Today Ruby had called us all over to discuss a plan. Cesar and I were sat on his bed. "I have the binders. Done." He said to us, he was too excited about this.

"This is the idea that we have figured out..." Monse said, they were all talking over each other. Cesar and I looked at each other. "Nobody cares about the binders. That's what you did." Monse said and I looked at Cesar.

"What are they saying?" I asked him and he looked at me then at them.

"I don't know." He said to me before we looked back at them. "Yo! One at a time, we're not following." Cesar said before they all looked at us and went quiet. Ruby put his hand up. We both pointed at him.

"Sorry it's excitement. We've been chewing on this the last two weeks. And it's finally time to move forward with a plan." Ruby said to us, what was he even talking about.

"A plan for what?" Cesar asked him.

"A plan to be better in high school." I said and they all shook their head at me.

"Getting you both out of the gang." Monse said and we both laughed at them before they looked very serious. We looked at them. They were mad.

"You're serious?" He asked them and the three of them nodded in chorus. "Oh, my gosh. No! No, no, no, no. There is no out. You're being naive. Only Y/n can leave because it's different. Once you're jumped in, you can't get out. Unless, you get jumped out and that's not, you know, an option." Cesar said before looking down, I didn't want to think of that other option.

"Why not?" Jamal asked him. And we I didn't know if he was being serious or not.

"Jamal you serious?" I asked him and he nodded, well the answer was going to shock him.

"They beat you till you die." Cesar said to him, I didn't know why Jamal was wearing a neck brace. He had no injury.

"Oh, I see your dilemma." He said to him. Let's just face it no one wanted to see him dead.

"Yeah." Cesar and I said at the same time.

"Death isn't the only option. Ruby?" Monse said before looking at him, what kind of plans had he had.

"So, after copious amounts of research, I've formulated a theory that all great things come in threes: The Holy Trinity, primary colors, Destiny's Child..." Ruby said to us, I had no idea what he was even meaning by any of these. Religion, colors and music. There's no connection.

"D.C. started with four members." Jamal said correcting him but why were they important to this situation.

"But they weren't big until they were three. Which is why there are three common denominators to end any and all hostile situations. I call them the three M's. Money, murder, manipulation." He said before passing the binders out. "No, not that one. They're watermarked." Ruby said before she opened it. I opened my copy and my name was written across it.

"Clearly, murder's off the table. The irony would be too much." Monse said while looking at the index.

"There's no way we can hustle up enough cash with a car wash to make it worth Oscar's while." Ruby said to us, let's face it Cesar was never getting out.

"Unless..." Jamal said in a certain tone.

"Don't think of it." I said to him with a smile.

"Jamal, don't. Please don't say it." Monse said, we knew what was about to come out of his mouth.

"Getting a lot of cash isn't outside the realm of possibility." He said as he walked over to sit in the middle of Cesar and I.

"What are you talking about?" Cesar asked and we all looked at him.

"Rollerworld." We said to him and Jamal sat down and looked at Cesar.

"It's real and 50K is still out there. The dudes that robbed RollerWorld got put away, but the money was never recovered." Jamal said to him who did Cesar not know about this.

"In the '80s." Ruby said to him but he'd never stop.

"And the rumors still rampant! What about The Goonies? Some of those kids thought it was B.S. until they found the treasure. And they weren't even- -" Jamal started before he was cut off.

"Brown. We're brown. Only white kids find treasure." Monse said to us, no one like us ever found anything.

"True." Jamal said before Ruby turned to look at his Abuelita.

"What are you looking for?" He asked him.

"Baby Jesus. He's missing. The special one blessed by the bishop. I put him in here before I started to move into my room." She said to him, I can't believe Ruby had to share a room with his abuela.

"Dude, you're holding it." Ruby said to Jamal and it was in his hand. Jamal then rose up from the bed.

"No, this is Toddler Jesus. Babies don't stand. This Jesus is probably already potty trained. And this isn't a diaper, these are booty shorts." Jamal said before she gave him a look and he handed it over.

"Sit down. Sit." Ruby said at Jamal took his seat again.

"Al right, I'm out." Cesar said to them all.

"I am as well." I said to them all.

"We haven't even pitched the final M." Monse said to him as we both stood up to go.

"Do you need to." He said and Monse stood in front of us.

"Manipulation." She said to him.

"Through negotiation." Jamal said as Monse pushed us both back down.

"With cogent, well-articulated arguments." Ruby said to us that was never working.

"So, that's it? That's the plan? You're gonna get me out of the gang with cogent, well-articulated arguments?" He asked them all.

"Yes." They all said in chorus.

"Never gonna happen." He said before clapping. "Good talk." He said before we both left. That was never happening,

"It was nice of them to try." I said to them. When it got round to school yesterday I was wondering what they'd plan. Once we got to school I went off to try and find Jasmine. I wasn't friends with her but I had something to give her.

"There you are, I've been waiting for this for ages." She said to me, she was joking clearly.

"Well here it is." I said to her with a smile. She then looked at me and then at the bathroom.

"Why don't we put it to good use." She said to me and I looked t the bathroom.

"Let's make it quick." I said to her before we went in there. I plugged it into the wall and started curling her hair.

"Where'd you get all this practice?" She asked me and I looked at what I'd done.

"I haven't had any." I said to her and she looked at me in shock.

"Well this is the best I've seen." She said to me before getting up and leaving, maybe I should start a little busy up. Once school was over I was told to go around to Ruby's place. Everyone was there, and they were scheming.

"We're here to feng shui your room! That's why we're here." Monse said sounding very suspicious. I looked at Cesar.

"I don't have my own room, but..." He said before coming closer to us and moving from the door. "I have a boner. My cousin just moved in. Not like my cousin cousin, like 'what's up, cuz?' You know, like fam, but not fam." He said to us, he was digging himself into a hole.

"Like if you can't keep it in your pants, keep it in the family." Cesar said to and Ruby looked to him.

"Like in Alabama." I said to him and he looked to me as well.

"Exactly! No. No, not exactly. There's no blood relation. There is no inbreeding. Oh, and call me Ruben. I'm going by Ruben now." He said to us all, that was never happening as well.

"Ruby! Ruby! Ruby." His mom said before opening the front door.

"Ruben." He corrected his mom.

"Are you forgetting something? Guys, this is Olivia. She's staying with us for a little while. Okay?" She said before going inside it looks like all the guys were stunned.

"Is it more or did things just get weird?" She asked us and Monse and I looked at each other.

"It's you. I'm Monse." She said to her.

"And I'm Y/n. Just ignore them." I said to her with a smile.

"This is Jamal and Cesar." Monse said introducing the others.

"Hey." Olivia got out quietly.

"Ignore the stares. They haven't been neutered." Monse said to her and she chuckled.

"Still waiting for it to happen." I said to her with a smile.

"Jamal, why don't you tell Olivia what you didn't do to your neck. Ruby, can we discuss our chem assignment?" Monse said before pulling him away and the two guys were talking with Olivia. This was hell to watch.

"Your hilarious." She said to Jamal while laughing.

"I'm saving Cesar!" He shouted and Cesar and I looked at him and sighed. We knew exactly that this was all a cover. Once we got home Cesar was on the phone and I was making dinner.

"Hey, look what I made." I said before bringing him a plate.

"What's that?" He asked me with a smile.

"It's an omelette made by yours truly." I said to him with a smile and he looked at it and then at me.

"You didn't burn it for once." He said to me before taking the plate from me.

"I never have done." I said to him and he laughed a little.

"I'm sure it's great." He said to me before I left the room to go eat mine. The next day I walked out and saw Monse standing outside.

"Control your brother." She said to me and I looked at her.

"Cesar or Oscar?" I asked her and she gave me a look.

"You know who." She said to me and I looked at her.

"I'll make sure that Cesar behaves don't you worry." I said to her with a smile. I put an arm around her and we walked off. Cesar was in front with Olivia. "Of course he is." I said to her getting a laugh from Monse.

"Men." She said to me and I looked at her.

"Men." I said to her, I don't know how we coped in a group of guys. But at least we had each other. That's all that's important. Once Ruby got to school he looked happier.

"I did it! I did it! I mean, it's done. I rocked that talk hard. And for a guy named Spooky, he's surprisingly jovial." Ruby said to us, he had glitter glistening on his face.

"Wait, are you serious, Ruby?" Jamal asked him, I wasn't believing that.

"Ruben. And yes. Cesar's out the gang. Boom. Killed it." Ruby said but he killed it in a different way.

"You did kill it. You killed it so hard that I got promoted." Cesar said to him and Ruby looked broken.

"No. Spooky and I had an understanding." Ruby said, he was shattered. His whole world had collapsed.

"Just got a text, gonna start running for the Santos." He said and this wasn't getting easier.

"No. No, no, no. That can't be true. He must be joking." Ruby said he was starting to sweat. I didn't know if it was because if the heat or not.

"Compa, I love you for trying, but like I said, the ideal is done. And I don't blame you. I blame Monse." Cesar said I looked at him, how was it her fault.

"Me?" She asked him.

"Her?" I asked him and he looked at us.

"Yeah, you're the instigator and the frickin' honey badger. You don't quit. But now you have to. No more. We're done." Cesar said to her and I think she'd had enough.

"And so is 'Ruben.' I'm not man enough to bear that name." Ruby said before walking away. I went with Ruby and Jamal.

"Hey, you are man enough." Jamal said to him as we walked away.

"Don't listen to Cesar. They'll be another way to get out." I said to her later that night when I got home. I was having a little one girl dance party in my room before I heard a knock on my window. It was Jamal. I turned my music down and opened my window.

"I'm glad your in, I didn't think you would be." He said to me and I leaned against the windowsill.

"Where else would I go? Long Beach?" I asked him and he let out a little laugh.

"You know what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Away from all the Santos stuff." He said to me and I looked around.

"Definitely no up to any of that. Diaz women have no part of it really." I said to him with a smile and he kinda just stood there.

"I'm glad. That's good." He said to me, he seemed nervous.

"What? Is there anything else?" I asked him and he went silent like he was planning something. He looked around before getting closer and placing his lips on mine. And I kissed back. He then pulled back.

"I should go. Oscar's probably around." He said before starting to walk away.

"Wait." I said but he was gone. "It's just Cesar home." I said as he left. I put my music on and sat on my mattress. Fingers on my lip. We hadn't kissed since the 3rd grade. But why did this feel different.