Part Seven
Disclaimer: See Part One
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"Hey Bette, are you in here?"
Pointing to the mess of glass on the floor, Bette scowled disappointedly at Shane. "If you need to get up later, use the other side of the bed. I will clean that up when I get back." Better turned and walked out of the room. Sighing, she greeted Tina, "Hey T."
Tina walked toward Bette and gave her a hug. "Is everything okay?"
Shaking her head in frustration, Bette opened the back door. "It's a long story…"
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After grabbing her purse and keys from the studio, Carmen slammed the door on her way out. Startled, Alice opened the back door and peered out to see a very angry Latina blazing a path to her car. Alice looked at Lara as if to say "oh no" and rushed out the door. Lara turned down the burner on the stove and followed.
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Bette rushed to Jenny's house with Tina in tow. Seeing Carmen in the driveway, Bette yelled, "Carmen, wait!"
Carmen didn't slow down as she yanked her car door open.
"Carmen, hang on a sec!" Alice yelled as she pulled open the passenger side door to peer inside. "What happened?"
Carmen sat for a moment staring at the keys in her hand.
Bette bent to look through Carmen's window and pleaded, "Let me explain."
The fire in Carmen's eyes blazed anew as she jammed her key into the ignition. "Let you explain? What are you going to say, Bette?!"
Lara looked to Tina for confirmation of what had happened and bent to whisper into Alice's ear.
Carmen's turned her head quickly to glare at her passenger side. "And you two! All these little accidents! How could you?!" Carmen then glared back toward Bette. "How could you?"
Tina started to say something, but Carmen cut her off, "Forget it. I don't want to hear it." She turned to Alice. "Please get out."
Alice placed her hand on Carmen's shoulder and shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. You're family Carmen. We were just trying to protect you."
Carmen angrily shrugged the offensive hand from her shoulder and glared at Alice. "Protect me?! Don't give me that bulls**t! You were protecting Shane! You didn't want me to go all "crazy Latina" on her! I thought you were my friends."
Bette could see the whites of Carmen's knuckles as she gripped the steering wheel, clearly holding back some of her anger. But before she could interject some wisdom to the situation, Carmen turned the ignition and revved the engine.
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Hearing the commotion outside, Shane carefully got out of bed and hobbled to the front door.
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Turning to Alice, Carmen commanded through clenched teeth, "Get out." When Alice did not move from her sitting position, Carmen lost the grip she had held on her anger. Her voice getting increasingly louder by the word, Carmen pushed at Alice. "Get… the f**k… out… of my… car!"
With Carmen's final exclamation, Alice got out fast, shut the passenger's door, and peered through the window. "Carmen, please…"
Carmen looked at each one of her friend's faces and then shifted her car into reverse. Staring at her hands once again gripping the steering wheel, Carmen exclaimed, "Go to hell!" She then removed her foot from the brake and slammed it down on the gas pedal.
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Opening the front door, Shane saw her worst nightmare. Quickly hobbling outside, Shane yelled, "Carm! Wait!"
To her horror, she was too late.
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Hearing Shane's scream and the screeching of tires, Bette and the rest of the gang turned from their quick discussion of events to see Carmen's car flip upside down. The women just stood there dumbfounded.
As if happening in slow motion, the driver of the other car involved in the accident started to dislodge the car from the wreckage and pull away.
Awakened from her state of shock, Alice took off running when she saw the other car start to drive away.
Bette then ran to Carmen to see if she was okay, while Lara ran back inside the house to call 911.
Tina, noticing Shane slumped on the ground crying, rushed to lend a comforting presence to her devastated friend.
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"Please hurry!" Lara exclaimed to the 911 operator as she hung up the phone.
Noticing the look of shock on Lara's face, Jenny asked, "Lara, what's going on?"
"Oh my God, Jen! Where have you been?"
Looking confused, Jenny shrugged, "I was in my room writing."
Lara quickly recounted the events that happened and pulled Jenny outside.
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Bending down to check the wreckage of the overturned car, Bette moved to the driver's side. Unable to see Carmen, Bette tried to open the door. When she couldn't make the metal budge, Bette dropped to her knees. Seeing a small movement from the corner of her eye, Bette noticed Carmen's hand reaching out the window. Slowly and gently, Bette cupped Carmen's hand in her own. "Carmen? Are you okay?" Receiving no response, Bette reassuringly squeezed the hand she held. "It's going to be okay." Feeling Carmen's hand go limp, and hearing the sirens in the distance, Bette closed her eyes and hoped for the best.
