C3

“We have good news for you mija” Mario said to Emerald over their dinner of baked beans and sausages

“Mario! You said we would tell her together.” Rico said with a mock frown on his face as he walked out of their small kitchen.

“But I haven’t even told her what it is yet, you just like whining like a little baby” Mario replied rolling his eyes as his brother set down the tray he was holding.

Rico walked over to where his brother was seated and smacked him playfully.

“Ay! Rico!” Mario got up and tried to get back at his brother and Emerald sat watching them with a good natured laugh, it was always fun watching them play like Kids and she couldn’t have asked for better parents.

“You know, sometimes I wonder who the child is among us” Emerald said staring at them with a straight face. They stopped abruptly and looked at her. “You had something to tell me?”

“Oh, right.” They said at almost the same time before taking their seats in the small dining area.

“So you know how you’ve always wanted to go to normal school mija?” Rico asked

“No papa, I’ve never wanted to go to normal school. I like going to local classes with Bianca and Deo.” She replied, a frown creasing her eyebrows. I wonder what they’re up to now.

Mario and Rico exchanged a look and then looked back at her.

“well, we enrolled you in Wynwood high, we have been saving up for your tuition and we finally got enough. We’re so happy you’ll finally get a chance at a normal life.” Rico said smiling happily.

What? Why on earth?

Emerald didn’t know how to feel about that, she had never been good with people especially with privileged kids.

“Emie? Aren’t you happy about it?” Mario asked a bit concerned “I thought you’d be excited”

“well, I’m just wondering why you’d put yourself through so much, I mean we barely have enough to eat. And I am perfectly fine with my job.” Well it wasn’t much of a job but still.

“You pick pockets and steal from small shops. That’s not a job sweetheart.” Rico retorted. “We don’t want that life for you anymore, you deserve a shot at a good life. We don’t want you in the system or anything like that. There’s so much at stake here Emie we need to stop the stealing and you have to get an actual education.”

She would agree that they had a point, but she knew for a fact that this would take a toll on them. Being illegal immigrants they lived completely under the radar even if they were on the verge getting their citizenship papers. She knew any little thing could cost them everything they had been working to achieve.

“I feel there’s so much more you could have done with that money. I mean, I like the local classes with Maria and John. They teach us really well. Normal school is so unnecessary.”

Mario let out a chuckle. "Emie, you're our little princessa. You have to go to an actual school, get opportunities, take us outta this dump. We would give up anything to make sure you at least get a shot at a good life."

Her heart swelled with emotion as she took in the look on their faces, they had done so much for her even if they didn’t have to, they’d taken her in when her parents had abandoned her and took care of her even if they barely anything. She'd do anything for her papis even if she had to go to school with a bunch of stuck up people."Bueno. Anything for me papis." she smiled at them.

"Bueno! You start on Monday" Mario said getting up and waking into their extremely tiny kitchen.

"Monday?" She exclaimed "that's the day after tomorrow"

"Yes Emie, anything wrong with that?" Rico asked

"Si, It's too close" she got up shaking her head making her dark messy curls bounce "I'll start next week. Please papi"

"Monday is next week darling." Rico teased as they walked into the kitchen. He turned to look at her. "The size of this kitchen is one of the reasons why you need to start school on Monday"

They all burst out laughing.

"I'm going to sleep." Mario said

"Buenas noches Papi" Emerald said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

***********

"My papi wants me to go to school, can you believe that?" Emerald explained to her friend the next afternoon as they walked to the skating park.

"Which?" Bianca asked puzzled.

"Them both." she replied knowing that Bianca would correct her.

"Emie, I've told you, you can't say ‘them both’" she said making air quotes. "It’s wrong"

"Okay chica" Emerald pulled her hair into a messy pony tail deciding it was too hot to leave her hair down.

"At least you'll be going to normal school. My abuela doesn’t even have the means to send me even if she wanted to... might end up picking pockets all my life" Bianca let out a frustrated sigh.

Lucky you, Emerald thought, she loved the thrill of picking pockets, she knew it wasn’t a good thing but she had gotten so accustomed to it, at first it was for survival but she wasn’t so sure now. Her hair tie loosened and a whole lot of hair came cascading down her face.

"You need to visit the salon Emie, your hair is getting outta control." Bianca said laughing at her friend’s predicament.

"You think I don’t know that?" She asked sounding a bit frustrated as she struggled to tame her luscious curls. “Help me with it please?”

"Bianca?" she asked again when her friend did not reply. Then she noticed her friend wasn't paying attention anymore. She raised her head to see what had caught Bianca's attention.

The black Porsche was parked a few meters from where they stood but it wasn’t really the car that caught their attention, it was the person that was coming out of it. He had perfectly tanned skin and a defined jawline and from what she could see his dark hair was combed to perfection. He looked really tall, at least six feet four inches with an athlete’s body.

"Emerald?" Her friend's voiced pulled her back to the realm of the living.

"Yes Bianca." She replied absently

"Sure we're in the right place?" Bianca asked giving Emerald a puzzled look.

"Yeah, we should be.” Emerald answered, not so sure herself as they hardly ever saw rich kids in the neighborhood.

“Maybe they’re lost, we should ask them.” Bianca suggested "I'll be right back" Bianca hurried off before Emerald could stop her.

"Just great!" She exclaimed "And she took my hair tie with her" she cursed under her breath feeling a bit overwhelmed by her hair.

She flipped her hair backwards running her fingers through it trying to fix the mess and when she opened her eyes, she caught him staring right at her.