Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf! Did anyone watch Suicide Squad in theaters? It's based on the DC comics with Harley Quinn who reminds me of Lorna, from the unhealthy love obsession to the cute New York accent! The movie was amazing, 10/10 would recommend!

*moya sestra-my sister

*babushka-grandmother

*vamos a hacer el desayuno ahora-let's make the breakfast now

"So, how's it working out for you, with the boys-excuse me, men- being at college for the first time?" Gloria Mendoza asks her Russian co-worker while they begin preparing the day's meals.

Galina Reznikov, otherwise known as Red, shakes her head at the Spanish woman next to her. "I never thought saying goodbye to my rambunctious children would be so hard. I'll see them on Thanksgiving, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe Lida will come back pregnant with hers and Vasily's child and I'll be a babushka at forty...or Maxim or Yuri will get into something or pull pranks on the dean...but I'm hoping they'll be good."

"Your kids will be well-behaved, I'm sure. You and Dimitri have raised them to be gentlemen."

"You are so damn right."

"I hope Julio and Benito turn out to be like them in eighteen years," Gloria murmurs, referring to her two boys, ages two and four. "I'm glad my sons are still with me."

Red's best friend, Norma Romano, silently smiles at the ladies as they chatter away.

An African American woman about Red's age walks into the backroom. "Bunch of clowns," she grumbles. "Hello, ladies."

"Claudette, hey!" Gloria greets her, and Red hugs the other chef. As the redhead does so, she feels immense pain in her back.

"Oh, I'm getting old," she mutters. "My back has been aching a lot these days."

"I'm so sorry," Claudette tells her and Gloria rubs Red's back. Norma gives her a sympathetic look.

"Which clowns were you talking about earlier, Claudette?" Red wants to know.

"This group of girls in the library...Taystee Jefferson, Poussey Washington, Janae Watson, and Cindy Hayes...little rascals they are! They were talking way too loud and I was trying to read before work."

"Oh, shut up, you probably want to secretly adopt Taystee," Gloria teases her.

"I would if she didn't already have a foster mother," Claudette admits. She wipes up a spill on the counter. "Don't make a mess, be careful!"

Norma takes hold of Gloria's arm and she winces. The mute lady stares at her with a scared expression on her face. "Norma, what is it?"

Red squints at Gloria's face, trying to see if the baby of their group really has a black eye. It's very faint, but it's there. "How'd you get that, moya sestra?" she wonders out loud and points to her own eye.

Gloria scrambles eggs in a bowl and pours in milk. "It's nothing, I probably don't get enough sleep."

"You flinched when Norma touched you. If someone is hurting you, we have weapons and we aren't afraid to use them," Claudette says.

"I'm fine, okay? I know you're all protective of me because I'm ten years younger than you, but you really don't need to freak out about my lack of sleep! I'll catch up on the weekends. ยกVamos a hacer el desayuno, ahora!" They jump at her suddenly harsh command and start working. They know they need to hurry up before the meanest members on the staff come in and demand their breakfasts.


Lorna rolls her eyes after cleaning up her mom's piss and helping her dad out of bed and into his wheelchair. It's usually Franny who does all this and sometimes shares the work with Lorna, but now Lorna has to do it since Franny is with Mendez. Lorna feels sicker than her mom when she thinks about how Franny wound up in this situation.

"If I had just kept my temper under control..." she mumbles under her breath. "No!" she argues with herself. "He had it coming!"

She hears Mikey's alarm blaring and runs into his room. "Hey, wake up, you lazy butthead! That noise makes me want to throw your clock across the room!"

"Ugh, I'm awake, so knock it off, Lorna!" her brother groans while rubbing his eyes open. "Go away! It's not my fault that your school starts earlier than mine!"

Lorna gets dressed in her room and applies eye makeup and her signature lipstick. She goes downstairs to find Franny cooking breakfast and Mendez sitting on one of their kitchen chairs with a towel wrapped around his waist. He smirks at her, and she wants to dive into a hole and never show her face again. His mustache honestly creeps her out since it makes him look like a pornstar.

"Good morning, Lorna," Franny says pleasantly. She turns to the cop. "Uh...Officer Mendez, I think you ought to put something decent on. My sister's here, so..."

"No problem." He leaves and then Lorna goes up to Franny.

"I ain't coming to the wedding," the tiny girl hisses.

"Stop it!"

"Well, when are you gonna kick him out? This is awkward."

"I can't send him home without food."

"He can get a donut. You don't gotta be his whore. You did it once yesterday, and that should be plenty. He didn't need to go out with you and sleep over at our place. What do Ma and Pop think? Mikey and I are just kids! I'm sorry. I really and truly am, Franny. I won't do...that again!"

Franny sighs heavily. "Lorna, just grab a waffle, pile fruit and whipped cream on it, maybe some syrup if you're not too busy. Oh, and have orange juice too. It's all on the table."

Lorna blows a breath out through her teeth. She hears her mother's scratchy voice calling out for her. "I have to tend to Ma...again." Lorna groans as she turns away.

Halfway through her run to Alberta Morello's room, she stops at her own and goes inside of it. Too many things are happening all at once and she can't handle the stress. She stares at her West Side Story poster and her dream board filled with cutouts of guys and pictures of vacation spots from magazines and inspirational words. "There's definitely a third Bora," she whispers to herself. "It doesn't matter what anyone tells me."

"Nice room," a deep male voice says from behind her, and she nearly jumps out of her skin. She spins around to face Mendez.

"Get away from this house, you pervert."

"You're lucky your sister's hot, otherwise you would've been Inmate Morello." He slaps her bottom and then squeezes her boobs, which are covered by her shirt. She gasps sharply. "You are forming into quite a nice young lady."

"Fra-" she starts to yell, but he covers her mouth with one hand and strokes her hair with the other.

"Aw, Lorna, there's no need to be a tattletale. I just wanted to feel you up for shits and giggles. I don't rape, you should know that. You could blow me for drugs, but that's about it." Slowly, he removes his hand from her lips. "You don't look like a junkie," he growls in a low voice while tracing her cheeks, mouth, and chin with his long, disgusting fingers. "Aw, don't be scared. I won't hurt you. Remember, you got away with a serious crime. You are not innocent in any way, shape, or form, sweet cheeks."

"Neither are you. That's sexual harassment."

"Yeah, but I come from a rich, smart family while yours is poor and uneducated. Who are they gonna believe?"

"You're a worthless animal!"

"I like my women feisty." He winks at her while sniggering.

She can't wait to get to school and tell Franny to sue him.


A cute, older, white boy no more than eighteen walks up to Daya on the crowded bus. "Is it okay if I sit here? It's just...there's no room...I would've taken my car, but it's in the shop."

She scoots over a bit and sits her backpack on her lap while chewing her bottom lip anxiously. "Sure."

"First day of school?" he asks, plopping himself down next to her.

"Mm, yeah, did the backpack give me away?" They chuckle at the same time.

"Sorta. Are you nervous? You look it."

"Oh, me? No, no, why would I be?"

"Well, it's okay if you are. This is a new school, I've never been to Martin Van Buren High before. What's it like?"

"My friends are there, so it's not too bad."

"What's your name? I'm John." He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"Daya...Diaz." Her hand fits so well in his. It's almost like they were made for each other, even though they literally met five seconds ago. She notices he's chewing something. "What are you eating?"

"Oh, gum. I'm just finishing this up before school starts. You're not allowed to have it in class. Want some?" He pulls a packet out of his pocket and hands her a stick.

"Yeah, thank you." She pops the piece of gum in her mouth. "Mmm, peppermint!"

"Is that your favorite?"

"It is!"

"Mine, too."

She can't believe she's hitting it off with this guy. He's making it so easy for her to talk to him. Suddenly, she wants to tell him everything about herself, from what she likes to draw, to her life at home.

"Look, there's Litchfield Penitentiary. It's a women's prison," he says, pointing out the window as she follows his finger. "A friend of mine works there."

"Oh, I wouldn't wanna end up in that place," Daya murmurs, "although my mom might..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she mumbles quickly. Their bus stops at the school. "We're here!"

He gets a serious look on his face. "Daya, it was very nice to meet you. I hope we can get together sometime."

"Well, John, that would be fun!"

"I know this is a bold move, but would you mind if I kissed you?"

She gapes at her crush, open-mouthed. "Not at all."

John lays a kiss on Daya's lips that leaves her sighing and itching to go further with him. "I'll see you around," he says.

"Yeah...you too."


"Since you're the new girl, I'm gonna give you a tour of the school," Flaca tells Maritza. She leads her best friend around the place and shows her the different classrooms. "Most of the teachers here are alright, but kind of strict. The vice principal can be a dick at times, but he's mostly nice. His name's Mr. Caputo. Word is, he's fucking the bitchy principal, Mrs. Figureoa, or as we like to call her, Fig. One of the guidance counselors, Mr. Healy, can be an ass if you're not straight, rich, or white, so he would be no help to us whatsoever. They have a better one named Ms. Berdie, so we'd probably mostly go to her. She also in charge of the Drama Club. Which teachers do you have?"

Maritza looks at her classroom schedule. "Hm, looks like Mr. Dixon-Geometry, Ms. Vause-English, Mr. Piscatella-Physical Ed, Ms. McCullough-History, Mr. Stratman-Spanish, and Mr. Humphrey-Biology."

Flaca groans. "Oh, shit! You got Humps and Piscatella? Well...at least the women are nice and I'm in a few of your classes, so I can keep you safe."

"Back up...what's wrong with the men, especially the two you mentioned by name?"

"You should ask to switch. They are so gross, Maritza. You don't wanna know."

"Well...why aren't they fired?"

Flaca shrugs. "Beats me. It's probably some bullshit about not having enough evidence for a case against them. They act like security guards that give out cruel and unusual punishments."

Maritza frowns. "You're starting to scare me now."

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to warn you. I got Mr. Luscheck for woodshop, Mr. Kowalski for Geometry, Mr. Bennett who is the new English teacher and really hot, Ms. Jones for P.E., that ugly ass Humps, and Ratman, er, Stratman. I would drop the class if you weren't in it."

"I need to hear about Piscatella and Dixon. What did they do? I just...I want to be prepared. I hate Geometry and hockey enough as it is."

"Okay, Piscatella is very large. He's like, taller than Caputo and Fig and he even scares the lunch ladies. We thought the lunch ladies were terrifying, especially Miss Claudette and La Red, but oh, no. It's fuckin' Piscatella, dude. He forces you to run until you throw up, and then he demands that you clean up your mess and keep going. He also thrusts dodgeballs at you if you're not paying attention. Dixon is just a plain old asshole. I mean they both are, but last year, he asked to see this girl's watch and then he stepped on it, crushing it so it wouldn't work anymore."

"Got it. I won't do anything to piss them off...or wear a watch. What's so bad about La Red and Miss Claudette?"

"You just...you gotta let them warm up to you, bae. Don't make fun of their hairnets. Piper made that grave mistake last year and ended up with a tampon in her English muffin."

"Ugh, that was dumb of her! Okay, well, I won't insult them, no problem. That would be disrespectful. Anything else?"

"Don't be uppity and ask for shit that's not on the menu. They serve what's available."

"Alright. Um...when are cheerleading tryouts? I was one at my old school."

"There's signs for them by the gym and they're being held after school. I don't participate in that, but I know a few girls who would most likely want you on their squad. Look out for Lorna Morello and Brook Soso. I'll point them out to you at lunch. Piper Chapman used to be head cheerleader, but now those two are trying to beat each other for the spot. You have to be very peppy-annoyingly so. Are you cool with that?"

"Yeah!" Maritza cheers and jumps up while throwing her arms out in a V-shape. "I can kick too, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that in the middle of the hallway. I wouldn't want to accidentally hit someone."

"I love your enthusiasm!"

"What can I say? I'm excited! Are you gonna do any extracurriculars?"

"Hell yeah, band and yearbook!"

"I'll join band as well. I've got a lot of time on my hands."

Flaca smiles at her smaller friend and wraps a protective arm around her. "I'll take you to the principal's office so she can get you settled in. I don't want you lost at your new school and running into douchebag teachers or students."

"Thanks."

Later, she gets the strangest text. She thinks maybe Piper's ghost is haunting her. Maritza would have a field day with this.

Does Ian like dating a vampiress? I don't think so, which is probably why he hasn't visited you at school lately like he did last year. Just stick with Maritza, she's a true friend. So am I. xx P


The school is already abuzz with activity, even though homeroom doesn't start for another half hour. Nicky stuffs her hands in her pockets and they close around large bags of heroin. She's hiding behind the building, but she can see kids from grades nine through twelve get out of cars and buses and walk up the steps leading to the front entrance. Parents hug and kiss their children goodbye while one of them heads into the school after ruffling her daughter's hair and giving her a peck on the cheek. Nicky tries to smile, but it brings tears to her eyes.

Two girls near her share a hug while giggling together. She can hear their conversation faintly.

"Hey, you look pale. Are you sure you're fine?" the taller one asks. She has glasses and long black hair with two blue stripes in it. She's wearing a band tee and ripped blue jeans. Nicky recognizes her as the girl with the loving mother.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm alright. So...what did you do for the rest of the weekend?" the girl's tiny friend asks. The brunette only reaches the raven-haired girl's shoulders. Nicky almost laughs at their height difference until she realizes these two could be her first customers since they're just standing in one spot and nobody is coming up to them. She leans against the wall and folds her arms across her chest, hoping they'll notice her first.

"I saw Flaca at Hot Topic."

"Why am I not surprised? Well, I went on a date with Vinny for our first year anniversary! That's how long we've been goin' out. Oh, it was so romantic!" the girl with the cute accent and forties curls says. She grins, showing a perfect set of white teeth surrounded by crimson red lips. She's in a blue jean dress with spaghetti straps and it hugs her body perfectly. Both girls look hot, but this one is downright beautiful, along with sexy.

Nicky clears her throat and they glance at her, surprised. "Hey, what are your names?"

"Tell us who you are first, sketchy," the short girl says with a smirk.

"What makes you think I'm sketchy?"

She looks Nicky up and down. "Well, let's see, you have on a totally baggy outfit, a beanie that's almost covering your eyes, your hair reminds me of a street person's, you're probably high, and you smell like marijuana. You can't smoke on campus, that's the rules. Everyone knows that. Are you new? You need a hairbrush."

The blonde shakes her head no. "Nicky Nichols, at your service, little miss. I like myself just the way I am, thank you very much, you puny, judgemental person."

"I'm Alex Vause," the other girl says.

"If you must know, my name is Lorna...Morello," the tiny one introduces herself, "and I resent you pokin' fun at my size!"

Nicky holds her hands up in surrender. "Hey...Lorna, chill. It's very nice to meet you both. Now...you wanna buy some heroin? I got it all right here...and a bag in my bra, too," she whispers. "It's a secret."

"Man, I didn't bring enough money for that," Alex mutters. "How about we meet and exchange my cash for your drugs before school tomorrow? Heroin is the best."

"She's my ultimate girlfriend," Nicky agrees. Lorna looks horrified. "Hey, kid, looks as if you wanna miss out?"

"Don'tcha be callin' me kid, ya hoodlum! I'm fuckin' fifteen years old!" Lorna snaps and walks away, pulling Alex along with her. Nicky bursts out laughing because Lorna's acting like a baby kitten that thinks it's a tiger. It's adorable and she can't believe she's falling for a girl who's treating her like she's garbage. Besides that, Lorna has a boyfriend. Nicky curses herself for crushing on yet another straight girl.


"Damn you, Alex, you really need that wild child's shit?" Lorna asks. "I oughta turn her in to the authorities. I mean...she doesn't even go here, I don't think. She's a drug dealer who belongs in hell!"

"Lorna, calm down! We're not doing anything of the sort. I'm sure she's not selling it to be evil. She might just need the money."

"If you take her stash, you'll get addicted and turn into a bum."

"I just want to try it."

"Well...what if you don't have what you owe her and she hurts you? I'm only worried about you because we're friends. We may not be soul sisters anymore, but...I don't want you to die or get badly injured."

"Thank you for your concerns, but she was harmless. When we turned down her heroin, she just accepted the fact that we didn't want any. Besides that, she's not much taller than you! I could knock her down if she got violent."

"I guess you're right...hey, let's go see Red."

Alex can't stop thinking about Nicky. She wants to see what's under her outfit. Nicky seems like a rebel and it turns Alex on immensely. She follows Lorna to the cafeteria and they slide up to the counter where Red and her co-workers are standing.

"You guys should really have chairs," Alex comments.

Gloria points her index finger at Alex. "Yo, white girl, you're right! They won't give us those, but we get a break in between mealtimes."

Lorna leans her chin in her hands as she props her elbows up on the counter. "Red, let's say you had to kill someone."

"Oh, this is fun," Red murmurs while folding up a rag after wiping down something in the back. "Who's on your shitlist now?"

"This bitch who really got on my nerves...but you know, compared to some sluts on the cheer squad and the shower pooper, she's really not that bad."

"What did this poor girl do?"

"She was strung out and trying to offer us heroin. She insulted me a few times-"

Red reaches over the counter and swats the top of her head. "That's not a reason to want her dead, Lorna. She might need help. Maybe she doesn't have proper guidance at home. Where is she?"

"She was loitering outside of the school last time we saw her," Alex says. "She's totally stoned."

"Do you know her name?"

Lorna and Alex nod. "Nicky Nichols," they answer Red in unison.

The older woman storms out of the cafeteria. "She probably left," Lorna mutters defeatedly.

"She'll be back tomorrow," Alex responds. She nudges Lorna. "Good call telling Red."

"Yeah, well...I didn't want her to become a problem."

"If that were my daughter, she wouldn't even have heard of the stuff until she turned thirty," Gloria cuts in. "She was a teenage girl, right?"

"Mm-hm, she looked it," Alex replies as Lorna nods her head yes.

Red comes back into the cafeteria with a defeated look in her eyes. "I searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I hope she's alright."

"Me, too," Alex agrees.

"Me, three," Lorna chimes in.


You're lucky your sister got you out of this one. Jail makes people crazier than they already are. God knows you don't need that after the stunt you pulled last year, and all because of a boy. You better stop that mail scam because Franny isn't doing you any more favors. xoxo, P

Lorna reads the anonymous note three times over, trying to figure out who could've written that to her. It didn't look like Piper's manuscript, but then again, she may be pulling a prank on her. She'd always loved watching Lorna go insane. Lorna rips up the note and throws it into a trashcan nearby. She goes back to her locker to put away the books she doesn't need.

Vincent and a bunch of his friends come up to Lorna. Her ex slams his hand on the locker next to hers and she sees Alex, Flaca, Daya, and a bunch of other girls watching in stunned silence.

"You couldn't even apologize, Lorna?" he demands. "I have to wait five weeks for a new car!" he screams in her face.

"I'm sorry...I just haven't seen you yet, and I decided not to seek you out like a creeper...and just wait until we came face-to-face with each other. I apologize for that...and your car. I lost it yesterday."

"You're always losing it! I feel bad for the next guy you seduce! You're like that goddamn wacko in Fatal Attraction! No wonder you never had friends until Piper. Now because she's gone, I guess you're back to being lonely. You better not go around telling everyone I got you pregnant because we used a condom!" he shouts and then exits the area with his friends trailing after him.

"I thought you told me-" Alex started, but Lorna shakes her head. She can feel herself beginning to cry, so she hides her face in her hands and her shoulders rise and fall quickly with sobs. She senses Alex hugging her. "That's okay...I know breakups suck...and you don't always want to spill the truth right away."

"Oh, Lorna," Daya murmurs softly while rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"I'm so sorry," Flaca adds and strokes her hair.

"He doesn't know that he cheated on me with a whore!" Lorna wails in Alex's arms. "That's it...I'm plotting my revenge. I'm getting a new boyfriend. The first guy I see in school...I'll flirt with him and we'll go out as a couple. Watch me. I'm very good at it!"

"I know you are," Alex murmurs. "He'll be so jealous that he won't even know what hit him."


Nicky has gotten away from the school in just the nick of time. She walks down empty alleys in the area where she'd met Vee, looking for people who might want her drugs. A store's alarm goes off somewhere and she runs to the source. A young blonde girl with a necklace in one hand and a journal in the other is racing down the street with a few security guards close behind her. Without thinking, Nicky grabs the kid and gets a close look at her. She can't be more than ten or eleven.

"Hey, let go of me, you asshole! Fuck you!" the child yells, but Nicky doesn't listen to her.

"Wanna get sent to juvie, blondie? That's where you're headed. Keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking," Nicky instructs her in a hushed, urgent voice. "I'm so sorry, officers, my little sister has a severe brain disorder...she's legally intellectually challenged. She doesn't know that shoplifting is wrong."

"I need it," the kid hisses. "I'm gonna pay the store back."

"Where are your parents?" one of the cops asks.

"They're at work. You don't need to call them. We'll be okay. Her babysitter was supposed to be taking care of her, but I guess she gave up on our family, so it's just me for today. Boy, is someone gonna get an ass-kicking!"

"Alright, well, you kids be safe," the policeman says as he takes back the necklace.

"Thank you."

Once the officers leave, Nicky breathes a sigh of relief.

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you-"

"Who the fuck are you?" the preteen asks.

"How about thanking me for saving your ass?"

"Sorry...thank you."

"You're welcome. The name's Nicky...Nichols. I'm sixteen. What about you?"

"Tricia Miller. I'm eleven."

"You homeless?"

Tricia shakes her head no. "I'm just...gettin' away from it all. My stepdad rapes me and my mom doesn't believe it...the usual. Plus, I wanna look nice. You let that man take my jewelry. I keep this journal so I can write down everything I took and how much each thing cost so that when I get the money, I can pay for it. It might be late, but it works for me."

Nicky's heart goes out to her. "You're sweet, you know that, kid? The problem is, that's not how it works in the real world. You don't buy now, pay later. The five-finger discount...yeah, that's a felony!"

Tricia suddenly hugs her and then looks up with pleading eyes. "Can I go home with you?"

"Sure."

They get back to Vee's house in five minutes. "Hey, I'm here!" Nicky calls out. "Vee?" There's no answer. Tricia stays closely behind Nicky like a magnet. She opens the door to the living room and a scream is trapped in her throat.

Vee is doing the nasty with her foster son and they're both getting pleasure out of it. She claps her hands over her eyes, even though she can't unsee the disgusting act that had just occurred right before her. After shutting the door quietly, she tiptoes away from the area with her new friend. "Trish...do you like that nickname?"

"It's alright."

"Trish, we're gonna go see my sister Taystee at her job, okay?"

"That's fine."

Nicky pulls out the bags of heroin and hides them under her bed in the room she's sharing with Taystee before Tricia can see them. She takes Tricia's hand and leads her outside and on the street corner. After waving down a cab, they get inside of it and she asks the driver to take her to Shake Shack.

"Have you eaten?" Nicky asks. "I'm sure Taystee will give us something for free. I won't have a penny to my name after paying that driver."

"I had something from Whole Foods this morning."

"Oh, that's good. I'm not that hungry either, I guess. So...hey, about that bastard you used to live with...uh, if you're triggered by anything, just tell me, okay?"

Tricia nods her head yes. "I will."

"Is he locked up?"

"No, I just took off. I don't think he cares that I left, and neither does my mom."

"My mom and her boyfriend neglected me, so I ran away," Nicky says as they get out of the cab and walk into Shake Shack.

"Good thing."

"Taystee!" Nicky shouts. She waves the other girl over.

"Hey! Who's this little girl?"

"Her name is Tricia. I caught her shoplifting, so I made up this cool story about how we were sisters and she didn't know any better because she's just not there in her head. She doesn't have parents so I hope Vee lets her live with us."

"Ooh, nice! Uh, not the part about her being an orphan, but the other sh-crap."

"It's okay, you can swear in front of me. I've heard it all."

"So...Tricia, why don't you have a look at the menu? You might find something you like."

"I don't wanna steal from Taystee."

"Since you're family, I'll let you have it on the house."

Tricia smiles at the African American girl. "Yo, thanks."

"Vee was fucking our foster brother," Nicky whispers to Taystee.

"Girl, say what? Oh man, that's sick! That bitch is high!"

"She must be! That's why I had to get out and not let Tricia see."

"You can stay in here until I finish my shift. How much did you sell?"

"Nothing. These kids are way too smart for the shit Vee's having me pull. I may have someone interested, though, so I'll try again tomorrow."

"Good luck telling Vee that."


"Welcome to English class," the teacher says after having just written Mr. Bennett on the blackboard. As soon as he faces the sea of students, Daya can't make her mouth close. She tries to look neutral. Flaca sends her a sly grin. John looks as shocked as Daya does. He fumbles with his papers on his desk and almost spills his coffee. "Sorry, uh, first day jitters, I guess. So, my name's on the board...try to spell it right. We are going to start the year off with To Kill a Mockingbird, so pass these back, please."

Daya's phone buzzes in her pocket and she sneaks a peek at it. The text that has just come in gives her a heart attack. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Don't worry, your mommy's a grave robber, too. Love, P

She has no idea who sent her that message. It could've been Piper playing a game, but she isn't sure.

The second surprise of the morning is when Suzanne Warren, or Crazy Eyes, walks into the room just as the bell rings. She's holding hands with a girl who has blonde hair cut to her chin and her hair is in fat little braids instead of in multiple twists on top of her head.

"Hey, Dandelion!" Suzanne calls out as Piper and Daya are walking down the street eating ice cream and talking about their upcoming sleepover. "How are you, baby girl? Dandelion, you wanna come and play with Mommy?"

"Oh my god, pretend we didn't just see or hear Crazy Eyes," Piper whispers to Daya while wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Just say hi and move on," Daya suggests as Piper snickers.

Daya and Flaca stare at each other and raise their eyebrows, since they can't fully grasp that Suzanne has really gotten herself a makeover. She used to be obsessed with Piper and her clique, but now, her attention is focused on another blonde.

"I got a new Dandelion now," she mutters while sitting down. "This is Maureen Kukudio." Both girls wave at the Latinas and smile widely, like they're sharing a deep, dark secret.

"Congratulations," Daya hears herself say awkwardly as Flaca gives the couple a thumbs-up.


Alex is changing in the locker room before her physical education class. A piece of paper flutters down to the floor and she grabs it, wondering why it fell out of her locker along with her gym uniform. Her eyes scan the message and then she's confused. She adjusts her glasses to see if her vision will improve, but she did read it right.

Why don't you just admit that you're a dyke? You like being in that girls' locker room way too much. xo, P

"P? Piper?" she asks herself out loud. It can't be her. She isn't alive.

"Alex, let's go, you don't wanna be late!" a girl behind her says. "I know you miss her, but..."

"Yeah, sorry, Sylvia," Alex mutters. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Dayanara Diaz, Marisol Gonzales, Lorna Morello, and Alex Vause, please come to the principal's office," Fig announces over the loudspeaker.

"Oooh, someone's in trouble!" Sylvia teases her, and Alex rolls her eyes. She wonders why Fig is calling her and her former best friends, but she figures it's probably about Piper's disappearance.

"At least I don't have to deal with 'Ol Yeller' or Mr. Large and In Charge," Alex murmurs, referring to Piscatella. She heads to Fig's office and sees Daya, Flaca, and Lorna going there, too.

"Hey," they all say to each other at the same time. Flaca opens the door for them and they thank her.

"Hello, ladies," Fig greets them. "Why don't you take your seats on the couch. Officer Mendez is here to speak with you."

A tall police officer with spiky black hair and a thick, dark mustache stands in front of them while they sit down. Alex is between Lorna and Flaca, and Daya is on the other side of Flaca. Lorna goes completely white and Alex is curious as to why she has this reaction upon seeing Officer Mendez.

"He's probably just gonna ask us questions about Pipes," Alex whispers to Lorna, who nods in understanding.

All of the girls' phones chime at once and they take them out of their purses.

"Wait, you got one, too?" Flaca asks Alex.

"Yeah, I..."

"It came in at the exact same time yours did," Daya mumbles.

"Ditto," Lorna says.

I'm going to unravel your secrets, one by one, and you'll be jailed by the time Mendez is done. -P

Wow, what a great turnout this was! Thank you to Boris Yeltsin, nnicholsnlyonne, HannahMiley1fan, Deerveng, ladyglorificus, haleypadilla229, thecharmedwerewolf, peanut-brained, sherlollyshipper, ManveerluvsVauseman, and A Star In My Universe for reading and reviewing!