Chapter Text
Camilo huffed, dirt kicking up into his face where he had fallen face first on the ground. Sweat dripped down his nose and he curled up into himself as another kick hit his midsection. He grunted, biting his tongue to keep quiet. It was sunny out, almost unbearably warm, perfect swimming weather if he really thought about it. His Mami must be really happy, maybe Papa did something nice for her, gave her a present maybe?
Another kick, directly to the ribs, caused him to gasp. Someone laughed and grabbed a fistful of his curls, forcing his head off the ground. He groaned, twisting to try and relieve the strain on his neck and shoulders. Hector Gonzolas was a big kid, two years older than Camilo and full of so much hot air he was surprised the other boy hadn’t floated away already. He crouched down closer to Camilo’s face, keeping a distance to avoid being bitten – he’d had to learn that that the hard way, Camilo thought smugly – and spit directly into his eyes. Camilo sputtered, scrunching up his face.
Hector’s friends, the loonies that they were, started to laugh. Hector finally let go of his hair and Camilo barely caught himself in time to keep his nose from smashing into the ground. He scowled, keeping his head down as Hector got up and walked off with this stupid friends. He hated them, hated them with every fiber of his being. He wished Luisa would drop a house on them.
He sucked in a deep breath and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. His once clean clothes were now covered in dusty brown dirt and he bit back a sigh, slowly climbing to his feet. How was he going to explain this?
He shuffled away from the small, deserted path. He’d had to stay at school late, because one of his teachers had wanted to talk to him about his abysmal grades. He had gotten out of school later than everyone else, even Mirbel who liked to stay behind and help clean the classroom before she left. It had made it stupidly easy for Hector and his friends to jump him. Sure, he could have turned into Ozvaldo or Luisa or maybe his Papa, but then Dolores would have heard and started to really listen . He was fifteen, a grown boy, he didn’t need his sister running to his rescue. He could handle this himself.
He walked as fast as he dared to Senora Jiménez tiny house, pain shooting up from his ribs with every misstep. He really needed to start hoarding more of his Tia’s food in his bag, something for more than just lunch. His Papa always seemed to notice when he went to sneak extra food though. Maybe he should just skip lunch?
“Camilo! There you are!” Senora Jiménez called from her porch. She held her baby boy in her arms.
“Sorry I’m late Senora.” Camilo smiled, coming to a haul in front of the woman.
“It’s fine.” The woman sighed, holding out Alroy for him to take, “I need to go now though, I am already late,”
Camilo took the boy, bouncing his gently in his arms, “Go ahead. I’ve got him.”
He watched the woman scurry around, colleting her things, before she placed a kiss to the baby's head and started to hurry down the path. He waited for her to be out of sight before placing the toddler on the ground, making sure he was balanced on his feet before letting him go. Alroy could walk on his own, although his mother’s coddling could make someone think otherwise.
He grabbed two twigs from next to the house and handed one to the little boy. He made a few marks in the dirt with his own stick, creating a disfigured stick figure. Alroy laughed, smacking his own stick on the ground in his own effort to draw. Babysitting Alroy took up more of his time than he would like to admit. The boy’s mother always needed Camilo’s assistance right after school and she would usually be gone well into the evening.
He didn’t blame Senora Jiménez, after her husband had died years ago, she had been very busy, but he had a big test in the morning. The problem being that Mirabel would be taking the same test, which she had told Tia Julieta and Tio Agustin about, which also meant his Mami and Papi knew about it, which meant that he, by default, needed to get a good grade.
Camilo crouched down and, with long slow strokes, showed the little boy how to draw in the dirt instead of swinging the stick this way and that. He smiled, at least the kid was cute.
-- -- -- --
As expected, Senora Jiménez was back late into the evening. Camilo waved, walking backward up the path towards Casita, giggling quietly as little Alroy waved back. He curled his hands behind his head and spun on his heel to walk properly. He was already late for dinner, his familia was surely already seated at the table, filling their plates with food. His ribs gave a dull pang at the thought of his Tia’s food. With how busy babysitting kept him, he had forgotten about his little encounter with Hector, but now his ribs were happy to tell him exactly how they felt about all the running around he did with the toddler.
He scowled and forced his feet to keep a casual pace. Rushing wouldn’t change anything, except maybe make his chest hurt more. There weren’t many people out during the late hour, only a few stragglers rushing to make it home. Some of the farm hands were still in the fields, he knew, and would be for a couple more hours. For now, though, the streets were calm and he closed his eyes, tilting his head toward the sky.
Casita welcomed his home with a clatter of stones and rafters. He patted the wall, “Hola Casita, it’s good to see you too.”
As he walked into the courtyard, he could already smell food wafting from the dining room. There were sounds of the family talking, spoons and forks hitting plates. In the past, they would have waited for every family member to arrive, no one would have been allowed to even touch the food if every member was not present. Now things were more relaxed.
“Camilo! Where have you been? It’s almost dark out.” His Papi called, twisting in his chair to look at him.
Camilo hurried to his seat, blatantly ignoring the burning look his Mami was sending him from farther up the table, “I was playing with some of the kids in town. Lost track of time.”
He snatched an arepa from Antonio’s plate, ruffling his brothers hair to make him laugh, and shoved the food in his mouth. The effect was immediate, as it always was, and the dull throb in his ribs vanished. He sucked in a breath, marveling at the ability to take a deep breath, and greedily started filling his plate.
“You need to tell us if you are going to be home late, hijo.” His Mami scolded.
Popping a fruit into his mouth, he side-eyed her, only relaxing when he saw no clouds beginning to form. She was upset, yes, but not enough to send her into a spiral. He cleared his throat and took a sip of his water, before putting on his best and brightest smile.
“Lo siento, Mami. It won’t happen again.”
And she was giving him the look . He slumped down in his seat and blew a deep breath out his nose, resisting the urge to fidget. Sometimes he hated how well she knew him. As reassuring as it was to know she could always pick him out in a crowd, no matter what he looked like or how he acted, it could be just as annoying.
Shoveling a large portion of his meal into his mouth, he glanced over at his sister. She was talking to Isabela, her lips pursed in the way they do when she is focusing on something. He eyed her for a long moment, only turning back to his food when he was sure she wasn’t trying to covertly listen to him. She wasn’t paying him any attention, which meant that she hadn’t heard anything suspicious, or, at least, hadn’t heard enough to be curious. That was good. It was fine. In three years, he would be out of school and he wouldn’t have to deal with Hector or teachers and grades ever again. Pedazo de pastel.