True North

He didn't want me for dad's money.

He wanted me!

I couldn't stop the smile that spread over my face as I turned away quickly. "I'll think on it," I told him, feeling giddy. "But not till after school. Maybe... talk to me again about it in a year, after we know each other better."

Angel laughed, but nodded. "If that's what you need, Estrella," he told me, then told Josanna.

Josanna sent me off with a plate for Rose and Angel walked me home, looking me over with a smile.

"You're cute when you blush, you know that? Your red cheeks and nose... it makes me want to hold your face, see if I can feel the heat. Did you really think I would care that your dad was fired or whatever? I lived here my whole life, you think no money bothers me? We make it work."

"I... it's just all... confusing for me. I'm just not sure about anything and I keep thinking, I want this to be true, but am I seeing what I want to see, or what's real? I can't really explain it, I just... I don't know."

"Don't second guess yourself and get in your own head. I don't play games, I ain't got that kinda time. I knew when I found the right one, I would go for it. Nail that shit down quick, because I have a family to take care of. I don't have time for the games and all that. I saw you and I saw the way Abuela reacted to you. She knows good people. It wasn't just that you were adorable, it was that you were genuine and your smile was real. You meant it when you said you would come, you weren't just saying it and you weren't just being polite and pretending. That struck something in me. Plus you're freaking hot," he chuckled as he followed me inside.

"Dad's at work," I told him softly, unable to respond to what he'd just said. I was feeling far too excited and wanted to break out in giggles like a little kid, I was so happy. "I'll get this to Rose."

He followed me down the hall and leaned on the doorframe as I handed Rose her plate. She had her laptop on her bed and she was texting on her phone, but she sat up quickly, looking at me and Angel both.

"What's going on?" she asked quickly, setting the plate aside immediately.

I glanced at Angel, then licked my lips uncertainly. "Riot and his friends shouldn't ever bother us again. They... umm... shouldn't even be at school for a while."

"What happened?" Rose asked, looking at Angel. "What did you do?"

Angel grinned at her. "Me? I've done nothing. I don't even know what she's talking about."

I gave Rose a wan smile when she looked at me in confusion. "You need to eat," I told her instead. "While it's still hot. I'll be right down the hall."

"With him?" Rose asked quickly.

"Nah, I can't stay long. I have a bike I need to finish before tomorrow," Angel grinned. "But for a few minutes. Don't worry, your sister is in good hands, I'm not going to hurt her. Unless she asks me to," he chuckled as I pulled the door shut.

I felt my face heat, but took his hand and led him to my little room.

"That looks comfortable," Angel told me, then pulled me down to my bed and rolled us so he was holding me. "Mmm, it is. And nothing right above us!"

I giggled as he waved his arm in the air.

"I don't know, Estrella, we might have to sleep here instead of my bed. More comfortable and a lot more private."

Turning to look at him, I felt my heart go all warm again. He thought this tiny little room with a twin bed was so much better and was willing to share a twin bed with me to be with me.

"What?" he asked softly, rolling over me to look down at me. "I didn't mean tonight, or even next week. I'll let your papa get to know me first," he teased.

"It's not that," I told him softly. "Dad wouldn't care if you stayed tonight, he trusts me... I know family is important to you, Angel... It's important to me too. Dad has always known, and I have too, that we were never meant to be separated."

"I have seen you two together, True, anyone could see that you are close with him. You both need each other, I would never try to change that."

"I don't think I could move away from him..." I told him, feeling nervous.

"Good thing you'll be right here next to me?" he offered, sounding a little wary, like he was wondering where I was going with this.

Taking a deep breath, I sat up, forcing him to move back and sit up too. "We moved here recently... literally a few days before we moved in. Our house was new and when dad turned on the AC and we left to get dinner, there was a short and the house burned to the ground. This house... it was the only house that would rent month to month and not a year lease. Our house is being rebuilt... they already have the old house cleared away and the new house framed..."

"So you were never staying here very long," Angel spoke softly. "How far?"

"Across town."

"Not so far that it will matter," he shrugged. "As long as I can see you every day. You can come spend the day with Abuela and me, I can show you how to fix a bike. I can come over after work and have dinner with you and your papa. Let you cook for me," he grinned. "You're worried for that, Estrella? That we won't be next door to each other? I know you don't drive, but I do and I'll come get you every day. Bring you back every night when your papa gets off work."

I smiled again, then just leaned into him in a hug.

"No more worries over little thing's, True," he whispered into my temple as he held me close. "I will take care of everything. I will take care of you, make you happy. I promise. I'm going to go finish this bike, you wanna come learn how to work on bikes?" he asked teasingly.

"I have a paper I need to be working on," I told him, though I did kind of want to just go sit with him and spend the day with him.

"Then I'll come see you when I finish it, it shouldn't take too long. I need to talk to your papa anyway," he grinned, getting up.

I couldn't really focus on my paper, my mind kept going back to this morning. I kept squirming and thinking about it until I went out to the dining room where I could see him out the window.

His brother was out there with him, along with his cousin (who really was named Jesus). They were talking while he worked, laughing with him. In the late afternoon, his other friends showed up, two of them pulling off uniform tops to wear only the t-shirts under them.

I kept watching the way he talked and joked while still working and never stopping. Multitasking. I thought about it then, how they all came to him so that he could keep working and he was still included. I wondered what it would be like to have friends and family that close.

Dad and I were close, but not Rose and I. Even as younger kids, we'd both gone our own way and had different kinds of friends. She was always right in the popular and beautiful crowd wherever we went and I usually found my one friend either in the library or in a class we had together. One true friend was worth more to me than all the people Rose knew, but wasn't close to. I never understood why it was important to her to be friends with 20 people she hardly knew and never really talked to on a deep level, than to have one really good friend.

I guess it hurt a lot less when we had to leave them behind. She could always replace her friend group immediately. I never could. But I was also still in touch with every one of my friends, I didn't just forget they existed as soon as I made a new one.

Angel was still outside finishing up when dad pulled in. Angel immediately called him over, then introduced him to all of his friends and family, then stood talking and joking with him for a while.

Dad looked completely out of place in his expensive suit and perfect hair, out there with all of those men in t-shirts, jeans and covered in tattoos.

Josanna came bustling out, smiling and talking and giving dad a huge covered platter full of food, then she stood talking to dad for a full twenty minutes while Angel translated.

When dad came in, Angel came with him. HIs grin lit up his face when he saw me sitting there by the window.

"Josanna invited us to come over for dinner!" Dad told me happily. I'll let Rosie know and change real quick!"

"K," I agreed, standing as Angel came to me, leaning down to kiss me.

Dad hesitated a moment with a surprised look, then left with a very fake smile.

In twenty minutes, dad's wariness had melted away, talking to everyone as we sat crowded onto a couch in the living room with plates in our laps. Some people were in the dining room and some were on the floor, but everyone was happy and laughing, teasing each other as all of us ate. Rose was getting a lot of attention from the kids, which she ate up since she adored children. They all wanted to know what happened and to know if she beat up the other person worse. They seemed disappointed when Rose told them she fell down the stairs.

It was fun to watch dad talking to Josanna and Angel and even Alonso sometimes. He didn't seem out of his element at all and they didn't seem to care at all that he was gay. It came up in conversation more than once, Josanna demanding to know when he planned to marry again because he needed his own happiness and not just happiness for his children.

By the time we went home, dad was grinning ear to ear, his eyes shining with joy. Even Rose seemed happy as she texted on her phone.

When we got inside, Rose went straight to her room, but dad and I sat down on the couch, him holding his stomach. "So," he began, looking at me with a sad smile. "Never seen you enamored, kiddo. Holding hands, sitting so close, stolen kisses. Yeah, I noticed," he chuckled as I blushed. "How serious is this, do I have to be worried? Do you need to go on the pill?"

"Umm... yeah," I answered, looking away from him.

"I'll take care of that in the morning. So it's pretty serious?"

"I guess."

"Does he know everything? About your health?"

"Not yet... but it won't change anything. Not for him, he isn't like that."

"Are you happy, kiddo?"

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling slightly.

"That's what matters," he sighed, still smiling. "I need to check my email before bed and maybe work a little too, depending on what I get. You going to school tomorrow or staying home?"

"Rose already said she wants to go back tomorrow," I shrugged. "I'll go too. Umm, Angel said he would give me a ride, but Rose will need to be dropped off."

"It's kind of a waste to take her and not you too, he doesn't need to take you if I'm already going?"

"I think he wants to," I shrugged. "He seemed excited about it."

"Not sure a bike is very safe for you."

"He'd never let me get hurt," I promised.

"It's your choice, of course, but I'll worry about you. Might even follow you all the way there all week."

I laughed then and hugged him. "I know you will," I told him, smiling happily. "I wouldn't expect otherwise and I already told Angel you would."

He laughed, then kissed the top of my head as he got up. "Don't stay up too late reading, kiddo. Love you! Goodnight."

I loved hearing those familiar words, words he'd said to me every night before bed since I was old enough to read. "Love you too."

Dad did follow Angel in the morning, Angel finding it adorable. He didn't follow us home, he was still at work and that gave us the house to ourselves. Rose went out with her friends, doing whatever they did after school. She was loving the attention and all the commiseration and everyone believed she had fallen down some stairs.

No one knew why Riot and all his friends weren't at school.

Riot wasn't at school all week, or the next.

It got to the point that I actually forgot all about him, Angel and I getting to know each other. We got into a routine, me coming over after school and cooking with Josephina, who demanded I call her abuela now, then hanging out with Angel and his friends after dinner. Angel would walk me home and stay with me while I did homework, holding me and distracting me with kisses and more.

It was kind of perfect, my world right and I was happy. Two short weeks of school left and I would be out of school and I was more excited for it than I'd ever been before. It had never seemed like a huge step for me, transitioning from one kind of school to another, it still meant being around crowds and being stressed.

Not now though, not now that dad had enrolled me in online college. Now I got to stay home and spend days with Angel and Abuela and his family. I was already picking up Spanish and practicing even more at night with a translation audio book playing all night.

When Angel dropped me off the Monday morning of the third week, I felt sick as I walked up the steps.

Mal was at the door as if he were waiting on Rose and I. We both tried to ignore him and the way he texted on his phone the second he saw us. It was hard to miss that his arm was in a sling, though.

Riot was near my locker, leaning on the wall a few lockers down from mine. He stared, his arms crossed, looking pissed. There was a livid pink scar, still healing on his chin and another above his eye. His left hand was in some sort of metal skeletal looking cage with pins in all his fingers up and down every finger.

I stared hard at my locker, trying not to see him, but it was difficult. Especially when he turned and looked when I stopped at my locker.

He said nothing as I grabbed my book and hurried away, giving Rose a half fearful look as she went the other way to her class.

I didn't see him until lunch when he sat at our table with us, directly across from me as he banged the metal brace on his wrist on the table. He was forcing me to look at his broken hand, at what I had done to him.

I said nothing, Rose and I both got up and moved to another table.

Mal sat down next to Rose as soon as we sat down, leaning over her. A second later, Riot was sitting down next to me, stradling the bench seat to trap me in. Mal was doing the same to Rose.

"You think this is going to fly, True?" Riot demanded, his voice hoarse. "You think we aren't going to get ours back from that filth and his crew? We just won't be stupid enough to get our hands dirty and we definately have no intention on letting any of them live. You know what happens then, True? I get to fucking punish you. You and your stupid whore of a sister. Did you fuck him, True? Have you been fucking him? You have, haven't you? I'm going to..."

"You have about 3 seconds to leave or I'm screaming," I cut in, looking around the cafeteria for one of the teachers.

"Try it, bitch," he hissed, the fingers from his good hand digging painfully into my thigh. "You think we won't..."

"GET OFF ME!" I screamed as loud as I could. "LET ME GO!"

"Cunt!" he hissed, jumping up quickly, him and Mal both. "You'll fucking pay for that! Just fucking wait. Your days are numbered."

"What's going on here?" Mrs Halsey asked, hurrying up to us.

"Nothing," Riot told her coldly. "My ex and I just getting into it. She's still pissed about breaking up. I was just trying to get my hoodie back from her," Riot told her as he and Mal backed away, then left.

I was shaking, gripping Rose's hand as she hugged me close.

"Girls?" Mrs Halsey asked questioningly. "Are you both alright?"

"Yeah," Rose answered, hugging me closer. "Actually, no. I need to get her settled down and breathing normally or she'll pass out," Rose told her quickly, trying to make me lean over as I broke into hiccoughing sobs, breathing too quickly as I clutched for her hand.

"I'll get the nurse!" Mrs Halsey spoke quickly, turning to hurry away.

"Get Mr Brooks!" Rose called after her. He was the counselor and he knew my issues. "True? True, did you take your meds this morning? I'm texting dad, this is a bad one..." she worried, pulling out her phone.

"N-n-no... Angel. Angel, not d-dad," I managed as I gasped, my lips going numb as my arms tingled and turned to pins and needles.

"I'm texting both!" Rose cried as she eased me to the ground so I wouldn't fall.

When I opened my eyes, it was to Mr Brooks leaning over me, the nurse next to him and Mrs Halsey on the other side with Rose. Mrs Shumaker showed up seconds later, the principal.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" she asked Mr Brooks quickly.

"She's awake. True? Are you alright? Did you hit your head or anything?" he asked loudly.

"No, I got her to the floor before she passed out," Rose told him quickly.

"How do you feel, True? You feel like you could sit up for me?"

"D-dizzy," I managed, my head swimming.

"A bowl!" Rose cried. "She's about to throw up!"

A lunch tray was shoved next to me by a nearby student as I rolled enough to throw up. My head throbbed as I groaned, trying to hold my head up afterward, hoping I wouldn't heave again. From my angle, I could see Riot near the door, standing and watching me. He actually looked stressed and concerned, hovering there on the verge of coming back. That thought made me heave again just as someone held a cup of water to my face.

"Daddy's on his way," Rose told me gently, stroking my hair back. "So is Angel. He'll get here first, he's closer, but you probably shouldn't ride on a motorcycle home."

"Nnn," was all I could manage as I lay my head on her lap.

"True?"

I opened my eyes and tilted my head, looking up at Riot as he leaned close to me.

"Drink this," he told me softly, tipping another cup of water to my lips as he helped me sit up.

"No," I whispered, trying to shrug him off.

He tipped the cup to my lips and it was drink or drown.

"There you go," he soothed, pulling me to his lap as he went to his knees.

"She doesn't want you here," Rose told him loudly.

"Don't be a bitch, Rose. Just because I turned you down doesn't mean you should try and ruin things between True and I," Riot shot back derisively. "You're the one she probably doesn't want here, not after finding out what you tried to get me to do while her and I were dating."

"What are you talking about?!? None of that is true at all!" Rose cried.

"I was there," Mal spoke up from behind Riot. "When you tried to convince him to date you instead of her, offering to do things for him she wouldn't do."

"That's..." Rose began.

"Enough!" Mrs Shumacker yelled. "Miss Glenn, do you think you could stand with help?" she asked me loudly.

I winced from the sound, my head still swimming. I wasn't sure I wasn't going to throw up again.

"Miss Glenn?!?" Mrs Shumacker called more loudly.

Cringing back, I turned my head away from the sound, hiding my face from the light in Rose's shirt. No. It didn't smell like Rose, it smelled like men's cologne and funk.

"I have her," Riots' voice was right in my ear, the vibration of his voice on my cheek like I was against his chest.

I was against his chest.

Arms under my legs and shoulders, I was suddenly airborne, my head still in Riots chest.

"No," I whimpered. "Rose!"

"I'm right here!" Rose told me quickly. "Daddy will be here soon! So will Angel!"

"Angel Rodriguez was banned from school grounds two years ago," Riot spoke up quickly. "Him and Alonso Rodriguez both."

"They were," Mrs Shumacker agreed. "It's Angel Rodriguez coming to get you?" she asked.

"He can't get her, he only has a motorcycle," Riot told her. "There's no reason for him to be here at all. Not if her dad's coming. Or I can take her home? Get her tucked in."

"She doesn't want you anywhere near her!" Rose told him angrily as I was put down on a bed in the nurse's office.

"No more yelling," Mrs Shumacker scolded.

Mr Brooks leaned over me. "True? How are you feeling right now? Any better?"

"Nnn."

"She's going to need her stronger meds for incidents," Rose told him.

"I don't have any medication here for her," the nurse shook her head. "I have on file that she takes daily meds, but nothing has been left with me."

"Rose, you need to let Mr Rodriguez know he can't come onto school property," Mrs Shumacker told Rose softly.