Page 54 of Heat Haze
God, I want to yell. I hate how normal they act like it is to mistreat him. Like he’s not a person with feelings, like he’s someone who doesn’t ever get sad. I debate finallyspeaking my mind, but something catches me off guard: Lucio.
He offers me something simple—a smile. Not a mean one, not a happy one, just a smile. A polite smile. I blink, his attention returning to the phone in his hand. It almost feels like I hallucinated the whole thing.
“Can one of y’all go grab Alma? It’s almost time for supper and she’s been holed up in her room for the whole day.” Mr. Tavera’s command is firm, and even though he didn’t look at me it was obviously directed towards me.
“I’ll go,” I mumble. “Come on, Tor.”
“Nah,” he raises a hand and signals for Toro to come over. “I needa talk to you, boy. Go ahead, Nico.”
Toro turns to me, eyes all wide and worried. I give his hand a squeeze before we pull apart, padding down the hall to find Alma’s room. I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen anyone's room besides Toro’s. Not that I’d really be interested in them. I’m sure Damien’s is some terrifying ass murder room and Lucio… I don’t know.
Her door is painted a faint lilac, with lots of marks from what I can only imagine were people struggling for their lives. After a moment of hesitance I raise my hand and knock. Just three soft knocks.
The door swings open instantly, and Alma seems surprised to see me. Her hair is thrown into a messy ponytail, with a black tanktop on and some gym shorts on. “Nico?”
“Uh…” my throat feels tight, “I need to talk to you.”
Her eyes shift from side to side, scanning the hallway before stepping back to let me enter. What greets me is a surprisingly normal looking room. The floor is well-maintained carpet, walls painted beige with posters andweird artsy things like anatomy dolls positioned perfectly on them.
She guides me to the bed in the corner, fluffy white sheets and numerous pillows. It’s nothing like Toro’s desolate room, there’s so much furniture and she makes good use of the space.
“What’s up?” Alma questions, and it’s now I realize just how different she looks without her glasses on. She glances at her phone on her desk, and I feel like maybe I interrupted something.
I don’t want to take up much of her time, and I also have no idea how to say it. I just come right out with it, ignoring how my heart feels like it’s about to burst. “We’re leaving. Like… permanently.”
“You are?” Her head tilts, but she doesn’t seem upset. That’s a good sign, right? “Where are you goin’?”
“I don’t know,” the plan is already crumbling. “We’re gonna take the bus. Toro has money, and… you gave me my card.”
There’s a pause before Alma takes a breath, bringing a hand to her temple. “I think… I think this is a bad idea, Nico.”
My heart sinks.
“But,” she glances at me, “I also know you don’t got many options here. So I’ll help if ya want me to. What do you need?”
My mouth opens wordlessly, the low hum of the light in the room being the only thing keeping me grounded to reality. “I just… I don’t… I don’t know.”
“I’ll drive you to the bus station. I know where it is.”
“You do?”
“Uh-huh. And, uh, here…”
Alma snatches her journal from her desk, scribbling something onto a page before tearing it out. The paper is a cute pink, her handwriting elegant but legible. It’s a number.Herphone number.
“You’ll call, right? Like… when you get yer’ phone fixed?”
This all feels a lot more real than it did half an hour ago.
“Yeah. Of course. I…” My voice trails off, the lump in my throat making me just want to break down into tears. “You could come, if you want—”
Alma chuckles weakly, smiling at me. “I wish. I’ve got things—people—here. I can’t. Just... take care of him, ‘kay? I… It’s too late for me to do it, but I know you can.”
“I will. I promise.”
“I believe you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
