Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! My bad, they all skip school on the 28th which is a Tuesday!
"We're at the hospital, Mom," Alex is tearfully letting Diane know as the girls are sitting on the waiting room's couch. "No, we're fine...but Flaca isn't. She's not dead, but she's not conscious, either."
"We were at the bus stop for the movies, but then a car ran under her in the parking lot," Daya shakily tells either Gloria or Aleida, but possibly both. "She rolled right over the top of it...one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed. Yeah, I'm glad we were with her, too."
"It just came out of nowhere, Nicky!" Lorna sobs. "I dunno who would be so cruel as to commit a hit-and-run on our bestie!"
"What the fuck?! Jesus, kid, I'm so sorry. I really hope she'll pull through! Okay, Maritza and I are on our way since Theresa's picking us up. Are you staying overnight there?"
"We'll find out."
"This has got Pisca-fuckin-tella written all over it."
"Nah, he don't need a car for that shit. He can break bones with his bare hands!"
"True that, homie. See ya soon."
"Bye!"
The girls hang up their phones. "This is gonna sound out of this world, but I think it was Baxter Bayley. I saw him in a black hoodie when we were leaving," Daya informs them. "When Flaca wakes up, she can confirm it."
"I doubt it was him...he's stupid, not dangerous. Lots of people wear black sweatshirts with hoods," Alex replies.
"Yeah," Lorna agrees, "but it doesn't hurt to check. We gotta fill the police in on this now. This P...they're serious. They killed Piper and now, Flaca's life is being threatened."
"You remember what happened with the last cop that tried to help us?" Alex reminds her. "There's none left."
"Right...we're fucked," Daya grumbles. She rubs her tummy and curls up on the couch, with her head on the armrest. "Can someone give me a back massage, please? I'm hella stressed."
"Sure," Lorna murmurs kindly, and she and Alex start doing what Daya has requested.
"I came as soon as I heard!" Theresa says, coming in with Nicky and Maritza, who look just as flustered as Flaca's mother. "The doctors...they said Flaca only has a broken leg and ankle and her ribs are bruised...she'll have to be in a wheelchair. She's still out, but they think she can have visitors outside of family tomorrow."
"I wanna be with her, though," Maritza cries as tears stream down her cheeks. "Can I just sit there and hold her hand?"
"Only I am allowed in there for tonight. I'm sorry, nena." Theresa apologizes.
Nicky wraps her arms around each of the girls comfortingly and she kisses the top of Lorna's head while rocking her from side to side. "At least we know she's alright."
After Gloria and Diane have picked up the girls, with the exception of Maritza, and then dropped them off at home, while Red took Nicky to Shake Shack to meet her sisters, Lorna wanders into her dark house and sadly puts her purse down on the table. Franny is just getting home. She flips on the light when she walks through the front door.
"Late night, huh?"
"Yeah..."
"What'd you do?"
Lorna's breath hitches. "Nothin' bad, if that's what you're thinkin'...I just need a hug."
Franny embraces her and strokes her hair as Lorna wails into her big sister's chest. "Oh, sweetie...what's gotten you so upset?"
"Flaca was hit by a car," Lorna blubbers. "I got no idea who the driver was...but I think they were tryin' to kill her, 'cause they didn't even slam on the brakes and see the damage..."
"That's terrifying...is she gonna be okay?"
Lorna nods. "Mm-hm, but she's really injured."
"God..."
"Franny, can you sleep with me tonight? I don't wanna get bad nightmares."
"Of course I will, little sis."
Lorna ends up with her sister holding her, but the tears don't stop trickling down her cheeks. Not even sucking her thumb helps her settle down, and that's her normal coping mechanism. "Franny, I...I almost lost another friend tonight...I keep seein' her...I can't close my eyes without thinkin' about it, let alone get some shuteye." She breathes in and out heavily. "Can you...can you, um...sing me somethin' to help me fall asleep? Suzanne told me that's what her dad would do for her and Cindy does the same for her baby sister."
Franny sighs while stroking Lorna's hair and kissing the top of her head. "We Morellos have terrible voices. I'd just keep you up and you'd laugh at how awful I sound!"
"Please, I need it," Lorna begs her. "Any song will keep me calm. You can whisper it so the melody's not too off-key."
"Okay, sure," Franny gives in.
"Thanks..."
"Somewhere over the rainbow...way up high...and the dreams that you dreamed of...once in a lullaby..." Franny croons while rubbing Lorna's back in soothing circles.
"I love it," Lorna murmurs while attempting to smile. Her eyes flutter closed and she just listens to her sister.
"Somewhere over the rainbow...blue birds fly...and the dreams that you dreamed of...dreams really do come true ooh oh...someday I'll wish upon a star...wake up where the clouds are far behind me...where trouble melts like lemon drops...high above the chimney top...that's where you'll find me...oh, somewhere over the rainbow..."
Franny's no Judy Garland, but she is successful in getting Lorna to yawn a few times and eventually feel tired enough to rest her mind and body and drift off.
"Yo, how come my leg hurts so much? My whole body does, actually...¿y por qué es tan jodidamente brillante aquí? ¡Sáquenme! ¡Quiero estar en casa!" Flaca shouts angrily at the nurse who had just silently handed her painkillers. "Why ain't you tellin' me shit?"
and why is it so fuckin' bright in here? Get me out! I wanna be at home!
"Marisol...te has atropellado por un coche," Theresa explains gently with tears in her eyes. She makes her way towards Flaca and bends down to run her hands through her hair and kiss her cheek. "Whoever did this, they're gonna pay."
You got run under by a car
"Ugh..." Flaca groans weakly and then whimpers when she tries to get comfortable. "I can't move without this intense pain. Like, I wanna bend my leg so bad...but it's impossible."
"I know, baby," Theresa says quietly while squeezing her hand. "I was here all night, holding you...but when you woke up, they made me leave, so I got some chilaqueles for us. I figured you might be hungry."
"Gracias, Mama. Uh...were all five of the girls here, too?"
"Yes, you have such good and caring friends. I can cancel my date-"
"Don't you even, I'll be fine! I'll, uh, stay over at Maritza's house or somethin."
"Okay, if you're positive."
"I totally am!"
"Flaca! Oh my god!" Maritza exclaims as she rushes into the room with a cup of yogurt. She sets it down and snuggles into Flaca's good side. "I stayed over, laying on about three waiting room chairs, but I couldn't sleep a wink. I really thought I lost you, like, for good!"
"Nah, I'm okay...I'm just not gonna be able to wear heels for a while...it sucks, but it's better than being dead." Flaca wraps her arm around Maritza as best as she can. "Hey...I could give you rides in my wheelchair! You're light enough."
"Yeah, that would be fun!"
Theresa makes the three of them breakfast and she and Maritza help Flaca sit up to eat with them. Flaca pushes her blanket off her casted leg and Maritza signs it above Theresa's message.
We're together forever. Feel better soon, I love you! Lotsa hugs and kisses, Mari
Flaca beams at her best friend. "You're the sweetest!"
"No, you totally are! I feel like I'm better around you."
"That's how I am, too."
"When you get tired of wheeling yourself around, I'll push you."
"Thank you."
"Anytime! I got your back, girl." Maritza gasps excitedly. "Oh my god, we should do something when you get out!"
"Yeah, like what?"
"We could post videos of ourselves giving makeup tips and post 'em to YouTube and give people makeovers for cash!"
"That's a brilliant idea! It ain't illegal or nothin', and it would be super fun and we'd be real famous! Team Flaritza, takin' the world by storm."
"Flaritza?"
"Yeah, I combined our names, you like?" Flaca asks.
"What about Maraca?"
"Nah, that sounds like musical instruments!"
"Oh, you're right," Maritza realizes. "Flaritza it is!"
"Don't let it get to your heads, girls," Theresa advises them before leaving the room.
"Okay, so I wonder how Nicky's do would look straightened and in a bun with a fringe with strands on either side of her face, like that white girl in Breakfast at Tiffany's...and her eyeliner on the top instead of just the bottom...it would make her look so hot. I'm aware that she was homeless, so she didn't know better...and I love Alex, but we should cut her hair, like to her shoulders."
"I agree with you about Nicky, but a short bob wouldn't suit Alex. I think she looks fine the way she is. We should just like, see what they want."
"Yeah..."
"Hey, speaking of makeovers...you look really pale. I'm gonna give you some lipstick and eyeliner. Luckily, I always carry some with me. A girl can't go unprepared, you know?"
Flaca smiles as Maritza spreads the liquid liner across her eyelids and applies a new coat of pink on her mouth. "You're the best."
"Anything for you!"
"You don't have to be ashamed, Lorna, I slept with my mom and cried in her arms, too," Alex is telling the short girl as the three friends walk into Flaca's room.
"Mm-hm, and my mom and Gloria both sang A La Nanita Nana to me...I couldn't understand the lyrics, but it sounded beautiful and it stopped me from trembling so much," Daya adds.
"Aw, that's sweet!" Lorna replies.
"Yo, I thought about it more...and I really believe that Baxter is P," Flaca lets the girls know as they take their spots on her bed.
Alex scoffs. "The guy gave cute girls free ice cream at King Kone until he got fired, and he and his friends egg people's houses and one time, a women's prison when they were working in the yard. He was drinking with Dillon and Fish on a water tower and they were acting like a bunch of dumbasses. He can't be the evil bastard who tried to kill you!"
"I saw him! He was scrawling somethin' on a car..."
Daya bites her lip nervously, afraid Flaca might have seen her and John locking lips. He had interrogated her about the message earlier this morning, and she insisted she knew nothing about it until he finally moved on. "It was Baxter," Daya confirms. "Watching your asses? That's what he wrote."
"How could you possibly know this?" Lorna asks.
"I was there, as a passenger," Daya responds, keeping her eyes on the floor. She crosses her arms over her chest. This time, she can't lie, because Flaca had seen everything.
"Who was the driver?" Alex wants to know.
"John Bennett," Daya admits softly, continuing not to look up at her friends for more than a second.
Shock washes over both Lorna and Alex's faces. "What?!" they ask at the same time.
"Yours and Flaca's English teacher?" Lorna asks while wrinkling her nose.
Daya nods. "That's him, yes."
"It's true," Flaca informs them.
"Was last night your first date?" Alex wonders out loud.
"Nah, we've been going out...secretly...since I met him on the bus...the day after Labor Day."
"Did he push you into this?" Lorna questions Daya, and she quickly shakes her head no.
"Mm-mm...I know I'm way younger, but age means nothing in the name of love."
"Well, this relationship...it's illegal, Daya. Not only that, but it's gross, and I can't stand behind it," Alex mutters, shaking her head.
"Don't tell your mom," Daya says quickly.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't!" Alex retorts.
"Come on, I can't have him arrested. He'd be so angry with me and I'd be devastated!"
"It was his choice to get involved with a minor!"
"Alex, don't you dare snitch! I adore him too, you know! It would break my heart if he were ripped away from me! Besides, he got me pregnant, so he needs to be here to support me!"
"Whoa!" Lorna and Flaca holler in unison.
"That's even worse!" Alex hisses.
"Nah, it's totally cool, we can ask him for favors and stuff now!" Flaca squeals. "How come you didn't tell us earlier? Damn, girl..."
"John didn't want me to say nothin', so I didn't. Please...not a word to him!" Daya begs them.
"I'll keep my lips sealed, I promise!" Lorna pretends to zip her mouth shut.
"Yeah, me too," Flaca chimes in.
Alex rolls her eyes and tosses her hands up in the air. "This is ridiculous, but fine...you have my word as well."
"Thanks, girls. Oh...and you can tell Nicky and Maritza if you want."
"Okay! Why don't y'all sign my cast?" Flaca pulls her blanket off her broken leg that's wrapped in white plaster.
"Of course!" Lorna squeals. Daya pulls out some pink, blue, and purple permanent markers and hands one to each of the girls, including herself. Alex writes in blue, Get well soon, punk rock sister!, Daya scrawls, You can survive anything! and draws a heart besides the message in purple, and Lorna fiddles with her pink marker until scribbling, I'm so glad you're okay, girl! Xoxo
It's not until they pull back from their handiwork, when Daya notices a strange block of black text near Flaca's knee. You gave me a scare, I really didn't mean to hit you that hard. Mwah! -P
"Did you see who put this here?"
Flaca shrugs. "No...I don't even know what the hell you're goin' on about. These meds keep knockin' me out."
"Oh, fuck!" Alex mutters.
"Huh?" Flaca stares at the girls in confusion. "Could someone explain?"
Lorna taps her finger on the spot where the P note is. "You had an unpleasant visitor, it looks like."
Flaca glances down where Lorna is pointing and her face turns ashen as she begins to freak out. "Shit! Black it out or somethin'!" she shrieks while panting and gasping. The girls scramble around until they find a yellow star-patterned sticker to cover it up with.
After a disturbing flashback of what she'd just experienced, Flaca startles herself awake. Someone had brought her a hair doll with beady eyes and it creeps her out so much that she whacks it into the garbage can with an empty glass. She jumps when the door begins opening and someone's waving around a porno. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees it's just Blanca.
"Hey...sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you."
"I apologize for givin' you the heebie-jeebies." Blanca hands her the dirty movie. "Don't let your mom see this. I thought you'd like it."
"I do...thank you. So...does this mean we've made up?"
"Yeah, I overreacted...and I won't let other people get into my head again. I feel so awful."
"You don't gotta...I should've-"
"No, I...I completely get it. You were friends with Piper for three years, and no matter how horrible she was, you girls deserve to know what happened to her. Maria understands that too, and you're still invited to her fiesta."
"Thanks..."
Blanca holds out her hand. "Truce?"
Flaca shakes it. "Sure, yeah."
"I'm guessing that you did not aim to send me a nude photo of yourself, Daya," Gloria starts out with her arms crossed over her chest. "Who is this for?"
Daya panics internally, wanting to kick herself for accidentally sending Gloria that dirty text that was meant for John. Since their names are next to each other in her contacts, she'd screwed up. "I'm sorry, my boyfriend asked for one..." she lies. It was her choice to do it-she wanted to get him thinking about her.
"I should tell your mother, because this isn't appropriate."
"Please don't, Gloria, she's even worse than I am!"
"She'd still be ashamed of you!" Gloria scoffs. "How the fuck old do you think you are? You don't send nudes to anybody...especially since you're underage!"
"We were just messin' around, is all. Sorry you had to see my goods."
"You be relieved I got 'em by mistake and not some fuckin' pervert! You gotta use your eyes. Now I'm gonna be lookin' for your beloved, and if I see him, I'll lecture him about requesting naked pictures from girls."
"Oh, god, no!"
"Yeah, 'cause I'm watchin' out for ya. If you don't be careful, I'll let Aleida in on this, too."
Daya buries her face in her hands and groans.
"I want bigger boobs and I wish I had my period like you girls," Tricia mumbles to Mercy, Grace, Neri, and Allie when they're at Grace's house. "I'd get a new bra, but I only have little buds for breasts...and last time I changed in the locker room, Isla and three other girls were kinda bullying me, even after you told 'em to fuck off, Grace."
"Ugh, I can't see why I was ever friends with her...her mother, Melanie, is racist! She didn't like Suzanne, my sister, because she's African American. That should've been the first sign..."
"You were six, honey," Pat Warren tells Grace while walking into her daughter's room with a plate of cookies. "Do you girls want a snack?"
"Oh, yes, please!" Neri squeals while grabbing a bunch, and the others do the same. When Grace's mother leaves, the girls go back to chatting.
"Trish, have you told anyone, like the principal?" Allie wonders out loud.
"Nah, they're just bitches..."
"I think you should report it," Mercy recommends. "You've been telling us this kinda stuff for a week now."
"You could prank call them," Neri advises Tricia. "Leave a bag of shit at their porches and light 'em on fire. Cal taught Pipes how to do that. It's funny." She guffaws and sprays crumbs on everyone, and they groan. "Dude, it's the best joke, like, ever...and they'll get the message not to fuck with you."
Tricia points at Neri with a grin. "Now there's an idea! I knew I wouldn't regret being your friend. So...you guys remember Alex at Friendly's, right? She's the waitress' daughter. She got super drunk at Nicky's school dance-a-thon! We should make fun of her for it!"
"Won't she get pissed at Nicky for telling you, though?" Grace asks.
"Yeah, but that isn't my problem..."
"Hey, Grace! Mommy bought us Blockbuster videos tonight! You know what that means?" Lily announces, running into her room. Tricia's heart almost stops when she notices that Vee's most dangerous and mentally ill girl is standing right in front of them. She's hoping Lily won't recognize her without her cornrows.
"Pat and Dennis are getting lucky again?" Allie guesses.
"Yeah!" Her eyes widen and then she blinks them rapidly while pointing at Tricia. "Hello...I know you...Tricia, is it?"
Fuck. "No, you got the wrong person. Um, Grace, I gotta go, okay? I-I shouldn't be home too late." She rushes out of Grace's room, down the stairs, and out the door. Someone's running after her, but she doesn't want to see who it is.
"Tricia, hold up!" Mercy calls out. "What the hell did you do that for?"
"I'm just...late...Lily's mentor is my foster mom, and I don't want her to tattle."
"Yeah, she's already freaking out...our friends and her mom are trying to calm her down."
"I have to call Nicky...see where she is...or I could go to Storky's...that's where my other sister, Taystee, works. Wanna hop on the bus with me?"
"Sure, I'll just let Grace know."
"Thanks."
"Your heart's beating really fast."
Tricia's breath comes out in shuddering gasps. "I know."
"You're crying."
"I am?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry." Tricia wipes her tears away with her flannel sleeve.
"It's okay. You can tell me why, but you don't need to." They sit on the bench and Tricia rests her head on Mercy's shoulder.
"I lied...about so much."
"Everyone does that."
"Yeah, but...Nicky isn't my biological sister...she-she found me...homeless. She basically rescued me from getting locked up for shoplifting. I used to live in the park and in shelters. She brought me home...to the place where Vee had adopted her...and Vee said I could stay there, too." Tricia takes a deep breath. "Our parents didn't die...our moms were neglectful and my stepfather was a child molester until I got away from him. So, um...we're really close, and...Taystee isn't related to us, either...she's one of Vee's foster kids. I just miss my sisters, is all. If it's overwhelming, I get it..."
"Whoa...hey, no, you're my best friend...I would never judge you for being a foster child. You don't have to be embarrassed about it."
"I wish Nicky and I started out as sisters. We both had such crappy lives up until now, I suppose."
Mercy hugs Tricia. "I'm happy you opened up to me."
"Me, too."
It has to be a hallucination. Piper is standing directly in front of Flaca, wearing a candy striper nurse's uniform and bright red lipstick. Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and she doesn't even look close to being dead. Flaca blinks a few times, but she still sees Piper. "What the everlovin' fuck..."
"I know you're confused right now. I'm supposed to be a corpse...but who said I had to be ugly?"
"Who killed you?"
"Oh, darling, you four were all there when it happened. I don't know why you can't remember," Piper says cryptically.
"We were inside Lorna's apartment and you'd mysteriously disappeared," Flaca mumbles, throughly confused.
"That's your assumption. Maybe you should try to think about what you were doing that night, and encourage the other girls to as well. Anyway...it's a good thing you're alive. I oughta destroy that fucking P!" Piper declares just before she leaves the room.
Flaca rolls over and sees a lipstick stain on a plastic Styrofoam cup. It's not just any color, though, it's the exact shade that Piper had on.
"I did the dumbest thing ever at school today," Daya informs the girls when they're all at Flaca's get well party that Maritza's hosting. "I sent John a nude, to surprise him...but it never went to him. It ended up in Gloria's inbox instead."
"What?! ¡Dios mío!" Flaca cries.
"Why would you do that?" Lorna clucks her tongue and wags her finger at Daya. "That's what you get for bein' a slut..."
Daya flips Lorna off. "I didn't mean to! It was a blunder!"
"I hope you learned a lesson from this!" Alex exclaims.
"I did, and Gloria doesn't think it's to John, thankfully, but every time I would talk to a boy, she'd pop up and ask me if I was dating him...not out loud, but she mouthed the question." Daya scowls when the girls snicker. "Hey, shut up!"
"I'm sorry, it's just too funny how clueless Gloria can be sometimes," Flaca says.
"Not only Gloria, but Franny is, too...she doesn't even know that I went to Atlantic City to meet up with Christopher! She fell for it, she thought it was simply a sister outing! Well, it was at first..."
"Jesus Christ, Lorna, really?" Alex wonders aloud in astonishment.
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
"How did you even..." Daya starts to ask, but she decides she doesn't want to find out. "You know what, never mind. So, I take back my suspicion that Baxter's P...he was just trying to play a dumb prank on us...but then he saw me go into John's car and assumed that I was being forced to do it," she reports. "I dunno who it could be!"
"I wish I did it," Suzanne snaps while walking out of Maritza's mansion slowly, and Lorna realizes that she doesn't sound like herself. It may be her evil alter ego, Mara. "I trashed the memorial site because of how that white blonde bitch treated Suzanne. You know how messed up she was? Piper doesn't deserve any more attention!"
"I've been wondering what happened to it," Alex mutters.
"It's okay...we'll just build another one," Lorna states calmly, even though she's upset inside. She considers Suzanne a friend, and to see her as this violent monster, is heartbreaking.
"You don't get it!" Mara rants. "I will tear every one of them apart because that cunt should rot in hell for all eternity! Nothing should be dedicated to her!" She begins slapping the side of her head rapidly and when Lorna and Daya try to stop her, she roughly pushes them away.
"Suzanne, don't hurt yourself, come on...I know she was a bitch, but we were friends with her!" Daya attempts talking her down, but this only makes her angrier.
"No, my name is not Suzanne! Don't call me that! Suzanne is a wimp! I am strong and I will fight you! That weed deserved to go! She was mean to Suzanne and you didn't do shit to stop her! How dare you?" Mara shakes her fists at the girls, and that's when Lorna knows she's too far gone. "No...Suzanne, we do not hit our friends!" she scolds herself while stomping down the stairs.
Flaca tosses her hands up in the air. "Okay, I dunno what to do. Maritza and Nicky are probably wondering where we are."
"I'll take you back inside," Alex whispers. She begins to wheel Flaca into the mansion and Lorna and Daya follow her. "Now what?"
"We call her parents," Lorna decides out loud. "She's got mental issues, she needs help!"
As soon as Flaca's party is over, Alex and Lorna go to Friendly's. They expect to see Diane working behind the counter, but instead, she comes out of the bathroom, all dressed up, with her hair curled and face made up. "Hi, Mom...where are you going?" Alex wonders out loud.
"Oh!" Diane seems surprised. "Hey, girls. I just wanna look nice, get the fuck outta these drab clothes...how's Flaca doing, by the way?"
"She's better," Lorna replies.
"Great! Um, well, I gotta grab dinner with a co-worker...she wasn't here tonight, but we made special plans."
"Isn't it kinda late?" Alex questions her mother.
"Yeah, but you know, my belly's growling, I've been making food, but not getting to eat it...I'm fuckin' hungry! I'll give you two a ride back to our house, is that okay?"
"No, we'll find our own way home," Alex declines, and Lorna stares at her in confusion.
"Okay, well, be safe!" Diane smiles at them, hugs Alex, waves in Lorna's direction, and leaves.
"What the hell..." Lorna begins.
"We're so going after her. I'm sick and tired of her being mysterious!" Alex declares.
"Hm, and they call me the stalker!" Lorna mutters to herself.
"I'm just extremely curious...my mom doesn't usually keep secrets from me."
"Maybe she's hooking up with someone."
They watch Diane get into her car and start the engine, and then, they flag down a taxi. "Can you follow that vehicle, please?" Alex asks the driver. "We're trying to find a place and they know where it is, but we don't, obviously."
The woman gives them a skeptic look. "Can't you just ask where this person's headed or go with them? I can't be doing anything illegal here."
"You're not! It's just...that's my mom, and she wouldn't tell me her destination, and I'm kinda worried about her! I'll pay you extra cash!"
"Yeah, so will I!" Lorna says quickly.
"Alrighty, then."
"Okay, stop here," Alex says as they come up to Martin Van Buren High where Diane is walking through the front doors.
"You sure, miss?"
"Absolutely, thank you." The girls each give the cabbie a twenty dollar bill and enter their school the same way Diane did. It's dark with dim lighting, making it a creepy atmosphere.
"Maybe she forgot something?" Alex wonders out loud. "Let's try to hurry up in our spying, this school is spooky at night."
"You're supposed to live for this shit, you're like Elvira and Morticia combined," Lorna teases Alex. "I think it's kinda cool." She grins, but then they both jump when their footsteps start echoing down the hallway. "We should tiptoe."
"Mm-hm..."
Lorna and Alex round a corner right after Diane and see her go up to a man in the library and hug him. They make out and then he says something that makes her giggle and kiss his cheek. Alex gasps and her eyes widen. Lorna appears to be shocked as well, but also happy. The girls hide behind the door as the couple exits the area, holding hands.
"Aw, your mom has a boyfriend!" Lorna squeals under her breath.
"Who the fuck is that?" Alex hisses while cleaning her glasses on her shirt and putting them back on. "Why'd she never tell me?"
Lorna pats Alex's hand soothingly. "Aw, hon, maybe they ain't serious enough yet. It looks like the honeymoon stage. Franny says you don't introduce your man to the family until you know he's the one."
"Well, I'm not sure about Sylvie...I haven't even been able to reach her, in fact, and she's met my mom."
"Maybe that jinxed things between you two...I got no clue. You wanna confront her about it, like now?"
"No, it's too awkward...I'll interrogate her tomorrow. We share things with each other...she should know she can't keep shit from me. I feel kinda betrayed."
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."
"Let's just go home," Alex grumbles. She begins to leave, but then she notices Lorna isn't following her. She finds her smaller friend opening a vent and pulling out a black beanie that was apparently poking out.
"Wait...we're not alone." Lorna's tone switches from sounding comforting to panicked. "I think P lives here." She stuffs a wad of cash into her pocket. "I'm giving that to Flaca since she was almost killed. They've got, like, two phones, a bunch of clothes, and a huge bag."
"Instead of rummaging through their shit, we should take off, like, now," Alex urges Lorna. A few books fall off a shelf all of a sudden and the lights go out. There's a shadow just standing in front of them and they yelp in surprise. Alex grabs Lorna's hand and they race out of the room together while screaming. They knock over a janitor's bucket and mop to slow the figure down, but it still chases them through the school. They come to a dead end where the door is jammed, and then, Lorna spritzes their attacker with her perfume.
"Oh, fuck!" a recognizable voice yells. "Asshole..."
"Nicky?" Lorna asks incredulously. "Hold on, don't rub your eye...it needs lotsa water."
"Fuck you! Owww, Jesus Christ, this hurts..."
"Well, you could've said something!" Lorna retorts. "We were scared to death. I apologize, truly. I hope you'll be okay."
"What were you even doing here?" Nicky wants to know while squeezing her eyes shut every time she tips her water into them. The three girls lean back against the wall, breathing heavily at what they'd just gone through.
"That's what we should be questioning you about," Alex tells her.
"I asked you first."
Lorna groans. "It's not really important...we were just being detectives, findin' out what's up with Diane...turns out she's seein' somebody."
"I really have nowhere else to stay," Nicky admits. "My sister and I just use Caputo's empty office as a place to sleep. Tricia's getting something from the vending machine at this moment. What if you'd sprayed her rather than me, huh?"
"I already said I was sorry," Lorna responds. "I feel bad, okay? I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm a nurse...I can take care of ya. Now...you're homeless again?"
"Not technically...I live here. We have another sister, Taystee...but she stayed with Vee. We couldn't be there anymore."
"Why'd you move out of Vee's? I know it wasn't the best living situation, but neither is this, really. Piscatella and co could bust you...remember what happened to Blanca and Diablo?" Lorna reminds her. "This time, those monsters could have all the evidence they need, what with the vending machines that were broken into."
"It's just safer. At least Piscatella doesn't roam around at three in the morning."
"He hasn't yet, but he could," Alex points out.
"We can't go back to Vee, alright? She's...not good to be around. So, what's the status on Flaca?"
"She hates being in a wheelchair, but other than that, not too bad. She says she's glad to get out of gym for a while," Lorna informs the blonde. "Nicky, did Vee abuse you? Like, physically? 'Cause I saw those-"
Nicky gets up to her feet. "I'm a bit better now...I should join Tricia for our midnight snack, and then we're gonna sleep. I'll see ya tomorrow...Pizza Hut for the singing thing, kay? Don't be so concerned about me."
"Sure." Lorna hands Nicky back her roll of money.
"Who is he, Mom?" Alex demands to know. "Whatever you did last night has got you in some kind of a weirdo dreamlike trance where you don't tell me shit! So, spit it out."
Diane snaps out of her daze. "I haven't even had my fuckin' coffee yet, kiddo."
Alex takes a deep breath and lets it out. "You weren't with a woman...when you came home, you smelled like cologne...and it's not right to hide stuff from me. I'm your daughter!"
"Your father is back after fifteen years...and we're...seeing how things go," Diane confesses. Alex looks stunned. Her eyes just about bug out of their sockets and her mouth gapes open.
"What?!"
"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure he was in it for the long haul. I was thinking of the right time to have the two of you meet..."
"Oh my god! You suck for not telling me! You say he's no good, but then you jump into his arms again?"
"I know, Al, that was a mistake on my part, but you also have to understand...he could leave at any moment. I wanted to protect you from that pain."
"I don't even...why are you wasting your time if you're just counting on him to walk away the second he gets bored?"
"I needed him...the passion, fun...when I'm with him, I kinda get...lost," Diane says guiltily. "I was that one fan he didn't find annoying, and it made me feel so honored and it raised my shitty self esteem. I wouldn't mind if you got acquainted with him. It's just...don't get your hopes up. I'll tell him to meet you at Pizza Hut, if you'd like, with all your friends?"
"Okay, that'd be cool. Thanks for finally being honest with me."
"You're welcome."
"Yeah, I know, man, I got it," Maria is saying as Lorna, Daya, and Alex stroll into Pizza Hut. "I've played the drums before."
"I'm a professional," the man in front of her states. "You wanna be a real rock star, learn from me. Ever heard of Death Maiden?"
"That's my dad," Alex mumbles. "He and my mom are...doing it."
"I don't think that band exists anymore, but it's my birthday...I only got time to play one song in here, then we're all gonna get ready for my party tonight," Maria tells Lee.
"Really?" Lorna asks.
"Yup..."
"Whoa," Daya murmurs.
Flaca and Maritza are practicing vocals together. "Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment..." they croon into the microphone.
"That sounds both magical and terrifying," Nicky lets them know.
"Thaaaank yooooou..." they reply in unison.
"Alright, everyone's here," Pennsatucky announces, "are we ready to start?"
"Yeah!" the girls cheer. Maria takes her spot behind the drum set while Nicky, Pennsatucky, and Maritza stand around her with microphones in their hands, and Flaca positions her wheelchair next to Maritza. Their audience consists of Lorna, Alex, Daya, Blanca, Taystee, Poussey, and Brook, who sit at the tables in front of them. Lee is in the background. After Maria plays the fifteen second intro, Flaca starts to sing the first verse, and the listeners nod their heads, tap their feet, and dance in their seats to the beat of Maria's drums.
"I hate the world today...you're so good to me...I know but I can't change...tried to tell you...but you look at me like maybe...I'm an angel underneath...innocent and sweet..."
She points to Maritza, who belts out the next part. "Yesterday I cried...must have been relieved to see...the softer side...I can understand how you'd be so confused...I don't envy you...I'm a little bit of everything...all rolled into one..."
Maria does the chorus. "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way...Pennsatucky, take it away!"
"So take me as I am...this may mean...you'll have to be a stronger man...rest assured that...when I start to make you nervous...and I'm going to extremes...tomorrow I will change...and today won't mean a thing...your turn, Nicky!"
"I'm a bitch, I'm a lover...I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way..."
Taystee, Poussey, and Brook appear to be extremely impressed. "They've got beautiful voices, wow, I'm blown away!" Lorna whispers to the girls.
"Right?" Blanca agrees.
"Damn, I wish I was that good," Daya mumbles.
"Me, too," Alex says.
"Just when you think, you got me figured out...the season's already changing...I think it's cool, you do what you do...and don't try to save me," Flaca croons.
"I'm a bitch, I'm a lover...I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way..." Maritza sings.
"I'm a bitch, I'm a tease...I'm a goddess on my knees...when you hurt, when you suffer...I'm your angel undercover...I've been numb, I'm revived...can't say I'm not alive...you know I wouldn't want it any other way..." Maria ends the song and then plays a one minute drum solo with the girls doing vocals every two seconds and shaking their hair all around. She finishes after banging the drums and cymbals one last time and dropping the sticks on the floor, and then the room breaks out into applause and cheers.
"Have you thought of a name for your band?" Lee asks them. "You know you need to come up with your own tunes for a real concert, right?"
"Oh, we're not an actual-" Nicky begins, but Maritza cuts her off.
"Are you kidding? I wanna be famous!"
"Yeah, same," Flaca chimes in.
"It'd be nice, but I got a baby...when I live in my own apartment with her and Yads, we'll be too busy for me to be in a band."
"I'm with Maria," Pennsatucky tells them. "Some things are just meant to stay in high school memories. This can be one of 'em."
"Well, see you on the other side, girls. We're gonna be Flaritza," Flaca announces. "It can be Flaritza and the Crew if you change your minds."
"That's lame, dude," Nicky mutters.
"We're the leaders," Maritza protests. "You got a better idea, I'm all ears, and so is Flaca!"
"You can be more clever than that," Blanca says.
Lee slides up to Alex. "You're my daughter, right? Diane said you have black hair and glasses."
"Yeah, that's me. Hi!" Alex exclaims and shakes his hand. "It's great to finally meet you."
"You, too, Alex. These are your friends?" He glances around at the group.
"Mm-hm."
They introduce themselves, and then he says, "Come to think of it, fuck the band, right? You could join my drug cartel...and even if you don't want to right now, you will in about ten years from now." It makes them all chuckle, and he smirks. "Now, seriously, what if I was high and I plowed my dick right into my own offspring, before I even knew about her?" Alex can't look at anyone in the room right now. She's so embarrassed and hurt, and she wants a giant hole to swallow her up. He winks at her and licks his lips. "She's got a nice rack, am I right? Jimmy and Lonnie, my band members, would get a chuckle outta this, why are you being so silent? If she wasn't my blood, I'd-"
"Get the hell away from us, you fuckin' piece of shit!" Nicky shouts.
"What, you can't take a joke?"
"You don't hit on my bestie and get away with it," Lorna growls.
"I suggest you go with your tail between your legs," Daya recommends.
"I'm still her father...I'd like to spend time with her."
Flaca glares at Lee. "I don't care who you are. I should slit your throat for wanting to rape your little girl."
"I had no idea she was-"
"You like minors, is that it, then? This my restaurant and you gotta leave, asshole!" Taystee instructs him while pointing towards the exit. She crosses her arms over her chest.
"Right the fuck now!" Poussey adds.
Lee scoffs. "Are you kidding me? I can be where I want. Bunch a teenage girls telling a grown man what to do...you just work here. I need a few words with your manager."
"She can kick you out for inappropriateness," Brook says.
Maria and Blanca pick up the drumsticks and hold them up to either side of his neck, backing him into a corner, literally. "Do you want to go by choice, or should they make you disappear for good?" Maritza asks him with venom seeping into her tone. A wicked glint forms in both their eyes.
"What the...I've got a hundred pounds on you cunts!" He attempts moving, but the two Latinas keeping him there only press their weapons further into his pulse point, and he starts to choke.
"You should wanna listen to 'em," Pennsatucky lets him know.
"Fuck this!" Lorna pinches his ear and Daya punches him in his stupid, smug face. Flaca wheels after him as he bolts while holding his nose, and he just about gets mowed down. Alex whimpers and begins to cry while resting her head on Daya's lap.
"I'm so sorry, Alex," Lorna murmurs while she and Daya take turns stroking Alex's hair.
"Don't sweat it...my mom tried to warn me. I didn't think he was that much of a creep...a player, maybe, but not..." She takes in a sharp gasp of air and shudders. "Oh god, I need to tell her. I wish I never knew him...I can't break down in front of you..."
"I'll go with you," Daya says sweetly.
"Yeah, me too," Flaca puts in.
"Me three," Lorna tells Alex.
"I should as well," Nicky decides.
"Those Mexican bitches tried to kill me!" Lee yells as Diane lets him in the trailer park. "Murdered by drumsticks...oh, the irony!"
"What? Who?"
"I didn't get their names, but...they were all attacking me...Alex's friends," he explains.
"Okay...they're not violent, so I have trouble believing you."
"They're nuts! Four of 'em physically injured me!"
"Sit on the couch," Diane says. "I'd like to hear the story from my daughter." There has to have been a reason for them to have done this to him. Alex, Lorna, Nicky, and Daya come through the door breathlessly a few minutes later and it looks as if all three of them had wheeled Flaca here. Alex must've just been crying, as her eyes are red and watery. She wraps her arms around Diane and sobs into her shoulder.
"I hate him so much, Mommy...get rid of him already!"
Diane's heart cracks for her child. "What happened, baby?" They sit on her bed and the girls follow suit, except Flaca, who fumes in her wheelchair. "If he hurt you, I swear to fuckin' God, I'll slaughter him."
"He's...he's an awful douchebag, no...not even that...he made a rude comment directed at me in front of my friends...we were having such a great time, some of the girls played music and sang, but that scumbag ruined it. We tried to get him to go, but he refused, so..."
"You kicked his ass."
"Well, not me, but Lorna, Daya, Blanca, and Maria did."
"Good job. Hold up...what'd he do?"
"First, he basically said we should all get involved in drugs with him, and we didn't think he was serious, but then...then he went on about how if he'd never known that I was his kid, he'd...he'd, um...have sex with me because apparently, I have a nice rack." Alex sniffles and breathes out snot bubbles which drip down her chin. Lorna hands her Kleenex and she blows her nose. "What the fuck did you even see in him? He's a shit!"
Diane stiffens and anger bubbles up within her, but she manages to compose herself enough to cup Alex's face in her hands and kiss her forehead. "Love is blind, my girl. I apologize, greatly."
"He's the fucker, Diane, not you," Nicky says.
"Yeah!" Alex, Lorna, Daya, and Flaca agree unanimously.
"I know, but I brought him back." Diane gets to her feet quickly and walks into the living room. She slaps Lee so harshly across the face that her hand stings. "I'm kicking you out, you goddamn loser! I don't wanna see you again, ever!"
He groans while rubbing the spot where she'd left a red mark. "Babe, what-"
"No, no more of this bullshit! Where do you get off telling our daughter and her friends that they should become...drug addicts...and you'd seriously have your way with Alex? You make me sick!"
"I was just saying...what if I accidentally fucked my own kid? What's the harm in that? It's hypothetical. I wouldn't really do that, it's incest."
"Not only that, but you're implying you'd engage in sexual activity with a minor!" Alex hollers at him. "That's illegal, dumbass! Never mind about me...how could you do that to my mom? You just...you left her! You don't get to come back, pretend you're all fixed up, and then screw us both over...again! I don't know you. You are a complete fucking stranger to me! I'm sure you were famous at one time, Lee. My mom got backstage passes to one of your concerts out of sheer luck...but then, you got her pregnant, abandoned her, and her life flipped upside down! She's never dated anyone since you...and you broke her! She actually expected you to walk out this time. Why don't you just go back to wherever the hell you came from, you bastard? You're such a useless son of a bitch, it's scary! My mom and I are a family. We don't need you, so be gone. You can go fuck yourself right up the ass." Alex ends her rant while showing him the middle finger on both her hands. Her friends look on in amazement and Diane couldn't be prouder of Alex. Lee shakes his head while staggering out the front door, and Diane slams it in his face.
"Mom, are you alright?" Alex wonders out loud while squeezing Diane's hands.
Diane bites her lip and forces the tears away. It was going to happen eventually, so she's not going to allow herself to be upset. She's only heartbroken for Alex. The romance between her and Lee had fizzled out a long time ago, she realizes sadly. "Yeah...I'm okay. You?"
"A bit disappointed that I don't have a decent father, but whatever. I've got the best mom in the entire world, and I wouldn't wish for anything else. I just don't like seeing you so upset. You're the strongest woman I've ever known. I didn't mean it when I said that he made you weak. I'm sorry."
"Honey, I may be a badass, but my bad luck with love does bring me down a bit."
"I know, but...men, who needs 'em?"
Diane wipes a lone tear from Alex's eye and pats her cheek. "Not us, that's for sure."
"Yo, that's right," Flaca says.
"Ten points for empowering yourself!" Nicky continues.
"There's other fishies in the sea, though," Lorna cuts in. "You just haven't found him yet, Diane."
"Mm-hm," Daya agrees. "If it makes you feel any better, none of us have a dad we can look up to."
"It does, actually. Thanks."
"Welcome."
"Why is Mr. Bennett here?" Gloria asks Daya. "How come you told Aleida and I to sit down? This a fuckin' parent teacher conference? If so, I don't need to be around."
"Gloria, just listen to what we gotta say!" Daya tells her. "You're my mom as much as Aleida, so you should be aware of this, too."
"What are you talking about?"
Mr. Bennett gulps. He's visibly nervous. Aleida's lips curl up into a slight smirk. She quirks up an eyebrow. "We're waiting, so out with it!"
"Um...Ms. Diaz, I believe you sort of worked this out already, so it shouldn't come as too much of a shock...I am with your daughter...romantically."
Gloria's heart slows down and she gasps. Daya goes up to Mr. Bennett and grabs his hand. "Yeah...he's right," Daya confirms. "I'm...I'm also pregnant...with his baby."
Gloria feels sick to her stomach. She wants to slap Aleida for never warning her about this, punch Daya's teacher in his stupid face, and lock Daya in her room until she's thirty, but she keeps her cool because she knows she has to. Aleida looks satisfied with their confession. "Have you taken a test?"
Daya blows out a huge gust of air. "Yeah."
"How you gonna take care of her?" Aleida wonders out loud. "It ain't like you livin' together and shit."
"I'll help her out as much as I can."
"No!" Gloria explodes while rising to her feet. "No, this is not happening! You two...get the fuck away from each other or help me God!" They immediately separate. "Dios mío..."
"Nah, he's gotta support her," Aleida insists. "You can't just separate 'em!"
"We can do that."
"Gloria, could you stop? We got together before we even knew he was my teacher. It's not a big deal!"
"It sure as shit is! Dayanara, this is illegal! He's a grown man! I'll call the police! Aleida, why ain't you sayin' nothin'?"
Benny and Christina run into the room with Julio and Emiliano toddling after them. The oldest of the four little wide-eyed children starts stomping on Mr. Bennett's feet. "Stop making my mommy mad! Go away!"
Daya tries to pull Benny away from her teacher-Gloria refuses to think of him as her boyfriend-but it doesn't work, so Gloria wrestles him off of Mr. Bennett gently and yanks him to her side. "Now look what you've done, you've made my son upset!" Gloria screams at Mr. Bennett. "Daya, get the kids back into your room, please!"
"I think this is my cue to leave," Mr. Bennett mutters. Daya stares after him wistfully as he goes.
"I'm trying to figure out what to do, alright?" Aleida murmurs. "I don't wanna involve no cops."
"Thank you," Daya mumbles.
"Go to your room, young lady, and take the children with you," Gloria snaps, and Daya obeys her.
She turns to Aleida. "Why not? He's a statutory rapist!" she fumes.
"Look, they're all fucked up. You know that. You also too angry to think straight. I've had time..."
"Why'd you never discuss it with me?"
"I'm her mother, you aren't! It ain't your concern. I dunno why she told you."
"She obviously cares about my opinion." Gloria sighs. "Well, she's fuckin' grounded, starting after the quinceañera."
"He's the one who stuck it in her..."
"That's why I'm lettin' her go tonight, but we're havin' a serious talk with her afterwards."
"Okay."
Gloria sighs exasperatedly. "I need a drink...a huge one."
"Yeah, me too, sista."
Thank you for reading and reviewing, cornedout, HannahMiley1fan, LindaAndrewsfan, DayaAndJohn4ever, and A Star In My Universe!