Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Hope y'all don't have too much bad luck this Friday, October 13th! Warning: violence, mutilation, gore, and sexual harassment.
The kitchen's backroom is so silent that Gloria almost forgets that Daya is still in hers and Fahri's presence. "Funny thing is, Daya here ain't really my niece, but she's like one to me, so I'm also close to my friend's daughter."
"Aleida's, right?" he guesses.
"Yeah...who's yours?" she asks awkwardly, wondering how he knows Aleida, yet she'd never seen or heard of him before.
"Diane. I was Alex's babysitter for a dozen years when she was younger."
"Interesting." Suddenly, it clicks inside Gloria's head. Knowing the girls, she senses they're up to something huge. Lorna had touched up her lipstick and hair, Daya made a huge fuss about not wanting to go home yet, when normally, she wants to leave as fast as she can, and Alex had Fahri come directly to where Gloria was. Her face flushes with embarrassment and nerves fill her entire being once she realizes exactly what they're trying to do. "Ay dios mío, I'm sorry...um...I gotta talk about somethin' private with Daya..." She searches around for the girl, but she's no longer here. "Daya!" she calls out. "I need to speak with you!" There's no answer. After gritting her teeth and letting out an annoyed sigh, she goes to find Daya. "You can stay there," she tells Fahri over her shoulder.
"Okay."
The only place where Daya and her friends would be, is in the gym for Lorna, Nicky, and Maritza's cheerleading practice, so Gloria powerwalks there. She opens the door and the eight mischievous girls are giggling together as the three on the squad stretch. "You sneaky bitches!" she yells, making everyone look up, startled, and stop talking.
"Ooohhhh, shit!" Tia says.
"Someone's in trouble!" Brook sings. "Watch 'em get away with it, though, if it's who I think it is!"
"You know who you are...so join me outside and explain what the fuck is goin' on here!" Maritza, Nicky, and Lorna apologize to Ms. Jones and excuse themselves to go with Gloria, and Flaca, Daya, Alex, Blanca, and Maria reluctantly trail after them.
"Yeah, she loves them too much to stay mad at 'em for long," Ella agrees.
"Mm-hm," Caitlin and Tiff mumble in unison.
"Who's idea was this to have me in a room with some stranger?" Gloria asks sternly while folding her arms across her chest as soon as the door shuts behind them.
Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza silently raise their hands, but then, the others follow suit.
"He's basically like Alex's tío, just like you're a tía to Daya! You have shit in common already!" Maria informs her.
"We waited a month! Those three wanted to do it earlier, like September twenty-eighth, but the rest of us told 'em to not do it 'til now!" Blanca protests.
"Yeah!" the girls chime in.
"For what? Why did you get me alone with Fahri?"
"You weren't alone, Daya was there!" Flaca tells her.
Gloria quirks up an eyebrow. "Uh-huh...barely! I don't even know him, what if he was an ax murderer?"
"Do you really think we'd stick you in an empty area with some dude if we had no idea who he was?" Maritza asks.
"What'd you think of him?" Lorna wonders out loud.
"He's handsome and nice, but so was Arturo at first, and you see how well that turned out!"
"You guys were having a great first conversation, and I was gonna come right back!" Daya insists.
Gloria sighs heavily and rolls her eyes. "When did you girls meet him?"
"Since that day we all skipped school, but Alex and Diane have been friends with him for fifteen years! If he was a terrible person, they'd be dead or have extreme PTSD!" Lorna points out.
"You're comfortable with Leon, how long has he been in your life?" Daya questions Gloria. "One fuckin' month, and you're basically siblings."
"That ain't fair. He's Aleida's boyfriend, not mine. I don't got nothin' to worry about."
"The point Daya's trying to make, Gloria, is that he's a good one. We wouldn't have let you be by yourself with him if we didn't trust him, and Alex definitely would never have brought him in there!" Nicky exclaims.
"Yo...you can ask Diane if you don't believe us," Flaca says.
"We just...we wanted you two meeting and striking up a romance," Lorna confesses. "You deserve to be loved by a wonderful man."
"Yeah, we were aiming to make you happy by being like those little white twin matchmakers in It Takes Two," Flaca adds.
"Thank you for the sentiments...but I felt uncomfortable and flustered," Gloria admits. "He told me his name, and I felt like he expected me to say mine back, so I did, a while later. All men are like Arturo, but Leon is an exception. I barely speak to Charles, but I guess he's fine, if Diane adores him so much. I don't trust the male species. I'm fine bein' single...I don't need a man to complete me!"
"We don't expect you to hook up with him or nothin', honest!" Maritza assures her.
"We respect you a ton," Maria chimes in.
"That's right, and if you wanna, like, see if you two are compatible by going out on a friendly date with him, you can," Blanca lets her know. "He can just be your friend."
"Do I have to?"
"No, but we thought you'd work well together...you could go out with your friends," Alex suggests. "I promise you, Gloria, Fahri is incredibly sweet. He would never dream of hurting you, even if you turned him down."
"Yeah!" the others agree.
Gloria can see how badly the girls want this, and she doesn't want to disappoint them. After all, they'd clearly spent time thinking about each detail and preparing for today. "Okay, I'll compromise...I like the safest option best, chillin' as a group."
"We really ain't tryin' to force you," Blanca tells her guiltily. "You don't gotta..."
"It's fine. So, once you met him, you wanted to pair him up with me?"
"Nah, more like, we went to his apartment two days later, saw what he was like, and we just knew he could be the one for you," Flaca responds.
"Wow, a week and a half of such careful planning! I think that's great, such a short time, but you made sure it was a person you knew well, which was very considerate." Gloria smiles. "I'm proud of you girls."
"Thank you!" they reply in unison.
"I can't make him wait too long. I'm gonna go back."
"I'll come with you," Daya volunteers.
"Me, too," Flaca chimes in.
"I should as well...Fahri's probably getting worried about me," Alex says.
"I wish I could, but Nichorello and I got cheer practice," Maritza adds.
"We can go!" Blanca tells Gloria, gesturing to herself and Maria.
"That's alright, but I'm good on my own. I don't wanna look like a baby. Stand outside the door if you'd like!"
"We understand, you're traumatized!" Lorna says.
"Yeah, and you're not a baby at all! You're a grown woman who's been through something horrible, but came out of it with a lot of strength." Nicky lets Gloria know.
"Thanks."
Gloria returns to the cafeteria's backroom with Daya, Alex, Flaca, Blanca, and Maria. She goes inside to see Fahri in the same spot he'd been in when she'd left him, but he's sitting down. "I'm sorry to have kept you," she apologizes. "Um...so yeah, we were set up, to date," she explains sheepishly.
He appears to be perplexed. "Really? I knew Alex was acting weird when she was straightening my tie! She never cares about appearances."
"Those girls are always scheming, but their plans come from their hearts, so they must have thought it would be a good thing to have the two of us alone together."
"Do you?"
"Well, I just got out of a...toxic relationship, so I'm not looking to date right now...maybe we could do somethin' Thursday night, like dinner and drinks, and have our friends join us? Like, adults' night away from the kids and everything else."
"Sure, I'm up for that. I've got coupons to La Fontana's Italian Restaurant."
"That's hella expensive! It's beautiful there, but I could never afford it, and you know Diane..."
"Don't stress, the night's on me."
Gloria's jaw drops to the floor. "Seriously?"
"Of course. I don't mind at all taking you guys out."
"It's cool, I just...I've never known a rich guy before, or at least middle class. Anyway...I assume you know Aleida's boo, Leon, and Diane's guy friend, Charles?"
"Yeah, I met the whole bunch on the seventh, Aleida, Leon, Charles, Theresa, her boyfriend, and Red. I should've figured out what was going on right then!"
"It's fine, I was totally gullible, too. They knew about it, I can't believe the girls told 'em!" Gloria and Fahri chuckle at the same time, and she keeps her eyes on the floor. He's attractive, she must admit, but she doesn't want to stare at him, since that leads to falling in love and then getting hurt. "Oh man, I just realized most of the girls are right outside, and could be listening to every word. They might spy on us! I wouldn't mind, but do you think you'd care?"
"No...I mean, they must have better things to do with their time, but it's their choice."
"Mm-hm."
As Gloria walks Fahri out, the girls press their lips together to keep from giggling. Even though she doesn't want to be with him romantically, it had semi worked out, since getting to know each other could lead them to becoming a couple in the next few years. This is the first time Alex had really come close to the backroom because she'd felt awkward facing Gloria after her ex knocked her into a wall at Friendly's. Gloria had asked what happened when they were both at Red's place, and Alex had just said Piscatella made her slip and fall down in gym class.
"Come with me, young lady," Fahri instructs Alex and leads her away. She waves at her friends and Gloria as they leave. "You'll be happy to know that Gloria and I struck up somewhat of a friendship, or we will, this Thursday. It's too early to tell, but she's kind and beautiful. She also seems shy...and since she doesn't want a boyfriend at the moment, I won't push her into anything."
"I know. It could always be like that, though," she warns him.
"That's fine. Hey...I noticed some small burn scars and marks on her arms and wrists, like she'd slashed-not poked-herself with a knife a few times, and the first thing that came to mind, is that it was from working in the kitchen and cooking for so many years. I didn't want to ask her about them, since it's too personal."
"There's bound to be accidents," Alex lies.
"Of course, yeah."
He drives them both to Friendly's and orders himself and Alex ice cream. Since it's rock hard, they don't have it right away. Diane is smirking when they appear, and Charles, Aleida, Leon, and the kids are there as well. "Hi, Alex!" Benny greets her, and he and Christina run over to wind their arms around her legs.
She bends down and embraces them. "Hey, you two!"
Emiliano and Julio simply look at her and grin. "Hi!" they call out in unison while waving at her.
"Hi!" Alex responds.
"How'd it go with Gloria?" Diane wonders out loud.
"This Thursday, La Fontana's Italian Restaurant, be there. I'm treating you guys," Fahri answers her.
Aleida beams. "Oh, sounds fancy...like a triple date?"
"Kind of, but she doesn't want to be anything more than friends, and that's okay with me."
"Awesome!" Leon replies.
Alex tiptoes into the backroom and sneaks the money she'd gotten from Kubra into her mother's purse while Diane is busy talking with everyone. She comes back out and eats her treat, acting like she's not hiding anything.
"Hey, whatcha doing stealing my uncle?" Allison asks as she comes into the restaurant, carrying Farah, who's pulling on her mother's hijab.
"Oh, I'm sorry, take my place," Alex mutters and stands up.
"I'm just teasing you, it's fine that you're close to him and all. I totally get it. Mind if we sit with you guys, though?"
"Nope!" Alex says as Fahri moves over to make room for her and pats the spot beside him.
Farah squeaks adorably while reaching her arms toward Fahri, so he takes her instantly and bounces her on his lap. "Hey, little kid!" he says in a funny voice and then taps her nose.
She giggles. "Unca Fahri!" she squeals while pointing at him.
Alex grins at them and begins to tear up, seeing how good he is with children. She'd formed an attachment with him from birth because of it. "Your daughter's really cute," she compliments Allison. "Is it cool if I hold her after his turn is done?"
"Thanks! Yeah, go ahead. She loves the attention, so..."
"I bet! Hey, where's Hassan?"
"He's with Sahar," Allison responds casually.
"That really doesn't bother you?"
"Not at all. It was a mutual agreement between the three of us."
"Huh." Alex nods in understanding. "Hey, I just, uh...I came up with this...you know Julio Mendoza and Emiliano Diaz are in Farah's class, right?"
"Yeah, they play with each other in there, along with Dina. It's parallel play, though...they are quite young!"
"Mm-hmm. I was thinking your uncle could bring her on the days that Gloria and Aleida take their sons. Daya, Flaritza, Lorna, Blanca, Maria, and I want them to form some sort of connection."
"He does need a girlfriend," Allison whispers and then snickers to herself. "He can be dorky!"
"You're telling me! It would be sweet if he had one, but Gloria's not interested in seeing anybody for now. It could change, though, but we're not sure about the if or when."
"Are you two gossiping about me?" Fahri asks.
"Maybe some joking around, but we mean no harm," Alex confesses. "Besides that, we were wondering if you can take Farah to preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Gloria will be there then, dropping her son off, and it's an awesome way for you to get used to seeing each other regularly."
Fahri hands Farah to Alex, and she wraps her arms fully around the small toddler while slowly rocking her from side to side. "I don't want it to look like I'm stalking her, though."
"Just say that Farah is your niece's daughter, and you're helping your sister, saving her time from having to get Farah ready, along with preparing to teach the children. You can maybe always bring her and act surprised when you see Gloria on Wednesday," Allison suggests.
"Okay!"
Farah leans up and hits Alex's glasses as she wiggles around, and then she grabs them, but Alex takes her tiny hands off them. "Kiddo. Yeah, hi. You can't touch my glasses! I can't see without 'em!" She puts her index and middle fingers on either side of Farah's nose. "Got your nose!" she says in a silly tone, and Farah grins up at her. Alex pokes the little girl's belly a few times and she giggles. Alex can't resist giggling either.
"Aw, she loves you!" Allison taps her daughter's cheek. "Don't you, baby girl?"
"Allie!" Farah answers.
"Hey, cutie," Diane coos as she comes up to them. Pretty soon, Alex gives the child to Diane, and then Farah is passed around between Aleida, Leon, and Charles. The kids give her hugs.
"'Milo 'n' Julio!" Farah points them out when she's back with Allison.
"Those are your friends, huh?" Allison wants to know.
"Yeah, Mama!"
"They're adorable, too!" Fahri comments and Alex nods in agreement.
As soon as the restaurant is empty for a while, Fahri takes Alex into the backroom where Diane is. "I wish I offered earlier, but you two can live with me and share the guest room, which is comfortable enough to fit two people."
"Oh, no, we couldn't," Diane replies. "Thank you, though."
"We'd rather not mooch off you, and we're so broke that we can't even pay a third of your rent," Alex tells him guiltily.
"It's okay, you're like family. You can pay me back if you want, but you don't have to."
"He told us about the dinner comin' up on Thursday, he was at Friendly's with Alex," Aleida lets Gloria know as soon as she and Daya get through the door. "That'll be fun!"
"Yeah...but don't get too excited. We keepin' things casual. He's suave, but I'm waiting for the evil to rise out of him. It only took Arturo one month before he snapped."
"He said he's willing to be patient until you're ready, basically, and it won't bug him if you never are," Aleida assures Gloria.
"Ah, see? He respects your wishes," Daya points out.
"It's day one, honey. He's gotta be a gentleman and show that he's a real friend for the next couple of months."
"Alright. On another note, it's our one month anniversary," Aleida informs her family while hugging Leon. Gloria cheers and hi-fives them both. She hadn't stopped smiling all day. In fact, being with Leon has made her become a lot more cheerful and light, rather than forever in a bitter mood. He's really changed her for the better. Of course, Gloria has helped, but she seems to listen to him more.
"Yes, and what an excellent month it's been with you!" Leon tells her and then kisses her while holding her, making her weak in the knees. "We should pull out the champagne after you get home from college!"
"That's a great idea!"
"Well, congratulations!" Daya exclaims.
"I'm real happy for you," Gloria agrees.
"I wanna ride the horsey-horse!" Benny announces while tapping Leon.
"Okay, little man!" Leon gets down on all fours so Benny can climb on his back. He pretends to gallop all around the room with Benny holding on tight to his shirt. Gloria, Aleida, and Daya start laughing and clapping, and the other kids also look amused.
Christina points at them while giggling. "He looks funny!"
"Yeah, he does! You wanna try having a turn?" Daya asks.
"No..." Christina replies almost silently.
"Who's next?" Leon wants to know.
"Me, me, me!" Julio hollers while jumping up and down, and they watch Leon give Gloria's youngest son a ride. When he's finished, he tosses Julio in the air, but not too high, and catches him. Still though, the women and Daya freak out.
"Ah, be careful, my heart just stopped!" Gloria shouts.
"Yeah, you don't wanna drop him!" Aleida says.
"Jeez, man," Daya puts in.
"I'm always extra cautious of the children!" he assures them.
"My turn!" Benny informs Leon.
"Alright, bud." Leon scoops up Benny, spins him around a few times as the five-year-old giggles happily, and then he throws him up, barely lets go, and grabs him within five seconds. Emiliano and Christina then go over to Leon and jump up and down while begging him to play with them, too. Daya and the women have the same reaction as before, but at the same time, it's cute, since they trust Leon never to drop the kids.
After her second to last day of community service, Lorna is feeling kind of sad. She'd grown close with Anita and Miss Rosa, and after tomorrow, she'll no longer see Miss Rosa. She'll try to visit Anita as much as she can, though.
She treads upstairs to her room and reaches inside her purse for her key, but starts to panic when she can't find it. "Where's my..." she mumbles to herself. "No, no, no..." She dumps her purse upside down, shakes out the contents, and rifles through it. Her key is still missing. "Fuckin' shit!" She hopes that she hadn't locked it in her room, because that leaves only one bed for her, Nicky, and Tricia to share, and they all don't fit. If she'd left it at school because she was distracted and on Cloud Nine all day, she can still sleep in her room and get a spare key tomorrow.
She sighs with relief when her door opens easily, but then she shrieks bloody murder when she sees Christopher laying on her bed in just his jockstrap as he masturbates. "I guess we like each other's beds, huh?" Christopher stares at Lorna while smirking. "We're gonna be high school sweethearts, you and me. After college, we'll get married and have four children. That's my dream." He snickers. "I'm just reciting exactly what you said to me before, on our first and only date."
"That happened so long ago...why are you repeating it, and what made you remember?"
"It's only three sentences. I'm not a dumbass who repeated English like you. Besides, people can recall their traumas perfectly. Don't you? Or, maybe not, because it wasn't rape...they know you wanted it, since you're a dirty slut."
"Just leave," she orders him tiredly. "I'm not in the mood...I'm so sleepy."
"Maybe you need some coffee, then. After all, that's what started us!"
Lorna runs halfway down the stairs, screaming, "Christopher's in my room!" but her father completely ignores her.
"Stop that girl, she's waking me up!" her mother hollers.
Christopher grabs her from behind and drags her back into her room as she's hyperventilating. "Why are you in here?" He takes off his jockstrap and Lorna covers her eyes. "Oh, jeez! That's gross!"
"I'm aware you lust after me, so I'll put on my jeans so you can't see how erect I am, and it isn't for you. If I wanted to fuck a crazy chick, I'd go to an insane asylum, exactly where you should be, by the way!" He grabs her upper arms and jostles her. "I'm decent, be alert!" She gasps sharply while removing her hands from her eyes. "No woman has ever tried to overpower me...but if one does...make an attempt, she will fail. You think you're big and tough against me? In your dreams, sugar tits. You're tiny. Your legs dangle off bar stools. You look like a fucking child next to me." He's looming over her now. He's not using his size to protect her like she'd wished he would. He's doing this to intimidate her. "You're so frail that you couldn't even leave bruises around Angela's neck."
"Good, I...I didn't want to hurt her...but I'm...I'm getting better, I swear."
"We heard the ticking noise right away, you amateur. You tried to blow up Angela's car and kill her, huh?"
"No...no, I was just mad at her then...I-I wanted to mess it up like I did with Vinnie's...but now I know that what I did was wrong..." Lorna's voice is soft and wavery. It keeps catching in her throat and she's trembling. Her legs are shaking so bad that it's difficult for her to stand. These damn pills prevent her from blowing up and talking stronger than she really is, but at least they keep her out of trouble. The only part she despises is her anger boiling inside of her and the way her hands clench into fists at her sides, and they're not even tight because they're sweaty and her fingernails slip around on her palms. Her stance has always been unthreatening, but she's now just noticing it.
"Stop your stammering, it's pathetic. Are you actually going to try to fight me?" He chortles and cages her in against the wall with his arms. "Let's see what you got. Land a punch. I rejected you, so whatcha gonna do about it? Ooooooh, I'm hoping you don't have a weapon or a date rape drug that you'll trick me with! Come on, you disgusting little bitch!"
Lorna tries to push him away but it's not hard enough. He doesn't budge and there is no fear in his eyes. "Just get the fuck out of my way!" she screams and he lets out a guffaw. She can't stand how her voice is so squeaky when she raises it, but his is booming. She tries to maneuver around him, but he simply won't let her.
"That's a nice potty mouth you got on ya. Use physical force only. Make me have flashbacks and nightmares and panic attacks and look behind me like Angela always does." She's so small that her knee can't reach his crotch. She can't whack him in the face because he's standing tall at six feet, one inch.
"How...how'd you..." she tries to ask, but she can barely get the question out.
"Your dad let me in, but after a quick conversation we had about football and wrestling, he didn't pay much attention to me. He went back to watching the game. Your brother and sister aren't even here! You're abandoned at home, too. That must suck!"
"Franny's bartending all night long and Mikey's at a friend's house...he'll come home and tattle on me to her, but she'll take my side!"
"You made your bed, you lie in it!" He opens her door so fast that it hits the wall and drags her to the top of her stairs. Eventually, he throws her down them, and each step she tumbles over hurts so badly. She attempts using the railing to help herself back up, but he kicks her in the face like he's a wild horse, causing her almost-healed cut on her lip to bust wide open again and she can barely feel the inside of her mouth. She also gets a bloody nose.
"Ow..." she sobs, pressing her fingers to the damaged parts of her face. She tries crawling away from him and she's dizzy with tears. Through her blurred vision, he pulls her keys out from his pocket and throws them at her. "You stole..."
"Yeah, good thing I know your locker combination. You texted it to me plenty of times." Christopher spits into her eyes and she wipes at them while blinking furiously.
"Women, right?" Lorna's father asks from the couch. "I'm sorry she was giving you a hard time, Chris."
Christopher sits next to him on the couch and Joe claps him on the back. "Yeah, at least she's good for one thing, if you just do a sixty-nine with her, she can't even talk nonsense."
Lorna picks up her keys and goes into the kitchen to get ice and then vomits into the sink. There are traces of blood in her puke. She's whimpering and quivering violently, even after she's locked herself in her room and sits on her bed. She tilts her head forward, takes a Kleenex, and pinches her nostrils together for a total of ten minutes, to make sure the bleeding has stopped. After that, she gets into her pajamas and prepares for bedtime. By the time she's finished, Nicky taps on her door from the outside and Lorna allows her to come in.
"Holy shit, what happened?"
"We need to get outta this house," Lorna cries. "I can't...I thought I could deal with it, but I can't..."
"Okay...well, I'm here now, baby." Nicky gathers Lorna into her arms. "Come on, I'll take you to the beach tomorrow night and we'll have a picnic, but tonight, we'll just sleep."
Lorna sniffles. "Christopher creeped into my room and...and he attacked me. He came from outta nowhere..."
"You're kidding! Who the fuck let him in?" Nicky asks gruffly.
"My fuckin' dysfunctional father...I hate him. Why couldn't he have gotten cancer, huh? He don't understand nothin' about me...he lectured me about the Healy thing...that's the only time he's ever talked to me in the last few years." She takes in a shuddering breath. "I actually listened to him, Nicky...he seemed real genuine and concerned about me, but then...then came the criticism...and makin' me wanna kill myself and shit!"
Nicky presses her lips into Lorna's hair and continues to hold her as she tucks them both in. "It's one of the many unjustified parts of life...the kindest people have awful things happen to them, while terrible monsters get to live normally in society."
"I only have myself to blame, though...all I talked about before was Christopher, so I understand why my dad would let him in..."
"He's an idiot, though. I'll go speak to him for ya."
"It's fine, you don't have to-" Lorna starts, but Nicky heads downstairs anyway. Lorna watches her kick the couch to wake him up. "You need to converse with your daughter more often, like a real dad would do. Lorna despises Christopher now...she didn't want to see him at all, and he was so brutal with her recently! Did you even notice when she stopped talking about him?"
Joe scoffs. "She's always out with you, when would I notice?"
"Oh, how about when she comes home at almost nine every night? I'm not here for a whole hour!"
"She holes up in her room."
"Think about why she'd do that."
"What exactly did you do to those assholes?" Lorna asks when Nicky returns.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't do much physical damage since weapons are forbidden at school...but uh, I recorded them discussing you in the boys' bathrooms and locker rooms, through a chip that Taystee installed in my St. Joseph's necklace, and sent that, and the YouTube link of you being...raped...to every female family member they had on Facebook...sisters, cousins, mothers, aunts, grandmas, you name 'em." Lorna gapes at Nicky in astonishment and she starts giggling. "Yeah, I can be just as vicious...those fucktards are gonna be grounded for years and probably kicked out of their houses and banned at family reunions. They didn't even confront me about it, they're so embarrassed. Sure, I had to deal with stark naked guys wolf-whistling at me, but I got what I needed, and you're so worth it. Also, Pennsatucky heard the rumors at school and told Boo, who scared 'em off, and I got 'em all arrested, but never mentioned your name."
"Wow...thank you," Lorna murmurs, beaming.
"Anytime, sweet girl." Nicky smiles at her and kisses her cheek. "Now I'm gonna call the police on Christopher again!"
During the time that her mommy has had Leon in their lives, Christina has grown accustomed to how much better of a daddy he is than Cesar. He doesn't do anything bad to hurt or scare her or the other kids and he's even spoiled them with dessert and dare she think it, love. For years, she'd been hearing about all kinds of things her peers' daddies had done with them and she's always been sad since she'd never experienced it before Leon. She asks Benny to tell Leon what she wants for her fifth birthday, since if she says her wish out loud, it won't come true. Benny is one of her best friends, and they share everything with each other. So, it makes her excited when Leon is kissing Benny good night and he sits up, prepared to talk. "I need to say something big!"
"Okay, buddy, what is it?"
"Chrissy and I are really happy that you don't play with not-sugar, because it makes people be mean, like Cesar, so we hope you don't start to!"
"I have no interest in doing that. You kids are more important!"
"Yay! She's my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and I want her to have a nice daddy. Sooo...can you please marry Tía Aleida? You helped her to not do bad stuff anymore!"
"One day, maybe in the future," he answers.
"Why not on Chrissy's birthday? It's her special wish!"
"I'm sorry, Benny, but when grown-ups are in love, they don't always marry right away," Leon explains, and Christina is slightly disappointed, but she accepts it. She just hopes he and her mommy can get married sometime in the next year, at least. He lives with them now, and that's good enough for her. "Wouldn't a fun backyard party or the newest Barbie doll be her real special wish?"
"Yeah..."
"Alright, good night, buddy!"
"Night-night!"
When he leaves, Christina gets out of her bed and makes her way over to Benny. "Thanks, Benny! You're my bestest friend ever, too!" she exclaims while they hug each other.
"Yo, whatcha doin' back here, Amanda?" Poussey asks as Taystee strolls down the halls of her old school. She senses something different about it, probably because Piper is no longer here and she hasn't yet noticed Piscatella lumbering around. "Not that I ain't glad to see you or nothin'!"
"Hey, McKenzie!" They exchange their secret handshake and hug while giggling. "I failed English! Only Caputo found out, and Fig couldn't bother dealing with all the paperwork to have me stay one more year," Taystee mutters, rolling her eyes. "Bright side is, I get to see my peeps again!" She notices Brook walking towards them. "Oh, there's your boo! I'mma go find my sister and her crew. They probably with the lunch ladies! That's where I saw 'em last."
"Alright, see ya 'round, Tays!"
"Peace!" Taystee does an exaggerated, fancy spin, which gets Poussey and Brook to chuckle, and then walks away, while also keeping an eye out for Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps. She hums to herself as she goes to the cafeteria's backroom. "Oh, Miss Claudette!" she sings.
The older woman turns around and immediately smiles at her and embraces her. "Taystee, how nice of you to visit us! Don't you have work soon, though?"
"Uh, about that...I'm actually...retaking a class, since I flunked it."
Miss Claudette appears to be confused and she releases Taystee. "How come?" A stern expression crosses her face and she puts her fists on her hips.
"Well, you thought I was so smart last year, right?" Taystee sighs guiltily. "Not in English! Apparently, you can't use ain't and curse words in essays. Man, I'm lucky I got Alex's mama this time around. She's more lenient and kind! I should have you proofread 'em, too, since you're like, brilliant in stupid grammar!"
"I will, as long as you promise to work hard and pass! Senior year is not the time to be a clown!"
"I know...and I'll take English serious this time."
Miss Claudette's frown disappears. "Good!"
"Now where the girls?" She quickly catches a glance of them sitting on the counters. "Hey, y'all!" she greets them.
"Taystee!" Nicky hollers and throws her arms around her. "We heard you talkin' to Miss Claudette. Sucks, dude..."
"At least you can protect us, huh?" Lorna asks.
"Hell yeah, but I'mma switch between you and my other homegirls!" Taystee points at Flaca. "You owe me a King Cone, girl."
"Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder. I'll get ya one after my band practice! We'll go to the place together."
"Sounds cool. Daya...I heard about what went down with Cindy. Sorry 'bout that...she can get bitchy!"
"It's okay. We worked it out."
"So, what's changed lately at ol' Martin Van Buren since I been around?" Taystee rests her elbows on Nicky and Maria's shoulders.
"First of all, Ratman and now, Piss-cuntella, are mysteriously gone," Blanca reports.
Taystee snickers. "I hope they both dead!"
"Me, too! We got a new cook...Aleida, Daya's mom," Maritza chimes in while pointing her out. "She's super good!"
"Gracias, cariño," Aleida says in passing, squeezing Maritza's shoulder fondly.
"De nada," Maritza responds. "So, that's about it."
"Yo, it's been a long time since we hung out, us two and Stephanie," Maria tells Taystee.
"I know, you wanna have us three chill soon?"
"Mm-hm."
Red, Gloria, and Norma file in and wave at Taystee, so she returns the gesture. They quickly get to work, helping Claudette make breakfast.
"I didn't know you guys were all friends," Alex says.
"Yeah, we was a tight-knit clique in elementary school and real close with Sanka before she turned into a dirty white rag in sixth grade!" Taystee explains. "You see, what we had in common was social justice, even at an early age."
"You'd think, with such a diverse group of friends, she'd never become a racist cunt," Blanca mutters. "You musta been too embarrassed to tell me about having sleepovers with her and shit, huh, Maria?"
"I was! Sorry I never talked about it."
"It's alright."
"What made y'all grow apart?" Flaca wonders aloud. "I didn't see you with each other or anything. For me, Daya, Lorna, and Alex, it was 'cause of Piper's disappearance. We came together again when she died."
"I dunno...after Stanky-pants was kicked out, we made other best friends...like for me, Poussey, and Maria found Blanca, and as for Stephanie, she and Alana were more suited for each other," Taystee replies. "The three of us ain't exactly sisters no more, but it don't mean we can't be pals."
The girls nod in understanding.
"Guess what, Christopher?" Nicky begins as she stomps up to him. "Lorna has a serious mental disorder that makes her act the way she does, and she doesn't mean any harm. I'm doing my damn best to get Lorna some help, and she's willing to make herself better. She'll leave you and Angela alone from now on. Could you cut it out with the creepy shit, like crawling into her room when you know that's wrong?"
"You won't even give me a smile or a wave...in fact, Joey and I had to spend a night in jail because of you, so why would I do anything you demand?"
"Would you rather stick your dick in crazy or get your ass fucked by a dude?" Brent asks Christopher, and the guys around them snigger. The girls glare at them and Lorna holds Nicky and Alex's hands tighter.
"Either way, that'd be cheating on Angela, but at least I'd do that nutjob so hard that she wouldn't be able to talk and it would be quick! She's fuckable if she just doesn't open her trap...also, I ain't no faggot!" Christopher replies, and he and his friends laugh boisterously.
"Oh, if I wasn't angry enough!" Nicky shouts at them.
"You fuckin' assholes are so disgusting!" Alex chimes in.
Christopher spits at Lorna, so she does it back to him. "You gonna go Fatal Attraction and boil bunnies or chop his dog's head off, push it through the doggy door, and hold his family hostage in their own home like in Fear?" Jody asks meanly, and Flaca and Maritza push her far away from Lorna.
"You could pour acid all over his car or pretend you're pregnant with his child!" Tammy suggests, and Daya, Blanca, and Maria force her out of the hallway and into another one.
As they're coming back, Lorna opens her locker. A bloody dog head with a knife stuck through it falls out, and she, along with the other girls, start shrieking and backing away. Lorna wants to puke, and her friends appear to be queasy as well. Christopher disappears and returns with Humps. The girls hide Lorna and Maritza behind them, but he finds them anyway. "Our class could dissect this! Wow, neat, nothing to lose your marbles over!" Humps picks it up, jiggles it in his arms, and leaves.
"That's how Benardo went down in West Side Story, right?" Joey asks with a sneer.
"What sick fuck did this?" Nicky hollers.
"Oh, please, she was saving that for her dinner tonight!" Angela insists. "Serves her right...this was the second time I've had to bail Christopher out of jail on account of her! If he gets arrested again, I'll make her pay for it!"
"I gotta throw up before I faint," Lorna mumbles.
"Me, too," Maritza says, and they both run to the bathroom together, holding hands. They're relieved when their friends catch up and take care of them.
"Yo, we gotta ask you some questions about your whereabouts on Labor Day of last year," Flaca lets Suzanne know as she, Daya, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, and Maritza sit at her table. They're across from Suzanne, Maureen, Taystee, Poussey, Brook, Cindy, and Janae.
"Brook and Cindy told you already, she was working!" Maureen says.
"Let Suzanne answer the question," Lorna snaps. "So, what time exactly did you finish your shift...around nine, ten at night?"
Suzanne claps her hand over her forehead a few times. "I don't remember!"
"Were your usual hours the same back then?" Maritza asks.
"I guess! I dunno!"
"Suzanne, try to think, alright? Lorna has memories of you...punching Piper-"
"That bitch is crazy, man!" Cindy interrupts Nicky, earning a glare from the blonde. She points at Lorna, who looks hurt. "Yeah, you don't know shit, so shut yo pie hole!"
"You're at risk of not being invited to the teen mom sleepover after Red's housewarming party on Saturday," Daya warns her. "Lorna's our friend!"
"Ain't the first time a couple 'a crackers blamed a crime on us black people!" Janae piles on, giving Lorna and Nicky death stares.
"Hey, no, that's not it at all!" Alex says, holding up her hands. "We're just seeing if Suzanne was around during the time Piper went missing!"
"You're like, the worst person to ask her...and a whitey shouldn't be defending themselves if they're told they're being racist," Brook points out.
"Mmm-hmm!" Cindy and Janae agree.
"Whoa, don't bring race into this," Poussey mutters.
"Yeah, they're just trying to figure all this out," Taystee adds.
"Suzanne, do you recall anything about that night?" Alex questions her calmly.
"Shut the fuck up, you weed-lovin' ho!" Suzanne yells. She stands up and bangs the table. The girls jump. "Stop interrogating me! I didn't touch that piece of shit that you're so enamored of! Maria and her people stopped me before I could! I'll take a knife to your fuckin' throat!" Everyone in the cafeteria gasps and turn to face their table.
"Ohh, you dumb bitches done did it now," Cindy murmurs and Janae snickers.
"Girl, for the love of all that's holy, settle down!" Taystee orders her, and she and Poussey try to subdue her, but it only causes Suzanne to get angrier and transform into Mara a bit more. The girls start to move away from her so the others can stop her from completely blowing up, but without warning, and just like she'd done to Piper last year, Suzanne throws her blueberry pie at Alex. It takes all six of Suzanne's friends to calm her and restrain her from attacking anyone else with more food.
"You wasted my good pie!" Red yells.
"I'm fine now!" Suzanne announces.
"That was not acceptable!" Diane scolds her. "You need to apologize to my daughter."
"No, she doesn't, you ugly white bitch!" Janae snarls.
"Excuse me? Do you need a detention for talking back to a teacher? That was a reasonable request. I understand you have a mental illness, Suzanne, but actions have consequences. You also threatened to kill Alex! Just say you're sorry."
"Well, I didn't mean it," Suzanne grumbles.
"Ugh," Alex complains, picking it off her shirt and out of her hair with a napkin. "I've been through worse."
"She's a fuckin' idiot!" Maritza exclaims.
"We're totally getting her back!" Flaca decides aloud. The two of them start tossing their beans and rice at Suzanne, and pretty soon, the students in the cafeteria are having yet another food fight.
"I'm sorry, Taystee, but Suzanne needed to get help from a proper mental health facility, and it didn't seem like she was listening to any of you guys," Daya tells her after school.
"It's alright. Vee's gon' be pissed, though. She'll get her out...but I hope after you turned her in, they're able to get a clear statement out of her. At least, then you'll know."
"Lorna's right...I'm sure of it. Suzanne just has the...personality, you know?"
"Yeah."
Flaca grins at Taystee as she hands her a King Cone. "Here ya go...chocolate vanilla cookie crunch, just like you asked for."
"Thanks. It might seem silly to you, but it means a lot to me."
"Alex can't be here today...she's working," Lorna tells Ms. Rogers as she, Daya, and Flaca walk into the therapist's office.
"That's okay. I'll have to see her individually another time. Do you girls want to talk to me about anything?"
"Yeah, actually," Daya lets Ms. Rogers know as they put their purses down and take their seats. "I'm just really tired of thinking about Piper and I wanna move on. I know the other two are as well, but Alex wouldn't take too kindly to this."
"It's like, we stopped missing Piper," Flaca chimes in.
"She's dead, and I'd rather just let CO Ford figure it out," Lorna confesses.
"Oh, wow." Ms. Rogers sighs. "In that case, I have an exercise for you all. I'd like you to, one at a time, imagine Piper is sitting in this chair and talk to her." She pats the chair.
"That's hella weird! Ain't you supposed to prevent people from interacting with inanimate objects, rather than encouraging 'em to do it?" Flaca asks.
"Why don't you try this and see if it works."
"I'll go first," Daya volunteers.
"Okay."
"You made me feel rotten about myself, and I'm honestly better off without you around. Sure, yeah, you helped me with my brother and sister and got rid of a pedophile PE teacher for me...but Cesar was real good with the kids and protecting me and my ma, too, until he pulled out his gun as a warning. You were the same way...repeatedly calling me Daya the Dinosaur or a cow, and picking me apart for everything I ate or wanted to eat...that was your gun. It stabbed me in the fucking heart...not even the back, because you said it to my face. Therefore, you're nothin' to me. I'm relieved he's in prison and you're fuckin' six feet underground. I'm so done with you, it ain't even funny." She sits up a little taller and tears slip down her cheeks. Flaca's heart swells with pride for her friend and she and Lorna both put their hands on each of Daya's arms.
"That was wonderful," Ms. Rogers praises her. "Did it feel great letting that out?"
"Yeah, it did."
"I know I'm supposed to have a big hole in my heart with you gone, but I don't, because you were awful...manipulative, like a fuckin' snake. You had those assholes wrapped around your little finger...and you made me beg for your forgiveness so I could be accepted back into the clique."
In Flaca's mind, Piper turns around. "It wasn't my fault that my parents were friends with Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Piscatella, Mr. Dixon, and Mr. Stratman...and that was your choice to be so rude to me."
"Mm-hm, but guess what, bitch? You're an airhead! You so stupid that you don't realize that they only were nice to you 'cause of your parents and also, the fact that you weren't in any of their classes! Also, I was defending myself. What, you can't handle criticism? You were incapable of apologizing whenever you took a step too far?"
"I was being honest and giving you advice. Goth girls turn boys off. Tone down the makeup, possibly?"
Flaca laughs bitterly. "You're so wrong. My look is hot, and you ain't even here no more, so I don't gotta deal with your nasty ass! You're dead." She flips Piper off and chuckles when she's finished.
"Okay, excellent job! Wasn't that like a breath of fresh air?"
"Yeah," Flaca murmurs while nodding.
It's now Lorna's turn. "You lied to us so many times that we never knew the real you, so therefore, it didn't feel like we lost a close friend. For me, personally, you weren't someone I wanted in my life. Most of the time, when I was with you, I'd hear Looney Tunes Lorna come out of your idiot mouth, or you'd try to get a reaction out of me for everything you did that you thought would make me overreact, and I was like putty in your hands. You were afraid of me, yet you purposely aggravated me...why? It's dumb...it's like, when someone puts their hands in the lion's cage, they're gonna get eaten. You gave me a boyfriend, but you would toy around with him...what kind of friend does something like that? You're like that kind of abuser who slaps the person but then apologizes shortly after so they'll be forgiven. You're flimsy and fake...and I wish we'd all dumped you at the same time."
"Wow, good!" Mrs. Rogers compliments Lorna. "Did you enjoy the activity?"
"It was fun!"
"I'm glad."
"I enjoyed getting to know you both," Lorna tells Anita and Miss Rosa while giving them warm hugs and lollipops. Tears are in her eyes. "I think of you like my moms, too."
"Aww, you're sweet, hon. Thanks," Anita says while brushing a tear off her cheek. "You don't gotta cry over us."
"Yeah, I do." Lorna sniffles. "I'll miss you!"
"We'll miss you as well, kid. So...who's gonna be my daughter, hm? I can't wait to get outta here!"
"It's my best friend, Nicky, and she's coming at eight-thirty!"
"Tell her thanks for her help!" Miss Rosa says.
"I will!" Lorna snuggles into her. "I wish you won after your battle with cancer!"
Miss Rosa shrugs. "You win some, you lose some." Before leaving, she hugs Anita and places a kiss on Lorna's head. "Goodbye, shitpots!"
"Inside joke," Anita quickly explains through laughter.
Lorna smiles at the squeal of tires that's heard from out the window, and she just knows that's Miss Rosa escaping this dreary place. She wraps her arms around Anita one last time and then bolts after signing out.
Throughout the rainstorm that night, the trees are still bending back and forth madly and even though the window is closed, a strong chill sweeps throughout the small space Diane and Alex call home. Alex tucks herself so deep under the covers that her head is barely peeking out. She has just started to calm herself down so she can sleep when she feels some water dripping onto her forehead. She brushes it off, thinking it might be a stray tear that she had mysteriously wiped across her moist face in her sleep, but when more come and Alex had stopped crying from yet another dream about Piper, she discovers something is up. Literally, she thinks, as she glances at the ceiling and sees a tiny, hardly there hole right above her. She groans as she realizes they now have a leak in the roof because of the stupid storm. What had started out as just a light drizzle had become a total flood in only a few hours. Alex can't believe it, but as she gets out from under the covers, she rubs her eyes, puts on her glasses, and staggers to the window in a stupor. Huge puddles are in the street, making cars skid on the road with water splashing high over them. It's a dangerous situation to be in. Now, there's a huge wet spot directly in the middle of her pillow. "Oh great," Alex mumbles hopelessly to herself.
There's a loud gushing sound, and as she lifts her head up to where it's coming from, water bursts through the cracks in her ceiling. She screams as the thick stream knocks her down, sprawling to the floor. It just keeps coming and coming, like a waterfall, right in her bedroom. She's up to her ankles in freezing water. She gets everything she can on top of her bed and then races into her mother's room, where Diane is speaking to Charles on the phone. "Mom! There's a...a huge rainstorm...my room is a pool, and it's only spreading...I think we're gonna be homeless tonight-"
"Not if I can help it, baby. Hang on, Charles..."
There's a noisy banging sound on their front door and Alex is terrified. "Who is it?" Diane asks.
"I'm your landlord, here to inform you that you have an eviction notice. You haven't paid any of your bills..." he drones on and on, and then Diane opens the door just a crack. They see a stocky man in all white, in contrast to the horrible weather outside.
"Look, I'm sorry sir...I'm poor and I thought I could afford this place since I work two jobs..."
"You were very wrong, miss." He points at Alex, who keeps wiping her glasses and squinting. "You're wet as well."
"Please, we can't lose this place or we'll be homeless!" Alex begs through her tears. The water is now up to their knees as she goes into her bedroom and Diane's to gather up everything they owned that was valuable, such as the flowers, the framed picture of the two of them, a few outfits, her favorite CD's, and her phone, which had been thrown onto the night table. The vase has fallen to the side and the flowers float on top of the water. A huge wave crashes against the table, making it fall over as well.
"Sorry, sweetheart, that's how the world works...but you can make your money by walking the streets and taking off that sweatshirt you got on. You both look really hot, by the way," he's saying as Alex returns with the things she'd grabbed.
"Don't do this to us. I'll do anything, just please leave us alone!" Diane says desperately to make him stop advancing towards them.
"What're your names, girlies?"
Suddenly, an engine rumbles and a car barrels through their front door, completely wrecking the front of their trailer park, and they both shriek while hugging each other.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe!
