"Wait, he changed it for you?"

I nodded my head as I finished one of the math problems for my college Algebra class.

"That's wassup," Isabel smiled, "Was he cute?"

I quickly turned and looked at her, I knew exactly who the guy was and she would too if I dropped the name or description, but I didn't want to reveal all that information because none of this really mattered, it was just something to talk about at the moment. "That's irrelevant, he's Hispanic, and I'm pretty sure he's in the rival gang of my brother's." I hated how my brother was in a gang and especially how deep he was in it, but when you grow up around it you can choose to either join it or rise above it. While I took the latter, my brother made a name for himself in the streets.

"Who?" Yuri asked as she walked in my room. I gave her a key to my house for emergencies, knowing shit got crazy where she stayed, but she used it for everything but that.

"Nobody, this Hispanic" I stated as she came in taking a seat on my bed. "You should speak when you enter a room," Isabel commented as she caught eyes with Yuri. Yuri rolled her eyes, putting her attention on me. Yuri was not a fan of Isabel, she thought she was shady and should be watched since technically she was a part of the enemy's territory. But that shit had nothing to do with us, yes the boys were beefing but we didn't have to. I liked Isabel, she was super cool.

"Watch her ass, she might be trying to get you killed, asking you shit like that."

I laughed as I closed the math book, "I don't think her asking if someone is cute equates to her trying to get me killed."

"It could be her coy to try and put you on with one, or run and tell one of her little home girls you was trying to get at her man."

"I don't even know who the guy is, eres muy estúpida." Isabel shot back rolling her eyes.

"I'll show you stupid, bitch. Speak English if you really bout it."

"Okay!" I chimed in, I hated how much they didn't get along.

Isabel got up rolling her eyes. "Well I'm going to go chica, want to get up tomorrow?"

"Nahh, she good" Yuri blurted out.

I rolled my eyes as I caught eyes with Isabel, "yeah, just text me." Isabel walked out, closing my door as she exited.

"You need to stop fucking with her," Yuri started as she scrolled through her phone.

I shook my head not even wanting to listen to the bullshit she was about to start, "I'm forreal, like be real Johanna. That bitch came smiling in your face, what? A couple of months ago? Around the time when this shit popped off and you don't think that shit suspect?"

"It was before that."

"Jo, it was literally the week Marcus killed that nigga at the basketball court. The shit is suspect. The bitch just want information and you giving it to her."

I faced her as I crossed my arms, "what information am I giving her Yuri?"

"Bitch, she know your brother in a gang."

"So Yuri, a whole bunch of niggas are in the gang. You act like she knows he leads it."

"It don't matter, she know it's him and his friends. She been to your house, the same house that you fucking stay in with your brother. If she wanted to tell her fucking chulos or whatever the fuck they called they could come shoot this shit up today. You too friendly with the other side. And right now ain't the time, we in a real ass war. Like do your brother know you got a Hispanic running up and through here? Shit, have you ever even been to her place?"

I rolled my eyes, "okay Yuri, I get your point."

"I'm just being real, the last thing I'm trying to do is lose another friend to these streets, or be consoling you cause they popped your brother in your own home."

--

"What made you want to come to my house? We could have went anywhere." Isabel stated as we walked towards her room.

"I mean we always go to my house," I replied as I took in the place, my only real reason for being here was because of what Yuri said the night before, it weighted heavy on mind how I really had never been to her place.

She chuckled, "well when I said we should get up today I didn't mean at either one of our houses, I meant some place different."

I shrugged my shoulders, "well," I smiled "we're here. So let's make the most of it."

She laughed as she took a seat on her bed, pulling up Netflix on her TV. "Netflix and chill?" She asked with a flirtatious smile and a wink. I laughed, "I'm all for it." I jokingly flirted back.

"You find a movie," she said as a bang on her front door came through. I took the remote as she left the room, quickly returning and shutting her door. "It's my cousin," she said with a roll of her eyes, "he's always checking up over here, making sure shit straight."

I nodded my head, "that's nice."

She snorted, "I guess." No sooner than her saying that her door busted opened, Jose standing at the door taking in the scene right before him.

Twice in one week, what were the chances. I could tell he was as surprised to see me as I was to see him but he quickly hid it in his face.

He looked at me then at Isabel, "¿Qué es esto?"

"What's it look like? We're about to watch a movie." She responded back. One thing I loved about Isabel is how she would speak in English around me if she knew I wasn't sure what was being said, even if someone said something in Spanish to her.

"¿Eres estúpida?" He asked as a slight scowl appeared on his face. Are you stupid? I thought as I translated what he said in my head. Is she stupid? I brought my eyebrows in trying to figure out why he would ask that. "Why are you asking that?" I spit out before I thought about it.

He looked at me as if I was stupid, fixing his mouth to say something but Isabel quickly spoke up before he could. "Hold on Johanna," Isabel pleaded as she got up, walking towards the door, pulling Jose and the door shut.

Part of me wanted to get up and try and listen but I was sure they were probably speaking in Spanish. I shook my head, reminding myself that Isabel wasn't shady. But Jose walking in and the way he reacted made me question it; but at the same time I was black in a Hispanic neighborhood with a serious power war going on, it easily dawned on me why he said that. Duh Johanna.

She came back in just as I selected a movie, Jose stood at the door, looking as if the conversation between the two wasn't finished, but Isabel ended it before his liking; scowl still on his face. He looked at me, making me once again self-conscious with the way his stare invaded me. I focused on the TV, as I reread what the movie was about.

"Johanna, Jose. Jose, Johanna." Isabel introduced unexpectedly with a fake smile on her face. "This is why we don't need to come to my house," she whispered to me as she passed by, taking a seat a little behind me on the bed.

I looked at him, giving a small smile and a wave. Seeing as how this wasn't our first encounter and neither one was the most positive.

He looked at me, quickly taking his eyes off of me and looking back at Isabel who got up exiting the room, "I'm going to pop some popcorn. Jose be polite, would you." She said it in a way making it clear she didn't like how he ignored me. "Or you can leave" she yelled out.

He looked back at me once Isabel was completely out the room, he crossed his arms as he stepped in the room. "You bold to walk up in this neighborhood again."

"I'm in the safety of my friend's home."

"I spared you once, that doesn't mean I have to spare you twice."

"I did nothing to you." I shot back with attitude.

"Who you here for?" he asked as he stepped closer to me, making me a tad bit nervous so I stood up. "In this neighborhood twice in one week? First you suddenly got a flat, now you hanging with Isabel."

"She's my friend, and I have no control where I get a flat."

"Who you here for?" He roared.

"Nobody!" I snapped.

Our eyes stayed locked for what felt like forever, his dislike was understood but I wasn't the person he needed to hold it towards.

Isabel walked in, forcing me to break the eye contact as I looked at her with the popcorn held in her hands. "I don't trust her." Jose stated, his eyes never leaving me.

I chuckled as I shook my head, trying to hold my tongue. "Get her gone before she gets killed," his eyes now focused on Isabel. I chuckled again, "oh you're going to kill me?"

He looked at me with venom in his eyes, completely ignoring me as he focused on Isabel, "you got thirty minutes" he turned around walking towards her door and out of it.

Isabel's eye said more than I could read as she looked at him, watching his back as he left. We heard the front door shut as Isabel turned facing me, "I'm sorry." I put my hands up, "no it's cool. This isn't my territory."

She shook her head, "You know three of ours just got killed and one of the boys they killed happened to be one of his friends brothers so they're fragile right now, not really trusting anybody."

"Anybody as in anybody black." I corrected.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose, but next time we'll definitely meet up elsewhere."

I gathered my things as I nodded my head, "definitely."