Elise tried her best not to get involved in any dangerous activities that Freeridge had going on, but ever since Oscar had told her that Cesar had that hit on him, she had been increasingly paranoid and worried for the teenager.

So, when Oscar was helping her move into her new place and made a comment about Cesar taking Latrelle out, Elise immediately paused. "What?" She asked with a frown. She went to wipe down the table and shook her head, "Oscar he's just a kid, both of them are." She pointed.

"So was I." Oscar replied, lifting the TV up onto the stand in the living room.

"But you never killed anyone." Elise insisted to the other male. "You can't have Cesar do this." She said.

"It's already done. Cuchillos wants it done by the end of the week. There aint shit I can do about that, Elise." Oscar said with a shrug of his shoulders. Elise didn't like how nonchalant he was being about this.

"You can help your brother… anything Oscar, he's fifteen." Elise put the wipe in the trash and sighed.

"So is Latrelle, and that didn't stop his bitch ass from pulling the gun on Cesar and Monse. Latrelle needs to be taken out."

Elise sucked in a breath, shaking her head again at him. "Just stop talking." He wasn't going to listen to reason, and for that, Elise didn't have it in her to keep arguing with him. She looked around, there was a few boxes that still needed to be emptied. But other than that, Oscar had spent the entire morning helping her move in. He called a few of his boys to help move the heavy furniture in, then after they had left, Oscar stayed behind to help move a few things away. She looked over at him as he made sure the TV was secure enough not to fall on the floor. "Is Cesar and that girl Monse fucking?"

Oscar paused, before he chuckled quietly. "She claims it's a rumor, but nah… nah they definitely fucking."

Elise grinned slightly, "Why she want it to be a rumor?" She asked curiously.

"Something about breaking up the group." Oscar said with a shrug of his shoulders. "She does too much talking."

Elise tilted her head from side to side as she contemplated that. She couldn't help but agree, the few times that she had been around Monse besides the first meeting, the girl seemed to be talking non-stop.

"Aight." Oscar rose to his full height. "I gotta go, you need anything else?"

"I was gonna go to this interview, but it's later on at 3. I was wondering if you could maybe pick up Livie from daycare?" Elise asked as she looked over at him. This was the first time she was asking him to do this. Normally he'd take her to pick Olivia up. Or she'd have her parents pick her up, but they were busy today.

Oscar looked surprised that he was asking her this as well, he couldn't help but grin a bit. "Yeah I can get her." He said. "Four o'clock right?" He asked. When she nodded in agreement, he glanced over at the clock on the wall, he'd need to pick her up in a few hours. "Aight, you want me to meet you here?"

Elise shook her head, "No, I'm not sure how long it'll take, so I'll meet you at your place." He left after that. Things were slightly better for her and Oscar after the two of them had that talk at the beach, he seemed to understand that she needed time. And she was slowly opening up to him more and more. Cesar was happy to let the two of them have their much needed talk and seemed relieved when they came back after the time at the beach was spent joking around and having fun.

It was later on that day around 5 PM that Elise left out of her interview. She wasn't sure if she had gotten the job or not, but at least the manager of the restaurant seemed pretty content with the interview. She hoped she would be getting a call from them soon. She really needed to start working ASAP, the apartment that they moved into was on the cheaper side, but it didn't stop bills from flowing in.

Elise sent a quick text message to Oscar letting him know that she was on the way to him as she went to get in her car.

"Ayo what's up."

Elise paused, looking over at the sight of the vehicle. Their was a group of guys in the car looking at her, they had these grins on their faces that made her uneasy. She continued walking.

"Bitch you hear me talking to you!" One of them yelled while the others snickered. "Aw, Spooky's bitch got some balls on her."

Her blood ran cold as she entered her car, quickly starting it up and driving off. Spooky's bitch got some balls on her…. The comment didn't make her angry. It scared her. Because those were the Prophet$ and they had seen her enough with Oscar to know who she was. She pulled up outside of the Diaz's house, where she noticed Cesar with a small ball, he was tossing it gently to Olivia. She watched as her daughter giggled happily, unable to really catch the ball, but happy to be playing. Olivia took a quick liking to Cesar the same way she took a quick liking to Oscar.

Oscar sat watching them toss the ball as he drunk his beer, however when he seen Elise exit her car he stood up with a smile.

Elise walked past Cesar and Olivia, smiling down at her daughter when she waved. She gulped down a lump in her throat and looked up at Oscar with concern.

Oscar seemed to notice the look on her face and he frowned, "Cesar, take Livie inside and get her a snack."

Cesar looked at his brother, before nodding. He scooped the toddler in his arms and carried her inside.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked Elise as soon as the other two entered in the house. "They turned you down at the interview?"

Elise shook her head, "No… not that… I was leaving the interview and some Prophet$ rolled up… They called me Spooky's bitch." She mumbled out with a frown.

Oscar's teeth clenched and he nodded his head, "Cesar and I will sleep at your house tonight." He told Elise, she made no move to protest. "Did they follow you here?" He asked.

"I don't know, I didn't see them." Elise shook her head.

"Good." Oscar replied, pulling out his phone, he went to step away as he made a phone call.

Later that night, after Elise had put Olivia in a bath, a knock sounded off at her door. Elise stepped out of Olivia's room, and she closed the door behind her. Cesar was already there, so he got up from the couch, grabbing the gun off the table, he walked over and went to peer out the peep whole, opening it when seeing Oscar on the other side.

"Sad Eyes and a couple of the homies are posted up outside." Oscar said as he entered the apartment, he sat his gun down on the table.

"Oscar, I don't feel comfortable." Elise said with a frown.

"Hey, hey." Oscar said as he crossed over to her, he rubbed her arms. "I aint gonna let anything happen to you or Livie, aight?" Elise nodded her head silently, and he pressed a kiss to her head. "Come on, I'll make some tamales." He shot her a grin, and Elise smiled softly up at him.

Elise stayed up for as long as she could, Oscar and Cesar tried to get her to go to sleep, but she remained in Olivia's room. She wasn't sure when she dosed off, but her eyes snapped open when she heard movement in the room. "Oscar?"

"Shhh…" He told her quietly, lifting her up in his arms, he carried her cradle style into her room. Through her tired haze, Elise noticed that Olivia was now in her bed. Oscar must've already moved her. "You'll get a neck cramp sleep hunched over like that." Oscar told her quietly as he laid her down in the bed.

Elise immediately went to slide under the blanket with Olivia. Oscar watched them, smiling at the sight, before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "You can come lay down." Elise said quietly.

Oscar raised a brow at her, "You sure?" He asked. And when she nodded her head, he slid his shoes off and went to slide in the bed on the other side of Olivia. "Thank you…"

"For what?" Elise asked quietly.

"For giving me her." Oscar replied. Elise smiled sleepily at him, before she went to close her eyes. She had dozed off again, and she supposed Oscar had dozed off as well. She wasn't sure how long the peace lasted, how long the feeling of comfort from the three of them laying in that bed lasted. But when the sound of gunshots sounded off, it was as if she was in a nightmare. Olivia started screaming and crying as she was startled out of her sleep by Oscar grabbing her and Elise off the bed and yanked them to the ground.

"Get down, get down!" Oscar yelled at Elise as he shielded her and Olivia. Elise tried to console Olivia as the gun shots shattered the window in the room. Oscar waited until he was sure it was safe to get up, pulling away when Elise grabbed his hand and he grabbed his gun and walked over to the window and began shooting out the window at the fleeing cars.

Oscar looked furious when Elise peeked her head up from behind the bed. She turned to Olivia, "Baby, baby, it's okay, it's okay, Livie." She tried shushing her.

Oscar's features softened tremendously at the sight of Olivia and he walked over to them. "Aye princesa. It's alright mi amor. Shhh quit crying." He whispered as he grabbed her and hugged her to him.

Cesar came barging in the room not long after. "Are you guys okay?"

Oscar nodded, "Where's Sad Eyes?"

"Outside with the others. He said he doesn't know where they even came from." Cesar explained quietly.

Elise stood up, walking over to where the shattered glass was. She let out a shaky breath, breathing heavily as she felt hot tears slide down her cheeks. She placed a hand on her chest, hunching over as she tried to catch her bearings. Panic. Spots clouded her vision, and the room was spinning. Panic.

The next thing she knew, Oscar had her in the bathroom with the door shut. He put a cold wet cloth over her face. "Breathe hermosa, breathe."

Her throat was tight, but she managed slow and long breaths in and out. Elise removed the cloth from her face, and he was already handing her a blunt. "Where's Livie?" She asked in a slight panicked tone.

"She's okay, she's in the living room with Cesar. She's alright, she stopped crying." Oscar said as he watched her close. "Smoke, Elise." He instructed.

Elise was silent as she took a few puffs from the blunt. She stared up at him as he watched her in return. "I can't do this, Oscar. They came to my home. We haven't been in here for two days." She said quietly.

Oscar breathed out a sigh, "I know, I know." He said with a frown, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I'm breaking my lease in the morning… I…I gotta find somewhere safer for us. Somewhere outside of Freeridge." Elise explained with a frown.

Oscar looked at her, realization dawning on his face.

"I can't let you come around…" Elise finished as she looked down. Neither of them spoke after that, and Oscar soon left the bathroom. Elise wasted no time leaving after him. After making sure Olivia had calmed down, she called her parents and informed them of what had happened. They immediately told her they would come get her and Olivia to bring them to their house. Oscar made a comment about how he and the boy would clean up the house, but other than that, the two parents didn't say anything else to each other.

Elise knew he was hurting, but she couldn't put Olivia in any more danger than she already was.

That's exactly what she told Aaliyah and Carmen the next day when they came to her parents' house. "Her being Spooky Diaz's daughter, already puts her in danger. So, Oscar has to stay from us."

"Oscar would never let anything happen to either of you." Carmen said with a frown. "You can't be serious Elise."

"To the best of his capability… he wouldn't let anything happen to us, to the best of his capability. But what about after that? When we can't always be together twenty-four seven? When he's not around? I can't, no I won't." Elise shook her head.

"Do you realize how bad it's going to hurt not only you now, but Olivia to be away from him?" Aaliyah asked her. "You introduced her to her father Elise, you cannot keep them away from each other."

"Like hell I can't!" Elise snapped at them. "She was screaming last night. I couldn't console her." She said with a frown. "There were bullets in my bedroom… Oscar's gang shit brought that to my home." She shook her head. "He can't come around us right now, maybe not ever."

Oscar didn't text or call over the course of the next few days. Elise stayed at her parents house and didn't go outside unless it was take Olivia to the daycare or go to the store. But other than that, she was inside. So she hadn't been keeping up with the happenings of Freeridge.

So when she walked through her parents door one day after coming home with Olivia, she was surprised to see Cesar sitting at their table. Elise looked confused as Olivia immediately made a beeline for her uncle to give him a hug. "Cesar… what are you doing here?" Elise asked with a frown as he reached down and lifted Olivia in his arm, hugging her tight.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." Cesar explained with a small sigh.

Elise frowned even more, "Is Oscar okay?" She briefly looked panicked and she backed up towards the door.

"No no, he's fine." Cesar quickly said to assure her. "I'm out of the gang, I couldn't kill Latrelle. Oscar put me out of the house… said I was no longer a Santos." He muttered.

Elise narrowed her gaze, feeling anger rise in her. "You had no damn business being a Santos in the first place. Oscar shouldn't have told you to kill Latrelle, you're just a kid. He kicked you out?" Cesar nodded. "I'm gonna go kill him." She grabbed her keys.

"Elise." Her mother entered the room. "You don't need to go anywhere. Cesar has a hit on him, so he's going to stay with us. No one knows where we live, we're not deep in Freeridge, so he'll be fine." She said.

"That's not going to stop me from killing Oscar, he's out of his mind. He put Cesar out and is always talking about family?" Elise asked.

"It's fine Elise, I messed up. And your mom's right, you don't need to go around there right now, it's too hot." Cesar allowed Olivia to pull him over to the couch and turned the TV on when she handed him the remote.

Elise was still fuming, but she relented, since she knew they were right.

A few days later, instead of Cesar walking to school with his friends, Elise offered to give them all a ride because she didn't want Cesar walking anywhere the more and more she thought about it. They were in the back having an animated conversation when she walked out of the daycare and back towards the car. She was glad Cesar had his friends, they seemed to all fit each other well.

Elise paused when she noticed Oscar leaning up against his car and she frowned. She sighed and walked over to him. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here Spooky."

"I aint seen you or Olivia in days, if I gotta keep my distance I will, but the least you could let me do is watch you two walk in daycare." Oscar said with a small shrug, and Elise felt like that was the dumbest shit she's heard in her life. "Why is Cesar in your car, Elise."

"Because his brother abandoned him. Something that he said he would never do." Elise said with a scowl as she stepped around him and walked to her own car, not wanting to stick around and hear whatever crap he had to say to her.

Cesar was staring at her as she entered the vehicle. "What did he say?" He asked her.

"Nothing that I care to hear." Elise said with a frown as she started up the car and drove off.

In no way, shape or form did her parents like what happened at her apartment, so they didn't mind her breaking her lease. What they didn't like? Was the fact that Elise was once again keeping Olivia and Oscar away from one another. They felt that she could go about things differently to make it possible for father and daughter to see one another. But Elise's concern for Olivia's wellbeing made her stubborn. And rightfully so.

So when she walked in the house one evening one night after working in the restaurant, Elise paused at the sight of Oscar at the dining room table with her family and Cesar. She was so tired, she hadn't noticed his car outside in her parents driveway. Elise gritted her teeth angrily, before she sucked in a breath. "Cesar?"

The younger Diaz brother looked up, and Oscar turned to raise an eyebrow at them. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you in the other room? It seems my parents can't be trusted." Elise said, rolling her eyes as she walked past the kitchen and down the hall.

"Don't be so childish!" She heard her father call to her. Elise waited for Cesar to walk in the room, before she all but slammed the door behind them.

"I don't know what he's doing here." Cesar immediately said. "He's barely spoken two words to me. Your parents didn't kick him out." He explained.

Elise shook her head frustratedly, "Why would they do this? Oscar's just as hot as the streets." She grumbled out angrily. "It's like they're out to spite me." She removed the apron from around her and tossed it in the hamper. She paused, whirling around to face Cesar. "What the hell do you mean he's barely spoken to you?"

Cesar shook his head, "I mean… the only time he said anything to me was when he asked me to pass Olivia's cup to him."

And her parents called her childish? Elise nodded. "Right… I'm going to get in the shower, and then… I'm to come out for dinner." She ushered Cesar out of the room, not missing the pained look on the teenager's face. His brother's silence towards him was hurting. And if her parents wanted to invite Oscar over? Then she was going to fix more than one thing.

She made her way to the dinner table about thirty minutes later in some fresh clothes. Elise sat down on the other side of Olivia's chair and she cleared her throat. "What's for dinner?" She decided to ask.

"I made tacos." Oscar answered.

And Elise slowly nodded her head, "You cooked?" She nodded again.

"How was work?" Her mother decided to ask her then, trying to ease a bit of the tension.

"It was fine." Elise answered shortly, before she turned to Oscar. "So you can walk in my parents house, steal their love and affection, but you can't speak to your own brother?" She questioned him, Cesar nearly choked on his water.

"Elise it's okay." He tried saying.

"Elise." Her mother warned her.

"No, it's not actually. Because Cesar's a teenager, and he put Cesar out of the house for him to fend for himself on the streets. Knowing that there's no mother or father to look after him." Elise leaned back in her chair.

Oscar stared at her, he then scoffed, "He made it here fine, Elise. What's the problem?"

"The problem is, that you're an asshole, Oscar. And a hypocrite.-"

"Elise, this isn't your discussion." Her mother tried again, but Elise wasn't hearing it.

"How dare you go around talking about family this, family that. You let me lie to that boy when I told him that he was your world. Pendejo." Elise hissed at him, grabbing her plate, she rose from the table. "I'm eating in my room."

"Sit down." Oscar snapped at her, her parents head turned to him in surprise.

"Excuse you?" Elise asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I said sit down." Oscar replied.

"Yall gonna let him talk to me like that?" Elise asked her parents.

The older couple looked at one another, before nodding at Elise.

Elise scowled and she plopped down in her seat.

Oscar was silent, before he cleared his throat and stood up. "Cesar." He walked towards the door, nodding for his brother to follow him out.

"That boy has you whipped." Elise's father told her.

"Cállate." Elise muttered as she began making Olivia a small plate of food.