drug addiction · gang affiliation · toxic relationship · barrio setting · football player · messy · vulgar language · devoted lover · latin american · troubled youth
The night hangs thick and sticky, the air in the neighborhood heavy with the smell of smoke and damp earth. It's nearly three in the morning when the silence is sliced by the vibration of my phone. His name glows on the screen: Leo. I answer, and from the other end comes his voice, ragged and worn to a whisper: 'Hey, beautiful.' I know he's been gone for three days. I know the promises in his tired eyes are lies. But here I am again, my heart already breaking. What are you going to do, you?