Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!
Holy shit that trailer! So intense! Well, the new season is just about here and it's been two years now since I've started this fic (which is probably why this is my longest chapter yet)! Whoohoo!
Diane's flashback with little Alex really did happen to me except that it was at a bus stop and I moved away to stand with two women!
Warning: sexual harassment, voyeurism, hints of pedophilia, and mentions of abuse and murder.
"We're at Pizza Hut and shit's going down, blows are landin'!" Michelle exclaims over the loud cheering right when Diane calls Alex to ask where she is at the moment. "Zandra's unavailable, sorry!"
"Yeah, and Michelle had to pick up the phone since it's your girl thrown' the punches, but don't worry about it, the old bitch she hittin' totally had it comin'!" Ouija adds, and Diane sits up straight in her bed, pulling Charles with her. Panic flows through her since she doesn't want someone outside Pizza Hut to suddenly see Alex and call the police.
"She probably gon' make this cracker fly off the face of the fuckin' earth," Pidge chimes in, and Diane can just see her smirk.
"What?! Oh my god! I'll be right there, you girls should stop her now...why haven't you already?" Diane throws herself out of bed frantically and puts on her shoes and jacket while holding the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Charles, we gotta go save my daughter before she makes a huge mistake!"
"Alright," he says evenly, but it's clear that he's worried as well.
"Trust us, Alex needed to beat her down! That ugly ho a Nazi, she say she yo mama, and at first, we thought it was bullshit since you ain't nothin' like her, but damn, we feel bad for you, Ms. V!" Taystee responds.
"Thank you, but I don't need Alex going to juvy for this! She'll then go to an adult maximum security prison...she'll just get self defense if she's lucky."
"Oh shit, stop recording, we don't want the fuzz to see this!" Nicky tells probably Flaca and Maritza. "No offense to Charles if he's there, of course."
"None taken," Charles answers. He and Diane leave the house quickly and Diane hangs up as soon as she starts driving to Pizza Hut. Neither she nor Charles care that she's going over the speed limit, and she parks at the curb and quickly bursts through the doors of the restaurant.
The sight she sees in front of her is alarming, as the limp old bat under Alex appears to be almost dead. Diane isn't surprised that Alex would literally go as far as to kill someone for her. Alex had been protecting Diane, and vice versa, ever since she knew she was pregnant with her child. Diane just has to stop her daughter before she actually murders the bitch. She hates Phyllis with every fiber of her being, and she loves seeing Alex taking her down, but her baby being in prison for this would destroy both of them.
"Whoa, Al!" Diane screams at her. "Stop!"
"Yo, we tried to grab her, but she just shoved us away," Flaca informs Diane and Charles. Alex doesn't even notice them, it seems.
At the beach, Diane watches three-year-old Alex as she plays in her cute blue bathing suit, building a sand castle. The small brunette girl is concentrating fully on what she's doing, and Diane beams at how adorable Alex looks in her Pebbles Flintstone hairdo, her new glasses, and the way her green eyes widen when she gets excited because her creation is coming out perfect. She'd just finished digging the moat around it and filling it with water from the ocean that she'd gathered in her pink pail.
"Mama, look! I did it!" she exclaims happily while pointing at what she made and jumping up and down. She claps and giggles with glee.
"I know, I see! It looks wonderful, Allie-cat." Diane gets out of her chair and kneels beside her daughter. "Are you gonna invite mermaids to live here?"
"Yeah!"
"That'll be fun!"
"Tickle me, Mommy!" Alex squeals while laying on her back, so Diane does, right on her belly, and the child erupts with sweet laughter. At once, a person-shaped shadow appears over them and Diane stretches while turning around to face a heavyset man with brown hair.
He extends his hand to hers and she shakes it awkwardly, just to be polite, but quickly pulls her hand back. "My name's Mark."
"Okay," she mumbles and tries to ignore him. She shifts her eyes down to Alex.
"Hello there," he greets her while smirking. "Do you speak English?"
"No," she responds icily.
"I saw you when I first came here a few minutes ago, and I must say you look sexy in that pink bikini that's barely hiding that ass and those humungous tits. Fancy a date?"
Diane steps away from him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "No...I...I have my toddler here, and you talking about my body like that is really unflattering. It's rude, actually. You're invading my personal space!"
The creep comes closer to her and pats her back. "I knew you were lying to me. What was that? We're friends?" He bumps fists with her twice.
"I need my space!" she snaps, but he just snickers, clearly enjoying himself and attempting to get a rise out of her. He must think it's hilarious to spook a woman with barely nobody around. She's way past annoyed and skeeved out, and she's on the brink of anger at this point. He takes a bag of weed out of his pocket and places it directly under her nose, so she pushes it away. She would've flung the asshole's weed into the sand, but she's afraid he'll get violent. "No thanks, I'm not interested." Diane fakes a smile at him and he pokes a freckle on her thigh. She slaps his finger away and proceeds to leave with Alex and their things in tow.
Before she's able to, though, Mark snakes his hands around her bare waist and licks his lips. She tries to wiggle out of his clutches, but he doesn't let her. "Come on," he begs through a guffaw. "Forget about your kid for a while." He slaps her butt and she yelps in horror. "I need to hear that shrieking tonight."
"Mommy said no, and we can't touch people's private parts!" Alex pipes up. "Go away, mister bad guy!" She gets between them and hits his shin with the yellow shovel she has in her tiny fist, causing him to release Diane and hop up and down while groaning.
"Ah, you little brat!" he snarls.
"Get the fuck outta here before I call the police on you for sexual harassment," Diane threatens him. She waves at Fahri, who's returning from the bathroom to join them. "Also, my friend is on his way and he's got an excellent right hook."
"Is that so?" Mark winces when Alex raises the shovel again, and Diane beams with pride.
"Mm-hm." Diane lifts Alex high in the air and then brings her back down into her arms. She kisses Alex's cheek. "You better not touch me again."
"Is there a problem here?" Fahri asks as he approaches them. He glares at Mark, who sighs in disappointment as he storms off.
"Not anymore," Diane responds.
As she presses her thumbs harder into the Confederate flag lover's jugular, Alex senses someone holding her back. She tries to struggle against the hands that are pulling her off Phyllis, but they don't let go of her. The person's arms hold her tightly around her waist and effectively yank her away from her victim.
Alex blinks back tears when she sees Diane keeping her in place. "Mom?" She sniffles and frowns. "Why the fuck would you do that? She needs to rot in Hell for all that she did to you!"
"I know, baby." Diane lifts a few strands of Alex's tangled side bangs and tucks them behind her ear. "I would be happy if she did, but that cunt is not worth going to jail for." She wipes Alex's wet face free of tears.
She glares at her mother and Charles. "Oh shit, you're both turning me in?"
"No, not at all! It's just that if another cop or a random passerby saw you, well, then there would be trouble," Charles explains.
"We don't want you to deal with that," Diane puts in. She glances at Phyllis struggling to breathe. "Let's call an ambulance."
"I will," Blanca tells her. She hurriedly dials nine-one-one and they listen to her side of the conversation. She makes up a story about how Phyllis had come in after being physically assaulted and then had passed out on the floor. "Paramedics are comin' in like, ten minutes," she informs them, and they give her a thumbs-up in appreciation for her help.
"I hope you hit her head good so she has amnesia and forgot who did this to her, 'cause if she squawks, police would immediately question you and they'd test for DNA and fingerprints," Charles adds, and the girls gasp in the background. Alex puts her hand over her mouth in fear. "Of course, we'd help you try to get out of it, saying you were both fighting each other, but you'd be caught for attempted murder."
"Oh my goodness, we never thought of that," Lorna says apologetically. "Everything was just bananas up in here!"
"That's why ending her life would've been better," Alex snaps. "I was gonna get Frieda to burn the body and shit."
"Or chop it up and bury the pieces in some abandoned cornfield," Daya pipes up. "Leon found somethin' like that at one of his work sites."
Diane and Charles make a disgusted face. "Ugh," Diane comments. She turns to Alex. "You don't need it on your conscience. You were crying while you were defeating her, so that tells me that you wouldn't take it well once her heart stopped beating. In the moment, I know you were pumped up and couldn't foresee any emotional turmoil this would put on you...the nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia, queasiness, to know that you're capable of something like that. Once someone becomes a corpse, there ain't no goin' back."
Alex nods slowly in understanding, as what Diane is saying makes sense now. "You're right. What's gonna happen if she remembers everything?" She chokes up, thinking of the consequences, hoping this won't ruin her mother's relationship with Charles when he puts her in juvy. "I'm sorry...she was just saying these horrible things, she didn't touch us, but her words...and something in me just snapped. My blood boiled and bubbled over...I couldn't take it anymore!" She breaks down sobbing in Diane's arms. "Mommy...don't make me go behind bars..."
"Yo, this is weird as fuck," Maria points out. "You a strong, bad bitch, Alex. You could rock that joint like nobody's business!"
Alex does her best to narrow her eyes at Maria. "I'm not a gangster, okay?! Jesus, leave me alone."
Maria puts her hands up. "Never said you were."
"You know what, Maria? Just 'cause you had an easy time in juvy don't mean everyone will," Michelle quips and she, followed by the rest of the girls, including Maria, go up to Alex and give her comforting back rubs and hugs.
"I know, I was trying to make her feel better, obviously."
"It did come out kinda harsh and insensitive," Allison informs Maria.
Diane nods in agreement. "Yeah, you need to apologize to my daughter. Friends don't encourage each other to get arrested and be okay with it."
"It ain't cool to be locked up," Charles adds.
"Okay, sorry, Alex. I don't really want you to go to juvy or prison."
Alex gives Maria a watery smile. "Thanks."
Alana suddenly points to the still body on the floor that had previously been writhing around in Alex's grasp. "Oh my god, she's not moving!" Nobody scrambles to her side. Alex whimpers because she may have just killed someone, and if she had, she's terrified of herself now.
"Uh, shouldn't we see if she's really gone for good so we can know if we gotta run or not?" Maritza asks uncertainly.
"Yeah, but I don't wanna feel for a pulse, she's gross," Diane mumbles and shivers. She's honestly afraid that Phyllis could just be pretending and then grab her ankle once Diane leans down next to her. It happens in horror movies all the time.
"I'll do it," Charles volunteers. He kisses Diane's temple. "I got this." He kneels beside Phyllis and checks her pulse. "She's just unconscious," he reports.
Everyone collectively breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god!" Alex says while she puts her hand over her rapidly beating heart. She and Diane wrap their arms around each other.
"Is your seatbelt on?" Leon asks Benny, who's in the backseat, along with his brother and their mother. He smiles at Gloria's oldest son in the rearview mirror.
"Yeah!" he replies excitedly, and Leon chuckles at the little boy's cuteness.
"Like I'd ever forget to buckle my baby in," Gloria chimes in.
"I know! Just checking in!" He beams at Aleida, who's sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. After sharing a sweet kiss, they join hands over the seat divider and he steps on the gas. They're going shopping and then Friendly's, and Fahri is going to meet them there with his great-niece. Daya and her siblings aren't with them since she's at the movies with friends while Christina and Emiliano are at Lindsay's house for a sleepover.
"You gotta be a bundle of nerves, Glo," Aleida sympathizes with her. "He's like, for real meeting your kids. You sure you wanna do this?"
"Too late to back out now," Gloria answers through a chuckle. "It's honestly fine, girl. I'm real tight with him already. He does hella good with Farah, I saw 'em together with my own two eyes. She's the cutest little bug, and Fahri...you can tell he just wants to make her giggle and enjoy life, basically. I should've at least taken a picture to show ya."
"Nah, yo, that'd be stalking," Aleida points out. "I believe you."
"Farah?" a tiny voice pipes up, most definitely belonging to Julio.
"Yeah, you're gonna see her in about an hour, champ!" Leon tells him.
"Yaaaay!" he cheers adorably, and the adults beam.
When they get inside Bloomingdales, Aleida and Gloria sift through racks of clothes and pick some out, and Aleida gives Leon some shirts and pants to try on that she thinks would look hot on him. The adults plan to model outfits for each other and get the boys' opinions, too.
An unpleasant smell wafts from the stroller. "Aw, shit! Literally..." Gloria groans as she lifts Julio up and out of where he was resting. They all scrunch up their noses in disgust. "Somebody gotta get his diaper changed..."
"I'll help you," Aleida volunteers, and they leave for the women's restroom.
Benny plugs his nose. "Eeew! My brother stinks!"
"Well, they'll get him cleaned up, and it'll be fine." Leon sends the little guy an amused smile. To make it entertaining while they wait for the ladies and Julio, Leon sits Benny on his shoulders and walks around the store. Benny chatters away about everything he sees and he's amazed by what's up so high on the shelves and tries to touch the ceiling. It's too far for even Leon to reach, so Benny can't get to it either.
"You havin' fun up there, sport?" Leon asks him.
"Yeah!" Benny responds happily. "I feel really big!"
"I bet!"
A few minutes later, though, Benny whimpers. "I wanna get down!" he whines, and Leon sets him back on the ground immediately. Tears fill his eyes as they grow huge and round and his chin quivers. He winds his arms around one of Leon's legs and hides his face. "I saw him..." he keeps saying between snivels and gasps of air, like he's hyperventilating.
Leon glances at him anxiously as he gets to the small boy's level. "Who?" He smooths Benny's longish hair back from his face. The troubled expression he's wearing is heartbreaking.
"The evil demon...he hurt me and Mommy..."
"Okay, I'mma look for that devil." Leon mutters. "I thought he was locked up..." He hunts around the area, but doesn't see anyone suspicious. "Benny, can you tell me what he looks like?"
Benny nods slowly. "He has mean eyes like a monster and his head is a square and he has brown skin like mine...and he has a sparkly thing right here." He points to the middle of his stuck-out tongue.
"That sounds like the animal who spooked us earlier," Leon realizes aloud. He does his best not to sound too angry in front of Benny, but he's upset that some cruel individual could be after his family, and it's a real possibility it could've been Arturo or a friend of his. Leon has no concrete proof that the reckless driver or the person Benny saw was actually Arturo, so he doesn't want to jump to conclusions. He's hoping Benny had simply noticed someone who looked like his and Gloria's abuser and they triggered him without meaning to. "I'm sorry, champ, I don't see him anywhere. Sometimes, strangers can look like people we know."
"He's gone now..." Benny's voice wavers again and tears coat his cheeks. "I don't want him to give me and Mama owies no more..."
Leon wipes the moisture away with the back of his hand. He squeezes Benny tighter against him, but not enough to injure him. "I know, and I won't let that happen. If I ever see that bad guy, I'll get him!"
"You promise, Mister Leon?"
Leon nods his head yes. "Of course! I'll protect y'all to the end."
Benny sniffles and lays his head on Leon's shoulder. Leon rubs comforting circles on his back until his rapid gasps of air slow way down.
"What happened?" Gloria wonders out loud as she and Aleida return from the bathroom with Julio.
"He had a little panic attack, but I consoled him," Leon reports while standing, and Benny grins up at him. The child then runs towards Gloria, and she quickly drops to her knees so she can gather him in her arms and kiss the top of his head. Leon won't mention that Benny had thought he'd seen her violent ex, since that would just worry her.
"Oh, baby, you're safe, no te preocupes." Gloria murmurs sadly while running a gentle hand through his hair. She glances over at Leon. "Thank you."
Don't worry.
"No biggie. I love that kid! There's nothin' I wouldn't do for him, or the rest of my family." Leon and the women share a smile.
Once they get to Friendly's, Gloria orders her children ice cream sundaes after they tell her what they'd like. She's hoisting Julio up on her hip with one arm and placing her hand on Benny's head as he clings to her legs. Normally, they would have dinner first, but she wants to get them in a pleasant mood before they meet Fahri, and nothing amps up a child's energy like sugar.
"Okay, I'll get to making it now," Cheryl, another waitress, tells her.
Benny then runs over to Leon and tugs on his jeans a few times. "I hafta go potty."
"Okay, buddy, come on." Leon grunts as he gets up. He holds Benny's hand and walks to the family restroom. He helps Benny do his business by holding him upright, and then lifts him up so he can wash his hands with soap and dry them.
"Yo, look who the cat dragged in!" Aleida hollers as Diane comes through the doors of the restaurant. Her face is solemn at first, but she brightens up when she sees Gloria, Aleida, and Julio.
"Hey!" Diane calls out and she hugs the women and then bends down to wrap her arms around Julio. "Hi, squirt!" Benny scampers out of the bathroom, with Leon right behind him. He jumps into Diane's embrace, joining his younger brother, and Diane kisses both boys on their cheeks while tousling their hair. "How you doin', little dudes?"
They giggle together and Julio taps Diane's nose, so Diane does it back to him. "Good," Benny answers her. The other adults smile at the budding conversation and how cute Diane is being with Gloria's sons.
"Where Awec?" Julio asks, and everyone knows he's referring to Alex, but he can't fully pronounce his l's or x's yet. It's such a cute speech impediment he has.
"She is at the movies!"
"Ohhh! Daya's there too," Benny lets her know.
"Yeah, all the big girls went." Diane beams at them and widens her eyes. "Who's ready for some yummy Monster Mash sundaes?" It's a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream with three cherries arranged into two eyes and a nose, and two halves of a Reeses peanut butter cup stuck on each side of the 'eyes', like horns. There's also a line of whipped cream behind the 'horns' and chocolate pieces above the 'eyes'.
"Meeeeeee!" the boys shout in unison while jumping up and down.
"Okay, I heard that Cheryl's making some for you, she should be almost done! I'll check up on her." She lifts herself up and squeezes their tiny hands before leaving to the backroom. Within five seconds, though, her co-worker sets the Halloween treats on the table in front of the boys. Diane turns around and places herself behind the counter. Gloria pretends to take a bite out of each of her kids' ice cream, and they just push her spoon away.
"Noooo! Mine!" Julio declares.
"Yeah, Mommy!" Benny adds, and she giggles to herself.
"It's so good, though!" Gloria whines playfully. "Oh, well."
"So...when's Fahri coming?" Diane asks.
Gloria looks over at the clock beside the menu. "In about five minutes."
"You gonna hold his hand like you did last night?" Aleida wonders aloud.
"Nah...we gonna hold off on that until my kids are used to him being simply next to me."
"Good idea," Diane comments, and Aleida and Leon nod in agreement.
"I was honestly surprised he wasn't an animal and he kept it in his pants," Gloria states.
"Well, don't applaud a fish for swimmin'," Aleida mutters.
"Trust me, I ain't doin' that! It's just that he was the first dude who acted...human...when he was around me."
"Awesome!" Diane squeals. "Speak of the devil...er, the angel."
"Yo, I gotta go to class," Aleida excuses herself.
"Yeah, and I'm driving her!" Leon adds. "I'll be back in twenty." The couple hugs everyone goodbye and they leave just as Fahri arrives. Gloria beams instantly at the sight of him. She gets some hair out of Benny's face and moves Julio closer to her and helps him sit more upright, so he isn't sliding off the seat.
"Hey, Gloria," Fahri greets her warmly once he steps inside the restaurant, pushing Farah in her stroller.
"Hi, Fahri! Long time no see," she jokes, and they both chuckle. She glances over at Benny and Julio, who are watching Fahri warily as he walks to their table.
"Why does he have a baby?" Benny asks Gloria quietly.
"Boys, this is Fahri...you saw him the first time I hung out with him and our friends, and Fahri, these are my sons, Julio, and Benjamin, but you can call him Benny or Benito if you want." She gestures to each child as she says their name.
They shyly wave hello. "Hey, guys, it's great to see you again," he replies in a sweet voice. "Look who I brought with me!" He pushes back the top of the stroller to reveal Farah, who appears to be content as she plays with her plush dolly.
Julio's mouth forms into an O shape and he lights up. "Mommy, it's Farah!" he exclaims as he points at his friend and his eyes switch between Gloria and Fahri as the man sits down across from Gloria.
She gasps dramatically. "I know!"
Fahri reaches into the stroller and tickles her little tummy, making her giggle and getting her attention. "Farah, sweetie, why don't you say hi to our friends? You know Julio, but this is his mommy, Gloria, and his big brother, Benny!" he introduces them, and the tiny girl waves at them quietly. They do it back to her while smiling.
"Hi, Farah!" Gloria exclaims cheerfully. "Wow, it's so fun when you see a friend outside of class, huh?" she asks her boys.
"Yeah, like for a birthday party!" Benny agrees, and Julio nods happily.
"Speaking of which, she'll be two soon, and you both can come celebrate her special day with her if you'd like," Fahri offers.
"Milio!" Farah pipes up.
"Emiliano is invited, too," he adds, and everyone grins.
Gloria's sons smile at her eagerly. "I wanna go!" Julio tells him.
"Me too!" Benny puts in, but then he and Julio glance back at Gloria. "Can we, Mama?"
"Of course!" Gloria answers while beaming and then she plays with their hair a little. "I'll help out with whatever y'all need if that's cool," she volunteers. She dips a napkin in a cup of water and wipes away the ring of chocolate around her sons' mouths. He hadn't even snapped at her to clean their faces. In fact, he looked amused at the sight of them enjoying their food. The concept of this man being absolutely fine with her children making sticky messes and not blaming her for it is foreign to her, but she's enjoying it thoroughly.
"Yeah, sure, thank you! It's just a couple hours, starting around eleven, I believe. It's at my sister's place. Allison has a lot of fun things planned and we'll be cooking that morning, cleaning up the house, and baking a cake," Fahri responds.
"I'm awesome at all of that! It'd be my absolute pleasure to do somethin'," Gloria lets Fahri know.
"Oooh, cake! I want chocolate!" Benny comments, his eyes gleaming.
"Chockwit!" Farah and Julio echo him at the same time, and the adults chuckle.
"You know your mommy's making you chocolate cake, kid," Fahri tells Farah and tousles her black curls.
"Yay!" the children shout in unison.
"I could frost it or decorate," Gloria offers. "It'd be less work for Allison to do, besides, it'll be fun, us two chicas in the kitchen, listenin' to tunes."
"Oh, yeah," Fahri agrees. He beams at her.
She peers down at Farah squirming in her stroller, twisting around and waving her small arms and legs about. "What a cutie! It looks like she wants out, though. Would she be cool if I helped her? I'll do it calmly and everything."
He nods. "Yeah, thanks!"
"You're very welcome!" She kneels to the floor so she doesn't look too large in Farah's eyes. "Hey, sweet pea."
"Who you again?"
"My name is Gloria. You need help?" Farah nods slightly while cooing, so Gloria unbuckles her. She lifts the tiny girl from the stroller and then places her onto the tile. She taps Farah's nose a few times and wrinkles her own nose in order to make a funny face at Farah and cause her to laugh. Julio gets down from his chair and gives her a hug. It's so precious that Gloria tears up just watching them. She and Fahri grin at the same time and then Fahri picks up his great-niece and sets her in his lap. After bouncing her on his knees a few times, just like Gloria does with her sons, Farah is soon passed around from him to Gloria, then to Diane, and back to him. Then, Farah has a kids' hot fudge sundae. "So, when is Farah's birthday exactly?" Gloria wants to know. She holds both Julio and Benny in place, one on both sides of her, and her arms surround them so they can feel safe. The two of them don't fit in her lap at the same time, and she doesn't want to leave either of them out. Gloria had told them before that they can feel free to sit on her lap if necessary, but to take turns doing so. The restaurant is very busy with people constantly getting takeout, and Alex isn't here, so Diane has her hands full with both taking orders and making them. She never fails to give Gloria and her sons reassuring smiles, though, as she seems to listen in on their conversation with Fahri. Luckily, it isn't too loud at all.
"The twenty-seventh of this month, but her party is two days before Halloween."
"Oh, nice! Julio's big day is November fifth."
"I tweeee!" Julio adds to Gloria enthusiastically and claps his hands while nodding, and she grins at how cute he is.
"That's great, buddy! Are you having a party?" Fahri asks him.
The little boy sticks his thumb in his mouth and looks up at Gloria curiously. "We're going to his favorite park and inviting his friends," she answers for him. "He really enjoys playing kickball. We'd love to have Farah."
"That sounds fun! I'm sure Allison would bring her...and I can help you, if you don't mind."
Gloria beams. "I could always use the extra hands, I'd appreciate it!" She sighs heavily, since they always go to the park and she wants to provide him with a party that's a little more interesting.
"All right!" Fahri grins at her and his eyes travel to her sons. "So, guys...how's school going?"
"Good," Benny answers him timidly. He keeps glancing at Gloria as he talks, and she gives him encouraging back rubs. He climbs up on her lap. "Me and Christina and Michael and Dylan and sometimes Lindsay play together aaaaaallll the time! We also read books and do math. I hate math. It's stupid!" he continues, but he's not really talking to Fahri. She'd let it slide the first two times, but she thinks it's best if her sons get used to him, especially when she's right there with them.
Gloria snorts and rolls her eyes. "Just wait ten years, baby." She freezes up at her own words and gulps, since Arturo hated her calling the children pet names. She'd been trying to joke around, and she's relieved to see Fahri chortling instead of glaring at her and threatening to call the cops for simply being affectionate with her kids. It was ironic, since Arturo was the pedophile, not Gloria. She'd never fantasize of doing something like that. Every time he and the boys would exchange hugs, she kept a close eye on him, although his preference was girls under eighteen, not guys. Thinking back to this brings a tremor through her and she practically crushes her kids against her. "Sorry..."
"No, no, don't be...what's wrong?" Fahri asks her.
Gloria shakes her head. "Nothin'. I'm fine." She clears her throat and forces the awful memories away. "So, um...Benny, I get what you're sayin' there about math. I got a C in high school in the subject and I was so bad that I couldn't get past Algebra!" She snickers at herself, and the others join in.
"Oh no! What's a Algebra?" Benny asks innocently, and it's quite adorable.
"It's like a level of math that you do when you're fifteen, like Daya," Fahri replies to Benny, and his tone isn't condescending at all. Gloria is amazed.
"Er, I was okay...but I could've done better," she clarifies, realizing that her children don't know what it means to get a C.
Fahri shrugs at her with a grin. "You did your best."
"Yeah..."
He then switches his attention to Benny. "I'm sure you're trying your hardest! I can, uh, do some problems with you if you'd like."
"Oh. No, thank you. Mama and Miss Stacy help me, and Leon, too."
"That's fine! No worries, kid." A shock goes through Gloria's system, since Fahri is excellent at taking no for an answer. He's doing everything correctly so far.
For at least three minutes, Arturo had been tickling Julio and Benny, and they'd begged him to quit about two minutes ago. "Te están pidiendo que pares, Arturo, no mas," Gloria tries to warn him, but he ignores her and laughs evilly. Now, they're crying, and he's beyond fed up. She could've easily taken them from his grasps, but he has her in the kitchen, wearing heels that are much too high for her, and a skimpy bra and thong, as she slaves over the hot stove. He has an electric fence blocking the entrance to the rest of the house from the kitchen, so she can't leave it unless he disables it, which he's currently doing.
They're asking you to stop, Arturo, no more.
"¡Cállalos!" he commands her, and tears prick at her eyes as he starts counting down from ten. "Diez, nueve, ocho, siete..."
Shut them up!
Gloria races to her sons and comforts them by singing them a lullaby. "Seis, cinco, cuatro, tres..." She shushes them quietly and hugs them close to her. "Dos, uno..." They're whimpering now, and she needs them to stop since he's almost finished and he's furious. "Cero!" he bellows, and she knows what she has to do now.
She gets up quickly. "¡Eso es suficiente!" she scolds them, but feels so horrible. She'd stay with them and make them feel better all day if it was possible. She longs to take them out for ice cream and the park, but she'll have to wait until he's away.
That's enough!
"What's your favorite book?"
Benny scrunches up his face in thought. "Hmm...I don't got one. Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed," he says in a hushed murmur.
"Well, you decided that one fast, my little wild man," Gloria comments and pokes her oldest son's nose, making him giggle. Fahri grins at their interaction. "Hey buddy, can you say that a little louder so Fahri can hear you...and you can look at him, he doesn't bite!" Benny glances anxiously between her and Fahri. "Go ahead, tell him," she urges her oldest son and presses a light kiss to his cheek.
Benny gets up the courage to recite the name of the story he had previously mentioned in a tone of voice that Fahri can comprehend this time. "Also, Words Are Not For Hurting," he adds.
"Those are both good," Fahri comments. "How about you, Julio? I know you, Farah, and Emiliano love playing together, but what things do you do in preschool?"
Julio crawls onto Gloria's lap. "Ba games and drive cahs and make wava and paint piwate ships aaaaand...go to the moon," he responds shyly, practically burying his face into Gloria's shirt. Then, he peeks out at Fahri from between his fingers.
Gloria rocks her youngest son gently and rubs his back in soothing circles, like she'd done for Benny. "Oh wow that's cool, I bet Fahri wants to hear all about it too!" she tells him cheerfully and kisses his cheek.
"It's okay," Farah tells Julio in a small voice. "He not scawy like monster." Julio slowly removes his hand from his eyes and mumbles the activities he enjoys doing with his friends at school. Tears well up in Gloria's eyes at how brave both of her children are.
"Awesome, I'm glad you guys have fun there!" Fahri exclaims. "Also, Farah's right...I'm not a real monster. However, I pretend to play that game with her, and she loves it. I won't do it with you two if it makes you uncomfortable, okay?"
Benny and Julio nod. "No monster," Julio whispers. "I scared."
"No monster, too," Benny repeats his younger brother. "We don't like that."
"Alright, I get it completely. It's not for everyone. So...what are you gonna be for Halloween?"
"SpiderMan!" Benny answers right away.
"A punkin!" Julio chimes in.
"Jasmine!" Farah pipes up.
"That'll be hella cute!" Gloria comments, reaching over the table to poke Farah's nose, causing her to grin adorably.
"I know!" Fahri agrees. "I can't wait to see everyone all dressed up. The grownups will take so many pictures!"
"Oh, that reminds me! Julio and Benny love their toy camera!" Gloria announces. "They share it and every other day, one of them has it, and they trade off," she explains to Fahri. She glances down at Julio. "Hey, cariño...you wanna show Mister Fahri your camera?"
He nods eagerly and takes it out of Gloria's bag when she opens it for him. He snaps a fake photo of Fahri, who poses and raises his eyebrows while making the peace sign, making Gloria and Benny laugh. Farah claps her hands with glee and reaches for the camera. "No, mine!" Julio insists.
"You can play with it together," Gloria suggests.
"Okay..."
"Well, Mister Benny, I already know that Mister Julio is turning three soon...how old are you?" Benny holds up his hand with all five fingers spread out, showing Fahri his age. "Whoa, you're a big boy!"
"I'm littler than everyone in my class except Chrissy," Benny informs him and pulls a sour face.
"Aw, well that's nothing to feel bad about," Fahri assures him. "Lots of people are short, just like others are tall!"
Gloria taps Benny, and he switches his attention to her. "Lorna's the tiniest out of all your babysitters! Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' a shortie."
"I guess," Benny mumbles. He goes back to playing with the toddlers.
Fahri and Gloria trade a smile. "Shall I get us dinner?" he asks. "You all can let me know what you want."
"Yeah, we're starved!" she responds enthusiastically.
First, they have appetizers, which are chicken quesadillas with salsa and sour cream for the adults and Poppin' Pizza Bites for the kids. The main course is a bacon cheeseburger and fries, in Gloria and Fahri's cases, at least. They expect to have leftovers, which Gloria likes the idea of. She would prefer not to waste food. Benny starts eating his macaroni and cheese and sliced-up hot dogs, while Julio munches upon a cheese sandwich that had been cut into quarters, along with apple slices.
In the middle of their meal, Leon returns and the boys give him hugs, while the women and Fahri wave at him and give him head nods. Later, a trio of Latinos with hard features about them walk into Friendly's. They head towards Gloria and her sons, seeming to study them before approaching the table they're sitting at. "Cute kids," one of them comments while tilting his head towards the little boys, who cuddle further into Gloria's sides. He appears to be the biggest out of the bunch.
"Thanks," she says shortly. She keeps them calm by holding them close to her as best she can and stroking their hair in a soothing motion. They don't do well with strangers, and Gloria isn't very fond of the three customers staring at her and her babies. They're giving off such a bad vibe, and a shudder escapes her as dread creeps over her. She's suddenly scared they could be some of Arturo's friends she'd never met.
"So, are you going to keep making them feel uncomfortable?" Fahri cuts in sharply with a fierce expression in his eyes. "You need to leave." He stands up fast with Farah in his arms and blocks their view of Gloria, Benny, and Julio. She swoons at his protectiveness and she has to remind herself he isn't mad at her. It's the first time she's seen him angry.
Another guy sniggers. "My pal there just gave her a compliment, and she was grateful for it." He lifts his arms in the air and drops them at his sides. "Don't be jealous, bro. Anyway, we're gonna eat now." Everyone looks at them in disbelief as they go up to the counter. "Hey, can you make us the largest combo meal you got?" he asks Diane. They all tower over her and lean towards her more than necessary, so much that she takes a few steps back. "Big beef half pound cheeseburger."
The third grunts. "Yeah, we gotta satisfy our appetites. You may wanna come closer so you can get this right, sweet cheeks."
Leon drums the table angrily and Fahri clears his throat. "Don't talk to her like that," Leon reprimands the idiot.
"I heard you anyway," Diane adds coldly. "I'll begin the meals now."
"Who's that?" Benny asks Gloria in a soft voice. Julio simply chows down in silence, but Gloria can sense that he's afraid or at least nervous like she and Benny are.
"I dunno, honey. Just finish your food." She sends him a halfhearted grin and plays with his long locks. She switches her gaze between her boys. "It'll be okay, guys. Fahri and Leon are here. So are me and Diane. You're safe with us." She's proud of herself that she'd kept the shakiness out of her voice. She's had a lot of practice with that, even when she was lying, just so her kids could breathe easier.
"Ahh, finally, fresh air!" Nicky inhales deeply and exhales slowly.
"Mm-hm, I know it was a bit stuffy in there," Daya sympathizes with her. "At least Shall We Dance was awesome!"
"Yeah! Oh, there was so much romance!" Lorna gushes.
Flaca and Maritza giggle together while putting their arms around each other's shoulders. "Totally! I'm so glad we're a couple again, yay!" Maritza squeals.
"We never broke up, though...I was just mad, but we're cool now!" Flaca tells their friends.
"Well, a happy one, that's probably what you mean, right, Maritza?" Blanca asks, and Maritza nods.
"What were you two fighting about anyway?" Maria wonders aloud.
"Stupid shit...like, Mari took my apricot facial scrub without asking," Flaca responds.
"It was almost gone!" Maritza protests when Lorna raises an eyebrow at her and the others laugh, even Alex, who had looked pretty downtrodden earlier.
Allison tsks. "You're right, Flaca, that's a dumb reason to be pissed at somebody. I'm glad y'all made up."
"I couldn't agree more," Michelle states. She looks over at her girlfriend, who's quiet as she strolls along with the group to the bus stop. "Hey...you alright?"
"I will be once I get it out of my head that I could've actually been in jail tonight instead of with all of you. It's all like, a shock. I really fucking got away with it. The old bat lost her memory and doesn't have a clue of what even my name is, what I look like, or how she got hurt." They all gasp happily.
"No way," Michelle breathes out. "That's a fucking miracle!"
"Holy shit, no wonder why the pigs never came to take you away," Ouija murmurs. They all grin at Alex and pat her back.
"You're like, a star," Pidge compliments her.
"Yeah, our girl deserves a drink on us!" Maritza puts in enthusiastically.
Blanca and Maria toast with invisible glasses. "Cheers!" they add in unison.
"I...I have the ability to just...stop someone from living, though..." Alex mumbles. "That shouldn't be celebrated."
"You have every right to party about it!" Pennsatucky insists.
"We admire you!" Allison chimes in. "It's not every day that someone kicks a bigot's ass and doesn't have to serve time for it!"
"Yo, don't feel guilty about what you did to that puta! You're our hero, we're all so proud of you!" Michelle brings Alex's face down to hers so they can kiss. "Mmm...I'm so lucky that you're here instead of juvy."
"I appreciate the compliments, and same...I couldn't be more grateful. I'm aware that she deserved it, babe, and my mom was probably like, laughing, in her head, but I actually freaked her out...she's never seen me be violent to anyone before. Do you think she's ashamed of me?"
"Nah! You did a good thing, you know?" Michelle assures her.
Alex manages a smile. "It did feel great," she admits.
"So, the bitch for real got amnesia?" Taystee asks excitedly.
"Dr. Chapman, you know, Piper's older brother, Danny...he reported that she did," Alex informs the group. "I know he's just starting his medical career, but he's well educated on his shit."
"That's amazing!" Poussey tells Alex.
"How exactly did you not get busted if there's DNA and everything?" Flaca wants to know.
Alex beams proudly. "Charles just covered for me and recorded me saying, 'I saw my grandma before it happened, I hugged her and we talked. I don't know who would do this to her, it's cruel and inhumane.' I even faked my tears...Drama class has helped me so much in my acting skills!" She snickers, along with the others, and they hi-five her. "God, he's the coolest guy ever. I'm so lucky my mom's dating a cop!"
"We are too, sister!" Nicky exclaims.
"That's why you kept going on your phone during the movie," Lorna realizes aloud. "Were you checking to see if they believed your fabricated story?"
Alex nods. "Yeah, and my heart was heavy...I was chatting with my mom, just in case I was gonna get arrested right in the middle of the film...I wanted to enjoy my last night of being free, if the worst were to happen. It was like a brick lifted off my chest when she and Charles said Phyllis couldn't remember squat, even about who I was, and uh...the police bought it!"
"Hook, line, and sinker!" Daya hollers cheerfully.
"Congratulations!" Michelle chimes in and hugs Alex.
"Thank you!"
"I wish I were just as courageous," Alana says.
Stephanie rests her elbow on Alana's shoulder. "You are to me."
"You make such a nice pair of best friends," Lorna praises them, and they beam at her.
After Diane reluctantly serves the skeevy guys, they unceremoniously eat like pigs as they leave the restaurant, dripping sauce, condiments, and bits of onions and burgers on the floor in their wake. Diane scoffs. "Ugh, so disrespectful...and disgusting, too."
"I'm just glad they're gone...but I'm sorry they made a mess," Gloria murmurs.
"Yeah, I know."
"We can clean it up for you," Leon offers.
"Are you kidding me?" Diane asks rhetorically. She points out the door. "Go after them!"
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Fahri mutters once he sees a man with an athletic build prowling around outside the restaurant and walking around like he's either intoxicated or high. He'd wanted to confront the other douchebags ever since they'd joined Kubra's drug ring and Alex had pointed them out to him as Duardo, Pepe, and Paco. He knows they're after Gloria and he hopes they haven't gotten far. "Hey, Leon, there's trouble," he tells the other man quietly and tilts his head toward the door. Leon nods in understanding and gets up to follow him. Fahri hands Farah to Diane, and she takes the little girl. "You mind holding her for a sec?" he asks hastily.
"Sure, no problem," Diane tells him.
"We gotta handle this, don't worry, ladies and kids!" Leon lets them know.
"Good luck out there!" Gloria calls out.
"Thank you!" Fahri responds as he leaves the restaurant, and Leon waves at them as he trails after Fahri.
Leon balls up his hands into fists and comes toward the creep who's loitering in the same area he was a couple of minutes ago. "Hey, asshole, you tried to kill over half my whole family tonight?!" he yells at the guy, who just snickers, earning him a punch in the face. He staggers back from Leon and tries to run away, but Fahri grabs him by the back of his shirt to stop him in his tracks.
"What?!" Fahri hisses. "I'll handle this motherfucker, you take care of Duardo and his gang, he's getting away from us."
"Sure." Leon runs to where they are. Duardo is currently bellowing something in Spanish and his cronies escape. "The fuck you want with Gloria? I know you just didn't come in to harass Diane about making you and your buddies food."
"You should know the answer to that, pal..."
"Well, I'm unaware of it! Please enlighten me," Leon mutters sarcastically.
"Who the fuck are you, sleazebag?" Fahri demands.
"Juan..."
"What's my friend talkin' about, attempting murder on his family? Not only is that a crime in and of itself, but you were also looking like a stalker out here!"
"I barely nicked him and the others on the road on the way to Friendly's, and we were in cars." Juan scoffs and rubs his jaw. "He's making a big deal out of nada!"
"I didn't see you apologizing once you saw us," Fahri growls. He shoves him hard into the wall and the side of his face starts bleeding. The piece of scum groans and spits up blood. "In fact, you appeared boastful! Why is that, I wonder? Huh? You wanna ruin people's lives like that?" He doesn't let Juan respond. All he can think of is his friends and Gloria's kids who were in that vehicle that was almost purposely struck, and he bashes Juan's face in a few times so he has a black eye about to form and a busted lip. "They could've flipped over, had glass embedded into their skin, permanently in wheelchairs, limbs so stuck between parts of the car they had to be amputated, and not to mention, bloody and bruised and in hospital beds with little to no hope of surviving through it!" Fahri grits his teeth while shaking Juan roughly. "Then you decide to follow them here? What in God's name is wrong with you, dipshit?!"
Juan spits in Fahri's face. "Absolutely nothin', other than the fact that I can't score! I can watch scrumptious bitches from a distance, though, right?"
Fahri wipes Juan's saliva off his cheek where it had landed. "Wrong! You're a putrid snake if you think that's okay! Or you're just plain dumb, which I can buy, too. You're asking for me to get you arrested!" He reaches into Juan's pocket while squeezing both wrists together with his free hand and pulls out the creature's cell phone. "You been taking pictures of them, too?"
"No!"
Fahri doubts that, but he doesn't check, since his vice grip around Juan's wrists is weakening and he can't hold him in place with his whole body for much longer, because of how hard Juan is struggling. "Don't touch them again, don't be in their presence at all, do you understand, you son of a bitch?"
Juan huffs. "Fine. Would you just let go of me?"
"Yeah." Fahri shoves his foot into Juan's back and sends him flying into the pavement.
"We've all told you there was a drug bust, so leave my crew, family, and my girl's daughter's friends, the hell alone, you got that? Or I'll use my gun on your ass!" Leon threatens Duardo.
Fahri doesn't hear Duardo's answer. He just sees him mouth something and then take off in a sprint. Within a few seconds, Leon is hot on his heels and pulling out his cell phone to call Charles, presumably.
"You boys did so well talking to Fahri tonight! You were real brave." Gloria pulls them both into a hug while beaming. "Hey, but you know Mommy is always proud of you, no matter what, right?"
Benny and Julio nod. "Yeah, but where'd he go?" Benny wonders aloud.
"He had to take care of somethin'," Gloria answers.
"What?" Julio wants to know.
"He's going to protect us from the bad guys that came in earlier."
"Ohh," they say in unison.
As soon as Fahri gets home and turns on the light, he sees Kubra and Aydin sitting on two of his barstools with a stern expression on each of their faces. Even if Fahri knows that they're both aware of his address and have made it clear they can stop by whenever they want, this freaks him out immensely. "Oh, shit, you guys scared me!" he exclaims while pressing his hand to his heart.
"Okay, whatever. Now, I had a former fellow dealer named Arturo Cazador, but he got arrested. It's not your business where he's locked up, but I need your help in seeing if he recorded anything on his YouTube channel that could link to the drug ring. He has a stock photo image for a profile picture...which is a Chucky doll." Kubra shrugs. "Dude's a fan of slasher films."
Fahri nods at Kubra. "Yes, sir, I can certainly do that."
"Thank you."
Aydin gestures to Fahri's computer. "Get going, lazy. Make us happy." He and Kubra both clap Fahri hard on his back, making him wince in pain and stumble forward as he's about to get online and search for Arturo.
"Ow," he whispers. Once they leave, he gets onto YouTube and types in the guy's name. A whole bunch of results come up, but he knows the right account. He clicks on Arturo Cazador and then plays the first video. It's called Los niños son estúpidos a veces jajaja.
Kids are stupid sometimes hahaha.
To his surprise, he sees Gloria in a chair with her hands folded in her lap. She's in a BDSM style strapless dress, complete with leather material and spikes crawling up her neck, pressing into her throat. The hem is so above her knees that it looks like she could be wearing a long tube top. Her high heels appear as though they're a nightmare to even stand still in without falling over. The camera zooms in on her slightly and she smiles as the person filming her, probably Arturo, gets closer to her. They're in a bedroom, since Fahri notices the side of a bed with the post at the end. Photos of chainsaws cutting into decaying humans cover the walls and broken dolls line the top shelf, but that makes sense, since Kubra had said Arturo was a horror movie buff. Handcuffs, zip ties, extension cords, whips, and belts are tangled with clothing on a desk, and Fahri can swear he spots droplets of blood dotting the wooden floor. The longer he stares at the scene, the weirder it seems to be. He pauses it just before Arturo begins to speak. "Okay, so maybe they were into sadomasochism. Not my thing, but everyone's entitled to their own kinks," Fahri mutters to himself. Something tells him to keep watching, so he does, even though it has nothing to do with the drug cartel.
"Eres mi buena chica, ¿eh, perra?" Gloria nods silently to Arturo's question, and Fahri can then see that her grin isn't as wide as it usually is when he's around her. It looks to be almost fake in this, which is strange. Since he only travels to Bali and France, he can't understand Spanish, so he'll have to use Google for translations later. "Whoa...damas y caballeros, ¿no se ve deliciosa esta noche? Ciertamente creo que sí..."
You're my good girl, huh, you little bitch? Whoa...ladies and gents, doesn't she look delicous tonight? I certainly think so...
"Tengo que irme por un tiempo, mi mascota. No te cambies de esa ropa, a menos que pretendas estar desnudo por el resto de esta noche, lo cual yo no diría que no." Gloria shudders slightly and bites her bottom lip as he bends down to her neck, the corners of his lips turning up into a snarl. His face is shrouded by a ski mask with holes for his eyes and mouth, and Fahri assumes that it's because Arturo wouldn't want to show anyone what he looks like. He licks his gleaming sharp teeth and she gulps hard as he stands and walks out, leaving the door open. When she moves her chair a bit, Fahri's insides freeze up at the sight of hazardous weapons in plain view, a rifle leaning against the wall and a gun right next to it.
I have to leave for a while, my pet. Don't change out of those clothes, unless you intend to be naked for the rest of this evening, which I wouldn't say no to.
"Now-now that he-he's gone..." Gloria whispers shakily. She glances over her shoulder twice and then faces the camera. She wrings her hands while leaning forward, and he sees that there's some bruising around her left eye. It's light, but evident, and looks as if it's fading. "I...I want you all to know that-" She stops herself when Benny wanders in. The little kid kneels down and picks up the gun. He turns it over in his hand and Fahri gasps in horror, along with Gloria. "Oh my god, baby, you can't touch this, okay?" she instructs him gently in a hushed tone while carefully taking it away from him, and Fahri breathes a sigh of relief. He hopes it's unloaded and locked if it's out in the open like this. "That's Arturo's. It's not yours." She sets it on the dresser.
"Why?" Benny asks, gazing around the space. "Arturo said he'd share his toys with me."
"It ain't safe because it's a real gun, not a pretend one. Mommy's sorry it was out." Gloria kneels down and reaches for him, but he's examining the rifle now, tapping where the bullet would shoot out. It's quite unnerving, and he doesn't want to see Benny get hurt.
"Cool! I wanna play with this telescope..." Benny picks it up, making Fahri's heart skip a beat and he flinches, but then the boy drops it, causing a huge bang to sound when it hits the floor. Gloria shrieks and brings him into her arms. Fahri shakes his head while pressing his fist to his mouth. He doesn't know what kind of idiot leaves dangerous things lying around in a house with children present, and on a live video, no less. Of course, he doesn't blame her-she's trying so hard to protect her son.
"It's not a fuckin' telescope! You can hurt yourself real bad with that!" Gloria is about to put the rifle away when Arturo suddenly pops up behind her with an unhinged expression in his beady eyes, and sharp butcher knife in his hand pointed downwards, causing her to jump sharply, and Fahri does, too. She seems extremely frightened, with the imploring look she's giving Arturo, but she forces out a guffaw, as if she's playing it off as a joke. Fahri has heard her genuine laugh several times, though, it's light and beautiful, carefree-but this one isn't at all. He hasn't seen her this scared since she'd panicked about taking his popcorn without asking. He remembers her thinking he was mad at her. There was also that time when she was nervous to choose which radio station she wanted to play in his limo. "¿Debería hacerte un filete, Regla Arturo Franco Cazador?" she asks calmly, but her voice is trembling.
Should I make you steak, Ruler Arturo Franco Cazador?
"Toma eso del pequeño hijo de puta," Arturo orders her. "Sácalo de aquí en diez...nueve...ocho..." Arturo counts down slowly as Gloria quickly scrambles to grab the rifle. She puts it someplace her kids can't get to.
Grab that from the little motherfucker. Get him outta here in ten...nine...eight...
Fahri knows she hadn't been in charge of putting it out of reach in the first place, since Arturo sounds very controlling and had probably instructed her not to do anything without his approval. Gloria has also told Fahri that she'd had a gun pointed at her before and she's always hated them. She doesn't let Benny play violent video games because of the gunshots, and she feels guilty about not allowing him to do everything he wants.
The puzzle is slowly coming together and clicking in Fahri's head. He's alarmed after watching this video twice because he thinks there was something weird about it the first time he saw it, and most people never notice the background, but he had. He'd gone back and really looked close and saw the marred flesh between the spikes on her neck, and the clang of the rifle smashing on wood when Benny had dropped it, echoes in Fahri's head, even after he goes to a video titled Living With Arturo Cazador Ain't Easy by Gloria Mendoza.
Julio is sat in her lap and Benny is next to her, swinging his legs from side to side. It looks like she's taping herself. Julio grins cutely and reaches out to touch the camera, but she keeps his hand away from it. "Me?" he asks.
Gloria manages a soft smile, and so does Fahri. "Yeah, that's you, honey." She sighs heavily and kisses the top of his head while pecking Benny's cheek. "So as you can see, guys...I love my babies more than anything. I'd die for them. That's part of why I'm making this." She reaches up to wipe under her misty eyes with the pad of her thumb, smudging her eyeliner, and he can see the distinct scar he'd felt on her wrist last night. Fahri pauses the frame and peers at it closely. She'd been burned somehow, and she appears to be terrified. He presses play. "You know why I wear black, right? I got a tender cut here that's still healing, and if it bleeds...I can't have it show on my clothes underneath..." She slightly touches a spot on her chest. "He only lets me have a phone so he can track me. I got like, minutes to post this." Her eyes dart from side to side worriedly and then widen in fear. "I'm aware it's mid July...and way too hot to be wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, but we went to the park earlier, and we had to rush home since I lost track of time."
He wonders why she's in such a warm outfit during summertime. It's just completely unnatural. She has to be hiding something, like bruises she doesn't want anyone to see. With the injuries he's seen on her person so far, in real life and on the videos, her five-year-old fiercely protecting her when she and Fahri went out at first, her having panic attacks frequently, certain things causing her to react badly, like apologizing over requesting mundane stuff and accidentally spilling apple juice on the cafeteria backroom's floor because of Piscatella scaring her with his appearance, and how violent Arturo seems to be, it dawns on Fahri that Gloria could be a survivor of domestic abuse. This is her silent cry for help, and chills race up and down his spine while his heart aches. He's so afraid for her, Benny, and Julio, even though they're not suffering anymore since Arturo is behind bars like the animal he is.
"I can't film this while I'm watching my kids play, so I gotta do it here. Normally, Lourdes would be helping me...but she's busy with work and I don't wanna bother her. I'm finished with Arturo...I gotta figure out how to tell my little ones that we're leaving him...kicking his ass outta my apartment, my bodega, my life. I can't have him near them anymore...I won't allow this bond between him and the boys to grow stronger...it makes the pain worse and harder to say goodbye to him. They'll soon realize it's better for all of us in the future, if he ain't around us no more." Gloria's chin quivers and a tear slides down her cheek. She quickly brushes it away with her knuckles. "S-so if this don't work out, I...I want somebody to take 'em and be the best parents possible. Please," she begs. "My aunt would, but he hates her a-" There are loud, booming footsteps in the background and then the camera instantly shuts off in the middle of her sentence. Fahri's stomach lurches for what might have happened next.
Gloria has eyes the color of melted chocolate, a stunning smile, and a nice figure, but besides her physical attractiveness, she has a beautiful heart to match. She's claimed before a couple of times she was a lousy mother, but to him, she's anything but that. In fact, she's clearly the type of mother who would rush into a burning building for her children or raise hell if harm were to come to them. Both of her sons are sweet and docile, like her, although a bit spunky, which is a trait they obviously got from her, but that doesn't bother him in the least. It breaks his heart at how severely traumatized the three of them are. He hopes he can heal their emotional wounds, one careful step at a time. Fahri is not sure how to approach Gloria with this new information. He feels like he shouldn't ask her about it unless it's brought up and confirmed that Arturo had been a true monster and is responsible for her constant anxiety.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Allison is walking Farah in her stroller. As she passes a basketball court on a block with a bunch of ratty apartment buildings, she suddenly takes notice of a sketchy-looking guy casually striding past her. His features are harsh, but she doesn't judge a book by its cover.
"¡La tuve en el maizal! ¡Casi la jodí! ¡Perra estúpida!" he's muttering to himself. Fury reddens his square face, which has been marked up with a shiner, a serious cut on his lip, and a gash on his cheekbone. He looks like he needs a trip to the hospital, and Allison throws him an apologetic glance before continuing on her way. He stops in his tracks and grins. "That baby of yours is adorable. I wish I had a little girl of my own, I just love them."
I had her in the cornfield! I almost fucking had her! Stupid bitch!
"Oh, thanks." She keeps going, but he creeps along with her.
"What's her name?" he slurs while panting with his tongue out. He wiggles it and licks his lips. She notices a ring in the center of his tongue. "I'm Franco."
She'd tell him if he weren't so insistent on being so close to her that she can smell his breath and practically feel his spittle on her forehead. He resembles a pedophile, the way he's leering in Farah's direction and acting like he's hungry. His comment about liking tiny girls makes her queasy. She'd feel sorry for him if he weren't acting like he probably deserved to be attacked. "Will you stop following me?" she snaps while gripping the handles of the stroller tightly.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" he yells when she quickens her step, heading back home.
"You get away from me and my daughter! Get the fuck away from us!" Allison screams at him. She practically runs to the bus. Her heart is beating frantically in her chest as she rapidly motions for the driver to put out the ramp so she can board the bus with her daughter. "Please hurry, I think he's after us..." She checks behind her to see if the stranger is still there, and he is. She feels like she's sinking in quicksand as he's about to catch up with her.
The woman assists her with lifting the stroller up onto the bus and waves her forward, so she hops on. Allison breathes out a sigh of relief when the doors close behind them and the lady drives off.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and Johanna002!
