Blue

(This is the first chapter of a book I've been working on hope you enjoy it)

As Mateo stepped out of the bus he was greeted by the smell of sea salt in the air, mixed with carbon emission.

As his luggage traveled outside of the station with him, there was a chorus of a thousand voices speaking over each other and children running around and screaming, and moms calling at their kids to settle down. Some in English and some in Spanish.

Once Mateo was outside he pulled out his phone to look for Ronaldo in his contacts. Once he found his brother he sent him a text

Hey, I just arrived I'm outside the bus station

Once he hit send he put his phone back in his pocket and turned to his right after he saw a man standing near a white cart announcing that he was selling paletas. Mateo studied the images on the cart presenting him with all the options to choose from.

“De chicle por favor,” he asked the man once he made the decision. The vendor pulled out a blue paleta along with a paper napkin to wrap it around and handed it to Mateo, “Muchas gracias” Mateo thanked as he paid, before making his way to the nearest bench to wait.

Mateo pulled on the collar of his hoodie as sweat dripped down his brown skin before opening the plastic wrap of the paleta. Binding during the trip wasn't an option, so he settled for a compression sports bra and a hoodie. Unfortunately for him, the summer heat was not in his favor. Thankfully he had a frozen treat in hand to soothe his suffering.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, as he pulled it out and saw Ronaldo’s response

Cool on my way

He put his phone back in his pocket before he started eating this paleta and taking in the bubble gum flavor mixed with the cold sensation on his tongue. After a few minutes pass, the sound of a car honking grabbed Mateo’s attention. He looked up to see a car where a young man he recognized as his older brother sitting in the driver’s seat. Mateo made his way to the car.

“You can put your stuff in the trunk” Ronaldo suggested as he opened the trunk of his car where Mateo placed his luggage, before going over to the passenger seat. “How you’ve been Teo, You’ve changed so much I barely recognized you,” Ronaldo said as he patted his little brother on the back.

“Well I’m nine months on T, maybe that’s why” Mateo responded with a hint of pride in his voice.

“I know, and I’m happy for you, anyways other than that, how’ve you been?” the older brother said as the car proceeded to their home.

As the car continued, Mateo stared out the window at the town he was gonna be spending the rest of his youth in, or at least until he graduates college. Just as advertised the town, didn't seem too different from the RGV. Buildings were small, with considerable distance between and everywhere you went there was either a palm tree, a building with Spanish letters or both. The only differences were the occasional people walking around in bathing suits, the abundance of mexican seafood restaurants, and course the salty air that flowed into the car.

Even with the many familiarities, it didn’t help Mateo feel more at home in California. A pit in his stomach settled, part of him desired the familiarity of Texas, and the other part was glad to be out of the south. At least the weather was similar, though not as hot, but still humid enough to have Mateo sweat through the fabric of his black hoodie.

“Teo, please I am begging you, take off your fucking hoodie, it’s 80 degrees, just seeing you is making me hot” Ronaldo teased.

“Pay for my top surgery then we’ll talk” Mateo shrugged.

Eventually, the car arrived at its destination, and Mateo exited the car with Ronaldo to the driveway of a two-story house. The first floor had large windows that showed empty tables with chairs placed on top of them. Once Mateo got close to the front he saw a sign over the porch that said La Marina Cafe along with the image of a blue wave inside a coffee mug. Next to the front door was a sign that said closed. The years of the building were heavily apparent which just added to its homely vibe.

“We’re here,” Ronaldo said as he entered the building pulling on Mateo’s suitcase as Mateo carried his backpack and duffle bag inside with him. When they entered there was a pale boy with black hair, who looked to be around Mateo’s age, wiping the counter who looked up once Ronaldo announced their arrival.

The boy looked up “Oh, Sofia! Ronaldo’s here!” the boy called. From the back emerged a chubby young woman, with light brown skin and black curly hair.

“You’re back, is this your brother?” she before turning to Mateo.

“Yeah, Sofia, this is Mateo, my little brother who’s gonna be staying with us, Mateo, this is my girlfriend Sofia Ortega, and my co-manager at the cafe” Ronaldo introduces.

“Nice to meet you,” Sofia reaches to shake, Mateo’s hand “Ronaldo talks a lot about you”

“Nice to meet you too” Mateo responded as that was the only thing that came to mind.

“That guy over there is Rodrigo, he’s currently our only employee, well, up until you arrived” Ronaldo continues.

Rodrigo waves in response before he holds out his hand for Mateo to take and shakes it.”I’m happy to have a new co-worker” Rodrigo said.

“Anyway, Sofia will show you to the extra room upstairs, and we’ll let you get settled down,” Ronaldo said as he handed Sofia the suitcase he was holding.

“Sure thing” she responded as she turned to Mateo and gestured to him to follow her.

He followed Sofia to the back and up a set of stairs to an apartment with four doors and a kitchenette next to a fridge. Sofia introduced him to the apartment and told him where to find their room, the bathroom, or Ronaldo’s office, as Mateo kept following her into a small empty room, “I hope you like it cause Ronaldo and I spent all day yesterday trying to take all the storage that was here and move it to the basement” she joked. “Anyways I’ll let you get settled in,” Sofia said as she left Mateo alone in his new room.

Once he was done unpacking Mateo finally took the chance to take off his hoodie and change into a binder and a T-shirt, before sitting on the queen-sized bed with fresh sheets in the corner and looking around at his new room. It was fairly small and cozy. It had a closet just big enough for Mateo to fit his clothes, the whole room kind of reminded him of a college dorm room, he would’ve stayed in during the fall, but unfortunately, the university didn’t want to let a guy with a vagina sleep in the same dorm as a bunch of straight cis dudes.

Mateo sighed thinking about the whole situation. He more than anyone understood the concern, there was a reason why he doesn’t go to public restrooms unless they are single-use. It just didn’t feel fair that he wasn’t allowed the same benefits as the other guys, simply because he was transgender.

Once he was good and settled he walked downstairs.

“Any way I can help you guys close?” Mateo asked.

“Nah man, you just got here, you start tomorrow” Ronaldo responded.

“Come on, you guys have been so welcoming, it’s the least I can do,” Mateo said.

Ronaldo looked around the cafe “Well there isn’t much left to do, so I guess you can go help Rodrigo in the kitchen” he said before patting him on the shoulder and letting him off.

Mateo walked to where he was assigned, and Rodrigo was turning off the machines, to be put away. “Hey is there any way I can help you,” Mateo asked, Rodrigo, turned around, “oh yeah could you clean up while I put some stuff away?” he asked. Mateo nodded before going over to the sink to wash the dishes.

“So I’m guessing you like The Lost Boys?” Rodrigo asked.

“Huh?” Mateo turned

“Cause of your shirt” Rodrigo pointed at the T-shirt that Mateo was wearing.

Mateo looked down at his shirt as realization hit “oh! Yeah, it’s one of my favorite movies” Mateo responded.

“Well it’s not my favorite movie in general but it certainly is my favorite movie from the 80s” Rodrigo continued “counted for the fact that it is the most 80s movie that I’ve ever seen, right next to Nightmare On Elm Street”

After that the two bonded over a conversation about movies which was mostly led by Rodrigo though Mateo did at first mostly just answered questions, eventually he warmed up to the conversation.

Once they were done with the kitchen, the two continued their conversation before Rodrigo cut in.

“Hey, it’s the first Friday of summer and there’s gonna be this event at the boardwalk, there’s gonna be live music, discounts on everything, the whole enchilada,” Rodrigo said “I’m planning on going, if you wanna come with me you can, maybe get to know the town little,” he said.

“What time is it right now?” Mateo asked hesitantly.

“Almost nine, I was gonna go to my house right after work to get ready but I can come back to give you enough time to get ready if you want” Rodrigo responded.

Mateo ran up to Ronaldo to ask him for permission.

“Sure!” Ronaldo answered “just be back by midnight”

After telling Rodrigo the good news, Mateo ran up the stairs, took a quick shower, styled his wavy black hair, and changed into a pair of ripped jeans, with the same t-shirt he put on earlier, just tucked in and coupled it with a dark green flannel, a checkered belt, and some black boots.

A couple of hours later an uber driver dropped off Mateo and Rodrigo at the Boardwalk parking lot.

“Do you drink?” Rodrigo asks.

“I'm eighteen, I’m not legally old enough to drink, why?” Mateo responds as they exit the car.

“Open the water bottle and take a sniff,” Rodrigo said pointing to the metal water bottle he made Mateo carry around the whole ride.

The smell of alcohol hit his nostrils, Mateo turned to Rodrigo with urgency “Dude!”

“What?”

“There is a no alcohol sign in front of the door, also are you even twenty-one?!” Mateo whispered harshly

Rodrigo chuckled slightly in response “relax dude, no one’s gonna notice, I put them in a water bottle for a reason, besides am two years away from being twenty-one, so I’m practically old enough” as if that was supposed to make him feel better.

Mateo’s heart sped up as he noticed an officer walking up to them.

“Ah shit, a cop is coming this way” he whispered to Rodrigo as he scrambled to cover the bottle again.

“Are you boys okay?” the officer asked.

“We’re fine” Rodrigo responded calmly, as Mateo nodded as his hand gripped the water bottle to keep it from shaking.

“Okay then stop loitering, especially in a parking lot, get a move on,” the officer said.

“Yes sir” Mateo responded before the boys entered the boardwalk.

“See? You got nothing to worry about, I’ve done this before” Rodrigo said once they were a good distance away from the officer “If you don’t drink, that’s cool, more for me, I guess”

Mateo took a second to think about it, he’d be lying through his crooked teeth if he said he’s never drunk before. Parties were more tolerable after one drink but he’s never gotten full-on drunk. He’s always tried to keep it in moderation, to avoid it becoming an addiction.

He made his decision when he unscrewed the top of his water bottle and took one sip of the alcohol.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Rodrigo said with excitement, as he started running around showing him his favorite rides, places to get food, and everything.

The conversation was cut short as both of their attention was caught by a nearby fight. A man came in and separated the two fighters, one of them went back to his gang. The other who went to sit at one of the nearby tables caught Mateo’s eye.

The dark-skinned boy was tall and lean. As he wiped the blood off his nose, Mateo noticed his chiseled features, and there were two moles spread around his face like perfectly painted dots on a canvas of skin. The boy ran a hand through the tight curls of his black hair. He came adorned with a pair of ripped black jeans and a plain white t-shirt, under a black studded jacket. Fingerless gloves were placed on each hand, and a spiked collar was wrapped around his neck.

The boy turned his gaze towards him, and Mateo looked away before he could be caught staring.

“I’d stay away from him if I were you”

“Huh?” Mateo was pulled back into reality by Rodrigo’s voice.

“That’s Hector Sanchez” Rodrigo continued “he doesn’t have the best reputation, there’s not been a single fight he hasn’t won, and he’s not been seen being chummy with anyone, if I were you I’d avoid him like the plague”

Mateo gave Hector another glance. He had to admit that he was drawn to Hector’s beauty but he knew it was best to heed Rodrigo’s warning, what drew Mateo in the most about Hector is the air of mystery that surrounded him. A mystery that Mateo felt too intimidated to uncover.

Sometime later Rodrigo had dragged Mateo to where all the live performances were. At this point, Mateo started drinking from the water bottle to loosen up, without paying any mind to how much he was drinking.

At one point the two boys got hungry. Mateo went to one of the stands to get him and Rodrigo some esquites. When he came back from the stand, Mateo tried to make it through the crowd of people, while trying to get back to Rodrigo, as his head started to swim from the alcohol.

Out of nowhere, someone bumped into him from behind sending him flying into a large man. Spilling the contents of the cups all over the man.

As soon Mateo’s brain was aware of what had just happened, his face started to get flustered before he rushed to apologize “I-I’m so sorry sir”.

“Watch you’re going kid!” the man exclaimed.

Mateo felt a hand grab his wrist before he turned around and saw Rodrigo trying to drag him out of the situation.

“I’m so sorry” Mateo once again apologized as he let Rodrigo take him away.

“Dude, what you do, DO NOT under any circumstances piss him off okay, that’s Mr. Guerrero, the town’s grouch” Rodrigo warned “Just imagine a Karen, but male and Latino, if you so much as look at him the wrong way, you are fucked”

Mateo understood what Rodrigo just said but it barely registered, as his head was swimming, and he was sweating buckets, it had finally dawned on him that for the first time in his life he was drunk.

“M-Mateo are you okay?” Rodrigo asked as he noticed the state of his friend.

“Y-yeah, I just need to go get some air” Mateo said before he left for the rest of the boardwalk.

Mateo stumbled around alone along the narrow path, as his head kept swimming, and his vision blurred. He barely noticed Hector sitting alone far off in one of the poles connected by a rope, as the air blew against him.

Before he knew it Mateo had stumbled off the wooden path and tripped directly into the ocean.

Mateo was hit with the sharp splash of the cold ocean water as he fought against the tide kicking and flailing his arms trying to keep his head above water. He tried to fight the water threatening to enter his lungs, all while still experiencing the exhausting effects of alcohol.

Eventually, Mateo’s vision went from blurry to dark, but just as he started to sink down into the water he heard a splash nearby followed by the feeling of someone pulling him by the waist.

Next thing he knew he was laying on the sand at the nearby beach, with Hector sitting near him and pressing down on his chest to get all the water out. Only Hector didn’t look the same as before.

He was shirtless, his skin was holographic, and covered with scales and fins on both his arms and torso. Hector turned to look at Mateo as if checking to see if he was waking up and then hurried back into the ocean, and as Mateo sat up he caught a glimpse fishtail.

“Mateo!” he heard Rodrigo’s voice call from a distance, a few seconds later, Rodrigo was standing next to where Mateo was still sitting.

“You okay, man?” Rodrigo asked with concern.

Mateo nodded “Yeah, I just think I had too much to drink…” he said as his head still felt heavy on his neck, his heart was still racing, his lungs were tired from having to fight against the water, and his ribs were sore from his wet binder. Needless to say, he felt like shit.

“Yeah me too” Rodrigo followed.

“What time is it?” Mateo asked as he tried to get up.

Rodrigo checked his watch “it’s almost eleven”

“Let’s go get something to eat, my brother will kill me if I come home drunk” Mateo responded breathlessly as he dusted off the sand on his clothes.

As they made their way out of the beach, Mateo was sure that what he had seen, was a result of too much alcohol, but little did he know that Hector was watching him leave from underneath the boardwalk