Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Yay, the trailer is out! Finally! It looks sooooo good!

Warning, racist, sexist, homophobic, and Islamophobic slurs, anti-Semitism, and sexual and verbal harassment.

It's eight-o-clock at night and Friendly's is buzzing with conversation, two tables in particular. Daya, Adarsh, Yadriel, Maria, Blanca, Diablo, Hassan, Allison, Pennsatucky, and Nathan, are on their quintuplet date, while Red is with Frieda, Lourdes, Norma, Anita, Ms. Jones, Claudette, Taslitz, and Celeste.

"I got you a comic book from your favorite store on Morris Park," Adarsh kindly lets Daya know and hands her it. She appears to be absolutely delighted and she grins as she hugs him. "Just because."

"Aw, thank you! I hope it wasn't outta your way or nothin'."

Adarsh shrugs with a smile gracing his features. "It was a little, but I didn't mind."

"After you," Diablo tells Blanca and pulls out her chair for her, as all the other guys had done for their girls. She plops down and beams.

"You're too sweet!" Blanca murmurs and winks at him flirtatiously.

"Okay, so 'Push It' is totally our song!" Maria announces and gestures to herself and Yadriel. "Why else would we name our daughter Pepa?"

"You sound like a combination of Lorna, Flaritza, and Diane," Allison points out. "Nothin' wrong with that, but I didn't think you had a sappy bone in your body. I mean, you punched Yadriel in the face when you gave him back his stash at his boxing practice."

"Damn, harsh," Hassan adds while shifting his eyebrow at Maria.

"Yo, that was a mistake! I challenged him to fight me for his drugs and he didn't even block me!" Maria defends herself. "I thought he would, since he's a boxer." Thinking of the first time she'd seen him shirtless still makes her melt to this day, but she feels guilty that she'd connected her fist with his jaw.

"It's alright, man," Yadriel chimes in and holds Maria's hand in both of his. "I still love her more than anything. I even stole flowers from my crackhead cousin's funeral for her."

Maria beams. "He's really the best."

"Awww!" Daya gushes and pats her heart. "So romantic."

"Yeah, and there ain't no such thing as the perfect couple."

Blanca nods along to her boyfriend's statement. "Exactly. They just got their own way of being perfect."

"I don't think I've ever heard how you and Diablo met," Pennsatucky informs her and waves her wrapped straw between them.

"Oh, tell her, it's a cute story!" Daya encourages Blanca.

Blanca rolls her eyes but smiles. "He used to be a gardener for this churchgoer named Patty, he did good on her shrubs. Then, he worked for Millie, who I was the caretaker of. 'Put the soup on the stove, not the microwave!'" she mimics the cranky woman. "Just on and on with this old bitch. She constantly called me Bianca because she misread my name as that. She preferred it over Blanca, it was the stupidest thing ever. She only wanted me to herself and to stay in her house. Margaret, her daughter, wanted her in a nursing home, and I wish she'd been in one, but if she was, I would've never gotten to know my other half." Blanca's eyes trail over into Diablo's warm brown ones and she beams. "Once I looked out the window and Diablo and I saw each other, my job became a thousand times better. He also helped me with Millie."

"It was all for Blanca. I told her I robbed a jewelry store and got juvy, but she just liked the fact that I was a bad boy," Diablo continues, and she massages the muscle in his shoulder.

"His name's really Dario, but his nickname is 'devil' in Spanish."

"Yep, Satan worshipper over here," Diablo admits while showing off the tattoos of the devil and the upside down cross on his upper arm. "I totally freaked out Mrs. Taylor with that shit, but she asked about 'em, so..."

"Well, they scared Millie off too, but I think those are hot," Blanca states and smirks.

"Cool!" everyone else exclaims in unison.

Diablo fiddles with Blanca's fingers and grins at her. "Thanks, babe! So...you wanna travel, where to?"

"New York City!"

Their mouths connect. "We'll do that!"

"You guys are hella adorable," Allison states.

"Wild, too," Blanca lets her know and Daya snickers behind her fist. "Millie wouldn't let Diablo work for her because he and I were in love and she thought I couldn't work properly, so we literally fucked in front of her while she was snoozin' away...until she wasn't anymore!"

This causes the others to crack up hysterically. "Oh, god," Daya mumbles through a few giggles. "What do guys you think I should do for a career, like once my baby's born?"

"Painting pictures for scenery," Maria suggests almost right away.

"True, you'd be good at that!" Adarsh puts in.

"Thanks, that sounds great! I hope my kid learns piano. I could try teachin' 'em, otherwise, they get lessons."

"I'm sure you'll do fine!" Allison praises her, and she beams.

"I wanna be a dental hygienist, improve people's smiles by getting rid of the yellow, boost confidence levels, and I ain't squeamish neither. Like, if some motherfucker tried to scare me with a rat on my porch, even a bloody one, I'd sweep that thing off!" Maria claps her hands and Daya and Allison both jump. "Boom! Gone, like...well, just plain gone. Decomposing in the ground and shit." She'd wanted to say Chapstick, since she'd hated the bitch so much, but she opts against it.

"Neat," Pennsatucky comments.

"Wow, I'm impressed! I'll call you the next time we get one of those unwelcome intruders and neither Hassan nor my dad is around," Allison chimes in.

"That's my girl," Yadriel murmurs and Maria beams. "As for me...working at a gas station seems ideal. When I used to live in Texas, my family moved around a ton of times so my dad could find work, sometimes I didn't know where we'd end up, all night long, we would drive, but we stopped for gas and I'd go into a convenience store for a snack, like ice cream or candy."

Pennsatucky gives him a thumbs up. "Those are always delicious!" She pats Nathan's back. "I know my man here is gonna be a doc!"

Adarsh raises his hand. "I am, too!"

Nathan hi-fives him. "Awesome, bro!"


"I'm just worried he won't be able to get it up!" Red discreetly tells the women she's about to have a large Royal Banana Split with. "Pavel and I haven't been...intimate...since seventy-nine. He's probably almost fifty by now, and so am I! We were in the same graduating class."

"So? I ain't done it with nobody since Bone in eighty-two just before he left for Guatemala!" Frieda says in a quiet voice like Red had used. "If he ever returned from the damn place, I would be perfectly fine if we only did botany together for the rest of our lives!"

Erica wags her finger at Frieda while shaking her head no. "You are lying to yourself!"

"That's correct, Jones," Taslitz, another friend of Frieda's, says.

Anita gestures to Red and clicks her tongue. "Just have Pavel use Viagra!"

"It works for Jean," Claudette murmurs.

"Viagra?" Lourdes scoffs. "Red's not that old! Pavel is her age!"

"You tell 'em, Lourdes," Celeste mutters, and Norma grins at them. She hands Red a handwritten note on a napkin and gives her the evil eye.

You're forty-seven! You're the baby out of all of us! The fuck are you complaining about?

"You're right, Norma. I'm sorry..."

Alex clears her throat awkwardly. "So, here's your dessert, ladies!"

"Thank you, honey," Frieda says while taking the dish from her.

"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Lourdes asks nervously.

"Nothing, really!" Alex chirps and then walks away.


"Now tell me, what was that Children of the Corn stunt all about?" Nicky hisses once she and Lorna are inside their cab. She's mad that Lorna put herself in possible danger, but also worried about her girlfriend.

"What? You and Alex got high in the cornfield!" Lorna protests.

"There's a difference, we were together, and it was during the day! Please don't do that to me again! I couldn't find you for a while, and I was terrified that something could've happened!" Nicky wraps her arms around Lorna tightly and kisses the top of her head. "You gotta be careful!"

Lorna rolls her eyes and huffs. "Fine! Jeez, you're soooo overprotective! I'm sorry for scaring you, though. I won't do it again."

"Promise me?"

"Yes, I won't go anyplace by myself! You apparently think I'm a baby."

"Look, I don't want you to disappear like Piper did! Of course you're nowhere near an infant, not even a child, but it's unsafe for a chick to be alone at night. I know I did it for three years, but deep down, I was terrified that one day or night could be my last. I wished so hard that men's curfews were nine at night."

"Oh yeah, but then women and girls with great guys or gay couples couldn't go out late..." Lorna trails off at Nicky's raising of her eyebrow. "You mean the seedy kind, right! Well, I remember being super scared when I spent the night out on the streets to give it a try. It's just safety in numbers, I guess."

"Exactly!"


"I wish the weekend could last forever," Pennsatucky mutters and stabs a fork into a chicken tender. "I don't wanna go back to school."

"Yeah, it must be hard always having to face Conniving Connecticunt who's dating your mom while secretly doing it with Caputo after his break from Fig, just so she can be the vice principal," Maria sympathizes with her. "Or is Boo the other woman she's keeping from Caputo?" She sips her milkshake a few times and Yadriel grins at her while throwing his arm over her shoulders. He's munching on a Sriracha cheeseburger.

Pennsatucky points at Maria with an approving grin. "First of all, good one. Secondly, nope! She and Boo are so in love that she makes Boo call her Amelia Von Barlow, and Boo is perfectly fine with that! She's got my foster mama wrapped around her finger! It's so fucking annoying!" Pennsatucky hisses. "Boo don't even got time for me no more, that bitch is taking it away. She's too busy doin' the dirty with Lin-dumbass, who I don't trust, since she's a school board member! People tell me I'm fucked up?" She shakes her head. "Aw, hell no..."

"Ooooh, you should call her that to her face, Penns!" Alex exclaims while passing their table with a tray of fries and onion rings with ketchup in small cups.

"Are you shitting me? I would get so expelled, not to mention grounded for all eternity!" Pennsatucky responds. "Nah, man, I'm keepin' my comments to myself here, although, I would love to smack the shit outta her and leave a nice red handprint mark!"

"I'd pay good money to see that," Blanca murmurs just before biting into her cheeseburger, and the rest of them, including Alex, nod in agreement.

"I punched Ratman yesterday afternoon," Diablo informs them proudly. "It felt good gettin' that fucker and defending my girl!"

Blanca stares at him proudly with stars in her eyes, and the others seem to be as impressed as Pennsatucky feels. They all give him hi-fives and cheer.

"You're real lucky you can kick a person of authority's ass like that without consequences, Diablo, but technically, he ain't one anymore," Pennsatucky mumbles.

"I'm sorry it's so difficult at home and school, babe," Nathan tells Pennsatucky and squeezes her hand in support.

"I just miss her," Pennsatucky mumbles sadly. "She taught me to read and floss...and told me I had to brush my teeth after they got repaired...and every night, without fail, we have a snack of snickers, skittles, and Three Musketeers. One time, she said Helen Van Maele was on steroids, which is so true!" Everyone laughs at her last comment and she sighs heavily. "Daya, I dunno how you, Alex, and Flaca don't feel that way about your mamas dating! Maybe I'm just more needy because Boo is the first mama figure I ever had. I mean, the only good thing my bio mama did was make the yellow drink that some idiots think is piss, but it's really just lemon candy flavored water that y'all say is delicious."

"I'm sure Boo isn't trying to ignore you," Daya assures her as Pennsatucky stuffs the chicken tender through her lips and starts chewing. "The honeymoon stage makes people do weird shit, like serious public displays of affection and zeroing in on their significant other, but they still care about others in their life. I know my ma's trying, and Alex and Flaca's moms always put their daughters first. Doesn't Boo do the same thing, even if she has a girlfriend?"

Pennsatucky shrugs. "I guess...she has enough love to go around! It's just stupid when she brings the tramp home and I can hear 'em boning all the way from my bedroom. She screeches...loudly. I'd rather Boo went to her place so I could sleep in peace! Boo has told Connecticunt to keep her voice down since I'm there, and then I can hear 'em giggling, mostly her." She doesn't tell them about how she's also being bullied and she doesn't know who to turn to now, since she doesn't want to bother Boo or her boyfriend or Nicky or the other straight couples she's trying to be closer friends with.

"Lindumbass seems inconsiderate," Allison mutters, dipping a mozzarella stick into marinara sauce and swirling it around. "You could try to take a picture of her with Caputo to show Boo some proof of her cheating! That'll break 'em up!"

"Oh yeah, good idea, sweetheart!" Hassan praises Allison and kisses her cheek, causing her to beam.

Two years ago, Pennsatucky would've never interacted with Allison, or anyone of her religion, because she'd learned in church that those who wear hijabs are Christ's enemies, but now, she couldn't care in the least. She just thinks the word hijab sounds bouncy. She smiles at the Muslim girl. "Okay, but I don't wanna see his dick! Eeeww!"

"Alex and Piper saw it once," Daya whispers, and everyone glances at her in disgust. "He'd sent a sext to Fig and they had her phone because she made the stupid mistake of leaving it at Piper's house when she visited Carol. Piper said his...thing...was formidable, but Alex said it looked like a chicken's neck and almost puked in her mouth. We all hit Piper with pillows for her comment and took Alex's word for it." Pennsatucky may have despised Piper, but she enjoys hearing these incriminating stories about her.

The group cracks up while wrinkling their noses. "I never said anything about 'em fucking! Only kissing!" Allison protests. "Thank you for that mental image, by the way," she adds sarcastically to Daya.

"Just block it out, like..." Daya makes a swiping motion with her hand across her forehead. "Ladies, always imagine your boyfriends' and forget his." She pops a pizza bite into her mouth.

The girls' faces light up as they look at their guys. "Ahh, okay!" Maria says cheerfully. Pennsatucky bites her lip in a sensual manner and casually rubs Nathan's jeans-clad crotch under the table and they share a smirk. "So, um...Allison, I really like that idea. I'll spy on 'em, definitely!"

Allison beams. "Awesome!"

"Your hijab's pretty, it compliments your outfit." Pennsatucky can't resist saying the word, but it's also true. She does think Allison's flower-patterned hijab goes great with her casual red long-sleeved dress.

"Thank you," Allison responds pleasantly.

"No prob!"

"Is it true that Lindumbass is really the Counterfeit Cunt of Connecticut?" Blanca wants to know. "Alex says she's an actual cunt, which is right!"

"She made a fake ID in college, but it didn't work," Pennsatucky reports. "She claims she can forge drivers' licenses and birth certificates and ten buck bills, but I don't believe her for a second!"

"Me neither," Nathan agrees and twirls one of her blonde-highlighted pigtails around his fingers. Pennsatucky feels so lucky to have him. Her magic man who gave her such amazing orgasms and just pure love, almost had to move to Wyoming, since his coal mining dad got drunk and lost his job again, but Nathan had gotten himself a good job and an apartment to live in, after Boo encouraged Pennsatucky to tell him she's been raped twice and really needs him with her as her white knight in shining armor at school and teen parties, two places that Boo wouldn't be at.


"You're so lucky you got true love, Aleida. I always notice how your man looks at you, like you put the stars in the sky or somethin'." Gloria and Aleida are washing their hands in the women's bathroom just after they finish their meal with Fahri and Leon before going to watch Raise Your Voice in theaters for their double date. Diane hadn't wanted to see it since it would remind her too much of Mitch dying, as the main character, played by Hillary Duff, thinks it's her fault that her brother passed away. Besides that, Diane and Charles are working. "I need that so bad, you know?"

Aleida nods in understanding as she poofs out her curly brown locks. "Mm-hm. Well...I wish I had a good relationship with an older family member, like you got your tía, who's your ma, basically."

"We both got something the other wants," Gloria realizes aloud while adjusting her green and purple headband and taking some strands of black hair out to frame her face with them. "I'll share Lourdes with you if you'd like me to."

"Of course!" They exchange a delighted grin. "Hey...would you wanna try cuddling with Fahri tonight at the movies? You can tell him to put his arm around ya, I'm sure he ain't gonna mind."

Gloria shakes her head no, although that does sound exciting. "I can't seem too eager. I'll just talk to him instead."

They finish up in the restroom and leave to meet up with the guys with their arms linked. Gloria ushers Aleida into Leon's embrace and then takes her place next to Fahri as they all walk out of the restaurant. This time, they're dressed a bit more casual. Gloria is wearing a dark purple scoop-neck silk blouse with sheer cap sleeves, a worn gray leather jacket over it, and a black skirt, but Aleida is in jeans like the men are, only hers are skinny and high-waisted, and she'd paired them with a pretty, low-cut, cold-shouldered pink and white flowered top. Both of the ladies are in tall black boots. Fahri has on a black peacoat and a red top while Leon dons a grayish black shirt. He's holding his blue hoodie and telling Aleida it's hers for the night if she wants it, since it can get cold in the theater. Gloria thinks Aleida didn't bring something to put on over her outfit on purpose.

"I'll get us a large popcorn and four Icees," Fahri announces.

Gloria beams. "That'll be great, thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, man," Leon adds and he and Fahri bump fists.

"I appreciate that," Aleida chimes in. She glances up at Leon and he bends down to kiss her slightly open mouth. They're gushing out so much passion for each other, and Gloria loves it.

"Aw, they're so cute together," Gloria murmurs to Fahri, and he grins in response. "Genuine romance must be a beautiful thing, it's just too bad I ain't never experienced it."

"Oh, I bet it is. That sucks big time, though, me neither."

"You had bitchy girlfriends or somethin'?" Gloria folds her arms across her chest and peers up at him. They lean into each other as they stroll along.

"Yeah, or we just weren't compatible, and it's just been really hard to find the one." Fahri stuffs his hands in his pockets and shrugs.

"I feel ya, dude," Gloria says glumly.

Fahri's gaze meets hers and he smiles down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I am glad, though, that out of all the women the girls could've introduced me to indirectly, it turned out to be you."

Gloria's cheeks warm and she presses her lips together while beaming. "Same."

"Hey...you ever try to help the girls or even lecture 'em, and they just didn't wanna listen to you, simply because you're not their mother?" Fahri asks.

"Oh yeah, sometimes." Gloria rolls her eyes, remembering how she grounded Daya for getting high the night of Aleida and Leon's first date, and then again for lying and going out with her teacher behind Gloria's back. "Dayanara thinks I'm real unnecessarily bossy sometimes."

"So does Alex, for me. It's like, no shit, kid, of course I'm not your father, but that doesn't mean you can just blow me off and not take my advice!"

They share a look of annoyance. "Fuckin' díos, I know...we're older and wiser than them, and as close to parental figures as you can get...like, an aunt and an uncle."

He sweeps his hand towards her. "Exactly!"

Gloria smiles thoughtfully. "I never had the pleasure of knowing Dayanara when she was a baby, but I have seen pictures and heard stories...she was adorable!"

"Alex was, too," Fahri tells her fondly.

"Oh, for sure!" Gloria makes a mental note to herself for her and Aleida to hang out with Diane at hers and Charles' apartment, since they'd never been there before. "Diane's shown me childhood photos of her at their trailer park. She had us lunch ladies over a lot before we got real close."

"Yeah?" She nods at his question. "That's cool! Uh...your headband's cute," he compliments her. "In fact, your whole look is. I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry..."

"No, it's fine, thank you," she mumbles shyly as she beams. She wants to giggle like he's her first crush and she's twelve years old, but she doesn't. "Same goes for your ensemble."

"Thanks!"

They all get their tickets, snacks, and drinks, and then file into their seats. As expected, Aleida snuggles into Leon as the ads begin. Gloria and Fahri have their hands on the armrests and their pinkie fingers bump.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she whispers and lets her hand fall back down on her lap.

"It's no big deal, don't worry about it. We can share the armrest."

Aleida, who's on the other side of Gloria, hands them the bucket of popcorn as she makes out with Leon, and Gloria and Fahri both reach into it at the same time. Their hands touch again and Gloria pulls hers to her side. "I'm so sorry," she apologizes again in an anxious tone. "You can go first."

"It's fine, Gloria. It really is," he assures her warmly, but it doesn't stop her hands from shaking slightly. If she ever touched Arturo's food when he was eating it or reaching for a bite, he'd twist her wrist until it popped or the bone snapped. In a restaurant, he'd do it under the table and she'd hide her anguish under a mask of a stoic expression on her face, and in a movie theater, even if they were with his friends, it was dark and they were distracted and not paying attention to her silent screams. She lets out a trembling breath and attempts to slow down her rapidly beating heart. Aleida and Leon would never let anything happen to her, but at the moment, they're not paying attention to anyone except each other. There's nobody else in their row, and the rest of the seats are mostly empty. She realizes quickly that her couple friends are actually helping her be alone with him so she can see if he's a ferocious monster or not. So far, he seems decent.

She gulps. "Are...are you sure? You ain't gonna..." Gloria stops herself and squeezes her eyes shut and chews on her thumbnail. Hurt me? She chooses her words carefully. "Be mad at me, that I, um...took your popcorn without a word?" She wouldn't dare to even ask Arturo for a bite. He'd just mock her and snigger when he knew she was terrified of him.

"What?" Fahri appears both perplexed and concerned. "No, of course not! This is for all of us, but even if I bought it for myself, I'd offer you some or give it to you if you asked."

"Oh, that's good. Okay..." Gloria cautiously picks out a handful of popcorn and eats it. "Mmm..." she mumbles as the buttery goodness hits her taste buds. "Delish!"

"You have my sentiments!"

Gloria chuckles awkwardly and slurps her drink. "I apologize for being so jumpy, I never really gone out with a dude as friends before. They always wanted to get in my pants and shit, like, right away." She scoffs and he frowns. "Every fuckin' time. So...I, um, I'm grateful you ain't like that."

"Jesus, how disrespectful of those assholes! No, that doesn't describe me at all, I swear to you. I'll wait. I don't care how long it takes, or if you want to remain pals, I'm cool with that, too," Fahri murmurs softly, and her heart leaps and soars at what he's just told her.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, but you don't need to thank me for being a gentleman since that's socially acceptable."

"You gotta meet my babies," Gloria lets him know. "In person, officially...would tomorrow night at Friendly's be alright? I'm aware you talked to Benny a little that time he was panicking about us chillin' with our gang at first, but the only way to get him and Julio used to you being anywhere near me, is to spend a bit of time with 'em. You can bring Farah, and all the children can play together. They can see you're great with kids that way. They don't really remember their father, and they never knew the girls', who of course, ain't related to them. The only other guy I've been with romantically in their presence, was...not the best example of a real man, and he and I were...I dunno, at odds about little ones and he didn't wanna deal with 'em when they threw tantrums." She doesn't mention the consequences she'd receive from him if she'd failed to calm her kids down in the time he'd allow, because she isn't ready to spill her complete nightmarish past just yet. "I'll even get 'em to behave for you and everything...that's a serious promise. I feel hella guilty that Benny cried and then swore in front of you...he just ain't good with me goin' out with men he don't know."

"I'd love to come, and of course I'll take Farah with me. You don't have anything to feel bad about. I completely understand Benny's distress...he's acting out because his mother, who he loves dearly, is being set up with a stranger, and he's accustomed to a loser dating you, basically," Fahri informs her sweetly, but matter-of-factly.

Gloria swallows the lump that had been forming in her throat. She wants to cry because he got it exactly right, his gentle tone is making her melt like she's ice cream on a sunny afternoon at the fair, and he actually wants her children to feel comfortable with him being around. "I ain't gonna fail him nor Julio again."

"You didn't. You just had no idea that your ex was Mr. Wrong. Nobody can predict that kinda stuff. It's that idiot, not you, who was the bad person. It was in no way your fault."

She beams. "All my girls and the teens and Leon and Charles tell me that, too."

"Well, they're correct! Hey, just wondering, who's babysitting your kids and Aleida's if not my niece or sister?"

"My tía, Lourdes. She don't charge us, of course, so that's cool!"

He grins. "It is."

"I don't wanna just be friends no more," Gloria admits through an exhale. She scoots closer to him and goes to push the armrest up and out of their way, but decides against it. "I don't wanna do anything further than holding hands, either."

"Alright...how about we just start by doing that, then? I'd really like it if we did." Fahri offers his hand, and she bites her bottom lip as she threads her fingers through his. Then, their palms kiss as they close their fingers on each other's knuckles. The same spark she'd felt when they were dancing together comes back, and she suddenly wants him to put his black peacoat around her so she can feel like he's holding her lovingly. He delicately strokes the side of her thumb in small circles. "Is this okay?"

Gloria nods bashfully. "Yes." He doesn't know this, but he's keeping her breathing under control after the mini panic attack she'd given herself.

"You can let me know when to stop, or just pull your hand away."

"I will. Right now, though, I'm enjoying this. I wouldn't even mind if you put your arm around me..."

"Are you positive?" he asks.

"Mm-hm."

After her confirmation, Fahri lays his arm over Gloria's shoulders. He shifts his elbow upwards when she raises the armrest. That way, it's more comfortable for her to rest her head on his shoulder and prop her feet up on Aleida's lap as she lays across the seats, but sits up against him. He holds her hand with his free one and plays with her fingers. They share popcorn with their couple friends. The film begins, so Gloria and Fahri can't talk to each other anymore, but he's still making her feel more amazing with each second that passes. When the brightness from the screen shines on Fahri, he's grinning like Gloria is, and when it makes Aleida and Leon's faces glow, they're smirking at Gloria snuggling with Fahri.

When they finish the popcorn, though, he brushes over a raised scar on the inside of Gloria's wrist, from where she'd been given many a rope burn or the handcuffs had been embedded into the skin there for so long, that it made an injury that would never fade entirely. Her hand twitches violently in his, and he immediately lets go with an alarmed expression on his face. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know, it's okay." Gloria's hands are trembling in her lap now, but she wants him to take her hand again, in fact, both of them. He's so good at calming her down. It just surprised her when he touched her in that particular spot with much tenderness. She despises her post-traumatic stress disorder and wishes it would disappear when she's with him. "Can you like, caress my left hand again? That's really keeping away my anxiety."

"Sure!"

She puts her left hand in his right, and he rubs soothing circles all over it. It's such a pleasurable sensation and leaves her tingly.

Once Gloria gets home and follows Aleida and Leon inside with her heart fluttering in her chest, she has to stop in the foyer to catch her breath. They seem to understand that she's still gushing like a schoolgirl over Fahri. She locks the front door behind her, and she thinks of the things Fahri did with her and how his strong arms felt around her slender body, and how his calloused hand fit around her soft one so well, just like when they were dancing together last night, and she'd nearly fainted on her bed because of so much swooning. "Oh my god...oh my god," she whispers to herself. With a long sigh, she slides down the wall and tilts her head back so she's resting it on the wall. She sits there for a few minutes with her legs outstretched before getting back up again.


"Hey nigger lover," Brent Moxley greets Diane rudely as he comes up to the counter with a bunch of his equally racist friends. He gives Alex a head-nod. "Trailer trash. How's about you cook me and my cousins up some delicious All-American food?"

"What the fuck did you just call us, douchebag?" Alex growls before Diane can snap back at him.

Brent sneers. "You heard me, bitch. Just make our dinner!"

"I can't serve customers who spew hate speech," Diane tells him sharply.

"Whatever, smoke jumper." He makes the vulgar hand sign for oral sex and directs it at them, and they shudder and turn away.

"That's the fucking skinhead's ex," Allison hisses as he and his many cousins stalk past them, but then they pause and start sniggering. Nobody can tell them apart, since they all look like Brent, with thinning brown hair, cold gray eyes, and a Hitler style mustache.

"If we had a time machine, I'd totally go back and murder Hitler," Pennsatucky mutters.

"Hitler's our hero," Brent insists. "My former girlfriend, Brandy, said she wished that early on, he'd seized Suez Canal so the Nazi regime gets oil easily."

"Yeah, I remember that, in front of Flaca, Ouija, Pennsatucky, and Ms. Berlin, she came out with that trash, and they just looked at her weirdly." Diablo narrows his eyes at him. "Nobody gives a fuck."

Brent holds his hands up. "Hey, I'm just saying, Pablo-"

"My man ain't no Pablo!" Blanca pipes up angrily. "It's Diablo! Or Dario if you wanna get technical. Idiota."

Brent chuckles lowly. "Hey, I mean no harm, nacho. There's so many of you Mexicans here, invading America, that I can't remember everyone's name!"

"Excuse me?!" Diablo practically shouts. "The fuck you just call my girl?"

"You want me to add a teardrop tattoo on my face after I destroy you forever with my bare hands?" Yadriel threatens the teenage Nazi.

"Babe," Maria says gently and pats his thigh. "I don't want you in jail for murder. This cracker ain't worth it." She scowls at Brent.

Daya stands up and scrapes her chair back noisily as other patrons start to look over at their table and a crowd starts to form. "Yo, y'all gotta leave. You're making this environment hostile and callin' attention to your dumbass selves!"

"What'd you say, you dirty, fat spic?" one of the nasty boys asks, stepping closer to her and clenching his jaw and fists, but Adarsh blocks his path.

"Don't call her that!" Adarsh tells him in an even tone while staring him down.

"Get your racist asses outta here!" Alex demands while folding her arms across her chest. She remembers seeing Piper's swastika on her forearm in her hallucination after noticing a large one on the back of Brent's neck in the same place Brandy had her confederate flag tattoo, and she's thoroughly disgusted.

"I'm really about to hit the security button," Diane snaps.

"Go back to the Middle East, retard," Brent grumbles and pushes Adarsh away from him. He shoves past Daya, who falls into Adarsh.

"Oh, just fuck off and let him be!" Daya fires back.

"If this escalates any further, you should," Alex tells Diane, and her mother nods. "It's too bad the elders left. They could end this whole shebang in seconds!"

Pennsatucky groans. "You're giving me a bigger headache than the ones I get in Best Buy! Quit your ignorant slurs!"

"You got a bomb hiding in here, cunt?" Brent yanks Allison's hijab off her head and his cousins jeer at her bending down to pick it up and put it back on. "Yeah, show us that ass!" Her friends form a protective circle around her.

"You're such a sadistic creature!" Alex cuts in again.

"Whoa! Stop it! That's highly inappropriate!" Diane yells and slams her hand on the white knob, causing a high-pitched siren to go off. Hassan assists Allison to her feet and everyone covers their ears with their hands.

"Turn off the stupid alarm!" Brent smashes the white button and shuts off the constant wailing of the distress signal. "We'll be out shortly."

"You okay?" Hassan wonders aloud, and Allison nods her head yes.

"You broke that, you're gonna pay for a new one, I want it in my hands tomorrow morning!" Diane commands him as he strides away from her sluggishly. "You understand me?" She begins to follow Brent, but she gasps all of a sudden. Alex glances at her worriedly. "I'm fine, honey, my heart just lurched, you know it's got problems during stressful situations. I'm more concerned about Allison." She goes over to the girl who's readjusting her hijab. "I'm sorry, Allison...I never thought it would go that far, if I had, I would have stepped in."

Allison smiles at her. "I know. It's cool, Diane."

"I'm usually peaceful, but-" Hassan swings his fist into Brent's face and the asshole stumbles back. "Don't lay another hand on my girl, or me and the boys will really give it to you next time, more than a single punch!"

"What'd I tell you?" Brent asks, panting and wiping his bloody nose as his cousins surround him. "Terrorist as the day is long!" He points at Hassan while glancing over at Diane. "Take care of this moron, look what he just did to me!"

Allison glowers at Brent. "That's what you get when you mess with me and the rest of us, fucker."

"Yeah," Diane agrees. "You were being extremely disrespectful and removing a hijab without the person's permission is like taking off clothing. Of course Allison's boyfriend is gonna hurt you!"

"I knew it! Once you go black, you never go back!" Brent grunts. "You're just like the rest of them apes, whore. Let's go, boys."

"Don't you talk to my mother or about African Americans that way!" Alex says in a strong voice, but she only receives the vile teens' middle fingers in return.

Another cousin of Brent's gives her a fake grin before they walk out the door. "Your words mean nothing to us, taco shell. Enjoy those beans before they lose their spice. You'll be begging me to fuck you in the ass soon enough."

Diane separates the boys and grips them by the backs of their shirts as she pushes them the rest of the way out the door. "You better shut your garbage mouths about my daughter before I do it for you, fucking half-wits!" she warns them.

Brent shoves Diane off him, punches the guy's shoulder, and snickers. "The tits are better, man, trust me."

This fires Alex's rage and she wants to puke on them, but she keeps her cool, since she doesn't want to keep fighting with people who won't listen and are exiting anyway. Besides, most of the older ladies have showed up and can deal with them. Diane breathes out a sigh of relief and hugs Alex close to her while the guys hold the girls they came to Friendly's with.

"We heard a bunch of hollering in here!" Frieda says and roughly slams Brent and his cousin into the wall outside Friendly's with her hands pressing against their skinny necks. Red, Lourdes, and Claudette are close behind her, giving the other cousins the same treatment. "Plus, I know what you said to Diane and Alex and what you did to Allison." She kicks Brent in the nuts and cracks her neck while Taslitz sneaks up behind the other guy, giving him a wedgie, pulling his boxers up and over his sagging jeans in a fast manner, making him whimper in pain. Norma pushes them both onto the pavement and then, she, Anita, Ms. Jones, and Celeste offer the girls friendly embraces while smiling, which they gratefully take.

"You'll be okay," Ms. Jones assures them and rubs Alex's back soothingly.

"Mm-hm, we're all here now!" Anita puts in.

Red and Claudette spit at the boys they're physically shaking with her hands clutching their collars and then the two women throw them to the ground on top of Brent. "You're all despicable!" Red snaps.

"I should choke you to death," Claudette snarls at them.

Lourdes hisses Spanish phrases at the ones that are in her grasp, which Alex can't translate well in her head, but it sounds like a curse. Gripping them by the backs of their necks, she makes them headbutt and then trip over each other and their cousins until all six bigots are in a groaning heap. "Adiós." She brushes her hands off and then, Brent helps his cousins up and they all run away.

The Golden Girls, including Red, head back to their car after making sure that everyone's alright. The teens and Diane are just a little shaken, but they're fine otherwise. "Thank you!" Diane calls after Frieda and the others.

"You're welcome!" Frieda replies. "You know I always look out for you!"


"I saved you half the piece of cake Charles gave me two nights ago," Diane informs Alex once they get home. She had informed Charles that she and Alex missed each other and wanted to hang out a little before she joined him in bed, and he was of course fine with that. She opens the freezer and places the wrapped-up treat in front of her daughter, who grins with delight.

"Yay, thanks, Mom! I'll heat it up and have it with ice cream! It's a little late night snack, which is awesome!"

"Okay, honey!"

Alex begins to prepare her dessert. She puts some vanilla ice cream on her freshly warmed cake, drizzles it with whipped cream and strawberry syrup, and finally, tops it off with rainbow sprinkles. She gets a spoon out of the utensil drawer and digs in. "Mmm!" she mumbles while giving Diane a thumbs up with a smile. "This is good!" They both sit down at the kitchen table.

"When ain't it?" Diane asks her teasingly with a grin.

"Never! Hey...I've always wondered why my middle name is Pearl. Isn't it quite soft for someone like me?"

Diane chuckles. "Well, I love pearls and I wish I could afford to wear them, but I can't. I don't like the fake kind on my neck since it's plastic. I called you, my baby, Alexandra Pearl, because I looked down at you and thought, such a beautiful baby I have, like a pearl! Alexandra sounds like a strong-sounding name, and it fits you well. So...strong and beautiful."

Alex beams. "Awww, I love that!"

"I knew you would! You were also one of the only good things in my life at that time, so you were precious, too." Diane pats her daughter's cheek fondly.

"You always said I was your little princess," Alex remembers pleasantly.

"Yep! You still are," Diane reassures her.

"I thought so!"

"Are you sure you're alright after that fiasco at the restaurant?" Truth be told, Diane is slightly rattled, because she hasn't encountered a male Nazi in twenty-two years and hearing Brent's comments made her not only sick, but traumatized all over again. Not just that, but his remarks about her daughter angered her. She'll probably have nightmares because his lousy words reminded her of the Confederate she was going to be forced to marry. She's told Alex about her past with him and how Edward and Phyllis were so awful to her, but she'd never talked about the child porn.

Alex nods. "I am. What about you?"

"Kinda...I'm just relieved we and your friends are safe."

"I thought you were really brave."

"Thank you, but I was trembling on the inside. When he started targeting you girls, though...I let my mama bear side take over." Diane winds her arms around Alex and pecks her temple. "I'd do anything for you, sweetheart."

"I would, too." Alex puts her hands over Diane's and they share a smile. "Thanks for watching all those Disney films with me, even if it was because you never got to enjoy those when you were a little girl."

"You're welcome. While it's true that I wasn't allowed to be one and I was living through your glorious childhood, I would've done that anyway, because I love you!"

"Aww, I love you too! Hey...you know, this funny thing happened." Alex glances down at her treat and swirls her spoon around the bowl. "Uhh...last night, Kubra, who's dating Flaca's mom...he was there...when I was sleeping over at her place, and he by mistake walked in on me when I was taking a piss! It was so weird and humiliating, but like, he apologized and left, so whatever." She lifts her shoulders up and down.

This is concerning to Diane, but she's relieved that Kubra hadn't done anything horrible to Alex on purpose, so she doesn't react in a huge way. It'll only make Alex worry. "A grown-ass man doesn't know how to knock?" she mutters.

Alex glances at Diane sheepishly. "I didn't lock the door, so...my bad. It happens. Not everyone charges in on someone in the bathroom with twisted intentions."

Diane shivers, thinking of her bleak childhood. "You're right, darling."


A knocking at his front door after work on Monday causes Fahri to glance up from the book he's reading. He sets it down and answers whoever is there. He makes sure to peep through the hole at first, and he's relieved to see that it's only his niece and Alex, plus a few of the other girls behind them. He lets them in. "Hi, girls-"

"You need to dump Vee, like now!" Allison starts out. She crosses her arms firmly over her chest.

"Yeah, it can't go on like this, Fahri," Alex mutters.

"We all can see very clearly that you love Gloria," Lorna points out while poking his chest. "You two were so romantic when you held hands on your double date, we heard, you shine when you're with her, and she enjoys being in your presence, but we never saw you and Vee together."

"Mm-hm, you can't be all playin' here comes the bride with some other ho," Flaca chimes in and rests her elbow on Daya's shoulder. She purses her lips and raises an eyebrow.

"You gotta choose one chick, man," Nicky adds.

Fahri holds his hands up. "I'm fully aware of that, which is why I did break up with Vee on Saturday night! Honestly, I'm done with her."

"Good, 'cause Gloria's had it up to here with motherfuckers," Daya lets him know.

"How'd Vee take it?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"Not well, but that's normal, I mean...of course she's angry."

"What'd the bitch say or do?" Nicky asks.

He winces and rubs the back of his neck with his palm. "Uh, death threats to me and herself that she never followed through on, which is good, and I offered to help her with her mental issues and her baby, but she's just...I dunno, seems like she's not interested in that. She didn't even cry."

"Oh my, that is strange, but she's just heartbroken. She was probably holding in her tears. As long as she doesn't stalk you or try to blow up Gloria's car, you should be fine," Lorna assures him lightly. He shivers at the possibility of the second thing Vee could do that Lorna had mentioned, happening. He can turn Vee in to Charles if she follows him anyplace, but he can't bear the thought of Gloria being harmed. When she was almost raped, and before that, tortured with drinking her own blood, it made him absolutely sick.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Oh, please, Lorn, she's not actually upset over losing Fahri himself. Do not for one second think that."

"She's pissed since she can't get money rolling in if she doesn't marry you," Allison lays it out, and it makes complete sense to Fahri. "Oh, I would love to spit gum in her hair!"

Fahri grins and shakes his head at Allison's last comment.

"She better move on fast and not touch a hair on Gloria's head," Daya puts in.

"Don't worry...I'll make sure Gloria is safe from Vee's wrath," Fahri assures them.

Lorna puts her hand on her heart. "Oh, that's incredibly cute! I'm happy you will."

"So am I," Flaca agrees.

"Me, too," Daya concurs.

"We feel the same way, obviously," Alex murmurs while gesturing between herself, Nicky, and Allison, and to Fahri's surprise, they all hug him before goodbyes are exchanged.


Just before he's about to leave for the police station, Charles notices that Diane is sitting on the side of their bed, still and silent. She's slouched over and clenching the comforter in her hands. She doesn't have her normal posture with her shoulders back, her chest out, and her spine straight. What frightens Charles the most, though, is the vacant look in her ocean blue eyes. They've lost their shine and are just staring at the wall in front of her. Diane's usual smile is replaced with her lips forming a thin line and her skin is paler than it always is when she isn't sick. She doesn't seem like she's even aware that he's in the room. She's probably having a gone day and isn't feeling up to moving or talking, but that doesn't settle Charles' nerves. He leaves her alone for a while since there's no medical emergency, but he decides he'll take a sick day and care for her. She's never in this state, though, so he calls Frieda to see if Diane has ever experienced this before, but Frieda's line is busy. He then dials Alex's number. After she answers her cell, he begins to explain what's going on.

"Yeah, but Mom gets those rarely. They're like quiet panic attacks. She's shrieking inside, but she doesn't want to make a sound. I've witnessed it enough times for it to be a normal thing. There was a Nazi bastard from our school at the restaurant last night, so maybe that triggered it today. That hateful creature was probably on her mind for like, eighteen hours, and then it was too big for her to ignore."

"Did he do something to you and your mom?" he asks, deeply concerned. "Last night, she woke up screaming and sobbing because of a bad dream, and I just held her."

"No, I mean, he verbally harassed us and made sexual comments toward me, but nothing else, like, illegal. Just seeing him must have been horrifying for her."

Charles wishes so hard that he could arrest this subhuman and shoot him, but he's aware that he unfortunately can't. He doesn't even know what the asshole looks like. "That makes sense. What have you done when she's gone through it before?"

"When I was five or younger, before I knew what a panic attack even was, I told her not to be sad and assured her everything was okay. I'd cry when she did. As I got older, I either asked another adult nearby for assistance or if we were alone, I just sat with her and tried to comfort her. Just stay by her side...soothe her so she feels better, and hold her. Ask her if there's anything she needs and help her into bed, since she might just want a nap so she can have peace and quiet as she relaxes with her eyes closed."

"Alright, thank you for that information!" Charles tells Alex gratefully.

"Anytime!"

"Diane?" he asks tentatively once he hangs up. "Sweetie, do you need anything?"

She glances at him curiously, like she'd just discovered he was standing in front of her. "I just wanna not be here for a few hours. Like...vanish," she mumbles.

Diane's fragile voice cracks in places and he can barely hear her. "Charlie...I'd like a knife."

"Why?" he wants to know. He keeps his tone neutral, even though he's freaking out inside. He knows her past with hurting herself and attempting suicide, and her whole heartbreaking childhood that is probably the reason why she's being like this. Charles takes a spot next to his girlfriend so they're at eye level, but he doesn't touch her. He doesn't want to startle her.

"I don't got energy to live right now," she replies weakly, and it snaps his heart in two. Her voice is so small, Charles can hardly recognize it.

"Death is permanent. I won't let you use a sharp object or any kind of weapon on yourself."

She whimpers and tears leak out of her eyes. "I don't think I meant that literally...I just wanna feel the pain...something. I'm numb, like everywhere."

"Well, cutting isn't good for anyone, okay?"

Diane buries her face in her hands and lets out a shrill squeak. "No shit, but it is for me. You'd agree if you were in my situation."

Charles takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Would you like me to just be in our room with you? I'll place the sheets over you and you can get some rest if you want."

"I need you, babe. I can't sleep without you here...or anyone else important to me."

"I'm here, honey, I'll look after you," he assures her, and she inches closer to him. "Is it cool if I stroke your hair while I hold you?"

Diane nods and sniffles. "Mm-hm."

"Can I wipe your tears away?"

"Of course, please do."

Charles slowly brushes the moisture off her cheeks and under her eyes and then gathers her in his arms. He hums a lullaby to her and keeps his lips in her hair as he rocks her back and forth. He gets her to where her head can lay on her pillow and she curls up in the fetal position. He gives her Kleenex so she can blow her nose and not have to breathe so raggedly. She begins sobbing hysterically all over again in his chest, getting his shirt damp with her tears and she keeps hiccuping between wails of anguish through her gritted teeth as she clings onto him tightly. He switches from smoothing his hand over her brunette locks to running his knuckles up and down the side of her face and lifts her quivering chin slightly so he can look into her beautiful eyes and so she can see that he's being sincere. She's extremely innocent under his gaze and it shatters him to know that she was so viciously mistreated for the first seventeen years of her life, and then even after being free, she was almost raped and her brother lost to an anyerusm after she became twenty-one, and at twenty-four, Lee abandoned her when she got pregnant, and she and her daughter had to deal with poverty for another fifteen years. Just last week, her abusers had returned, and a Hitler lover was at Friendly's eighteen hours ago. It's no wonder she has meltdowns and sometimes, seems a lot younger than her actual age-it's simply been one thing after another. She's strong, though, because through all the pain she's suffered, she still finds reasons to smile and laugh and be kind, and it's never affected either of her careers. The fact that people could take advantage of her big heart is devastating and cruel, as the world can be. After he tucks her in, he holds her face in his hands, cupping her cheeks delicately. "It's alright, baby...just let all your emotions out. Nothin' bad's gonna happen." Diane looks up at him with widened eyes full of fear and then she blinks. "I ain't gonna let anything hurt you. I promise, my compassionate, lovely princess."


"We was bunkmates at camp and hit it off instantly," Maritza reminds Flaca. "You're my best friend, my soul mate, and my girl all at once, and I love you too much for this to be over. I already found out about P and that this bitch keeps bothering y'all, so it's not like breaking up or never talking to me again will reverse things. It'll just keep both our stomachs and hearts in knots, and I didn't mean to kick you out of my house. I was just mad, and we tell each other everything, you know?"

Flaca nods and gives Maritza a tearful smile and then they join hands as they walk into Pizza Hut. They'd come here before Taystee's shift and their friends hadn't arrived yet, either. "I do. I'm sorry I didn't say nothin' about P...I should've let you in. I guess I was scared they'd do somethin' to you, and I was-"

"Trying to protect me," Maritza finishes Flaca's sentence, using Nicky's exact words.

"Yeah," Flaca murmurs.

Maritza throws her arms around Flaca, and Flaca wraps her up in a long hug. They kiss and giggle together. "I realize I overreacted, and I apologize, too. It's hard to talk about being harassed by some stranger. I would've found it difficult myself, so I understand."

"Thanks."


When Nicky, Lorna, Alex, Michelle, Alana, Daya, Allison, Poussey, Blanca, Maria, Ouija, and Pidge come through the doors, following Taystee, Flaca and Maritza greet them with embraces and cheers. They get three tables mashed together and sit down, all ready to eat. Everyone is overjoyed that Maritza and Flaca have made up. As they're chowing down, though, a lady who appears to be in her seventies, walks in. It seems like she's focused on Alex, who glances down at her food awkwardly.

"Fucking weirdo keeps looking at me," Alex mutters under her breath.

"Oh, creepy," Michelle answers.

"Who is that?" Lorna wants to know.

"Why is she coming towards us?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"God only knows," Alex responds with a shrug.

"Hello, ladies," the old woman starts out, and they turn to her. She points at Alex. "You're very beautiful, my dear child. It's clear that you're Gertrude Saurer's daughter. I'm glad to have met her exquisite spawn. Now, I just need to find the gentleman who created you and get you some contacts and cut your hair to remove the blue poison."

Alex is thoroughly confused, and her friends wear equally perplexed expressions on their faces. "Excuse me? What are you going on about? My mom's name is Diane, I don't know any Gertrude...whatever." A long time ago, Diane had told Alex about her revolting birth name, but Alex had always vowed to keep it a secret and she'd never really thought about it until now.

Nicky stifles a laugh behind her fist. "Holy shit. That son of a bitch was no kind of man. He left them a long time ago."

"Watch your language, pet. Your words are as ugly as your hair. You'll never get a fellow that way...you should fix that mop-"

"Fuck you, cunt! You don't even know her!" Lorna shouts, standing up, her eyes full of fire.

"Now you, little girl, I like the makeup and done-up hair, but not your tone."

"I'm a lesbian, and my girl ain't little," Nicky informs the now horrified old lady while smirking. She puts a hand on Lorna's back and kisses the Italian brunette's neck, despite the nosy woman's disgusted reaction. "It's not up to you what I do with my life, because my girlfriend's right...you got no clue who any of us are."

"What gives you the right to come in here and act so nasty?" Allison demands.

"I cannot believe this. She has bred someone with the worst kinds of friends...well, I'm not surprised, I suppose, since she's dating a nigger. Spics, darkies, terrorists, dykes, what's next? She allowed you to get tattoos, I see," the elderly woman says.

"That swastika on your wrinkly skin don't look good," Michelle shoots back at her, and she and Alex start making out heavily with tongue, just to spite her.

"Nice one," Alana praises Michelle.

"Yeah, it makes me wanna punch you, cracker," Daya adds.

"I can throw a clean one," Pidge chimes in.

"She's right," Alana confirms.

Alex gets to her feet. "Hold up, girls. I'll handle this." She folds her arms across her chest and stares the bigoted lady down. "How do you know Diane?" she hisses. "How did you guess correctly that she's my mother? Tell me you aren't..."

"Why, I'm hers, of course. She completely screwed you up, like I knew she would. You chose the path of the wicked. You'll be engulfed in the flames that burst from Satan's hands!"

"What? No, she didn't, she's such a great mom...but you sure messed up her life...some of it, but enough to make her scarred. It's actually you who's going to Hell. Me liking girls is just part of who I am. Why were you named after an STD, Syphilis?" Alex sniggers, just like she and Diane both had when her mother told her about the nickname for Phyllis.

The girls crack up behind Alex, and Phyllis' face grows stern and red with anger. "You shouldn't talk this way to your grandmother."

"You and your husband don't deserve any respect for how you treated my mother, so fuck you!" Alex snaps while giving her the finger.

"Ohhhh!" Alex's friends chorus. "Burn, whore!" Maritza hollers.

"Yo, Cruella DeVil, you so stupid you apparently don't even remember what you named your own daughter!" Maria calls out, and they all crack up.

"What'd you do, get amnesia and forget?" Nicky wants to know.

"It's probably that old people disease, Alzheimer's," Flaca guesses.

"Hollaaaa!" Taystee and Poussey shout in unison.

"Such a troublesome, ungrateful brat," Phyllis mutters. She glares at them. "I named her after the courageous woman who was a concentration camp guard for those filthy Jews. Gertrude Saurer was my idol, and I wanted my daughter to follow in her footsteps. Once I saw her, I knew she would be someone special...she would use her stunning beauty to lure and then crunch plain and border apes, nachos, hebes, and ragheads of both genders. She'd of course be her trampy self with men and teach women to tame their hair. She was nothing how I'd imagined...she was just misbehaved...a wolf in sheep's clothing is how Edward and I put it. She put her attractiveness to waste, and you did as well. You're both naughty, and so are your friends and that jigaboo who put Edward in prison." Phyllis hacks and spits in their general direction. "Shame on you all, and may you face Satan's wrath!"

Alex rolls her eyes. "Curse us all you want, you evil cunt!" Her blood boils and the palm of her hand connects with Phyllis' cheek a few times. "You're the nasty bitch who abused Diane and gave her a fucking Nazi's name? What the fuck?!"

"It was my friend Millie's idea!" Phyllis protests while stumbling back, but Alex just slaps her repeatedly again, but even harder until her hand hurts and Phyllis crashes to the ground and starts whimpering. She's shocked into silence until a moment later. "I knew she was a terrible influence on you, you little brat!" She struggles to get up and goes to hit Alex back, but Alex raises her clenched fists in the old Nazi's face.

"Try me, cunt," Alex dares Phyllis through gritted teeth. She would never refer to the wiry bitch as her grandmother. "There's a lot more where that came from! I'll beat your ass to kingdom come, and my mom's dating a police officer who hates you and your husband, so I'll get away with it!" She twists Phyllis' arms behind her back, slams her into the wall, and yanks on her hair.

Everyone claps and cheers while pumping their fists in the air. "¡Ma-tar-la! ¡Ma-tar-la!" They chant Alex's name over and over again. "Yeah, get her!" Blanca hollers. "I love this so much! Racist white bitches should get killed!"

Kill her! Kill her!

"Whoooo, this is so hot and hella badass!" Michelle squeals as Alex furiously kicks Phyllis' ribs and makes her choke on her own blood. "You go, mi amor!"

"Please don't," Phyllis begs. "I got your mother off the streets! Edward didn't even want her!"

"You could've given her up for adoption if you were just gonna participate in making her childhood fucking miserable!" Alex grips the woman's neck and squeezes harder. "Locking her up in a fucking cage? Using her to make money? Forcing her to wear a corset and marry some Nazi freak and not letting her be happy in relationships?! Killing her butterflies?! Making her work at Hookers as a teen?! Constantly breaking her?! I hate you!" She punches the gray-haired lady in the face for her grand finale, but continues to press her thumbs into her wrinkly throat and shake her frail body. "Is this how my mom was hurt when she was a girl? I want you dead! Got it?" Tears stream down Alex's face as she gets her rage out on Diane's so-called mother, but she doesn't care that she's sobbing or about to channel Frieda and commit actual murder on someone who truly deserves it. She just sees red, and nothing else.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, Johanna002, CoffeeWritingAddiction, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe!