Snakes and Splinters [PUBLISHED]

2

By 3pm Hayley and I were finished for the day and we walked down the busy central London streets whilst the January wind blew through at us, making me tighten my scarf around my neck.

"What are your plans for the rest of today?" Hayley asked me as we walked briskly to the tube station.

"I'm going to see Ario and some of the guys," I said to her.

Hayley smiled, "How's your Spanish coming along?"

"Pretty poor," I admitted with a sheepish smile. "I basically only know insults. That's all the boys are good at teaching me, except for Carlos and sometimes Ario and Paulo when they're in the mood for real teaching."

Hayley laughed, "Typical of teenage boys."

"Does nineteen still count as a teenager?" I asked her as we descended the steps down to the London Underground.

"Well, kind of," she shrugged tucking her bag underneath her arm as we made our way down. "I forgot that you're basically a year older than me even though we're in the same year at Uni."

"Yeah," I smiled. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"My sketches. What else?" Hayley said with a sheepish smile that had me cracking up again.

The two of us got onto the packed tube and after several stops we were in the part of the city that we called home. I spotted Ario Santiago waiting for me outside the station with a glum look on his face which automatically made a smile grow on my own face. I just found that expression of his so funny.

"Hola," he smiled when he saw me coming.

"Hola to you too," I replied with a grin. "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not long," Ario shook his head and then nodded politely at Hayley who sent him a little smile back.

The two didn't really talk much and that was probably because of the stuff that had happened in the past. Also not to mention, Eli hated Ario just as much as he hated the rest of the Santiagos, and vice versa. I was just glad Hayley and Ario were civil with each other.

"I'll see you later Coral," Hayley gave me a hug.

"Later," I smiled back before she started making her way home.

"Are you hungry?" my cousin asked me as we walked through the crowded streets of the centre of our borough.

"Not really," I answered. "Why? Are you?"

"Nah," he shook his head, pushing his hands deep into his pockets and walking with his blue eyed gaze low. "Just checking. We can eat dinner at home."

"Yeah," I agreed and then noticed the nice looking watch on his wrist. "I like your watch. Is it new?"

Ario smirked, "You could say that."

I looked at him warily, "What do you mean?"

"I took it from someone who didn't need it much anymore," Ario shrugged. "He was quite cooperative. I didn't even need to get a knife out."

"Ario," I hissed at him as people passed by us. "You can't do that!"

"He'll keep his mouth shut," Ario only said. "Otherwise the boys and I will pay him another visit."

I shook my head at him. By he and 'the boys' Ario meant his brothers Miguel and Manuel and his older cousin Diego. Carlos and Paulo rarely ever did their things like that when it came to normal people who weren't involved in crime at all. Well I wasn't completely sure about Carlos as he never spoke about gang matters with me, but as for sixteen year old Paulo, I could say that he wasn't one for terrorising civilians...only if his brothers pressured him.