by Aiden Thomas
“Have you decided where we’re going?” Yadriel asked.
Julian tapped his fingers against his chin. “Hmmm. I’ve got a couple ideas, but nothing Last Day on Earth worthy.” He frowned.
Yadriel’s phone vibrated in his back pocket. He pulled it out and checked the screen. He was paranoid someone from the school would report him as absent to his dad and he’d be in deep trouble. He was trying to put off any impending panic until later in the afternoon, when he didn’t come home from school. He felt terrible about it, but it was for a good reason. It was for Julian.
“Who’s that?” Julian asked, hovering over his shoulder.
“Just a group text from Letti,” he said, scrolling through the message. There was a location and lots of exclamation points. “Looks like they decided where the Halloween bonfire is going to be.” Yadriel shrugged.
When he looked up, Julian was staring at him, mouth open in an excited smile. Yadriel’s shoulders sank.
“Julian, no—”
“Yes, Yads!”
It was Yadriel’s turn to complain. “Come on, there’s got to be something else you want to do!”
Julian happily shook his head. “Nope, I wanna do this!”
“Jules—!”
“Hey! I’m the one dying!” he said, tapping a finger to his chest. He paused. Frowned. “Er, dying again—getting deader?” Julian shook his head, waving off his own confusion. “I get to choose!”
“But—!”
“Them’s the rules!”
Yadriel groaned loudly and crossed his arms over his chest. “I really don’t want to go party with a bunch of people from school.” He didn’t even want to be around his classmates during school. The idea of hanging out with a bunch of them at a party where most of them would be drunk and belligerent sounded torturous at best and dangerous at worst. Yadriel was antisocial out of self-preservation. “I’m going to stick out like an awkward, sore thumb,” he added.
“Then it’s a good thing it’s Halloween, ain’t it? We’ll get you a disguise!” Julian told him, taking off down the street.
It was the day of Halloween, which meant the party-supply store was nearly cleared out. There were empty racks everywhere, and feathers and glitter littered the floor.
“How about this?” Julian said, toying with a mask made of peacock feathers.
“Yeah, that’ll help me blend in.” Yadriel glared.
Julian chuckled. “Okay, okay, okay.” He flicked the corner of a sugar skull face-painting kit. “This?”
Yadriel scoffed. “No. I’m not supporting the mass appropriation of calaveras in Western culture—”
“Okay, then.” Julian laughed, moving onto the next rack.
Yadriel made sure there was no one else down the aisle before quietly continuing his rant. “Sugar skulls are a sacred part of Día de Muertos, they’re not a Halloween costume for—”
But Julian was already onto the next option. “What about this?”
“This” was a black face shield one wore pulled up over their nose. It had the lower half of a skeleton’s face on it.
Yadriel hummed, uncertain. “Isn’t this what bikers wear?” he asked, picking up the mask and tracing his finger over the skull’s broken teeth.
Julian leaned his shoulder against the rack and gave Yadriel a look. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna mistake you for a Hells Angel.” He smirked.
Yadriel gave him a dubious look.
“Look, it’s basically a mask! It’ll cover half your face, no one’s gonna recognize you, and it matches your whole look,” he added, gesturing to Yadriel’s entire body.
He glanced down at his hoodie, torn black jeans, and combat boots. He squinted up at Julian. “And what’s my look?”
Julian tipped his head side to side. “Gay goth witch?”
Yadriel grabbed a stack of jack-o’-lantern napkins and threw them at Julian’s head. They went right through him and bounced off the rack harmlessly.
Outside, Yadriel tugged the mask on over his head and let it sit around his neck. “It’s going to take a while to get to the beach,” he said, pushing his hair back into place before pulling out his phone to look up the bus schedule.
Julian frowned. “Why?”
“We’re going to have to make at least two bus transfers and some walking, depending on which beach you want to go to,” he said, scrolling through the app.
“No way, we’re not taking the bus,” Julian scoffed.
“I can’t afford an Uber—”
“Do you know how to drive?” Julian asked.
“Well, yeah—”
“Stick shift?”
He did not like the look on Julian’s face. “Yes, why?” He could see Julian’s mind working. That sharp grin meant nothing but trouble.
Lots of trouble.
A short time later, Yadriel was standing on the sidewalk, facing the gate behind the mechanic shop that led to Rio and Julian’s apartment.
“I shouldn’t be doing this. I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He looked over at Julian, desperate for him to say this was just a joke. “Am I really doing this? Are we really doing this?”
Julian smiled cheerily. “Don’t look so worried; it’ll be fun!” he said, striding up to the gate.
“Getting arrested for stealing a car is not my idea of fun!” Yadriel whispered, his neck whipping as he looked around for witnesses. The shop was closed on Fridays, leaving the place empty. A few cars drove by. A lady in high heels walked across the street with her two Chihuahuas. Yadriel rushed to catch up with Julian. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this!”
“I’m not making you do anything!” he rebutted. “Now hurry up, Rio is probably catching up on rest, and he is not a heavy sleeper.” Julian walked right through the gate, leaving Yadriel on the other side.
“How am I supposed to get in there?” he hissed, throwing a furtive glance at the door at the top of the steps.
“Oh, right.” Julian backtracked. He walked back through the gate and over to a small pile of cinder blocks against the wall. Eyes squinting in concentration, he reached into one of the gaps and pulled out a set of keys. Pleased with himself, he tossed them to Yadriel. “Here.”
He fumbled to catch them before they hit the floor. “Your brother keeps a spare set of keys out here?” he asked. That didn’t seem very safe, and Rio didn’t strike him as someone who would hide keys in such a careless spot.
“What?” Julian snorted. “Hell no, he’s way too paranoid! I put ’em there.” He smiled proudly.
That made much more sense.
“Got tired of losing them all the time and Rio chewing me out. Putting them there obliterated the problem.”
“Eliminated,” Yadriel corrected, thumbing through the keys in his hand.
Julian waved him off. “Same thing. The one with the duct tape on the handle is for the gate.”
Yadriel’s hand trembled as he struggled to get the gate unlocked. He just needed to hurry and get the hell out of there. Figuring out what to do after tonight—with the car, the keys, and himself—would be a problem for later. When Yadriel pulled the gate open, the squealing of metal and crunch of gravel felt deafening.
Julian appeared completely unworried. He went right up to the car and smoothed his hands over the hood. “Hello, gorgeous,” he sighed, leaning his cheek against the roof of the car. “1970 Corvette Stingray,” Julian hummed affectionately. “Pop’s pride and joy. He did all the mods himself. Took him years to get it just the way he wanted.”
“Great, so I’m stealing a car that’s priceless and holds deep sentimental value,” Yadriel muttered. Nervous sweat pooled under his armpits. Between his unsteady hand and constantly checking the apartment door, Yadriel struggled to get ahold of the right key.
“The big one,” Julian prompted, getting impatient.
The creak of the car door opening made Yadriel cringe. He climbed in and closed it as quietly as possible.
The inside of the Corvette was c
overed in leather, the same electric blue as the exterior. The steering wheel was huge, the seats low. A black plastic rosary hung from the rearview mirror. A prayer card of Our Lady of Guadalupe in her blue, starry mantle was tucked into the pocket where a dashboard would be in a newer vehicle. A small stack of pictures peeked out behind Our Lady of Guadalupe, but all Yadriel could see was an elbow and the corner of a building.
The car was nearly pristine. Everything smelled like warm leather. Clearly, Julian’s father had taken good care of it. Judging by their apartment, Yadriel was surprised Julian and Rio had kept the Stingray in such good shape.
Julian was already sitting in the passenger seat, drumming his fingers against his knees. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
Yadriel stuffed his backpack down by Julian’s feet. He put the key into the ignition but then hesitated. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this,” he said. More sweat trickled down his spine. Panic clawed up his throat. “Your brother is going to call the police, it’ll turn into a car chase—”
“Car chases happen all the time in LA,” Julian said, as if that were supposed to make him feel better. “They’ve got convicts and shit to be going after.”
Yadriel pressed his hands against his temples. “Oh my God, my face is going to be all over the news!”
“Not if you cover it, dummy.” Julian reached and tugged the skeleton mask over his nose. “There!”
But it didn’t cover the death glare Yadriel shot him.
Julian laughed and shook his head. “It’s like you’ve never stolen a car before!”
“I have never stolen a car before!” Yadriel snapped. His breath heated the black material covering his mouth.
“Oh.” Julian paused. “I mean, it’s not even technically stealing—”
“How?”
“Pops left the car to my brother and me,” Julian stressed. “I’ve got a key and everything. I’m giving you permission to use it.”
“I don’t think that’s going to stand up in court.”
“Then you better drive fast, huh?” There was a flash of a grin. A reckless glint in his eye.
Julian reached over.
Yadriel sucked in a breath. “Jules!”
But it was too late. Julian gripped the key in the ignition and turned it.
The engine roared to life. Reggaeton blared from the speakers.
“GO, GO, GO!” Julian shouted, laughter shaking his voice.
Yadriel shoved down the panicked voice in his head. He didn’t think. He didn’t turn at the sound of the apartment door banging open.
He stepped on the clutch, threw the shift into gear, and peeled out.
The smell of exhaust stung his nose. The sound of Julian’s excited shout filled his ears. The beat of the bass thudded in his chest.
Yadriel drove, and he didn’t look back.
TWENTY
They headed for the beach, but that meant cutting through Los Angeles first. The traffic did little to calm Yadriel’s nerves. He kept checking the mirrors, convinced that any second blue-and-red lights would flash in their reflection.
Julian wasn’t helping. He practically vibrated with barely contained excitement next to Yadriel, impatient and constantly shifting. He reached forward and turned the music back on, filling the car with thumping bass.
Yadriel cringed and tugged the mask back down around his neck. “Does it have to be that loud?”
“Yes, it does!” Julian shouted over the noise as he spun the dial, cycling through station after station.
Yadriel rolled his eyes and cranked down the window to get some cool air in the stuffy cab. It whipped through his hair. The buffeting wind fought with the crackling of the speakers. The air cooled Yadriel down and made it easier for him to breathe.
Julian went so fast through the stations, Yadriel had no idea how he could even tell what was playing. Sometimes he’d pause and Yadriel thought he’d finally found one he liked, but then he always ended up searching for a new song before it was over.
In between the fuzz of dead channels, there was a flash of music so quick that Yadriel barely registered it until Julian shouted, “YES!”
“Urgh, really?” Yadriel yelled over the heavy bum ba-dum bum bum of blaring reggaeton.
“YES, REALLY!” Julian sucked in a deep breath and sang at the top of his lungs.
Yadriel burst into laughter. “OH MY GOD!”
“SHUT UP, THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG!” Julian yelled back, laughter shaking his words.
Objectively, Julian was a terrible singer, but, damn, was he committed. Shoulders rolling, Julian danced in his seat and sang like his life depended on it. The way his voice cracked had Yadriel gripping the steering wheel for dear life as deep belly laughs shook him.
Unabashed and beaming—this was his favorite version of Julian. Bright, carefree, and overflowing with infectious energy.
Alive.
Julian snagged Yadriel’s eye as he looked over at him and sang-shouted, his eyebrows tipping to an earnest angle.
Yadriel ducked his head and sank down farther in his seat, his face burning bright red. This only made Julian break into more laughter, and then they were both a mess.
By the time they got through the city, the traffic had thinned out considerably. They left the skyscrapers behind, and the scenery opened up. The sky was streaked with dizzying orange and luminous pink, kissing the horizon where it met the ocean. The deep blue stretched out, sunlight sparking off the water. The lazy crash of waves joined the music. The crisp air mixed with the smell of salt water and exhaust.
Yadriel veered onto the Pacific Coast Highway where it ran along mansions and pale beaches.
“Faster!” Julian demanded, twisting in his seat to face Yadriel.
“I’m going fast enough!” Yadriel told him, the speedometer hovering at the speed limit.
“FASTER, YOU COWARD!” Julian gripped Yadriel’s knee.
A chill shot up his thigh. A breath caught in his lungs. He could feel it. The pressure of Julian’s fingers, the weight of his palm.
Yadriel glanced over, meeting Julian’s hungry stare. There was a recklessness in his smile. Sunset burned in his eyes. Heat pooled in Yadriel’s stomach. He huffed, but a grin was already pulling at the corners of his lips, betraying his crumbling resolve.
Gripping the steering wheel at precisely ten and two, Yadriel checked the mirrors. His knuckles flexed over the smooth leather, and, with a roar of the engine, Yadriel’s back pressed into the seat as the Stingray charged ahead.
Julian howled with delight. He gripped the door and leaned out the open window.
Yadriel’s hand shot out to grab him and felt ridiculous when his fingers went right through Julian’s shoulder.
Dimples pressed into his cheeks, Julian stretched his arms out. He shouted something, but it was swallowed up by the thundering wind.
Julian was unleashed, brilliantly burning.
It gave Yadriel a head rush as they sped past crashing waves, palm trees, and beaches painted pink by the sunset. The engine thrummed through his body. His heart hammered in time.
When they finally pulled into the parking lot along the beach, the sun was nothing more than a smudge of burning red against the horizon. The party was already in full swing. A huge crowd of people gathered around the bonfire, tucked between two abandoned lifeguard towers. Music blared from a set of speakers somewhere. The crackling flames sent crooked shadows dancing toward the lapping waves.
Yadriel pulled out his phone. He had several missed calls from his dad. He scrolled through the texts before quickly clearing them out. Yadriel didn’t have the stomach to read them, let alone listen to any of the voicemails, so he turned off the notifications.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Yadriel groaned, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.
“Yes!” Julian said, bounding to his side.
Yadriel glared up at him. “This is my worst nightmare, Jules.”
He was unbothered. “This
is my last dying wish, Yads,” he said with mock sincerity, tugging the mask up over Yadriel’s nose.
“Come on, come on, come on!” Julian called, waving Yadriel on as he headed for the party.
Reluctantly, Yadriel followed.
For such a huge group of people, he felt surprisingly invisible, and that, for once, was a relief. When he spoke to Julian, his mouth was covered so no one could see him and think he was talking to himself. Not to mention, his voice didn’t travel very far in the cacophony of music and voices.
Everyone had showed up in costume, or at least a mask. There were mermaids, devils, and detailed disguises. Some people just threw on one of those colored paper masks and called it good.
He didn’t recognize anyone, and he kept reminding himself that no one recognized him, either, and no one cared. No one gave him a strange look, no one even noticed him when he accidentally bumped into them. He was just a boy in a sea of bodies.
Julian was in his element. He liked noisy places and noisy people. A stormy boy who seemed most comfortable in chaos. Everyone cheered and danced and drank. The air smelled of smoke, alcohol, and sea salt. He joined a group of people crowded around a guy in a horse mask, laughing as he gulped down a beer. Julian whooped and cheered. People moved through him, but no one seemed to notice. Either it was too cold for them to tell, or inebriation had dulled their senses. Probably a combination of both.
“Beer?” Julian asked, gesturing to large boxes of cheap beer that had been ripped open, spilling cans from their torn mouths.
“No,” Yadriel said, tense with even more discomfort, if that were possible. There were several reasons he hated going to parties, one of them being the pressure to drink.
Julian looked around at a Styrofoam cooler and several handles of liquor stuck in the sand. “They’ve probably got tequila or somethin’—”
“I don’t drink,” Yadriel all but growled. He half expected Julian to guffaw or try to goad him into it. He braced himself, ready to argue on his own behalf.
Instead, Julian just nodded. “My bad!”
And then he was off to the next thing that caught his attention, leaving Yadriel standing there.
