Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warnings: implied child abuse, scary situations, sexual harassment
verde-green
"I just can't thank you enough, Gloria," Daya tells her while ignoring Aleida giving them the evil eye. "What's the next phase of Operation Get Aleida Off Heroin So She Can Be A Better Mom?"
"Would it be too soon for you to share a bed?" Gloria asks.
"Kind of, yeah...besides, mine is too small for both of us," Daya responds. "I also don't wanna be near her if she's angry."
"You bet I'm pissed!" Aleida snaps. "You got Cesar and two other couples arrested! How could you do this to me?"
"Maybe this could help you concentrate on your children better," Gloria retorts.
"I don't get it. You smoke, but ain't nobody up your ass about it!"
"There's a difference between you and me, Aleida. I'm not addicted, and I'm an attentive and caring mother. You, on the other hand, are selfish and only care about two things: drugs and Cesar."
"Yeah, you didn't even try to protect Gloria!" Daya chimes in. "I bet you'd let us go homeless in order to bail Cesar out and be back on heroin!"
"Hey, don't be negative," Gloria says. "She wants to be a good mother."
"I'm only not gonna slap you for talking back because I don't wanna do it in front of Gloria," Aleida hisses. "I can't remind her of her ex."
"Oh, how sweet of you!" Daya murmurs sarcastically. "I should give you a medal, right?"
Aleida scowls. "I sent you to camp, which you loved, by the way? Remember? You didn't wanna leave my side at first, but by the end, you acted like we were strangers."
"Yeah, then you destroyed my artwork when I came home because you were jealous of that counselor! I was six!"
"Your drawings haven't really changed since then."
Gloria raises her eyebrow in Aleida's direction. "So what? It doesn't mean you gotta be a bitch about it! You think my boys are perfect? I appreciate whatever they make because I love 'em!"
"Whatever...I'm going to sleep." Aleida goes to her room and closes the door behind her.
"She's right, though," Daya admits. "My pictures are childish-looking."
Gloria hugs Daya close to her. "It's your passion. Don't ever let anybody put you down for that." She sighs. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna take Aleida to the Sparrow Tavern while you girls are all at Ian's party. Diane invited me, Theresa, Red, Norma, Claudette, and Juliana. Franny would be with us, too, since she works there at that time. It might make Aleida realize there's more to life than drugs, like friendship. We won't even lecture her or nothin'! It'll just be nine women drinking and gossiping together!"
Daya smiles at how hard Gloria's working to improve Aleida. "That sounds cool."
"Uh-huh!" Gloria stands up from the couch. "Let's get ready for bed."
"Okay."
Right after Cesar and his drug ring were carted off to prison, Gloria had called Lourdes to pack up the Mendozas' belongings and ship them to the Diaz apartment. She's apparently expecting them to arrive tomorrow. Gloria has to borrow one of Aleida's nightgowns since she refuses to waste money on new pajamas for only one night. She and Daya had also put Julio and Emiliano in Daya's baby brother's crib, and Benito would be sleeping next to Gloria in an old suitcase stuffed with clothes. It's a nice arrangement for now.
As Daya and Gloria pass by her mirror, she remembers how much of a bitch it was to clean, and is relieved no marks remain on it. Just before Daya slips under her covers, Gloria kisses her cheek. "Buenas noches, niña bonita."
Good night, pretty girl
Daya grins happily at the affection. "You too, Gloria. Where are you gonna sleep?"
"I'll take the couch. I like to stay up and read, anyway."
"That won't be comfortable."
"I'll manage."
Truthfully, Daya had wanted Gloria to hold her through the night so they could cuddle, but she feels embarrassed about it because she's not a kid anymore. Plus, she's concerned about Gloria being alone and frightened out there. "If you get nightmares, just wake me."
Gloria squeezes Daya's hand. "I will...and if you need me, I'll be there."
They wave at each other and then Gloria leaves Daya's room. Right when she does, Daya sends a group message to her friends.
Oh em gee! Gloria's staying with me, she got Cesar outta my house, and she's gonna get Aleida to stop being a bitch!
Yay! -Lorna
Awesome!-Alex
Lucky you! -Flaca
She gets a new text notification that changes her mood. You kinda cheated by getting Cesar put away yourself and letting Gloria live with you people...so it's not fun anymore. Either convince Gloria to move out to a battered women's shelter or seduce and fuck Mendez. I saw him eyeing you a few days ago! If you don't do either choice, I'll kill him and put all the blame on you. -P
Daya groans with disgust and her stomach turns over. "Eew, gross..."
"You had fun, then, besides Christopher's car breaking down outside the restaurant and some guy grabbing you?" Franny asks Lorna, who's resting her injured wrist on a bag of ice.
"Yeah, totally, and Christopher saved me! He's my Prince Charming! We'd already eaten, so the night was finished," Lorna replies while looking at her phone. She doesn't show any reaction when a text pops up on the screen, even though she wants to frown and kick P's ass into dust. You just couldn't leave that poor shmuck alone, huh? What a fuckin' liar you are, telling me he's your boy-toy! -P
"I'm glad Red was there to drive you guys home."
"Same."
"What did you have for dinner?"
"It was pasta, by candlelight! We had the most romantic date ever!" At least those are Lorna's plans for next time with Christopher. She doesn't get why he kicked her out, but she guesses that maybe he was just having a bad day or he was aggressive with her because he was drunk. "Gotta love Italian food!"
"I do! Okay, so as you know, I start my graveyard shift at eleven and I get home at six in the morning. I need to leave soon, so good night! Don't go to bed too late, little sis. Love you!" Franny pecks the top of Lorna's head and walks out their front door. Lorna stays by the window until she sees Franny get into her car and drive away. She leaves a note on the door that says, Went out for an early morning walk to watch the sunrise, should be back around eight! -Lorna
She's relieved that she had something to eat before her adventure in jail because she doesn't want to waste any time or have a feeling of fullness while pretending she's homeless on a street corner. Escaping her house is easy because no one will notice that she's gone. Mikey's busy playing video games and their parents are sleeping. Lorna changes into her gray ski jacket, a long-sleeved dark blue and black striped shirt with silver rhinestones on the shoulders, a pair of white jeans, thick socks, and her pink Ugg boots. She wraps her purple scarf around her neck, slips out, and locks up the apartment with her personal key. The chilly air hits her and her whole body is covered in goosebumps within a second, so she runs down their sidewalk to get her blood circulating. She plans to use her phone if she gets bored and purposely wear it down so she'll really have the feeling of no contact or help. It'll just be her and the world outside.
She mills about the streets while thinking about her day. The funniest thing that happened was probably the lunch ladies making Brook's food salty and putting hot sauce all over Jennifer's pasta, which they'd both screamed at, causing the whole cafeteria to burst out laughing. Lorna was ready to fight the boys making fun of Daya for eating the cupcakes later that afternoon. It was disappointing when she had to leave Christopher, but at least she got to banter with Nicky in their cell. She really needed the assurance that Nicky was okay and still around Harlem. Also, she's admittedly attracted to Nicky's cockiness, yet irritated at the same time. It's annoying, but the kind of expression and body language that comes with it-the self-satisfied attitude, the smug comments, the eye rolling, the smirking, come and get me hand gestures during a fight, and the eyebrow-raising with an air of superiority-so even though she always wishes Nicky would just fuck off, she never wants to lose her. Now, she's about to see what Nicky had to go through and she's eager to teach herself a lesson. Plus, Lorna wants to prove her point that Nicky's wrong-she isn't a wimp. She has to try, otherwise, she'll never know, and she won't dare risk Nicky laughing at her for chickening out. So far, it seems fine, because there are people still out and the streetlamps are on. The roads are busy, so she doesn't bother crossing them. She passes stores that are closing, nightclubs, and brightly colored signs. She knows that she must stay awake for the full night so that she can protect herself if need be. Ominous black clouds cover the sky and she hears a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning.
When an hour or so passes and her feet start to get sore, she sits on a bus station bench and plays on her phone until it dies at around two in the morning. She hadn't looked up once, and when she sighs and puts it back inside of her pocket, she sees that there is literally no one around and she can barely see in front of her. Water drips onto her cheek and then her hands. There are soon so many raindrops that she rushes to find someplace to rest that's under an overhang, or inside a parking garage. She's quickly soaked and shivering by the time she gets to a lit-up gas station that's near a twenty-four-hour convenience store. She jumps when an alarm goes off and Janae and her boyfriend, Donte, rush past her with plastic bags in their hands. They're way ahead of a policeman, and she hides herself behind a pump so the cop doesn't see her and ask which way the kids went. Even though Lorna isn't all that fond of Janae or her companion, she doesn't want to be a tattletale or risk lying and getting herself in trouble for helping them commit a crime. Of course, he might also think she's a runaway teen and take her back home, thus spoiling her plan.
"Hold on!" Donte shouts.
"No way, man, run faster!"
Lorna chuckles to herself. Janae has a promising future, so she has no idea why that girl would chance not ever being able to compete in professional track and field because of her criminal record. Lorna, however, has no idea what she's going to do with her life after high school except be Christopher's wife and mother to their children, so being in jail won't wreck it completely.
When the officer is long gone, Lorna continues to walk around, tired and bored out of her mind. She wonders how Nicky entertained herself. There's nothing interesting about this place, and it's so excruciatingly cold. She wants to do something fun, like sneak into a nightclub, so she takes a deep breath and rapidly walks through the deserted alleyways and watches out for any signs of danger. What she doesn't know, is that the closest bar seems like it's a million miles away, since she's still in the abandoned part of Brooklyn-that is, if she hasn't already ventured into the next town. There's very little light and she's apprehensive every time she turns a corner.
"I got no idea...where the fuck am I?" she mutters to herself. "Which way do I go..."
She needs to find a bus stop or train station to get back to some form of civilization. She gasps when she hears a trash can rattle behind her. It's a raccoon, so she backs away from it.
Lorna's teeth chatter and she notices how worn out her hand-me-down jacket really is. There are a few holes and it isn't as cozy as it used to be. She rubs her hands together to create heat, as she doesn't have gloves. She runs until she can find a warm spot to rest. Her eyes pass over a black jacket with a hood laying on the ground, and she skids to a stop, nearly toppling over into a puddle. She only gets a bit splashed, but it isn't quite as bad as having rain pelt down on her. She picks up the jacket and inspects it carefully. It's a little wet and smells like smoke, but the interior is so warm that she puts it on and zips it up. It's huge and reaches the middle of her thighs like a dress, but it'll do. She stuffs her freezing hands in the pockets and they wrap around thick balls of material, so she pulls them out and smiles when she discovers that they're actually blue gloves-the waterproof kind instead of the useless cotton.
"Yes!" she hollers and then breaks off into giggles. She's now motivated to keep going and searching for someplace cool to hang out. As soon as a glowing neon sign above a bar comes into view, she grins happily and looks around for an entryway where there aren't any bouncers present.
All of a sudden, Lorna senses someone following her. She hears laughter and catcalls as she walks even faster. She doesn't even want to turn around to look at whoever's bothering her. Maybe if she ignores them, they'll give up.
"Hey, hottie, take your clothes off!"
"I'm hard already!" another person shouts. "Don't stop smiling!"
"Don't run away from us!" a third yells.
"We love you! Especially your ass and your tits!" a fourth hoots. They all wolf-whistle at her, and she breaks into a sprint.
"Stop it!" she hollers. "All of you, git!" She's soon cornered by the four drunk men, and she doesn't know how to get away. Her whole body turns cold and she's trembling. "Please...don't touch me..." She's going to burst into sobs at any moment.
"Hey, leave her the fuck alone! This isn't funny!" Lorna knows the feminine, raspy voice all too well.
"Nichols!" she cries in relief. "What are you doing here?"
"We'll talk later, kid." She pushes the guys away from Lorna, and one of them roughly hits Nicky, but she stands her ground.
"Fuck you, lesbian! Shut your mouth!" he grumbles.
Nicky angrily whips out a pocket knife and stabs him in the balls so he collapses to the ground.
"You made him bleed, you bitch!"
"Wanna meet my friend touch me once and I'll blind you!'?" she asks while swiftly pulling a can of mace from her bag and spraying the rest of his cronies in their eyes. "Unfortunately, this is how girls and women can survive these mean streets."
Lorna watches in amazement, but she's still mad that she couldn't save herself. They stagger around in pain, and Nicky leads Lorna far away from the scene.
They're gasping heavily after moving so quickly, and Lorna doesn't realize she'd been holding Nicky's hand tightly until now. She lets it go and steps back from her. "Why didn't you give me those?" she demands.
"You're not used to this, so you'd probably drop 'em in fear or something. Anyway, you're welcome. Come on, I'll take you home."
"I'm not backing out! I've made it this far!" Truthfully, Lorna does want to go home, but she also doesn't want Nicky to be alone, even though she knows Nicky can handle herself.
"God, you reek!"
"Yeah, it's this jacket I found, don't blame me!"
Nicky smiles. "You put it on!"
"How come you were hanging around? Don't you have something better to do than wander the streets in the middle of the night...like sleep, for instance? Aren't you tired? You should just go back home...unless you didn't think I could make it?" Lorna quirks up an eyebrow in suspicion and folds her arms across her chest.
Nicky sighs. "Kid, I knew you couldn't make it. That's why I kept a lookout...I didn't want anything bad to happen to you."
Lorna's eyes narrow. "What, you don't think I'm strong enough, just because I'm short?"
"That does make you a target, sadly, and you're a tough kid with a sharp tongue and all that, but I'm not dangerous, and neither are your classmates, I'm pretty sure. Out here, you could meet anyone and if you try to defend yourself against the wrong person, well, that's what I was worried about."
"My mother and Franny did always warn me about being alone out there late at night and as a girl, I need to protect myself because unfortunately, there's bad guys around. I thought you hated me and wouldn't care if something happened..." Lorna mumbles.
Nicky shakes her head no. "I can't be held accountable for putting someone in danger. I know you're scared...it's okay, go home. I'll be alright."
"Nobody ever believes in me and I don't need you to rescue me, so screw you, Nichols!" Lorna doesn't leave the area since she doesn't want to face another terrifying situation. She just focuses her attention to the pavement.
"Look, be glad I stopped them from attacking you! Why would you even do this? That's fucking stupid...I never imagined you'd actually attempt living like a homeless orphan!" Nicky says loudly.
"It was going well until those idiots came along and hit on me!" Lorna screeches.
"Well, first of all, it rained, and then you got cold and put on my old jacket!"
"This is yours? You...you trailed me?" Lorna stammers. She wants to remove it, but it's doing a great job of keeping her warm. If only Nicky had a penis, what Lorna would do with her...damn!
Nicky smirks. "Yeah, just in case you decided to be dumb! I understand bravery...but that doesn't mean you gotta throw yourself in the lion's den! I didn't want to, but I had to."
Lorna scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You grew up rich! That was your choice! You do know that I'm poor, right? I'd kill to live in a fancy house and get literally everything I wanted. You're so ungrateful!"
"At least you're sheltered and someone there adores you...I couldn't live with my bitch of a mom! She doesn't even deserve the title!"
"One fight because you were a brat and you left, just like that?"
"It wasn't my fault! She takes all the blame here...and she hasn't looked for me since...at least she listened when I told her to go fuck her boyfriend instead of trying to get me to come back home." Nicky pauses to take a deep breath. "Why am I telling you all this? We should keep screaming at each other in the street 'til dawn."
"I don't know what to say," Lorna says hoarsely. "I don't wanna quit..."
Nicky yawns, as does Lorna. "I'm too tired to argue."
"Same here, I'm ready to drop. You sure you won't tease me that I'm giving up?"
"Nah...but I would if I wasn't so exhausted!"
They kneel down and rest against the brick wall with their legs spread out. "I know I can't fall asleep...but..." Lorna's speech slows down and her eyes droop shut. She hears Nicky snicker beside her, but she's too wiped out to care.
She's jostled awake and is surprised to find out she had her head on Nicky's shoulder for who knows how long, and she pulls her thumb out of her mouth, wondering how it even got there in the first place. "Ow!" Lorna squeals, almost toppling over. She rubs her eyes open so she can see who bumped into her.
"Ah, what the fuck, Vee?!" Nicky exclaims while massaging her upper arm.
"That's my question for you! You seem to think you can do whatever you want...well, I'll tell you this...you can't, unless you're working for me! Bring your little girlfriend to breakfast."
"She's not my-"
"I've prepared it, and Taystee, Lily, Cindy, Janae, and Tricia are ready to eat. I've already cooked and set the table with their help, so I don't need you...you should be hungry, too. Hurry up!"
"Fine, but why so early? It's not even light out."
"We got a big day ahead of us! RJ's already begun. The girls all want to go to some party, which will take up time...I don't need to explain! I've taken the liberty to come all the way out here instead of allowing you to skip breakfast. Let's go!"
"Actually, I wanted to see the sunrise," Lorna cuts in. She doesn't like or trust this woman at all. Even if she's putting a roof over Nicky's head and making meals, she's also feeding her heroin addiction by allowing her to sell drugs.
"Come see how the other half lives instead," Nicky says, and it appears as though she's pleading with Lorna. "We'll try finishing before the sun wakes up."
"You're not a racist cunt, are you?" Vee asks this in a way that sends chills up and down Lorna's spine. "You've turned down my invitation twice now. You're a weed like that bitch friend of yours who's gone. Mara tells me everything." Lorna tries to think of who Mara is and if she goes to their school, because she could also be a candidate for P. She doesn't know anyone with that name.
"N-no, ma'am...I ain't like that no more. I've learned to accept everyone."
"Then why don't you leave with us? You should be famished. What's the polite thing to say when you've insulted someone and they continue to want to put food in your ugly trap, even though you don't deserve it?"
"Okay, I'm sorry...thank you."
"Lorna, you didn't have to-" Nicky starts to say, but Vee silences her with a glare.
"Follow us," Vee instructs Lorna, and they trudge through the storm. Once they enter the stinky place, she announces, "I want you to meet some people first before we eat. Just sit with them." Lorna shakily goes into the kitchen with Nicky and Vee. She sees four African American girls she knows from Martin Van Buren High, along with Tricia, relaxing there. She attempts to compose herself.
"Hey, girls," Lorna greets them. She's not too surprised that Janae didn't get busted because she's pretty fast. She's just curious as to who Lily is and why Vee didn't mention Suzanne. Maybe she got the names mixed up.
They wave at her and Nicky awkwardly.
"Go get your food and put it on a plate," Vee says, and Nicky and Lorna do what they're told. They sit between Tricia and Suzanne and everyone starts eating their eggs and bacon. It's actually pretty good, and Lorna can only hope this isn't filled with heroin. The girls, including Nicky, discuss their accomplishments of their deals with Vee and it's one of the most unsettling topics of conversation that Lorna's ever heard. All she can do is listen and keep her thoughts to herself.
Lorna finishes quickly and gets up to wash her dish in the sink, but Suzanne stops her. "I'll do it! Let me!"
"Okay...thank you, Suzanne."
"It's Lily!" Suzanne whines and pouts. She starts loading the dishwasher.
"Uh...I know her...she's in my drama class-" Lorna starts to say anxiously while keeping her eyes on Nicky.
"She likes to be called Lily. Get over it!" Vee reprimands Lorna.
"Hey!" Nicky starts to cut in, but they're all interrupting her at once.
"You don't wanna be callin' her by the wrong name, do you?" Janae asks challengingly while punching her palm into her fist.
"We all know what happens to white girls who don't behave," Cindy growls.
"It's not just white girls," Taystee says quickly. "It's everyone, really..."
"Yeah, just try to fit in," Tricia mutters.
"Hey! Lorna's a guest. She didn't know," Nicky jumps in. "She didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Lily...or to disrespect anyone."
"Mm-hm...won't do it again!" Lorna adds. "I'm sorry."
"Yay!" Suzanne hollers. She hugs Lorna tight. "Politeness is the best!"
"It is," Lorna agrees.
When Nicky's done with her meal, she gives it to Suzanne and then stands. She grabs a few bags of heroin from the kitchen cabinet and tucks it into her large sweatshirt pockets. "Vee...we're gonna get going, if that's okay? Lorna needs to be home and I'm about to begin my shift."
"Scram, bitches," Vee dismisses them.
Lorna's still nervous, even when she's halfway down the block. The sun is just starting to come up, and its rays push out brilliant yellows and oranges. The clouds almost have a pink hue as they glide along the dark blue sky. "It's beautiful," she murmurs.
"Mm-hm," Nicky agrees.
"Why did you come with me? You've seen this all the time, I'm sure...if you're not in a shelter, it must wake you up."
"I saw the way you were looking at me in Vee's shack...like I was the only one there who could protect you...and you stayed with me for the rest of the night, grabbed my hand like it was your lifeline, and you were sleeping on me! Admit it, Morello, I make you feel safe! You trust me enough to be alone with me!"
Lorna shakes her head furiously. "No! You can't force words into my mouth! I would do that with any of my other friends if they were here!" Lorna closes her eyes in annoyance when she realizes what she's just said, and Nicky smirks.
"Other, huh? You consider me your friend, too?"
"I don't...I don't know," Lorna murmurs.
Nicky chuckles and runs her hand through her hair. "You do."
"What, you do me a favor and you think I owe you my friendship now?"
"Kind of, yeah...I mean, we don't have to be pals, but you could at least help get the kids to trust me at the party tonight."
Lorna sighs. "Fine, but on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You don't tell a soul about what I did last night."
"Deal. How'd you get out with your sister there, anyway? She seems like she cares if you get into trouble and shit..."
"She was working overnight, and the rest of my family was dead to the world, so I snuck out," Lorna snaps her fingers, "just like that!"
"That's pretty neat."
Lorna gives Nicky back her jacket and gloves. "Here."
"You can keep it."
"No, thanks...I don't want Franny wondering where I got it."
"Okay, then."
They stroll the rest of the way to Lorna's apartment in silence and wave goodbye at each other.
Lorna knocks on the front door until her sister opens it. "How was your walk?"
"It was..." Lorna tries to find the right words for her experience. "Interesting! I can check one more thing off my bucket list!"
Franny gives Lorna a confused look. "You've been up before dawn."
"I know, but that was just while riding in your car while quickly passing the scenery. This morning, I got to really take it in."
"Well, that's good."
She starts to go to her room, but she stops when she hears Franny call out, "Lorna?"
Lorna lets out an exasperated puff of air. "Yeah?"
"You're soaked...why didn't you come home when it started showering?"
"I find something romantic and soothing about the rain." It's true, she does, but being out in it isn't very pleasant-just watching it from the inside is nice. "Besides, it stopped like a minute into my walk, but a big stream of water splashed me when I went under a building."
Franny continues her interrogation. "You never took off your makeup?"
"Nope...I forgot, I guess."
"That's weird, but okay."
Flaca sprints into the attic as fast as her feet can carry her. She dives into a metal box with a lock and slams it shut. Curling herself up in the fetal position, she whimpers into her shaky hand as tears cloud her vision. There's a thunderous pounding on the door and she doesn't know how she's still alive if her heart has stopped. She can't make a sound, or they'll find her, and they'll kill the people protecting her. A loud slap is heard from outside and then a feminine voice begs, "No, no, no, please...no!" The person bursts into sobs as Flaca's safe place is broken into. Flaca starts screaming while covering her mouth when she sees Fernando glaring down at her like the demon he is.
A bloodcurdling shriek wakes Flaca up, and she realizes that the sound came from her. "Shh, baby, you're okay now. You're okay," Maritza whispers to her. "Take some deep breaths." Flaca keeps whimpering into Maritza's chest as the shorter girl rubs soothing circles on her back.
"Don't let him get me! Please!" she cries.
"He won't, honey...you're gonna call your mom and get it taken care of tomorrow morning. I'll protect you, and so will she."
"I'm sorry..."
"You don't need to apologize. I've had nightmares too, but even if I didn't, you can't help what happens while you're sleeping."
"I know. Thank you for being here for me."
"Anytime."
The girls roll out of bed and Flaca takes some time to check her phone. Clock's ticking...you need to confess the truth to your so-called auntie figure-or you're a fraud. -P
She sighs and ignores it for now since she's trying to figure out what to say. "Maritza, we gotta pay Gloria a visit, like today, and tell her what we did."
"What?! Why? She'll hate us!"
"Maybe at first, yeah...but then she'll understand it was for her own protection."
"I'm not sure about that, Flaca...she might forgive you because she knows you really well, but not me."
"I'll go, then...I won't say you were involved. I'm the one who called the cops, anyway...you were just the other witness."
Maritza rolls her eyes. "It's okay. I'll come with you."
"You just said-"
"Forget that...I can't let my girl go down for this alone. Besides, I thought up the idea in the first place!"
"Alright...after breakfast."
"Yep!"
The Saturday morning tradition for Alex and Diane is to eat cereal and then go to their yoga class, which is taught by Erica Jones. Alex pours her cornflakes into a bowl as Diane makes her coffee. They had a wonderful time last night, watching their favorite show while snacking on warm, buttery popcorn. After Diane had finished her wine and their food was gone, Alex relaxed comfortably in her mother's arms on their beige leather couch with a brown blanket draped over them both. When they were in that position, Alex felt like nothing could ever go wrong. The same can be said for their entire life routine, really. Since Diane works so much, Alex barely gets time to interact with her, except for small talk and quick hugs between, before, and after shifts. Diane always makes sure to kiss her daughter goodnight and wake her up in the morning. They have long conversations as often as they can.
Alex takes a few spoonfuls of her food. "Mmm...I dunno what it is about cornflakes, but they're delicious!"
"One of the best meals on the fuckin' planet," Diane agrees, "and here's some fruit for health reasons, obviously!" She chops up a banana and strawberries and lets the pieces fall into Alex's cereal.
"Gotta have orange juice, too!" Alex pulls it out of the fridge and puts some into a glass.
The birds chirp outside and a rainbow forms in the blue sky. "Such a beautiful morning after that shitty rainstorm, huh?" Diane asks.
Alex's phone buzzes with a text and she quickly reads it. I guess you don't care if everyone sees your juicy photos...you're a cheater for being with Sylvie! What'd you do, forget about Piper? -P
"Ugh," she mutters while turning it over.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing...yeah, everything's all clean!"
"Mm-hm. Did it wake you up, though?"
Alex nods. "I loved it...I fell asleep, again, listening to the rain."
"I couldn't...it pattered against the window all night long. Um...we had another goddamn leak, which I got up to fix...I put a bucket under there and had to actually research how to stop it."
"Oh, no...you must be tired!"
"I am, which is why I'm taking a nap right after yoga."
"You don't have to go."
"I want to, so I can spend time with my little girl!" Diane kisses her fingers and touches Alex's cheek softly.
Alex smiles at her mother's affection towards her. "Aw, Mom, you're really sweet, but-"
"No buts. I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me!"
"I could've helped you..." Alex mumbles apologetically.
Diane shakes her head no. "It's fine, I wanted to let you sleep."
"You work too hard, Mom."
"Don't feel bad! It's all for you, Allie. I'm giving my kid the life she deserves...only the best."
"Still, Lee's a jerk for knocking you up and then leaving."
"Eh, I know, but whatever. We got each other, and that's what counts. So...party tonight?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Well, all I can say is be safe and enjoy yourself!"
"Thanks, you too!" Alex responds, referring to Diane going to her girls' night at the Sparrow Tavern.
They meet up with Franny and Lorna outside their yoga class an hour later, and Alex hugs her friend. "Hey!" they say at the same time while giggling. Behind them, Diane tells Franny about the leak.
"You're Lorelai and Rory and all you need is Luke!" Lorna whispers.
"We don't need a Luke," Alex hisses.
"Why? It would be so romantic if your mom got a guy to repair something in your house and then she fell in love with him! I mean, look at The Notebook...he built a whole house for her!"
"Stop being cheesy," Alex grumbles as they set up their mats next to each other's. "My mom can do shit on her own!"
"Yeah, I know, but having a special someone doing the work for you doesn't hurt! My Christopher isn't at all like the one on Gilmore Girls."
"I don't want her to give her money away when she can just fix something herself."
"If he loves her, though, it would be on the house!"
Alex scowls. "Okay, can you just please leave the subject of my mother dating alone? It's fuckin' weird."
"Sorry..."
"Thank you."
Diane places herself on the other side of Alex, and Franny is on the other side of her sister. Ms. Jones begins having the students do different poses and even though yoga isn't Alex's favorite thing in the world, not only because it reminds her so much of how Piper used to love it and she's so tall and lanky, but she also thinks it's a little slow for her, being with her mom and one of her besties is what's really important.
There's a U-Haul outside of the Diaz apartment and the movers, along with Daya, Gloria, and Aleida are carrying boxes of all different sizes inside the place. "Hey, can we help?" Maritza asks as Gloria passes her and Flaca with a package.
"I could really use it, thank you!"
After a few hours of grunt work and eating potato tacos that Gloria cooked, everything is set up. The truck leaves and then they all cut open boxes and assist Gloria with putting her clothes in her closet and making her bed. They put Benny's big-boy bed and Julio's crib next to where Gloria would sleep, and then admire her new bedroom.
"Are you gonna paint it?" Flaca wonders out loud.
"Maybe, to make it fun for the boys. I haven't really thought about that yet." Gloria peers down at her youngest son, Julio, who's in her lap and trying to pull at her gold hoop earring. "¿Cuál color te gustaría?"
What color do you like?
"¡Verde!" the little boy answers.
Gloria turns her attention back to the girls. "I still gotta get Benny's opinion."
"How about you do all the colors of the rainbow?" Maritza suggests.
"Yeah, that would look really cool!" Flaca exclaims.
"I could create a mural," Daya offers, coming into the room with the other kids.
"Yeah, please let her do it, Mommy!" Her older kid wraps his arms around her and his brother. It's very cute.
Gloria chuckles and ruffles Benny's hair. "Okay! That sounds good."
"Yay!" the boys shout, clapping their hands in happiness.
"It's my birthday next week! I'm gonna be this many!" Benny says, holding up five fingers, and Gloria beams proudly.
"Wow, you're a big boy!" Maritza responds.
"We'll throw you a party!" Flaca chimes in.
"You'll have a blast, trust me. High schoolers host the greatest parties!" Daya adds.
"Aww, that's very nice of you!" Gloria tells them. "You girls are too sweet."
"I want a lot of cake and ice cream and tacos!"
"You got it, champ!" Flaca says. "Well, Gloria, you're basically my aunt...so he's like my cousin. Umm...can we talk to you in private, though?"
Daya gives Flaca a questioning stare and ushers the children out of the room.
"Sure...what did you wanna tell me?"
The girls sit on either side of her with their hands folded in their laps. "Where did you buy those neat headbands you always wear? The patterns and colors are so pretty!" Maritza gushes. She was going to say something, but just watching Gloria be in such a good mood, even through the stress of moving and escaping an abusive boyfriend with her kids in tow, Maritza couldn't bring herself to ruin it.
"Wow, thank you! I thought it was something big and secretive...I get 'em all different places, such as the mall and little Mexican stores here and there."
"Gloria?" Flaca says, narrowing her eyes at Maritza.
"Yeah?" Gloria's eyes travel back and forth between the girls. "What's wrong? That wasn't what you wanted to say, was it?"
Flaca plays with her fingers. "No. We...we um...I...I was raped." Maritza closes her eyes and groans quietly. She can't believe Flaca chickened out, too. This is too deep of a subject to confide in Gloria about, but then again, it's Gloria, who had also been abused by someone she thought adored her.
Gloria gasps softly and pulls Flaca into a warm embrace and rubs her back in soothing circles. "Oh, sweetie...I'm so sorry to hear that!"
"It happened a long time ago. I keep having the worst nightmares! I feel dirty, like every time I think about him touching me..." Flaca shudders and her breath hitches.
"I hope he's put away for good."
"He is."
"You have to remind yourself that he's the gross one-not you."
"That's what I told myself when that nasty Humps...you know," Maritza says.
"What did he do to you besides what happened the other day at lunch?" Gloria's voice is full of worry.
"When I first went to his biology class, he...he used me to do a demonstration of how to make a baby...he stood up in front of the students and had me face him...and while fully clothed, he thrust his sickening groin into mine!" It makes her tummy hurt just talking about it.
"Dios mio, you poor girls," Gloria murmurs, and Maritza curls up beside her and lays her head in Gloria's lap as her throat tightens and the dam behind her eyes begins to burst. Flaca literally cries on Gloria's shoulder. "I wish we could get Humps behind bars...and I have totally been there."
"Really?" Flaca asks weakly and then sniffles.
"Humps actually...forced himself on you?" Maritza pretends to act clueless.
"No...but I'm a domestic violence survivor...my boyfriend, Arturo, he'd always...but it doesn't matter now-he's been arrested. He can't hurt me anymore, and he'll never strike Benny again." Gloria sounds like she's trying to convince herself of this, but Maritza can sense that she's still scared of what could happen. She gulps audibly and Maritza can feel the way Gloria's fingers shake as they run through her hair.
"Why would he...what kind of monster abuses a woman and a four-year-old?" Flaca wants to know.
"One who needs to live in Hell," Gloria mutters. "You know what, though, we're safe with each other."
"Yeah," both Flaca and Maritza agree.
"Hi...I'm Nicky."
"Yo, it's Cindy in the hizz-house!" one of them says cheerfully while holding up the peace sign.
"Janae," the athletic girl next to Cindy greets her.
"Hello, my name is Lily!" the girl with braids all around her head informs her in a childish voice.
"I was going to have them replace you," Vee announces, "but they can join you instead. They told me their school has very strict rules, but I taught them how to sneak it in successfully. They're pros now."
"Awesome," Nicky says emotionlessly.
Nicky's okay going to the party with her new fellow housemates, but she doesn't know what to do about Tricia. On one hand, she can't leave her with Vee, and on the other, she shouldn't take her to another house full of booze and drugs, even if trustworthy girls like Lorna and Alex will be there. For a split second, she thinks of calling up Red to see if she can babysit Tricia, but she brushes away this idea because Tricia isn't Red's responsibility-Nicky doesn't even know the woman well enough to ask a favor of her.
Then, it hits her. Taystee is the most level-headed of those who live here, and while she could watch Tricia like always, Tricia had been begging Nicky all day to let her come, and the three foster sisters hadn't spent much time together in a while. Nicky pulls on her black miniskirt and buttons up her blue blouse. After adjusting her silver cross necklace and applying mascara to her lashes and eyeliner, she slips into her black leather jacket, steps into her black boots, and slips her purse onto her shoulder. She takes a cab to Shake Shack and walks inside. "Hey...let's go to a party!"
"Ha! I knew you'd cave!" Tricia chuckles while hugging Nicky.
"There's a few ground rules, though. Number one, no getting drunk or high and don't be stupid enough to take pot brownies or leave your punch or soda unattended...in fact, bring a snack and something to drink and don't take your eyes off them for a second. Two, if you can't see me, Lorna, Alex, or Taystee, you're in the wrong place. Lastly, if some dude wants to show you something in his room, say no and don't follow him up there because it's gonna be his dick."
Tricia wrinkles her nose. "Okay, but I don't even like boys! Gross!"
"There's a thing called rape. Well...it won't even happen, because you gonna stick with one of us," Taystee says. "We'll just dance!"
"Awesome!"
The three girls catch a taxi and go to the address that Alex had given Nicky. When they get to Ian's mansion, more excitement ensues. Loud music is booming from the place and a bunch of kids who look like they're in both college and high school let themselves in.
"That's huge!" Taystee points out as her eyes widen.
"Wow! I wanna stay here forever!" Tricia gushes while spinning around and taking it all in.
Nicky rolls her eyes, knowing full well that money isn't the only thing that can buy happiness. "He's not a celebrity, calm down! I do agree, though, it's nice to be rich!" They walk through the wide open door as the floor shakes with the music's vibrations. It's so crowded that they practically have to push through people to search for Lorna and Alex. Nicky grabs her younger sister's hand so Tricia doesn't get lost in the crowd. She tries asking the guests if they've seen the girls, but it's deafening.
"Where are Lorna Morello and Alex Vause?!" Nicky yells.
"They're the only two we know here!" Tricia adds.
"Actually, I recognize a lot of you!" Taystee hollers. "Yo, P!" She runs toward a skinny African-American girl with a mohawk and hugs her tightly.
"Hey!"
Nicky and Tricia follow her. "This is Poussey, my best friend!" Taystee introduces the other girl, who's dressed in jeans and a red leather jacket. "She can probably find your gals. P, you've met Tricia, but this is Nicky."
"'Sup," Poussey says with a grin while shaking Nicky's hand. "Uh, I think I saw 'em in the living room...come on, I'll show y'all."
"Thanks, dude!" Nicky responds.
They go with her and sure enough, they find Alex and another chick grinding up against each other in the center of a circle. Lorna has her hair up and is in a crop-sleeved purple dress that's decorated with gold chains. She's holding hands and dancing with a ponytailed Spanish girl, who has full lips, nicely toned legs, and a thin sleeveless white dress covering her figure. A short Latina wearing a royal blue strapless dress that stops at her knees, is going around and serving drinks while a taller Mexican girl with headphones and a microphone is spinning CDs. She's in a red and black plaid dress and black tights paired with tall black boots. A guy throws her a bottle of something and she takes a swig of it.
Nicky cups her hands around her mouth. "Morello! Vause!" she shouts. "We're here!"
"Damn, Nichols!" Alex exclaims and comes over to her quickly. "That outfit is hot!"
"You look good in your tight black jeans and your red skull and crossbones tee, too."
"Do I have to worry about her?"
"No, Sylvie, we're just friends!"
Alex makes out with the girl and Nicky smirks. "Congratulations!"
Lorna bounds up to them seconds later, with her friend hot on her heels. "Hi...um, this is Dayanara...Diaz. She's one of my besties. One thing, though, just call her Daya."
"Hey, I'm Nicky!"
"Nice to meet you," Daya says warmly with a smile and a short laugh. She and Nicky exchange a handshake. "I've heard some...interesting stuff about you!"
"I'm sure you have!" Nicky winks at Lorna and sniggers to herself. "So...my younger sister, Tricia...we just wanted to chill with each other." Nicky gives Tricia a noogie, and the girl in blonde dreadlocks pokes Nicky's belly.
"Aw, you're cute," Daya murmurs. She waves at the DJ and the other girl with a plate of drinks in her hands. "Yo, Flaca, Maritza, the famous Nicky is here!"
The two Mexican girls stop what they're doing and join the small group. They move their bodies to the music a little. "Welcome to the party! My name's Flaca Gonzales, hers is Maritza Ramos," the girl with pink stripes in her hair greets Nicky. The other one-Maritza-smoothes down her hair. Nicky can't help but notice all the cleavage these girls are baring. "Cool...necklaces, bracelets, and hoop earrings," she mutters, trying to keep her eyes up. This is not a lie-she does admire their jewelry quite a bit.
"Thanks!" Maritza squeals. "Oh my god...you've gotta check out the molly here. Flaca's boyfriend's like, loaded!"
Nicky gives her a thumbs-up. "Man, that sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic!"
"Actually, she shouldn't..." Lorna interrupts. "Nicky's an addict."
"Aw, okay. Sorry!" Flaca apologizes, and Nicky shows Lorna her middle finger.
"Whatever. Morello...can you...show me around?"
Lorna sighs tiredly. "Yeah, come with me." Nicky does as Lorna says and keeps her arm linked with Tricia's. She makes sure she never loses sight of her heroin-filled purse. "Leanne Taylor and Angie Rice...always wanting to get high." Lorna points out two girls, one with blonde, stringy hair and bad acne, and the brunette beside her, who already looks strung out. "They'd be your best customers." Lorna gestures to each girl as she speaks about them. "Also, Poussey Washington, but she just smokes marijuana...who knows, she could want to try some heroin as well. Janae Watson, a wannabe junkie, but also a track star. Stella Carlin...she's got money and loves drugs. Maria Ruiz...her father runs a drug cartel, and rumor has it, she helped her boyfriend Yadriel get away with dealing heroin. Brook Soso enjoys getting stoned every once in a while. Maritza's a pothead. That's it for now, I think."
"Gee, thanks! I'll get started."
"I'm gonna get a bite to eat...probably gorge on macaroni and cheese!"
Nicky walks up to Maritza, who's staring out the window at an almost naked Flaca and her boyfriend drunkenly kissing in the huge, lit-up pool down below. Maritza turns away sadly as they get out, both dripping wet.
"You're into your straight friend too, huh?"
"What? I'm not a lesbian..."
"Maybe not, but you like her and you're jealous of him. Anyway...heroin?" Nicky opens her purse and Maritza pulls out a stash.
"Thanks!"
Nicky collects thirty dollars from Maritza. "Anytime."
She's about to sell more drugs when she sees Lorna by the couch, stumbling around alone with her mouth chuck full. Nicky and Tricia both come up to her.
"I...I think I'm gonna sit down. I'm feeling a bit woozy. I think it's these lights and maybe the music, too," Lorna mumbles after swallowing her large bite. She's shaky and her face is pale and sweaty.
Nicky guffaws. "Or you're just finally high as fuck!" she teases her.
To Nicky's shock, Lorna doesn't snap back with a reply. She falls over and lands face down on the floor. When she doesn't move after a few seconds, Nicky starts to panic. She kneels to the floor with Tricia and they turn Lorna over and start fanning her. Nicky's heart slows down when she doesn't feel that Lorna has a pulse and is barely breathing. "Holy shit!" she shrieks, unzipping the back of Lorna's dress to allow the Italian girl to cool down and not be so constricted in her outfit. "Someone...someone get Flaca to stop the music...and where's Lorna's other friends? She needs them, please..." Nicky keeps nudging Lorna, trying to get her to stop being immobile. "Lorna, Lorna, are you okay? Lorna, come on, wake up..."
Thank you for reading and reviewing, cornedout, HannahMiley1fan, Caitlin, ladyglorificus, LindaAndrewsfan, and Tiff!