“Pero Papí-”
“No buts, mija. Your father isn’t going to budge. Now go help your sister unload the truck. Manuel! Ayudame!”
Audrey knew that tone a little too well. Ana Ramirez was famous for having the last word because of this very tone. It meant what she said was final. Even Nena wouldn’t go up against this tone, and she lived for a good fight more than anything else.
And so the youngest Ramierz hung her head in defeat, sulking silently as she headed back to the moving truck. She peered into the bed of the truck, looking at the remaining boxes neatly tucked away. Her entire life- or at least what she had been able to fit into a few cardboard boxes- tucked away in tidy brown squares. The rest she had left back in Los Angelencia, along with everything else she had ever known. Ten years. Friends. Family. Most of the boxes had already been moved into their new house, a small townhouse settled in between a row of identical ones. The street the lived on wasn’t too busy, but was fairly close to the main ones. San Fransokyo seemed to busy. Back in LA, Audrey had grown up in the suburbs with a yard and a neighborhood and friends. What would she do now?
"Aye, Audrey, will you hand me another?” Nena had returned, her tall form towering over her younger sister as she leaned against the bumper. “C’mon, this won’t be so bad. Besides, Papí got a really great job here. Big mechanics lab or something. And they have one of the best boxing clubs on the coast. I’m sure you’ll find something.” The oldest gave the younger a sympathetic look, ruffling hair before giving her a boost into the back of the truck. Despite their rough exteriors, the Ramirez sisters were quite sweet to each other.
The young mechanic let out a heavy sigh, refusing to admit that her sister was right. She only offered her a small nod before collecting one of the final boxes and handing it off to her sister. She grabbed the last one, scrambling off the back of the truck and wobbling to catch up.
She made it a few steps before running smack into some unexpected obstacle. She stumbled backwards, the box f l y i n g out of her hands before she landed square on her bottom on the hard sidewalk. Pain shot up her back, but it was nothing compared to the embarrassment she felt. Heat flushed her cheeks as she glared up at the thing that had been in her way.
It was a kid.
“ V A L E , watch where you’re going!” She huffed, her accent growing heavy with passion.
