Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe, ladyglorificus, nnicholsnlyonne, and HannahMiley1fan! Warning, mentions of abuse and ableist/racist language. Also, I don't support cultural appropriation, but Tricia's hair will be in cornrows for the remainder of the story for canon purposes.

milaya devushka-sweet girl

pizda-cunt

lo siento-I'm sorry

Dios mío-My God

Abusador de niños-child molester

sabes-you know

olvídalo-forget about it

estúpido hispanos-stupid Hispanics

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Gloria's hand shakes as she turns the knob to the front door of her house. She's praying Arturo isn't home from work yet. It's nine, and she had recently started her second year of working at the high school to support her family; her job at the convenience store isn't entirely sufficient. He doesn't know about this at all - he can't know about it. It's a secret. No one knows he hurts her, except her aunt Lourdes. Gloria remembers the first time the older woman suspected that Arturo was beating her. She'd taken Gloria to the park and they talked while watching the children.

"Florecita, ¿qué te pasó? Primero, un rasguño en el brazo, luego en la pierna, luego en el muslo, y tienes un corte en el costado de la cabeza." Lourdes is very concerned.

Little flower, what happened to you? First, a scratch on your arm, then your leg, then a gash on your thigh, and you've got a cut on the side of your head.

"Te lo dije, tía, me caí por las escaleras."

I told you, tia, I fell down the stairs.

"No creo que lo hayas hecho. Alguien te ha empujado."

I don't think you did. Someone pushed you.

"¿Por qué piensas eso?"

Why do you think that?

She sighs. "Usted está cubierto de pies a cabeza en moretones. Usted necesita un icepack. Veo una huella de color rojo en el lado de su cara. ¿Por qué usted se da una bofetada? Además, sé que usted no es en lo más mínimo torpe. Usted nunca menciona nada acerca de tu novio cuando le pregunto cómo lo hace. Solo cambia de tema."

You are covered head to toe in bruises. You need an icepack. I see a red handprint on the side of your face. Why would you slap yourself? Plus, I know you are not in the least bit clumsy. You never mention anything about your boyfriend when I ask how he's doing. You just switch the subject.

"Bueno, él me empujó por las malditas escaleras, ¿de acuerdo? No se lo digas a nadie, por favor, él me matará." Gloria squeezes her eyes shut, blocking out the memory.

Fine! He pushed me down the fucking stairs, okay? Don't tell anyone, please. He'll kill me.

"Deberías ir a la policía."

You should go to the cops.

"Sólo mantén esto en secreto," Gloria pleads, looking into Lourdes' eyes. She blinks back tears. "He estado haciendo un fraude de estampillas de comida y no puedo ser atrapado por eso...Arturo seguramente les contará sobre eso. Juro que está recibiendo ayuda."

Just keep this a secret. I've been doing some food stamp fraud and I can't get caught for that...Arturo will surely tell them about it. I swear, he's getting help.

"¿Cuando? ¿Qué pasa si la próxima vez que te vea, esté en una morgue?"

When? What if the next time I see you, it's in a morgue?

"La única manera de irme es si hace algo podrido a los niños."

The only way I'll leave is if he does something rotten to the children.

"¡No debería estar con tus hijos o contigo!"

He shouldn't be around your kids or you!

"¡No quiero hablar más de esto!"

I don't wanna talk about this anymore!

Gloria realizes she's just standing there and quickly unlocks the door, goes inside, and starts on dinner. She loves her babies dearly, and she's always plotting ways to run away with them. Arturo's always watching her though, so she can't stand a chance. She never knows when he'll strike, because he's always drunk, but he never hits the kids. He only takes his anger out on her. He doesn't want them to find out that he beats her, because he says children don't do what they're told, and they will tell someone. So, she takes his daily beatings as quiet as she can, and she's only able to cry silently. She tries not to sob in front of her kids as she doesn't want them to worry and question her about it. He'll be home soon, so she must hurry so she won't get in trouble.

"¿Dónde has estado?" Lourdes asks, making Gloria practically jump out of her skin.

Where have you been?

"¿Está el aquí?" she whispers. "Espero que no haya llegado temprano."

Is he here? I hope he hasn't arrived early.

"Todavía no. Sus hijos y yo ya hemos comido macarrones con queso y los chicos están durmiendo ahora."

Not yet. Your sons and I have already eaten macaroni and cheese and the boys are sleeping now.

"Gracias, Lourdes."

Thank you, Lourdes.

"Te pido que encuentres fuerzas para dejarlo pronto," her aunt says while wrapping her arms around Gloria.

I pray you find strength to leave him soon.

Gloria really wishes Arturo would treat her as an equal. After all, it is the year two-thousand and four, not the nineteen hundreds - times should have changed by now. He'd slam her into the wall every time he raped her, giving her a backache for weeks as well as bruises all down her back. He was so nice all of June when she first met him; but in July, something changed and he turned into a complete asshole.

Some students and teachers at school stare, but none of them question it. They probably think it's personal. Whatever the reason, Gloria is glad, as she prefers not to share what's going on with her. She's broken, and no one can help her. Her co-workers in the cafeteria kitchen-and the students who bother to converse with her-make her feel better. She guesses that she's just lucky that Arturo doesn't know about her working at the high school. He'd kill her for sure.

Gloria knows she shouldn't pick a favorite out of the group who talks to her, but she gets along with Daya the best, even though the girl isn't quite fluent in Spanish. She's sweet and such a great artist, so vivid and colorful with her drawings that Gloria just wants to hang them up all over the house. Unfortunately, she can't-just like she's unable to display her own kids' work.

She's taught Daya some things her mother hadn't yet, such as speaking Spanish and taking care of her baby siblings. They have girl talks, and Gloria will sometimes treat Daya as her own daughter - this lead Daya to considering Gloria like another mother. It made her feel all warm inside and they hugged.

Although Lorna, Flaca, and Alex are also friendly, they don't connect with Gloria the way Daya does, probably because Lorna's closer to Red and she says and does strange things, while Alex and Flaca already have excellent mothers. Daya, on the other hand, doesn't, really. It's nice to have friends, but having a boyfriend who treated her well would please Gloria to no end.


"Benny, ¿por qué la Tía Lourdes dijo que subiera?" Gloria's youngest son asks his big brother quietly in their dark room. "Mamá ni siquiera nos besó buenas noches. ¿Está enojada con nosotros? ¿Qué hicimos?"

Benny, why did Auntie Lourdes say to go upstairs? Mama didn't even kiss us good night. Is she mad at us? What did we do?

"No lo sé, Julio. No hicimos nada. Tal vez se olvidó," Benito mumbles. "Vamos a dormir."

I don't know, Julio. We didn't do anything. Maybe she forgot. Let's just go to sleep.

Benito suddenly has a nightmare. He sees his daddy kick his mommy down the stairs and then jump on top of her, and she's screaming in pain. The little boy starts to cry for his mommy and he wakes up. He tiptoes to his parents' room and opens the door. His father groans, but his mother holds her arms out to him. She's wrapped in her bed sheet, and he climbs into bed with her.

"¿Puedo dormir entre tú y papá?"

Can I sleep between you and Daddy?

"No, Benny, déjame contigo en mis brazos. ¿Qué te pasa?"

No, Benny, just let me hold you in my arms. Now, what's wrong?

He wipes his eyes. "Tuve un mal sueño de que papá te lastimara y estuvieras llorando."

I had a bad dream that Daddy hurt you and you were crying.

"Oh, no, cariño, eso nunca sucederá. Ven aquí." She hugs him tight, but he can hear her sniffling. She's sad too, and he asks her why. She says she's crying tears of joy because she loves her family.

Oh, no, honey, that'll never happen. Come here.


"You spent the drug money on going out with your little friends, huh?" Vee accuses Nicky. "Well, let me tell you something-"

"I loaned her cash, but let's face it, white girl can't sell shit!" RJ shouts from the top of the stairs.

"He's kinda right...up to a point," Nicky explains.

Nicky's problem is her addiction to her own product. She wants it to herself. Another reason she misses potential customers is because she's too busy thinking about a certain tiny Italian brunette with blood red lipstick and an annoyingly cute accent. On this day, however, she'd actually managed to bring home a one hundred dollar bill from this rich girl, Stella Carlin, who attends Martin Van Buren High. Stella had seen her and wanted both her stash and her body. The sex was disgusting, but at least she'd done what Vee had asked of her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vee snarls.

Nicky presents her with the money and wills herself not to look frightened. "I got what you wanted!"

"This isn't yours. It's from RJ!" Vee yells.

"I swear it's mine!" Nicky insists. "Here...all yours!" She presses it into Vee's palm. "Oh, and RJ, it's not because I'm white, it's just that I've never done this before and I needed a little practice, but I actually was successful the same day you decided to cover for me!"

"How convenient," RJ mutters while going into the living room.

Vee stands across from Nicky with her arms folded across her chest. She shakes her head and snickers. "You got lucky, girl. I hear it's probably gonna rain soon."

Nicky gives Vee her best cold stare. "I've survived worse."

"Good," the woman responds nonchalantly and crumples up the bill in her fist.


Tricia follows Taystee into their bedroom after coming home from the older girl's work. "Yo, can you do cornrows in my hair?"

Taystee chuckles. "Girl, you're white!"

"Yeah, I know, but it looks cool! I want 'em like yours. Come on, we're siblings now! I'm not wanting this to be racist, I swear."

"Alright, fine. As your big sister, I'll do 'em. Sit your skinny ass down." Taystee points to the bed and gets a brush and a bunch of small elastics from the bathroom. She returns to where Tricia's waiting and then plops down on a chair behind her. "Get ready for some tight braids! You gonna look so adorable!"

It takes her some time and when she's done, she directs Tricia to the mirror and puts the blonde's hair over her shoulders. Tricia smooths her hand down the back of her head. "Wow, it feels nice! Thank you."

"No prob, kiddo. Anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"I'ma see if I can find our brother. You just...hang out here."

"A'ight."

Taystee hasn't noticed RJ around the house in days, it seems like, so when she finds him in his room watching television and eating pizza, she's surprised. "Hey!" She takes a seat next to him on the pullout couch. "You been foolin' around out there, huh?" she asks.

"I missed this part!" he complains. "Take a slice and shut up or just leave."

"I need to talk to you," she whispers. "Why you doin' the dirty with Vee, huh? She's twice your age and she's basically our mother. The fuck, man?"

"That was private, how-"

"You apparently forgot we have two new sisters! Nicky saw you and she was thoroughly grossed out!"

"She can mind her own fuckin' business! Look, Vee and I, we like to play around a bit, that's all. It's not like I can get her pregnant. She's on the pill."

Taystee shudders. "Ugh!"

"We're not related!" he adds. "Confront Vee about this, not me."

"I don't wanna get Nicky in trouble, she's a good kid. She's already walkin' on eggshells around Vee, I can tell. I like her, she's real nice and all, but she sure as shit ain't suited for this life. She's got her poor white friends with the big talk, maybe they can help her out."

"No shit. Vee came onto me first," RJ admits.

"Well...do you want her?"

"Just go," is his answer.


"Don't be yellow, vote for Morello, eh? Are you running for class president or something?" Nicky gestures to the campaign posters and buttons Lorna and Alex are holding.

Lorna nods. "Yeah. I hope I win."

"Isn't that sign kinda racist though? Your competition is Asian," Alex murmurs while folding her arms across her chest.

"No, no, it's just that when some things go bad, they turn yellow. I don't want anyone to be rotten and not vote for me!" Lorna answers. "Get it now?"

Alex shrugs. "Oh, well that makes sense..."

Nicky gives Lorna a toothy smile. "You're clever, I'll give you that, kid. Good luck."

Lorna beams proudly. "Thanks."

"I'm her campaign manager," Alex informs Nicky. "I'm helping her hand buttons out and hang her signs up."

"Oh yeah? You're a great friend! It's always nice to have a tall assistant for us shorties!" Nicky punches Lorna's shoulder lightly and the brunette shrugs her hand off with a groan. "What? It's a fact!"

"I never said you could touch me!" Lorna remarks with a scowl on her face.

"I barely tapped you!" Nicky defends herself, an irritated expression crossing her features. "You shoved me yesterday!"

"That was different! I don't...oh, never mind. I was gonna say you're germy and I'm not, but my ma's ill, so I'm kinda around ickiness all the time." Lorna sighs. "I guess I better get used to it from you."

Nicky laughs loudly. "You sort of already are."

Lorna scoffs. "It doesn't mean I like it!"

Alex's eyes flicker back and forth between them. She's trying to wait for a moment when she can cut in because that text from P - about getting high and doing it with Nicky - has been eating at her for days. She just hasn't had the chance to ask; she wants to know if Nicky noticed anyone around the supposedly barren place.

"Do you think someone may have been watching us in the cornfield?" Alex asks worriedly. "I felt a presence out there..." She shivers at the mere idea that P was right with them, hidden somewhere they couldn't see him or her.

Nicky shakes her head no. "Nah, 'course not! You were probably just paranoid because of the drugs."

"I hope so," Alex mumbles.

"You shouldn't take that lightly!" Lorna scolds Nicky.

"Shut up, you squeaky grocery cart!" Nicky shoots back. "I've had to deal with tons of those and yes, you are as annoying as them!"

Lorna rolls her eyes. "Really? Well, you're like a spam email because I don't need you! Burn!"

Nicky pauses, probably thinking of something to say. "Your boring advice is as useless as an expired coupon!" She puts her open palm in Lorna's face.

Lorna gasps and turns away. "You're a wet sock!"

Nicky fumes. "Alright, you easy bake oven!"

Lorna gives her stuff to Alex, puts her hands on her hips, and gives Nicky some attitude. They're circling around each other now. "Itchy sweater!"

Nicky grits her teeth. "Inconvenient fire drill, like nah, nah, nah in my ears!"

"Cold bowl of soup!" Lorna almost growls.

"Wobbly table!" Nicky's voice rises.

"Overdraft bank fee!" Lorna hollers.

"Crying baby on a plane!" Nicky raises her eyebrow.

"Oh, like you've ever been on a plane...you can't even afford to buy a ticket!" Lorna purses her lips. "You can do better than that!"

"Unnecessary movie sequel!" Nicky shouts back.

"Sun glare when I'm in the passenger seat of Franny's car just before sunset and I have to put my sun visor down because I forgot my sunglasses but I'm still really uncomfortable and it's just a big hassle all around!" After a while of Nicky not saying anything in retaliation, Lorna pumps her fists in the air. "Ha! I threw the last insult!" Nicky flips the bird on both of her hands at Lorna, who giggles. "Hey, don't be a sore loser!"

"It wasn't a name-calling competition! You made it one."

"I did not!" Lorna grumbles stubbornly.

"You two and your bickering...I should make you wear a huge get-along t-shirt with two holes for your heads to stick through and you'd be like, chained together!" Alex exclaims, amused.

"Ugh, I'd have to wear earplugs," Nicky mutters. "Fuckin' Lollipop Guild kid over here..."

"All day long with her?" Lorna jerks her thumb toward Nicky. "No way!" she cries.

"Yep...and night, too," Alex continues to tease them.

"Nichols, quit battin' your eyes at me!" Lorna says irritably.

"You could look in the opposite direction, you know, and you're blushing, why?"

"You're weird! I'm doing nothing of the sort!" Lorna insists.

"Actually, Lorna, you are," Alex tells her.

"Oh, not you too!" Lorna whines.

Red suddenly comes up to them with a frantic expression on her exhausted-looking face. "Girls, hurry, Piscatella is looking for you...and Nicky, you should go before he-"

"Did you forget you're the school chef?" Piscatella interrupts her roughly and Alex gets a shock through her system. Lorna's eyes widen in fear. "All we got now is the distracted beaner and the mute serving breakfast! The ape has jury duty! What kind of idiots do you work with? You're not looking so hot yourself, did you get three hours of sleep last night?" He sharply pushes Alex and Lorna in the direction of the school. "Get back inside, divas!" Lorna stumbles over her own two feet and almost falls to the ground from the force of his heavy hand against her back, but both Alex and Red steady her.

"Oh, jeez!" she yelps, trying to regain her balance.

"You alright, honey?" Red asks soothingly.

"Yeah...I'm fine, thanks. I'm more resilient than I appear!"

"Miss Vause, I'm going to have to check your backpack and do a full body search. I heard you purchased drugs from the dope head over there!" Piscatella booms. Alex exhales slowly and extends her arms while standing with her feet wide apart. She's glad she hid her stash under her bed when she did. She just hopes Nicky doesn't have anything either.

Red looks like she's in pain. "She's never touched smack or anything of the sort in all her fifteen years! Don't be ridiculous!"

Piscatella carelessly dumps out the contents of Alex's black backpack. "Nothing, good." He gives her a complete pat-down, injuring her a bit in the process. "Leave my sight, you vermin! Pick up your shit, Stretch!" He kicks the tall girl's books out of his path as he walks away from them.

Alex rolls up her sleeves to check for bruises, but there are surprisingly only a few red patches where he'd crushed her limbs unnecessarily hard. "He's so vile!" she hisses as she, Lorna, and Red gather up her scattered belongings and stuff them back into her bag. "He's been working you all to the bone, hasn't he, Red?"

At this, Red yawns. "He thinks Norma is incapable of doing anything but washing dishes and serving and since Gloria keeps dropping plates and scrambling mix so hard that it tumbles out of the bowls, he's threatening to get Fig to fire her...and Claudette was assigned to jury duty, so that gives me even more work to do. He's forcing me to get up at three in the morning!"

"What?" Lorna snaps bitterly. "He can't fucking do that to you...any of you!"

"Sorry, I don't really go here...just visiting some friends!" they hear Nicky say quickly.

They glance behind them to where the bastard is shouting at the blonde. "I was tipped off by an anonymous source that a drug addict was on school property. I'm going to have to call the police."

"Oh, shit," Red mutters. "Go help Gloria and Norma, please, I'll handle this."

Lorna and Alex head up to the building, but still watch what's happening by strolling backwards at a snail's pace.

"You don't have to do that, man, I'll leave! I don't even have anything!" Nicky tries to run from him, but he doesn't let her go. He grabs her by her shirt and makes her stay in her spot while dialing the cops. She looks terrified as he pats her down.

"Bingo!" he bellows victoriously, holding up five bags of heroin.

Alex's heart sinks down to her knees and Lorna looks defeated. However, Red resembles a feral mama bear protecting her cub. Alex has never seen Red so scary since the day Piper challenged her to fight. Nicky's perspiring and she blinks rapidly. She grabs her chest and a choked gasp escapes her mouth.

"Stop it!" the older woman snarls furiously and her Russian accent becomes more prominent than ever. "Get away from her!" He - of course - ignores her.

"Reznikov, toddle on inside with Stretch and the midget before you get yourself out of a job," he threatens her.

"Don't talk to her like that! You also have no right to call my friends those names!" Nicky hollers and then her voice cracks. "Lady, just do what he says. I'm going to prison and that's the way it is. I fucked up, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"I'll bail you out, I promise," Red murmurs.

Nicky chuckles dryly. "Please don't. You can't say you're gonna do shit that'll be impossible. We're strangers to each other. You'll never find me. I could be shipped to, uh, Chicago, for all you know."

"Milaya devushka, I'll find a way," is all Red declares fiercely before joining Lorna and Alex. "Let's go, I don't want to see her get taken away. My stomach is already in knots."

"Red, no offense, but you literally met her a few days ago. She's only been snotty to you," Lorna says. "She swore in your face!"

"Yes, she's disrespectful," Red agrees, "but I remember the sweet little girl she was in preschool. I'm almost a hundred percent positive that's her and she can change back to her innocent self with a good role model. She had bouncy blonde hair that was always curly and these huge brown eyes...and why else would I have a motherly pull towards her? It's the same one I have with my boys. You see, she was like a daughter to me...and then that pizda yanked her out so fast, saying that Nicky and I were becoming too attached to each other...I never saw her again...until now, I think. When...or if, you ever have children, your protectiveness will go up a few notches," Red insists, her gaze falling back to the girls.

"I feel that way about her too, though," Alex says as her eyes moisten. "A chunk of me is missing. She's one of my best friends!"

"That's understandable. I forgot to ask...how did she get that forehead wound?" Red's voice is laced with concern for the girl.

'She never explained it," Alex responds.

"How are you gonna get her out?" Lorna wonders out loud. She's visibly in distress. "That's the most important thing here...the mark will heal."

"The Internet is a very powerful thing," Red tells them.

"Yeah, or she'll call me from wherever she is," Alex points out, "that is, if she's not too proud. I hope she isn't."

"It all happened so fast," Lorna murmurs guiltily. "I feel responsible for this..."

"Lorn, you didn't notify Piscatella about Nicky," Alex replies. "You wouldn't, no matter how much she bothers you. You're not that cruel."

"I...I can't..." Lorna blubbers as she tears up. "Who am I gonna squabble with now?" She buries her face in her hands and lets out a short scream. "She doesn't have...she's alone now...without us...she's so stubborn, and...she won't ask anyone for help...and Tricia...tough as nails, but where could she be?"

"They have an older sister and their foster mother," Alex reassures her. "I wouldn't be surprised if Nicky thinks Tricia's better off with them."

"They should still know what happened to Nicky," Red notes. "We'll tell them after school."

"Of course," Lorna answers her while she and Alex wipe their wet cheeks and sniffle.

Red appears desperate as she stands in front of Alex and clasps her hands together. "Please tell me you're not using. Your mother did not raise you to be like this. She didn't work her ass off being always there for you, to have you end up a drug addict! She would be so disappointed in you, and so would Gloria and I!"

"I'm not! I promise, Red, I would never let you three down! You're my role models, you know that!" Alex has only taken drugs once, and she'll now feel bad if she does it again. She doesn't want to go against them, or her friends. Not to mention, she can't have a criminal record.

"I'm happy to hear that!" Red continues leading them further into the building.

Alex feels her phone buzz in her pocket and both she and Lorna take their phones out as they follow Red to the kitchen.

Sorry for snitching, girls, I just wanted to see if white privilege existed. Maybe it doesn't apply to Nicky because she's unable to make ends meet. I'll do you a favor if you accept my apology! Xo, P

Alex scoffs. "I knew it!"

"What if Piscatella's P?" Lorna asks worriedly.

"These texts sound young and feminine. I mean, they could be from a guy, too, acting as Piper...but I don't think forty-year-old men text like this..."

"Norma, where's Gloria?" Red asks, and the girls quickly put their phones away.

The silent woman points in the direction of the women's restroom and makes a sad face.

"Well...what's wrong?" Lorna wants to know.

Norma holds up a finger and starts writing on a notepad while glancing up occasionally. She shows them the paper.

Gloria needed a break. Just leave her in peace for a while. She'll return when she's ready.

"Piscatella's gonna be so furious!" Red panics and threads her fingers through her hair.

"You got us for a good half hour," Alex tries to calm her.

"Yeah, we'll whip up something yummy!" Lorna chimes in.

"I am eternally grateful," Red lets them know as Gina Murphy walks by them and starts to assist Norma. "Make some omelets, please," she instructs the girls.

"Will do," Alex says.

Lorna salutes Red and grins happily. "Yes, ma'am!"


When Theresa had woken Flaca up that morning, she'd screamed at the slight kiss on her cheek. She had thrown herself out of bed, mumbling an apology to her confused mother. She'd grabbed a sweet Mexican bread for breakfast and a bottle of horchata, and ran out of the house, claiming that she had to work on her English project an hour before school started. Flaca's still shaken up about him and plans to do everything she can to stay out of that house until that slimy pervert leaves for good. He doesn't even deserve to be called her uncle anymore. Family members don't hurt each other and uncles are supposed to spoil their nieces with love, not sexual assault.

Flaca wonders how it all started with that animal. Was it when she was squeezed against him at her quinceañera or when he gave her a lingering stare at Thanksgiving? She hadn't thought this much about it until now.

Someone slams into her from behind and she shrieks. "Didn't you hear me calling for you?" Maritza asks in a tired tone. "It took me a few tries to get your attention!"

"Oh...lo siento, Mari," Flaca mumbles. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing, just your name a few times. We gotta get Humps out of here! I keep having nightmares and I jump every time he comes near me. He's always like, got his eye on me."

Flaca's temper flares and she squeezes her eyes shut. "Has he made a rape attempt or anything?"

The shorter Latina's eyes dart around the hallway. "No, no...but he keeps, like...asking me to come to his class after school. I never go, because I don't wanna be by myself with him. He has my contact info since I'm his student."

A fire explodes inside Flaca. "Odio a los ancianos, ¿sabes? ¿Cuál es su trato con querer chicas adolescentes o follar a sus esposas y novias? Quiero decir...tuviste a Humps, y el papá de Alex dejó a su madre cuando estaba embarazada, no sé qué pasó mi padre, pero yo asumo lo mismo, Daya se fue con ellos cuando ella tenía dos años y no ha vuelto ya que, mientras tanto, el novio de su madre es un sicko, y el señor Morello pretende que Lorna y su hermana Franny no existen, a menos que estén hablando mientras él está viendo sus estupidos espectáculos...él ni siquiera les agradece cuando se inclinan hacia atrás para cuidar de su culo podría pensar, ya que su mamá está a punto de morir, él estar sentada en su silla de ruedas, a su lado y estar allí...tal vez leyendo un libro o lo que sea...¡pero no! Todos ellos son douchebags, y por favor, don't tell the girls I spilled their dirty laundry."

I fucking hate old men, you know? What's their deal with wanting teenage girls or fucking over their wives and girlfriends? I mean...you got Humps, and Alex's dad left her mom when she was pregnant, I dunno what happened to my father, but I assume the same thing, Daya's walked out on them when she was two and hasn't come back since, meanwhile, her mother's boyfriend is a sicko, and Mr. Morello pretends Lorna and her sister Franny don't exist, unless they're talking while he's watching his stupid shows...he doesn't even thank them when they bend over backwards to take care of his crippled ass. You'd think, since their mama's about to die, he'd be sitting in his wheelchair, by her side and just being there...maybe reading her a book or whatever...but nope! All of them are douchebags.

"I won't, but wow, that's really sad!"

"Oh, and I forgot to mention that Piper's idiot dad was a lying cheater when she was like, eleven. It just never ends!" Flaca rants. She pushes her damp bangs back from her forehead and punches a wall so hard that it hurts and she hopes she hasn't broken anything. During her tirade, she'd been sweating and she could hardly catch her breath. "Dios mío..."

"You're trembling," Maritza points out and takes her clammy hands. "Cariña, it's okay...I'm alright, see? So are your friends. We're gonna go to the principal and get this all taken care of." She uses her purple binder as a fan to wave in front of Flaca's face. "Just relax, you're having an anxiety attack. I've been through this, too."

"La habitación está girando!" Flaca screams hysterically and feels herself floating down, down, until her butt hits the floor. She notices that Maritza has guided her to a seated position against the bottom row of lockers.

The room is spinning

"You were gonna faint," Maritza explains.

Flaca buries her face in her hands and sobs. "How are you so strong about this? He's a fucking...abusador de niños!" She's not sure if she's talking about Humps, Fernando, or both of them.

"I know, and I wanna take him down for it! I guess I just try not to think about it...I do stuff I enjoy and while he's not in my line of vision or intruding my mind, I'm fine. Why are you taking this so personal? Did something happen?"

"No, I...it's nothing, Mari...just...you're so little that I can't...I can't handle people even thinking about hurting you...it's like last year, when I saw Piscatella towering over Lorna and reprimanding her for not being fast enough in any sport because she's got these really short legs, and I just froze, like...it was totally nerve-wracking and you know he's stronger and bigger than her! Does he do that to you?"

"He just yells a lot...Alex is in my class, so she's my partner...I'm not alone there. She and this girl, Sylvia, keep people from bumping into me and shit. No one's mean, but I'm the new girl still...there's time for me to get picked on. It won't happen, though. People think I'm cute."

Flaca sighs deeply and feels herself finally beginning to calm down. She tucks Maritza into her side and smiles while sniffling. "That's good, I'm glad...however, I wish Lorna wasn't alone in Piscatella's class...Daya and I got cool teachers, you're with Alex and Sylvia, but Lorna's...like a tiny kitten in a swarm of tigers. She swims in her uniform, like you, and I try not to worry about her because she can defend herself-"

Maritza frowns. "So can I! I'm vicious! Flaca, just 'cause we're small doesn't mean we ain't tough! Didn't she take a bat to Vinny's car or something? She's bad-ass!"

"Right...sorry for going on a tangent. What were we doing again?"

"Going to speak to Fig about Humps?"

"Thanks."

They stand up and walk to Fig's office. Maritza grunts while yanking the door open and Flaca holds it in that position until they're both inside.

"Good morning, ladies," she greets them.

"Ms. Figueroa, we have an issue," Flaca starts out.

"Oh, Christ," she mutters while crossing her ankles. "Another brown baby from a drug addict father and stupid tempting teenager who couldn't glue her legs together..."

"What?" Maritza asks, confused, and Flaca rolls her eyes. Ever since Maria got pregnant, Fig planted this idea in her head that every single time there's a problem with a Mexican girl, it has to do with sex. "No, that's not it...Humps...Mr. Humphrey, my Biology teacher...he was...he..." Maritza clutches the arms of her chair tightly and Flaca puts her hand over her best friend's in encouragement.

"I can't understand your stuttering. Who are you again? I can't tell you Spanish girls apart."

Flaca scowls at how ignorant she's being. "Her name is Maritza Ramos and she's just started here on Monday. Would you just let her tell you what she needs to say? It's very hard, but she's trying!" It takes all of Flaca's self control not to throw her chair at the bitch.

"Okay, but I have a limited amount of time. I'm very busy. Talk, Miss Ramos. What about Mr. Humphrey?" Fig leans forward with a fake smile plastered on her horse-shaped face. Flaca wants to slap it off.

Maritza gulps and she scoots closer to the principal's desk so her feet can touch the floor fully. "He dry-humped me...for a lesson to show...procreation...between a male and female...I mean, he could've just given us a lecture on sex ed or whatever..."

"If it wasn't rape, don't waste my time. Why would you agree to this?"

Maritza's hands curl into fists and she pounds them onto her lap a few times while biting her quivering bottom lip. Her whole body deflates and she slumps in her chair.

"¡No lo hizo!" Flaca screeches. "He made her do it...he's got this twisted attraction to her and felt her up without her consent! Everyone's trauma is valid! ¿Por qué no lo entiendes?"

She didn't! Why don't you get that?

"Miss Gonzales, remember who's in charge here. You need to calm down before your outburst lands you in detention. You need to speak English, remember, we live in America. You may use Spanish with your friends who understand the language fluently, but not me."

Flaca wonders how it would feel to dig her fingernails into this imbecile's wrinkled skinny neck.

"It's true, though, Ms. F. Not only did he do that to me, he's also staring at me constantly, sending me suggestive emails, calling me up, leaving me sleazy voicemails, trying to get me alone with him...like, listen to this recent one." Maritza takes her phone out and plays a message while curling her legs up and hugging them to her chest.

"Hey, girl, I can't wait to see you today. I need to give you a private lesson after school or tonight, if you know what I mean...I crave for your body, preferably hog-tied to my bed with duct tape muffling your screams of how much you want me to slam into you harder...damn, Miss Ramos, you've got me all hot and bothered. We can only stop when I make your little cunt bleed."

"What'cha gonna do about that? She's just fourteen!" Flaca exclaims and then swallows the bile that's about to come up. "That's rape, what he's describing. He would do that to her!"

"Not necessarily, it's simply locker room talk. Men say all kinds of stupid things, but it doesn't mean they'll follow through with said actions. He just has a sadomasochism fetish. It's weird, but that's what he likes doing in the bedroom. That's his business, not ours. You can choose not to show up."

Flaca lets out a strangled yell. She wants to reach over Fig's desk, tackle her to the ground, and repeatedly bash her face in. If this were a rich, white girl talking, Fig would kiss her ass and do everything possible to make sure Humps never came near her again. She remembers how nice Fig was to Piper.

"He also threatened to feed us the live animals if we acted like we were repulsed while we dissected them," Maritza adds onto Flaca's statement. A tear slips down her cheek as her voice breaks in a few places. "I don't wanna be in his class anymore...and Flaca shouldn't be there either. Please, do something...I'm begging you here..."

"You're fourteen, Miss Ramos?"

"Yes," she responds weakly.

"When do you turn fifteen?"

"Um...next summer, why?"

"You're in ninth grade. Whoever made your schedule messed up...Mr. Humphrey teaches the tenth grade and I have no reason to pull Miss Gonzales out, but you don't belong in there. You're in Earth Science with Ms. Bell."

Maritza gasps softly and looks extremely relieved, but Flaca's still pissed that she was put there in the first place, so she never should've had to suffer there. She hopes Maritza won't fall into Fig's trap and forgive her too quickly. "Thank you so much...but how should I get Humps to stay away from me? He knows my email address and phone number. He's...stalking me!"

"Confront him about it, get a restraining order, whatever, but don't call the cops until he actually does commit a crime."

"¡Eso es un crimen! " Flaca bursts out. "Sabes, what I don't get, is that you'd consider dropping a Latina cafeteria worker just because she's having a bad day, but you can't even think about giving a straight white man his pink slip that he for sure deserves!"

That is a crime!

"Ms. Mendoza was reckless in the kitchen today...if she does better tomorrow, she can continue slaving away in there. Mr. Humphrey has always been wonderful at his job."

"¡Deberíamos haber ido a Gloria o Red!" Flaca says furiously and gets out of her seat. "Su feminismo blanco le pondrá en problemas un día, Fig!" She shoots up her middle finger and aims it at the principal.

We should've gone to Gloria or Red! Your white feminism will get you in trouble one day, Fig!

"That's a detention for you, young lady! Wait, what problems? What did you-"

Flaca grabs Maritza's hand and they can't get out of there fast enough. "Ugh! ¡Me siento físicamente enfermo!"

Ugh! I feel physically sick!

"Yo también," Maritza agrees.

Me, too.

Flaca checks her vibrating phone. I hate her and Humps, too! White people, right? Of course, you're no better; because you allowed Piper to be a bitch to everyone she looked down upon! Don't start feeling bad now that you're on the receiving end of racism. Mwah! -P

"Who texted you?"

"Just my mom," Flaca answers her bestie.

They go into the bathroom when they see Gloria applying makeup over what appears to be a busted lip. "Hey...are you okay?" Flaca asks her. She sees that Gloria's eyes are red from crying for a while. Her shoulder-length hair sticks to the sides of her face.

Gloria closes her lipstick tube and drops it into her purse. "Yes. How are you girls this morning?"

"We're...fine," Maritza lies.

Dios mío! What happened to your face? That looks bad! You should put ice on it or something," Flaca advises her.

"Just stay out of this, please," Gloria says firmly while putting on her eyeliner. She gives up when she gets to her swollen left eye. She sighs and just goes with mascara and dabs on some light brown eyeshadow.

"Okay, but we're just reaching out to you because we're really worried about you," Maritza replies.

"Yeah, we wanna help," Flaca adds.

"Well, don't! ¡Olvídalo!" The older Latina rushes out of the bathroom.

"Do you think she's being abused?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"Maybe, but I hope not. Who would hurt Gloria?" Flaca wants to know.

"One of the teachers?"

"Could be. Piscatella was quite harsh to her earlier."

"Let's play detective and spy on her...see where she goes and who she speaks to when she's not in the cafeteria. Then we have a really good chance of catching the snake." Maritza's voice rises excitedly as she explains her plan.

"Oooh, great idea!"


The principal's voice comes through the loudspeaker. "Hello, everyone...I have an important announcement to make. There was a junkie prowling around our school." Lorna rolls her eyes at Fig's stupid wording. It's not like Nicky was doing anything dangerous. She wasn't even smoking or shooting heroin into her veins. She was just conversing with Lorna and Alex. "Because of this, some of you may have bought her drugs. We will not allow this on campus, so from now on, we will be issuing Breathalyzer tests and searching bags and bodies." The whole yearbook and journalism class groans and some students curse loudly. Flaca bangs her head on her folded arms, which are laying in front of her computer. Daya mouths, What the fuck? and Lorna quickly scribbles, P tattled on Nicky to Piscatella on a sheet of lined paper and shows both her friends. Daya shakes her head in frustration and Flaca snarls something about taking out Humps and Piscatella instead of personal freedom under her breath. "Don't worry, you can keep your clothes on. This goes for both students and staff. Remember, student debates are at lunchtime. Enjoy the rest of your day, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Well, I guess I gotta leave my cigarettes at home," Ms. Maxwell says. Lorna's not sure if the teacher's trying to make a joke or not. "Start working, boys and girls."

"I have the best idea for an article in my head," Flaca says unexpectedly. "I came up with it in five seconds flat after Maritza's and my chat with Gloria. I have to get approval from them first and see if I should change their names."

"Oooh, what's it about?" Lorna asks.

"Oppression of minorities...and how men use women...like we're just here for their sexual pleasures or punching bags...and fuckin' Fig makin' excuses for 'em because we're just estúpido hispanos...and even you and Alex get unfair treatment because you're not well-off like her."

"You're the farthest thing from dumb! She's a shithead if she thinks that way about you, Maritza, and Gloria! She makes me embarrassed to be a straight white female," Lorna says. "It sounds like a good story! I'll write it with you."

"I'll draw a comic relating to it," Daya puts in. "I wonder what exactly happened." Her phone goes off and she claps her hand over her mouth. She lets the others see it.

Look what I've got! It's Aleida and Cesar's heroin. If you don't want me to take it to the police, you'll do as I say. Here's a hug from me to you! -P

An image of the white powder inside many plastic baggies is attached. "That's how they make money! It's...it's our only source of income! If they get arrested, who knows what may happen to Christina, Emiliano and me?" she whispers in alarm. "I know I don't like them that much, but...I'd hate to be separated from my baby brother and sister. Your houses are crowded and I can't bother Diane and Alex for too long...I'll have to do P's tasks."

Lorna pats Daya's hand kindly. "You guys can stay with us for a while, get a job like my sister did, and eventually buy an apartment. Why do what that cooze says?"

"I'm not qualified like Franny," Daya says dejectedly, "but thanks anyway."

"Hey, don't say that! You're a brilliant artist...you could be like, a designer for children's picture books or comics. You could even sketch suspects in a crime!" Flaca tells her. "You can crash at my place! My mom would be happy to have you!"

"Thanks, girl, but P is going to make me humiliate myself in some way...and I don't think I have a choice. Even if I'm sharing a roof with either one of you, P will start shit! It's better if I just deal with this..."

Lorna and Flaca sigh unhappily and give Daya hugs of support. It's really all they can do.

Fourth period is also entertaining because Alex's mom is Lorna and Maritza's English teacher and almost every sentence that comes out of her mouth contains a four-letter word. The only times that she doesn't swear is when one of the strict teachers, Caputo, or Fig, come in. She also doesn't mind dragging her evil co-workers. "What a fuckin' awful rule they've got going on here! I mean...I understand Breathalyzers, they don't want you to come to school trashed, but come on, you can totally see if someone's shitfaced. If a student has had a drink, their breath smells like alcohol...by the way, no one drinks before eight in the morning...but if they're able to conduct themselves, they should be fine! Don't get me started on the full-body pat-downs...what are we, in prison? Come on, you know that's just an excuse for those dirty assholes like Humps, Dixon, Ratman, and Piscatella to be abusive...both physically and sexually! I tell you, if anyone puts their hands on you aggressively, you kick 'em where it counts. They're supposed to be seein' if you're hiding drugs in your clothes, but they can not touch you in inappropriate places or leave bruises! If that happens, you call nine-one-one! That's called corporal punishment and against the law. Hell...they think sending one druggie away will protect everyone's safety...they are as dumb as they come! A nastier burnout could always come around, you know, and bring their violent psychopath friends with locks in socks, guns, knives, any weapon you can think of! Now we all gotta worry about this person sending someone to get revenge on us...and we can thank that skanky bitch and the idiot vice principal who really needs to shave his mustache!"

The class erupts into cheers and Diane bows dramatically.

Lorna exchanges a smile with Maritza. "Diane's sweet, huh? She's got a good heart."

"I know, she is," Maritza says back. "Is she cool with you callin' her by her first name?"

"Yeah! I've known the woman for three years! We always chill at her diner, the bar she works at, or Alex's house since she's an only child and we have our privacy. Flaca probably told you already," Lorna rambles with a friendly smile.

"Mm-hm."

Diane lets them go on their phones until she finishes scrawling her lessons on the board in loopy handwriting. Lorna suddenly has time to ask something of P. She makes sure no one is watching her.

Can I please have Christopher's address? He's my boyfriend and I wanna seduce him tonight hehe especially after this troublesome morning!

She gets a reply half a minute later.

Of course, I really owe this to you. I'll tail him after school ;) Love ya! -P

Lorna can't help but smirk.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, LindaAndrewsfan, cornedout, A Star In My Universe, thecharmedwerewolf, ladyglorificus, nnicholsnlyonne, and sxpphic!