Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, minimal bullying.
pequeño-little one
nada más que amabilidad-nothing but kindness
I have two shoutouts: Happy Birthday, Caitlin (A Star In My Universe)! and congratulations to Jo (Johanna-002) for being my 200th reviewer! I'm baking two virtual cakes as we speak lol!
All through the remainder of sixth period, the girls help Fahri scoop up every single marble and wash the floors with the soap. Freida, with the assistance of Blanca, Diablo, Yadriel, Maria, Boo, Red, Norma, and Claudette, had dragged an unconscious Piscatella all the way into the gym so it doesn't look like they'd tried to purposely kill him, and it would instead appear as if he'd randomly fainted.
"Ugh, my leg is killing me," Flaca groans as she takes Advil and swallows it with water. She's also collecting the marbles that her friends and Fahri hand her and putting them into a plastic bag.
"Aw, I'm hurting for you," Maritza sympathizes with her.
"So are we," Daya chimes in and gestures to herself, Nicky, Lorna, and Alex.
"Thanks! Yo...we gotta do a vlog about this soon, and there must be people who missed it, since they eat alone at lunch, sadly, so we'll deliver the good news!" Flaca says.
"I know, girl!"
They get on their hands and knees and start scrubbing. "Flac, toss the marbles before any SWAT members see and suspect...Blanca just informed me that they've cleaned him off," Maritza instructs her, and she does so.
"I just gotta say, I was the highest I'd ever been up on that table, besides when I'm with Nicky!" Lorna tells them. Her whole face lights up with joy. "It gave me a sense of power."
"That was the idea, kid," Nicky responds, and the others nod in agreement.
"Hey," Alex starts in between pants. "It's a good thing that nobody's really around...to topple over on the slippery floors!"
"Yeah...I love how it appears as if we're just wiping up a spill," Fahri comments.
Flaca carefully wheels herself away from them since she can't be of much more use. Michelle and Adarsh join them. "I figured you guys might need us," Michelle says as she and Adarsh kneel down beside Alex and Daya.
"Yeah, thanks, grab a sponge and go," Alex directs them.
"Jesus, fuck my shit!" they hear Caputo yelling as he goes into the girls' bathroom. He comes out, holding his head in his hands, his face beet red and his eyes widened. "Shouldn't you kids be in class?" he asks when he notices them all on the ground with Fahri. "I swear to God, those morons will not be teaching anymore and causing problems here, if only I could find 'em! They better be collecting their supplies and ready to go to prison shortly!"
"Uh, Mr. Caputo, careful around this area, Fahri toppled over a huge bucket of liquid soap and we're helping him clean up for the good of the school," Daya lets him know.
"Also, you can take pictures of the comments in the girls' restroom, you know, for evidence, and check the boys' near it, too. They had no problem beating us up, either! Piscatella even raped some of the gay guys," Adarsh tells him.
"Christ Almighty! Thank you, son. You kids will go places."
"We done good," Maritza whispers brightly.
"Imagine if Crazy-I mean, Suzanne," Flaca corrects herself. "That's a habit I'm tryin' to break...so like, what if she was there?"
"It would've spelled disaster!" Alex points out. "Last year, she was completely freaked out about fighting Maureen and landing her in the hospital and she kept repeating that she did a bad thing."
"Yeah, she's got worse mental issues than me, unfortunately," Lorna adds. "She wouldn't have been able to handle seeing Humps...I mean, I can't, either, but I just focused on you guys, not him or those other hateful douchebags!"
"So did I, to prevent a flashback or panic attack from coming on," Maritza says.
"I was hanging out on the computer by myself in my photo class at lunch, but I heard that the beasts have been overthrown, is this true?" a girl with high pigtails, huge glasses, and buck teeth asks Blanca.
"I hope so, Ingrid. I'm a loner too, I ate in a classroom..." a boy with a speech impediment chimes in.
"Good news for you both, they will never work here again, and they're also gonna be locked in a cage of steel bars like the animals they are!" Blanca answers them, and they seem so happy about this.
"I cannot believe the Blanca Flores is talking to us!" Ingrid gushes. "Do you just wake up like this every day?"
"Well, I'm no Regina George-"
"I know, you're one of the nice popular ones," the guy mumbles.
"Blanca here made it happen," Daya informs them.
Maritza takes out her video camera and films the girls and guys reporting exactly how it all went down to anyone who wasn't there. "Ms. Fischer, one of the nicest teachers at our school, was about to be fired simply over turning down a date with our principal. We stood up on tables and Mr. Caputo is good with a peaceful protest, so it worked out!" Lorna explains.
"Then, we spent all of sixth period cleaning up since we threw down our trays filled with food in the cafeteria and it made a huge mess!" Alex finishes.
"Way to go!" Ingrid says.
"Thank you!" the group replies in unison. They continue milling about the now danger-free school, searching for anyone to talk about this with. They come up to a brown-haired white girl doing her homework.
"Hey, we're Flaritza and-" Flaca begins.
"We're comin' to you live!" Maritza finishes before they begin their segment.
"Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you!" The girl points to her ear which has a hearing aid in it, and Maritza feels silly. She lifts up a small microphone that is hanging around her neck. "I'm Rose. Speak into this if you wanna talk to me."
"Nah, I should be the apologizer!" Flaca bends close to it and reports the events from lunch.
"I don't mean to toot my own horn or nothin', but I started the protest!" Blanca tells Rose into her microphone.
"Yay!" She hugs Blanca with joy.
Next, they go into the special day class. Alex signs to the students about what happened as the girls spread it around. She knows the language since some of the homeless people her mother serves at Thanksgiving are deaf. They have the whole thing on the tiny camera that had been installed in Nicky's St. Joseph's necklace to document abuse, and they add it to their vlog.
"Those repulsive creeps always called me fatty or preggers, but I didn't let it bother me since I didn't have it as bad as any of you," Daya informs them as they're going to their seventh period classes, and the girls and Adarsh give her sympathetic back rubs. "I'm sorry..."
Flaca is about to say something, but she's interrupted by a boisterous guffaw. "You'll never find a dude, so you settled on a chick, you must be hella desperate!" Pete jeers at Lorna. Nicky leads her away from him. The couple in their group are still swinging their joined hands in between their hips.
Alex rolls her eyes while the girls all flip him off. "Really, asshole? That's the best insult you could come up with?"
"Yeah, I'm perfectly overjoyed with Nicky...what's your problem?" Lorna asks rhetorically.
Larry's behind him with Polly. "I've got an idea, Supercunt! Your mom could sell herself and Pete and I would stuff her bra with thousands of dollars and make her super rich!" Larry snickers and Polly attempts to fight back a grin, but turns around once Daya's eyes are on her. Alex is now beyond pissed. The rest of them are livid, too.
"Cal refers to you as Bloomer, which reminds me of underpants!" Alex shoots back at him. "I know you guys hate me because of Piper, but to bring one of my best friends and my mother in on your rude jokes is fuckin' sick!" Alex yells at them as her nostrils flare. "Oh, and call me that one more time, I dare you!"
"Whatcha gonna do about it, Supercunt?"
"Mr. Bloom! We do not allow this nasty language here, young man!" Ms. Fischer scolds him sharply. "This is a place for learning, not bullying!"
With that, the clique leaves the area. Michelle squeezes Alex's arm sympathetically. "Hey...you're not...what he said."
"I know. They're jerks, all of 'em."
"Yep..."
"Holy shit, me and Ms. V just witnessed a fuckin' murder!" Taystee announces as she heads towards the posse.
"He ain't dead, just weakened to the point that the ambulance picked him up," Flaca explains.
"Oh, well good...he needed a taste of his own medicine!"
"I know, right?" Nicky chuckles. "I talked to Luscheck about the thing we all did at lunch, and he laughed at Caputo finally being told off and the idiots finally being in trouble! So, out of curiosity, what do you do all day here besides have lunch with your peeps and go to English class?"
"I'm a math tutor, an aide in the special day program, and Mr. C's secretary! That's why I was told to come in the morning on my first day!"
"Oh yeah, I was like, holy crap, how does she do huge calculations in her head like that and remember the first fifty-six digits of pi?" Maria gestures to Taystee. "You're a freakin genius in not only math, but science, too! I mean, the periodic chart, yo...that's complicated!"
"Thanks! The rest of y'all are, too."
Maritza frowns. "Not academically."
"That's alright, as long as y'all pass, you're good! Man, I'm so proud of us...not only for standin' up to those who were seriously in the wrong, but also, it was funny when we all pissed in water bottles and Piss-cuntella, Humps, and Dick-son of a bitch drank 'em!"
They howl with laughter so hard that they run out of air.
"Emiliano was crying about his abuela leaving for two hours straight," Mrs. Basara reports to Aleida when she and Gloria pick him and Julio up from Little Stars Three. Daya is waiting in the car.
"That's 'cause she was a bitch and she married some motherfucker!" Aleida snaps. "I ain't gonna apologize for that, it's her fault!" She scoops her son off the floor and Julio practically jumps into Gloria's open arms.
"Well, in his point of view, she just suddenly left!" Gloria adds. "We gotta explain it to 'em in the car after getting Benny and Christina."
"Yeah..."
They walk out of the classroom and return to their vehicle. Daya helps them put the boys in their car seats and sits between them in the back while Aleida drives them to Highland Elementary. Once they get there, she asks Miss Stacy about Christina.
"She was kind of upset, talking about how she missed her grandmother-"
Aleida sighs impatiently. "She gotta just wipe that bitch outta her mind!"
"Mommy!" both Christina and Benny shout together and run up to their respective mothers. The women wrap their arms around their children.
Aleida kneels to Christina's level. "You remember I told you this morning? Abuela did somethin' not nice to Mommy," she whispers to her little girl. "We don't like her no more."
Christina pouts and the look on her innocent face breaks Aleida's heart. She wishes her children didn't have such a corrupt grandmother. "Yeah, but she went bye-bye without sayin' adios to us! I woke up and she was all gone! It made me really sad."
"We'll explain it to you and your brother, alright?" Gloria lets her know.
"¿De qué manera van a entender la violación?" Aleida questions Gloria.
In what way are they gonna understand rape?
"Solo di que Jack te dio Owies y Lourdes lo permitió."
Just say that Jack gave you owies and Lourdes allowed it.
"Okay."
"Tía Lourdes!" Benny and Julio call out at the same time when they all get home. Gloria's aunt greets them with big, warm hugs.
"Hey, kids, you listenin'?" Gloria asks after a while. She, Lourdes, Aleida, and Daya sit on the couch with the kids propped up on their laps.
"Yeah," they mumble in unison.
"Your abuela was really mean. Her husband, Jack is a bad man, he gave Mommy boo-boos, and touched her private parts, even when she said no...and Abuela was okay with that!" Aleida informs the kids in a slow and clear tone. "Not just one, though, he hurt her too many times. Abuela got mad at me!"
"Why?" Emiliano asks and then puts his thumb in his mouth.
"I got that same question, but I guess because some people are just...like the Boogeyman, or the monster under your bed...my bed. When Mommy was a girl, Abuela gave her owies...she would hit Mommy, and Jack...he didn't act right with me. That's why I don't like her no more, and you shouldn't, either."
"That's not nice!" Christina points out.
"Don't wike owies," Julio says.
"She's s'posed to protect her like my tía did for my mama!" Benny tells Gloria.
"Yeah I know, but she didn't, so that's why she can't come back here!" Lourdes says, and Gloria nods in agreement.
"Did they say sorry?" Christina wonders aloud.
"That makes everything better," Benny comments.
"No," Daya responds somberly. "Even if they apologized, they could do it all over again."
"That's true, Arturo would always want my forgiveness but then, he'd give me more boo-boos," Gloria chimes in.
"Oh, okay..." Christina turns around in Aleida's embrace. "Can I kiss your boo-boos to make 'em all better?"
"Sure, nena...then I'll do somethin' special for you and let you play with my old makeup."
"Okay, Mommy!" Christina pecks Aleida's jean-covered thighs and her bottom lip quickly. "I love you."
Aleida smiles down at her and taps the dimples on her cheeks. "I love you too."
She busies herself in the kitchen baking a chocolate cake for Christina while Daya, Gloria, and Lourdes hang out with the children in their room. While it's in the oven, Leon arrives home. She doesn't even notice until he announces himself, and then he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her cheek and the corner of her mouth. She giggles and he twirls her around. He puts his hands on either side of her face and they make out for a few seconds. He's so gentle with her that she melts.
Leon hoists Aleida up and sits her on the counter so her legs swing around and they're gazing straight at each other. "What are you doing in here all by your lonesome, baby? You alright?"
"Yeah, just makin' Christina her birthday cake. I just told 'em why their abuela is gone. They understand, but we'll probably have to keep remindin' 'em 'til they stop giving any fucks."
"That's right..."
Aleida glances at the floor. "Hey...will you go to the bathroom with me tonight, as in stand outside the door like my bodyguard? After last night, I...I don't feel safe goin' there alone."
"Sure, I'll do anything to protect you, my love."
"Thank you," Aleida murmurs while beaming. "Babe, you can say hey to them if you wanna...they're in Gloria's room with the bunk beds. I gotta check on the cake anyway. I think it's done. I'll come back to y'all shortly!" She doesn't want to leave him and Gloria alone together for too long.
"Okay!"
She takes it out with oven mitts and sticks a toothpick in the middle. When it comes out clean, she lets it cool for a good amount of time while she joins her family. She comes in just when Gloria and Leon are both laughing about something together that she knows nothing about.
"What y'all talkin' about?" she asks.
They stop long enough to explain that Benny had done some cartwheels in class today and kept saying he was wasted since his mama also does unusual things when she's trashed.
"Oh. Okay!" Aleida says through a chuckle. It's harmless, so she doesn't have anything to worry about for now. She then decorates the white frosting on top with pink flowers, yellow swirly designs, and Felíz Cumpleaños, Christina! in purple cursive writing. She sticks five candles in it and lights them. Gloria has everyone gather around the table and put on birthday hats. Aleida walks towards it with the cake in her hands. They sing happy birthday to Christina in Spanish and Aleida places it in front of her youngest daughter.
"Yummy!" Christina squeals adorably.
"Make a wish," Aleida instructs her lightly while playing with one of her pigtails.
Christina closes her eyes and blows out the candles not even a minute later. After they have some cake, Aleida brings Christina upstairs and gets out her old makeup. She dumps it out on newspaper and sits down with her.
"I'm pretty, Mama!" Christina exclaims, showing off her made-up face. Aleida giggles since it's all smeared.
"Yes you are!"
"I wanna go to school like this, those bitches won't even know what hit 'em!"
Aleida laughs out loud. "You are so cute!" She holds Christina's wrists gently and kisses her cheek. "Mommy's very sorry about what she did and said yesterday. Can you forgive me?"
"Yes, Mama."
"Alright, nena."
She then goes out to buy Christina her very first pink scooter and matching helmet. Christina loves it so much that she doesn't stop playing with it all day long.
"I love the fact that our moms are best friends, just like us!" Flaca tells Maritza as Theresa is fixing the ladies' dresses. Diane preferred less cleavage showing, Aleida wanted hers to be more slim-fitting, and Gloria's was way too low cut. Due to the fact that the women hadn't wanted the men to see them all fancied up before the big triple date, they'd come to the Ramos home to get ready. They'd already showered and shaved their legs and armpits.
"I do, too!" Maritza replies happily. She takes clumps of Diane's hair on either side of her head and joins them together into a half pony braid, and then shows her the result in her bedroom mirror. "Beautiful, huh?"
"Very! I love this style!"
"It looks great on you," Flaca praises Diane, who beams at the compliment.
The girls then apply each of the ladies' makeup. When Maritza gets close to Aleida's mouth with a tube of lipstick, she notices a small cut on her bottom lip. "What's that from?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothin', whatever it is, hide it. It must be from one of those motherfuckers!"
"Alright...I'm sorry." Maritza blows her side bangs out of her eyes and dots the dark red lipstick on, careful of Aleida's injury.
"Yeah, so am I," Flaca says.
"I hope you're alright," Lorna murmurs, patting Aleida's hand fondly.
"I am."
Nicky puts the finishing touches of mascara on Gloria's eyelashes and Lorna pats blush on her cheeks. They let Gloria do her own lipstick and have Alex give Gloria winged eyeliner. Maritza dabs glittery eyeshadow on Gloria's eyelids. "Your faces and hair are good to go!" Lorna announces.
"It was a good idea for y'all to go with mostly down and curly!" Flaca comments.
For jewelry, the ladies wear hoop earrings and Diane has on a silver necklace with a fake diamond as the pendant. She's the only one who is wearing light pink shimmery lipstick while the Latinas have on a bolder shade of red.
"They're ready!" Theresa announces, gesturing to the dresses, and the ladies thank her while gathering her into a group hug.
"You sure you and Kubra can't go with us?" Gloria asks.
"Sorry, we both gotta work," Theresa answers.
"It's okay," Diane tells her.
"Another time!" Aleida chimes in. Everyone waves goodbye as Theresa leaves the room.
After they get into their evening gowns, Alex zips up the back of Diane's skin-tight dress and Daya ties the halter straps on Aleida's. The girls stand back and admire their work. Flaca gasps with awe and snaps a candid photo of them.
"Yo, we weren't prepared!" Gloria complains.
"Shit, don't post that on Facebook!" Aleida mutters.
"It ain't elegant if we ain't smilin'," Diane adds.
"You're super glam anyway," Flaca insists. "I'll take another one!"
"Such beauties," Maritza gushes, clasping her hands together and bouncing up and down in place.
"Oh my gosh, yes, they're gonna fall over their feet when they see you!" Lorna squeals while fanning herself.
"I feel like you're sending 'em off to prom," Alex says teasingly.
"Yeah, same," Nicky agrees.
"Can we kinda tone down this excitement for Gloria's sake, please?" Daya asks. "I don't want her to feel weird about this."
"Mm-hm, and my mom and Charles aren't official...it's really just a fun night out at a semi-formal restaurant," Alex puts in.
"Okay, sorry..." Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza seem to simmer down.
Aleida does their nails and then her own. They all decide on French manicures and pedicures that match their dresses perfectly.
"Hey...when the guys come, would you mind if we had them watch us slowly walking down the steps from down below, almost like gliding?" Diane asks. "I've always dreamed of doing that on my prom night."
"Alright, that sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic!" Aleida exclaims. "I don't remember going to mine..."
"I just went with friends. Sure...you two can be in front, though," Gloria says. "I'd feel safer that way."
"Gloria...if this situation had never fallen into your lap, would you have ever thought about wanting a boyfriend after...you know who?" Daya wonders out loud.
"It's not on the top of my list, but what you girls did is a blessing in disguise. Now, I don't have to waste time trying to get to know someone who may or may not be awful-I already know he's good, according to everybody I've talked to, but I'm just takin' baby steps! I wanna try seein' somethin' evil in him that y'all don't."
"What if you find nada más que amabilidad?" Flaca asks.
Gloria cups Flaca's cheek and pats it while smiling. "Then I'll be very relieved. I'll tell y'all this, though. When those immoral creatures slunk into the cafeteria's backroom, causing me to spill a whole gallon of apple juice on the floor, Humps terrorized me, so I had a panic attack. Fahri helped me out of it, and when prompted to hit me for ruining his hard work, he flat-out refused to."
The girls beam at this. "I can't resist saying this, but he seems perfect!" Lorna chirps.
"That sounds like Fahri," Diane puts in.
Maritza has the ladies walk through a mist of her perfume and gives their wrists an extra spritz. "Rub it in!" she instructs them, and they do.
The doorbell rings and Maritza runs to get it while Flaca slides down using her uninjured leg and two hands, palms out behind her. Daya and Lorna follow them while Alex and Nicky stay with the women. "They're here!" Maritza sings.
"Look, if you don't bring Gloria home in one piece, you don't wanna know what we'll do to you," Daya warns Fahri as soon as he arrives through the door.
"You better treasure our girl, she's like an aunt to us, so give her the respect she deserves...she's been through more hell than you know..." Flaca informs him.
"Yeah, be a gentleman, or you ain't the guy for her!" Maritza adds.
"I know, and I will. Girls, it'll be alright. I take you all completely seriously. You have huge hearts, looking after Gloria like you do. I have never desired to cause her or anyone else just as good-natured, pain."
Lorna gives him a once-over. "He's bein' honest, I can see it in his eyes, and I know I'm correct since I'm on my meds. We'll give him that."
"How do I look?" Diane asks worriedly.
"You're a goddess, Mother!" Alex assures her. "Now, go!"
Gloria peers over the railing as she, Diane, and Aleida, ascend the staircase. She spots Fahri, Leon, and Charles arriving through the door with hers and Aleida's children in tow. "Whoa, this is the biggest house I've ever seen!" Benny exclaims cutely as he and the other kids run away from Leon and press their hands to a glass window and gaze all around.
Christina giggles. "It's a castle, and I'm the queen! You can be the king."
"Our baby bros can be the princes."
"That's a duh!"
The men look quite dapper with black suits and ties that match the ladies' dresses. They stare up at the women in awe. The scent of cologne wafts through the air. Daya and her friends are babysitting the little ones since Lourdes is taking over Gloria's shift at the store. She had briefly explained to Lourdes that she was going out with friends, but she never mentioned Fahri. She's not sure how to approach the subject. Her aunt is even more protective of her than Gloria is of herself. She beams when Aleida and Leon embrace romantically and share an adorable kiss and Diane and Charles wrap their arms around each other in an affectionate, more than friends, but not yet lovers way. She lives vicariously through her girls. The couples' first exchanged words overlap.
"Wow," Charles says slowly while taking in Diane's appearance. "You're just so...strikingly exquisite. I love you in red. Are you wearing perfume?"
Diane flashes a huge smile at him as her face flushes pink. "The three of us gals are. Thank you. I've never seen you in a suit and tie before, but my god, you're handsome!"
"Aw, you're sweet, thanks, babe!" Aleida shows Gloria and Diane a shot glass with Te Amo painted in black cursive writing on a red heart. "Yo, check out what Leon got me, besides red roses, of course!"
"Nice!" Diane comments as she takes a bouquet of pink roses from Charles. "Thank you," she tells him. "Aleida, we gotta find vases..."
"Mmm, I know, girl...y'all stop at the same flower shop or somethin' on the way here?" Aleida asks, looking between Leon and Charles.
"Yeah, I wanted to get you some special things, honey," Leon tells Aleida while skimming his knuckles along her jaw. "You are stunning, by the way, mi amor. Blue is your color."
Aleida beams. "¡Gracias!" Maritza quickly takes the bouquets from her and Diane and disappears with them.
Fahri hangs back, and so does Gloria. He waves at her with a grin and she returns the gesture, but she doesn't know if any of it is real, on her end or his. She can't help but think back to how genuine he seemed for the past few days since they met, but she wonders how long it'll last and why she has such rotten luck in love. "Hi," they mumble in unison. "Um...so this is you all dressed up? You look nice!" he compliments her.
She blushes and watches where her feet are going so she doesn't trip. "Thank you. My hair's not usually this neat and pretty, but the girls made us over."
"They did a great job."
Once Gloria comes all the way down the stairs, though, Benny runs to her and hugs her legs tightly. "Don't go!" he begs her almost tearfully.
She can see that he's starting to cry, and her heart shatters for her oldest son, who is still her baby and shouldn't have to be this terrified of her going out with a man. Before she left for Maritza's, Benny had asked Gloria where she was going, and she'd told her sons that she was preparing herself for a grownups' night out, and that the girls want her to be with Fahri because he's a nice man, way better than Arturo. She kneels down to his level and wipes his tears away with her thumbs. She holds him close, shushes him gently, and kisses his cheek and forehead a few times. "Pequeño, I'm gonna be back later tonight, okay? I'll be with Aleida, Leon, Diane, and Charles, and Fahri is coming with us so I can see if I like him as a friend. It's gonna be okay, baby, he won't hurt you! I promise that I will not let him near you or your brother when there ain't nobody else around until I know for sure that he ain't a mean guy." He continues sobbing into her black cardigan sweater and she isn't too sure of her own words. She glances up at Aleida and Leon for help while rubbing his back in soothing circles.
"Mama!" he wails and doesn't release his grip on her when she begins to get up. "Mama, no..."
Leon crouches down beside him. "Hey, there, little man...what your mother is saying is true. Fahri will not treat her badly in any way. He's never hurt a woman in his life. I even had a talk with him before we all came over here...he's a good guy. He's been an excellent friend to Alex and Diane for fifteen years!"
Benny sniffles. His eyes grow wide and his mouth forms an O shape. "Whoa, that's a long time!"
"You bet it is, buddy. You know what else?"
"What?" Benny snuggles into Gloria while sucking his thumb.
"Apparently, when Alex was around your age, he built pillow forts with her, exactly like you and I enjoy doing! He's like her uncle, just as I am to you."
Alex nods in affirmation. "He's right, kid."
"They even let me join!" Diane adds in enthusiastically.
Gloria looks at Fahri curiously and he simply shrugs. "It's the truth."
Aleida sits next to her boyfriend and pats Benny's knee, getting his attention. "You know, Christina was real scared of Leon at first, too, so it's okay to be afraid of someone you don't know, who's goin' out with your motha, but we all gonna be with her!"
"Yeah, it's gonna be okay, Benny!" Christina assures him while hugging him sweetly.
"Umm...alright." He then jumps into Leon's arms. His uncle figure squeezes him tightly and then flips him upside down to give him a raspberry on his belly, making him giggle.
"See you when you're fast asleep in your bed, squirt!" Then, Leon sets him on the floor and the adults stand to their full heights.
Christina grabs his hand and jumps up and down. "Let's have fun now with our brothers and my big sister!"
"Okay!"
"Benny, one last hug and kiss before we go?" Gloria asks while opening her arms wide. He leaps into them and she spins her son around a few times. "I love you, mijo."
"Love you too, Mama, as big as the sky!"
"Don't forget the oceans, too!" She pecks his cheek, leaving behind a lipstick mark, and puts him down. Then, she and Aleida give the rest of the children the same goodbye. "Be good for Daya and her friends, please!" she instructs them. The women hug the girls and Diane and Aleida kiss their teen daughters' foreheads. "No wild parties! Y'all start makin' dinner, and the littlest tykes need to be in bed between seven and eight-thirty. Benny and Christina can go down at nine."
"Yes, ma'am!" Daya says.
Aleida blows kisses at the kids and teenagers before they go. "Too bad Theresa and Kubra couldn't join us because of their jobs," Diane mutters, and Fahri sighs, appearing relieved for some reason unknown to Gloria.
"Don't be a fuckin' asshole like Mama's last boyfriend!" Benny orders Fahri sharply.
"Benito Mendoza! Those are adult words," Gloria hisses through gritted teeth, but she can't stop herself from snickering under her breath. "I'm sorry, he's just...real defensive of me."
"I understand," Fahri says while smiling.
"If me and Mommy get boo-boos again, then it's all your fault!" Benny hollers at the girls while pointing at them and then he stomps his foot. Apart from Flaca, they get down to his level.
"Benny, we wouldn't put your mommy in any danger," Flaca assures him gently.
"Exact-a-mundo, we love her as much as you do!" Daya chimes in.
"We told her it was her choice and suggested she could be with her peeps," Maritza adds.
"Remember what the grownups told you, kid?" Nicky asks. "Fahri's not scary."
"He's the complete opposite of Arturo," Lorna puts in.
"Yeah, and when I was your age, he was my babysitter!" Alex lets him know. "He's awesome with women and children especially, and he really hates mean people!"
"Really?" Benny asks incredulously, finally starting to relax after his small outburst.
"Oh, definitely!" Alex confirms.
"I want pasketti!" Emiliano calls out while tugging on the bottom of Daya's jeans.
"Pasketti!" Julio echoes.
"Yay, pasketti!" Christina and Benny cheer at the same time.
"Alright, comin' on up! Who's gonna help us set the table?" Daya wonders aloud.
"Meeee!" all four children volunteer in unison while jumping up and down.
Maritza gets everything they need out of the cabinets to make spaghetti. Lorna fills a pan with water and Flaca wheels herself over to the stove and brings it to a boil. Nicky pours in the rigatoni noodles. Alex and Daya begin to work on the sauce, but the others assist them. The meal comes out delicious and they all gobble it up.
Before they go inside the restaurant, Charles squeezes Diane's hand and it eases her nerves instantly. She gets excited tingles down south when he continues to hold her hand as they walk in together. Lee had never done something as sweet as this. "Ladies first," Fahri says as he holds the door open for Gloria and then Leon does the same when Aleida walks in front of him. The guys pull out chairs for the women like the gentlemen they are, and then, they sit across from the ladies, who are scooting themselves in. Gloria is between Diane and Aleida.
"I can't stop admiring this place," Diane murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I've never been to a fancy restaurant! Hey...a Good Samaritan gave me five hundred dollars in cash...I found it in my purse. Was that you, Fahri?"
"No...but I'm happy for you!"
"Charles?"
He shakes his head no. "What Fahri said."
"Huh. How weird, but pretty awesome, too!"
"I just love these candles...reminds me of my Santería," Gloria says, fiddling with one of the red petals on the flowers that are in the middle of the table. "I'm a santera, like my aunt." Her dress sparkles as she removes her cardigan.
"How exactly do you do it?" Fahri asks her.
"It's like a religious practice...Catholic plus. You light candles to pray to a saint for good luck, basically. You gotta have a lot of faith, though. Like...whoever or whatever you're praying for has to be near it, such as a picture of a loved one, or a job application, but don't forget to fill it out and hand it to the prospective boss. One of my customers didn't quite get that part!" Everyone at the table chuckles.
"That's interesting!" Fahri comments.
"I know it's not rational to associate candles and flowers with romance, but it appears that way," Gloria mumbles. "I'm trying to keep my mind off that. They just decorate the restaurant like that to make it fancy!" Diane nods in understanding.
"Why don't you tell him about your kids as another icebreaker?" Diane whispers to her.
"Okay." Gloria takes a deep inhale and long exhale. "Well, the truth is, I actually got four children. My two daughters are like, a decade older than my youngest baby. They're estranged and I miss 'em, but there ain't nothin' I can do about it since they're old enough to resent me...I had 'em at eighteen and tried to give 'em up for adoption once they were born so they could have a better life, but their dad kept 'em instead. They were unplanned, and I wanted to focus on college, not motherhood just yet. My boyfriend tried to make me wrong for it...I suppose I was, I mean, I felt so awful...but...it takes two to tango!" Gloria scoffs. "I remember that he used a broken condom on purpose after senior prom, the asshat..."
"That's terrible," Fahri mutters.
"Yeah, but anyway...my sons came much later, and I was ready that time. I had my life all set, with a college education and a bodega job that would get me by. Those first years...Benny didn't have teeth 'til he was one and a half, and we had to crumble up his Barney cake." They laugh softly at what Gloria had just said. "All those teeth he'd been waiting for just sprouted out of his gums at the same time, and I stayed up all night with him as he sobbed his poor little heart out. Julio had it a lot easier."
"Aw, you seem like such a terrific mama," Fahri compliments her.
Gloria sighs while resting her chin on her fist. "Not even close...but I guess I'm good enough. They love me, so I'm satisfied."
A waitress comes up to their table and asks what they'd like to drink. Diane and Aleida order white wine in a bottle, Charles and Leon get beer, Gloria chooses a piña colada, and Fahri decides on scotch. When she leaves, the conversations continue.
"How was work? I was so focused at my job that I lost track of time and missed lunch!" Leon gestures towards his girlfriend. "Sorry I couldn't visit you today, sweetheart."
"It's okay, but we had one of the greatest days ever! We finally got rid of the three motherfuckers!" Aleida exclaims. "You see, first, Caputo was gonna fire Ms. Fischer for turning him down, but then, we all stood on tables until he agreed to keep her, and then we rallied for him to throw those ugly monsters out forever! When people were talkin', their voices echoed since we were in the cafeteria and it was pretty much quiet if somebody was sayin' somethin'. It was so cool!"
Leon beams at her and runs the back of his hand down her cheek. "That's amazing! I wish I could've been there with you."
"Yeah, so do I," Charles says, stroking Diane's knuckles and gazing into her eyes, like Leon is doing to Aleida. "Is this okay?"
"Mm-hm." Of course it is, she thinks to herself. Strange things are happening in her lower region, and she tries not to giggle.
He skims his thumb across her French tips as they're holding hands over the table. "Who did your nails?"
"Aleida, she can make a free manicure look like it costed a million bucks!"
"Hell yeah," Aleida confirms proudly. "I also did Gloria's and my own. I can just see it now...me owning a nail salon in about five years!"
"You can do it, baby!" Leon encourages her, and the others agree. The drinks come shortly.
"Let's make a toast," Diane suggests, holding up her wine. "To...all of us being able to go to such a high-class restaurant, finally having time to hang out, and being free from the assholes! So, a fresh start!" They clink their glasses together. "Cheers!" they say in unison and then take a few sips of their alcoholic beverages.
"Class is canceled tonight, so luck is on my side!" Aleida announces.
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your teacher?" Gloria asks Aleida. "Damn, this is good," she murmurs while stirring her piña colada.
"He's okay, except for his subtle sexist jokes in his lectures, but I catch him every time and it makes him embarrassed to be shut down by a woman, so he stopped for now! It made me quite popular! Like, the last time I was there, Mr. Blake was talkin' rude about his wife. He was all, 'I tell her to go in the kitchen and make me a sandwich-' but I cut him off with, 'Well aren't you just a big hunk of turkey meat?' to make him uncomfortable!" Everyone cracks up at this. "Every time a woman speaks, he interrupts her, so I go, 'Umm. She was talking!" When he does that to me, I just say, 'I'm answering your question and I'll keep doing so, anyway...'"
"Whoohoo! Go, Aleida!" Diane cheers and they all hi-five her.
A while later, they're eating tortellini and ravioli while sighing in contentment. "Leon...I gotta use the little girls' room," Aleida says softly when she's almost finished, and they both stand up. He puts his arm around her and takes her there. Diane has no idea why she needs him for this.
"What's up with that?" she asks Gloria.
"I ain't got a clue."
Diane attempts to read Gloria's facial expression to see if she actually does know something, but it's just neutral. "Maybe she's drunk...she was kinda tipsy. She wouldn't wanna fall or anything."
Gloria nods, swallows a mouthful of food, and pats the area around her mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, probably."
"So, what's everybody gonna be for Halloween?" Aleida wonders out loud when she and her boyfriend return within five minutes. "Leon and I are gonna be a hot doctor and sexy nurse!" She plops into her seat and Leon pushes her into the table. He takes his spot across from her.
"Cute! I'm going as a cowgirl," Diane says. "Hey, Charles, you could be a cowboy to match my costume!"
"Alright!"
"Aleida, are you feeling okay?" Diane asks her in concern.
"Uh-huh. Yo, Glo...what about you?"
"A witch!"
"I'll be a knight," Fahri tells the group.
"Cool," everyone murmurs.
While sharing an old school round pie with everything they want on it at Angelo's Pizza, Taystee, Maria, and Stephanie catch each other up on their lives. The trio of childhood friends have also invited Poussey, Blanca, and Alana. "Yeah, so last year, me and Poussey met in the library...I was showin' her around and shit, and we poked fun at each other for our names...and we both love books, her favorite is-"
"Alice in Wonderland," Poussey finishes for Taystee, and the girls grin while doing a fist bump. "Yo, Amanda, you try out that yoga class yet?"
"Yeah, it's like, so much fun, Mackenzie! Hey, you should do some wine tasting with me and our husbands!"
The other four crack up at their exchange. "That was hilarious!" Maria exclaims after wiping her eyes because of crying a bit from laughter. "Well, I was pregnant last year, as y'all know, and Blanca-"
"Ay dios mío," Blanca interrupts Maria while giggling. "I told her she was cursed because she had a baby in her, and she disagreed, of course."
"Oh, but then, I was throwing up in the bathroom with the stall door opened...and nobody had the audacity to close it for me and give me privacy, except her." Maria hugs Blanca close to her. "Not only that, but she bent down to her knees, got my hair out of my face, and...I didn't feel so lousy about myself when she was there. She said I wasn't a slut just because of what Chapped Lips said, and I thanked her and advised her to ignore whoever called her a beast, 'cause she's got such a pure soul, and that's like, everything."
"Mm-hm, but now, I'm beautiful on both the inside and outside."
"Aw, so sweet," Stephanie comments, and the rest of the girls smile and agree with her. "I was in the cafeteria's backroom with Piper because she and Red were fighting and she needed me as a bodyguard, when I heard this loud snoring sound in the cabinet." She points at Alana and chuckles. "This one fell asleep 'cause that's what she does when she's nervous, and lemme tell ya, Red and Piper verbally arguing tends to make a person quite anxious!"
"I was hiding 'cause I thought things were gonna get violent...I'd only gone back there to follow Mr. Stratman." Alana puts her hands up when the girls crinkle their faces in repulsion. "Don't judge!"
"Red opened the cabinet and she and I tapped Alana until she woke up and proceeded to bump her head on the shelf above her. Piper left, but I never noticed until she later ranted at me about ignoring her. Alana and I hung out a lot that day and we had a blast talking shit about Piper."
"Did you plan ways to kill her?" Blanca asks and she and Maria smirk.
"No, I mean, we joked about her death sometimes, but that's just 'cause we hated her," Alana replies. "We just needed her gone from our lives forever, like to move away or whatever."
"We did, too," Maria says. "I say she got more than what she deserved."
"Hey, I know she was a bitch and all, but murder?" Taystee asks incredulously. "Come on, she was not as bad as that fuckin' Coal Miner's Daughter!"
"Oh yeah, Sanka was worse," Maria agrees. "Now, we really wanted her dead."
"Whoa, y'all didn't-" Poussey starts to ask.
"Nah, she in college, but I ain't seen her active on Facebook lately..." Taystee begins. "This a massive case of 'careful what you wish for' or what?"
"Shit," Blanca mumbles as she bites her nails. "Maybe karma got her permanently." She looks straight at Alana. "Dios mío, what if I...with you...?" she asks quietly.
"Okay, you have to calm down!" Alana responds.
"Are you sure it was..."
"Yeah...I think so...I don't know."
"Y'all are bein' secretive and nervous, why?" Poussey wants to know.
"It's nothing," Blanca and Alana mutter in unison.
Stephanie lets out a huge exhale. "We used to be in a band, the four of us...me, Taystee, Maria, and Kasey...er, Stanky. We participated in the talent show. Maria and I were in first grade while Taystee and Stanky were in fourth. We became close in an after school program with mixed ages because we either didn't have the best parents, or they were working." She frowns. "What happened to us?"
"Well, I think it was that Nazi ho," Maria answers her shortly. "We dumped her once Taystee told us that after a lesson about the Mayflower in ninth grade, Sanka was sayin' the pilgrims should've let the Indians suffer and die out."
"Well, duh...we didn't believe Taystee at first," Stephanie remembers out loud. "I thought we could reason with Stanky, but she's too fucked up."
"I wanted to toss her in the dumpster right away, so at lunch, I was all, 'Go ahead, tell 'em what you told me!', she opened her nasty mouth, and garbage spilled out. There is no reasoning with that confederate bitch!" Taystee says.
"That sounds like her," Alana mutters.
"Alright, well, this convo has taken a dark turn, so could we maybe turn it back to a light one?" Poussey asks.
"Sure!" Taystee answers her brightly. "Man, I wish I could drink a Sex on the Beach with maraschino cherries on top, like, ten of 'em!"
"Ditto, and hey, I'm really loving these new beginnings since this afternoon!" Stephanie exclaims.
"I hear ya both," Maria replies, and the other girls toast to the entertaining night they'd all had.
"By the way, everyone at this table is invited to my quinceñera I'm hosting next month!" Blanca announces, and they cheer gleefully.
"We finally got 'em to sleep!" Maritza whispers to Daya in relief, and they tiptoe out of the guest room where Julio and Emiliano are nestled in their cribs. "We're like, naturals."
"That's a good thing since I'm gonna be a mom in eight months."
"I can't wait to be a mom someday. I love babies, except for when they wail away at the top of their lungs and leave disgusting shit or piss in their diapers or spit or throw their food at us or on the floor, makin' one hell of a mess!"
Daya wrinkles her nose. "Yeah, me too!"
"All we had to do was pat and rub their backs to get them to calm down and rest their tiny bodies!" Maritza announces as they return to the kitchen where their friends are cleaning up after dinner.
"That's super excellent!" Flaca comments. "Yo, Alex, why you keep smilin' at your phone for?"
"I'm texting Michelle, and yes, we are flirting," Alex replies and her cheeks turn red. This amuses the girls.
They spend an hour with Benny and Christina, exploring Maritza's place and when they go into the guesthouse to look around, Flaca and Maritza stay behind since the two of them need to be there for Daya's baby brother and Gloria's youngest son. Later, the girls return and Daya is holding the children's hands.
"I'm gonna read 'em a story, then they're gonna go night-night," Daya says.
"How'd you get to be such an awesome dancer?" Charles asks Diane.
"I was everything my folks didn't want me to be, they forced me to take dance classes for years, but it was the only thing I actually enjoyed out of all the shit they made me do. I worked hard until my feet hurt with callouses. It was worth it, so the joke's on them!"
"Oh, good, though I'm sorry they didn't appreciate you for the sweet girl you are."
"Same here! Seems like you were the only one of us girls with an outstanding mom and dad, Glo," Aleida comments. "Don't even get me started on mine!" Leon and Gloria appear to be sad about this.
Diane lifts her shoulders up and down. "I ain't in contact with 'em no more. My older brother was the only one who supported me, but he died from an aneurysm when I was in college. I speak with his wife sometimes, and she's met Alex once or twice."
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Charles tells her while squeezing her hand in comfort.
"Thanks for your condolences."
"My parents ain't around anymore either. I'm just lucky I got my tía...that's aunt in Spanish," Gloria mumbles. "I was ten when they passed...car crash."
"I'm really sorry to hear that, too," Fahri says sympathetically.
"Thank you. To lighten up the topic, though, they taught me how to dance...from the waltz to the salsa. If there's real good music playing, and I'm alone, I groove like there's no tomorrow!"
"Ah, no wonder you got a speed skater's calves!" Aleida points out and the group chuckles. "So, one question for you, Fahri...how are you so rich, but you only work as a janitor? You from a wealthy family or somethin'?"
"Well, I actually have another job, but I wasn't comfortable sharing at first...I'm under this extremely strict boss and he has me sell drugs." Diane blows out a huge breath. Gloria and Aleida twitch in their seats. A hard look crosses the other men's faces. "I do it out of obligation and business, not for enjoyment, and I swear I'm not an addict. I smoke every once in a while...a bump. I'm not going to force any of you into anything, I promise."
"You best not be lying, boy," Leon warns him.
"If I had a Bible, I'd put my right hand on it...I'm not playing any tricks, honest to God."
"That's right, he isn't," Diane assures the rest of them.
"Good," Charles says.
Aleida takes her last swig of wine. "You seemed too nervous admitting that, so I believe y'all. I was worse than you once."
"I smoke too, sometimes," Gloria pipes up and a small smile graces both hers and Fahri's features.
"It feels good to get high on occasion, huh?" Fahri asks her.
Gloria nods. "Yeah, sure does...all the stress just melts away."
"Hey, just to let you know, you can text me anytime you want...even if I'm sleeping, if you need me for anything, I'll be there," he says warmly, not taking his eyes off her.
"Okay. I will," Gloria responds.
Aleida pulls an empty water bottle out from her purse and begins to pour her leftover wine into it. "What?" she asks when everyone raises their eyebrows at her. "I ain't gonna waste a good, expensive bottle of white!"
"How's your abuela?" Flaca asks Daya as the six girls are lounging on Maritza's red L-shaped couch and watching mindless television. "I'm just wonderin'...how come she couldn't care for the kids tonight?"
Daya exhales loudly as her heart clenches for her mother, who was so violated. "We disowned her for being so shitty!"
"Oh, wow, what'd she do?" Maritza asks.
"I remember that your ma didn't seem too happy about her coming to visit, so that kinda makes me suspect somethin' big happened!" Lorna says.
"She's just...extremely rude and unreasonable. I'd rather not talk about it...too personal." Daya wishes they wouldn't be so nosy.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Alex murmurs. "Now that I think about it, my grandma was a snooty bitch, too."
"I can only recall Marka saying she hated her mom, so I have no idea if she was good or not," Nicky says.
"I loved my Nonna, but she passed," Lorna adds. "Let's discuss happy stuff, shall we? For example...I released Rosa on her last day so she could go out with a bang!"
"I helped," Nicky chimes in. The others are pleased about this and they're giving Lorna and Nicky hi-fives.
"Sure! Oh, that's so daredevilish of you, and also, pure-hearted!" Alex responds. "As for me, my mom and I spoke about it earlier in the afternoon, and we decided to tell our friends that Charles was nice enough to take us in." Flaca and Maritza squeak at the same time while holding hands, and it makes Alex chuckle.
"What?" Lorna shrieks softly and she grins so wide that it appears as if her face would burst. "I thought you were living with Fahri!"
"Nope!"
"Have they made out yet?" Flaca wonders aloud.
Alex rolls her eyes. "No! They are strictly-"
"Don't you dare say the word friends, they got sexual tension between 'em, we seen it ourselves!" Maritza insists.
"Oh, shit, be careful, Vause, you may wanna wear earplugs when they come home tonight, if they ever do!" Nicky jokes. "He's a police officer, he's got handcuffs, bam, instant role-play!"
"That's not funny!" Alex groans and smacks her with a pillow. The girls laugh quietly. "I don't wanna think about it!"
"Nicky, leave her alone, nobody wants to picture their mother having sex!" Lorna scolds her between cackles. "I'll let you arrest me tonight, if you catch my drift," she whispers into her girlfriend's ear.
"Yeah, babe, I do!" Nicky winks at Lorna.
Daya is the closest to them, so she can hear every word. "Ugh, the same goes for friends! Keep that shit in the bedroom!"
"We don't...always do it in the bedroom," Lorna admits with a straight face.
Nicky smirks. "We'd do it all over the house if we could."
"You two are so dirty!" Alex complains, and they all snort and stifle giggles behind their palms.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, and Johanna-002!