Whenever life had John Viruete or his big sister Martha Soto Padilla down, one would take the other out to eat, for even the most casual bite.
Often savoring their trips to McDonald’s or Burger King drive-thrus, they could hash things out and cheer each other up before getting back to their lives. The small gesture meant a lot.
It had a way keeping them safe.
"He's my baby brother," a somber Soto Padilla, 24, told the Sun-Times.
But a fallout over his lifestyle about six months ago ended their comfort food runs, and Soto Padilla is left with a gnawing sense of regret that she couldn't lift him up from the recent rough time he'd been enduring.
"Every hour it kind of creeps up to you and makes it more of a reality than a dream."
Around 8 p.m. Wednesday, Viruete, 16, was behind the wheel of a gray car that had been reported stolen and was southbound in the 2300 block of North Kimball Avenue when he exchanged gunfire with occupants of a black sport utility vehicle, Chicago police said.
Viruete, who was shot in the head and crashed the car into two parked vehicles, died about an hour later at a hospital. A weapon was recovered in the car, officials said.
No arrests have been reported.
Viruete was the youngest of his four siblings and the only boy. He was a junior at North Cook Academy in Des Plaines and had been staying with his father, also of Wheeling, recently.
The tall Viruete was "very joyful," and blessed with an infectious grin.
"He always had that smile, that goofy smile all the way to his ears," Soto Padilla said. "He was basically a teddy bear."
Viruete's family described him as a "great kid with the wrong crowd" and tried to steer him away by involving police or urging him to stay home while living with his dad.
He made friends easily and cared deeply for his family, especially his mother.
"He always gave her a hug and told her everything's all right," Soto Padilla said. "He knew what buttons to push, but we all knew he was goofing around."
Though he assured relatives he was "his own man," he was also a typical teen.
"He was mischievous, a crybaby, and had hormone anger issues like the next adolescent boy," Soto Padilla said.
"But he was also lovable, easy to talk to ... caring, sentimental, the person that would lend a ear, [a] hard worker, and just a sweet boy that loved his niece and nephew."
Recalling those sacred memories, she fights a nagging sensation that she failed to protect him and maybe their food and chat runs were more important than she realized.
The tradition started about two-and-a-half years ago when the then-14-year-old Viruete called her. He had skipped school and was cold and hungry.
Soto Padilla didn't think twice and the two headed to Burger King. “Stay focused," she urged. Don't be "so influenced" by friends and "just get through high school," she advised.
While it started with Soto Padilla stressing the importance of staying on the right path, she began confiding in Viruete when she felt indecisive or when learning how to navigate newer trends like TikTok.
“We used to do it pretty often,” Soto Padilla said of their outings.
Their fallout was the last time the two spoke to each other.
"It was a hard time for both of us," she said.
"I have a lot to regret for not being there for him and thought we had more time so I could watch him grow and take him out for his first beer at 21, attend his graduation at 18, and just hug him one last time to tell him, 'I love you,' " she said.
Now, as Viruete's relatives scramble to arrange his funeral, they have a message for his killer: "You took someone out of this world way too early," she said. "He was meant to do more."
A GoFundMe page created to help with funeral costs has raised more than $1,300 as of Friday evening.
Soto Padilla said they've had "no sleep, a lot of crying, a lot of reminiscing."
Times were good when a heart-to-heart over a quick bite would do the trick.
