Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: violence, abusive, racist, and ableist language

cabrona-bastard

Ramona and Pidge are the same girl-Pidge is her nickname.

How do you like Diane with Charles? I just thought CO Ford was a decent cop-damn I miss him, the cops from the first three seasons (except Coates, Healy, and Mendez) were awesome, and he's single, so perfect for Diane!

"Hey, I'm just wondering...what are your intentions with my mom?" Alex questions Charles in the public library after they'd conversed about mundane things like music and books they enjoy. "Is tonight a friends thing, or...are you looking for something more?"

"I'm not the kind of man who rushes into things, if that's what you're asking. Your mother is an amiable woman, and I'm completely fine with taking things slow. Tonight, yes, we're just gonna be two people on an outing and having a great time...nothing other than that...if anything were to happen between us now or in the future, it would be on her terms only."

Alex feels relieved at his answer. "That's very reassuring. I'm glad you're a respectful dude."

"I wouldn't be anything but. I'd never deliberately hurt her."

"Good, I hope you're telling me the truth, because we know too many assholes to count. I wish betrayal was a crime."

"I'm being honest, I promise. That would be more fair, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"What do I even wear for this thing?" Diane is freaking out, pulling every casual dress, skirt, and nice top that she owns out of her closet. She doesn't want to go in jeans, since that's part of her uniform at both of her jobs. "Alex, could you come here and help me out, honey? I've got makeup on, but no outfit!" Her daughter walks in quickly. "I don't wanna hear shit about how I'm pretty no matter what! Don't give me that! I'm just so nervous!"

"Once again, he's your friend, not a romantic partner!" Alex reminds Diane. "You have to relax. Jesus, I've never seen you like this."

Diane groans and flops over on her bed. She tries to calm down her heart, which is pounding rapidly against her ribcage. "I don't want to be in Lee-infested clothing, I'd like to burn everything he's touched, and I'd rather not look poor with my ripped stockings. Fuck, it's bad enough that I can't set myself on fire, because he's been all over that, too."

"Ugh, I didn't need you to say that," Alex mutters, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "So...what have you worn with him?"

"Everything..."

"Yeah right, Mom! There has to be something."

"I have literally nothing! I wore each one of these every single night of that affair!" Diane tosses her hands up in the air. "Fuckin' shitty goddamn asshole!"

"Wait a minute." Alex holds up a finger. "You fit in my clothes. Take a breather, I'll be back shortly."

Alex returns a minute later with stockings, a black leather miniskirt, a sheer dark red sleeveless top with a matching cami underneath, and a gray cardigan. "Try this. I also have evening gowns, but they're too fancy. Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza rearranged my closet and put together all my nice shit."

Diane immediately changes into the outfit and looks in the mirror. She fluffs out her curly hair over the sweater and gapes at herself.

"Well?"

"You are a true blessing, thank you, baby. Thank you!" Diane pulls Alex in for a hug and kisses her cheek. "We'll have to go shopping next time, but this is amazing!" She gathers her hair up and puts it into a bun with tendrils hanging down, slides in fake but passable gold hoops, pulls on a pair of black boots, and grabs her purse off her bed. "Bye, Allie!"

"Bye! Have fun!"

"I will!" Diane calls out and rushes to her car. She texts Charles that she's leaving and drives to the address he'd given her. When they see each other, they embrace and pull apart within a few seconds.

"Wow, you look lovely," he praises her, and she grins.

"Thanks...but I'm not too dressed up, am I?" she asks worriedly. He's in jeans and a top.

"No, no, you're fine. I should've worn the button up and the black slacks...next time."

"Yeah," she agrees. "Let's go in!"

"Alright!"

As soon as Diane notices that Caputo's in the band, she hides her face against Charles' chest and starts laughing. "Oh my god, that's my boss!"

"What a strange coincidence," Charles says and then chuckles. "I hope Joe doesn't cause you to walk out of your job, either."

"What happened?"

"There were budget cuts at Litchfield, the minimum security women's prison where we both used to work...so I quit before he could fire me. Then, there was a riot and he switched to being, I guess, a principal or the manager of Friendly's?"

"He was the vice principal, then Fig...excuse me, Natalie, was the principal until she was caught embezzling, so...well, it feels like a riot is going on at school, but it's more peaceful than a prison one, I'd imagine. What made you decide to be a CO? I mean, obviously keeping assholes off the streets, but what made you choose to be the security guard of a women's prison or a juvenile delinquent center for girls rather than a men's prison?"

"I'm not sure, I just have more compassion for women who wind up in minimum security...most of them have done small crimes, drugs, stealing money from companies because they're poor or homeless, or going down for their husbands or boyfriends. Mostly, they're not hurting anyone...and if they do, it's because they have a mental illness or were defending themselves. There were definitely a bunch who really did horrible things because they got pleasure out of it, but...about seventy-five percent of them, you're rooting for them to learn from being in jail, and succeed when they're released. Now for men's max, that's almost full of serial killers, abusers, child molesters, and rapists...they don't get my sympathy." Diane nods in understanding. "Now girls...their minds are young, and if they've come from a bad home, that can really mess them up. They act on impulse, teenagers especially. Sometimes, we get kids who've spray-painted a wall or tried some drug...or even was a prostitute. They're minors, we go easy on them...they're not tried as adults unless they have purposely harmed a person for no good reason. A lot of them...I don't think they belong behind bars. They need a lesson, but you don't just throw someone in a cage."

"Right, I mean...they're just children...they should have proper guidance, and if they don't, that's not necessarily their fault. Now, for the rich or middle class kids with good parents...they know better, they've been taught well...maybe they can sneak graffiti or drugs and not get caught. Teens wanna try that shit."

"I get that, totally. I feel bad arresting kids who've never done anything too terrible, but the law is the law. It's my job."

"I know."

"What caused you to want to be a waitress and a teacher?"

Diane shifts in her seat awkwardly and untwists the strap of her cami underneath her top. "I was an English major in college and even though freshmen can be bratty, I kill 'em with kindness. Then they feel bad if they're rude and quickly apologize. Plus, I'm a hit with my high-schoolers. I'm one of the favorite teachers."

"Excellent!"

"Yeah, and as for Friendly's...I just like to have a side job," she lies. "I love serving people, bringing smiles to their faces, especially the little ones when they get ice cream sundaes."

Charles grins. "That's great."

"So I bet your favorite part of your job is releasing people from jail?"

"Yeah, if they've earned it."

"What's not so awesome?"

"I had to put a bullied transgendered inmate in the SHU-that's isolation-for her own protection, and I felt so bad...I really didn't want to do it. In fact, it was the final straw before I stopped working there."

Diane shakes her head. "Wow..."

"The system's fucked up sometimes."

"Yep..."

"Hey, I'm wondering, how long is your hair?"

"Just to my chest," She undoes her bun and he just gapes, open-mouthed as the brunette locks cascade down her back and shoulders. "It's nothing, really."

"It's beautiful, just like your eyes," He touches her hair softly and then removes his hand, probably afraid he's invading her personal space.

She looks down at her lap and her cheeks turn pink. "Thank you," she mumbles softly.

The music begins to play and Charles holds out his hand toward her. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure! I'm not positive I'm very good, but okay!"

She doesn't step on his toes once as they glide around the floor, and it's wonderful when he twirls and lifts her. During the slow songs, he's staring into her eyes so much that she blushes and bites her bottom lip while looking down at the floor. She's really beginning to like him, but she refuses to let herself dive into another relationship until she's a hundred percent positive he will accept her for who she is, respect her and Alex, and be with her for at least half a year before sex.

They go out to the Williamsburg Waterfront and eat some takeout pizza with their backs pressed up against the fence. Afterwards, they walk along the bridge slowly so they can take in the view of the beautiful lake they're facing. The lights from the buildings and the moon reflect upon the water, making it sparkle, and it's quiet and peaceful here.

"It's really pretty in the evening," Diane points out.

"Yeah, it is," Charles agrees.

"I took Alex to this area a lot...now she probably just goes herself, with her friends, but yep...I used to drive out here, even before she was around, and I just kinda contemplated life. I thought about who I was gonna be in the future. It's a good place to do that. Sometimes, my mind wasn't on anything at all...I just wanted to be alone...maybe let out a good cry, or scream-that is, if nobody was around."

"When I left my first job, that's exactly what I did."

Diane smiles, but then she remembers the first time she went to this location when she didn't have a smoke or drink, and that was after she'd woken up in bed to find Lee gone without even so much as an apologetic breakup note. He'd promised to bring her there later that night, but obviously, he hadn't. She'd called out his name and searched the hotel about five times, but no luck. She'd dialed his number, repeatedly, but the line had always been disconnected or busy. All day long, she'd waited for him to ring her back, and she jumped up and answered the phone whenever it rang. The disappointment that it wasn't him crushed her to the point of tears-and Diane had never cried that hard over a boyfriend in her entire life. After a few hours of sobbing in bed, she decided to visit the amazing view that was the Williamsburg Waterfront, just to have a change of scenery. It had made her feel a tiny bit better, but she continued to think of herself as pathetic for being so upset that a famous rock star had broken her heart.

A few sniffles later, she lets out a trembling sigh and tries to keep up her grin, to push her emotions back down. They just keep coming up, though, like it's too much for her to swallow. As she stands here with another man, holding onto the rail and staring out at the glittering sight, she wonders how something so simple could hold a huge amount of meaning to her if it all started with one jerk who isn't even worth her time-and then came back, pretending to be a decent human being for about two weeks.

"Are you okay?" Charles asks.

"Yeah," Diane squeaks.

"You don't sound it."

She's puzzled at how he can read her so well, even when they can barely see each other. She could choose to tell him she just wants to bask in the quiet, but instead, she asks, "Alright, you really want to hear this?" She can't keep things from him that aren't even her fault. He would never blame her for having such a shitty ex.

"I'll listen to anything you have to say, Diane."

"He fucked me over for the last time," she growls through gritted teeth. "I warned myself not to fall for it again..."

"Who?"

"The dumbass who got me pregnant with Alex via one night stand when he was the drummer for Death Maiden, then abandoned us both when I told him I was gonna have a baby. Fifteen years went by, and he showed up in my classroom...apologizing for being famous and forgetting about me...wanting to get to know her and hook up with me again...start a real relationship. He said he was ready to be a family...I doubted him, attempted pushing him away, but he...he used words to get me to agree...I was just waiting for the moment he'd stop his act, but...I had to get rid of him...because he had the audacity to make a pass at his own daughter, effectively creeping her out." Diane pauses and takes a deep, shaky breath. "Even though he didn't know she was our kid, it was wrong...so fucking wrong! He'd caused me to be all torn up inside for the last time, but when Alex told me what that monster said to her...the pain I felt was so much worse. If I'd never let him back in, he wouldn't have done shit. I'm such a screw-up!"

"No, don't be so hard on yourself...sounds like this idiot's the guilty one. If it had been me, I would've stepped up to the responsibility...and how could you have known that he'd do that to Alex? I'm sure she doesn't blame you at all."

"She doesn't, but she should...I even saw right through him, and I still gave him another chance. I'm so goddamn naive...stupid..." Diane wipes her eyes with a tissue from her purse, but the tears don't seem to stop leaking out.

"You are not," Charles insists. "I wanna punch that bastard's lights out for making you feel that way."

"If I was smart, I would never have gone for him a second time."

"You thought he'd changed, you were hoping..."

"That makes sense."

"Hello, er, Mr. MacLaren, I'm so sorry to bother you, but are you making your son go out with Angela, because he's been pretty miserable without me!"

The man peers at Lorna with a confused look on his face. "What? Who are you and why do you care who Christopher spends all his time with?"

"Oh, I'm Lorna, his girlfriend. He told me to seek you out here. You see...we were together for a short time...and we still are, but now, Angela's in his life. She's completely wrecking his life. It's like that movie, Fatal Attraction. She's evil!"

"I've met Angela...my wife and I think she's a very nice girl."

"That bitch is clearly faking it! Does Christopher even like football, or is that just the overbearing father in you? Do you know his true dreams? I'm so much more than just a bitchy cheerleader, that's such a nasty stereotype, a lot of us are actually pretty friendly! I'm not even blonde like they all are in the movies!"

"That's nice, dear. We let him do what he wants. I don't care if he has a thousand girlfriends."

"I'm his only one!" Lorna growls. "You fuckin' got that?"

"Excuse me, I'm going to need you to remove yourself from my office."

"You need to tell me you cemented it into your head that Christopher's my boyfriend. I couldn't give a shit less if you're the fuckin' CEO of the world, let alone this stupid company!"

"Miss...I don't have to answer your questions anymore. I'll ask security to forcibly escort you out if you cannot obey my request."

Lorna sighs while folding her arms across her belly. "Okay, maybe it isn't you. CEOs usually don't pay attention to their kids because they're always busy working. I should've asked your wife...wrong person, I apologize. Bye!" She dashes to where Nicky's standing by the huge office. "He's not the problem...Angela's mother is. What's the deal with women trying to turn their daughters into mini versions of them? When mine tried to do that to me, I stood up for myself! I'm my own person!"

"Alright, let's try her out. I hope it's not another expensive-looking facility. I feel weird in those kinds of places."

"Ms. Kuznick, hello...do you really know your daughter, or is what she's doing what you want?" Lorna bursts out as soon as she walks into the woman's dentist office. The woman jumps in her chair and drops a whole folder onto the floor, scattering all the papers. "Oh no, let me help you." Lorna starts to gather up the documents, but Ms. Kuznick stops her.

"Whoa, you can't just charge in! I'm doing something important. If you're some television interviewer who's doing a segment about parenting on Oprah-"

"Do I look like one? I'm here because I'm Christopher's soul mate. Just wondering...are you literally pushing Angela to date Christopher? 'Cause he really loves me, not her! He told me that himself! Love reigns over everything, even petty and meddling parents."

"She makes her own decisions. Please leave, or I'm going to call the police."

Lorna scoffs as Nicky pulls her away. "So it's her. Thanks. Sorry about the mess," she apologizes while walking backwards and then making a run for it back to the curb. "It's really fuckin' Angela," Lorna says through gritted teeth. "That slutty cunt! I got my hopes up for nothin'!"

"Well, now what?"

"I am going to singlehandedly destroy her."

"Okay, but first, Flaritza is gonna message Humps' sister and they want us all to be there. Also, they're gonna film their second video and we're in it again. Taxi!" Nicky waves a cab down. "Thanks for stopping, man." She opens the door and lets Lorna in first, then herself. She shuts it behind them and tells the driver to go to Daya's address.

"It's too dark to do anything yet, so...sure, I'm real excited for this! Hey...we should come up with a combined nickname on account of our best friendship!"

"That's kinda cheesy, but what were you thinking, Licky or Norna? The first one sounds luscious, and the second's barely got me in it."

"Nichorello or Moreichols."

"Nichorello, definitely. It's just missing one letter from each of our last names and we share the first o."

Lorna giggles. "Oh, you like this now, don't ya?"

"I suppose."

"So, Dana Humps...it just shows porn shit," Maritza tells the girls.

"Nah, you gotta type her last name as Humphrey, we just call him Humps," Flaca reminds her.

"Okay..." Maritza highlights Humps and puts in Humphrey instead. She opens a few results in new tabs and goes through the pages until she finds one that has a brother with her same surname. "Got her!"

"Holy shit," Alex murmurs. "We're really doing this."

"Fuck yeah!" Blanca replies. "Expose his ass!"

"Start with 'hey, I was a student in your brother's class, and he's so disgusting in his lessons because of what he makes us do,'" Lorna suggests.

"List everything, even the little details," Nicky adds.

"Yeah, and let her know how traumatized you were and still are," Maria advises. "As a fellow woman, she should understand."

"I'm kinda worried she'll take his side, to be honest," Daya admits. "He's her blood."

"If we all write to her from our profiles, she won't," Flaca says.

"Look, I got a response!" Maritza shouts excitedly, and the girls crowd around her. My brother is dumb and gross...my sister and I always have to reign him in...he goes too far at times. Sorry...

"Ask her if she can talk to him for us!" Lorna tells the small Latina.

Maritza nods and types, Will you do me a favor and speak with him?

Sure.

The girls shriek and jump up and down, hugging each other tightly. Then, Maritza picks up her camera phone, holds it in front of her and Flaca, and presses record. "Hello, everyone, this is Flaritza live, with special guests, Daya, Blanca, Maria, Lorna, and Nicky! Say hi, girls!" She points it at them.

"Heyyy!" They smile and wave at the camera.

"Yo, we just wanna change the topic of our channel for a minute...instead of winged eyeliner and contour, we're here to tell y'all that there's a protest at our school. We skipped today...not just us, but almost all of the students!" Flaca announces, bringing the camera back to herself and Maritza, with the others in the background. "We got these creepy teachers, and one of 'em's got a sister, so Maritza here revealed everything he did!"

"It was so fun!" Lorna adds.

"Dana Humphrey, I hope you're listening," Nicky goes on. "That's his sister."

"He and his fellow teacher, Lee Dixon are gross and dangerous. Humps is so graphic in biology class, forcing us to touch dead or alive animals, and he and Dixon both feel up underaged girls!" Blanca reports.

"That's right, Brook Shields," Maritza says.

Blanca looks confused. "Who?"

"Oh yeah, you totally look like her!" Flaca comments. "She's a pretty actress, so it's a compliment."

"Hm, thanks, then!"

"Anyway, they both give us nightmares...and so does Piscatella, with how he gives such brutal punishments," Alex mutters. "I'm not easy to spook, but he...he's frightening, threatening to break my arm just for defending Nicky, who he'd slapped!"

"He and Dixon have murdered people before," Maria goes on.

"Please help us get these fuckers fired and in prison with the most security possible," Daya continues.

"You heard our friends. We cannot live with being actually afraid to get an education, all because of Humps, Lee Dixon, and Desi Piscatella!" Maritza exclaims. "I've had nightmares about them, Humps, especially!"

Flaca slings her arm around Maritza. "Yo, I'm always there for my girl during those times, but it hurts to see her cry. We're like two peas in a pod."

"Mine are of Piscatella banging on the window outside Lorna's bedroom door when we're hanging out in there," Nicky says. "They freak me the fuck out!"

"Yes, he's terrifying, all three of those men are," Lorna murmurs, her eyes wide.

"That's the end of our segment tonight. See y'all next time!" Maritza chirps.

"Bye!" Flaca calls out, and the girls wave at the camera.

Right when Alex is in the middle of listening to music on her headphones and singing along to the lyrics while twirling and gyrating around her room to them, Diane comes in. Embarrassed of her voice and wild dancing, she cuts herself off immediately and pauses the song. She pushes her hair back from her face and fixes her glasses so they're higher up on her nose.

"No, don't let me stop you, honey-"

"It's alright," Alex mutters while taking off her headphones. "It's sleepy time anyway. We have school tomorrow." She gets into bed, as she's all ready. "Did you have fun with Charles?"

"Yeah, we talked about our jobs a bit, danced to Sideboob music, where, I kid you not, Caputo sang. He sucked." They both laugh at this. "Uh, then we got some food and headed to the Williamsburg Waterfront. I told him you and I went there together, and what Lee did to us, just recently. Charles was so fuckin' sweet about it...he made me feel a lot better. I could see that he meant his words when he said I wasn't to blame for that douchebag, and we kind of...swayed-like, he held me...until I quit crying." Diane's eyes light up with happiness and she smiles like a giddy schoolgirl. Even though this type of talk bores her, Alex is beyond ecstatic for her mother, so she grins as well.

"Aww, he sounds like a sap, but that's cool."

"He was! We're gonna hang out again during my lunch hour tomorrow."

"That's great, Mom. I'm happy he cheered you up...and is a nice guy in general."

Diane squeezes Alex's hands lightly while kissing her forehead and her cheek. "Same here." Alex takes off her glasses and puts them on her nightstand while rolling over. "Good night, baby, I love you!"

"Night, Mom, I love you, too!"

"Liquid soap!" Blanca shouts while running into the backroom with Flaca, Daya, and Maria following her. "I think it should work just as well as oil."

"Oh, perfect!" Red exclaims. "Where and when are you going to set this up? I can't do it because I have a bad back. Besides, I don't know if it'll work...but I'm really up for anything." She yawns. "I'm tired."

"Maybe tomorrow, like in the hallway right outside the gym."

"That sounds good!"

"Hey, Red, on a lighter topic, we need to ask you something before Gloria gets back...do you know if she's ever been interested in women, like went out on a date with one before?" Flaca wants to know.

"Well, no...I believe she's straight. Why?"

"Okay, thanks! It's just for research," Daya tells her.

Red is about to press the girls on what this is about, when her co-workers return and continue preparing food. Dixon and Humps barge in after them, and the young Latinas exit the area. "So, a nigger, two beaners, a commie, and a mute...that's the joke," Dixon says while placing himself in between Gloria and Aleida, and Humps grins. "Hey, I found the spice rack, literally, so I can make my sausage more flavorful, huh?"

"Remember who has the knife," Aleida snaps while chopping up a tomato. "Ain't you supposed to be waitin' out there?"

"Lady, we do what we want," Humps snarls while shaking his gun at her, and she knocks it out of his hands with her knife. Gloria catches and drops it in the same second. She stares at the other women, wide-eyed and unmoving, as if she's in shock. "Yeah, you're too scared to do it!" He chuckles darkly as he picks up his weapon and shakes his head. Red, Claudette, and Norma try to get the men away from Gloria and Aleida, but Dixon blocks their path.

"Women...they're good for sex and cooking, that's about it," he mutters.

"What are you going to do with us?" Red asks.

"Yeah, there's five of us and two of you screwups," Claudette says more strongly while the rest of the women are eyeing Humps' gun.

"We just want to watch you slave away." Dixon and Humps sit on chairs. "Go ahead."

"Why aren't any of you lazy asses working?!" Piscatella booms, and Red almost jumps out of her skin. Claudette steps in front of Red, while Norma slightly pushes Gloria and Aleida further back, to make a path for the scary piece of shit. "Well, get to it! Don't just stand there gaping like a retard, Reznikov!"

Red ignores the shakiness in her legs and the fact that her back aches. She quickly starts to make the first meal of the day.

"If you must know, your co-workers interrupted us," Claudette hisses.

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Piscatella roars. "My men are in charge of you, which means you need to listen to them and do what they request."

"Yo-" Aleida begins to speak, but Gloria covers her mouth and shushes her.

"I'd like to hear what she has to say, Mendoza."

Aleida struggles to get Gloria's hand off her mouth. "Ugh, don't lick me!" Gloria mutters while wiping her hand on her pants.

"It's a good thing she did, because I would've gotten rid of you some other way. You should let your little friend talk. Keep doing whatever you Mexicans do for breakfast."

Gloria nods and obeys him, but Red can see that she's trembling and clutching the knife so tightly that her knuckles are turning white. Piscatella towers over the Latinas-he's a whole foot taller than them.

"Dixon just came in and made rude comments about me and my girl. He was bein' real racist and sexist...and I tried to defend us, but Humps pulled out his damn gun to shut me up. What the fuck do we gotta do, huh?" Aleida wonders aloud.

"How about this, old lady Diaz?" Piscatella walks up to Aleida and glares down at her coldly with his hands clasped behind his back. She gives him the same angry stare and copies his stance. "Imagine yourself without a tongue and no longer gabbing away." A quiet gasp emanates from Gloria as her hand stills. "At least Romano didn't lose much...she stuttered to begin with. Protecting friends can lead to unpleasant things."

Fear strikes through Red as her gaze travels from Norma to Aleida, who doesn't appear to be so strong now, since her eyes are hollow, void of expression. She presses her lips together and touches her mouth, as if she's checking for blood. "You threatenin' me?" Daya's mother asks quietly.

"It's a warning. I enjoy the silence." Humps and Dixon snicker behind them. "That was way out of line when you refused to give Mr. Bennett eggs. You five deserve to rot away in a dingy basement. You will treat us staff with respect. I'll be watching." His diabolical glance passes over them as he creeps away.

"I wish Leon and Cesar were both here to take his motherfuckin' ass out!" Aleida whispers to Gloria as they continue chopping up vegetables and stirring eggs and milk.

"I know, but...you gotta learn when to shut the hell up! Ay dios...I'm serious here, mama. He could've killed us all! He's already mutilated one of us!"

"Fuck." Aleida glances at Norma. "She really got no tongue? I thought she was just mute."

"Nah, but it's deformed, she can still sing."

"Hurry up, stop your chit-chat!" Dixon bellows, and Humps pounds his gun on the counter a few times. "I wish you were on Girls Gone Wild, hot pants."

"Yeah, you and Ramos. That would be...oh yeah, just thinking about that makes me..." Humps grabs at his crotch while grunting. "Every single one of those little ones, actually. I need to get into 'em."

"What about the tall chick? She's got the body of a stripper."

"They all do. I heard Nichols call Morello shortstack, well, she's not wrong. Damn, that is one fine piece of ass, but even perkier tits."

Gloria turns on the stove after pouring oil into the pan, and the flames burst out of the burner. She can't look away. What she really would like to do, is smash them both over their heads with it for the way that they're talking about the girls. She, Red, Aleida, Norma, and Claudette, are being forced to listen to this, though, because if they utter a single word, they could be in immediate danger. The men's conversation cannot get more disturbing, and it triggers a dark memory. As she dissociates, she feels like she's blindly doing her job and hopes she doesn't mess up anything. She can sense someone helping her sit on the floor. She rocks back and forth while whimpering.

"¡Come, perra!"

Eat, you bitch!"

Gloria chews in silence and tries not to cry. She wants some pasta or Mexican food, not this shit. She only gets that stuff for lunch, and she doesn't mind meat at all, but she hates liver and horseradish. It's terrible.

When she finishes, Arturo tells her, "Voy al baño y luego voy a ver televisión. Será mejor que te unas a mí."

I'm going to the bathroom and then I'm gonna watch some television. You better join me.

Gloria just nods and loads their plates. She gets out some candle holders and a match and sinks into the world of Santeria while she waits for her Satan-like boyfriend. A minute later, the television roars to life and the materials for her practice are snatched out of her hands and tossed on the ground. He starts a fire and she asks what he's doing.

"Quema los candelabros y los fósforos. Nunca se le permite practicar esa mierda de nuevo. ¡Sólo haz lo que yo haga, puta!"

Burning your candle holders and matches. You're never allowed to practice that bullshit again. Only do what I do, whore!

"Esto es porno, y peor aún, porno infantil!" Gloria's about to sob when Arturo slaps her across the face again. That's going to leave a few marks. She hates him to no end. He's a monster who really needs to die.

This is porn, and even worse, child porn!

"Mira lo que veo. No me importa lo que pienses de eso. Creo que es seductor, y por lo que debe usted, así que callarse y prestar atención a la televisión." He grips her face in his hands and forces her eyes at the television. She's very disgusted at what she sees and every time she whimpers, he squeezes her face tighter, making it hurt even more. Gloria is starting to get dizzy and tears roll down her cheeks. When the movie is over, he tosses her into his bed and undresses her like she's a kid. It's repulsive and degrading, but she can't do anything about it. His fist slams into the side of her face and the tears come before she can speak.

Watch what I watch. I don't care what you think of it. I think it's alluring, and so should you, so shut up and pay attention to the television.

"Has hecho creer que no bebiste, mujer. Nunca rechazarás nada que te ofrezcan mis amigos o yo. ¿Lo entiendes?"

You made them think you didn't drink, woman. You will never turn down anything offered to you by me or my friends. Do you understand?

"Sí," she squeaks, holding her temple where she's sure a bruise is forming. She looks down and sees three bloody lines cross her chest. They still hurt to touch. Her hand and foot are both red where he had banged them with his fist and boot. She looks terrible.

He grabs her butt and forces it on him while he strips himself. He wraps his naked arms around her chest and it makes her feel so dirty.

"No me hagas volver a empujarte abajo de las escaleras mañana," he whispers to her violently. "Tengo mi ojo en ti."

Do not make me push you down the stairs again tomorrow. I've got my eye on you.

She nods, with tears streaming down her face. He forces himself on her like he does every single night, makes her do a strip tease for him, beats her, and then sniggers.

"Gloria, can you finish the omelets, or do you want me to?" Red asks her softly while Aleida kneels down next to her and gently strokes her hair.

"El diablo encarnado está aquí...él está todavía dentro de ellos..." she mumbles.

The devil incarnate is here...he is still within them...

"Are you cursing me?" Dixon bellows, and Gloria scrambles into a corner when he gets up.

"No," Humps says through a chortle and holds him back. "She's just being a whiny bitch."

He can understand her. This is horrifying to Gloria.

"Something about Blanca's boyfriend?" Red looks puzzled, as do Claudette and Norma.

"No, diablo is devil in Spanish...she's saying Dixon and Humps are the devil in human form," Aleida explains. "Yo, Gloria...they gonna get Piscatella if you keep sitting here. They're over there with their creepy faces, leering at us. I know you ain't havin' a crisis right now. Jesus fuck." She hugs Gloria. "Brush it off, mama, come on. I know it's hard, but-"

"I...I had a flashback." Gloria chokes on her tears. "M-my ex...he lives in all of them. I...we...can't escape." She gulps and shudders.

"No shit," Red murmurs under her breath. "Aleida's right, though, you're a strong woman...you cannot let them see you weak, no matter what. It's not like we can order them to leave. They will be out very soon."

"Okay..."

"What are you gossiping about?" Dixon explodes. "We need to eat! Boy drama can wait!"

Humps cocks his gun, and Gloria's friends immediately help her up. "Yeah. Good choice, you dumb cunts."

As soon as she and Lorna round a corner to meet up with their friends, Nicky sees Piscatella stalking toward the gym. She doesn't want to again show Lorna that she's frightened of the beast, but her body fails her as it begins quaking continuously. She knows he can turn around at any moment and spot them.

"Fuck...I can't do this," she mumbles through her panic attack when he's too far away to hear.

"What is it, hon?" Lorna asks. "You got a haunted expression in those big brown eyes 'a yours."

"Homeroom...Alex, Maritza, and I have Jason from Friday the 13th in a few minutes-his mother, actually...and I'm unable to be there..." Nicky gasps deeply while grabbing at her chest where her throbbing heart is. She twitches violently when someone touches her face, specifically where she was slapped. It's only Lorna, so she breathes a sigh of relief, but it turns into a whimper. She literally cannot move her feet, she's so scared.

"It's only me...it'll be okay, Nicky...I can help you skip...we'll go together," Lorna says soothingly while kneeling down when she does. "Oh dear, you're petrified!" Lorna squeezes her knee and she places her hands on top of Lorna's, in an attempt to settle down.

"You've got Mrs. McCollough...you shouldn't miss her class. She's not horrible like fuckin' Bigfoot. Can't I just join Red and Gloria and everyone in the cafeteria's backroom?"

"That's the last place you should go, because they are expecting some of us to cut class today and they probably want our blood."

"Of course!" Nicky's voice cracks and she blinks back tears. She furiously wipes them away with her fists. "Oh, shit fuckin' holy, Lorna...I-I can't breathe!" she squeaks, loathing how fragile she sounds right now.

"You gotta, hon, you're gonna make yourself sick and pass out. We don't know when he's gonna walk out, so I gotta get you away from this location right now. Come on." Lorna stands up and keeps holding Nicky's hand as they almost run out of the building and to safety, at the bus stop. "Our destination is Starbucks, where my sister works. I'll stay with you, I promise!" she comforts Nicky.

"No, it's okay, Lorna...I don't want you to get into even more trouble!" Her voice is still high-pitched and her heart continues to beat erratically.

"You don't leave a girl wailing alone on the bus with mascara running down her cheeks," Lorna murmurs while skimming her thumbs underneath Nicky's eyes. The bus comes and they both get on it. "It'll just be 'til second period! Ms. McCollough is lenient...she won't be too mad that I missed first period. Now inhale and exhale slowly until you can breathe normally."

Nicky takes Lorna's recommendation, and it seems to work, but she keeps shaking. "Thank you..."

So they sit in the back with Nicky's head on Lorna's lap, and as the tiny brunette Italian runs her fingers through Nicky's hair and rubs her back in calming circles when she begins hyperventilating, her love for this girl soars and reaches the skies above. It's just what best friends do for each other, and she has to keep reminding herself of this-but she can't help but imagine that it's a romantic moment between them.

"Come on, Nichols, get your ass in here," Alex mumbles while keeping her eyes on the locker room door. P had already advised her and Lorna not to skip Piscatella's class because it's way too dangerous. She takes her phone out of her purse and her thumbs skim over the keypad as she types a note to Nicky. Where are you?! Her anxiety grows when Nicky doesn't answer for a while.

"Still no word?" Maritza asks while putting her shorts on.

"Nope." Alex tries Nicky again. Could you answer me, please, I'm fuckin' worried as hell!

Jesus, chill out, Alex, I'm playing hooky because I can't handle being around that neckless ape man. Lorna's with me and we're getting caramel macchiatos, I'm fine.

No, you're not. Come back to school before he notices you're gone and gives you a horrible punishment! Alex runs a trembling hand through her hair and pulls on it gently while pacing. "Shit, shit, shit..." she mumbles under her breath.

"What?" Maritza questions her.

"She won't return in time...and she's gonna face serious consequences."

"We gotta cover for her."

"I don't know why Lorna didn't think of this! Fuck!"

"We should've had her with us."

"What, and leave Lorna alone?"

"Oh...someone texted you."

I mean, are you stupid? Nobody can rebel against him unless they don't mind being killed. Blanca and Diablo were lucky that they came out of that pool alive...didn't you learn from that? I don't care if you survive his abuse...it'll make me happy and my job would be easier if you were tortured to death, in fact, because you'd be in Hell with Piper and Piscatella would go to jail...but to have your friend, who had nothing to do with this whole saga, be highly at risk...what a stupid move on yours and Lorna's parts for not warning her! Xo, P

"Yeah, it's nobody," Alex murmurs while shoving her phone back into her bag. "What should we do?"

"Tell her to bring him something like a donut or coffee," Maritza suggests. "That way, he won't be as angry...I hope."

"Okay, thanks for the idea."

"Welcome!"

"I can't ditch that fuckin' awful gorilla's class!" Nicky cries.

"I know, I got the memo, too," Lorna says. Nicky reluctantly buys a cold drink for the evil creature and tosses her cash at Franny. "Sorry, we gotta skedaddle!" the brunette shouts at her older sister over her shoulder, and then the two girls scurry back to the bus and get on it as quickly as they can.

"Man, that's how...how fast we go...in...in gym class..." Nicky says in between wheezing gasps of air. "It's not...good...for...for my heart..."

"Don't talk, just concentrate on breathing, okay?" Lorna hands Nicky a bottle of water.

"Mm-hm," Nicky mumbles, and then drinks the cool liquid.

"Later on, I'll take ya to Caputo to discuss your heart condition...ya need accommodations, like being in a different Physical Ed class, for one. I'm nervous that you're gonna suffer a heart attack from all that strenuous exercise...this lady I take care of for community service had a massive one...that pig fucker really likes to push people past their limits. I'll tell ya what...we can go to Caputo's office right away. We'll tell Alex and Maritza to let that son of a bitch know where we are. You are in no state to run to your extremes."

Nicky feels grateful that Lorna wants to do this for her, but she's afraid that Piscatella will tell Caputo that she's a junkie and had been arrested for it. "No, no...that's not gonna work...I'll...I'll deal...and if I get dizzy and fall down, he'd let me take a break. If he really wanted me to die, he would've done the deed right in front of Vause and Flores on Monday. He's not gonna make himself responsible for the death of one of his students!"

"Oh, he can get away with anything! You heard what Red and Blanca reported to us...he was still hired, even though he's a murderer! Nicky, I can't sit there in History class, not knowing if you're okay."

"Alex and Maritza are with me...look, thank you for helping, but it's not worth stirring the pot on this one. Don't you have him, too?"

"Yeah, I'm alone there...I just keep my head down and do what I'm told. Some other girls I know are in there, so I stick by 'em, but they're not like, my close friends...uh, Zirconia, Stephanie, Alana Dwight, Michelle Carreras, Helen...and good ol' Kasey Sankey was in my class last year, but she was such a bitch. She called me crazy and a dago, which is a really offensive word for a person who speaks Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese. I'm glad she's gone. Anyway, um...he's terrifying, but he's never tormented me constantly, probably 'cause I'm too much of an easy target."

"Well, good. You're small and I worry about you."

"Hey, you only got a few inches on me! He's a tree compared to both of us!" The bus lurches to a stop and then they step off, just as the warning bell is ringing. It sounds faint since the school is a little ways away. Nicky and Lorna speed-walk to the building, share a short but sweet hug, and go into their separate classrooms. Nicky tears off her jacket, throws it into her locker, and goes into the gym, just as the final bell goes off. Luckily, she always starts out wearing her uniform so she doesn't have to change.

"What do you have in your hands?" the huge asshole roars at Nicky, and then grabs the drink from her.

"It's for you...I bought it...at...at Starbucks," she answers.

"You're trying to bribe me, okay." He slurps it noisily. "Scamper around the room until your lungs collapse!" he orders the class. He clutches a fistful of Nicky's hair, practically ripping it out of her scalp, and throws her to the ground as she shrieks loudly. "You don't come in at the final second, you dumb blonde cunt."

"That was totally unnecessary!" Allison Basara yells while Alex and Maritza hurriedly assist Nicky in standing back up. They keep their hold on her upper arms until she stops wavering on her feet.

"Shut up, terrorist, unless you want double detention!" the animal growls.

Nicky groans softly. "My head hurts. I'll be okay, though."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Alex wonders out loud while showing her the peace sign.

"Two."

"Let's go!" he bellows at them.

Nicky waits for her heartbeat to catch up, and then, obeys the cruel teacher's command.

"Whoa, a hundred views already?" Flaca mumbles to herself in awe while scrolling down hers and Maritza's latest YouTube video comments before Woodshop starts. She shows her phone to Nicky and jabs the screen with her finger. "Damnit, they like Maritza better, yo! Fuckin' Cher...they called me a beaner version of her! So much for bein' famous..."

"They're just trolls, you're both equally awesome," Nicky assures her in a bored tone while resting her head on her arms.

"Oh yeah, Maritza told me what went down in gym. Someone should record this shit...it's proof!"

"I agree, but they gotta be real slick. Tell me something funny. I don't wanna think about the giant."

"Nothin' is goin' through my head 'cause I'm hella sad about what you been through, girl. I got so much compassion, like, up the ying-yang."

Nicky rolls her eyes. "Wow, you really are emo. Come on, I need to be cheered up. Aren't friends good for that sorta shit?"

"Mr. Luscheck gets boners when he's scared," Zirconia pipes up with a smirk. "It's hot."

Flaca wrinkles her nose. "Eeeewww, that is not gonna help her!"

Nicky groans loudly. "I didn't need to know that."

"Yeah, but it got your mind elsewhere, didn't it?"

"I'm so gonna use that against him if he betrays me somehow," Nicky says. "Otherwise, that makes me uncomfortable, because he's my friend."

"It's weird to be talking about our teacher in this way," Stephanie agrees.

Janae and Cindy explode into laughter. "Fuck man, that's hilarious!" Cindy shouts.

"I would try that, but Cindy and I are more into that handsome fella who does construction," Janae says.

"I grabbed Mr. Luscheck's beard and it popped right up," Zirconia murmurs as Ouija, Pidge, and Michelle lean into her to hear more, and Flaca wants to gag. "He's mine, chicas!"

"I lust after Mr. Stratman...I dream of licking him like he's candy," Alana confesses. "Mmm, he probably tastes so good...I miss him and his abs! I wanna sing to him next time I see him, just like that really tiny girl with the squeaky Brooklyn accent and lipstick did to that Christopher guy!"

"You straight girls are gross," Nicky complains. "Enough of this Lolita bullshit."

"Amen to that!" Poussey bumps Nicky's fist with her own.

"I wonder where my future husband is..." Alana muses aloud.

Exactly where he belongs, Flaca wants to say. "Ugh, wasn't he like, a huge jerk?"

"No...did you know he used to be a professional stripper in college? Blanca, Steph, and I went through his file so I'd have some ideas on what to say to him if I ever saw him outside school. I always dressed up for him!"

"Okay, and the fact that he made Blanca stand on the table and she pissed her pants twice doesn't bother you at all?" Oujia asks sharply. "She gave you a rag when you broke your nose on that door. I thought you were friends..."

"Oh...I didn't know he did that to her. Sorry."

"Yeah, 'cause you naive as fuck," Pidge snaps.

"No, I wasn't there that day!" Alana protests. "We're not very close...we don't converse much. It's mostly Steph, Reema, Jeanie, and I...Blanca's more on the outskirts. The only thing the two of us had in common was being bullied by Piper...we assisted each other." At this, Stephanie elbows her. "Ow, what the fuck? You wanna give me a bruise?"

The Hawaiian girl gestures toward Nicky and Flaca. "You do realize you're talking in front of one of Piper's friends about her, right? Dominicans got a point...like, everyone knew about it except you. I tried to report it to you, but you didn't listen, just like my mom about Kris Kristofferson."

This piques Flaca's interest, and she and Nicky exchange a glance. "What you talkin' about?"

Alana looks at Flaca with guilt swimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's alright, we're trying to unmask her killer," Nicky says. "I mean, she never existed in my world, but I'm tight with her clique. It would help us."

"These bitches gonna accuse everyone now, y'all," Cindy mutters.

"Watch out, Poussey, even you're gonna get blamed," Janae adds.

"We don't suspect her," Flaca says.

"Yeah, she's not negative and rude!" Nicky chimes in.

"Fuckin' cabronas," Michelle gripes. "They think Blanca and Alana murdered her together, as if they could." She and the other Dominican girls chuckle.

"Hey, that's offensive!" Alana objects.

"Nah, but picture this, Piper fights back and you get a nosebleed," Pidge says.

"Her kicking my face in would be a problem for me, yes."

"Blanca could do it, though," Ouija murmurs, smiling widely. "She's a real tough chick."

"Spic's right," Brandy says.

"Yeah, you're pretty smart for a brownie," Jennifer agrees.

"Watch out, you're gonna unleash their fiery Latina rages," Helen reminds her fellow Nazi followers as Ouija's nostrils flare with anger.

"Don't call Ouija racist shit, you fuckin' cracker hos! It wasn't them neither!" Flaca argues before Ouija can get a word in. "Blanca's one of our crew, and we barely know any of y'all! You don't have a huge motive!"

"Yo, we all pulled together yesterday and did a courageous thing...so let's all just calm down and stop fighting, yeah?" Nicky asks. "Stretch across tribal groups...look past differences, don't insult each other, not even underhanded compliments..." Nicky raises her eyebrow at the white pride group. "Get back on track!"

"That was awesome," Poussey says. "Your speech bein' real motivational and each and every one of us working toward the same goal."

"Whoo-hoo!" Flaca cheers. "So, like...maybe a few of us could sing Nicky songs to make her smile, 'cause I don't like her bein' down in the dumps."

"I have something better," Ouija announces. She stands up on the table and clears her throat. "Guess who I am. Okay...hey, girl, uh, ya got a smoke? Uhhh or if ya want, I can lick ya pussy, make ya scream real loud, because I know ya like that, baby..." She perfectly imitates Nicky's usual smirk and posture and the inflection and tone of the blonde's voice.

Nicky throws a wad of paper at her when the class starts laughing hysterically. "Fuck you, I know that's me!"

Flaca and Poussey are actually shrieking with tears in their eyes, and a grin manages to spread across Nicky's face.

"Oh my god, you cannot go to school with that unibrow! That's totally unacceptable...you'll never get a job at Barney's looking like that!" Ouija says in a fake prissy voice while fluttering her nails and batting her eyes. "I just love the French braid I made in my hair! Don't you?"

"Holly Hobbie!" Flaca calls out, and they all chuckle. "Piper never wore those."

"Yo, my best friend and I are gonna be real popular, we got all kinds of makeup tips and we're like, so totally super fly!" Ouija does a correct impression of Flaca, but it could be Maritza, too. It causes Flaca to giggle anyway, along with the rest of the students.

"Flaca or Maritza," Nicky guesses.

"Both, it's like they share the same soul."

"Wow, we do!" Flaca exclaims.

"Amazing job, thanks!" Nicky compliments Ouija, and they all clap for her as she jumps down and takes a bow.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, LM Ermington, and thecharmedwerewolf!