Chapter 4: Flores para los muertos

After school, Axel and his friends disappear into the gym where the guys practice mixed martial arts. Aken plans to participate in no-holds-barred fights where he can earn good money, and therefore gives his best in training.

The "Beasts" gang has grown in two years and includes almost all the boys of the four major streets of the district. The guys keep order in the territories, protect their own from the attacks of neighboring gangs and together solve their problems, realizing that adults are not up to this.

Rene went to first grade, and no matter how much Axel promises himself that the girl is not his sister and he will not follow her, he often picks her up after school or sends his guys. Relationship with Rene may have improved. Axel has accepted the fact that he has a very annoying sister, but everything is the same with Inna. Axel isn't rude or scandalous, but he hardly speaks to the woman.

“And the teacher admired me,” Rene says mincing in front, as Axel walks behind her with her backpack on his shoulder. “Nobody told the poem so well.”

“I see you like to praise yourself,” the boy rolls his eyes.

“Are you not proud of me?” Rene turns to him, upset.

“I don't care,” Axel mumbles as proof. “And you, doing something, do it for yourself, and not for someone to be proud.”

“Did something bad happen?” the little girl frowns.

“Why do you think so?”

“When something happens, you’re angry with me,” the younger says resentfully.

“I'm not mad at you,” the boy tries to sound softer.

“Then will you watch a cartoon with me?” The child asks hopefully.

“Don't be impudent!” Axel holds the door for the girl to enter the house, and hears the screams of his father and Inna. He drops the backpack on the floor and, grabbing Rene in his arms, walks outside again.

“Where are we going?” Rene hugs him by the neck.

“Let's eat at Uncle Bono's.”

“Hooray!” the child claps her hands. “I want potatoes! Lots of fried potatoes.”

“If you eat so many fried potatoes, then when you grow up, your face will look like a badly fried tortilla.”

“Not true! I will be the most beautiful woman in the world,” the child frowns.

“Well, it's unlikely, because the most beautiful woman in the world will be my woman, '' Axel grins and lowers Rene to the sidewalk.

In the first year of Inna and Do's marriage, the only reason they could have a fight was Axel. Now the couple swears for any reason. Do began to disappear at work often. Axel, who is constantly on the streets, doesn't quite understand them but tries not to interfere.

Today, Do ran home for a couple of minutes to change, but for half an hour he has been standing in the middle of the living room listening to his wife's displeasure.

“Chan promised you a new home and security, but did not do it! I would not care, but my daughter is growing ...”

“She’s my daughter too!” Do interrupts her.

“Then explain to me why are you silently enduring your boss’s antics?” Inna comes closer. “Why don't you demand from him what is due to you? You plow for days, the first to appear at all hot spots, and they wipe their feet on you!”

“You don't understand the most of it, and I'm too busy to explain it to you ...”

“I'm from the cartel myself!” Inna shouts. “My father from a huckster turned into one of the most influential people in Nebo! Do you know why? Because he demanded what was due to him, instead of sitting and waiting for his boss to come down to him!”

“I'm glad for your father,” the man pulls on his jacket, “but please don’t interfere with my affairs with the cartel.”

“And it's all?” Inna catches up with Do, walking to the exit, with tears in her eyes. “And this is how each of our dialogue ends!”

“This is a monologue, however, as always, because you are not listening,” the man turns to her. “I promised you and our children safety. I will ensure it, just stop putting pressure on me,” Do says softly. “We've done renovations, our refrigerator is full of food, we have something that most of this fucking city doesn't dream of, but there will be even more, be patient.”

***

“Breathe,” Axel punches Leo in the side with an elbow and nods towards the two girls walking towards the side of the car.

“I can't,” Leo puts a hand on his chest, eyes fixed, watching a beautiful lady his own age who reaches for the car door. The girl is in no hurry to open the door, slowly turns to the boys, and a beautiful smile slowly spreads over her face. Leo can feel his heart throbbing between his ribs and leans against the fence to stay on his feet. The girl hides in the car, and Leo takes a drag on his friend's cigarette.

“Do you believe something could be between you two?” Axel scratches his head. “She is Chan’s daughter.”

“She smiled at me, what are you talking about?” Leo exclaims. “I have been her shadow for a month now. I have been thinking about her all the time, and she will definitely be my girlfriend, you will see.”

“You're not just a mad person, you're also a romantic,” Axel laughs.

“I'm just in love,” Leo sighs.

“Okay, Romeo, let's go to Aken's, we'll help,” Axel slaps him on the shoulder and walks to the gate.

On the way to Aken's, the boys walk into the car wash where Dev works, and after a little chat, they move on. Aken rented a roadside shipping container that he equipped for his auto repair shop. Aken liked to dig into cars since childhood, therefore he understands them well. He spent some time in a workshop in the center, where he supervised the work of the chief master for a symbolic payment and dirty work. The boy has almost no customers due to his age, but he does not lose heart. It is in this workshop that he secretly sells stolen parts, which is mined not only in A-Card, but also in neighboring territories. Avi will go to school in a year. Aken wants to dress the child well and buy everything he needs.

“It's autumn now and it's cool, but by summer you have to change your place, '' Axel walks inside. “This iron will heat up under the sun, and we will all turn into grilled chickens.”

“Do you really think that in such a long period of time I will not get up at least a little and will be hanging around here?” Aken puts grinder aside and reaches for a rag to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Glad to hear that,” Axel glances at the door. “Leo ran for lemonade and burritos. I don't want to talk to him. You know that if we disagree on something, he thinks that we have a conflict, and then he gets very worried.”

“I know.” Aken sits on the beer crate and lights a cigarette. “I'm listening to you.”

“I wanted to say, I'm glad you're not thinking of getting stuck here and fixing the troughs.” Axel drops down next to him. “I began to fear that ...”

“That I would turn into one of our neighbors, settle here, earn a couple of bills per day for a pot of chili and that's it?” Aken interrupts with a grin. “I need money because I need to feed myself and my brother, but I still want more and want to change something, though I don’t know where to start yet.”

“Dad will introduce me to the cartel in two years, and I will insist that you be introduced too,” Axel says.

“I can't wait that long, I'm already fourteen,” Aken gathers his legs under him. “Have one thing to do at the end of the week,” the boy lowers his voice. “The guys from the cartel with whom I talk, promised to take me with them. This will be my dedication.”

“You’ll be careful, right?” Axel asks worriedly.

“You know, I have no options,” Aken smiles. “If something happens to me, Avi will be left alone, and I can't let that happen.”

“Food,” Leo walks inside, waving the bags, and freezes. “Did you both gossip about me?

“Of course, '' Axel laughs and takes a burrito out of the bag he handed him and unfolds.

“Anyway, I have an idea,” Leo pulls the dusty old car seat over to the guys and plops down on it. “I want to buy flowers tomorrow morning. I even saved up money, counted, and I can buy exactly five roses. I'll give them to her.”

“She’ll whip you off with this broom,” Aken laughs.

“Or her guards would rather do it,” Axel laughs.

“Come on, guys! You have to support me. I outline the territory, show everyone and her in particular that she is my girl,” says Leo offended.

“You never said a word to her, you just keep saying, that she's your girl,” Aken sips of lemonade.

“Well, I like her.”

“Do not become limp. You will give her flowers tomorrow, and now I have to trudge to the first lesson because of you.” Aken punches him on the shoulder.

“I don't need security!” Leo bristles.

“We're just to keep your spirits up,” Axel soothes him.

***

Leo did not leave his crazy thoughts, as it seems to his friends. In the morning, the boy showed up in the school yard with a bouquet of white roses.

“You even put on a shirt,” Dev laughs, glancing at his nervous friend.

“Mum made it. She said it was not good for me to show up in a hoodie today,” Leo tries to control himself.

“Relax, you're very tense,” Aken says, glancing at Chan's SUV parked at the gate. “If you’re so nervous, you won’t be able to say a word to her.”

She gets out of the car, straightens her pale blue cardigan and, surrounded by two guards, walks towards the school.

“God, please, help me,” Leo and Aken say at the same time.

“Satan, you too,” Axel nods.

Leo hugs the newspaper-wrapped roses to his chest and moves towards the girl walking towards the school entrance. The boy calls out to her and stops five paces away, scanned by the guards.

“This is for you,” timidly holds out the bouquet to the girl. She looks at Leo, then at the roses for a couple of seconds, and then takes the bouquet.

“Thank you,” she brings the flowers to her nose, not noticing the stars blazing up at the bottom of Leo’s pupils with happiness, “but I don’t want flowers from a rogue.”

She relaxes her fingers and the bouquet falls under her feet. The newspaper opens, scattering flowers under the boys' feet, and one by one, only the flashing stars in Leo's eyes go out. She let go of more than just a bouquet. She unclenched her fingers and released the boy, who a second ago was in seventh heaven with happiness, and now lies face down on the concrete porch of the school.

“Maybe I'm a rogue,” Leo says, struggling to control his voice, “but you're an arrogant rat.”

Aken, Axel, and Dev immediately fly up to their friend, but that doesn't save Leo, who is grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pushed down the stairs. Dev runs up to his friend, and Leo tries to get up again, but, gasping in pain, presses his hand to his chest and touches the steps with his forehead. Aken's fist freezes in the air as he sees one of the guards aim a pistol at Axel.

“Put the gun away,” Axel hisses, coming closer until the muzzle touches his forehead. “Who are you without it?”

“I’m fine with it,” the man cackles. “You’ll take his brains off the stairs yourself,” he says to the other two teenagers.

“I'm Do's son. If you pull the trigger, my father will cut you up and feed you to your family.” Axel's knees tremble with fear, but he keeps pushing.

"Is he really Do's son?" The guard holding a pistol asks the second, who nods. “Once again, approach the young lady, even your father won't save you,” the man spits out the words and puts away the weapon.

The men hide with the girl in the school, and Leo, holding his hand to himself, continues to moan in pain and beat his forehead on the steps.

“What's the matter?” Aken goes down next to him.

“I think I broke my arm when I fell.” Leo almost faints from the pain. Axel immediately reaches for his mobile.

“Father will send the car now, let's go to the hospital,” Axel tries to cheer up his friend.

“I’ll never give anyone flowers again,” Leo says with trembling lips and looks at the worn buds on the concrete floor. “From now on, their place is only on the gravestones.”

Aken, despite Leo's screams, immobilizes the arm with his jacket and helps his friend reach the gate. An hour and a half later, Aken, Axel, and Dev stand in the hospital corridor, watching through the glass as Lea, who was crying before, is listening intently to the doctor.

Leo sits on the bunk with a cast-on hand, darker than a cloud, and doesn't look up from the floor. The boy does not think about her and her deed. He is ashamed that he caused mum to cry and made her run to the hospital by foot. Aken walks back and forth nervously.

“It's not them who’re scums. It's that whore,” Axel clucks his tongue.

The guys walk Leo and Lea home and sit with their injured friend in the kitchen while the woman hastily cooks dinner. The boys didn't want to stay and be a burden to Lea, but the woman insisted.

“I’m guilty. I forgot, I shouldn’t have allowed you to approach her,” Lea laments.

“Mum, stop it,” Leo grumbles. “How would you know? I didn't know myself. I thought she was a good person.”

“Just don’t think that everyone is like that girl,” Lea moves away from the stove and approaches her son. “Believe me, there is a beautiful and kind girl in the world who will love you, and first of all, for what is in your chest not in your pocket.”

“I don’t want it anymore,” Leo looks away. “And I don't need any girl. I can buy the love I need.”

“You won't!” the mother puts her hand over his hand. “She will come to you herself, will accept you as you are. I really do not want you to stop believing in love.”

“It’s better this way,” Axel says firmly.

“I forbid you to think so!” the woman puts bowls of soup in front of the guys. “Each of you will definitely meet someone who will love you.”

“Will someone love me?” Noah looks into his bowl.

“Of course, my boy,” Lea kisses him on the forehead. “You have a huge heart, it is impossible not to notice it. Love will find its way to you all…”

* The title of the chapter is “Flowers for the dead” (Spanish: Flores para los muertos.)