Mas Adelante | Ruby Martinez

Mas Adelante - Chapter Eighteen

"This one?" Oscar showed Ruby the bow tie, causing him to shake his head with a disgusted face. "What? But it's the same pink as her dress."

"Um, no." Ruby stated, taking the bow from his hand, "this is salmon, and based on the picture you showed me, her dress is blushed melon." He handed it back to him.

Oscar gawked at the words that left his mouth, then he threw the bow back into the pile. "The hell happened to just pink?"

"It doesn't exist anymore." Ruby shrugged, grabbing a tie. "How about we put you in a tie?" He put the tie up to his neck, squinting his eyes to imagine the suit.

"How about we," he pushed his hand toward his own body, "don't do that."

"Spooky, if you're not going to cooperate with me–"

"I'm cooperating! What do you want me to do? Take my shirt off?"

Ruby furrowed his eyebrows, "we don't have to do all of that." He shook his head, "let's just go with the salmon bow."

Oscar huffed, "well now I don't want the 'salmon' bow."

The young boy stomped his foot, exhaling. "Geez! No one wins with you! Who's the quince? Lola or you?"

"Shit." Oscar chuckled, "relax compa."

He stared up at him, biting his tongue. "Fine, take your salmon bow." He grabbed it, shoving it toward Oscar.

"Nah well I like this one, I think it's a closer match." He picked up a baby pink one, studying it with a smile. "We found out she was a girl."

Ruby's heart dropped, his head began spinning. "What?"

Oscar looked up, "my mom and I. I remember holding Cesar in my arms when we were finding out if I was getting another big headed brother or my baby sister. I bought her first bow before we even knew. I begged my padrino for that damn dollar." He ran his thumb over the fabric, with the slightest gleam in his eyes. "Fifteen years ago." He mumbled, "I promised I'd never let anything happen to her and one of the worst things that could happen to a baby girl happened to my baby girl." Ruby watched him become sentimental, it was weird. It made his stomach twist. "I broke my promise." He sniffed, composing herself. "If I could throw her fifty quinceañeras I would. I just want her to know I care about her, you know?"

He nodded, offering s small smile. "She knows, Spooky."

Oscar shuffled toward the cash register, the cashier looked up with timid eyes. He was use to that look from cashiers, so he just set the bow down. "She asked me to do the father-daughter dance with her."

Ruby hummed, "that's nice of her."

He laughed, raising his brows monetarily. "Understatement, have you met her?" Ruby chuckled awkwardly, he knew her better than he thought. "It just kinda makes me feel some type of way, cause her and Cesar don't get along, but I know it would mean a lot to Cesar if she asked him too." He set ten dollars on the counter, glancing at Ruby. "Be like a two parter thing, you feel me?" He nodded, showing he was listening while Oscar grabbed the bag from the cashier, making his way out of the store with Ruby by his side. "I don't know, kid." Oscar sighed, "our families complicated."

Ruby didn't say anything, last time he called the Diaz family complicated he almost got his throat ripped out.

"Anyways." He said, nodding at the bag in the shorter boys hand, "you get everything you needed?"

"I think." Ruby looked into the bag, "yeah."

"You hungry?"

"Well I—"

"Great, I'll stop by the store and you can eat with us." Oscar nudged him, grinning.

"You know?" Ruby said, catching Oscar's attention from a girl with a big butt walking pass them, they made eye contact and Oscar smirked at her.

"What's up?"

"How come nobody has seen you with a girlfriend? Not that I'm assuming your se–"

"Let me stop you right there." Oscar laughed, shaking his head. "I don't put my shit out there like that for everybody to see. Some things are better left private."

"Or.." Ruby began, "dar la noticia Más Adelante?"

"Exactly." Oscar patted his back, "you seeing someone or somethin'? You know Los Santos know everything right?"

He shrugged, ignoring the Santos part, cause if they knew everything, he'd be dead. "I guess you can say that. We're not anything official but..."

Oscar pushed the mall entry door open, waiting for Ruby to pass in front of him. "Y'all fuck?"

He nodded, "like twice."

"Damn." Oscar pulled his car keys out, with a simpered look. "So little man gots game?"

"I mean.." Ruby shrugged with a smug smile. When they were both in the car, he asked, "what about you?"

Oscar put the keys into the ignition switch, smiling when it roared to life. "Well for one." He licked his thumb, wiping the steering wheel, "this is my baby girl." Ruby raised his eyebrows at the sight in front of him. "But I kinda got a lil thing goin on, you know?"

"What? Spooky has a girlfriend? No way!"

Oscar kissed his teeth, "you callin' me a puto?" He looked behind him, setting his hand on the passengers seat as he reversed out of the parking spot.

"I'm not, not saying that." He thought. But on the outside he said, "no, of course not."

"Her name is Tati." He mumbled, sitting straight, "I've known her for a long time but I just never had time with my little mocosos running around. She deserves time and effort and I never had that for her."

Ruby hummed, "I feel you on that."

Oscar offered an amused smile, "now you're bullshitting me."

"Seriously. Like, recently everything makes her angry and she can't even stand to look at me." He sighed, "I just want things to go back to the way they were before."

"Don't go soft on me kid." Oscar chuckled, "what? Is she pregnant or something?"