Chapter Text
Miguel looked around the lunchroom. Students in their own groups or duos are chatting, doing homework, and eating. He sighs. He hadn’t made any friends yet. He moved from Riverside to Reseda over the summer with his mom and grandmother. He tried to talk to the neighbor across the complex, but he just ended up being an old drunk.
Miguel didn’t really want to move, but it was for his mother’s job anyway. He noticed two tall and quiet boys sitting at a table by themselves. He walked up and asked, “May I join you?”
The boy with dark brown hair looked up. “Oh, you want to join the outcast nerds of West Valley High? Be my guest! My name is Demetri Alexopoulos, by the way.”
Miguel smiled nervously at Demetri’s dramatic acceptance. “Miguel. Miguel Diaz.”
“This is Eli Moscowitz; he isn’t really a man of words.” Demetri gestured to the other boy with short light brown hair, a cleft lip scar, and a cute, nervous expression.
“Hi,” Miguel said.
Eli gave a little wave.
Miguel heard a chuckle behind him, “Hey, look, Lip’s got a tuna sandwich for lunch.”
A goon snatched Eli’s sandwich off his tray, “This is your lunch? A sad little sandwich?”
“Hey… my mom made that.” Eli tried grabbing it, but the guard dropped it, and it fell to the floor.
“Hey! Leave him alone!” Miguel got up, but a hand pushed him back down in his seat. The boy behind him came around, and Miguel got to see the torturous smile on that boy’s face.
“Relaaaax, we were just playing around!” The boy grinned.
“Playing around? Eli doesn’t have food anymore.” Miguel shot back.
“Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?” The boy teased.
Miguel got up and shoved the boy back. “Leave us alone.”
The boy and his goons circled him. A counselor with an annoying voice yelled at the boys not to start a fight. The boy looked at him and spoke lowly, “You got lucky this time… The next, you’re going down.”
Great, it’s the second day of school, and Miguel is already making enemies. He sighed and sat down.
“Wow.” Demetri gasped. He looked stunned.
Miguel shook his head, “What?”
“You actually stood up to Kyler and his goons.”
Miguel looked back, “That’s Kyler?”
“Yeah, they like, run the school.” Demetri rambled. “They mess with anyone. Their egos are so big, their superiority complex involves Counselor Blatt.”
Miguel gave his pizza slice to Eli and started eating his apple. Eli accepted it quietly.
•●•●•●•●•
“Miggy, can you get some Pepto Bismol for your yaya? She isn’t feeling well.” Miguel’s mom, Carmen, asked.
It was 8:30 at night, but Miguel was more than happy to do anything for his family. “Yes, mamá, I will.” He got his shoes on and made his way to the mart.
The mart was a small convenience store at a run-down strip mall, owned by a Mexican-American family. The old drunk guy from his apartment complex was there, trying to buy a slice of pizza. Miguel and the owner conversed a little in Spanish, found the aisle where the medicine was, and came back.
The owner sighed, “This gringo is a fuckin’ idiot.”
Miguel chuckled, “I barely know him.”
“What did you say about me?” The old guy barked in English, blonde with puffy eyes.
Miguel noticed the stress and annoyance in the old man’s face. “He… says that you’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay. Here’s the damn money.” He slapped some dollars on the corner and left with the pizza in his hand, not even on a plate. How unsanitary.
The owner sighed, “He’s short.” He put the money in the cash register anyway.
After paying, Miguel left with the bottle of Pepto Bismol. But lo and behold, Kyler and his goons were on their way to the convenience store as well. Miguel couldn’t tell if they were drunk or not, but he didn’t want to get into a fight; he just wanted to go home.
“Aww, is this Pepto Bismol?” Kyler grabbed the pink bottle out of Miguel’s hands. “You got diarrhea?"
“It’s- it’s for my grandma,” Miguel reasoned. “She isn’t feeling well.”
“Aw, we’ll give some for her, ‘Rhea.” Kyler opened the bottle and poured the whole thing on Miguel’s head. His friends erupted in laughter. Miguel felt that cool, sticky liquid pour onto his head and down his shoulders. He shivered.
Kyler threw the bottle onto the lawn, and Miguel pushed him while he was distracted. Miguel tried making a run for it, but the bigger goon grabbed him and held him down. Blows landed onto Miguel’s face, making his braced teeth scream louder.
It felt like a blur when the goons left him alone. Miguel could barely see out of one eye. He stumbled his way home. He could barely get his keys to work. But once he entered his apartment, Carmen was more worried about her son than her mother.
“Miggy!” She grabbed the sides of his face.
“Ow, ow, ow.” Miguel winced.
“Sorry, but what happened to you?”
“I… got jumped. These idiots from my school took Yaya’s Pepto and dumped it on my head.” Miguel recalled.
“No…” Carmen gasped. She swallowed and composed herself, “You are not going out by yourself, at night, again.”
“What?!” Miguel cried. “But they caught me off guard! It’s not like they were *hunting* me down-”
“I don’t care, Miguel. You are staying. I don’t trust any of those fools.” Carmen finalized.
“So you don’t trust me?”
Carmen took a tiny step back. “I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my mouth, Miggy. I just want you to be safe. Okay?”
Miguel huffed. “Yeah… Okay.”
•●•●•●•●•
Miguel always saw his new friends at lunch; he never saw them in his other classes. The bruises on his eye were still healing, and Demetri’s yapping session faded into the back of Miguel’s mind. Miguel didn’t mean to look away from the boys; it’s just that a pretty girl was sitting on the other side of the lunch room, talking with her friends. Her smile was so pretty, and her long, curly brown hair flowed so beautifully. She was like a magnet to the eye; she was that radiant.
“That’s Samantha LaRusso; her parents are loaded. You know, LaRusso Auto Group?” Demetri leaned closer.
Miguel glanced at Demetri, then back at Samantha. “... Maybe.”
“Those are her friends, Moon and Yasmine. They would never look at us.” Demetri continued. “They’re snobby. They drive around and go everywhere in Encino. Yasmine gets grossed out by anything. I wouldn’t mind if she spit in my mouth. I'd better be the first mouth to spit in.”
Miguel wasn’t sure if he had dreamt that Demetri said that or not. He decided to ignore him and make his way to Samantha. She looked up, and they locked eyes. Miguel was halfway across the room when Kyler pulled up and kissed her on the cheek. She giggled, chatting with him.
Shit, they’re a couple.
Miguel sighed in disappointment and walked back to his seat. Demetri had a pouty look, “See? I was right. You have no chance with her. And I have no chance with Yasmine.”