Thank you for beta'ing, A Star in My Universe! Orange is the New Black season 5 is out today, woohoo! Warning, transphobic slur
Espera aquí-wait here
When she's sick of listening to sad music and sobbing until she can't breathe and her eyes are raw, Flaca takes her headphones off and gets out of her bed. Not even The Smiths sound good to her right now. She wants human contact, but her brothers will think she's just being emo like always, and Theresa is at Friendly's with Diane. She's hoping her mother will be home soon-she should be, since it's been a while. It's too late to hop on a bus and go there, or to see her friends. Now that she doesn't have Ian to assist her with her large sums of money she gets every week, she'll have to split a hundred dollars into ten dollar bills at a store. She doesn't want to tell anyone about this job because they'll disapprove of her being a maid.
"Yeah, sometimes, I'd like to have someone to curl up with while watching television. My bed feels so empty...and I feel like my time is running out. While I love my kids and my sewing business, I'd like a romantic night out," Flaca overhears her mom telling someone, and then, the lock clicks. "I really think I'll take this opportunity."
"I always tell Alex, 'We have each other, baby, that's what's important!', so that's probably why she's never tried to set me up with anyone," Diane responds. They notice Flaca coming into the foyer. "Oh, hi, sweetie."
"Hey," Flaca says with a wave.
"¡Hola mi niña!" Theresa greets Flaca.
Hello my girl
"¡Hola,mamá!" Flaca runs up to her mother and gives her a big hug. Theresa seems surprised at the sudden burst of affection, but she wraps her arms around Flaca.
Hi, Mom!
"Thanks for the ride," she tells Diane.
"It was really no problem. ¡Adiós amigas!"
Bye friends
"¡Adiós!"
Diane closes the door behind her as she leaves.
"Mamá..." Flaca blubbers into her mother's shirt. She feels bad that she'd almost forgotten that Theresa has a life, too. Someone must have asked her out, and Flaca wants to know all about this. She also needs something to distract her from what a loser Ian is.
"¿Qué pasa, cariño?"
What's wrong, sweetheart?
"¡Lo siento mucho!"
I'm so sorry
"¿Por qué?" Theresa asks while stroking Flaca's hair and cupping her chin.
Why?
Flaca leads Theresa into her room and they sit on her bed together while leaning on Flaca's white, lacy pillows. "Nunca te pregunto lo que pasa en tu vida...y nunca me importa cuando me dices...pero a partir de ahora, voy a ser una mejor hija. Lo prometo. Entonces, ¿cuál es la última?"
I never ask you what goes on in your life...and I never seem to care when you tell me...but from now on, I'm gonna be a better daughter. I promise. So, what's the latest?
"Gracias, cariño, pero no importa cuántas veces actúes como una mocosa, sigues siendo mi niña y te amo. ¿De verdad quieres saberlo?"
Thank you honey, but no matter how many times you act like a brat, you're still my baby girl and I love you. You really wanna know?
"¡Sí!" Flaca replies while smiling.
Yes!
"Bien, bueno, ¿recuerdas cuando me hiciste ese perfil de citas online?"
Alright, well, you remember when you made me that online dating profile?
"Uh-huh...espera, ¿me estás diciendo que alguien te preguntó por eHarmony?" Off Theresa's nod, Flaca squeals happily. "¡Ay dios mío, esto es tan emocionante!"
Uh-huh...wait, are you telling me that someone asked you out on eHarmony? Oh my god, this is so exciting!
Theresa gives Flaca's cheek a light tap. "Te voy a mostrar el mensaje, solo quiero asegurarme de que no me falte nada y tengo algunos trajes elegidos para mostrarte, ¡quizá tengamos que ir de compras, porque odio todo en mi armario!"
I'll show you the message. I just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything and I have a few outfits picked out to show you. We may have to go shopping, because I hate everything in my closet!
"Eso no es problema para mí!"
That's no problem for me!
"Estoy un poco sorprendido de que alguien estuviera realmente interesado, no soy joven, sabes, este tipo tiene mi edad."
I'm just kinda surprised someone was actually interested. I'm not young, you know. This guy's my age.
"Mamá, eres super guapa y hermosa, por supuesto que él pensaría que eres atractivo!"
Mom, you're super cool and beautiful, of course he would think you're attractive!
"No he salido desde el año de mil novecientos ochenta y ocho."
I haven't dated since nineteen-eighty-eight.
"¿Y qué? Ay mami, it's been way too long since you let loose and had some fun!"
So what?
Theresa holds up a finger while getting off Flaca's bed. "Espera aquí." She comes back with the family laptop, opens it, goes onto eHarmony, and clicks on a message from an African American man named Charles Ford. He's pretty good-looking, and Theresa's cheeks turn pink when Flaca wolf-whistles.
"¡Ooh la la, muy guapo!" she exclaims. "Él dice, hola, si estás interesado, ¿podríamos encontrarnos en Sparrow Tavern el sábado vigésimo quinto a las cinco de la tarde?"
Very handsome! He says, Hi, if you're interested, could we meet at Sparrow Tavern on Saturday the twenty-fifth at five in the evening?
Theresa grins and thinks for a second. She types an answer, which is, okay, see you then. She's about to send it, but Flaca stops her. "¡Quieres sonar un poco más entusiasta sobre esto...reemplazar ese período con un signo de exclamación!" Theresa does so, and then hits send. Flaca beams and squeezes Theresa's hands in anticipation.
You wanna sound a little more enthusiastic about this...replace that period with an exclamation point!
"Bueno, esto es lo que tengo..." Theresa says while sifting through the dresses, blouses, and skirts in her closet. "You see? ¡Nada!
Okay, here's what I have...Nothing!
"Why don't you make your own outfit and tell him you did it yourself?" Flaca suggests. "He'd think it's impressive!"
"Now, there's an idea!"
"Those damn deer are eating my crops again!" Ms. Jones complains. "That's it..." She grabs a gun from a drawer, cocks it, and staggers outside to shoot the deer, but through the darkness, Lorna sees that there's only a young boy out there. He doesn't even notice Ms. Jones.
"Stop, it's your little neighbor!" Lorna screams, gripping Nicky's hand in fright, and the coach pauses in her step. Ms. Jones slowly puts the weapon down, locks it, and puts it away. The other girls look stunned and the blonde woman keeps her arms stiffly to her sides and sits down on a couch as if it's fragile. Her eyes are wide and panicked. She picks up her glass and pours herself some wine.
"Shit," Janae grumbles. She and Brook plop themselves down on either side of Ms. Jones and attempt to stop her from drinking, but she pushes them away. "Yo, coach, we just wanna help..."
"I didn't think she'd get this trashed," Brook mutters. "Come on, Ms. Jones...let's put you to bed." She tries to take the older lady by the arm, but is instantly shrugged off.
"Ms. Jones?" Tiff asks her gently.
"Hmm?"
"I think we should stop with the alcohol," Caitlin suggests, giving the bottle to Ella.
"Yeah, it's obviously messing with your head," Tia chimes in.
"I'll just stay here...I almost killed a child...thank you for having such excellent vision, Lorna. You saved that kid's life."
"I know," Lorna whispers, still shocked that she has a very good eye.
"My vision is so blurry..." Ms. Jones slurs, holding her head in her hands.
"We'll assist you in laying down on the couch," Ella lets her know. She waves Nicky, Lorna, and Maritza over.
"I'll get the puke bowl," Janae says. "I know where everything is in this house since I always crash here when I've had enough of my angry father and passive mother."
Brook props a pillow behind Ms. Jones' head. "She's my only supporter for the hunger strike, so I'm taking care of her, too."
"We're all doing it," Maritza points out. "We also gotta realize that she'll have to live with this horrifying thought of what could have happened...so we should help her through the emotional effects, too."
"Yeah," Nicky murmurs.
"Ian's not coming," Flaca informs Maria the next day at lunch time. "We broke up."
"Really, again?" Maritza asks in a bored voice.
"Oh, that's too bad, how come?" Lorna wants to know.
"I dumped him!"
"Yeah, but why?" Maria wonders out loud.
"You two are always splitting up and getting back together," Alex points out with a roll of her eyes.
"Mm-hm, just take a break every time you have a fight...don't end the relationship, just to start it up again five days later or somethin'," Daya suggests. "That gets annoying!"
"What's it to ya?" Flaca asks the girls angrily.
"I kinda always knew he was a piece of shit anyway," Maritza says. "What happened now?"
"I don't even have a clue of who the fuck this guy is," Nicky mutters.
"Neither do I," Pennsatucky adds on.
"He was Flaca's boyfriend, who hosted the party that Lorna passed out at," Blanca informs her.
"He's my ex," Flaca corrects her in a dark tone. "I hate him."
"Now, don't say that...I've felt the same about Vinnie, but not anymore. I was just mad!" Lorna exclaims.
"Nah, it's over this time...like, I'm officially done with him!"
Alex scoffs. "You always tell us this!"
"Yeah, but I'm bein' for real now!"
"I swear, some big-time producer should make a telenovela about you and Ian!" Daya tells Flaca, and the girls snicker.
"Y'all gonna take back what you said!" Tears gather in Flaca's eyes. "My uncle sexually assaulted me, and Ian...he said it was my fault when I told him, so there ya go. Why would I reconcile with him...like, ever?"
"Oh my god," Maritza whispers. "She's being honest, shut up!"
"Thank you!" Flaca murmurs and then sniffles. She slings her arm around Maritza, and the others stop sniggering at her immediately.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, hon," Lorna says gently while squeezing Flaca's knee in support.
"Those fuckin' assholes," Nicky puts in. "Who needs 'em, right? You got your girls."
"Mm-hm, you don't deserve either of 'em anyway," Daya agrees.
"That's right," Blanca adds.
"Let's take you out for a girls' night, if that's okay?" Maritza asks.
Flaca blows her nose and takes a few deep breaths. "Of course, it would be fun!"
"We could do karaoke! I heard that Poussey and Chatty Kathy Brook went to the Sparrow Tavern with Brook's older sister this past weekend and rocked the house!" Maria reports. "Diane and Franny would let us all do that, right?"
"Yeah!" Alex and Lorna say in unison.
Lorna groans. "Only problem is, I suck at singing!"
"That's fine, we don't all have to...it could be teams of two, and Lorna could watch and dance...like, Flaca and Maritza; me and Nicky; Blanca and Maria; and Alex and Daya," Pennsatucky tells her. "I mean, judging by the groups of best friends I see here."
A look of envy crosses Lorna's face. "I'm Nicky's bestie."
"I know, but so am I...Nicky has lots of friends."
Nicky chuckles awkwardly. "Hey, no need to fight over me, huh? I know I'm popular, but I love all my friends equally!"
"Sure you do," Alex says and winks at the blonde.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, you know..."
"Fine, be mysterious!"
"I'm your favorite," Alex tells Nicky flirtatiously, and Lorna's eyes flash with jealousy. The petite brunette stands abruptly and walks away, not looking back.
"Okay...the fuck was that all about?" Flaca wants to know.
Nicky smirks. "I'll go talk to her."
As soon as Nicky exits the cafeteria, Blanca leans into the group while smiling. "Nicky's into Lorna. I can tell, because Nicky gazes at Lorna like Diablo looks at me...like she wants to fuck her."
"Yeah, Blanca's right, yo," Maria agrees. "It's the true love stare. I get it from Yadriel all the time."
"Holy shit!" Daya exclaims, and they all giggle.
"How's about we make a bet?" Maritza asks. "They'll bang in the near future."
"No way, Lorna's straight," Flaca disagrees.
Pennsatucky takes a swig of her Mountain Dew. "I'm with you on that."
"Hey, you two never know, anything's possible-look at my mom, last year, she was a heroin packer who thought children were gross, but now, she's working in the cafeteria and has a real shot of getting her GED with all that studying she's doing. She's even acting more loving with me and my brother and sister. Lorna could be bi or pans, but she just hasn't come out," Daya tells them.
Alex smirks. "Yeah, when they bickered in front of me and Nicky kinda flirted with her, Lorna went tomato red...and she really seemed to enjoy it...I've got my hate sex senses tingling. It could turn into something more than that, though. I mean, did you see how they were at the dance? God, I was getting hot from the heat they were emanating."
"Okay, well, they might just have that friendship where everyone questions their sexuality," Blanca points out. "Gloria and Aleida are kinda like that, too." Off everyone's confused looks, she adds, "What? I've seen it in the cafeteria. So are Flaca and Maritza."
"No!" Maritza and Flaca exclaim together, giggling.
"It's true...you girls act like a couple, but everyone knows you're not," Maria says. "The same could be the case for Nicky and Lorna. The feelings might be true for Nicky, but I doubt Lorna's actually in love with her. That girl is boy-crazy! She'd never fall for a chick! Personality's got nothin' to do with who you wanna fuck."
"Alright, so that's three against four...and to make it even, my foster mom, Boo, thinks they'll end up gettin' it on." Pennsatucky rolls her eyes. "Ten bucks says they won't, 'cause Boo can be a nosy pervert and she just wants everyone to have sex, no matter what!"
"You, Flaca, Blanca, and Maria are so on," Daya says, grinning.
"Losers buy the winners pizza?" Maritza wonders out loud.
"That's a deal!" Flaca responds and shakes her hand.
"Oh, good, I love pizza!" Blanca exclaims, rubbing her hands together.
"Me, too!" Maria chimes in happily.
"You think you'll be victorious, huh?" Alex wants to know. "Not so fast, girls!"
The two opposing sides stare each other down until Nicky and Lorna return to the table, with Nicky's arm around Lorna's shoulders. "What happened?" Alex asks, almost too quickly.
"It's all good. Nicky reassured me that I am, in fact, the best girl she's ever known, in her words exactly, so ha!" Lorna points at Alex. "I don't gotta be the green-eyed monster no more. She likes me better!"
Alex gasps dramatically and presses her hand to her heart while pouting. "I'm wounded, Nichols!"
"I wonder why you care about that," Daya murmurs while shooting a pointed glance in Pennsatucky's direction.
"Well, I never had a bestie before Nicky. Last year, it was Piper and Alex; and Flaca and Daya. I felt like I was on the outside at times, that's what I told her," Lorna explains while nudging the blonde as they take their seats beside Flaca and Maritza.
"You never mentioned that to us," Flaca says.
"That's 'cause I didn't wanna appear pathetic."
"I'm sorry we made you think that way," Daya apologizes sincerely. "We never would've judged you differently."
"I kinda deserved it...I was racist and all." Lorna shrugs and stuffs a huge bite of spaghetti noodles into her mouth so her cheeks puff out and marinara sauce drips down her chin. Nicky wipes it off with a napkin while snickering. Lorna groans and pushes her away.
"Stanky was way worse," Alex reassures Lorna.
"I can see her now." Maria gives a head nod to Nicky. "Why would you get Snow White mixed up with that disgusting dirt taco?" she asks, perfectly imitating Kasey's rough, rude voice. "You know, when you found Blanca in the bathroom and thought she was Lorna. Fuckin' cunt that Sanka was..."
"Yeah, at least you learned," Maritza continues.
"I never properly thanked you for what you did for me," Blanca tells Lorna while patting the small Italian girl's hand fondly. "So, uh...muchas gracias."
Thank you so much
Lorna smiles at Blanca and swallows her food. "De nada. I was gonna give you a hug before you took off, right in front of her."
You're welcome
"Oh, that's too bad."
"Hey, there's Joey," Nicky whispers and lightly kicks Alex under the table. "He's behind you, headed towards Daya." When Alex starts to turn around, Nicky throws a Saltine cracker at her. "Jesus, dude, subtle much?" she hisses. "What's up, Anna?" the blonde asks in a louder voice.
"It's Alex," she answers in a falsetto voice while batting her eyes. "Did you forget?"
"What are you doing?" Joey interrupts them.
"Yeah, I thought you weren't into each other like that," Lorna mumbles.
"Wait for it." Nicky ignores Joey and continues her game. "I suppose I did...my last girlfriend completely crushed me! So...I'm trying to make a pass at you here...'sup?"
Alex catches on fast. "Nothin', much, Natalie..."
"I thought I said my name was Nicky!"
"Huh, that's weird, I've been awfully distracted lately. Remembering hot, random chicks' names is so hard!"
Nicky bites her lip and scoots further into the edge of the table. She places her hand on Alex's cheek and then tucks a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. "Oh, that's okay...you can chew my meat anytime, baby."
"Isn't that my line?" Alex hollers over the girls cracking up.
"Oh, this is revenge!" Lorna realizes out loud.
"What were you gonna call me if I went for you?" Daya asks a befuddled Joey. "I like Diana...not Diane, though, because that's Alex's mom's name and it would be totally weird." She chomps on her gum and blows a huge bubble until it pops. "I'm just curious."
"Oh, I'm available now, by the way, so would I be Michelle or Fabiola? I go by either one," Flaca informs him casually while playing with the pink stripe in her hair.
"Ever dated an ex-con?" Pennsatucky asks while resting her chin in her hands and looking up at him with a fake eager expression. "You can call me Tina or Penny...whatever's easier for you to remember."
"Jig's up, Jack," Blanca puts in, and then cackles like a hyena while grabbing a snickering Maria.
"Which one of you told them?" Joey demands.
"When you hit on every girl in the school, people are gonna know, dumbass," Maritza replies. "I'm shocked you haven't gotten to me yet. It's an insult, really." She blinks her eyes rapidly, sniffles, and then whimpers while fanning herself, as if she's about to cry. "I know I'm only a freshman, but I thought you liked the youngins! Our blood is the newest. We don't know what a wild animal you are yet! It's totally sexy and mysterious. Please, Jim, don't leave me!"
"Whatever," he snaps and then walks away.
"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Ouija compliments them. Ramona stands next to her, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Blanca, Maria, I thought you didn't roll with this crowd?"
"We do now," Maria states.
"Yeah, I got homies here, there, and everywhere," Blanca chimes in. "You can join us if you want."
"Excuse us, Tucky, these are the wrong people to be hangin' around," Leanne says snidely with Angie at her side. "Did jail make you stupid or is it Butchy influencing you? Did she tell your lesbo lab partner to try licking Angie's soggy box, or is the bitch just that sick?"
Nicky laughs dryly. "Nice, very original. I got the message and didn't proceed further, thank you."
"You know what, fuck off! Nicky and I are buds," Pennsatucky answers with just as much bite. "She's helping us all get along."
"Oh, I get it now...you got a thing for dykes," Angie states while wrinkling her nose. "Well, good luck. You'll need it."
"I see the disease is already starting to settle in," Leanne adds.
"I ain't no lesbian, but I ain't no homophobe either!" Pennsatucky says sharply.
"Go back to your Nazi meeting!" Lorna growls. "You don't insult Nicky without getting through me first...or the rest of us, because we all love her!"
"Later, losers!" Angie hollers at them sluggishly as Leanne pulls her away.
"Bitches, back down!" Daya says, and Flaca and Maritza share a hi-five.
"Ugh, what's with this food?" Joey shouts from across the cafeteria while Christopher chokes on whatever he'd just swallowed. "What the fuck did you bitches put in it?"
The cafeteria ladies smirk mysteriously and the girls burst out laughing. "Oh, poor Christopher, though...I should go and see if he's okay," Lorna says.
"He'll be fine, he'll just drink water." Alex insists.
"Why would they tamper with his food?"
"He's a fuckboy and he did something to piss 'em off," Nicky explains. "Don't worry about him!"
"I love him, obviously, I'm gonna be concerned for his well being!" She begins to leave the table, but Nicky pulls her back. "What?"
"He's got Angela, see?"
Lorna scoffs. "She's always there!"
"I know they're scared of the bad teachers, but have the kitchen workers ever made them ill with their food?" Maritza wonders out loud.
"There would be severe consequences, so no," Blanca answers.
"They starved out Piper once, but got a warning that time. Many people laughed when she discovered there was actual period blood on her English muffin, and it was so funny and totally worth it!" Maria exclaims.
"Gross, dude, not when we're eating," Flaca complains.
"Yeah, we already have seen it and don't need to remember what it looked like, thanks," Daya chimes in.
"At least it wasn't blood from any other parts of the body," Alex points out.
"Mm-hm," Lorna agrees.
"Maria, I forgot to ask yesterday, but is it okay if my sisters come to your party, too?" Nicky asks.
"I don't mind," Maria responds. "Anyone's welcome...we've stopped counting guests, there's so many."
"What would you want as a present?"
"You don't gotta get me anything, but if you really wanna, I could use some new music, like heavy metal, Kanye, or Salt and Pepa, which inspired me to name my baby girl Pepa. Blanca already got me the single, Push It, and a full-sized poster of Kanye, like head to toe, but if you can find a shirtless one of him, that'd be great! Thanks."
"Got it."
"P is telling the truth...I really am a slut," Flaca tells Daya, Lorna, and Alex in the club while the rest of their friends sway to the music.
"No, you're not!" Lorna reassures her. "P and Ian are assholes!"
"Stop thinking about those motherfuckers. Just get up and dance with us!" Daya encourages Flaca while tugging on her arm.
"Come on, you know you wanna get down and funky with all your girls!" Alex chimes in.
Flaca rolls her eyes while shaking her head and smiling. She lets the girls lead her into the throng of people having a great time and then Maritza pulls her up on stage. "Let's do karaoke!"
"Oh, you wanna do it now? I'm not really that prepared..."
"It's just singing to the lyrics on screen! All of us are gonna do it...even Lorna!" Maritza squeals. "We'll take turns. You go first!"
The introduction to Girl-Girlfriend from The Babysitter's Club movie soundtrack starts playing, and Flaca closes her eyes as she holds the microphone up to her mouth. "Listen people everywhere, ho-na-na-na-hey...get together if you care, hey-na-na-na-ho...we got somethin', somethin' good, ho-na-na-na-hey , and we call it sisterhood, hey-na-na-na-ho..." She's now beaming at Maritza, since this song reminds her of their strong friendship. "You can tell me everything, anything you're wondering, ooohhhh, we're in tight, so get it right, girl, girlfriend..."
Maritza takes a deep breath and grabs Flaca's hand. "We don't care what people say, ho-na-na-na-hey...what's the difference anyway, hey-na-na-na-ho...if your back's against the wall, ho-na-na-na-hey, I'll be there to catch your fall, hey-na-na-na-ho...if I put my trust in you, I know you'll pull me through, ooooh, oh, we're in tight girl, girlfriend..."
"My best friend is my friend it's no wonder, she's even better than ice cream in summer, and when we're together, all we ever do is smile, and when we're apart, I'm always sad for a while, she's always there for me, I never have to worry, and when I'm sad, she makes me better in a hurry, we sing our favorite song, together we have fun, we have more flavor than a pack of bubble gum, but I'm there for her too and I never act fake...I listen to her thoughts and I try to relate, I'll never break her trust, stick with her to the end, we'll always have each other 'cause she's my best friend," Maria and Blanca rap in unison and punch each other's shoulders playfully.
"If I put my trust in you, I know you'll pull me through, ooooh, we're in tight, girl...girlfriend," Lorna croons softly, and Nicky links arms with her and Pennsatucky. She's not as off-key at the moment, and they gesture for her to keep going. "When you really need a friend, ho-na-na-na-hey, open up and let me in, hey-na-na-na-ho..."
Nicky rests her elbows on Lorna and Pennsatucky's shoulders. "When your world is upside down, ho-na-na-na-hey...I will turn it back around, hey-na-na-na-ho..."
"What you say is what you do, that's why I'm in time with you, ohhh, to the end, girl... girlfriend..." Pennsatucky finishes.
There's a spoken conversation that occurs at the end with vocals in the background, so they just talk along to it.
"What do you wanna do now?" Lorna asks.
"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Nicky responds.
"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Alex echoes.
"Girl..." Flaca sings.
"I don't know either!" Daya says.
"Girlfriend..." Maritza croons.
"Well, if you don't know, I don't know," Blanca mutters.
"Are you hungry?" Maria asks.
"Yeah..." Pennsatucky replies.
"Yeah..." Lorna repeats.
"Well, what do you wanna eat?" Nicky asks.
"I don't know," Flaca answers.
"Girl..." Maria sings.
"I don't know either," Maritza adds.
"Girlfriend..." Blanca croons.
"Where do you wanna go?" Daya asks.
"I don't know," Lorna tells her.
"Well, I don't know either!" Nicky says with attitude.
Blanca gestures to Maria. "Well, what about you?"
"I don't know..." Maria responds.
Pennsatucky throws her hands up in the air. "You guys are useless, I'm going home!"
"Girl...girlfriend...ohhh, girl," Daya croons.
"Girl...girlfriend..." Alex ends the song, and then they do various poses across the stage as the melody fades away. Everyone claps and cheers, even when they're back in the crowd.
About three minutes later, a man comes up to Flaca. "Hi there, miss, I just wanted to say that you're extremely talented...I've never heard a teenage girl with a voice like yours. Would you mind singing another song when you get a chance?"
"Um...sure, thank you," Flaca replies, grinning proudly.
"You could be a professional."
"Ohh, like famous?"
"Yeah, you got real potential!" He gives her his business card, which says he's a music producer named Jimmy. "Call me." He studies the girls again, looking at their clique from side to side. "You, you, and you," he says, pointing to Nicky, Maria, and Pennsatucky, "are also super good, so share my info with her. Uh...you might wanna be less shy when you're up there, sweetheart," he tells Lorna. "I was straining my ears to hear you. You sure are cute, though, with that little accent and your stature, of course." He licks his lips and smirks at her like a ten-year-old boy who's just discovered porn.
Blanca wrinkles her nose."¡Bruto! ¿Qué eres, cincuenta?"
Gross! What are you, fifty?
Lorna glances down at her shoes as an uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of Flaca's belly. "I'm sorry, I just get nervous, and when I sing too loud, it sounds real bad."
"You don't need to apologize, kid," Nicky mutters while wrapping her arm securely around the tiny girl's waist. She glares at Jimmy. "Leave us alone, huh?"
"Secretary glasses, you don't have to do anything but be there. You're a sight for sore eyes, just something to lust after." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively in Alex's direction, and she heads toward where Diane is serving drinks. "Now the rest of you Spanish babes...you oughta be exotic dancers. See, when you spoke in your language to me, it was hot," he says, about to rest his dirty fingers on Blanca's shoulder, but Maria gets in his way. "Feisty singers, I like that."
"Hello, excuse me...these girls are minors, you shouldn't be this close to them," Diane intervenes, with Alex right behind her.
"Alright, I hope to listen to you chicks later. I gotta catch up with Lonnie."
When he finally goes away, Diane's eyes travel over them in worry. "Should I stay with you girls? I'm sorry, it's so packed tonight...so I couldn't watch you as well as I normally would be able to."
"We can deal with perverts," Maria determines strongly. "My cousin Frankie's like that, but his cheekbone suffered, thanks to my mom. I'll punch the next one in the face...or where they're most wimpy."
"Okay, well you know where to find me."
"What a fuckin' creep, but you guys are awesome!" Maritza exclaims after Diane returns to bartending. "Maybe you can make it big, just not with slimeballs like him!"
"Exactly," Daya agrees.
"Hey, I kinda had this idea...I mean, I know that jerk was a sleaze, but damn, some of us are fantastic singers...so maybe we could have band tryouts, with Taystee, Poussey, and sorry to say this, Lorna, but Brook, as the judges, seeing how they're pros with their voices. Maria, you're good at drums, Alex and I have seen you play in practice," Flaca compliments her. "It would be awesome and a total honor to sing at your quinceañera."
"Of course, yeah, thank you!" Maria says excitedly.
"Okay, but I ain't gonna bother, I'll just listen to you girls," Lorna tells them.
"Sure!" Nicky exclaims. They all look intrigued. "I'll arrange it with Poussey in our French class. What would you wanna belt out?"
"I like Bitch by Meredith Brooks," Pennsatucky replies. "Brook sang it, like two years ago, but it's still a hit."
"I love it, too!" Maritza exclaims happily.
"Yeah, same here, but we can't exactly use that particular song for Maria's bash since there's gonna be kids and all," Blanca reminds them.
"Oh, shit, you're right...maybe just for the tryouts, then?" Daya wonders out loud.
"That's cool with me!" Nicky answers and the others nod their heads yes in agreement. "My sisters are beyond excited, by the way. Tricia's never worn a fancy dress in her entire life...but those are so expensive in the stores. I told her a cheap one would pass as beautiful, but she wants to be glamorous."
"Is she gonna bring her girlfriend?" Alex wonders out loud.
"Who?" Flaca wants to know.
"She was with this brunette at Friendly's, and they were flirting," Alex informs her.
Nicky scoffs. "I doubt they're actually together yet...they're just kids, Al...but yeah, she'll most likely take Mercy."
"Eleven isn't too young for romance," Lorna insists. "You're her big sister and protective of her and all, but never deny the possibility of Tricia having someone to call her own. You'll just be disappointed when you walk into her room and they're kissin' or somethin', because you didn't prepare yourself for it happenin'. I got experience with this...Franny was shocked to hear about my first time because she always covered her ears and walked away whenever I'd tell her about my crushes at that age."
"Oh, Jesus," Nicky groans, holding her head in her hands.
All of the girls end up singing a bunch more songs that night, and to their satisfaction, they don't see Jimmy again.
"Boo!" Michael shouts at Christina playfully. He growls at her, making her run away from him while shrieking. He raises his voice as he teasingly warns her, "I'm gonna get you!" She gets so scared that she starts crying while backing away from him.
Benny hits Michael over and over again in her defense. "Don't you dare do that! You're a dumbshit! Fuck you!" He continuously uses the F word, even though he knows it's bad. He kicks who he and Christina thought was their friend, to the ground, and doesn't quit, even when Michael gets a bloody nose. Miss Stacy jerks Benny off of Michael immediately and the aide takes care of the injured boy.
"Hey, no more of that, we don't hurt our classmates!" Miss Stacy reprimands Benny in a kind but firm tone. "I'll have to call your mommy."
"No, I was mad!"
"That's no excuse. You need to speak to those you have problems with. Now apologize to your buddy. Using swear words is wrong."
Benny pouts. "I don't wanna! He was being mean to Chrissy!"
Miss Stacy folds her arms across her chest. "He didn't do it to be nasty. If you can't behave yourself and apologize to Michael and find a better way to tell him not to frighten Christina, I'll have you sit in the corner and face the wall for a half hour. Maybe you'll calm down that way."
"I'm not doing that fucking boring shit!"
"Benito Mendoza, I'm asking you to stop!" Miss Stacy lectures him. "When you hurt Michael, that made Christina even more upset. Didn't you see her finding a place to hide behind the bookshelves? I think you should focus your energy on making her feel better, rather than getting so angry at your friend for something he didn't do on purpose."
"I want us to go home. I want Mama!"
The teacher sighs heavily. "Oh, I'm definitely calling her."
"I don't want your thug son around mine," Sophia tells Gloria bitterly, while picking Michael up and kissing the top of his head. "You let him get away with too much."
"Excuse me?" Gloria demands while placing her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare talk about Benny like that! He learned from my abusive ex, that when you're mad at someone, you hit them. That's not his fault."
"It's up to you to teach him. I'll see what Crystal says about this."
"Oh, and I'll ask Aleida if she thinks it's a good idea for your innocent child to traumatize her daughter, who, for four years, had been around a yelling heroin addict who pulled guns on kids when he was angry at 'em, so she's gotta cower when she's afraid! Your stupid punk kid didn't notice that Christina was terrified, now that ain't my problem or Aleida's."
"Yeah, my child is an evil monster, huh?" Sophia puts her hand in front of Gloria's face. "Don't ask me to drive your children here, ever again." She turns around and leaves.
"Mommy!" Benny cries and runs up to Gloria while pulling Christina along with him. "Miss Stacy's a meanie-mo witch!"
Christina hugs Gloria's legs. "Boys are scary..."
Gloria kneels down to their levels. "You kids wanna tell me what happened? I already heard Miss Stacy's version, and it wasn't pretty."
"Okay...but he wouldn't quit!" Benny insists. "They don't listen if you tell them nicely."
"Most people will."
"Not Arturo...or Cesar."
"Yes, but Michael is a child...he obviously didn't do this to spook you, Christina. I know you're triggered by that kinda stuff and may be shy to say that to people, but Benny...could you please practice using your words, and no adult language? Michael wouldn't have a clue of what you both have experienced unless we tell him..."
"He's not my friend no more."
Christina puts her thumb in her mouth while shaking her head in agreement.
Gloria tosses her hands up in the air and rolls her eyes. "Great, I gotta sit down with Sophia and possibly Aleida...meanwhile, I'm taking you home."
"You sick again? You're all white..." Aleida trails off.
Daya massages her lower back and lays down on the couch in only a bra and undies, because she's sweating. She puts an ice pack on her forehead and sighs. "Yeah...I haven't felt the best, like all week...at first, I thought it was Piscatella about to commit murder on one of my fellow students, but that was Monday morning. It's Wednesday night and I still feel like I got cramps, but there's no period...just light spotting. I'm so tired all the time...even though I get a good eight hours of sleep. I'm always havin' to piss...and my boobs hurt like a bitch. I'm hardly eating since everything tastes wrong, and I keep puking my guts out. I thought it was over today, but nah...I just had a lucky streak at school from English class on Monday to Physical Ed this afternoon. Come to think of it, I did wanna take a break...Mr. Donaldson made me do some exercises, and weirdly enough, it helped with my breathing. My tummy's bloated and I feel constricted in my own body, and I don't know why."
"I can't believe I didn't see it before, especially since your nipples are showing through your bra," Aleida snaps as she sits on the floor next to Daya. "That fuckin' tranny's causing problems with me and Gloria because she never taught her son how to treat his friends who have been in bad situations. I been busy with that...but then, I thought about how weird you been actin'. Gloria would check up on you, but I wanted to show her I could do it, so I told her to take our little children out for dinner at Storky's. I'm your mother, after all...and you gonna be one, too, come June of next year."
"Huh?" Daya blinks in confusion.
"You got all the symptoms I had to suffer through when I was carrying you, Christina, and Emiliano. You fuckin' fifteen and pregnant! I would slap you, Dayanara, but you too weak right now. In fact, you shouldn't be goin' through anything stressful for the next nine months. You've got a precious life in there now."
Daya gasps, stunned. "I haven't even taken a test! Ma, you're talkin' stupid!"
"Oh, am I?" Aleida quirks up an eyebrow while crossing her arms over her chest. "Everything you just told me...it screams bun in the oven," she hisses and stares up at the ceiling, shaking her head.
"We used a condom!"
"It must have been broken. Wait...was the father Cesar or your teacher? I hope not Cesar, 'cause that'd be all kinds of fucked up."
"Mr. Bennett," Daya mumbles and sighs in defeat. "Don't say nothin', not to him or Gloria or your boyfriends...it's between him and I."
"Did you get back with him yet?"
"No, but tomorrow, I'll tell him. I'll probably abort it-"
"You ain't killin' my grandbaby, over mine and Gloria's dead bodies!" Aleida bursts out sternly. "Next time, get the fuckin' morning after pill!" She storms off and slams her bedroom door shut behind her.
"It's my body! I can do what I want!"
"Like hell you will! That costs a fortune, which we don't have! It's gonna teach you a good lesson, and Gloria would agree with me."
"Whatever..."
"I'm pregnant," Daya starts out as she enters her English classroom early. Mr. Bennett is just setting up, and he stops writing on the board.
"You're what?!"
"You heard me. We fucked, and now, I'm-"
"Don't say that word. I did not get my student-"
Daya punches his chest and he groans. "Yeah, except you did! Was that condom torn or somethin'?"
"Ow! I don't remember..."
"Why didn't you check? Look, it doesn't matter...accidents happen. I just need your support for this whole thing."
"I'd love to help you, but can't you just get rid of it?"
"No...my mom won't let me, and I kinda see where she's comin' from. She's getting better...if you had an ounce of feelings left over for me, you'd respect my decision and then be responsible for my well being and the baby's."
"You're right, I'm sorry," he says, much to her shock. "I do love you."
"Then how could you act so cold to me the other day...and end our relationship..."
"There were complications that I thought I couldn't deal with, but now I'm willing and able to. Also, I can't just let you get away with sleeping in class...how would that look? We have to fake that we're not together, but outside of school, we'd be a serious couple."
Daya smiles and her heart warms, but then she's interrupted when Maria and Blanca walk into the room, and she steps back from John so they're not standing so close to each other.
"Oh, don't let us stop your convo," Blanca says while the two girls set their books on their desks. "We just wanted to get some reading done and ask him questions if need be."
"Excellent job on the homework, Miss Diaz."
"Thanks."
"No wonder she's called Flaca," Zirconia says to Ramona and Ouija when Flaca walks past them. "Fuckin' puta tiene liposucción..."
bitch got liposuction
"¡Qué mierda, no! Blanca, Maria, instruct your girls to chill!"
What the fuck, no!
"We were supposed to meet in the backroom for lunch, but you bailed on me!" Blanca tells Flaca sourly.
"I apologize...I assumed you knew I couldn't make it...I sent you a text."
"I thought we were really starting to be close friends because of us being partners and both having best friends, like me with Maria and you've got Maritza...but someone named P messaged me about you blackmailing Piper into letting you stay with her and the other girls, by getting liposuction," Blanca hisses. "I guess maybe Lorna was the only one with balls to stand up to that cunt." She chuckles bitterly and shakes her head. "Who would've thought it'd be a tiny white girl..."
"I don't know them, and that's a total lie!" Flaca protests, regretting the time she spent in the media room with Lorna, Daya, and Alex, watching a video of Piper speaking rudely about her friends, calling them immature, and flirting with Baxter Bailey, who was filming her. "I'm real sorry I didn't come and help..."
Blanca gives Flaca the hand. "Just stop, you suck-up!"
"I'm taking you off the list for Saturday," Maria snaps while she, Blanca, Ouija, Ramona, and Zirconia brush past Flaca, purposely bumping into her.
"Whoa, what was that all about?" Lorna asks. "Are you okay?"
"Maria, Blanca, and their group just dissed me because I failed to show up to work in the cafeteria with Blanca, to help out the lunch ladies. They were gonna talk to us about getting jobs...but then, we got that stupid USB..."
Daya rolls her eyes. "You didn't have to watch it with us!"
"Yeah, she did, actually," Alex disagrees. "You're not tight with Blanca, so you shouldn't feel guilty. We're trying to solve the mystery of who killed Piper. You don't need to explain that to Blanca, but she oughta understand that you have lots of friends besides her."
"I can't go to Maria's fiesta no more, 'cause some asshole spread a false rumor that I got liposuction to win Piper's approval," Flaca mutters. "I tried to tell 'em it wasn't true, but they didn't believe me. I can't blame 'em..."
"I'm positive that this'll blow over," Maritza assures Flaca gently while rubbing her back in a circular motion. "You want me to try talkin' to 'em?"
"I doubt they're in a forgiving mood right now."
"Yeah, but maybe later."
"Okay...thanks, Mari."
"Lemme give it to ya straight, Gonzales," Nicky begins. "You flaked out on a girl who had been picked on all of last year-"
"It was since seventh grade, until halfway through September, and then she got homeschooled or somethin'," Flaca interrupts her.
"Alright, well, you see what I'm gettin' at? You girls were best pals with her bully and she's testing you, one by one, to see how you are without Piper fuckin' Chapman. Lorna, you saw her in the hospital?"
"Yeah...with Diablo."
"How was that?"
"It was nice, she and I had a fun convo...did you know that she and Diablo hit it off just by staring at each other, exactly like me and Christopher?"
"Okay, well, you passed. Uhhh, Vause, Diaz, you been alone with Blanca yet?" Nicky wonders out loud, and they shake their heads. "I suppose the chance hasn't come up. Flaca...think about how she must feel...you chose to watch Piper being trashy on camera and being mean about you four over spending time with Blanca. Maria's her best friend...of course she'd also hate someone who did that."
Flaca nods in understanding. "Shit, when you put it that way...yo, that's deep."
"You'll need to really patch things up with 'em, but I would be surprised if they gave you a third chance. I got experience with being rejected too many times to count, so trust me on this. I mean, you guys could've done that after school or whatever. Also...you're not detectives. You got your cop friend to help you."
"We think it may have been Baxter who did it, since he was taping her and they were messin' around, but then, he attacked her, but it's confusing because he doesn't really have a motive, and he's just a punk-"
"Then it wasn't him," Nicky interrupts Alex. "It's gotta be someone who was badly hurt by what Piper did to them. So, who were Piper's victims?"
"Like, almost everyone, even us, sometimes," Daya responds. "It's difficult to narrow it down."
"Jesus...was there anyone who she made fun of, enough for them to want revenge, and take it a bit too far?"
"Blanca, Maria, Leanne, and she wasn't exactly terrible to Janae, but Piper was frightened of her, so there's that," Lorna supplies. "You see how hard it is?"
"Oh, and I suspected her servant, Stephanie Hapukaka, but we never really knew her well enough...she did give a weird answer like she knew something, but refused to tell me what it was," Alex lets Nicky know.
"What did she say?"
"Just that her last words to Piper were that she'd made her bed, and now she's gotta lie in it."
"Okay, and how did Piper torment each of those girls? There's no way it's Janae...Piper didn't do anything to her or her friends."
"She taunted Blanca all the time, nicknaming her Blanca the Beast because she had big hair and a unibrow, and I think she'd cut herself a few times or attempted suicide...at least, that's what I heard from Maria when she yelled at everyone the reason why Blanca no longer attended school. Piper ratted Maria out to every authority figure you can think of, for selling drugs, causing her to be in detention every weekend and for six hours after school Monday through Friday, and she called her a slut because Maria was gonna be a teen mom. Piper told Stephanie what to do, when and where to do it, how she wanted things done, and basically treated her like the help," Flaca replies.
"She by mistake set Leanne on fire, trying to play a dumb joke on Pennsatucky...and we were all there, begging her not to do it, but she went through with it anyway," Lorna admits, her glance cast on the floor. "It wouldn't make sense if Leanne only got rid of Piper, though...we were in on it, as well."
"You didn't want to, Piper was just being a forceful bitch," Nicky soothes Lorna.
"Yeah, but Leanne didn't know that," Daya tells her.
After a beat, Nicky murmurs, "It was all of them except Leanne...very planned out, too. Stephanie was aware that Piper was in danger, but she said nothing, of course. Blanca and Maria, partners in crime, took care of her, along with the remainder of their clique. Oh, and have you considered one of those asshole teachers double-crossing her?"
"There's no proof," Alex declares.
"Common sense, that's all it takes."
"It can't be them!" Flaca exclaims, really hoping that it isn't, but she would understand Blanca's reasoning. The girl was treated awfully.
"You should investigate...get the truth out of Stephanie," Maritza suggests. "Nicky and I will interrogate Blanca, Maria, Ouija, Ramona, and Zirconia 'til they're blue in the face."
"No!" Lorna and Flaca yell in unison.
"The other way around," Daya says. "Four against five is better than two versus five, and Stephanie is harmless, except for when she knocked Ouija down that one time...but only because they were rivals in the panty selling contest."
"Okay," Nicky agrees.
After Lorna, Nicky, and Maritza leave for cheer practice, Flaca, Alex, and Daya receive P texts at the same time. Lorna has to have gotten it as well.
No need to find her murderer-just meet me, and I'll lead you to them. Go to the cottage tonight when the sun goes down-it'll be empty. You know the one-where Blanca landed on her ass. Or one of you dies mysteriously-just like Blondie. xo, P
"The middle of the woods after dark, awesome," Alex mutters sarcastically.
Lorna gulps while reading her message and then she throws her phone back into her purse. "How come you look so scared?" Nicky asks worriedly.
"What you said made a lot of sense. You should be a cop!"
"Yeah, totally!" Maritza agrees.
"No, fuck that! I would never even consider it. You're talking to a chick who's broken so many laws it ain't funny."
"Okay, well...I'd support you in that. You're just real helpful, is all," Lorna murmurs.
Nicky beams. "I'm happy to be of assistance!"
Flaca sees a car approaching through her binoculars in the pitch black forest, while Lorna, Alex, and Daya search for P around the lake and the horrible teachers' home. She thinks it's P at first, but after squinting, she recognizes Mr. Bennett. Her eyes go wide as she realizes he's kissing Daya. It doesn't make sense, because she's supposed to be with the two light-skinned girls, and she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Flaca gasps because this is so wrong. She wonders how long it's been going on, and why their friend never told them. "Dios mío..."
Then, she spots someone in a black hoodie writing on Mr. Bennett's car window. Quickly, she shoots her girls a text after P has vanished. Let's meet up by the water...I just found out P's identity!
Flaca jumps and her heart starts pounding rapidly when a twig snaps. It's suddenly so dark and creepy out here.
She hears her friends screaming her name, and then they're warning her to run away. Suddenly, a pair of headlights are blinding her, and the wind is knocked right out of her as a car plows into her body, flipping her high over it, and she plops on the ground like a rag doll. The girls are shrieking and sobbing for help, but their voices grow softer as the seconds pass. The last words that go into her ears are, "She caught me, so she had to be killed. P."
Thank you for reading and reviewing, thecharmedwerewolf, cornedout, LindaAndrewsfan, HannahMiley1fan!
