july, twenty twelve

      EVERYONE SPILLED OUT INTO THE court hallways. Some heading to the bathrooms while others went outside to smoke and some just sat around, talking and waiting for the doors to open again. They took Oscar back to his cell during the recess to where Carol went to speak to him.

      Joanna, Mariana, Dominique and I stood in our group off to the side. We got glares from multiple Prophet$ including OG and my Dad. I tried to shake it off, but I could feel their cold eyes on us and it made me uncomfortable.

      "Don't worry about them," Joanna told me. "We're doing the right thing. We're the good ones here."

      I nodded at her words, but I didn't listen to them. My father nor anyone else cared about the good. They only cared about getting what they wanted and four girls, three of them from their side, testifying against them is far from what they wanted.

      "Hermano," Mariana sighed in relief, going to hug Sad Eyes as he walked up with Cesar next to him.

       "How you doing, little sis?" he asked, pulling away from her.

      "Fucking nervous," she admitted.

      "You got this shit," he assured her. "We Santos ain't no pussies." He turned to me. "How you doing, Little Bird?"

      "My boyfriend is on trial for murder," I deadpanned. "And I have to convince the jury he did it for a good reason. How do you think I am?"

      "El Jefe is strong and he loves you. And that man don't love nobody weak so I know you can do this," he said.

      I smiled as I felt a tapping on my thigh. I looked down to see Cesar looking up at me, his eyes big. "When Oscar goes to jail, will you take care of me? I don't want Cuchillos to take me."

      I bent down to get eye level with him. "Nobody is taking you because Oscar isn't going to jail. He'll be home taking care of you in no time."

      "You promise?" he asked.

      "I promise."

      I pinched his cheeks and pulled him against me as I looked back up. "How's Marcus?"

      "Still in critical condition," Sad Eyes answered, shortly. "A contusion to the head, seven broken ribs, bruises everywhere and a broken leg. Oh, and an ankle fracture."

      "How'd you find all this out?" Joanna questioned.

      "I went in and sweet talked one of the nurses," he smirked causing all of us to roll our eyes. "Ladies will tell you anything when they got eyelashes like mine batting at them."

      All of us laughed, but mine faded off as my mind was brought back to Oscar and his own eyelashes. So long and so thick. So beautiful. I could still feel them fluttering against my cheek and shoulder as we cuddled in bed. As I looked down at Cesar who was holding onto me tightly and watching everyone around him, a dark feeling entered my stomach.

      The kind of feeling that made me think: what if Oscar doesn't come home after all this? What if they convict him and I don't get to feel his beautiful eyelashes on my skin for years? What if Cesar grows up without his brother to see it himself?

      "You're scared," Joanna spoke from next to me, making me whip my head around to see her.

      "I'm not," I refused. I bent down and smiled at Cesar. "Papito, why don't you go stand with Luis over there," I pointed to the tall, muscly man standing and talking to a group of other Santos members a some feet away, "I'll see you inside, okay?"

       "I want to stay with you," Cesar whined.

      "You can't right now," I frowned at him, sadly. "But after today, how about I take you to go get some ice cream? Joanna, Dominique, Mariana, all of us? We can even stop by and pick up your friends."

        "You mean it?" he looked up at me with his big eyes that made my heart melt.

       "Of course I do."

      "Okay," he sighed, turning to walk away. I could tell he still didn't want to, but Cesar could never turn down ice cream.

      I breathed, standing back up straight. I watched as Sad Eyes continued to converse with Mariana and Dominique a few feet away before turning around and looking across the opened staircase where the Prophet spectators loitered. I could see them glaring at Joanna and I. Our father the worst of them all.

      "You're scared he won't come home," Joanna began again, standing next to me. "That he'll be found guilty."

      "And you're not?" I asked, glancing at her.

      "I'm scared shitless," she chuckled, not wanting her fear to be too apparent in her voice.

      "Scared of Oscar not coming home or what Dad and the rest of the Prophet$ will do when he's not there to protect us?" I questioned.

       "Both," she said. "They're kind of the same, aren't they?"

      "Yeah." I watched as they all talked and laughed and chuckled. They had so much to smile about. Their enemy was the one on trial for murder. None of their own. I'm sure they were the happiest people in the world. I turned to Joanna. "But you don't have to worry about them. The rest of the Santos will protect us."

      "And what if none of them are around to?"

       I glanced back across the staircase. I connected eyes with my Dad and I didn't look away as I answered, "Then we'll protect ourselves."

      The shackles my father had put on us our entire lives were broken. We were free and we were stronger than we had ever been. Oscar didn't just liberate us from the Prophet$. He gave us swords and weapons so we would never fall back into their chains. And we intended to use them, whether he was fighting beside us or not.

      "We're not going back there," I promised Joanna, my eyes still on my father's glaring ones. "I'll die fighting before I let them take me or you back across the river."

       Joanna looked at me, slipping her hand in mine. "And I you."

      We smiled at each other, our hands still interlocked. And they never let go until we entered the courtroom once more. Not even when Carol came out of the back doorway and approached us.

      "If you're excuse me, Mr. Guzman I'd like to speak to my witnesses in private," she said.

      "For sure," he complied, nodding goodbye at us all and walking off to join a chatting group of Santos. We all grouped around Carol, waiting for her instruction.

      "I just talked to Oscar," she said.

      "How is he?" Mariana asked.

      "He's as well as a man on trial for murder can be," she answered, honestly. "He's more upset about the words said to Delilah than anything else. Seeing you upset unnerves him greatly."

       I nodded, "I know."

     "Then you know that Samuel probably isn't done with bringing that out of you," she countered. "Nothing is off limits to him. Not to any of you. He'll probably ask about your father to you, Joanna. Mariana, he'll no doubt ask about your role in Los Santos. Dominique, he'll ask about Mariana to you. Anything to throw you off and make you vulnerable because when you're vulnerable and unprepared things begin to slip. Don't let him rile you up. You deny, deny, deny. Whether he says he has evidence or not. He doesn't. The only evidence he has is that video along with old police records. He'll use that and whatever you tell him to try and make Oscar look bad. That's why it's critical you give him or the jury no evidence of that."

     "We won't tell him anything," Joanna said and we all nodded in agreement.

     "Good," she smiled. "Now Delilah, when we get back in there he'll be asking about your school trip. I don't know what questions he has prepared, but you cannot tell him what really happened on that trip. I'm going to repeat that because that's just how important it is. Do not tell him what happened on this AP Macroeconomics trip. Tell him the sweet, sugar coated, lovey dovey stuff. The stuff that makes Oscar looks good, but nothing else. Same goes for you, Dominique," she turned to her, "When your time comes up, if he asks you about the field trip you say nothing that would even give them the idea Oscar is not a good person."

      "We won't say anything," we both stated simultaneously.

     "I'm glad to hear it," Carol nodded. "Know if you do, you might as well say goodbye to Oscar because he'll be gone a long time if they find out the truth."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

( my body is a cage. )

august, twenty-eleven.

      "ARE YOU READY?" I asked, walking up to my dad, my suitcase dragging behind me.

      "Where you going?" he raised an eyebrow.

      "The Macroeconomics trip to Las Vegas," I reminded him. "You said you were going to drop me off at the school."

      "Did I say that foreal?" I nodded and he shook his head, turning back to the money on the table. "Well, I can't. I'm too busy."

     "How else am I going to get there?" I questioned, trying to hide my annoyance.

      "Call up Andre," he said, simply. "He'd love to drive you around."

      I could feel my face getting warm and I wanted to scream about how much I absolutely that man and how I didn't want him driving me anywhere, but I needed to be at the school in twenty minutes. Now was not the time to be picky.

      I pulled my phone from my pocket and went to Andre's contact that he took it upon himself to put in my phone years ago. I pressed his name and brought the phone to my ear. He picked up almost immediately.

      "Delilah, baby," I could hear the smile in his deep voice. "How you doin'?"

     "Um, not great."

     "Why? What happened?" he said, his voice switching from friendly to hard within seconds.

     "You know about the macroeconomics trip I'm going on today, right?" I asked, shuffling to the living room as I talked.

     "Of course. To Las Vegas."

      "Right, well, my Dad can't take me. He's busy with Prophet stuff, so I was wondering if you could swing by and drop me off at the school?"

      "Of course, baby. I'll be there in a couple minutes."

      I couldn't even say thank you before he hung up. I sighed, sitting on the couch next to Joanna and my father's new girlfriend whom I learned was named Danielle. She was smoking a cigarette, the white, puff of smoke spreading into the air. She turned to me, blowing the smoke out and I scrunched my nose.

      "You going to Las Vegas?" she asked, her cigarette sat lazily between her fingers.

      "Yeah."

      "Be careful," she warned. "I heard that's the number one city in America with the highest amount of drug addicts."

      "Plenty of addicts live everywhere," I stated.

     "But they different over there," she said. "Real crackheads and thieves. Killing themselves slowly."

      "At least their addiction is only killing themselves and not people around them, too," Joanna chimed in from the opposite side of her.

      Danielle turned to her. "What you mean?"

      She grabbed the cigarette from her fingers and put it out in the already full ashtray on the table. Danielle's mouth opened wide.

      "What the fuck wrong with you?"

      Joanna gave a tight, fake smile, "I have asthma."

      "Disrespectful ass kids," Danielle grumbled before getting up and walking back to my Dad's room.

      Joanna and I stared after her, judgingly. When the door slammed closed Joanna reached up and grabbed the remote, changing the channel on the TV.

      "How long you gonna be gone?" Joanna asked, not looking my way.

      "Only two days," I answered.

      She gave a small nod in acknowledgment to my answer, but didn't say anything else. I sat next to her in awkward silence, not even the TV could lighten the air around us. It felt like centuries until Andre pulled up outside, but in reality it was only minutes.

      I ran out of the house, telling everyone goodbye before shutting the door behind me. I walked to Andre's car parked on the street and opened the backseat, sliding my suitcase in. I hopped in the passenger seat next to him and he took off towards the school.

      "Thanks for coming to get me," I said over the radio that was playing Tupac. "It means a lot."

      "Anything for you," he smiled at me. Andre was very good looking, his wide smile making every other girl on this block melt except for me. His smile made me sick.

      He stopped at a red light and my thumb tapped against my bare thigh, awkwardly. I waited for the inevitable. Waited for the words that would crush me.

      And he didn't let my expectations for him down.

      "When you gonna be back?" he questioned as the light flashed green and he pressed on the gas.

      "Two days."

      "You gonna let me take you out when you get back?" he asked, side eyeing me with his smirk.

      I could feel the tears well in my eyes before forcing them not to fall. It was weird how you could still feel utterly devestated by something you knew was coming.

      And as I replied, it wasn't me talking. It was my father. It was the thought of Joanna with no home. I was simply my father's puppet: I say what he wants me to say, I smile and nod at who he wants me to smile and nod at, I walk and work to the places he wants me to walk to and work at.

      My body was a cage.
      And he held the key.

      "Sure," I said, lowly, my voice breaking.

      "Come o-" Andre stopped mid sentence and turned to me, quickly. "Wait, did you just say yes?"

       I stared ahead, trying to keep my devastation secret, "Yes."

      A smile grew on his face and he leaned over, pulling me over to him as he placed a kiss to the top of my head. I squeezed my eyes shut, the feeling of his lips on me making me feel sick. He let me go and I sat straight again.

      "Years of work and I knew I'd get you!" he laughed, gleefully. "You keep trying and trying and shit works out, right baby?"

      "Yes." I hope so.

      We pulled up to the school. A school bus was parked out front along with a group of teenagers standing on the sidewalk with suitcases - Oscar among them.

      I unbuckled my seat belt and hopped out along with Andre. He opened the backseat and grabbed my suitcase before rolling it over to me. I took it from him with a quiet 'thank you'. He closed the door and leaned down for a kiss that I dodged with a turn of my head.

      "Thanks for the ride," I gave a weak smile before walking away towards the group.

      "Need me to come pick you up?" he yelled after me.

      "No, thank you!" I refused, not even bothering to look back at him.

      "Okay. Love you, baby!" he called out and I wanted to crumble onto the sidewalk.

      I heard the car start up again and saw him drive off from my peripheral vision. I let out a sigh of relief as Oscar and Dominique walked up to me.

      "Didn't know Andre Clemmons was your boyfriend," Oscar said.

      "It's... complicated," I groaned. Usually, I'd just deny of having any kind of relationship with the guy, but this time I couldn't. I had agreed to go out with him and there was no denying the relationship now.

      "Ahh, I see," he nodded. "Well, you guys look good together." A pause, then, "But you'd look better next to me."

      My mouth parted to say something, but nothing came out. I was completely stunned by his bold behavior, but to be honest, what else was to be expected from Spooky? I was working on getting words out of my mouth when Dominique's parents pulled up, Dominique in the backseat and reggae music blaring from the speakers.

      Dominique stepped out, dragging her bag out behind her. She waved by to her parents who blew kisses at her and sped off. She shuffled up to Oscar and I, a smile on her face. As he presence got closer, the smell of weed became more permanent. 

      "What's up chica and chico," she smiled, her eyes bloodshot.

      At the same time I said, "You know you could just say chicos, right?" Oscar said, "Your bestie has a new man."

      "Whoa," Dominique blinked, putting her hands up to process the information. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

      "I said, you could say-"

      She put her hand up shushing me, "Not you." She pointed at Oscar, "You."

      "Delilah over here is with OG Clemmons' son."

      Dominique looked at me, blankly before shaking her head at me. "I-I'm too high for this. We'll revisit the subject when I'm sober again."

      "C'mon kiddos!" Mr. Davidson yelled at the group. "Let's pile on!"

      We all climbed on the charter bus, our bags and suitcases in tow. Everyone sat down next to their friends minus the few who didn't really talk to anyone in the class. Oscar sat in the seat in front of me as I plopped down next to Dominique, who was sliding on black sunglasses. 

      "It's cloudy outside," I stated. "What's with the shades?"

      "Shhhh," she said, dramatically putting her finger up to her lips. "Let mama rest in peace."

      I chuckled, rolling my eyes and turning back up front. Once everyone was settled the driver started the bus and we pulled out of the school parking lot. Not even ten minutes into the ride I could hear Dominique snoring next to me while everyone else chatted and laughed among themselves. 

      Well, everyone besides one person. 

      With a small smirk on my face I stood from my seat and slid into the aisle of seats in front of me. Oscar, who was staring out the window, turned to me confused. 

      "My friend has abandoned me on this long journey and I really don't wanna spend the next four hours looking at the desert, so mind if I keep you company?" I questioned.

      "Nah, I don't mind. Your man might, though."

      "Please," I sighed, leaning back into my seat. "I really would love to spend this trip not thinking about he-who-shall-not-be-named. It's the last time in my life I'll get to be free of him."

      "For someone who just got into a new relationship you don't seem very happy," he noted.

      "Oscar.."

      "Okay, okay," he put his hands up in surrender. "No more mentions, I swear. Just you and me for these next few days."

      I smiled, the idea now becoming a wondrous reality. "Just you and me."

      "And me!" Dominique added, sleepily from the back seat. 

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ author's note ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

poor delilah :(

this chapter is so short im srry but i was losing inspiration & everything i was writing after this point i didn't like so i felt it was better to cut it short than keep writing something awful

but anyways, the school trip officially officially begins next chapter and things get wild, which youll be able to see in these upcoming trials!!! buckle your seatbelts peopleee