is this a love story?

This question was posed at the beginning of Thursday’s class, and it really got me thinking about what this story about Lucero and Aurora relationship really is. Is it a love story? In my answer, I stated yes, but then later explained that it isn’t a conventional love story, but a love story none the less. It was stated in class that the relationship between Lucero and Aurora seem like more of an addiction than love, but I would argue that it is both. See, these two can break up and be separated all they want, but they almost always come crawling back to each other. They crave for the others companionship and attention. Each of them provides a sense of comfort that they can’t seem to live without. Their love is toxic because they have become addicted to it.

Part of this is evident when Aurora gets sent off the juvie and Lucero is able to have a break from her. In fact, without Aurora there, he seems to do very well, proving that he is capable to breaking this toxic bond and living to tell the tale. But, when Aurora gets out and comes back to him, he is sent spiraling back to square one as he states, “you know how it is when you get back with somebody you’ve loved. It felt better than it ever was, better than it ever could be again” (64). Lucero is like an addict who attempted to be clean, but breaks, and now feels temporarily better than ever, finally being able to be with the person he loves and hates so dearly. I mean, it’s clear that he knows that she isn’t good for him. Both his friend, Cut, and his conscience tell him that he needs to leave her, but his body won’t let him. He feels attached to her, telling himself that he could leave whenever he wants to, but deep down, I don’t think he can. He claims that he has “the iron will” and could quit whenever he feels like it. But, Cut sees through his bluff and states that, “people like her got addictive personalities. You don’t want to be catching that” (63). Cut can see that Lucero is just following this girl down a rabbit hole that, as time goes on, he may not be able to dig himself out of it.

And Cut isn’t the only one who disapproves of this relationship. Lucero himself knows that it’s toxic and that he needs get out and breath some fresh air before he totally plunges under. “If I had half a brain I would have done what Cut told me to do. Dump her sorry ass” (64). Lucero knows that this relationship is not good for both of them. The pain that they inflict on each other leaves scars, both internal and external. Lucero even states that he’s “amazed at how nasty [he] feel[s], how [he] want[s] to put [his] fist in her face” (55). The sex and beating makes the love between these two incredibly dangerous for both parties. Aurora will leave bruised by Lucero’s punches, while Lucero will leave with scratch marks down his arms by Aurora’s nails. We know that Lucero disapproves of this kind of relationship, and assumably Aurora does too at times, but they can’t get away from each other, they are each other’s drug, kryptonite, and source of happiness in life. (Although, arguably, Lucero also finds happiness in drug dealing, just not the same kind he feels with Aurora).

Another unfortunate aspect of this relationship is that Lucero clings on to the fantasy of being clean from this love addiction. “I know people who quite just like that, who wake up one day with bad breath and say, No more. I’ve had enough” (61). Lucero knows it’s possible for him to leave Aurora and focus on his work and find a more stable relationship, but a part of him doesn’t want to spend his life without Aurora. He’s addicted to the feeling of being with her and I don’t think this addiction will ever completely leave him. As Mr. Mitchell stated, this kind of love involves two people trying really hard against insane odds. They are trying to both make things work before they break things and this relationship gets too out of control (because things are already relatively out of their hands at this point).