Under Wraps - on my block story

3

"She doesn't want shit to do with me anymore because of the shit you pulled tonight!" Oscar couldn't get the way you looked at him out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. The way tears just started spilling from your eyes. The way you were so upset you couldn't even look at him.

"This ain't on me, homie! You wouldn't be in this situation if you would have just told me you had a girl!" Rob attempting to place the blame of Oscar was really starting to piss him off.

"It wasn't for me to tell!" Oscar yelled, frustrated that Rob wouldn't even understand what he was saying. If Rob had just left things alone, the situation with Letty would have never happened and you would have told your brother that same night. Instead of arguing with Rob in the middle of the street like an old couple, you and Oscar probably would have been in bed celebrating the fact that your relationship wasn't a secret anymore.

"What the fuck is that even supposed to mean?!" Rob shouted, not understanding what Oscar meant, just like he expected.

Their bickering in the middle of the street was starting to draw people's attention. A small crowd started forming around them. Everyone wondering the same thing: What could Oscar and Rob, the friends who agreed on almost everything, possibly be at odds about?

"Fuck this," Oscar turned to walk away, but Rob grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back, not done with the conversation just yet. Acting on instinct, Oscar quickly reacted and swung, nailing Rob right in the face. Once he realized what he did, he instantly regretted it. Sure, he and Rob play fought all the time, but neither of them actually ever hit each other the way he just did.

Rob stumbled back and regained his balance. He tasted blood in his mouth and saw his own blood splattered on his white shirt. Oscar was in the middle of apologizing when Rob swung back, punching Oscar right in his eye. He stumbled back and fell onto the concrete. Before he could even attempt to get up, Rob was on top of him swinging with both fists.

Sad Eyes was the first to realize that they were serious. This wasn't one of their play fights, they were actually trying to hurt each other. "Yo, chill out!" He yelled as he ran to pull Rob off of Oscar. It took nearly all of the Santos to pull the men off of each other.

"Get the fuck off me!" Oscar roared, breaking lose of the grip they had on him. He pulled his keys from his pocket and got in his car, slamming the door behind him. Seconds later, everyone watched as his tail lights disappeared down the street.

"What the fuck just happened?" Sad Eyes asked, still shocked by everything that just went down. All eyes were on Rob because he was the only one with answers. Instead of answering, he spit the blood out of his mouth and stormed off.

-

"Two barbecue brisket sandwiches, one with fries, one with onion rings.

Enjoy!" You smiled at the young couple at the booth before returning to the kitchen with an empty tray. The whole point of coming to work was for you to get you mind off of Oscar, but everything reminded you of him. The guy at the table you just left had an Arnold Palmer for his drink. Half tea, half lemonade, the same drink Oscar ordered no matter where you two went.

"Order up!" You quickly blinked back the tears in your eyes as you grabbed the completed orders and made your way back out towards the dining area. You were almost out of the swinging doors until the owner, Dwayne, blocked the way.

"What are you still doing here? Your shift ended at 4, it's almost 7."

"Jamal asked me to cover his shift." You responded shortly, leaving out the fact that if you went home you'd spend your entire evening crying, and you were sick and tired of crying.

Dwayne sighed, knowing something was going on with you that you didn't want to talk about. "At least take a break."

"I will as soon as I get these ribs to table 6." You smiled, even though you had no intention of taking that break.
You were on your way back to the kitchen when the bell on the door sounding caught your attention. Rhea was standing there looking around for you frantically. Someone behind the front counter pointed you out to her and she came running. You knew something was wrong.

"Why aren't you answering your phone?! I thought something happened to you too." She sobbed as she pulled you into a tight hug. Your phone had been off for almost a full day. Turning your phone off was the only way to stop the calls and texts from Oscar. "I'm fine, babe," You assured her as you held her. That's when you realized the rest of what she said.

I thought something happened to you too.

"Wait, did something happen?" You asked, fearing what her response might be. Rhea simply nodded her head up and down as tears continued streaming down her face.

"Hey, Dwayne, turn that up!" One of the customers called out to him, pointing to the TV mounted on the wall. The football game that was on was interrupted by a breaking news bulletin.

The ringing in your ears was replaced by the sound of the news reporters voice. "Right now I'm on the corner of Isadore and Alameda where a shooting took place just minutes ago. Details about the shooting are still coming in, but an eye witness did say this red car was stopped at a red light when it was ambushed by three men wearing purple bandanas."

The cameraman panned to the red car the reporter mentioned, but it wasn't just any red car. You only knew one person who drove the 64′ candy apple red chevy impala that was riddled with bullet holes. Oscar.

"After firing multiple rounds into the car, the three men fled on foot. Two people were taken to the local hospital, but their conditions are unknown. It's being speculated that this shooting was gang related."

You thought you felt your heart breaking earlier, but now, it was completely shattered. You tried to breathe, but you couldn't. It felt like your chest was caving in on itself.

Rhea's mouth fell open after reading the text from Sad Eyes on her phone. She hated that she would have to be responsible for delivering even more bad news to you.

"Come on, (YN), we gotta go!" Rhea pulled you, but you were stuck standing in place. "We have to go!

Your brother was in the car with him!"
As if realizing that those bullets were meant for Oscar wasn't enough, hearing your brother was with him was all too much. Your body went limp. Lucky for you, Dwayne was able to catch you before you head hit the hard concrete floors.

-

Thanks to the smelling salts that Dwayne kept in his office, you were up and alert within a few minutes. He drove you and Rhea to the hospital where the rest of the Santos were waiting. Even in the worst of times, they could be found laughing and finding humor in whatever fucked up situation they were in, but not this time. Their unusual silence terrified you.

"Where is he? Where is he?!" You yelled as you ran to approach them, not sure if you were actually yelling for Oscar or your brother. Joker gently grabbed you and pulled you aside.

"He's down the hall. If he doesn't say anything, don't take it personally. He hasn't said a word since he got here." He explained. Even Joker, the man who was cracking jokes at his own father's funeral, didn't even carry an ounce of amusement in his body.

You slowly made your way down the hall, keeping an eye out for both Oscar and Rob since you still didn't know exactly who you were looking for.

"Robby," You sighed in a momentary relief, dropping to your knees and throwing your arms around your brother. He looked up at you with swollen, red eyes.

"Are you hurt?" You asked, noticing his blood stained shirt. Your question triggered an emotional response from your brother. "No." He responded shortly as he started crying. This was only the 3rd time you had ever seen your brother cry in his adult life. You didn't even have to ask whose blood it was, you already knew.

"He took two bullets for me. I fucking fought him like he was my enemy last night, and he still did that for me." He grabbed onto you as he completely fell apart in your arms.