Cemetery Boys(71)

Maritza sighed but didn’t argue further.

Yadriel watched as Julian dragged his fingers along a chain-link fence. He squinted in the sunlight, grinning as a cherry-red muscle car drove by, cumbia blaring from the speakers. Julian was happy in the city, Yadriel could see that. He liked the noise and the bustle and the people. It suited him. It was where he belonged. Not dead and in the afterlife, no matter how nice it was.

For the first time, it struck him how terribly unfair this all was. He hadn’t really thought about what it meant, when all of this was over, after he released Julian’s spirit and he was gone.

He didn’t deserve death. He didn’t deserve any of this. Julian had literally died protecting his friends. And Yadriel was quite certain he didn’t deserve Julian. There was no reason for Julian to help him find Miguel, but he did it anyway, and there was no way Yadriel could ever repay him.

He gave everything and expected nothing in return.

Yadriel’s heart ached.

No, none of them deserved Julian Diaz.





FIFTEEN


“Gotta check in with my parents and grab the dogs,” Maritza said as she crossed the street to her house. “You two wait out here. They would ground me for life if they knew I was hanging out with a spirit.”

Julian feigned offense.

She ran across the street and into the house. The screen door slammed shut behind her.

Yadriel collapsed against a nearby wall, letting his head fall back against cool brick as he closed his eyes. Sirens wailed in the distance. A loud drill sounded from the construction on the main road. He could hear Maritza and her family’s raised voices—not yelling, just vying to be heard.

“Hey.” Julian’s quiet voice tickled his ear. “Don’t fall asleep, you might topple over, and I can’t catch you.”

“Mmm,” Yadriel hummed, peeking one eye open.

Julian leaned his shoulder against the wall, grinning down at him.

“It’s your fault I’m this tired,” Yadriel grumbled.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t use me as your escape goat.”

Yadriel exhaled a tired laugh. “Scapegoat, Jules.”

A dimple pressed into Julian’s left cheek as he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip.

Yadriel’s heartbeat fluttered in his throat. He forced his eyes closed, trying to push Maritza’s words out of his head. Don’t do it, he told himself. The only thing more stupid than going around his family’s back, summoning spirits, and trying to solve multiple murders would be falling for a dead boy.

Especially if it was Julian Diaz.

A moment later, the sound of a screen door slamming and the jingling of collars announced Maritza’s return. “We’re good!” she said, Donatello dragged her forward so he could slobber over Yadriel’s hand, whacking himself in the face with his tail as he wiggled with excitement. Michelangelo sat back on his haunches and burped. Maritza rolled her eyes and waved her hand in front of her nose. “Jesus, gordito.”

“She didn’t mean it,” Yadriel said, giving Michelangelo a good scratch.

“This is for you.” She tossed Yadriel a can, and he clumsily caught it. It was a sugar-free Red Bull. “Paola drinks, like, two a day.”

Yadriel cracked it open.

“Oh man, I love that stuff!” Julian whined.

“You hopped up on an energy drink sounds like a literal nightmare,” Maritza told him.

Yadriel took a swig and nearly choked. “Ugh!” he coughed. “It’s disgusting.”

“Yeah, well, it’ll wake you up!” Maritza said, giving him a hard thump on the back. “So suck it up!”

When they got to the cemetery, Luca was already waiting. He rolled back and forth on his skateboard, anxiously craning his neck this way and that, as he tried to see into the cemetery without getting too close. When he spotted Yadriel and Maritza, his body relaxed and he waved at them with a smile. “Thought you guys changed your mind for a second,” Luca admitted. He was wearing the same sweater again, his fingers lost in the sleeves as he fidgeted.

“Just had to make a detour,” Maritza told him.

He beamed at the dogs but lurched to a stop, glancing at Maritza for permission.

“Go for it.”

Luca sank to his knees. Donatello and Michelangelo viciously smothered him with wet dog kisses, sending Luca into a fit of laughter.

“The guy needs a dog,” Yadriel said, smiling. The Red Bull was starting to kick in.

“The guy needs a home, first,” Julian grumbled. He looked less than enthused, his posture rigid and expression surly.

It was starting to get cold out, the clouds overhead turning dark and gray. Since it was a Thursday afternoon, folks were beginning to gear up for the weekend. Garage doors stood open with people milling around inside, music blaring, red cups in hand. People cruised up and down the streets in souped-up mods and beat-down junkers.

Maritza and Luca babbled away, easily bouncing between topics while Yadriel hung back, watching Julian. The closer they got, the more Julian withdrew. By the time they made it to the correct street, he was silent and hanging back at Yadriel’s side. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears, his jaw clenched tight.

“It’s just up ahead!” Luca announced, kicking his skateboard into his hand as he fell into step next to Maritza.