She was completely over it, she didn't want to be there and even less as a seniors charity case. She should've known better, Angelo was a self centered narcissist who only cared about his image.

She pulled her phone out of her clutch, staring at her lock screen for a second before clicking the home button. Her eyes wandered to Angelo for a second, he was busy talking to his friends about how he was sure he was going to win prom king. With a roll of her eyes she opened the text message app, scrolling down to Ruby's contact.

It was already nine and Ruby liked to sleep early, said it helped his brain grow. She smiled at how good of a kid he was, which is why she couldn't ruin his life with a baby. She just couldn't. She typed for a second, her fingers dancing over the screen before she sent it. "Ruby?"

He replied almost instantly, a smile filling her face. "Hi Lola."

Her head began to fill with thoughts of Ruby going to college, doing something good with his life. Then she looked up at Angelo again, he was looking at her with his eyebrows pulled together. He wasn't going to do anything with himself, if he didn't end up dead from a narcotic overdose he would end up in jail for selling them.

"I'll be back." He said, handing his homie the red cup he was drinking from before walking over to the table, sitting in front of her. "Everything okay baby?"

She locked her phone, sliding it back into her clutch, shutting it after. She made the hardest decision she ever had to in the time frame of two seconds. "I'm pregnant, Angelo. With your baby."