1920s slang glossary:
Slum = To go to the bad side of the town.
Level with Me = Be Honest.
Glad rags = Fancy clothes you wear on a night out.
Swanky = Luxurious
Twerp = immature, petty brat
Chapter 13: Love Bomb
In separate groups, the adults kept looking for the monkey but to no avail.
First, the men chased the monkey until Jack hopped over the wooden fence. Berto bumped into the fence followed by Felix, Agustin, and Enrique. Hurt and flat as pancakes, all the men slid down the fence.
After the monkey hopped over the fence, he climbed on a tree and swung in the opposite direction above his fallen chasers from tree to tree. When he landed on the ground, the monkey was spotted by Franco, Elena, and Alma. Jack quickly took off like a cheetah.
The senior citizens ran, trying to catch the monkey. Unfortunately, they could only do so much due to Franco's knee problems, Alma's heart condition, and Elena's low energy. They kept running and running until the monkey disappeared through a bush. Franco put his hands through the bush but its prickly thorns pricked him. Yelping, he pulled his hands out.
"Oh Franco, you're bleeding!" Elena exclaimed. She took out a rag and ointment from her pocket.
"It's only a scratch," Franco smiled, calmly. "It's not serious."
But his wife knew that her husband's scratch must be treated immediately. After sitting her husband down on a log, she dapped ointment on his wounds with a rag.
Franco didn't think it was necessary but he couldn't say no to his wife.
"Hopefully, the others will catch that monkey before anything else happens," Alma mumbled.
Meanwhile, Alma's daughters and the Rivera women were doing their best to find the monkey. They asked some neighbors around if they had seen the monkey. So far, not too many people have. Even if they looked up, nobody would be able to tell, due to the creature hiding in the leaves so well.
"This will take forever," Pepa moaned, feeling a bit cloudy. She and the other women had just asked a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez if they had seen a monkey or a "perfume" bottle. Like all the previous neighbors, the Lopezes had not. "There's no way we can find the love potion before sunset!"
"She's right," Julieta nodded. "We have to split up."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Luisa asked, nervously.
"We can do this," Carmen assured her. "You go with Julieta, I go with Pepa, and Gloria goes with Natalia. Does that sound okay?"
The other women nodded and split into smaller groups. Julieta and Luisa went to a baker's house, while Carmen and Pepa went to a farmer's house.
Gloria and Natalia were wondering which neighbor to visit.
"Let us try the Darlings' residence," Gloria suggested.
"Good idea," Natalia nodded. "They're having a garden party right now!"
A few blocks away from the search party, was a garden party that was taking place at a big mansion that belonged to the Darlings. The party was taking place outside in the garden. In the center of the garden, a live band was playing slow music with drums, strings, and flutes. Men and women were socializing with their drinks of water or tea. Nobody dared to drink alcohol because they did not want to risk going against the prohibition. Some were walking around, admiring Mrs. Darling's pink and white roses. Others were sitting down at the tables or the bench, listening to the music.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming to my garden party," Mrs. Darling announced. "I sure hope everyone is having a marvelous time."
The party guests made sounds of agreement that they were enjoying the party.
"To the neighborhood," Mr. Darling announced, raising his glass of lemonade. "May we always be friends forever. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Everybody repeated, raising and clinking their glasses full of lemonade or tea.
Some couples slowly danced to the music. It looked like everybody was having a grand time. Well, except for some little guests.
"I wish my foster father and Kay weren't ignoring me so much," Arthur lamented. He helped himself to some lemonade from a punch bowl. He watched his foster father and brother chatting up a storm with Mr. Darling. Arthur couldn't understand what they were saying due to the noise of the crowd and live music. But judging by the portly man's lively voice and arm around his eldest son, Arthur knew that his father was bragging about Kay. How he played well in football (the British version, not the American one). How he was getting a scholarship to go to Cambridge University. Arthur sighed. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that his father ignored him, but why? Was it because he preferred books over sports? The only person that showed him kindness was his tutor who was too busy to come to the garden party.
"My father ignores me, too," Christopher Robin grumbled. The boy had grabbed a cookie from the dessert table. He watched his father and mother conversing with other adults who were all writers or artists. Christopher Robin was always with his nanny, Olive. His father and mother always go to parties alone. When they decided to take their son to his first garden party, Christopher Robin had thought that they would spend time together. However, all his parents did was talk to anybody but him. "I might as well stay home!"
"Arthur, Christopher Robin!" Wendy Darling shouted as she came running up to them. "I'm so glad you two could come!"
"Happy to be here!" the boys chorused. Seeing their friend at the party lifted their spirits.
"The other children and I are in the backyard," Wendy said. "We are going to play pirates! Would you like to join us?"
"Yes!" The boys nodded. They were happy to do something other than watch adults talk about boring topics.
"Blast ye, Francis Drake!" John cried. He was pretending to be a pirate and was using a stick as a sword. "You'll never get my ship!" He swatted his stick with his friend, Sticky who was also pretending to be a pirate.
"We'll see about that, Captain Sparrow!" Sticky Webb shouted. His short brown curls bounced as he struck a dashing pose with his stick. He knocked John's stick out of his hand with his own. "Argh!" Sticky shouted, pointing his stick at John's stomach. "Now you must surrender your ship and your daughter, Bessie!"
"Oh no, help!" Wendy cried. She was squatting down inside a big cardboard box, pretending to be in distress. "Someone save me!"
"I will save you, my lady!" Peter Banning cried, holding his stick. He swished his stick a few times up in the air from the left to the right and struck a pose. He gave a wink and a smile that made all the girls except Alice and Dijonay swoon. "Once I helped John defeat Sticky!" He jumped in front of Sticky and the two boys became engaged in a fierce duel. The fight lasted for only five minutes until a black girl with bobbed blonde hair appeared between them.
"Argh, I will save you, my Captain!" Dijonay Jones shouted, wearing an eye patch over her one eye.
"Wait a minute!" Sticky lowered his sword. "Girls can't be pirates!"
"Says who, Sticky?" Dijonay challenged him. "Wendy is the damsel in distress, Michael is a parrot, and the rest of you boys are pirates. We girls gotta play a different role here!"
"I agree with her," Alice Liddell nodded. She had a handkerchief around her head and sported one earring instead of the usual two earrings. "We can't all be damsels in distress."
"What are you girls supposed to be?" Sticky questioned them.
"I'm Mary Ann!" Alice responded in her usual rough pirate voice. She switched her stick back and forth in the air. "The quickest and smartest pirate ever!"
"I am Nerissa!" Dijonay shouted. She pushed Peter out of the way and turned her eyes to Sticky. "The Pirate Queen of the handsome Captain Sticky," she said in a flirtatious voice. She brushed her hand on Sticky's chest, which made his face blush with embarrassment.
"Quit it, Dijonay!" He said, pushing her hand away.
"Bonnie, come and play with us!" Arthur said. "Christopher Robin and I could use a third teammate!"
"No thanks," Bonnie Rockwaller said snootily, drinking her lemonade. She was busy reading a Vogue magazine. "I'm too old for such childish things."
"Oh well," Christopher Robin shrugged, good naturally. "Suit yourself."
"Hey!" someone who was not part of the game or party shouted. The other children turned to their right and were faced with two children. One of them was a copper-skinned girl in red and a pink flower in her long hair. "You are having a party and you didn't invite me?"
"Oh, LaCienega!" Dijonay smiled big. "Hey…,"
"Yeah," Sticky said, imitating Dijonay's smile. He waved, nervously. "Hey…,"
Bonnie now peeked up from her magazine and jumped. "Oh hi, LaCienega," she said, smiling sheepishly. She quickly hid her face back in her magazine.
"I did not invite her!" Wendy whispered to John.
"Why not?" John whispered back.
"She's mean to me!"
"Well, hello…," Peter said as he walked over to LaCienega. "Hush, you look pretty!"
"Why thank you," LaCienega giggled. She flipped her hair, which shone in the moonlight.
Watching her secret crush flirting with the meanest girl in school, made Wendy tighten her fists. "Oh, I can't stand her!" She fumed. The British girl walked away with her nose up in the air toward the food table.,
"Yuck!" Michael stuck his tongue out. He followed after his sister.
"So who is your new friend?" John asked, trying to be cordial. He was referring to the boy standing next to LaCienega. He was a tall and slender boy with red hair and buck teeth. His outfit consisted of a formal brown jacket and yellow vest with a green ascot over his white shirt, complemented by olive green pants with suspenders and a pair of brown shoes. He also sported a bowler hat with a single feather in it.
"The name is Lampwick!" The boy pointed to himself and spit to the side, causing other kids to cringe in disgust.
"Hello Lampwick, are you new here?" Sticky asked. "Where are you from?"
"Relatively new," Lampwick said. "I'm from Italy and I live in the East Side."
"The East Side!" The other children gasped.
While the other children looked at each other in shock, Alice perked up with curiosity.
"Do you know a boy named Pinnochio?" She asked.
"Yeah, I know him," Lampwick said nonchalantly. "Why do you ask?"
"I met him in the East Side last year-"
"Me too," Lampwick interrupted her. "Nice kid, but sometimes he can be a goody-goody two shoes. I tried to get him to come with me to the party here but he said no."
"Oh, did he say why?"
"I don't know why! I know he wants to. He only said no only because either his father or his conscience were bossing him around."
"Well, there must be a reason," Alice shrugged, nervously. "And I think it is good to listen to your elders."
"Oh please!" Lampwick retorted. "Who takes orders from a grasshopper? Fathers, I understand, but talking grasshoppers? Please!" Before the blonde girl could disagree any further or ask him about a talking grasshopper, the redhead boy turned to LaCienega, feeling very impatient. "Hey, are your friends going to let us in or what? Come on! You promised me lots of cake and ice cream!"
"As soon as they open the gate," LaCienega said, with a wide smile. She turned to her friends and put on a sickening sweet voice. "Peter, would you please, let us in?"
"Of course!" Peter said, still distracted by her beauty. But before he could open the door gate, John stopped him.
"No, don't!" He whispered, worriedly. "We didn't invite her or her new friend."
"But she's our friend, " Peter argued back. "And a pretty one, too!" He winked at the Mexican girl who winked back at him. "Besides, Lampwick seems harmless."
"Why is LaCienega flirting with Peter; Doesn't she have a crush on Miguel?" Arthur asked Alice, who shrugged.
"Of course, I still like Miguel, lemon head!" The rich girl said, rudely. "He's as cute as I am! Much cuter than Peter here!"
"Hey!" Peter said, feeling a bit hurtful. He didn't like it when any girl stopped paying any attention to him. "I'm gonna get some lemonade," He muttered to himself as he walked away from the group.
"Girl, I know why you like Miguel Rivera," Dijonay stated. "He is a good-looking boy. But there is a problem. He doesn't like you! So why not try someone else? You can have any boy you like except Sticky!"
"Oh please," LaCienega smirked. "Miguel does like me! He is just playing hard to get. Besides, I like a challenge. That boy is mine!" She sighed romantically as she imagined his cute face and velvet hair. LaCienega shook her thoughts off of the Rivera boy and became serious. "But back to my earlier question. Why wasn't I invited? Everyone knows it's not a party unless LaCienega Boulevardez is here!"
Dijoany, Bonnie, and Sticky stuttered and stammered as they struggled to come up with a believable excuse.
Not one guest noticed an animal climbing a tree. It swung from the tree to another one that was in the center of the garden party. Jack the Monkey sank into a cluster of leaves, hidden from the guests. The animal felt relieved to be away from those crazy humans that were chasing him earlier. He looked through the opening in which the guests were listening to a live band playing slow classical music. Feeling mischievous, Jack climbed down to a lower branch so he could get closer to the humans…
Arthur's older brother, Kay was looking for someone to dance with when suddenly, a pink and sparkling liquid splashed into his eyes. "HEY!" He coughed and coughed and rubbed his eyes. "Who did that?" When he opened them, he was faced with a pretty lady with short blonde bobbed hair.
"Hello, Kay," she said cordially.
Kay's eyes turned pink. "HELLO TINA!" He shouted. The man grabbed the startled woman's hand and swung around.
"Mr. Kay!" Tina shrieked as Kay swung her around. "This is not appropriate!"
"What's so inappropriate about love?" Kay asked, seductively. The mismatched couple continued to do the Charleston dance.
Snickering at the funny display, Jack decided to have more fun. The animal jumped from the tree to one of the lanterns that was hanging on the rope. The lantern rope extended from one tree to another one. The monkey was now above the food table. Wrapping his tail on a branch, he lowered himself down to where the punch bowl was.
"I can't believe this!" Peter complained to himself. "LaCienega ignored me! No girl has ever ignored me before! I'm great with girls! Miguel, on the other hand, would rather play his guitar than talk to LaCienega!" He found Wendy over at the food table. "Wendy, can you give me a drink please?"
Wendy did not answer him. Her nose was stuck up in the air. "I'm getting a drink for Michael." She poured fruit punch from the bowl into a cup. Then, the British girl decided to help herself.
"Wendy, please!" Peter begged. "I'm thirsty and you are the host!"
Wendy swung around and glared at him. "I'm busy, Peter! Why don't you talk to LaCienega?"
"She's too busy talking to the others," Peter said, hurtfully. "She's talking about Miguel, instead of me! And I am thirsty!"
Although Wendy was still furious about seeing her crush flirt with another girl, her anger cooled off a bit. It wasn't his fault, entirely that LaCienega was always flirting with every boy. With her back turned, she didn't see a monkey hanging down from a branch with his tail. He poured a generous amount of the love potion into the fruit punch. Then he quickly sprayed some into Wendy's glass.
Michael spotted the monkey and quickly tugged on his sister's skirt. "Wendy, Wendy! Wendy!"
"Not now, Michael!" Wendy shushed him. She was too absorbed in a conversation with her friend. By the time the girl turned around, the monkey had quickly lifted himself back into the tree.
"Here, Peter," Wendy said, taking the tainted cup from the table. She was trying her best to be cordial and kind. "You can have mine."
"Thank you," Peter said, as he took the glass from Wendy. He drank it, relishing the taste of fruit punch. Suddenly, his eyes glowed pink as he stared at Wendy Darling.
"I think I love you!" Peter declared.
"You do!?" Wendy gasped happily. "Really?"
Peter bowed down to her from the waist.
"Would you like to be my girlfriend?"
"Oh yes!" Wendy said, excitedly. It looked like her dreams of Peter being her boyfriend were finally coming true!
The two 12-year-olds were so lost in each other's eyes, that they had forgotten about Michael Darling, who was bouncing up to get his drink. No matter how many times he bounced, his little hand could not reach for the cup. "Why do I have to be so small?" He whined.
Jack smiled at the new couple that he just put together. He hoped he made that little girl happy. But it was also funny seeing the little boy becoming excited about her when a few minutes ago, he was hung over by some other girl. The monkey's ears perked up when he heard the other children playing in the backyard. He climbed onto a higher branch and swung from that tree to another tree in the backyard. When Jack reached the backyard, he hid in the leaves as usual. Through an opening, he opened the bottle up again.
"Okay, I'm going to ask this question, one more time," LaCienega said through gritted teeth. "Why wasn't I invited?" All she had heard from her so-called friends were excuses. "It's 'Independence Day party for Americans,' really? You think I don't know my calendar?"
"Well, uh," Sticky stuttered, sheepishly. "The truth is-"
"Wendy doesn't like you!" Alice boldly piped up.
"Excuse me!?" the rich girl gasped. She huffed and put a hand over her heart.
"You were mean to her," Alice confirmed, not afraid of the Mexican girl's anger. "The other day at school, you pushed her off the bench when she was sitting next to Miguel for lunch."
"That's because she was getting too close to my man!"
"Since when is Miguel your man?" Bonnie challenged her. "It's not like you two are officially a couple!"
"No," the rich girl shook her head. "But my parents have plans to betroth me to him once we are adults. So I better claim him before anyone else does!"
"Gee, I feel bad for him," Sticky murmured to himself.
Suddenly, a monkey hovered above them with his tail. He sprayed some pink smoke and liquid on Sticky. The boy coughed and coughed. When he opened his eyes, LaCienega was the first person he saw. His eyes turned pink behind his glasses.
"My woman, my love!" The boy shouted, as he ran to the gates and reached out to the girl.
"Sticky!?" LaCienega was shocked. She and her new friend jumped back.
"I love you!"
"Sticky, come back here!" Dijonay barked, jealousy raging inside her. "I'm your woman!" Before she could pry Sticky off the bars, she was attacked by the monkey who sprayed a love potion on her. "Hey!" she coughed, as she rubbed her eyes. "Who did that?"
The other kids who were in the backyard had seen the monkey and were stunned. But before any of them could run away, the monkey sprayed a stream of love potion on their eyes. They coughed due to the smoke and rubbed their eyes. When each pre-teen opened their eyes, they fell in love with whoever they first saw.
Bonnie and John were hugging each other, nonstop.
Arthur and Dijonay were happily dancing with each other.
Christopher Robin saw Zoey Howzer, who only stepped out of the Darling's residence to serve guests more lemonade. He ran toward her, startling her which caused her to drop her plate of lemonade drinks. Christopher Robin continued to chase Zoey who screamed for her mother.
"Oh, Lampwick!" Alice cried in a lovesick voice. "You're so cute!" She ran to the gates and reached out to him through the bars.
"LaCienega, be mine!" Sticky cried, still reaching out to her.
"Why thank you!" Lampwick smiled, smugly.
"Sticky, back off!" LaCienega snapped at her unwanted admirer.
"Oh, Lampwick!" Alice gushed. "Why must the gate separate us from each other?"
"Why don't you open the gate?" Lampwick smirked.
"What are you doing?" LaCienaga hissed into his ear. "Don't encourage her!"
"You promised to get me in with free food!" he whispered.
"Well, it's not like I have the key!"
"I have the key," John said in a silly way. Holding his father's golden key, he opened the gate and swung it open. "Come in friends! The party is getting started!"
Horrified at what John did, LaCienaga turned around and ran away as Sticky chased her.
Alice leapt into Lampwick's arms.
"Take me away from this boring party!" she gushed, laying her head on his shoulder.
Lampwick was confused at first. But having Alice in his arms, gave him an ego boost. "Of course," he said, deciding to go along with it. "I will take you to my house. But first, let's get some food for the way."
"What's going on?" Mrs. Darling asked, dumbfounded. She and her husband couldn't help but notice how peculiar most guests were acting. Some couples were kissing deeply. Other couples were doing wild dancing. And some people were chasing other guests. "Everybody please calm down!"
"Stop this madness!" Mr. Darling shouted. But no matter how loud he yelled, no one listened. It was hard for them to hear their host due to everyone serenading each other loudly. "Stop the music!" He called the band. "I said, stop the music!" But the live band couldn't hear him due to the noise and resumed playing. While Mrs. Darling tried to maintain crowd control, her husband went around to the backyard to check on his children. When he arrived there, he was appalled to see his son and his friends feeling as mushy-gushy as his adult guests. "What the heck?" the British man demanded. "Has the whole world gone mad!? Children, stop!" But his demands fell on deaf ears.
Suddenly, the Madrigal and the Rivera children dashed through the open gate.
"Mr. Darling, Mr. Darling!" They shouted.
"Yes, yes," Mr. Darling snapped, turning to them. "What is it?"
"Did you see a monkey carrying a pink bottle?" Camillo inquired.
"Monkey? Pink bottle?" Mr. Darling asked, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? And can't you see that I'm trying to calm down my son? He and his friends have gone crazy!"
The Madrigals and the Riveras saw their classmates acting affectionately with one another. Rosa giggled at seeing Bonnie acting so lovesick. "Wow, they're so goofy!"
"Let's sell tickets!" Abel snickered. "We'll put on a show! I call it "Fools in Love!" If anyone wants to watch them act all mushy-gushy, we'll make money out of it!"
"Yes!" Camillo agreed, before bursting out laughing. "Do it! This'll be the Madrigals' best show ever!"
"Boys!" Luisa J. hissed. "We are here for a mission, not for pranks or shows!"
"Pfft, Killjoy," Camillo muttered to his best friend.
"What did you say, primo?" Luisa J. held her fist close to his face.
"Um, nada!" Camillo lied, smiling sheepishly. He was relieved when his prima lowered her fist away from him.
"Where is that monkey?" Isabella asked, looking around quickly.
"He has to be here!" Rosa nodded, also searching with her binoculars. "There he is!" she gasped.
"Where?" Abel asked.
"Right there, up in the tree!"
"I see him too!" Dolores shouted as much as she could without hurting her ears. "I heard him first before I saw him."
They ran off to chase the monkey, faster than a cheetah.
"Wait!" Mr. Darling called to them. He sighed in defeat when they didn't answer him. "What monkey?"
"Pardoname Señor," a male voice said, tapping the British man on the shoulder. Mr. Darling turned his head to see Mariano Guzman.
"What is it now Mr. Guzman?" The British man asked, exasperated.
"Did you see the Rivera and Madrigal children go by?"
"Yes," Mr. Darling said, pointing to the left. "They went that way."
"Gracias, Senor Darling!" Mariano said, gratefully. He followed in the right direction.
"I don't know what's going on here," Mr. Darling said to himself. He put his hand over his face. "Are my guests drunk?"
"Mr. Darling, Mr. Darling!" Natalia and Glorie cried as they ran through the open gate.
"Oh, now what?"
"Did you see a monkey here?"
"No, I did not!" Mr. Darling yelled, exasperated.
The two women turned to each other with a curious look.
"Well, do you mind if we look around?"
"Yes but do it quickly!"
"Why?"
"Because my guests are drunk! Because of them, my party is ruined"
Natalia and Gloria were both shocked, as they turned to each other again. They knew Mr. Darling to be one of the few people that supported the Prohibition. He never drank one drop of alcohol. So why would he be serving strong drinks?
"We'll be quick," Natalia said, sympathetically.
"Mr. Darling!" Mr. Webb called. He was a tall man in a black suit. He was carrying his saxophone. The man rushed over to the host, panting. "Where is my son, Sticky?"
"LaCienega!" Sticky sang, as he hopped on his two feet like a bunny. "Come to me, my love!"
"Stay away from me!" LaCienega shouted. She had been running around the Darling's residence outside the gates in circles. "Oh, Dijonay is going to be so mad at me!"
"Sugar Pie Honeybunch!" Sticky sang.
While running from her unwanted admirer, the snooty girl saw a monkey swinging from tree to tree, followed by the Madrigals, the Riveras, and Mariano. Curious, she quietly followed after them, losing her admirer who crashed into a tree.
"Once we capture that pest, we can use our powers to get the love potion from him!" Isabella commanded.
"But Isa!" Luisa J. huffed, as she ran. "Abuela told us not to use our powers in public!"
"It's dark out here so nobody will see us!" Isa clarified.
"As long as no one sees us, we should be fine," Dolores whispered to Luisa J.'s ear.
"Girls, Camillo, stop!" Abel shouted. He came to a sudden stop at the line that divided the West from the East. Luisa J. bumped into him as well, followed by Isabella, Rosa, Camillo, and Dolores. None of the teens knew that they were being spied on by a rich girl who hid behind one of the bushes.
"Why did you stop?" Camillo asked, annoyed. "We're gonna lose him!"
Abel pointed to the sign with chattering teeth. The same sign that let everyone know that this was the East Side.
"Why did that monkey have to go in there?" Rosa whined.
"Don't just stand there!" Isabella said, annoyed. "Let's get in there!"
"Aren't we forbidden from going in there?" Dolores whimpered at the last part. "It's so dark and scary!"
"I don't want to go slumming!" Abel shook his head from side to side.
"Guys, vadamos!" Luisa J. commanded. "Our lives are on the line if we don't get the love potion!"
The others sighed but mustered up their courage and followed the two girls. Thankfully, they were able to see where the monkey went off to.
Jack saw the teens chasing after them and picked up speed. He kept swinging from one tree to another. When there weren't any more trees to swing at, the monkey traveled on the path until he came upon a park. There were a few kids aged 12 and up. Some were sliding down on the slides, others were just sitting around and talking. In the center of the park, was a tree. That was the perfect place for Jack to hide! The monkey quietly made his way thus that no child would see him. Then, he climbed up the tree. He made sure that he was covered in the leaves, as usual.
"Oh, now where did he go?" Rosa lamented, having lost sight of the creature. She had reached the park because she remembered seeing the animal going in that direction. All she saw were a small group of tweens and teenagers. Not one of them was a monkey.
"Just keep looking!" Camillo told her. "Maybe those East Side kids would know!"
"There you are!" An unidentified male voice said, spooking them.
The Madrigal and Rivera teenagers turned their heads to see who was behind them.
"Mariano!?" Dolores gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you the same question," the muscular man frowned, crossing his arms. "Mama Coco was starting to get worried about all of you! She told me to go and check on you at the drugstore. And I did, only to find out that the place had been closed since five o'clock. I have been searching for you the whole town! If it weren't for LaCienega Boulevardez, I wouldn't have found you here on this side of town!"
"LaCienega Boulevardez!?" Rosa said, alarmingly. "That twerp! How did she know?"
"Mariano, we can explain," Dolores confessed, feeling a bit guilty. "We have a family emergency to attend to."
"But why did you lie?" Mariano questioned her. "Level with me, what's the real story?"
"Oh, mind your beeswax, will you?" Camilo snapped. "This does not concern you!"
"Camillo!" Dolores chastised him, firmly. "Don't talk to him like that!"
While Mariano, the Rivera, and Madrigal kids were arguing, they attracted the stares of some of the East Side teens.
"Who are these guys?" a boy named Luca asked. He slid down on the slide when he saw a group of teenagers that he didn't know. "They're wearing glad rags."
"I know who they are!" a boy named Alberto said as he came down on the slide after Luca. He pointed each curious visitor to his best friend. "That girl in a pink dress is a princess. The muscular girl is a superhero. The third girl with glasses is a scientist. The girl with a red bow is the princess's lady-in-waiting. The fat guy is a football player. The skinny guy is a clown, and the muscle man is a cowboy!"
A girl with red hair came and stood next to Alberto and Luca. "Oh, mozzarella!" She sighed. "Alberto, why are you telling Luca those silly things?"
"Aren't they royalty or superheroes, Giulia?" Alberto asked, scratching his head.
"No, some of those teens are the Madrigals!" Giulia answered. "They are actors and actresses! They just play princesses and heroes in the talking pictures! I don't know who those other kids are, but they are also swanky!"
"What are those swanky kids fighting about?" a girl named Shanti asked. She just got off from one of the swing sets. "They are loud!"
Just then, a big splash of pink sparkly dust filled up the whole park!
"Aaah!" Everybody screamed. They all coughed as they covered their eyes. When they removed their hands from their faces, each teenager or tween had pink eyes.
Mariano took one look at Isabella and gave a romantic sigh. "Oh Isabella, my sweet flower!"
But the girl was not paying any attention to him. Her focus was on another muscular boy in green. "Oh, Abel!"
"Oh, Dolores!" Abel cried, reaching for the actress.
"Oh, Abel!" Dolores gushed, hugging him so tightly.
"My, what a cute girl you are!" Camillo said so charmingly to Giulia. He tickled underneath her chin. She giggled and her face was as red as her hair.
"Hey, big boy!" Rosa flirted with Alberto. "Your hair looks like chocolate!"
"Your glasses look like two moons stuck together!" Alberto whispered into her ears.
"Oh, Luca!" Shanti sighed, as she hugged the sweet boy.
"Oh, Shanti!" Luca cried, his face blushing pink.
"Isabella, you belong with me!" Mariano shouted, grabbing Isabella by her hand.
"No, I belong with Abel!" she retorted, pulling her hand away from him.
"No, my heart belongs to Dolores!" Abel declared. He ran kisses down on Dolores' arm who giggled and blushed.
Suddenly, Isabella pushed her cousin off of the eldest Rivera boy. "He's mine!" The actress snapped as she wrapped her hand around Abel's arm.
"No, he's mine!" Dolores shrieked, getting up. She pulled on Abel's other arm and tried to pull him back to her. Her cousin tugged Abel back and now the girls are in a game of tug of war.
"Ladies, ladies!" Abel cried. "You're hurting me!"
"Isabella, you're my novia!" Mariano cried, prying Isabella off of his friend.
Jack giggled at the sight he witnessed from beneath the tree. Sighing in relief, the monkey swung to another tree. He was still carrying the love potion and intended to create more chaos. Just for giggles. Now that the teenagers were occupied with each other, He didn't have to worry about anyone chasing him anymore.
"Mr. Darling said the monkey went in that direction because the kids were looking for them, too!" Natalia said as she ran beside Gloria.
"Why are they outside when they should be at home?" Gloria asked, her voice almost loud. "Oh, Mamá is not going to be happy about this!"
"Don't worry about your Mom, yet!" Natala said. "First things first!"
"But where did the kids get to?" Gloria wondered.
The two women stopped at the entrance of the East Side.
"Don't tell me the monkey went in there!" Gloria said, half-jokingly. She was trying to be brave.
"He did!" a young female voice spoke from behind the bush.
The two women jumped at the voice. Swishing their heads around, they saw it was LaCienega Boulevardez.
"What are you doing in the bush?" Natalia asked.
"Hiding from an unwanted lover!" the girl hissed. "The monkey went into the East Side!" She pointed to the forbidden territory. "And so did the Rivera kids and the Madrigal kids!"
"Are you sure?" Gloria inquired her.
"I saw it with my own eyes!" LaCienega snapped.
"Okay," Gloria said, finding the little girl's attitude a bit rude. "If you say so." She and Natalia faced the East Side. "What will Mamá say?" she whimpered.
"Don't worry," Natalia said, trying her best to hide her emotions. "We'll make it out of here alive. I know I did when the boys and I went in there the other day."
"You're right," Gloria nodded. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "If Héctor can do it, then so can I!"
Before their nerves could get hold of them, each woman took a step and crossed into the East Side territory.