Diego's crossing

the long version

Seventeen-year-old Diego dreams of a brighter future. His small town near the Mexican-United States border has been ravaged by the drug war, and the newspaper headlines are filled with body counts. One day, Diego's older brother Ernesto shows up in a tricked-out Chevy Silverado. Diego is fully aware of what no one is willing to openly admit: Ernesto is a gangster. Diego manages to avoid his brother, until he discovers Ernesto badly beaten and unable to finish a drug run for a brutal gang. Then Diego does what he swore he would never do--deliver drugs across the border. Once he successfully delivers the drugs, Diego is faced with yet another choice. Does he risk everything for the the drug cartel's big but risky paydays, or does he walk away back to his small town of little opportunity?