Afraid

Chp. 16

Oscar's POV

"So I moved from Portland to Seattle when I found a better computer program. After a few weeks in Seattle, my advisor suggested I join a club to immerse myself in. DJing sounded better than being a Kappa or Delta or whatever other mainly white sororities they had. One of my friends started dating a music producer from here and he came to see me DJ a party. One thing led to another and he got me hired with an West Coast company. I went to school four days a week and worked for the company three days for three years. I started teaching, going to school and DJing over a year and a half ago. Mom called me about a year ago asking me to come home and help out around Freeridge. But my contract with both places was only coming to an end in June this year, plus I graduated with my Master's in May. So its not like I could have dropped everything to come straight home. Sorry I'm talking too much."

"Nah, keep going." I shrugged her apology off. I'd always want to listen to her talk.

"Well my boss got me a job down here working two nights a month, while I help mom out at the high school. Last night was the first time I DJed in almost three months and it was like I took a breath again."

"You DJed for the party on Friday." I pointed out.

"But that's not the same as a real party. I can feel my heart beating my in ears. Friday I just felt a punch being thrown at my face instead."

"Yeah. How's your head?"

"Good, obviously have a bruise over my cheekbone."

"You're covering it up good." Makeup was a little cake-y over her cheek but I wasn't saying shit.

"Thanks. So what's been going on with you?"

"Not much. Got out of jail, sitting in the same spot at home. Throwing the same parties from when we were kids. Nothing's really changed."

"Except you let a eighteen year old boss you around about the placement of food and drinks? And you let non-Santos freely speak to you. You don't seem like the asshole everyone makes you out to be."

"Who's calling me an asshole?"

"No one." She lies.

"Well I let Ruby boss me around because the kid knows how to throw a party. Oh, by the way, he's gonna need a business school recommendation just to let you know."

"You expect me to write it?"

"Yes, Ruby's gonna need it to get out just like Mario did. For those non-Santos, they've helped in ways I can't put into words so they earned my respect like your mom and sisters."

"But we're Santo adjacent."

"Santo adjacent?!" I let out a little laugh.

"You know; not in but not out."

"I guess so."

"Plus my mom was married to a Santo."

"That's right. We're here, what does she look like?" I pull the car into the free street parking.

"I don't know what he's wearing but I'll call him."

Him.

She took her phone out of her overalls and dialed this guy.

"Yo Luke, I'm here. Where you at? Yeah, okay. I see you, be right there." Amaya hung the phone up and opened the car door.

"Be right back."

I watched as she crossed the street and walked up to a tall, jacked, well off looking gringo.

Definitely spent way too put time working on his arm and forgot about those noddle looking legs.

They went inside the place they were standing outside off. 

I pulled my phone out to kill time.

Quizup was my favorite pass time. 

Whenever someone pissed me off I just pretended to get wicked mad and then I'd go to the beach and play for a couple hours.

When Cesar was being a stupid puto I spent a lot of time on the app.

I finished my first game when Amaya came walking across the street with a bag and her laptop.

She opened the door and threw the bag at me.

"What's this?"

"Lunch. Also a thank you for driving me."

I opened the bag and inside was a sandwich.

"I asked mom what she usually fed you. She said chicken so its a Maple Rosemary chicken sandwich."

"Thanks. You get everything you need?"

"Yup. You can eat and then we can head back. I'll work on my lesson plan."

I just nodded in response.

I ate while watching her type fast on her sticker filled laptop. She groaned at some points probably not what she wanted or something. 

Her fingers typed faster than I could eat and then all of a sudden they stopped.

"You're done?"

"I started it last week when we went to school so I only needed to finish it off and make it sound proper. So stealing the WiFi from Joan's plus a lesson plan I had from Washington it was quite easy. Only have to get mom to look at it before I send it to Del Toro."

She shut her laptop and spread across the back was stickers that said Mama and I was confused as shit.

"Alright, we should head back." 

I pulled back onto the highway and my mind wandered back to those stickers.

"Hey what's your DJ name?"

"Ummmmm it's DJ Mama."

"What?!" I almost spat out my sandwich.

"I didn't choose it, my boss did. Its not like I wanted people calling me Amaya or AJ. DJ Mama is a badass, life of the party, while having responsibilities."

"Make no sense."

"I know but its better than the others that my boss has handed out."

"Your boss sounds like a creep."

"He is. The guy that had my laptop his name is Luke but my boss, George gave him the name Daddy because he 'thought it fit his persona'. Most of my jobs are done with Luke because Mama and Daddy you know." 

"You can't have one without the other." She nodded. "That's creepy." I said once again.

"It pays the bills."

We nodded in response and then it was silent once again.

I missed the conversations we had.

It was like a non-stop good time.

But those were different days back then.

Now I'll I've got is word splatter and then nothing.