“I’m supposed to be in school today, and Maritza said she’d cover for me after school,” Yadriel said. As long as he was present and accounted for by the time Día de Muertos rang in on the church bells, he’d be okay. “So we have all day to do whatever you want.”
“Whatever I want?” Julian repeated, giving Yadriel a doubtful look.
“Whatever you want,” Yadriel confirmed as he combed his hair carefully into style. He didn’t remember dreaming last night, but when he woke up, there was a gaping ache in his chest and the shakiness that chased him into waking after a nightmare.
“Well, within reason,” he added. “We don’t have the time or funds to, like, fly to Hawaii or something.”
“That’s fine, I don’t like pineapple, and ‘fly on a plane’ was never on my bucket list anyways.” Julian shrugged.
“You’ve never been on a plane?” Yadriel didn’t travel all that much, and if they visited his mom’s family in Mexico, they just drove across the border. He’d only flown to Cuba a handful of times to visit his dad’s extended family, but still he was surprised.
“Tch, hell no! Get on a big metal death bird?” Julian shook his head. “Yeah, no, hard pass.”
“Well, you have some time to figure out what you want to do,” Yadriel told him as he loaded up his backpack with items they would need later that night. “We have to pick up some supplies first.”
“I still can’t believe you’re ditching school,” Julian remarked as he stood up from the floor. He was already buzzing with excitement. “You seem too straitlaced for that kind of thing.”
“I’m not straitlaced!” Yadriel scowled.
Julian cocked an eyebrow. “Have you ditched before?”
“… No.”
Julian smirked.
“Oh, shut up.” Yadriel checked his phone again as he tucked his portaje into its sheath against his lower back. He would need it later that night, when it was time to release Julian.
But he didn’t want to think about that right now. Right now, he just wanted to focus on Julian and his last day on earth.
Yadriel sent Maritza one last thank-you text. Twice she’d asked if she could go with them. Whether it was because she wanted to get out of class, or because she didn’t want Yadriel going off on his own with Julian, he wasn’t sure. Either way, Yadriel was letting himself be selfish.
Hoisting the especially heavily backpack onto his shoulders, Yadriel turned to Julian. “Ready?”
But he really hadn’t needed to ask. Julian was all raw electricity and blazing eyes. “God yes.” A wicked grin cut dimples into his cheeks, and Yadriel couldn’t stop himself from grinning back.
“Don’t draw any attention to yourself,” Yadriel warned him. “We still have to get through the cemetery.”
It was the morning of October 31. While most families were decorating for trick-or-treaters, or dressing their kids up for school, it was a very different scenario in the brujx cemetery.
As Yadriel quickly dashed between headstones, men and women filed in and out of the church and down the stone pathways, carrying boxes of candles, stacks of papel picado, and stalks of sugarcane. The resident spirits were also out, walking among the living and chatting excitedly. There were enough that Julian blended in with the crowds, a safe distance from Yadriel.
Lita stood on the steps of the church, calling out instructions and directing people this way and that, like a maestro. She wore one of her best dresses, a white one with short sleeves and brightly embroidered flowers along the neck and hem. A heavy beaded necklace was around her neck with a gold pendant depicting the Maya calendar. Bracelets of gold and jade clacked on her wrists.
His father stood by the gate, pointing people in the right direction as he tried to pat down his wavy hair. He wore a pair of slacks and a short-sleeved guayabera. It was bright red, which Yadriel knew was his mom’s favorite color.
He was about to make a run for it when his dad stopped him. “Yadriel!” he called after, waving him over. He looked nervous, continuing to fuss with his hair.
“I’m in a hurry, Dad,” Yadriel tried to deflect. “Late for school.” Julian slipped out behind his dad’s back, dodging between brujx and spirits alike.
“We need to put the finishing touches on the ofrenda for your mamá, so don’t be late,” his dad said, combing his fingers through his mustache. He smoothed down his shirt and stood up tall, sucking in his gut.
Yadriel just nodded. While he was getting used to sneaking around, he still didn’t have it in himself to lie so blatantly to his dad’s face. He would not be home right after school, probably wouldn’t be back until very late, after—
His stomach clenched. No, he didn’t want to think about that. Right now, he was only looking to make Julian happy. He wouldn’t let himself think past midnight.
Luckily, his dad didn’t seem at all suspicious. Enrique let out a breath, and his stomach pushed against his shirt, spilling a little over the edge of his belt.
Yadriel used his dad’s distraction to his benefit. “Okay, see you tonight!” he called, giving his dad a wave as he ran out the gate and down to where Julian was waiting at the corner.
“So, where to first, patrón?” he asked, walking backward in front of Yadriel.
“The store,” he said.
“For what?”
“Your favorite food. Whatever you want.”
Julian’s eyes lit up. “Whatever I want? But—wait.” He frowned. “For me? But I thought I couldn’t eat normal food?”
“You can’t,” Yadriel agreed, looking both ways before he crossed the street. “It’s for later.”
“What’s later?” Julian asked, jogging after him.
“It’s a secret,” Yadriel told him. He expected Julian to put up a fight, or at least whine and demand answers.
Instead, Julian bit his bottom lip, a wide smile splitting his face. The tips of his ears tinged red, and satisfaction thrummed in Yadriel’s chest.
They went to the local Mexican market. It was a large cement building painted yellow. As they strolled down the aisles, Yadriel dumped anything Julian pointed out into a red hand basket. Quickly, it filled up with packages of Gansitos, two glass bottles of Coke, pink coconut cookies, and some potato chips.
“TAKIS, TAKIS, TAKIS!” Julian crowed, running up to the display rack.
“Limón or fuego?” Yadriel asked, holding up the two bags.
Julian’s face contorted, like he’d just tasted something bitter. “Tch, fuego, obviously.” He shuddered. “I don’t like stuff with too much lime.”
Yadriel laughed and tossed the bag in. “You’re a disgrace to your people.” He bought the snacks with the cash he’d been saving over the past few weeks. When they stepped outside, there was an older man with a cart. Bags of fried dough in the shapes of pinwheels were tied around it.
“OOO, DUROS, YADRIEL!” Julian shouted so suddenly it made Yadriel jump.
“Okay, Jesus,” he whispered under his breath. He went up to the man and asked for a bag. The vendor opened one of the bags and dumped in chamoy, a pickled fruit and chili sauce that reeked of vinegar.
“No lime, no lime, no lime!” Julian panicked when the man reached for a small green bottle.
“Sin limón, por favor,” Yadriel told him. When they got a safe distance, he stopped to shove the contraband into his already stuffed backpack. “Ugh, my bag is never going to smell the same again,” Yadriel said, crinkling his nose.
Julian, on the other hand, inhaled deeply, sending his eyelids fluttering. “Mmm, I’m literally drooling right now,” he moaned.
“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 covered 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.