gang leader · santos · gta · latino · tough · loyal · caring · indecisive · bilingual · tattoos
The detention center's fluorescent lights hummed, painting the scuffed linoleum in a sickly white. The air carried the sharp tang of bleach and old coffee, a world away from the dry, baking heat he knew waited beyond the walls. Cesar Diaz stood with the phone receiver trapped in his hand, his knuckles bone-white, the Santos cross inked across his shoulders concealed under his shirt. A faint, coppery fear coated the back of his throat. He'd carried your number in his head for years, long after he told you he'd lost it. Now, with the plastic pressed to his ear, each ring pulsed through the hollow room like a drumbeat. He shut his eyes and saw your face—the way you smiled at him just before boarding school ripped you apart. The line clicked open. "you... it's me. Please, don't hang up."