Page 20 of Espíritu

Helping Bartolomé cross over—it had meant something.

“Come on,” Yadriel said, picking up the guitar. “Let’s take this back to Lita.”

Julian, Yadriel, and Maritza walked together, the weight of their task lifting as they joked and teased. As they left Belvedere Park behind, the echoes of folklórico music danced in the air.

FOURJULIAN

Julian woke up feeling like he’d lost a fight with a truck and then asked for a rematch. His limbs were heavy, his back ached, and there was an odd throbbing under his sternum that clawed outward when he breathed too deep.

In the bathroom mirror, he lifted his shirt. The dark spot was still there, pulsing beneath the scar, meaner at the edges. For a moment, panic pressed up his throat. He could shove it down, pretend it wasn’t getting worse. But that was the old move.

“Okay,” he told the mirror, jaw set. “We’re gonna figure this out. One step at a time.”

He thumbed out a quick text to Yads:

need to talk later. chest worse.

Then he hauled on his dad’s leather jacket, bracing himself for the day.

Luca was already in the kitchen, slumped over the table with a mug of coffee gone pale with creamer. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and his tired eyes said more than words ever could. Julian slid into the seat across from him, knocking his knee into Luca’s leg.

From the living room came Omar’s voice, sharp and hyped, Rocky’s laughter chasing after it. For a second, Julian let his head tip back, soaking in the familiar noise. Normally, this was the safest place he knew—here with his people. But now the promise he’d made to Lita and Yads sat like a rock in his stomach.

They couldn’t know. He couldn’t tell them about the brujx or the mark on his chest, which was messed up considering he told his friends everything. If something was wrong, they were the ones who got him out of it.

Footsteps stomped closer until Omar loomed over him, grinning wide. “Me and Rocky were just talking—how ’bout we skip today?”

Julian perked up, the offer hitting like muscle memory. His old reflex said, Ditch. Cut loose, bolt down the street, let the day spin out like it used to. But the new reality said, Stay. Get answers. Corner Yads and Maritza and figure out what the hell’s happening.

Julian swallowed the guilt that rose like bile—guilt for lying, guilt for pulling away—and shoved it down.

He smirked at Omar instead. “Yeah, because I really need Most Likely to Get Kicked Out on my record!” he tried to joke. “I’m trying to graduate, not get expelled—again.”

Rocky appeared behind Omar. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a withering look. “We all know you’d get voted Biggest Loudmouth.”

Julian couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, though it turned into more of a groan as he pressed a hand to the annoying ache in his chest.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rocky,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I’m still not skipping. I’ve got stuff to do.”

“Stuff to do?” Omar repeated, eyebrow raised and suspicion flickering in his eyes. “Since when are you so excited to go to school?”

Julian tried to shrug it off. “I just—y’know. Gotta be on best behavior and whatever. Besides, I’m meeting up with Maritza and Yads.”

Rocky crossed her arms, her smile fading. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately. What gives?”

Julian felt the familiar, unwelcome pressure under his ribs. He tried to force a smile. “Well, one of them is my boyfriend,” he pointed out.

Omar’s expression soured.

“And they’re cool people to chill with!” Julian glanced at Luca, hoping for some kind of support, but Luca just looked back at him, eyes tired, as if he could see right through the flimsy excuse Julian was trying to conjure up.

Omar exchanged a look with Rocky, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Whatever, man,” he said, walking back into the living room. He sounded hurt, maybe, or just suspicious.

Julian swallowed the guilt rising in his throat. The dark spot throbbed beneath his skin.

“Fine,” Rocky said, a touch of reluctance in her voice. “Guess we’re going to school after all.”

“Yeah,” Luca agreed, glancing at Julian again before looking away. “Let’s just go.”