Page 4 of Espíritu

“You can stay here with us,” Flaca added, arms crossed but voice soft.

“Skip it!” Rocky said with forced brightness, brushing off her Shohei Ohtani jersey.

“We’ll crank up the music, annoy the neighbors, call it a night,” Omar added, putting on his usual air of I don’t care, though Julian knew he cared a lot. Probably the most.

Julian leaned in, trying to catch Luca’s eyes. “Yeah, man. Stay. Who cares about them?”

Luca shook his head. “I can’t, Jules. They’re expecting me. If I don’t show…” He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Julian reached for his St. Jude pendant, fingers curling around the cool metal, desperate to make things better. The necklace was a memento from his dad, but ever since Yadriel gave it back to him after Día de Muertos, it felt like something more. A reminder that someone—that Yadriel—saw him as someone worth saving. Worth keeping.

Luca continued to knead the fraying blankie—the one he never took on those hellish visits because his parents would just try to throw it away again.

“Here,” Julian said, snatching it before Luca could react. He ripped three strips from the edge with a quick, determined yank.

“Jules!” Luca yelped, horrified.

“Relax! It’s called upcycling,” Julian muttered, tongue caught between his teeth as he wrestled the fabric into a braid. His fingers fumbled, clumsy, but he kept at it. He couldn’t fix Luca’s life, couldn’t stop what waited at that house, but maybe he could give him this. Something small, stupid, but his.

The strips twisted and knotted unevenly, but eventually he held up the finished bracelet—lopsided, ugly, but sturdy.

Julian grabbed Luca’s wrist and tied it on tight. He nodded to himself, satisfied with his work. “There. Now you’ve got a piece to take with you, wherever you go. Portable blankie power.”

Luca stared, lip trembling. Then he launched himself at Julian, arms locking around him in a fierce hug.

Julian laughed but squeezed back just as hard. Sometimes it felt like he and his friends were the only things holding Luca together. Their bad jokes, Flaca’s stubbornness, Rocky’s chaos, even Omar’s grumpy affection. They weren’t much, but they were a net. Without them, Luca would fall straight through. Without them, Julian would, too.

He shoved every ounce of love and protection he had into their hug, his chin digging into Luca’s hair.

“Thanks, Jules,” Luca mumbled into his shoulder. “You’re the best friend a guy could ask for.”

Julian swallowed the lump in his throat. He smirked against Luca’s ear. “Damn right I am! And don’t you forget it.”

Luca ran his thumb along his new bracelet. “I should probably get going soon,” he murmured.

Julian’s fists tightened. Like hell he was letting Luca shuffle back into that nightmare without putting up a fight, or at the very least delaying it. The kid deserved junk food and trash TV, not another night of bruises.

Over his dead body. Again.

Luckily, Julian was great at distracting people. He shot upright, defiant. “At least stay for dessert! Rio made his famous box cake. Might actually be edible this time,” Julian joked.

Across the room, Rocky gasped dramatically. “How dare you disrespect the sacred chocolate cake!”

Julian smirked. “Sacred? I just don’t want to be the only one risking my life eating it!”

Flaca put her hands on her hips. “If you’re gonna go, Luca, fine. But eat something real first. No excuses.”

Julian elbowed Luca lightly. “See? Court order. Dinner with us before you take off.”

Luca hesitated, his hazel eyes flicking between all of them. The tension in his shoulders eased just a little.

The front door banged open.

“Dinner,” Rio grunted, trays balanced in both arms. His coveralls were streaked with grease, jaw set like always. “Carlos’s mom brought leftovers.”

“Ah, hell yes!” Julian cheered, already on his feet.

Rio set the food down with a clatter.