The time jump that concluded two-year flashforward revealing that the entire friend group has dispersed.
Though they were close with Monse and Cesar, Ruby and Jamal were best friends. They had been friends since elementary school and grew up in the same Los Angeles neighborhood. Personality-wise, Ruby and Jamal were very different, but they managed to compliment each other in a special way. Jamal also spent a lot of time at Ruby's house and became good friends with Ruby's Abuelita. Ruby and Jamal did everything together, but that started to change when their lives got turned upside down from local gang activity.
After embarking on the Lil Ricky mission at the demand of the Santos leader, Cuchillos, the core four began drifting apart due to the stress and danger involved. Ruby was already dealing with PTSD, so when the teens witnessed Cuchillos corpse, all innocence was lost on the group. After Monse moved away, the series flashed forward two years and unveiled that Ruby and Jamal were no longer best friends, nor were they even on speaking . Ruby ed by Jamal at school and the pair gave one another a very odd look that didn't seem friendly. Whatever happened between the two, it had to have been big for that kind of result.
The Cuchillos Incident Was Just The Start Of Ruby & Jamal's Separation
It's not uncommon for longtime friends to start distancing once they get older. This situation, however, seemed to point more at traumatic events forcing the distance to grow quicker. It was no secret that Jamal was obsessed with the Lil Ricky disappearance, and it would be unlikely that he gave up on the search. The drama with the local gangs was probably enough for Ruby to the point that he refused to help his friends in any more investigations. Ruby was also known for blowing up on his friends from time to time when emotions became tense, so perhaps a major fight broke out between the two.
Depending on what happened to Ruby and Jamal, matters would have become worse when they turned elsewhere for comfort. Ruby began dating season 4, Ruby and Jamal will find a way to reignite their friendship, as well as the core four.