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Fate Elizabeth Reyes 15370K 2023-09-01

"No!" She shook her head "You can’t We’ve talked about this They’ll separate us It’s just a few hteen, I’ll oing to let you go without a fight?"

Anita glanced at Pepe as now eating the Cheetos as Beto moved off her lap and walked over to Pepe Her eyes ave him that look She wouldn’t say it in front of the with her eyes She’d said it many times before Her dad didn’t want any of the completely helpless to do ?"

She touched her cheek "No, it was openhanded, so I don’t think it’s going to swell," she whispered even lower than she’d been whispering earlier "He wasup, but they wanted a snack" She gestured to her brothers "Thanks for the Cheetos It’s not exactly the snack I would’ve chosen for theht"

Her weak little srab one of the bookends on her shelf, rip through that door, and beat her dad over the head with it He took a deep breath, sing back his anger This certainly wasn’t the first time he’d had to calm himself, and from the looks of it, it wouldn’t be the last He just wasn’t sure how er he could hold back or worse hold Lorenzo back, as just as disgusted about the whole thing as he was

Lorenzo stared at hi out to help him as he climbed up the ladder to the fire escape outside their bedroom"She okay?

"Yeah, no lumps or open wounds this tied his hand against the fire escape rail "What a puy! You know one of these days, I’h his truck windshield when he drives up the street"

"No you won’t" Vince looked into his angry brother’s eyes "I know it sucks, but it’s not worth it, Enzo You could go to jail for solanced back down at Anita’s open"The other day shesoe in hi"

Lorenzo’s face contorted "Who the hell would want date that assle?"

Vince shrugged "I dunno, but if it helps Anita and her brothers’ situation, I’ her"

They climbed back in theVince picked up his phone and saw he had a text frohtly dose of Rose They’d usually text back and forth for at least an hour before calling it a night He clicked on the envelope, already anxious to read it

I’m sorry I was so quick to say we couldn’t be friends anymore today I had just found out about Grace and Sal, and I was so upset I wasn’t thinking straight Forgiveas he reread it Even after dealing with Anita’s ordeal and everything else that had happened that day--Rose’s being so upset, bla, the ered in his subconscious, was the fact that she’d disizing for that Rose Zendejas hat he’d thought froo-ahead from his uncle about summer in La Jolla was quickly paled when he found out Rose would be out of state for the first week Her fahlin, so he’d been in La Jolla over a week now, and he may as well have been in La Puente The only contact he’d had so far with her was their da to see her He still hadn’t even asked if he could use the restaurant’s car, which Sal had let hiet to and from work, to drive out to see her

The last few days she’d been busy packing because she wasshe lived in now Rose had asked Vince to share as little as possible with Sal about anything her sister was up to He’d already blown it by letting Sal know they were in Laughlin, but fortunately Sal hadn’t asked ht be able to see hiht, only she had to convince her sister Apparently, thanks to Sal, even though he wasn’t with her sister anyiven her before they broke up that Vince shouldn’t be trusted

He walked into the dining roo with his friend Romero Vince had been around Roht as Sal was And from what he’d heard, he was a bit of a hothead himself so Vince could relate

Vince hadn’t even finished tying his apron when Sal was already asking if Rose was still in Laughlin

"Nah, they got back a few days ago, but she’s been busy packing for uh…" Shit! Vince finished tying his apron and tried to recover froed the subject "You think ht and see her for a couple hours after ht?" Sal asked and Vince could feel his cousin eyeing hi his apron