Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! I know I had said Daya's baby sister Christina was 3 in chapter one, but she's 4 instead since this story takes place ten years before canon. Emiliano is 3. Benny does have a big boy bed-NOT a crib. Sorry for the confusion! Just so you guys know, Leon McDonald is an actual character in the show-he's the construction foreman that all the women are into-and I can totally picture Aleida having a thing for him. He seemed decent, just doesn't like when ladies throw themselves at him while he's trying to give them instructions. How'd you like his and Aleida's first meeting?
Warning: hate speech, sexism, references to violence against minors
Cariño can mean two things-a term of endearment (darling) or the word "affection"
perra celosa-jealous bitch
It's the first time that Alex has woken up by herself, so she knows right away that something is off. Lorna had informed her and the other girls that she was okay and apologized for giving them a scare, so Alex replies back with I'm so happy to hear it! Their friends have similar responses. After relieving herself, washing her face, and putting her glasses on, she walks into the tiny kitchen where Diane is making herself a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Mom."
Diane turns around and the sadness on her face rips Alex's heart in half. "Hey, Al..."
"What's wrong?"
"Are you high?"
If Alex was holding something, she would've dropped it. "What?! Mom, no! Jesus..."
"Have I ever lied to you, even once?" Diane sets her cup down and crosses her arms over her chest.
"No," Alex mumbles, so embarrassed of herself now.
"Then why, pray tell, do you think it's okay to be dishonest with me?"
"I'm not using!"
"Oh, really? Then can you explain...this?" Diane asks as she pulls out the drugs from her pocket. Alex's stomach plummets to the ground and her insides twist in knots. There's a note stuck on the bag that reads, Please don't touch, and only the P is circled. Alex certainly did not write it.
"Mom...I apologize...I had it once, to try...I'm not hooked, I swear!"
"Who did you buy this from?"
"Nobody...it was just provided at Ian's party, and...haven't you ever wanted to experiment with smack...or feel like you're floating out of your body because reality is weighing you down?"
"Of course...I'd just smoke weed occasionally, but heroin is very addictive. Your father offered me some, but I never took it because I was afraid I'd be tempted for more. Sweetie, we live in a trailer park. You cannot pay for this kind of shit! Not only is it against the law and highly dangerous, it's expensive...there are much better things to spend your money on. If you want to escape the world for a while, just go for a bus ride with your friends, or we'll drive to New York City and back, talking and giggling the minutes away."
"I know...I never touched it again after snorting a line. It was weird." Alex keeps her eyes on the floor. "I'm so sorry for disappointing you."
Diane smiles and pats Alex's cheek. "Good. Next time I see it in your possession, which I fucking hope I won't ever have to again, you're grounded for a week with no social or media life. You'll just go to school. Is that understood, little girl?"
"Yes."
"Now, go flush this down the toilet and come back for some egg pancakes with lots of fruit!"
Alex nods and takes the stash from her mother. She obeys Diane and then goes to tell her friends what just happened and how chill Diane had been about the whole thing. I was hoping she'd be angrier when she busted you! That was nothing! You can thank Lorna for snitching, though...you're annoyed with her anyway! It's all her fault! xo, P
She writes a group text to everyone who knows about P. Girls, my mom knows about my heroin purchase, but she wasn't all that mad-she took it well, actually! She may have been upset and given me a warning, but I wasn't locked in the house for the next few months or anything, so that's great! We can blame this one on P!
I apologize greatly, Alex...P stole my dream board and gave me pieces of it back when I told your mom. I was worried about you, anyway...I see it's not a problem for you, though, and I would've never said anything if I hadn't been bribed. -Lorna
Ugh, P is so mean for trying to break up you girls' friendship and your tight bond with your mom! I'm glad they didn't succeed! Btw, sorry for getting back to you so late...Gloria and I are teaching my mom how to cook. -Daya
That doesn't shock me at all...your mom's cool, and Lorna wouldn't dare betray you like that! -Flaca
Alex doesn't think she should tell Nicky because she doesn't want Nicky to feel guilty for it, and she's not that close to Maritza. She goes back to the kitchen and serves herself an egg pancake, sprinkles cinnamon and sugar all over it, and rolls it up. She and Diane take bites of their food at the same time. "Mmm!" they exclaim in unison.
"Why do I gotta get up this early?" Aleida groans.
"Ma, it's half past ten!" Daya states the obvious.
"Let's get our day goin'!" Gloria adds on.
Aleida pushes the covers off herself and after changing into her nightgown in her closet with the door closed due to Gloria and Daya's urging because of privacy reasons, she trails after them to the kitchen, which is stuffed with newly bought groceries. "It all looks different."
"Sure does," Daya replies. "I love it."
"Me, too," Gloria says. They all start pulling out the things they need to cook for this morning's breakfast. "Make sure no shells get in there. If you see one, it's a pain to pull it out, because the yolk's slimy," she lets Aleida know as the latter cracks three eggs and dumps the yolk into the bowl.
"Yeah, and pour just a few drops of milk, otherwise, we'll have soupy eggs," Daya adds. "Make sure it doesn't come out too fast."
"Alright, I got it!" Aleida says, grabbing the milk out of the refrigerator, twisting off the cap, and slowly letting it out and into the unbeaten eggs. "I gave you this shit in a bottle."
"Okay, but it's been a while since you've really cooked," Daya tells her mother. "You haven't since I taught myself when I was three."
"You focus on what you're doin' over there." Aleida gestures to the other bowl filled with waffle ingredients. She stirs the milk and eggs together and then dumps the mixture into the already hot frying pan.
The waffle timer dings as Aleida uses a spatula to cut apart the huge cooked eggs into bite-sized portions, to turn them scrambled. Gloria picks the waffle up with a fork and lays it on a plate. Daya brings it to Aleida, who plops eggs, melted chocolate chips, and cut fruit on top of it, drizzles syrup on it, and gives it to the children so they can share. Gloria's oldest helps to set the table, and Christina is just learning. They repeat this process a few times until everyone has eaten. Daya, Gloria, and Aleida decide to have their eggs on the side with ketchup, separate from the waffles, syrup, and fruit.
"You did really well," Gloria compliments Aleida after finishing the meal. "Congrats on not fuckin' up!"
"It was easy!"
"No shit!" Daya mutters. "Now, we wash dishes."
After everything is cleaned and they've gotten ready for the day, Gloria takes them to a church where she and her boys once sought shelter. They protect victims of domestic violence there, and Gloria is friends with one of the nuns, Sister Jane Ingalls. When mass is over, the Sister comes over to them. "How are you doing, Gloria?" she asks kindly as Benito and Julio wrap their little arms around her legs. She ruffles their hair with a grin. "Hey, guys!"
"Hi, Pope's homie!" Benny replies, which makes everyone chuckle.
"Oh, much better...he's been carted off to prison," Gloria informs the Sister.
"She ain't gonna forgive him," Aleida chimes in.
"I don't expect her to."
"I thought that's what Christianity's all about," Daya says.
"Well, there's a difference between forgiving someone in your heart and wanting to reconnect with the person. Forgiveness is healthy because it means that you are aware that what the person did was wrong, but you are not carrying the weight of a grudge. It's about letting go, moving on. However, I am sympathetic to all survivors, and I'm not in charge of how they want to deal with things." The nun gives Gloria a hug. "Be well, and see you next Sunday. God bless you all."
"Thank you."
"What's next?" Aleida wants to know as they go to their now shared black van.
"Not putting Emiliano in the trunk, that's for sure," Daya mutters, and Gloria gives Aleida a stare as if to say, Really?
"He could breathe in there, and he fit!" Aleida defends herself.
"You don't put a child...or anyone in a dark, enclosed space where they don't know if or when they'll get out!" Gloria chides Aleida. "He's your little boy! He could've suffocated! What if someone did that to you?"
Aleida sighs while staring upwards. "That makes sense, actually..."
"You learn a little something new each day," Daya says sarcastically.
"Alright, next on our agenda is calling that guy to ask him to build us a bunk bed for our kids, because Christina is getting a bit big for her crib, and Benny has been begging for one. Then, we'll take the children to the park," Gloria announces.
"Yeah, why am I in a crib when Benny has a big kid bed?" Christina asks and then sticks out her lower lip into a pout. "It's not fair, and I'm jealous! I'm not a baby!"
"We know, sweetie, that's why Gloria's gonna hire someone to make a bunk bed for you!" Daya tells her baby sister.
Christina gasps happily and jumps up and down. "Yay!"
"Is it for my birthday, Mama?" Benito asks Gloria.
"It can be, buddy!" Gloria's eyes travel to Aleida. "How old are they?" she asks, gesturing towards the shorter woman's kids, who are holding hands with Daya.
"Christina's four and Emiliano's three. Why?"
"Well, Benny's gonna start kindergarten tomorrow and I'm wondering if Christina has also been enrolled, that is, if she's turning five before December first."
"She is...on October thirteenth! Don't sweat it, Gloria, Daya's got this shit handled."
"Okay, I was just making sure. You do know that you need to drop her off and give her a big hug and kiss before her class, right?"
"Sure, now that my mornings aren't so busy...unless that Leon-"
"You are gonna be there for your daughter's first day of kindergarten! You've already missed Daya's, so you ain't skippin' out on another one!" Gloria snaps. "We'll drop our babies off together, then, we'll take Julio and Emiliano to preschool, and Daya to Martin Van Buren High. ¿Entiendes?"
Aleida scoffs. "I'm starting to. It's just a lot of changes."
"I'm sure it is, but you'll adjust."
"Where's Daddy now?" Christina asks Daya. "Why can't he get me a big girl bed? He got me Barbies and 'Miliano toy dinosaurs all the time!"
"He got taken away for doing bad things, baby, and he's not your daddy. He isn't a nice man. Remember when I told you guys to hide whenever he got mad at me?"
"Oh yeah...he was scary," Christina says in a quieter voice.
"Did he hurt you?" Benito wonders out loud. "I thought Arturo was nice, but he hit me and was really mean to my mommy and gave her an owie."
"No, he just yelled if we ruined stuff or didn't do what he said...and 'member, we got in the sugar, but Daya said it wasn't sugar..."
"Me wike sugar!" Emiliano pipes up.
"Mmm, yummy!" Julio agrees.
Gloria's heart breaks at them talking about their traumatic experiences in their innocent little voices, even when they had no idea how serious it all was. "Did they take a hit of heroin?" she whispers to Aleida.
"Nah, but they sure did try...I got no idea where Daya was that time, but she's supposed to know that kids are idiots and you gotta watch 'em twenty-four seven!"
"Actually, children can be pretty smart. What were you doin'?"
"Cesar." Aleida grins, not showing an ounce of remorse. "Daya was in deep shit that night!" At this, Gloria rolls her eyes so far back into her head that she feels dizzy.
"Okay, that's how come you put the smack in childproof-locked cabinets and on high shelves...or get rid of it altogether...and if Daya wasn't around, you should've gotten someone else to babysit!"
"Hey, I did good last night. Gimme a break here."
Gloria sighs. "Fine, I'll leave it in the past."
When Red hears about what Lorna was actually arrested for, she's shocked. "I thought that all she did was mail fraud! How about we make a deal to let her do community service and this whole thing goes away? After all, she doesn't have a previous arrest record."
"Yes," CO Ford agrees.
"Miss Morello is a good girl, but teens don't always make the best decisions, especially when it comes to being rejected by a crush, and community service can help her. Jail won't do squat." Lorna glances at her lawyer and smiles a bit.
The judge nods. "Okay, then. I hereby sentence Lorna Morello to work at a facility of her choosing for one hundred and twenty hours." He bangs the gavel and gives Lorna a piece of paper with a list of places she would work at.
"What?!" Christopher hollers and slams his hand down on the table. "That's it? She needs to be locked up for five years!"
"That's not your decision to make, young man!" the judge says sharply. "I'm going to see how Miss Morello does. Her parole officer, Mr. Charles Ford, will monitor her very closely, and he'll report back to me what he's witnessed. I see no reason for her to be in prison. She's caused you no harm."
"Are you serious? She went into his room and wouldn't listen when he asked her to go!" Angela exclaims.
"You need to stay away from my boyfriend, you slut," Lorna hisses at her.
"Okay, Lorna, that's enough," Red murmurs while giving the girl a strict look.
"That bitch is a criminal!" Christopher's lawyer argues.
"Do not call my client a bitch or a criminal," Juliana fires back. "Miss Morello, do you promise to stop harassing Mr. MacLaren?"
Lorna nods. "Yes. I apologize, I just wanted to surprise him, but I won't anymore."
"Thank you. Are we finished here?" Juliana asks.
"I'm done. They always take the girl's side...whatever." Christopher shakes his head and gives Lorna an angry stare while wagging his finger in her face. "Don't come near me again or I will place a restraining order on your ass." He stands up with Angela and his lawyer and they leave the room.
Red and Lorna walk up to CO Ford and start going to the waiting room. "Don't waste your time chasing after him. It's just not really worth being behind bars," he advises Lorna.
"The way he acted towards you was unacceptable. If someone talked to me like that, I would slap them across the face!" Red puts in.
"Angela Cunt-shit has changed him...my poor Christopher...he don't know what he's doin' or sayin'," Lorna says stubbornly with tears filling her eyes. "He's like a robot now. She controls him! I want her to die a slow and painful death! She stole him from me!"
"People aren't objects. You can't take someone who doesn't want to be stolen," CO Ford tells her.
"Christopher is mine!" Lorna whimpers and chokes on her sobs. Red puts a comforting arm around her.
As soon as they get to the waiting room, a concerned look grows on Nicky's face and the wild-haired girl comes over to Lorna. "Hey, kid," she murmurs while wiping away Lorna's falling tears with her thumbs. "Why are you so sad? How'd it go?"
"I gotta do community service...and then I thought more about what you all said about Christopher being with Angela...I hate her so much!"
"Yeah, sometimes that happens. We can't all have the person we want, so we gotta move on, right?"
"It ain't easy...he knows he's my soulmate, but Angela, she's like...putting ideas into his head, like he's hypnotized. You can see it in his eyes. I just gotta get him without her next time..." Lorna scrunches up her face in determination and makes her hands into claws.
"How are ya, besides that?" Nicky asks.
"I'm okay. The cuts were deep, but they look good. My men are forever embedded in my arms."
"Where would you like to work, honey?" Red asks, trying to distract the upset girl. Besides, Nicky is there and she doesn't think Lorna would want to talk too much more about her crime in front of the blonde. She rubs soothing circles on Lorna's back.
Lorna sniffles. "Umm...I dunno...maybe the hospital? I already got experience from helping to take care of Ma."
"That sounds fine."
"If it's depressing there, though, can someone volunteer with me?"
"Sure," CO Ford allows her.
The judge then calls Nicky in, and Lorna sits where Nicky was previously. Red makes sure Lorna is okay before leaving her alone. She pats Lorna's cheek fondly. "Pretty soon, he will be a distant memory," is the last thing she says before joining Nicky and CO Ford in the courtroom.
Nicky shakes hands with Juliana and then, they take their seats, along with Red, who gives her an encouraging smile. The judge has Nicky swear on the Bible that she'll be honest in her statement. "Miss Nichols, I have already discussed with your lawyer and your parole officer about what actions need to be taken, and I understand that you were in possession of drugs, but not distributing them at the time. Did you or did you not have the intent to sell?"
"Yes, I was going to...but not to the girls I was talking to."
"My client wasn't on heroin at the time, Your Honor," Juliana says. "She wasn't trying to turn anyone into an addict. She does not go to school because her guardian doesn't make her. She has a poor home life, and therefore, may not have had a proper upbringing. You should give her a chance before tossing her in jail. She needs to be kept away from drugs, but since she is not a danger to the public, she doesn't need to be trapped in a cell."
"Very well. Now, the penalty for juvenile drug possession is one hundred and twenty hours of community service, and then her charges will be dropped. I also require Miss Nichols to take drug counseling and enroll in school." The judge bangs the mallet and hands Nicky a list of work sites.
Nicky blows out a huge puff of air and presses her fist to her mouth while looking at it. "I guess I'll pick up trash. Can I do that at Martin Van Buren High?"
"Wherever you want. CO Ford will be with you, making sure you're doing alright." The judge waves them out, so they begin to leave.
"Okay, I'll talk to my foster mom about it. I'll just tell her I'm gonna enroll and go to those meetings, uh..."
"Narcotics Anonymous?" Red supplies.
"Yeah, that."
"You need to stop using, though. Just attending is a waste of your time if you're going to keep being on heroin," CO Ford tells Nicky.
"I know...it's gonna be a challenge, but I will certainly try."
"I'll take you, milaya," Red lets Nicky know.
Nicky grins. "Awesome, thanks, Red."
"Anytime."
When they meet up with Lorna, CO Ford tells her and Nicky that they'll have to start their work on Monday at four in the afternoon to eight in the evening. As Red drives the girls home, Lorna asks, "You didn't have to sleep with him, did you?"
"What?" Red is surprised at Lorna's question. She fixes her rearview mirror so it shows the girls in the backseat. "No, of course not! Why would I do that?"
"Well, you know, if he promised to let me go free in exchange for sex."
"Ford's not like Mendez, Lorna," Nicky says. "When did you meet Pornstache? I thought Ford took you to jail."
"He did, but I've been arrested...um, before I met you...I got really mad at Vinnie and whacked his car with a baseball bat. Mendez...or are we callin' him Pornstache?"
Nicky lifts her shoulders up and down. "Whatever you want, but Pornstache is really fitting because he's got that creepy mustache that belongs to men who you know have molested little girls."
Lorna shudders. "Ew! Anyway, he caught me..."
"Oh, shit! Did he force you to do stuff to get out of it or somethin'?"
"No, but my sister offered herself to him so she wouldn't have to pay the bail, because she couldn't afford it. Of course, he took the chance...and when he spent the night at our house...he was so gross..." Lorna gulps and her face pales. "He made moves on me and grabbed my boobs! Why did he do that?" The tremor in Lorna's voice and the darkness in Nicky's eyes makes Red want to take this Pornstache imbecile and sever his throat.
"Probably for the same reason he groped my butt," Nicky grumbles. "I don't think I'd ever been grabbed like that before. I couldn't even fight him off, because that would've been resisting an officer."
"He's a fucking disgusting excuse of a human being," Red says bitterly. "He needs to be fired and put in prison!"
"We'll just never commit our crimes again," Lorna decides.
"Yeah, that is, if we don't wanna run into him for the rest of our lives," Nicky concurs.
"Girls, this was his doing-not yours. He is a pervert and a pedophile!"
"We know," Lorna mumbles.
"There's just no way to stop him, especially because he's not doing anything to us now. I get that you wanna protect us, but we did break the law...but that shouldn't matter..."
"I don't think it does, but maybe..."
They sound so confused as they work out their inner conflicts, and it makes Red's heart snap in two. "I'll tell you one thing...that was sexual assault, what he did to both of you. I'll make sure to let CO Ford in on this."
"No, Red, please don't! It'll go to trial, and he'll get away with it because they're all nasty, besides Ford," Nicky insists.
"I'm used to it," Lorna says. "I may not like it...I hate it, in fact, but it's the way things are."
"What does a mama bear do?" Red asks while tightly gripping the steering wheel. She can't believe what she's hearing.
"She protects her cubs," Nicky answers.
"She's really scary about it, too," Lorna continues.
"That's correct. Now, I want you two to understand...I am going to try my hardest at getting that motherfucker to never see the sun again. He touched my girls, and now, he's going to pay," she says in a deadly tone.
"Hello, Mr. McDonald, I'm Aleida Diaz. You saved me from cracking my skull open last night, so I appreciate that." Aleida twirls her brown hair around her fingers and giggles.
"So, you decided to give me a ring after all! I honestly didn't expect you to," Leon answers.
"Why? Are you a nerd or somethin'?"
Gloria makes a circular hand motion that most likely means Hurry up!
Leon chuckles. "No, far from it! It's just that a lot of ladies roll their eyes at pickup lines, and I definitely hit on you. I was sure I'd never hear from you again."
"Did you dream about me last night?" Aleida asks him flirtatiously and Gloria facepalms. "Were we banging?"
"I probably did. There were a lot of beautiful women at that club."
"Well, it just so happens that this isn't a booty call...I'm actually the hot mama type. I'm asking if you can come over to my house and build bunk beds for the kids."
"Oh, sure thing!"
"Thank you." She tells him where she lives and then they say goodbye and hang up. Quickly, she goes into the bathroom to apply more lipstick, fix her eyeliner, and make sure her hair is perfectly curled and her self-made nails aren't chipped. She's determined to get Leon to ask her out on a date and suck him off later.
"There is a man coming to make the bunk beds, but he won't do anything evil. Gloria and I will be with you the whole time," Daya is assuring the children, and they give her silent nods of understanding.
"Cool!" Benito says excitedly.
"Alright, bitches, listen up! He's gonna be here soon, and I want y'all to stay out of his way! He's gotta work and I don't want no one stabbing themselves with tools and shit!" Aleida informs them.
"Uh, would you mind not calling my boys bitches?" Gloria asks. "You think maybe there's another nickname for the children you could come up with? Bitches somehow just don't got the same cariño to it," she adds lightheartedly.
"I'm not insulting them, it's just what I say."
"Well, refer to them as kids instead when speaking to the little ones. They don't know why you're calling them bitches. All they get is that you swore at them and it hurts their feelings."
"Okay." Aleida takes a deep breath. "Should I try again?"
"No, for another time, just remember."
"I will."
"Why did she call us a bad word?" Benito asks Gloria.
"Mommy's friend simply has a lot of issues. She didn't say it to be mean!"
"Oh...okay." Benito looks from Gloria to Aleida and smiles. "You're nice to my mommy and you don't give me boo-boos, so yay!"
"Yay!" Christina, Emiliano, and Julio echo, and Gloria and Daya chuckle lightly.
"I got no reason to be a bitch!" Aleida exclaims. The doorbell rings and she rushes to get it. She opens the door quickly and sees Leon standing there with his tool kit. "Hey, come on in! Whoa...you're ripped! You work out a lot or somethin'?"
"Thanks," he says with a laugh. "Yeah, all the time. It's also from lifting heavy objects on the job."
Gloria clears her throat behind them and Christina sucks her thumb while hiding behind Daya's legs. "I suppose I gotta show you the room now. This is my friend and all the kids..." she says, pointing to each person.
"Hello," he greets them.
"Hi," everyone except Christina and Emiliano say in unison.
She leads him to Daya's room and gestures to where the cribs are. "There. Sorry about the mess, children can be pigs. I'll make 'em clean up later." She pushes all the toys aside to make room for Leon so he can work.
"That's okay, I get it." He moves the cribs out of his way and she just stares in wonder at how powerful he is.
"Don't you normally do this with a crew?"
"It's just me today."
"Fuck me," Aleida whispers to herself. She watches him take the baseboards off the wall, and then he does a whole bunch of other stuff that she'd never know anything about in a million years. "What are those things you just put on the wall?"
"Cleats, and now I'm going to put in the side rails, headboard, molding, footboard, trundle, mattresses, and finally, the ladder," he explains. "I need to do the same on both sides of the room."
"Huh..." Aleida jumps on Daya's bed and lays down with one leg stretched over her body and her arms open wide above her head. "So...what are your plans for tonight?"
"Wait a sec, I gotta concentrate on getting these all the way into the wall and then get my materials out of my truck. I apologize."
"Go ahead."
When he finishes that step, he moves onto the next, and she hums to herself as she waits. He keeps leaving the room and returning with different things he needs.
"You are the biggest fuckin' hypocrite," Gloria mutters as she comes into Daya's room. "What, you're the only one who can bother him? He's sweaty from working so hard; you should get him a nice glass of cold water if you like him so much," she recommends.
Aleida does just that and hands it to him. "I thought you might be thirsty."
Leon takes a big gulp and sets the glass down on Daya's nightstand. "I was, thank you!"
"No problem."
As soon as he's sliding in the mattresses, he says, "Probably just go to the sports bar like always."
"Well...how about you do somethin' a little different?" She slides one of her dress straps off her shoulder and grins sexily at him.
"You know, I could injure myself if you keep distracting me! This will take me fifty minutes, and then we can talk."
"I apologize." Aleida sighs, plops down, and gazes up at the ceiling. "I just thought you found me interesting."
"I do, but...I'm a little busy at the moment here!"
"Okay, I'll let you finish." Aleida can't stop admiring Leon as he works. He has such careful hands and she keeps having images of him naked and going deep into her soaking, wet folds as she grips his ass and his fingers tangle into her hair. She feels her face flush and her whole body melt every time they make eye contact.
"Ms. Diaz?"
His manly voice lifts her from her reverie and she bites her bottom lip. "Yes?"
"That'll be three hundred and twenty dollars-check, please."
She goes to find the woman who actually has the money to pay for this. "Gloria! He's done, he just needs a check for three hundred and twenty bucks."
"Okay, but when you start working, you gonna pay me back half the cost, right?"
"Yep! Thank you!" Aleida takes the check from Gloria, strides back into the room while swaying her hips, and presses the check into Leon's open palm. He closes his calloused hand over her fingers as he takes it.
"You and your friend have cute kids. I hope they love their new bunk beds."
"Oh, it's guaranteed they will."
She walks him to the door and before he leaves, he asks, "Want me to take you out for dinner later?"
"Yes, pick me up whenever you can, around seven," she responds while squealing internally.
"Fantastic!" He grins at her, showing off a nice set of pearly white teeth. "It's a date."
"Hey, check out that watch!" Flaca exclaims as Taystee hands her a bag of takeout lunch at Storky's. "Who got it for you?"
"Remember when you knocked my vanilla and chocolate cookie crunch King Cone out of my hands last year and pulled out my weave?" Taystee shakes her head and scoffs. "Girl, that was some stupid shit! Now you actin' like we friends..."
"I can get you another one," Flaca says guiltily. "I was just trying to keep you out of trouble! You can't eat that in class. I'm sorry, I guess I was hoping we could put that behind us...turn over a new leaf. I understand if you don't wanna speak to me, though."
"Miss Claudette bought me a new watch...even though she can be a real hard ass, she somehow noticed that I was troubled and she wanted to help me. Dixon called me a jigaboo, which is a nasty word for African Americans! I mean, I probably deserved it because I talked back-"
"That's no excuse! He still had no right to destroy your property or call you a racist name!" Alex tells her.
"She told me to keep it at home and she told that piece of shit that I wouldn't be wearing expensive watches or any at all to school, just so he can ruin them. I cut class that day, when he stepped on my watch...I ran to the cafeteria. Miss Claudette found me there and make me some of her special coconut cake to cheer me up."
"Aww, that was kind," Maritza comments.
"We feel the same way about those asshole teachers...we hate 'em. We wish we hadn't listened to Piper and instead, helped fix this. I mean, who cares if people misbehaved or acted a bit stuck up...Humps, Dixon, Piscatella, and Stratman went way too far in their punishments! Don't worry, though, we would make reports of really unfair things that were happening. We're close to the lunch ladies," Flaca lets Taystee know.
"The rest of us thank you girls for that."
"Yo, Amanda, let's go out and taste some wine!" Poussey calls out as she comes into the place, and Taystee laughs.
"Sounds fun, McKenzie, and after that, yoga class!" They share some secret handshake.
"How about a double date with Brad and Chad?"
"Ooooh! How did we get so lucky to find a set of twin brothers who were both into us?" Taystee asks, and they snigger.
"Fuckin' white people," Poussey mutters. "No offense, Alex."
"None taken. I know it's your guys' inside joke. Hey, Taystee, where's Tricia? She's always with you, I thought. I know that Nicky's with Lorna."
"I think she's running errands with Vee and RJ."
Flaca's phone buzzes from inside her purse. "I gotta take this," she murmurs. She turns around so the girls won't be able to see what P has just sent her.
Wise up, goth freak! Taystee isn't the only one you've pissed off. You can't just apologize and hope people will stop being mad at you. Suffer the consequences of making Piper accept you by being a bitch to others. Kisses, P
"I feel so bad I did all that to you, Taystee," Flaca says.
"You were under the influence of Piper."
"It don't matter."
After exchanging numbers with Lorna, Nicky gets a text from her while listening to music in her room. She braces herself for what Lorna has to say, because already, Nicky can see Christopher mentioned a gazillion times.
Nicky, I am going to destroy Angela for stealing my boyfriend Christopher! She had no right to do that to me! She's such a bitch and a slut that I wanna chop her up into little tiny pieces or spin her around by her hair like they did in Matilda! hehehe I'm so evil, I know. But here, I have a plan to make him mine! ARE YOU READY, DRUMROLL, PLEASE…okay I know I'm a dork but go along with it. I'm going to first make Christopher a Facebook page and say that I want to break up with Angela and the girl I truly love is Lorna Morello…and then, I'm gonna tell her friends that, like Polly Harper, who is a big gossip, so my plot will totally work. Next, I'm going to write them love letters. Here you go! I've sent this to all the girls I'm friends with, so tell me what u think:
Christopher,
I love you very much, but you are a player. I've found another guy I like, Joey Giordano, and he gives me all the love I need. Also, you're poor, and my parents don't like you. We've only been dating for a few days, but it's felt like an eternity. Please forgive me and I hope we can still be friends.
Angela
Angela,
We've been going out for three days now, and I feel guilty for cheating on you. But now, I really am in love with Lorna. You're just not good for me as a girlfriend because you don't put out. I'm sorry, but we can still be friends.
Christopher
Haha, I'm such a genius, aren't I?
Nicky shakes her head. She wonders why Lorna's doing this to herself. The girl with the adorable Brooklyn and New Jersey accent will only wind up hurt and embarrassed because Christopher and Angela can call each other and sort it out later. They'll crucify her for this. So, she types back a response. I don't think you should do this. It's not worth it, and they might figure it out. Just a warning. But good letters!
She knows Lorna will probably do it anyway. Nicky just wants something to break Lorna's spell so she can see that Christopher isn't right for her-but it may not happen for a long time, or ever. She better not kill herself for him, because that would be tragic, Nicky thinks worriedly. She'll make sure Lorna never attempts or does that.
While ambling through the streets, Nicky and Tricia come across a carnival. "Ever been to one of those?" Nicky asks.
"Nah, but it looks fun!"
"It is, dude. I've gone before when I was a kid…and I snuck in during my years of being homeless."
"Awesome!"
They go on all the rides, play games, listen to music, people watch, and have lots of fun. At the end of the day, they both buy dessert. Even though they're enjoying their sister time, Tricia can tell something is bothering Nicky by reading her face and watching her body language. The older girl seems like her mind is on something else as she licks her ice cream.
Tricia waves her hand in front of Nicky's face. "Yo, earth to Nicky, what's goin' on?"
"Nothing, Trish." Nicky shoves her flyaway strands of hair back with her hand and groans exasperatedly. "It's just…Lorna."
"What about her?" Tricia asks after swallowing a bite of her chocolate bar.
"She's trying to break up Angela and Christopher, and I'm afraid she's gonna get stung in the process. They'll humiliate her and she'll be the butt of all jokes. I told her she shouldn't do it and it's not worth it, but she won't listen to anyone!"
"She'll just have to learn the hard way, sis, and then she'll go to you and her other girls. That's what friends are for though, to cheer you up when you're down. She needs to see that he's no good and that he doesn't give a shit about her!"
Nicky winces. "I just don't want to see Lorna damaged, Trish. She's so innocent!"
"I know, but how far could she really go with this?"
"Really far. When she sets her mind to something, no one can stop her. She's extremely stubborn. Jesus, you should've seen her at the hospital-kid wouldn't shut up about him!" Rolling her eyes, Nicky grumbles, "Fuckin' straight people, man."
Tricia gives Nicky a hug and tells her not to worry, because Lorna will be heartbroken, but then handle it by hanging out with friends and she'll eventually get over him.
Even though Daya can't stand Aleida, she's glad they're here together at visitation because she'd be nervous to be anywhere near a men's prison by herself. They have one thing in common so far, and that's planning to threaten Arturo.
"I hope he shits his pants," Daya tells her mother.
"We'll make sure he does," Aleida says stiffly. "No one hurts Gloria and gets away with it!"
"Fuck yeah!"
Who they don't expect to see, is Cesar, since he's just been bailed out. He's chatting with who Aleida says is Margarita, and then they swap spit. A look of jealousy crosses Aleida's face. "That's my man, you dumb bitch!" A guard gives her a warning look.
"Hey, don't get us kicked out!" Daya hisses.
"You're dating some girl named after a drink...that doesn't scream bimbo!" Aleida says to Cesar in a quieter voice, and Margarita flips her the bird.
"Perra celosa," he snarls at her.
"I suppose you won't mind that I'm gonna go out with someone tonight, then! We must have an open relationship. If you're allowed to date whoever, then so am I!"
Cesar glares at Aleida. "It's different for us men."
"I'll deal with you later!" she snaps, and then goes up to the front where an officer is standing. "Yeah, we're here to see Arturo..."
Daya ignores Cesar bellowing after her. She and Aleida follow the guard to where the despicable creature is sitting with a slight sneer on his features. They take their seats across from him and glower at him. Daya feels angrier with every second that passes.
"I don't know how the fuck you sleep at night. I hope your ass gets raped in prison!" Aleida growls. "I'll repeat it in Spanish in case you didn't quite get that. No sé cómo diablos duermes por la noche. ¡Espero que tu culo sea violado en prisión!" She sits back with a pleased smirk.
"Wow, linda...estoy recibiendo una mierda por una puta."
Wow, nice...I'm getting shit on by a slut.
"Tell you what, I see you outside again and enjoying the light of day, I'll make sure it gets nice and dark for you-just like how you made Gloria feel!" Daya threatens him. "You know who we are."
"Te digo qué, te veo afuera otra vez y disfrutando de la luz del día, me aseguraré de que se vuelva agradable y oscuro para ti, ¡igual que cómo hiciste sentir a Gloria! Sabes quiénes somos." Aleida restates what Daya's just said. Her eyebrow quirks up. "¿Entiendes?"
He doesn't answer. All he does is snicker, get up, and walk away.
"I wish you'd stuck up for me like that, Ma," Daya tells Aleida as they leave the prison. "That was fuckin' amazing."
"Yeah, you did good too, but how you gonna follow through? You ain't never killed nobody before. Gloria didn't do nothin' to deserve it. You did shit that made Cesar furious! He was trying to keep you in line!"
Daya notices the rising tension as she grits her teeth while balling her hands up by her sides. Aleida folds her arms across her chest. "There are better ways of handling kids when they misbehave."
"Why don't you make me a list, then, since you're the expert?"
"Someone holding a gun to a person's head, not knowing if their life will be over soon, is fucking scary! There is nothing, absolutely nothing that your child could do to deserve a death threat as a punishment-unless, maybe they literally try to purposely kill you-not in self-defense, but that's highly unlikely! He did that to me in front of my siblings! Also, you don't ever yell at a little kid when they break something on accident! I mean, have you seen Christina and Emiliano smile once when they're not with me? No, because they're withdrawn! This is what he did to them...and I've had so many nightmares of Cesar finally putting a bullet through my skull! You got no idea what that's like! You wanna punish me? How about grounding me or taking my phone away for a few days or a week? An informative lecture about why I was wrong would be great, too! Some students in school say they hate their parents because they took them off the internet. Well, my mom's boyfriend endangered my life! I win!" Daya can't say anything else since she's sobbing so hard. "I...I mean...do-do you w-want me to die?" She lets out a few squeaky gasps. "Do you?"
"No," Aleida says softly. "That's why I always watched him when the gun cocked. I knew he wouldn't shoot you, because I trust him. He wouldn't do nothin' to my babies. Come on, enough tears. I didn't raise you to be weak."
"You are the most unsympathetic bitch I've ever met! I like Gloria better, I wish she was my mom instead of you!" Daya hollers and then storms away from her.
She's relieved when Gloria appears in the parking lot with Aleida's car, and she races to the passenger door before Aleida can get to it. "Hey, why you cryin'?" Gloria asks her as she lets them both in.
"Aleida's getting on my last nerve!" Daya says in a frail voice.
"Alright...what happened?" Gloria starts driving them to the park.
"I tried to teach her the right way to act when children do the wrong thing, and that Cesar was wicked for his actions, but she wouldn't listen, even when I went on a rant about my experience and how she should've protected me better, and she told me I was a wimp for breaking down!"
"Daya's a whiny complaining brat, she's picking apart everything I do!" Aleida mutters. "Get off me with your dirty hands!" she grumbles at the children.
"All kids have sticky fingers sometimes, but part of being a mama is you gotta deal with it...you should teach them to wash their hands, not complain about the messes they make on themselves!" Gloria reprimands her while pulling over to the side of the road. "I gotta stop so I don't cause an accident because of how frustrated I am!" She turns in her seat so she can face Aleida. Her face is red with fury. "You also need to understand Daya's point of view. She's terrified of that man, and so was I! You shouldn't love him after what he's done. You should've thrown him out the minute shit got illegal and frightening! I don't care if he was never cruel to you-he caused your children to be afraid of him, and if that ain't a turnoff for you, I don't know what is! Defending him makes me lose respect for you as a friend and gets you and your children so distant from each other, it's not even funny. Damn it, Aleida, I wanna do everything in my power to assist you-but if you keep arguing when your daughter tells you something you're doing is bad, when it clearly is, I don't know how to! She's bawlin' like a baby because you ain't showin' her any compassion! You are insensitive to her needs, and Christina's and Emiliano's, too. Now if you can't grasp that information, I will adopt all of your babies and get you behind bars before you can go 'oh, shit!' I like you as a friend, I really do, so it'll be depressing if I gotta do that because you're a lousy motha!" Daya feels warm inside after Gloria's speech.
Aleida's eyes widen and her jaw drops. She appears to be almost ashamed. "I know I am, Gloria..."
"Good. Admitting that is the first step. Now you show your kids you love 'em! Let us all see that you got a heart!"
"Daya don't even like me, you're her favorite!"
"Oh, gee, I wonder why," Gloria says sarcastically. "You need to work on developing a decent relationship with your children and actually attend to their problems. You gotta care, and if you don't, they'll all grow to hate you."
"Okay. I don't want 'em to resent me. I'm sorry, you're right...and so is Daya. I should be more loving. I just...I never really had proper guidance growin' up."
"I don't give a shit," Daya snaps. She doesn't believe Aleida's excuses. Her grandma isn't nasty like Aleida says she is. In fact, Daya thinks Aleida's mother is the best family member she has.
"It's true, I didn't!"
"Well now, you do," Gloria assures Aleida. "Y'all ready to go to the park now?"
"Yeah!" the kids cheer at the same time, and Daya nods while smiling a little.
"It'd be fun to relax!" Aleida says.
Gloria starts up the car again. "Yeah, but we gonna do some jogging or powerwalking. I've heard it relieves stress. I brought water for everyone."
"I don't think I've done that since high school. I don't need to lose weight," Aleida mumbles.
"I know, but exercise is good for you!" Gloria responds.
"Okay..."
Daya then realizes she hasn't looked at her phone yet because of the drama with Aleida and going to put Arturo in his place. She's not sure which alarms her more, the fact that Lorna's about to commit social suicide or the message that says I told Mendez all about you...he's so excited, in more ways than one ;) xoxo, P
Lorna gets five texts back, and they all either say no, I don't think you should do this, or something else along those lines. Still, she's going to do it, no matter what it takes. P is extremely happy with her after she sends the anonymous person her plot, which is what she likes.
This is why I like you the best. You have a goal and you just go for it, steamrolling everything in your path. I almost feel bad for exposing your secrets and attempting to tear you away from Alex...but I gotta make it fair and not play favorites. Sorry! At least Alex still likes you, but then again, she forgave Piper for leading her on, so I sort of expected she'd do the same with you. She's sweet like that. Lotsa love, P
The first thing she'll do is make the Facebook pages and write the letters. She creates Christopher's, and then Angela's. Lorna signs onto Christopher's first and starts talking to Angela-the real girl.
Christopher: Hey baby
Angela: Touch my body boy
Christopher: Hell no, you don't put out!
Angela: WTF?
Christopher: Girl, I don't like you, I love Lorna. Don't talk to me ever again. If you speak to me in school or call me, I will put a restraining order on you.
Angela has signed off.
"Mission one is complete. Commencing phase two," Lorna whispers to herself while smiling craftily. She signs into Angela's fake page and goes on Christopher's real site. He's on and she types, hey sweet cheeks!
Christopher: Baby you're forever mine
Angela: Eeewww! We've only been together for three days and you're a playa! I love Joey Giordanoj now.
Christopher: Babe, come on!
Angela: Hell no. You're boring. All you do is stare at other girls besides me. Joey loves me for me. Plus, you're poor as shit and my parents hate your guts. Don't talk to me again unless you'd like a restraining order put on you by me.
Christopher has signed off.
"Yes! Stupid plot, my ass!" Lorna pumps her fist in the air. She's now broken them up, and she feels like such a genius. She'll be all over Christopher on Monday because he and Angela won't be talking to each other.
She jumps when she hears someone coming, and she quickly signs out of both the accounts. Franny would ground her for life if she ever finds out what Lorna's doing. She can't tell anyone but her best friends about this. She's so eager to see him come Monday.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, Tiff, and cornedout!
