Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: violence, ableist words and actions, racist and sexist language, sexual harassment, homophobia, and references to minors using drugs
corazón-sweetheart
"Are my brothers acting weird?" Flaca asks Maritza as Marco and Pedro do a funny walk down the hall, almost as if they're drunk, and keep chuckling for no real reason. It could be an inside joke they're sharing, but two people don't have the same thoughts at once if they're not even speaking to each other.
"Not more than usual," Maritza replies. "Why don't you try talkin' to 'em?"
"Okay." Flaca wheels herself to their bedroom door and knocks on it.
"Shit, Mom's home!" Marco says frantically.
"Nah, it's just me!" Pedro lets her in and tries, but fails, to kick an extra large pizza box and a bunch of junk food under Marco's bed. "Yo, what's goin' on? How come you need all that? You gonna get, like, super full!"
"We kinda have the munchies, Tricia told us about this part," Pedro confesses.
Flaca gasps and shakes her head in disappointment. "You're both fuckin' twelve years old! Nicky's sister really got you stoned?"
"No, it was just...a random guy, we didn't know the cookies would be laced with heroin-"
"Heroin?!" Flaca hisses. "Somebody gave you-"
"Shut up, we thought it was just weed at first, and we were interested in finding out. Don't tell Mom, or...we'll let her read your diary with all your juicy secrets!" Marco threatens her.
Flaca rolls her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Deal. Just don't let this shit happen again. Don't you idiots know not to take shit from strangers? Mama taught you about that when you were four!"
"Sorry," they mumble sheepishly.
"Get Kubra to take care of you," Flaca instructs the boys as she leaves the room. "Ma's busy sewing!"
"So, what was up with them?" Maritza wonders aloud as Flaca sits next to her best friend, who is laying on the couch.
"They were stoned," Flaca mutters while turning on the television. "Hopefully, they learn a lesson from this!"
"Oh, wow...okay."
While shopping, Diane attempts not to worry about the prices, but she also ensures that the dresses and shoes only cost up to sixty dollars and everything else is less than forty. She doesn't want to make Charles spend too much money on her. She picks some colorful, black, gray, and gold evening gowns off the racks so she can try them on in the dressing room. When she slips into each of them, she can't help but do a few little spins in the mirror, feeling like a princess as the skirt of the royal purple dress twirls around her. It's childish, but she's always been young at heart, and she's never been this extravagant. She rejects about half of them, but she shows Alex and Charles the rest. She does poses for the two most important people in her life as she shows off the different dresses on her figure.
"I think you look beautiful in anything," Charles tells her with a grin as his eyes scan up and down her body, but not in a perverted way. "The purple and red really bring out your eyes, though." Diane swoons at his comments and smiles at him.
"The sleeveless with the black and white checkered pattern, sheer blue, off-the-shoulder red, and strapless dark purple are classy and my very top favorites," Alex lets Diane know. "Which one are you gonna choose, Mom?"
"You can get them all, it's fine," Charles says kindly.
Diane beams. "Thanks, you guys. A girl can't really have only one dress to wear for her whole life. Um...for tomorrow night, though, red. Aleida's gonna be in royal blue with halter straps and Gloria, black, long-sleeved V-neck with silver sparkles, and she'll put on a black cardigan over it. That's what they told me."
"Cool!" Alex murmurs.
The three of them are carrying numerous shopping bags when they come to the shoes. Charles fits Diane's prospective purchased shoes on her feet so much that Alex comments she looks like Cinderella. While he's slipping a three inch high heel onto her bare foot, his calloused thumb and fingers touch the skin on her heel, and she giggles, loving the feel of his hand on her. "Sorry, I'm ticklish," she mumbles.
"Remind me of that later," he says, wiggling his fingers toward the bottom of her other foot.
"I can kick you, sir!" she teases him back as she pretends to do so.
"Yeah, you better watch out, Charles!" Alex chimes in.
"Oh, well, I don't wanna be on the other end of your wrath! Do you like those?" Charles gestures to the dress shoes, and Diane nods happily.
"I love them!"
"Perfect!"
"Hey, you little sluts are such white trailer trash, that you're only being taken in by a jigaboo!" Dixon taunts them from behind as they're going with Charles to the car. Diane jumps, not expecting him and Humps to be right there. He goes to tap Alex's butt and grab one of Diane's breasts at the same time, but Diane yelps and roughly slaps his hands away. Charles gets into a protective stance in front of Diane and Alex.
"Stay away from them, unless you'd like to deal with me and my fists. Just so you're aware, I'm a police officer-" he starts.
Humps snorts. "You're nothing but a security guard in a juvenile delinquent center, ape! As we were saying, nobody else wants you! Actually, Dixon and I do, because fuck, Mama Vause, those watermelons are about to grow out of your shirt, and Miss Vause, you are keeping our sexy librarian fantasy alive!" Diane's blood runs cold at his words and Dixon's first remark and actions. "Are you gonna follow in your mama's footsteps, whoring around for cash?"
"Shut the fuck up, I'm warning you!" Charles threatens them through gritted teeth. His hands start to ball up so tightly that Diane notices the whites of his knuckles.
"Or what? You'll beat us up?" Dixon asks snidely, and Humps sniggers. "Go ahead, but we'll get you fired if you cause us harm. We have ourselves a lawyer who hates the darkies."
"I can always get another job, fuckheads!" Charles punches them both in their stupid faces. Alex's eyes and mouth pop open in astonishment, and while Diane is blessed that he's defending them, she'd never wanted nor needed him to risk his career for her and Alex.
Humps spits out blood. "She's dirty, she's fucked so many men that her cunt's wide enough to fit a basketball into. I would know...she did my dad and brothers. So, congratulations...you two are great for each other. You're a black retard, while she was a tramp...she probably still is!"
Diane races off to her car with her purchases, ashamed and trying to hold back tears. She gets into it shakily before she starts bawling at the wheel while holding her stomach. There are doors opening and closing, and then she sees that Charles and Alex have now caught up to her.
"Hey...those creeps are nothing, Diane...they spread lies-"
Diane sniffles and lets out a few more sobs. "It's the truth...I'm a hooker...or, I was...um, when I was pregnant...with Alex." She glances at his reaction out of the corner of her eye. He simply appears to be sad for her. "I worked as a stripper and a prostitute until Alex was ten...Humps and Dixon are right. Even if it was to support myself and my daughter, I'm nothing but a fraud...I'm not squeaky clean with an excellent record." Diane leans back, swallows hard, and squeezes her eyes shut, allowing tears to leak out and drip down her cheeks. "I'm...I'm exactly the kind of girl you'd throw into the slammer."
She senses him swipe his thumb underneath one eye and then the other. "I would never arrest you. I'd help you out like I'm doing now...because I really like who you are," he soothes her softly. "You're so smart, pretty, strong, clever, and unwaveringly kind...not to mention, the best dancer I've ever known. Diane, you amaze me, every day. I'm so happy that you're in my life. You make everything better and brighter with your cheerful spunk and spirit."
Diane opens her eyes to find that his sweet words match the expression on his face. "You're a real confidence booster, you know that? Sometimes, though, I feel so broken...and like, Alex deserves a better mom, someone who could give her everything...someone she could be proud of. I had to tell her to brag to her fifth grade bullies about her loser piece 'a shit dad 'cause of his fuckin' band."
"You have so much love for her. If some cruel elementary schoolers wanted to poke fun at you and her for being poor without trying to get to know either of you, that's their loss. You're great, and such an awesome mother." Diane sighs while smiling a little at her lap. Her heart is light and fluttery now. "You are, I promise."
"Thank you."
"Sorry, I was shaken up, but I agree with everything Charles said, Mom. You did all that you could, and more, to ensure that I had the best life possible. Never doubt yourself, alright? You're like, Super Mom!" Alex cuts in. "You're my role model...I wanna be like you when I grow up in every way, except straight."
Diane chuckles and brushes the wetness off her cheeks. She twists around in her seat, cups Alex's cheek, and kisses her daughter's temple. "Thanks, sweetie."
While she's collecting ice and putting it into baggies, Daya watches Leon catch Jack off guard and flip him onto the floor. It's easy, too, since Leon not only has an inch on him, but he has way more muscle than the wiry raisin-like subhuman. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" her grandma screeches at him as Jack groans in his deserved pain. "Where's a damn phone when you need one..."
"I can kick your ass any day, old man!" Leon hisses and delivers a powerful blow into Jack's ugly face. "You hurt my lady, then I cause serious harm to you!" He continues hitting Jack with his fists. "Is this how you sat on her and punched her in the face?"
Jack grunts and attempts to roll over, but Leon doesn't let him. "She wanted me, she was desperate! She's only with you for your large cock, she said!"
This makes Leon even angrier, and he jams his knee into Jack's crotch a few times. "You like that, huh? You asked for it!"
Daya's grandmother dials a number right away once she finds the portable landline. "Hi, this is Lourdes Diaz...Pearson. My...my daughter's boyfriend is attacking my husband out of nowhere!"
"Abuela, he sexually assaulted Ma tonight in Roberto's bathroom, and Leon is defending her honor!" Daya shouts and tries to grab the phone from her grandmother, but the elderly woman hurries into Daya's room. "Abuela, no...¡detener!"
Grandma, no, stop!
"¡No faltes el respeto a tu abuela! ¡Tu madre está enferma en la cabeza, ha estado buscando a mi marido desde que estaba en la escuela secundaria! ¡No era una violación, estaba muriendo por rebelarse contra mí! ¡Calla, estoy en el teléfono!" Daya's grandmother scolds her. "Sorry, my granddaughter was acting up. What were you saying?"
Don't disrespect your grandmother! Your mother's sick in the head, she's been after my husband since she was in middle school! It wasn't rape, she was dying to rebel against me! Shush you, I'm on the phone!
"How...how could you...do that...to-to my mom?" Daya asks in tears. "You dismissed her feelings when she was a girl..." She trails off when her grandmother slams the door in her face.
"¡Me encargaré de esto!" A woman who Daya's never met before, but recognizes from pictures with Gloria and her kids, pushes open the door and wrestles the phone out of the other Lourdes' hands. Gloria's aunt must have come to see the Mendozas while Daya was with Aleida and Gloria wasn't able to introduce her just yet because of all that was going on. "Escuché todo. ¡Eres un apologista de violación!" Gloria's aunt tells Aleida's mother coldly.
I'll handle this! I heard everything. You're a rape apologist!
"No fue violación," Daya's grandmother insists as she rushes back to Aleida and Gloria.
It wasn't rape.
"Here." Daya hands Aleida the bags of ice, and Aleida rests them on her wounds.
"Gracias, nena."
"De nada. Uh, so there's like, two showdowns out there. Not only is Leon bashing Jack's face in, your mom and some other lady are bustin' up each other's asses. Gloria, that's your aunt Lourdes?"
Gloria nods while smiling. "Yeah, I gotta formally introduce you two to her. She lives near us now."
"Well, she's on your side, Ma. Grandma...I don't even know if I wanna call her that anymore...she's the mean Lourdes. She tried to get Leon arrested, but the nice Lourdes stopped her!"
Aleida smirks through her tears. "She wouldn't have been effective anyway, since Charles is on his way with several cops behind him."
"I called the police," Gloria clarifies.
"Oh, thank god!" Daya says gratefully.
The sirens get closer to the apartment, and the three of them go into the living room, where Leon is pulling Jack up to his feet. Aleida hides behind Gloria and Daya, but peeks out at the scene between her fingers. There's pounding on the door and Aleida's mother opens it. "Good thing you're here-"
"Now leave, and don't come back!" Leon tells Jack warningly as he pushes the beast away from him. Aleida's mother wails as Charles explains that Jack is under arrest for rape and informs him of his Miranda rights.
"Don't worry, man, your secret's safe with me," Charles tells Leon.
"Thanks, dude." Leon and Charles bump fists.
"Aw, they're bros!" Aleida comments as Charles clips Jack's wrists together in handcuffs and takes him away.
Daya's phone buzzes in her pocket and she jumps. It's Alex. Hey, we're at your house with Charles...who is that beat-up old guy police are dragging out of your place?
We're fine, just family drama and it got too loud. You know how my mom and grandma are always at each other's throats, I've told you and the girls before...well, the asshole who married my grandma tried to get between them, and got himself injured in the process.
"¡Seguro que te mueves!" Daya's grandmother snaps at Aleida.
You sure do get around!
"Get away from my girl, Lourdes!" Leon steps in front of the women and Daya. "You made her life hell."
Aleida removes the ice from her mouth. "We gonna speak English since two members of my family ain't fluent in Spanish. As of now, you're forever banned from this apartment! Gloria and I were discussing it."
"You can't just separate me from my grandchildren-"
"Actually, I don't give a fuck!" Daya hisses. "That's right, I swore since I'm so mad at you. Because of you, Aleida learned how to be a shitty mom and give me and my siblings a bad childhood 'cause she thought that shit was normal. I'll never let you meet my baby, either. Emiliano will forget about you in a few weeks and Christina will understand once we explain it clearly that you are no longer allowed in our home."
"That's correct. If you come around here again, we will place a restraining order on you," Gloria says.
"If you attempt breaking in here to kidnap the kids, the security alarm I installed will go off, and you'll get arrested immediately," Leon adds.
"It looks like it's a unanimous vote of yes!" Gloria's aunt announces while stepping out from Daya's room. "I hate your ass too...you let this poor child get raped by your monster of a boyfriend, and you blamed her for it!" Lourdes comes up to them and puts her arms around both her niece and Aleida. "Nice to meet you in person, Daya and Aleida, I'm Gloria's Tía Lourdes."
"¡Hola!" Aleida and Daya greet Gloria's aunt.
"If I had actually been Gloria's cousin and grown up in her tía's care, I'd be better!" Aleida realizes aloud. "Upbringing has a lot to do with everything. You ain't my motha no more!"
"I'm disowning you as a daughter then, you selfish bitch!"
"Yeah, pack up. Bye!" Aleida says cheerfully while flipping her off.
The guilt of being temporarily unloving to everyone is eating Aleida alive, so she makes sure to act extra nice from now on. As she goes into the nursery when Gloria is just getting into bed, she feels a sharp pang in her chest just glancing at her sleeping children with their thumbs in their mouths. "Oh, nena," she murmurs as she kisses Christina on her cheek while stroking her hair. "Happy birthday, sweet girl...I'll make it up to you, I promise. I love you." Aleida sniffles and a tear rolls down her face and onto Christina's. She brushes it off. and moves on to Emiliano. "I'm sorry, buddy...I only said mean things to you and your sisters, didn't I? None of you deserved it." She pecks his cheek and runs her fingers through his hair. "Love you, little man." Aleida gives Benny and Julio's hands gentle squeezes. "Good night, boys!" She hugs Gloria before leaving the room. "Night, Glo."
"Night, Lei!"
"You picked that up from Leon, huh?"
"Yeah, it's a cute nickname."
"I wonder what else you got from him," Aleida mutters to herself, too low for Gloria to hear.
She stops at Daya's room and goes inside of it to hug and kiss her oldest daughter good night. "How you doin'?"
"I'm okay, Ma. Thanks for asking," Daya mumbles tiredly beneath the covers.
"You sure? That must have been quite the shocker..."
"It was, but I'm fine. I'm relieved we got rid of them both for good."
"Me, too."
"Are you positive you don't wanna go to the hospital to get a rape kit?"
Aleida shakes her head. "Nah, I don't wanna be touched by strangers no more. I told y'all this already...I'm takin' this to court, and Juliana's gonna be my lawyer. He's goin' down."
"Okay! Yo...could we go to the movies, just the two of us, like Sunday, maybe?"
"Sure!"
Aleida crawls into bed with Leon and snuggles into his side. His arms wrapped around her make her feel safe and loved, and his lips and hands are so warm against her cold skin. "My human space heater," she mumbles into his chest, and it vibrates with his chuckle. "I've been freezing ever since..."
"I'm always glad to help."
"I never wanted you to see that side of me." Aleida sighs heavily. "You'd be better off with Gloria since she's never a bitch like I was, and she has a better ass!"
"What? Sweetheart, I would never leave you!" He trails his knuckles up and down her cheek in a soothing motion. "Your mother was cruel to suggest that!"
"Maybe she's right about that part. You get along so well with Gloria's kids, but my own don't talk to you much. Really, I get it if you're considering her-"
"That doesn't matter, since your children are used to a bad man dating their mom, but Gloria's are fine with me because I'm not going out with her, or even thinking about doing so! If the situation were reversed, your kids would like me, but Gloria's would be wary of me!"
"Lemme stop ya right there and tell ya somethin', okay? You ready?"
"Yeah."
"When I had problems with Lourdes and her...partner, I'd run to people I thought were my friends, and I started swearin' and doin' drugs 'cause I got in with a bad crowd. I had Daya at fifteen, but two years later, my boyfriend left me because he couldn't deal with my emotional baggage. It was too much for him. I'm giving you this chance to walk away."
"I'm not taking it." He combs through her hair and she melts into him. "I'm not some wimp who takes off when things get hard."
"Why?"
"Oh, baby...I love you so much," he mumbles against her lips, and she's not sure she'd heard him correctly, but her heart does a flip. Her chest tightens with shame because she isn't allowing herself to commit to him fully, but she pushes that feeling away.
"Me too," she says through a giggle. They pull back and he strokes her hair while gazing at her lovingly.
"You're just so pretty."
"Well, you're real handsome! We make a hot couple!"
"We sure do!"
He hums to her until they both drift off to a calming slumber. Her night isn't peaceful, though, since she has a nightmare of Leon humping Gloria while they suck each other's faces off in front of her and then, a flashback from a few hours earlier. She decides she doesn't want to go to the bathroom alone ever again, and she's always going to be watching her best friend and boyfriend from now on. She keeps her sobbing to a minimum and tries not to be too loud so she won't interrupt Leon's sleep.
After getting back into their clothes and leaving their tent for some fresh air, Nicky and Lorna intertwine as starlight drips and pools around them. Lorna gasps as she points at the sky. "There's a shooting star! Make a wish!"
Nicky smiles as she thinks for a second. "I wish we could stay like this forever, kid. I don't mean away from our friends and role models, but like...no drama!"
"Me, too!" Lorna murmurs while closing her eyes. "I also wish...we can be girlfriends for our whole lives."
"Seriously?" Nicky raises her eyebrows in disbelief. "I didn't know you ever thought of me that way."
"I do now. I mean, I was raised assuming I was straight...until we really got close. You're the first and only girl I've ever loved romantically. I've dreamt of you a few times, actually."
"You have?"
Lorna nods her head yes. "Mm-hm! I got lotsa fantasies about you and me fucking wildly...like tearing clothes off and you pulling my hair...I get real horny!"
"Whoa, there, tiger! So, this comforting each other...wasn't a romp?"
"No, of course not! It's part of our relationship, honey. I don't wanna be just friends no more." Lorna reaches up to lightly drag her fingertips down Nicky's cheek. "I look into your eyes and see nothin' but love...for me. I don't get jealous 'cause you always tell me how worthy of love I am and you make me feel beautiful. Vinnie didn't do that, Christopher didn't return my affections, but third time's the charm with you."
Nicky scoops Lorna into her lap and gives her a passionate kiss. "You sure know how to make a girl swoon, babe!" She wants to scream in happiness while doing cartwheels on the tallest mountain in the world and then fly high into the sky, she's so overwhelmingly ecstatic.
"Yeah, so do you...and also, you're wearing my lipstick now."
"Thanks for sharing it, Lorna! God, it's smeared all over your mouth and chin now, and it's fuckin' hot."
Lorna bites her bottom lip and gazes up at Nicky through her eyelashes. "Mmm...wanna give me another pussy rub while massaging my big tits and chewing on my nipples? You're real good at that, baby." She licks her top teeth suggestively.
"Damn, talkin' dirty, huh?" Nicky runs her tongue along her lower lip and smirks at her girl. "I like it!"
As soon as Nicky gets Lorna off, they snuggle, until the brunette's phone vibrates. She sighs with annoyance and picks it up. Her eyes widen and she groans. "Shit!"
"What is it, doll?" Nicky wants to know.
"Uh...we gotta go home immediately. Franny needs you 'cause Tricia and Mercy were making out and saying they could do whatever the fuck they wanted when our dad tried to lecture them. He was threatening to throw 'em out, but Franny told him that we just needed to talk your sister down. They were cursing and slapping each other's butts and everything, just to rub it in his face! Franny had to drive Mercy to her house and he sent Tricia to her room. His next step is to toss her to wherever the hell she came from, in his words, exactly."
"They...oh, Jesus!" Nicky throws her head back and groans. "I should've warned 'em he was an asshole who hates lesbians. Fuck!"
"It's okay, Nicky...you didn't know they were together."
"I was aware of them being flirty." Nicky rolls her eyes and thumps herself on her forehead. "I'm an idiot."
"No, you're not! Come on, let's just leave, even though I don't wanna."
"Yeah, me neither. I'm sorry."
"We'll come back another time," Lorna assures Nicky. They gather up their things and return to the Morello apartment.
"You tell your severely confused sister that a man who lieth with a man as he would a woman is an abomination in the eyes of God!" Joe instructs Nicky as soon as they come inside. "That's directly from the Bible!"
"I thought God doesn't make mistakes and He loves everyone," Lorna mumbles to Franny as they go into the older girl's room. "We're all His children..."
"That's what I told him!" her big sister responds.
"She's not a man, she's an eleven year old girl, and you had no right yelling at her!" Nicky snaps. "I'll speak to her."
Joe gives her a stern stare. "I was teaching her, but she doesn't listen. Eleven is old enough to learn about sins."
"I get it, alright? I'll handle this." Nicky goes into hers and Tricia's room, where the younger blonde is resting on their bed while wearing headphones and not paying attention to her. "Hey, Trish!" She slams the door closed and the preteen looks up in alarm as she takes off her headphones and presses pause on her mini iPod.
"Yeah? Yo, would you get a load of that guy? He's a hard-ass!"
"I know, but I shoulda told ya before, he's homophobic, and you can't do shit with Mercy in front of him, ever!"
"What the fuck, man?" Tricia laughs hysterically. "Mercy's my girl! We're in love, yo!"
"Don't show him that! Hide it!" Nicky sees that Tricia's eyes are red and she's slightly shaky as she's walking around. "Wait a minute...did you take something?" Nicky hisses while pressing her hand against her heart.
"No!" Tricia mumbles, glancing around nervously.
Nicky folds her arms across her chest firmly. "Yeah, you did. I know high when I see it. Who the fuck gave it to you?" she demands quietly.
"Calm down, sis! Me and my pals and gals went by the forbidden cottage in the light of day and a cool guy there offered us heroin cookies."
"Oh my-" Nicky practically hollers as her blood boils and her hands clench up. "Why?" she growls. "Why do you do this shit? He coulda killed you!" Her great mood is completely gone now.
Tricia rolls her eyes. "We were fine! Stop!"
"What'd he look like?"
"Uh...tall, black spiky hair, and a matching mustache."
"Mendez, perfect," Nicky mutters sarcastically. "I don't know whether to tell Red or yell at you myself!"
"Don't snitch on me!"
"Alright, then I'll give you a good lecture. You're grounded for deliberately disobeying me and putting yourself in danger-"
"Hey, I was with my friends and it wasn't even slightly dark out!"
"I should've made myself more clear, then, that's on me...but Tricia, that place is abandoned. Night or day, if you guys were screaming for help, nobody would be around to hear you. I have these rules for a reason...to protect you. Do not go there ever again, do you understand me?"
"Okay, fine," Tricia grumbles.
"I need you to promise me. I love you too much for you to die."
"I promise." Tricia whimpers as she starts sweating and jerking around. "Can you get me orange juice? I'm in so much pain..."
"Yeah, be right back."
"Why is there a police car parked out front?" Franny wonders aloud.
"I don't...oh shit, it's Pornstache!" Lorna replies. "I need to borrow these." She takes Franny's keys off the coat hanger without another word.
"Lorn, I'll talk to him...what are you doing with my-"
"I need your tire iron from your trunk for self defense. You stay put, Franny! I got us into this situation where he knows our address, so I'll fix it! He's not even a police officer anymore!" When she exits her apartment, she no longer sees Mendez, but his vehicle with flashing red and blue lights is still in sight. She takes a few shaky breaths and keeps glancing over her shoulder since he is clearly prowling around the Morello property. With trembling hands, she unlocks her sister's trunk and gets out the tire iron while shoving the keys in her pocket. She holds it in front of her, prepared to fight back. "Hey, I ain't scared 'a ya! Show yourself! I know you're here!"
"Good, although you should be terrified," his creepy voice responds when he steps out of the shadows. Lorna hides her weapon behind her back before he notices it. He chuckles evilly. "Because of you and your little friends, I was fired as a correctional officer...by my own co-worker! That's embarrassing!" he hisses. "Nobody wants to hire me now!"
"Who's fault is that?" Lorna retorts. "You're a fuckin' animal!"
"In bed, yes, I am, but out in the real world, I'm one of New York's finest!"
She chuckles bitterly. "You ain't. You actually came to our school to do what...play with your nauseating buddies and have an accident in the cafeteria's backroom like a toddler?"
"It was fun locking up Red..."
"Leave her outta this!"
"She's not the only one who lathers that whore lipstick on her mouth." Pornstache grabs her arm roughly and attempts forcing his dirty lips on hers, but she hits him where it counts with the tire iron.
"You just enjoy blaming women and girls for your problems, huh?" Lorna scoffs. "That's pathetic. Stay the fuck away from all of us!" she screams as he howls in pain and hops up and down, holding his crotch. She runs back inside her apartment and Franny is already on the phone with nine-one-one.
"We got an unread P message for just the three of us," Flaca announces glumly the next morning outside of school. They made sure to meet early, before Maritza got there. "They sent it yesterday, but I guess none of us got the chance to read it. I was with Mari the whole time and we saw Blanca and Maria at Friendly's, and Alex and Diane were there too, of course."
"I couldn't look at my phone during family time," Daya informs them.
"Me neither," Alex chimes in.
Flaca, Alex, and Daya open it at once. I know something you don't know! Under the text is a picture of Nicky and Lorna kissing. The caption reads, See what happens when you're the nicest? "Whoa!" they exclaim in unison.
"I'm ecstatic for 'em!" Daya comments.
"Ditto!" Alex says. "They're awesome together."
"I'm with ya there, but...the nicest? P didn't need to say that! We already know they love her more than us," Flaca points out. "I ain't jealous or nothin', but we do deserve to find true romance with someone!"
"I know!" Daya scoffs. "P's an idiot!"
"Damn right," Alex murmurs. "Let's wait for 'em."
A while later, Lorna and Nicky walk to school, holding hands. Maritza is getting out of her mom's car, not far behind them. "Awww, you two make such a cute couple!" Flaca squeals.
"Yes, simply adorable," Daya agrees. She draws an invisible heart in the sky aimed at them.
Alex gathers the blue stripes in her hair into a messy half pony bun with strands framing her face. "Well done, Nichorello! I should've predicted that coming ever since I walked in on you." She winks at them.
"How'd you know, Vause?" Nicky asks while smirking.
"Probably 'cause I put us in a relationship on Facebook," Lorna answers, and both girls giggle while exchanging a smile. "We are officially girlfriends." Nicky pulls the petite brunette closer to her and kisses her hand. Their friends beam.
"Congratulations!" Maritza cheers. "We gotta do somethin' to celebrate!"
"Yeah, like what?" Nicky wonders aloud.
"Flaritza, you two and Maria could make up a romantic song for us to dance to, or you can talk about us in your next vlog," Lorna suggests.
"We'd love to do both!" Flaca and Maritza respond happily.
"I heard from my mom that Ms. Fischer is getting fired," Alex reports to the girls solemnly as they're strolling to where Taystee, Poussey, Blanca, Maria, Stephanie, and Alana are all laughing together in the courtyard. "Today's her last day. She came to my mom's classroom all choked up."
"No!" Lorna cries. "She's one of my favorite teachers!"
Daya frowns. "Well, that's upsetting. Why?" she wonders aloud.
"I'm so glad she's getting out of this damn place!" Nicky tells them.
"Apparently, Caputo asked her out and she turned him down. Therefore, she lost her job," Alex lets them know.
"What?!" Flaca shouts.
"Ugh, change needs to happen, straight white men are disgusting," Nicky mutters.
"Can they just stop being in charge of shit?" Maritza asks. "Yo, what's so funny?" she asks when they reach the clique of giggling girls.
"We totally threatened those stupid bitches into never touching Blanca again, and then called a truce!" Maria turns to her best friend. "I don't think Skinhead Helen and Jennifer wanna risk harming you anyway, since you're super popular and you got Diablo and your whole crew on your side!"
"Yeah," Blanca murmurs and then laughs.
"Awesome!" Lorna says as her group joins them. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes, and neither do the other girls'.
"Yo...why so down?" Poussey wants to know.
"Ms. Fischer is getting fired because she rejected Caputo!" Nicky informs her, and she and the rest groan in unison.
"Aw, man, that's extremely unfair!" Alana replies.
"So fucked up...we should do somethin' about it, though, not mope around like sad little bitches!" Taystee announces. "That's the only way we'll be victorious."
"I know...when does she leave?" Stephanie asks.
"Today...so probably after school," Alex replies.
"We already skipped classes, and it didn't do shit but get us in detention," Lorna mutters.
"Yeah, we don't have power, we're students," Daya agrees dejectedly. "You saw what happened when Diane reported the fuckin' hairless gorilla to Caputo...he was only punished for a week. If Caputo didn't even take her, a teacher, seriously, what makes you think he'll do anything for us?"
"It's gotta be somethin' huge, much bigger than just one person going into his office," Blanca says. "The whole school needs to be involved if we want this to be effective."
Maria grins at her. "Now you're talkin', my homegirl!"
"How'd you get Maritza out of Humps' class? Why ain't he bothering her no more?" Lorna asks Flaca on the way to their Yearbook and Journalism class.
"She's a freshman, and Fig thought she was a sophomore. That's literally it," Flaca responds sourly. "I ain't sure why he ain't buggin' her...probably 'cause she's never in his class and we always protect you two. I'm sorry you still gotta suffer."
"It ain't for long...I got Nicky there. We rush out like, five seconds in."
"Why can't Caputo get his head on straight?" Daya mutters to herself. "He's such a coward...only willing to get rid of the easy ones, like Gloria last month, and now, Ms. Fischer!"
"That was Fig, with Gloria," Flaca reminds her.
"I know, but they were the main two in charge, and they agreed on it," Daya replies. "He doesn't really respect the lunch ladies, anyway. He's said before that Gloria was replaceable and he can't stand that Red has some power over everyone except the assholes."
"I hope whatever we all do to try to prevent Ms. Fischer from being given a pink slip, works," Lorna comments. "How did Gloria and Red avoid it?"
"They did their jobs correctly and Gloria worked harder, even though she was hurting inside," Flaca answers.
"Yeah, and he never had a romantic interest in them," Daya tacks on.
"That makes sense."
"There's this rule I learned a long time ago, you cannot fall in love with straight girls, like, ever. I taught myself that when Piper rejected me," Alex tells Nicky in the locker room as they're changing. "How exactly did Lorna just suddenly develop feelings for you?"
"She saw my tits," Nicky answers with a cheeky grin, and Maritza snickers next to them. "We've both seen each other in the nude now! Besides that fun shit, we're deep and accepting with each other. We sleep together every night that her sister isn't home. There was nothing sexual about it, but she loves how protective I am of her."
"Aww!" Alex and Maritza coo in unison.
"Hey, that's awesome for you two, but Piss-cuntella's gonna get on your asses if you're chatting," Allison interrupts them.
"Right, we forgot he's back to ruin our lives again," Nicky grumbles.
Maritza sighs and then a terrified look grows on her face as she gulps. "Behind you," she whispers to Alex, who's in the middle of putting her shorts on. Alex turns around, takes a few steps back, and pulls Nicky and Maritza along with her.
Allison stands in front of the frightened girls, but he knocks her aside. The blonde and the Latina shriek as he yanks Alex's hair, snaps her bra, and grabs her Love is pain tattooed forearm in a vice grip. She was so courageous before, but now, she's trembling and wanting to cry because the pain is so intense. "You stupid cunt! You're just like a teenage Reznikov, pathetically defending your friends! That's your immediate reaction to seeing me, huh?"
"Ow...stop..." Alex whimpers, but he just forces her to get down on the floor, creating bruises on her knees and a stinging in her hands from her palms slapping the hard surface. This is the most vulnerable she's ever felt. At least with Lee, she was fully clothed and not being violently roughed up.
"Let go of her!" Nicky hollers.
"My mom can sue you for physical abuse to students," Maritza adds.
"We're not afraid anymore," Allison chimes in.
A low growl emits from his throat, making Alex shiver and the others freeze up. "That's where you're wrong. I'm about to be principal, which means I can make the rules and put your meddling mama bears out of their jobs for good." He rips Alex's glasses off her face and gives her a hard kick into her semi-healed shoulder, causing her to fall flat on her back. "You can have these back after class."
"Oh, shit! I...I can't see! It's all blurry!" she shrieks and breaks off sobbing while squeezing her eyes shut so she doesn't have to suffer through her uncomfortable and partial blindness. "Noooo..."
"Come on, Vause, it's our turn to help you," Nicky says strongly, and three pairs of gentle hands help her up to her feet.
"It hurts, like all over." Alex sniffles. "He's relentless...and now he's...he's gonna be...head of the school..."
"Nah, he won't, okay? Our plan's gonna work," Maritza assures her soothingly.
"I can't do this without my glasses, he's probably already broken them like he wanted to do to my arm, and my mom can't afford to buy a new pair for me," Alex wails as she runs a sweaty hand through her hair. "This is fuckin' illegal!"
"We'll be with you," Allison murmurs.
She senses them pulling her bra up and over her head and then replacing it with her sports bra and physical education shirt. They guide her to the gym and Alex tries her best to run with her extremely low vision. It's nauseating to go fast, so she jogs and only focuses on Nicky in front of her. Allison and Maritza aren't far behind her, to catch her if she loses her footing.
Her eyes are aching by the end and she's completely dizzy. Piscatella throws her glasses at her and they land on the cement outside. She feels around for them and picks them up. When they're back on, she pushes them up on her nose and it's not so bad anymore.
"Are you alright now, kid?" Nicky asks softly.
"Mm-hm."
"That's good," Maritza says.
"Okay, it's time, Susan," Caputo is saying as he briskly walks up to where she, Diane, Frieda, and the other harmless teachers are sitting for lunch. Flaca turns around to see the poor woman sighing while staring at her food sadly. "Pack up your things. I wish you luck in future-"
"Can she at least finish her lunch and say her goodbyes?" Diane interrupts him.
He rubs his forehead. "You got fifteen minutes."
"This is absolutely heartbreaking!" Lorna says from beside Flaca, and the others nod in agreement. Flaca gets an ache in her chest.
"Fuck this shit," Blanca murmurs. She stands up, moves her tray to the center of the table, and climbs on top of it. Everyone glances up at her at once, confused.
"Sit back down immediately, Miss Flores!" Caputo commands her, but she stays in her place and smirks at him while raising her eyebrow. "Shoes don't go on the-"
"Why not?" Ouija asks. "Stratman was fine with it last year!"
Before he can answer, Taystee drops her tray onto the floor, making food splatter. She hoists herself onto the table where she's with Poussey, Brook, Cindy, Janae, and Allison and stands there while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Miss Jefferson, come on, not you too..." Caputo practically begs.
Stephanie just about hops on her table and spins around to face him. While Nicky touches her St. Joseph's necklace, Alex pushes her tray next to Blanca's and steps onto their table just a few feet away from Blanca. Her mother glances at her with amazement and pride.
"Ohh, I think it's starting!" Flaca points out excitedly to Maritza. Nicky helps Lorna onto the table and they both rise to their feet, tall and strong, holding hands and exchanging a smile. Caputo is too stunned to say anything anymore. He probably knows he's done for.
From across the cafeteria, Pennsatucky, Leanne, and Angie follow along. Diane and Frieda hold Ms. Fischer's hands as the three of them stand on their table at the same time. The lunch ladies come out from where they were serving food and join them while Fahri tosses his mop aside and comes up as well. Aleida links arms with Diane and Gloria. Red loops her arms through Gloria's and Norma's. Claudette and Frieda are flanking them. Fahri is behind Gloria and Diane, but closer to the latter. Adarsh takes Daya's hand, squeezes it, and both of them go up on the table. They share a grin. Maria takes a spot between Blanca and Daya, and Yadriel is directly behind his girlfriend. Flaca grabs her crutches and stands with them on the floor while Maritza and Diablo take their places on the table. Flaca beams up at Maritza with tears swimming in her eyes. Then, like a slow clap that turns into thunderous applause, Cindy, Gina, Janae, Allison, Poussey, and Brook start moving to stand, and all at the same time, Ouija, Zirconia, Pidge, Michelle, Alana, the other cheerleaders, and Ms. Jones, are followed by the rest of the students and kindhearted teachers of Martin Van Buren High. Even the douchebag bullies and Nazi girls stand. The kids who are permanently in wheelchairs either sit up as best they can and raise their hands, or have friends holding their body weight up, and glare at the principal. Aides in the special ed classes sign to those with hearing losses and guide the visually impaired pupils to stand on the table. The only sound is trays clattering on linoleum. Someone walks in from the bathroom, catches on, and stands with the Dominican girls.
"How's the view down there, Mr. Caputo?" Nicky asks after a minute of dead silence and Caputo just staring, baffled at the situation that is occurring.
"It's great from up here, you look like a teeny weeny ant, unlike the kids who unfortunately really ain't able to jump on the tables!" Lorna points out.
"Why are you doing this?"
"You're getting rid of one of the best teachers at this school, just because she rejected you, and we're peacefully protesting that," Stephanie explains.
"It ain't fair that you let monsters work here, but not Ms. Fischer," Taystee goes on.
"She's too nice and lenient with students, that's all it is." He walks closer to where Ms. Fischer is. "Susan, it's like you're their friend rather than their teacher!"
"You know what, Joe? So am I!" Diane says. "You didn't fire me." She doesn't wait for his response. "You never had a crush on me or whatever, so you had no reason to. Do not try to weasel your way out of this one. We caught you!"
"My mom's right," Alex says.
"We're only gonna get off these tables when you let Ms. Fischer stay. She's good people," Maria tells him, and everyone cheers.
"Would you rather have bigoted monsters who make students fight each other to the death, have a history of murdering inmates, forcing a student to stand on the table 'til she wet herself, sexually assault and beat up female students and teachers just because they can, and not respecting mental and physical limitations?" Gloria asks. "There are plenty more descriptive examples written in the girls' bathroom near the auditorium...go in there if you don't believe us."
"You are seriously messed up in the head if you think Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps are positive examples for the kids and allow them to still work here. Yet, you wanna drop Susan like she's a hot potato, 'cause of what, your fragile male ego?" Aleida scoffs. "Y'all old straight white men make me sick."
"Mm-hm, and somethin' else that's really stupid, is that you let Mr. Bennett get away with not only having a relationship with me, but also putting a baby inside me, which is both against school rules and the law! Ms. Fischer didn't hurt nobody! You allow these scoundrels to do whatever they want, even walk all over you...Piscatella is tryin' to take over as principal, by the way...but if one woman personally disappoints you, your reaction is to fire her. That's just not okay, Mr. Caputo," Daya lets him know firmly, and Aleida, Gloria, Diane, and the girls beam at her.
"Alright, you made reasonable points. I'm terribly sorry, Susan, please forgive me. I'll just...find someone else...to date."
"Thank you," Ms. Fischer responds, breathing a sigh of relief, and Diane and Frieda give her supportive hugs.
Flaca can see that he's starting to cave, and she's bouncing inside. Even when the most malicious teachers come into the cafeteria, nobody budges from their spot.
"What is this insanity, Mr. Caputo? This is why I want to be principal!" Piscatella yells.
Everyone cups their hands around their mouths and starts booing at the repugnant men. "You can't break us down!" Flaca calls out while giving them a thumbs down. Humps and Dixon are peeking up skirts as they prowl around. "Exhibit A, Mr. Caputo!"
"That's inappropriate-" Caputo begins.
"Hey, Vampiress, Dumb Blonde, and Shortstack, your mommy figure or whatever, she knows that you drank her blood!" Humps announces.
"Hot Pants is really mad at you, too!" Dixon booms.
I'm so sorry, girls, Gloria mouths at them, and they give her sad smiles in return.
Without warning and before she can reply to Gloria, Piscatella knocks Flaca's crutches out of her hands. She lets out a squeak as she collapses halfway onto her seat and then to the floor. The pain is excruciating when she moves her bad leg to attempt reaching for her crutches. Almost everyone gasps in horror. Maritza quickly jumps down and assists her in sitting on the table. "I got you," her best friend assures her.
"Thanks, Mari." Flaca beams at her but then scowls at Piscatella. "Abelist shitfuck," she mutters. She's reminded of what he'd done to Alex earlier today, and now, her. She and Maritza hook their fingers together.
"See what we mean? This abuse is intolerable!" Alex states.
"I didn't need you to do that, Piscatella!" Caputo says roughly. "I will speak to you and your men later, but you are not going to take my job." He shakes his head and gestures towards the pupils and staff members on the tables. "They told me everything."
"Fire that big turd and his cronies!" Maritza shouts. "They're all effin' bigots, killers, and rapists!"
"None of us deserve their mistreatment, and we've been through enough!" Blanca adds. "Just do it, Mr. Caputo!"
"Yeah!" everyone on the tables holler in unison. "Whoo!"
"My office, now!" Caputo directs the evil bastards angrily. "I've gotten too many complaints! March!" He pushes them forward, and they glare at the crowd and Caputo. It's only when they leave, that the cafeteria erupts into loud cheers for joy and claps. The students and teachers jump down and chatter amiably while cleaning up the messes they made with their food.
Maritza squeals and throws her arms around Flaca. "We did it!"
Flaca chuckles. "Yeah! We really did."
"I'm so proud of you for starting the whole thing, corazón," Diablo tells Blanca and kisses her.
"Gracias, it was no problem at all!" Blanca answers proudly.
"Oh, we should do a toast...to Blanca!" Lorna announces, and they all raise their water bottles to tap them together. "Cheers!"
"Hey...I think that girl's staring at me," Alex whispers with her eyebrows narrowed.
"What? Who?" Daya asks.
Alex tilts her head towards a cute Latina with wide eyes and a grey beanie, who's sitting with Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia. "She might be in mine, Lorna, and Daya's Spanish class. We've worked with her once before, but I can't put my finger on her name."
"Michelle Carreras...and I happen to know that she's into girls," Maritza informs Alex. "Pidge confirmed it. Maybe she likes you."
"Yeah, she's sapphic alright," Nicky murmurs.
"Ooh, why don't you ask her out?" Lorna suggests.
"Get it, girl!" Flaca encourages her.
"She's never talked to me...besides, what if she has someone already? That'd be embarrassing!"
"Joey's creepin' up next to her...go be a hero," Maria advises Alex.
That's enough motivation for Alex, so she stands and heads over to where Michelle is. "Being a lesbian means you're going to miss out on dating gents like me," Joey is telling her as she rolls her eyes and gives him the hand with her palm upwards.
"Want me to stab you with my karate trophy that I won in eighth grade?" Ouija asks him viciously. "My cousin used that as a weapon on me before, and it hurts!"
"Pain is sexy. Michelle, you sure you don't wanna try this hunk of meat?" He points his index fingers toward his crotch and waggles his eyebrows while grinning. "You can't know you're truly a cunt-banger until you make an attempt at riding my dick." Michelle flips him off.
"You're an idiot, Joey," Alex mutters and pushes him away from her. "Fuck off!"
"What about the rest of you hot tamales?" Joey asks, but he receives three middle fingers along with death glares in return. The girls laugh as he walks away.
"Thanks...I thought he'd never leave," Michelle says. She pats the spot next to her, and Alex plops down. "So...what brings you to this side of town?"
"Oh, I just saw him, and I thought I'd be your white knightress," Alex teases her, and Michelle giggles while resting her chin on her fist. "He did that to me and my friend, Nicky, a while ago, and we're lesbians, too, so he wanted us to hook up while he watched."
Michelle wrinkles her nose and shakes her head in disgust. "Ew, gross!"
"I know."
"Are you guys a couple?"
"No, I'm a single pringle!"
"Me, too. Um, I gotta be honest, I admire you for being one of the first to stand up!"
Alex beams. "Thanks! It was amazing, all of us up there!"
"Fuck yes!"
Alex sneaks a peek at her friends, who are urging her to move on to the awkward subject of seeing if Michelle is interested in going out with her. She pushes her long hair back from her forehead and brings it over her shoulder. "Hey...I was wondering, do you wanna chill sometime...like go to a free outside concert or whatever? I love rock and heavy metal, as you can probably tell by my shirt and blue tips, and some of the gals are in a band, so we could listen to their songs! They're not famous, but they're really talented."
"You want me to hang with your crew?"
"Is that alright?"
"Yeah, I'm totally cool with that. Sure!"
Alex lowers her glasses as the girls are motioning for her to do. "Awesome! Why don't we exchange numbers?"
"Okay!"
After putting each other's contact information into their phones, Alex returns to her clique and she can't help but grin. "She shoots, she scores!"
"Nice job! You got some smooth moves!" Blanca compliments her, and the girls snicker and hi-five her while Michelle isn't looking in their direction.
"Thanks."
As Diane is returning to her classroom, Piscatella and Humps stride along on either side of her down the hall. "Your daughter's smokin' hot, you know that? I wanna get into both your cunts," Humps drawls snidely.
Diane shivers at his creepy words. "You need to stop."
"That bitch thinks she's strong and brave, but she isn't! For one thing, she needs glasses! She's fucking disabled! Why don't you get her a cane while you're at it? You could smash her face in and she wouldn't even know where it came from!" Piscatella shoves her into Humps, but she keeps herself steady. She only stumbles once.
"Don't you dare talk about Alex that way!" Diane attempts walking faster, but they can easily keep up with her and even jog when she does. Dixon is hot on her heels and she's able to smell their rancid breath as they get closer and closer to her personal space. She feels completely trapped and she's trembling.
"That sexy librarian is mine, but so are you, I'm okay with being shared," Dixon informs her crudely.
"We'll both do those little sluts!" Humps tells Dixon.
"You're horrible, please just quit harassing me!" Diane shrieks and begins bolting to the women's bathroom, preparing to lock herself in a stall until they finally give up on tormenting her. She ends up running into Charles' arms since she'd called him for protection right after lunchtime and he's off for a few hours.
"Diane, what's wrong?" he asks her in alarm. "Are you okay? I'll make sure these fuckers never get a glimpse of the light of day again!"
"They won't leave me alone!" she cries while clutching onto his shirt. "They were saying such nasty things about Alex, and I can't...I refuse to listen to it..."
"Alright, Mr. Caputo is getting them arrested, but I hope those SWAT guys from Max come soon! You're safe with me, I promise." He guides her to her classroom and she closes and locks her door once all of her sixth period students are inside.
Her day gets better when she spots Blanca pouring liquid soap and then scattering marbles outside the door that Piscatella is going to walk out of. Frieda shoots him in the neck with a dart from behind a bush as soon as he's in sight. Flaca sits in her wheelchair and Maritza, Daya, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, Maria, and Blanca stand back, smirking, and watch him slip and crash to the ground.
"Ms. Vause, what you peerin' at out the window?" Taystee asks.
"A bunch of the most badass chicks I've ever met," Diane answers.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, Johanna-002, and LindaAndrewsfan! Almost 200 reviews, whoa!