Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!
feo-ugly
Warning: molestation, rape attempt, physical violence, homophobic and racist slurs
"Bitch, where you been?" Pidge calls out as Michelle climbs up the steps to her friend's apartment where Pidge, Ouija, and Zirconia are standing with their arms folded across their chests.
Michelle starts to answer, but Ouija cuts her off. "Yo, don't bother askin'...we already know." She shakes her head in disappointment.
"Bein' that gringa's hoochie mama!" Zirconia hollers.
"Hey, fuck you guys, I can't have other friends?!" Michelle defends herself. "Y'all don't care that Blanca and Maria kick it with them...and y'all are cool about Flaritza and Daya! You really hate white people that much? Alex and Lorna didn't do nothin' to us."
Pidge sighs and rolls her eyes as she and the others, including Michelle, go into her place. "You're right. It's just...our leaders can do whatever the fuck they please...and we don't usually hang around people not our race. I bet you just wanna calm Alex's fears in the night...and other shit, too!"
"Yeah, and it was weird as fuck when everybody here but me was all sittin' together with Poussey, Brook, Alana, Stephanie, Nicky, and Lorna...ah, I stopped myself from adding la loca to her name...that one day Flaca, Daya, Lorna, and Alex was all separated," Ouija adds. "I guess I'm surprised you trust Alex if she was such a cunt-lickin', Chapman lover! Palalalalalalalala-Polly was too, and I told you what happened with her!"
"Alex can't stand Palalalalalalalala Polly either! That twit called Alex supercunt...she's awful...and from what I've heard, Piper was pretty nasty to Alex, too...and the rest of her so-called crew in fact. I think it's pointless to consider them as your rivals. They ain't mine, that's for sure! It's not like Piper can come back from the dead and try to manipulate 'em to let her back in their clique!" Michelle exhales after her rant. She doesn't want to admit that she actually loves the tall statuesque girl with long, beautiful black hair, pretty emerald eyes behind her cute secretary glasses, and a heart and personality that are just as wonderful as her looks. Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia can only handle one little thing at a time, and Michelle does her absolute best not to piss them off. It's probably just a shock and extreme annoyance that someone who they consider an enemy, is actually close with their friend. Michelle remembers how Alex, Daya, Flaca, and Lorna felt when Nicky befriended Pennsatucky. Her friends glance at each other quickly and then Zirconia walks up to her.
"Alright, but you better watch it. They start saying nice things about Chapstick, wishin' she was here or whinin' that her memorial was smashed or talkin' about good memories they had with her...you remind 'em that she's gone forever, and there ain't nothin' they can do about it...or better yet, ask why they miss someone like her." Zirconia grins evilly, flashing a set of diamonds on her teeth as she punches her hand in her fist. Michelle jumps back as the scariest member of their gang comes closer to her. "She deserved to die, plain and simple, like Maria and Blanca said."
"Hey, you don't need to intimidate her," Pidge snaps as she steps in between Michelle and Zirconia. "She gets it!" The shorter girl looks at Michelle expectantly. "Right?"
"Yeah, of course," Michelle says, nodding. "I'm not on Piper's side, I swear! I would've buried the bitch alive. I just happen to like her friends, okay? They didn't deserve a leader who was so shitty."
"Fine," Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia agree at the same time. The four girls head to Pidge's room and sit on her bed. "They were just chicken to stand up for Blanca and Maria against Piper, is all," Ouija points out.
"They regret that. They've even apologized for it," Michelle insists. "Anyway...Pidge, you find out anything from your sister's boyfriend...like how he and his crew can destroy Duardo and the other punks he hangs with?"
"I'm sorry, M...they broke up. He don't wanna be with some weird chick who keeps a Chihuahua in her shirt pocket. I advised her to not bring Hannibal everywhere, but did that girl listen to me? Hell no! I'm just the annoying baby sister!" Pidge replies.
"What an idiot," Michelle says while shaking her head. "I can't keep up with your sister's relationship drama!"
"Nobody can, don't feel bad," Ouija tells her, and the girls all snicker.
"I guess it's up to Charles, then...I know y'all hate the police, but he's a good officer. He's also a real decent human being."
"You know this, how?" Zirconia asks suspiciously. "He be datin' a white lady...he could get swayed to becoming a typical white cop, even though he black!"
"He ain't gonna do that, he's nice," Michelle lets her know. "He arrested this asshole who beat his girl when he escaped prison one time, put those three terrorizing teachers in handcuffs, took an old man out of Daya's house with his hands locked behind his back, and is working on Aleida's case...even when he's just Nichorello's parole officer and works at a juvy hall and not an adult prison or whatever. He cares about people's safety! However...I'm hella iffy about Kubra, who's goin' out with Flaca's mom. He asked me if Alex was actually on the bus when Duardo and his boys confronted us...don't you think that's kinda strange?"
"Nah, you're just too whipped when it comes to Alex," Zirconia answers.
"You're being silly," Ouija chimes in.
Michelle shrugs. "I figured...I pushed weird thoughts away, so I hope my vibes about him are wrong. He wanted to be certain he wasn't losing his hearing, and Flaritza joked that he's becoming an old fart, basically...but he's Diane's age, which is like, thirties, I guess. He could be forty, I dunno."
"Who's Diane?" Zirconia wonders aloud.
"Alex's mom...uh, Ms. Vause, teaches English, freshman and senior year."
Ouija raises an eyebrow. "You read up on this woman while you tryin' to impress her daughter?"
"Nah, we met officially at Red's housewarming party. She's sweet."
Pidge scoffs. "Sweet. Listen to you!"
"What?" Michelle demands, offended.
"She's a teacher, dumbass. The only nice lady I know is my mom, nobody else's, and certainly not some fuckin' teacher," Zirconia mutters.
"Okay, you guys certainly skipped having giggle-o's for breakfast this morning and went straight for bitter coffee, if you catch my drift. I met Alex's mother, big fuckin' deal! Alex introduced me to her!"
"Whatever," they mutter in unison.
"Flamingoes?" Alex asks doubtfully. She glances at Fahri quizzically, and he nods in confirmation. "Oh, wow, cool...I wish I could've gone." They're lounging around, smoking in a hotel room with Kubra and Fahri's drug mule, Missy. Alex stares up at the smoke which is rising from her lips as she takes out her cigarette.
"There was also a live sex show the last time I went," Kubra tells her. "Fuckin' pink everywhere."
Alex chuckles. "Well, it's Paris, after all. I heard French women sunbathe topless."
"Yeah, they do," Missy affirms.
"Sorry you can't come with us, Alex, but you're a minor!" Kubra declares. "When you're eighteen, you may join us in our international travels."
"I get it. Besides, my mother would never approve. She doesn't know any of you guys except Fahri. She's got like, a no drugs policy, so I can't risk her finding out my secret." There's a small part of Alex that feels a tiny bit guilty for keeping something so big from Diane, but all teenagers rebel, and she's no different. "Getting high on occasion is fun! I'm not hurting anyone!"
Fahri gives her a pointed look. "It would break her heart if she knew."
Alex rolls her eyes and then sits back in her chair. "That's why I'm never gonna tell her, duh! At least she's getting five hundred dollars added to her wallet once a week!"
Kubra laughs out loud. "What'd I tell you, Fahri? Alex is perfect for this job! She won't out anyone here...I trust her completely." He turns to Alex. "It's time you start going with Fahri to pick up mules from the airport, to see how it's done. He'll just be your ride. Also, I would like you to dress nice, such as having on a business suit, and wear more makeup when you sell, just to attract more customers, since most of us here are male or not pretty females, and a lot of your buyers are either men or lesbians, and they'd be more inclined to hand their money to a woman who appears to be well off. You're a fifteen-year-old girl, but you already look very mature for your age. I'm impressed."
Alex beams at her boss' compliment and ignores Fahri, who's gritting his teeth. "Thank you, I'm flattered! I think I might have almost reached my full height, and everything else that you said made me feel so grown up."
"That's because you are, Alex," Kubra praises her. "You're even more of an adult than Missy here."
Missy pouts. "Hey!"
"Lose the pigtails, and maybe I'll think differently. My girlfriend's daughter has braids in her hair, and they're cute, but not good for this job. You want people to take you seriously, my child."
"I'm not a kid! I'm eighteen! You're fooled by her glasses, they make her look smarter than she really is. It's a trick."
"Hey, Missy, stop!" Fahri instructs her.
Alex groans. "Why don't you grow up, Missy? Immaturity is a huge turnoff."
Kubra gestures to Alex. "She's right."
"Kiss-up," Missy quips. "You might as well just fuck him, too, Little Miss Goody Two Shoes."
"Don't you ever say something so vulgar again," Fahri hisses at her.
"That's enough!" Kubra barks, making Alex and Fahri both jump at his sudden outburst. Missy immediately shuts up, much to Alex's delight, and supposedly Fahri's, too.
"You're disgusting," Alex mutters as she grows queasy at the mere thought of following Missy's suggestion, and the bitch gives her the finger. "I've got a girlfriend, and Kubra does, too...not to mention, it's illegal!"
"Cesar did it with his chick's daughter who's in high school," Missy whispers. Alex isn't surprised that someone as sketchy as Missy, knows Cesar and everything about him.
"I wouldn't mind knocking you the fuck out," Alex snaps. Kubra sniggers while Fahri shakes his head.
Kubra gives Missy a hard glare and then, there's a knock on the door. "Answer that," he orders.
Missy walks sluggishly to the door and opens it to let in two dusky Turkish men, and one African American woman who causes Alex's stomach to churn. Fahri looks like he's about to pass out. "I want you to meet some people," Kubra announces, standing up. "Guys, this is our new employee, Alex Vause," he introduces her to them. "These are your other co-workers, Aydin Bayat, his cousin Haluk, and Yvonne Parker...but we call her Vee."
They're friendly as they shake hands with Alex and grin pleasantly at her, which makes her smile in response. She fakes politeness once she faces Vee. For all Alex knows, she could be good at her job, but she's far from a great mother figure, and being excellent at what she does for money is probably all Kubra cares about.
Alex is even more horrified when she notices that Vee is wearing a glittering ring and scooting up next to Fahri. She quickly puts the pieces together and wants to warn Kubra that Vee is a bad person, but she then remembers that he'd said everyone needs to get along, so she decides to just tell Fahri.
"My stomach is growling with hunger!" Leon says as he walks back inside the apartment with Aleida. Daya is nervous that he's expecting her to make him something to eat. Cesar had always done that and he was very aggressive about it. Surprisingly enough, though, Leon hasn't even come near her yet or started yelling for her to get his food ready.
Daya jumps up and heads towards the kitchen to prepare him some dinner. "Sorry, Adarsh...I gotta cook for the man of the house," she mumbles and places a pan atop the burner. She quickly washes her hands, opens the refrigerator door, and pulls out chicken. After setting it aside, she drizzles oil all over inside of the pan and turns on the burner. "We're gonna have chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad, but he probably should be served first, like Cesar constantly was." In the background, Christina and Emiliano are watching Dora the Explorer, and Daya and Adarsh had previously been with them, but talking quietly to each other on another couch. They can still see the kids engrossed in their program from where they are.
"Do you want me to help you?" Adarsh wonders aloud, and she beams at his sweetness.
"Nah, it's alright." Daya lays five pieces of raw chicken on a cutting board and seasons them with salt and pepper. She flips them over and gives them the same treatment.
"What you doin'?" Aleida wants to know as she and Leon approach her.
"Same thing I did for Cesar." Daya glances over at Leon. "What's goin' on, man? Ain't you gonna order me to make you somethin'? I know I'm already doin' it, but..."
Leon smiles at her with concern etched on his face. "I would never be so rude to demand anything of you or anyone else. You didn't have to. It's nice of you, though. Why don't you and Adarsh continue hanging out with your brother and sister, and your mother and I will deal with this."
"I'll do the whole meal since you're starving, babe," Aleida offers. "You can relax in front of the television...you had a hard day at work." She pours him a glass of water and hands it to him.
"Okay...thank you, honey." Leon hugs Aleida, kisses her cheek, and takes a swig of his water. "Ahh...hits the spot!"
Daya is thoroughly confused, even though she shouldn't be, since Leon is a completely different person than Cesar. They're polar opposites. After Daya scrubs her hands clean, Leon goes with her and Adarsh to where Christina and Emiliano are now playing with toy trains on wooden tracks in front of the couch.
"You be the train. I'm the conductor," Christina announces. "I'm too big to fit in these, so just pretend Kelly is me...or Polly Pocket." She puts the tiny dolls on top of the equally minuscule trains.
"Okay! Choo-choo!" Emiliano says, making his train zoom back and forth, and Daya has to laugh at how adorable they are when they play together.
"Uh...you wanna watch the game?" she asks Leon. "Our Yankees versus those dumb Red Sox bitches!"
Leon chuckles and sits on one end of the couch while Daya and Adarsh are at the other. "Sure!"
She grins and changes the channel to baseball. "We oughta beat their asses again!"
"Hell yeah!"
Truthfully, Daya is only into this because the players are good-looking and she's curious about the score, but it's a great way for her to connect with Leon. It also gets her more comfortable being so close to Adarsh. Since there is currently an ad playing, she just wants to talk to them.
"Hey, Leon...why don't you command me to do things for you? Like, before, Cesar would be such a dictator and act like he was in charge, even though this ain't even his apartment! My mom would've paid rent if she had the money. Since he could, he had the power, too. He'd call me his good little girl, 'cause I was like his servant." Also his sex slave, she adds mentally as she wraps herself in a blanket. Adarsh seems to sense her discomfort at exposing this information and rubs her back in soothing circles. "Maybe it hasn't been long enough."
Adarsh frowns and shakes his head. "What an asshole that Cesar was."
"I wouldn't treat you like that, ever! I promise you, Daya," Leon assures her, and he appears to be sincere when he says this. "It wasn't right of him to place those burdens upon you."
"I know...but like, why do you act like an actual human being and not a monster, nor are you associated with any?"
"I was raised to respect women and girls...I grew up with a single mother, and she taught me so much about that particular subject. It makes no sense to be a patronizing misogynist. She'd also kick my butt if I got into any mischief, and she didn't exactly give me time to find bad crowds to be a part of."
"Ohh, okay!" Daya grins. "Well, that's awesome, but I'm sorry that your father wasn't in the picture."
Leon shrugs. "I never missed him...I got no idea who he is."
Daya gives him a sympathetic smile. "I don't know my dad either...looks like we, along with my baby, have this absent father thing in common." She sighs. "Same goes with most of my friends and Gloria's sons."
"Luckily, you all have great moms," Adarsh comments, just as the game starts, and they beam at that. His eyes flicker down to Daya's belly for a second and then back up at her.
Leon nods. "Very true."
"Thank you," Daya replies and squeezes Adarsh's hand fondly.
"No problem."
It's the first night in almost a month that Diane is going to be alone at the restaurant, apart from the usual diners, including Gloria, Maritza, and Lorna. Alex is with Fahri and Charles is working on Aleida's case that will last him a total of four weeks. When he'd dropped her off at Friendly's, he'd promised to be there right at the stroke of eleven, the end of her shift.
"I'll miss you being here," she tells him sadly as he holds her and rocks her for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, baby, I'mma miss you, too. I'll try to hurry back, even before eleven."
"I know you gotta work on Aleida's trial, and I'm happy you're helping her get justice. There's nothin' to apologize for, Charlie! I'm just sayin'...I wish you could stay, and it sucks that you can't, all 'cause of that motherfucker who chose to..." Diane trails off and shivers with repulsion coursing through her at what that awful monster had done to one of her best friends.
"I understand what you're talking about, Diane." He strokes her cheeks with his thumbs and their kiss is hard and lingering. "I'll see you later tonight, my cuddly-wuddly princess," he murmurs against her mouth.
Diane giggles as they rest their foreheads against each other's. "Bye."
"Bye." His hands slide down her arms and he gives her hands one last squeeze, pecks her cheek, and walks backwards out of Friendly's. Her lips are still tingling and she longs to be in his arms again, but she's aware that she has to wait. She doesn't think she can ever get used to him.
"Yo, give it a rest! It's four hours!" Gloria reminds her. "Don't get all emotional now, mama." She's seated at a table with her sons, Maritza, and Lorna. Benny and Julio aren't paying attention to them at all-they're blowing wrappers off straws, slurping down their chocolate milkshakes, and playing with their French fries instead of eating them.
"Four hours for thirty days straight without your one true love might as well be forever," Lorna contradicts Gloria. "I tried not to feel too bad when Nicky told me she was gonna hang out with Red and Tricia for a while...I mean, they're family, but it's hard to be away from her. At least she ain't chillin' with other single lesbians. It's not her I don't trust, it's those other sluts who think they can get any chick they please!"
"Yeah, we practically spend every waking moment with our girls," Maritza chimes in. "Flaca's helping her mom sew right now, but I'd love to see her again real soon."
"Mm-hm, see?" Diane points at Maritza and Lorna. "They're right!"
"The honeymoon stage wears off eventually," Gloria informs them. "Listen, I got experience. My guy who gave me Benny and Julio...we were together for about three years, and got...not bored, per se, but just...comfortable with each other after six months, and all the heavy making out in public stopped, and we could handle having alone time only at night, when the boys were sleeping or at their aunt's house...for like a few hours a day. People need and desire time to themselves, or they wanna spend it with friends or family. That was the longest relationship I ever been in...but then I lost interest in him. He didn't hurt me, but he was one fuckin' weird dude."
"Ahh!" the girls and Diane exclaim in unison. "What'd he do?" Diane wonders aloud.
"Was he real into anime like Ron Rivers who had a crush on me last year?" Lorna asks. "He went to an expo and fought with some guy over Pegasus being a unicorn in Sailor Moon and complimented me in a strange way, like saying my BMI was normal and my face was symmetrical, and the only thing dreamy about him was his eyes. The rest of him was..." She shudders. "Ugh."
Gloria shakes her head. "Nah...some other...obsessions that I don't care to mention. I gotta get drunk first."
Maritza chortles. "Okay, then!"
As the hours pass, the restaurant empties out, and by a quarter to ten, only Gloria, her children, Maritza, and Lorna remain. Everything is going okay until Diane senses tiny feet crawling up her arm as she's bringing an ice cream sundae over to where the little boys, teenage girls, and Gloria are sitting. She quickly sets it down on the table while shrieking and flinging the furry rodent off of her. "Oh, that's disgusting! I gotta wash up and get a broom...sorry! I hate rats..."
"Hate rats!" Julio repeats her, and it would've been cute if she was saying it as part of a bedtime story.
"They're nasty and only for scary movies!" Benny agrees and wrinkles his nose.
"Holy shit, what the fuck..." Gloria mumbles as it slams against the wall and slides down. "Ew! Where'd thatthing come from?"
"Gross!" Lorna shouts. "This is gonna put me off my food for a while..."
"Me, too," Maritza agrees. She lets out a shrill scream when more rats and large spiders scurry through the cracked open door of the restaurant, with three unpleasant visitors barging in behind them. Benny and Julio immediately hide under Gloria's chair and cling to their mother's legs, all of their playfulness gone.
Diane gasps and starts trembling when she realizes who the intruders are. "N-no," she stammers weakly. "I...I don't want you in here!" she cries a bit louder. She notices that Gloria stiffens but moves in front of Maritza and Lorna and keeps her boys behind her as well.
"Hey sweet cheeks, make us a sandwich!" Dixon commands her. He sticks his tongue out at her and makes a rapid licking motion in between his index and middle fingers, and then does the same vulgar sign toward Gloria. She appears to be about as physically ill as Diane feels. Lorna quickly takes the kids by their hands and scampers to the women's bathroom with them in tow. Gloria and Maritza seem to be frozen solid, but Diane figures Lorna was able to run away since she had done it so many times before with Nicky.
"Give us a friendly smile like the name of this joint, or we'll complain to your boss! You'll find yourself out of a job," Humps threatens her with a creepy grin, and she turns away. Her heart thuds slowly inside her chest. She can barely stand to look at him or his cronies.
Diane nearly trips over her feet as she runs behind the counter and is about to push the button Charles had installed, that will make an alarm ring, signifying that someone is doing something dangerous. Piscatella reaches over and grabs both of her wrists. Diane squirms and tries to get away from him, but his grip is too tight. "My men and I just wanna talk. Long time no see. Now get to work on your next order, which is ours."
"Let her go!" Maritza intervenes.
"I have to make sure she behaves herself," Piscatella growls. Diane shrinks away from him. He's beet red with anger and he spits at her. "You idiot cunts thought you could get rid of us!" Diane wrinkles her nose and tries to shake his saliva off of her face, but it's still there.
"We're not doing anything else...we won't yell or touch you violently," Humps tells Diane, and Piscatella slowly releases her from his clutches. "I just see this place as a wonderful home for our pet rats and spiders." He creeps closer to her. "I'd like to sink my teeth into that pretty neck of yours, too...make blood spill all the way down to your tits...I'd do the same to that little sexy Mexican cunt sitting over there."
"Don't forget the whore's daughter and Hot Pants," Dixon says and then sniggers while circling Maritza and Gloria. "Morello doesn't mean shit to us now, remember."
"Yeah, I know. What good's a pair of tits if they don't come with a real woman's body?" Humps asks rhetorically.
"Besides, she's pathetic, we just pity her," Piscatella mutters. He knocks a full pitcher of water over on the floor, making it splash over Diane's shoes and onto the bottom of her jeans, soaking her socks. "You, however...you're an easy target. Where's your blind spawn?"
"None of your fucking business, and you have no right to talk about my beautiful girl or my friends like that. You won't touch them," Diane snaps. She watches as Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps go into the backroom and start dumping eggs and milk out of their cartons and spraying whipped cream everywhere, including into each other's mouths. They deliberately spill chocolate syrup and sprinkles all over the tables and chairs inside Friendly's. Their blatant disrespect alone is enough to make Diane want to throw up, and she's close to crying when she thinks about the huge mess she'll have to clean up when they leave.
"We didn't get lover boy fired, but we thought since he'd be gone for a month and leaving you to fend for yourself, it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of that. You can tell him how he was punished. He's probably just surprised he didn't get laid off!" Dixon guffaws. "Come on, you don't need to be stuck with that nigger, you could date me! I'm geared up for a threesome...you, me, and Hot Pants!"
A chill flies up Diane's spine and she jumps when Piscatella bangs the counter. "Hurry up and fix us a sandwich!" he demands. With shaky hands, she quickly gets to work. Whenever she glances up, she's forced to look into his frightening beady eyes. In the background, Gloria nods at a text she'd gotten, rushes to get a broom, and guides the rats out, letting out terrified squeaks if the tiny animals come too close to her. Maritza is scared stiff and inching into a corner of Friendly's, her treat abandoned. Eventually, Dixon throws it to the ground, breaking the dish and splattering melted ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
"Too bad Piscatella didn't kidnap you with Reznikov and Romano!" Humps sneers and then winks at Diane. She's so drained and time is going by incredibly slow. She needs Charles to be here soon.
"She wasn't in our lives yet!" Piscatella lets him know.
"Get down on your hands and knees and work, cunt! Neaten up this pigsty!" Humps yells at Maritza and kicks at the wall, scuffing the paint and nearly missing her side. She screams and does as she's told. She grabs a rag and fills a bucket with hot, soapy water, and Diane's heart breaks at the sight of her and Gloria both, so frazzled and afraid. She's just glad Lorna and the Mendoza boys escaped to the women's bathroom when they did.
"No...it's okay, sweetie-" Diane begins, but then she feels a hard slap on her bottom. She whirls around with a shriek to see Dixon leering at her and licking his lips. She stumbles back, trying to get away from him.
"You don't call anyone that except for me, sugar tits!" he bellows, and nausea washes over her. "You three are Cinderella tonight, except that you'll never get to go to the ball. Where are your princes?"
She takes a deep breath while seething. "Mine's coming at eleven, and he will stop you and put you back in prison where you belong! How'd you even get out anyway?"
"We have a hotshot lawyer, you dumb little cunt. What about fairy godmothers? You don't even have moms, and if you do, they're never around, are they?" Piscatella taunts them loudly.
Diane is quiet this time as she finishes the last sandwich. Both of her parents had been so awful that she considered herself and her brother orphans until he moved out and she was his roommate. Her friends were the ones to inform her that she was in fact not dying when she first got her period, but she won't dare give Piscatella or the others the satisfaction of learning this private information about her. She has to pause for a second as she begins to choke up, but she hides her tears with her hair as she bends her head down and focuses on spreading the mayonnaise on the bread.
"Let's go!" he barks. He's soon standing right behind Diane, and she's prepared to press the emergency button if he attempts to hurt her.
"I...I'm al-almost done..." she stammers.
"You need to be finished now!" Without warning, he slaps Diane hard across her face, and it hurts like hell. She gasps sharply and begins to sweat profusely. Her heart slows and stops for a second or two as she staggers backward while cradling the stinging area where she'd been struck, and sits down. Diane feels like she's going to pass out any second now. He kicks her in the side a few times, and she rolls around on the floor, groaning and writhing in severe pain. Piscatella sits on her legs and now, she's so limp and her belly hurts from it pressing into the floor, but she's able to twist herself around from the waist up so she can see exactly what he's doing. He ties her wrists together behind her back with a piece of rope while smirking like he's just won a game. "You could've poked me in the eyeballs. Surely your ape cop of a boyfriend would've given you that little tip!" Diane just stares at him, frozen with terror. "Your shiner's already forming." He roughly pushes her back onto the cold tile and her ears start ringing from the blow. She isn't sure if it's from when her forehead hit the ground just recently or when Piscatella had backhanded her a few minutes ago. "Filthy slut."
"Why do you like attacking women so much, you fuckin' beast?" Diane asks faintly.
He sniggers. "Thanks for calling me that," is all he says before walking away from her and taking a large bite of his sandwich. "Boys, dinner's ready!"
Lorna tells herself not to worry about Diane, Gloria, or Maritza, because the most Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps would do is terrorize them for their own sick pleasure. Diane would eventually get a chance to push the emergency button Charles had installed. Deep down, though, she is very nervous about the women and Maritza's safety. She had to act brave as she took Benny and Julio home on the bus and reassured them that their mother would be okay. When Leon had answered the door and asked where Gloria was and why she wasn't with her kids, Lorna had said she's still at the restaurant helping Diane waitress since Alex isn't there and can't really watch her children. She plans to tell Gloria this cover-up so he, Aleida, and Daya won't worry about her. Lorna's good at that-playing make believe. It's why she gets A's in drama class. She tells Nicky everything and to come home, so the blonde does.
"Why the fuck didn't you get the assholes taken back to the big house when you left, though?" Nicky wonders out loud as she walks in the door. "I know you had to take care of the kids and those motherfuckers were just being verbally abusive and not doing anything else, but it is a literal crime to bust out of prison and torment the very people they were torturing in the first place, which lead them to their arrest!"
"I'm aware, okay? It's just...Diane probably handled it, so I didn't feel the need to. Besides, I was shaking and could barely catch my breath after seeing them. I'm fuckin' traumatized! Also, it ain't like the police would do nothin' except Charles."
Nicky sighs heavily while raking her hand through her hair. "Alright...makes sense."
"Are you angry at me, hon?" Lorna asks.
"No, of course not!" Nicky cups Lorna's face in her warm, slightly calloused hands and kisses her forehead. "Baby, I get it, it's fine. I just hope nothing awful happens to them."
"So do I." They wind their arms around each other's waists and start making out heavily as they're giggling and melting together as one. Nicky lifts Lorna off the floor and carries her upstairs while they're still kissing without air. They don't even notice Mikey behind them until he begins snickering. Lorna jolts away from Nicky and her girlfriend immediately sets her down, but it's too late. The boy had seen everything.
"Dad! Lorna's a dyke!" he shouts loudly, running down the steps.
"I knew my eyes weren't playing tricks on me! I saw them cuddling and then committing that sin from out the window!" Joe responds angrily. "Lorna Jane Morello, you get your filthy ass down here now and bring that disgusting piece of trash with you!"
"Oh, shit," Lorna mumbles and covers her face and hyperventilates. "Fuckin' tattletale..."
Nicky throws her hands up in the air. "We'll just deny everything!"
"No, no, no..." Lorna stutters and holds Nicky's arms. Her whole body is trembling. "Mikey and our father are real close...they always gang up on me! Besides that, they saw it themselves...us lip-lockin'. There's no way either of us are gonna get away with this. You better call Red if you want to sleep somewhere cozy and warm tonight."
"We'll both go to her apartment and join Tricia there, maybe Mikey will forget about it and it'll give time for your dad to calm down. Franny can stop 'em, I'm positive...she doesn't know about us, but she should have a clue by now since she pays a lot of attention to you, and she'd accept us!"
"Yeah, she would," Lorna agrees. "I wish she could hurry up and get a place to live that ain't here!"
"Hey!" Joe barks and Lorna jumps. "What'd I just say?"
Lorna gulps as she and Nicky go to the couch where her father is sitting. He's raving mad, and she's a bit scared of him. "Sorry, Daddy..."
"It's okay." He faces Nicky while gritting his teeth. "Your inappropriate behavior with my daughter is unacceptable! She doesn't like being touched by girls. You need to leave my house right now!" He points toward the front door.
"Sure thing, man," the blonde mutters reluctantly. She gazes longingly into Lorna's eyes as their joined hands separate. "I apologize for being in love with her."
Lorna's heart warms at hearing this and she beams. Nicky packs up her belongings and kisses Lorna goodbye. Lorna's body is curved against Nicky's and their hands are splayed out against each other's backs. She exits the apartment. Lorna attempts following her out, but Joe pulls her back with his hand gripping her wrist firmly.
"If you walk out of this house, you are no longer my daughter!" he snarls.
"You're not gonna keep me away from the girl I love!" Lorna protests when the door slams and her heart throbs. "You had no right to kick her out...and it's after dark!"
"I apologize that you're so confused, Lorna...I'll get you on the right track. Conversion therapy should prevent you from becoming a faggot. I'm doing this for you, just remember!" He rolls right into her and she collapses to the floor in shock and panic. "Both your dyke-ness and your crazy should be out of you now, but if not, you're getting electroshock therapy tomorrow!"
"I'm bi, so the correct insulting term would be gillette blade!" she snaps back at him as she stands up on trembling legs, but he punches her down again and reaches for a baseball bat. He waves it threateningly at her and she rushes upstairs and locks herself in her room. She checks her reflection in the mirror for a bruise, but there's only a red mark where her father's fist had connected with her jaw. She's lucky that he's too frail to give her a good right hook.
"I'll beat the tar outta both of ya!" he hollers and Lorna screeches when Mikey starts banging on her door. "Mikey, break into her room and drag her out yourself!"
"Ya fuckin' homophobic jerk!" Lorna screams.
Franny is going to be home soon and she'll put a stop to this evil, and Lorna can always call Nicky, so she does. When Nicky answers on the first ring, Lorna instantly starts hiccuping and whimpering.
"Lorna...is that motherfucker hurting you? Is that why you didn't just follow me and tell him to fuck off?"
"It was impossible for me to escape. Please help me, Nicky," Lorna squeaks, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Where you at, babe?"
"I'm hiding from my father...in my...in my room...and he's so furious...he's about to blow a gasket...like, he won't kill me or nothin', but he's real scary with his hollerin'!" Lorna cries.
"Okay, I'll help you sneak out. Red can get you later tonight, but I don't think you wanna dive under your bed for a whole hour!"
"Thank you," Lorna breathes out.
"Anytime, kid."
Once she hears Diane being tortured so mercilessly at the cruel hands of Piscatella, Maritza immediately wants to come to her aid, but of course, she can't, with Humps staring her down and making sure she doesn't go anywhere. "Strip down to your bra and panties!" he orders. "On your hands and knees, and start your job, dingy maid!" His eyes turn black and he starts drooling as he glares at her. "You make me filled with lust and hunger." Maritza yelps and flinches when he grabs her hair and pulls her up to her feet. "Now, you worthless brown creature!" Humps takes long strides over to the counter and gets his meal. She's about to run outside so she can call nine-one-one, but he takes the food off the plate, breaks it, and points a ceramic shard of it at her so the sharpest point is slightly touching the middle of her chest. "You better do it, and slowly, too, or I'll cut you up alive and eat you instead. You taste like dessert...your flesh and blood call out to me." Maritza cries as she undresses herself to her undergarments shakily. At the same time, she's careful not to step on the pieces of the plate on the ground. "I like you in a lacy bra and those sexy undies. Pick those up and put them in the garbage!" Maritza reluctantly does as she's told. Once that chore is completed, she starts scrubbing back and forth while crawling around the floor. Humps is chomping on his dinner above her and purposely dropping it in her hair, on her skin, and clothes. "Tell me dirty phrases in Spanish, or you know what'll happen," he instructs her creepily.
Maritza can't stop shivering from both her fear and being cold. "Damelo duro," she purrs as best she can, only thinking of Flaca thrusting her fingers inside her. "¡Ay, con cuidado...papi!" she chokes out while gagging internally. "¡Eres...enorme!" She has to give him a satisfying show for her survival.
Give it to me hard. Oh, be careful, Daddy! You are huge!
"Yesss..." he hisses and runs his tongue over his teeth. "Very good."
"As lo que quieras. ¡Voy a venir! ¡Dame esa leche! Ven conmigo."
As you want. I will come! Give me that milk! Come with me.
"I'm almost there, hottie!" he yells while masturbating. The sadistic monster unzips his pants and puts his disgusting penis near Maritza's face. "See how hard I am for you?"
"Ahh, si..." Maritza responds emptily. "Mis pliegues vaginales están tan mojados..."
Ah, yes, my vagina folds are so wet.
"Come sit on my lap, you're too much to resist!" Maritza wants to throw up at the tent in his pants. He forcefully drags her to sit directly on his boner and moves her around it rapidly while clutching her upper arms so tightly it leaves handprint marks. He then squeezes her thighs and rubs them. He scratches her bare stomach as he tears her bra off, breaking the clasp. She's so uncomfortable and vulnerable as he palms her breasts and his stick pokes into her butt. "You get why they call me Humps now? It's because I give the best dry humps." He snickers at his own sick joke and Maritza only sobs openly. She's bleeding from where a minuscule shard had cut into her hand, but she doesn't say anything about it since it'll just make him more excited. She wishes Flaca could somehow save her from this nightmare. Piscatella slinks out the back exit and she hopes he won't ever return, at least.
"You look so much like your mother," Fahri admits with a pensive smile, and Alex beams proudly in the long mirror at the store. She's just finished dressing like an adult and her outfit is a black tank top and matching blazer paired with gray slacks. She applies heavy winged eyeliner, strokes her lashes with mascara, puts her glasses and fancy wig on, and smears on a thick coat of red lipstick.
"Thank you!" she says brightly and smacks her lips together. She slips into her high heels, places a chunky black cross necklace around her neck, puts studs into her earlobes, and checks herself out. "Whoa, I need Michelle to see me in this! She'll think I'm so hot!" Alex giggles at the thought of her girlfriend's reaction to her makeover.
"You know I don't want you to do this at all...you resembling Diane is the only positive about it. It's nice that you do, but I'm just wishing you didn't have to dress grown-up for this job."
Alex shrugs nonchalantly. "I don't mind in the least."
While he's driving them to Friendly's so Alex can meet up with Diane, she blows out a huge breath. "Fahri...you can't marry Vee! She's a child abuser...I saw the bruises she left on Nicky. They were pretty damn serious..." Alex trails off when she realizes what she's saying wasn't actually proven by Nicky herself, but she has an inkling that Vee had hurt one of her best friends, since the blonde had lived with the mean looking bitch she'd met when she and Lorna had dropped Nicky off that one time.
He glances over at her curiously. "How do you know that for sure? I understand that you're pissed about this, but you shouldn't overexaggerate and make up things about complete strangers."
"Yeah, whatever, I'm aware. Sorry," Alex quips insincerely.
Clutching the broomstick handle tightly, Gloria whimpers as she tries to hold back a sob. She falls back against the wall outside Friendly's when Dixon saunters up to her. He snakes his hands around her waist and then down to her butt cheeks and thrusts himself into her, trapping her so his sleazy arms are like a cage. She feels so helpless and afraid, especially because she can't shove him off her or smash her knee into his groin, and her shriek is soon muffled by his hand. Diane's unable to push the button inside since Piscatella is preventing her from doing so. Lorna was smart to take the boys home.
If Lourdes' brother and sister-in-law were alive, they would've cut anyone's throat open who had even attempted hurting their daughter, much like Lourdes. While Gloria's aunt threatened to many times, her mother would've actually done the deed with no remorse. Then again, if Lourdes had the chance to kill Arturo, she would. He was the worst boyfriend Gloria ever had. Her girls' father was an angel compared to him, even if he was a jerk.
Arturo puts his foot to the middle of Gloria's back and she flies down the stairs. He chases her, following her every move. She's hanging on to the railing to support herself after she was thrown down the stairs. "¿Por qué has dado a luz a tantos macosos? ¡Siempre supe que había algo mal contigo! ¿No son suficientes cuatro de ellos? ¡No me des más, tengo que encargarme!"
"Why did you give birth to so many brats? I always knew there was something wrong with you! Isn't four of them enough? Don't give me more I gotta take care of!"
"Feel my boner, Hot Pants...it's because of your sexy ass," he drawls into her ear and then licks her neck while squeezing her bottom. Dixon smells so bad that Gloria starts gagging and then panicking because he's invading her space tremendously.
"Lo...siento," is all she can get out. Arturo roughly pushes Gloria into a wall and then she slumps to the floor. The first time he'd hit her, was because she was pregnant with her fifth child.
I'm...sorry.
"I want to eat it. I bet it's nice and juicy..."
"¡Estúpida perra holgazana! ¡Levántate!" Arturo kicks her in the side over and over again while she sobs on the floor and tries to stand despite the pain.
You stupid lazy bitch! Get up!
She tries to jam the broomstick up into his neck while gasping in and out raggedly, but Dixon stops her with an eerie chuckle and tosses it away. "You can't defeat me!" Gloria struggles against him and gathers up her courage to sink her teeth hard into his palm. "Ouch! You crazy dumb cunt!" he bellows. He removes his hand from her mouth. "Fiesty, aren't we?"
"Help me!" she cries out before he quickly silences her with forceful kisses and almost bites her tongue off while clawing at her breasts.
"Shh..." Gloria screams again and Dixon bashes her head into the concrete wall behind her, and she's now dizzy and scared she might have a concussion. "I just told you to shut up, bitch!"
"Don't hit me," she begs in a whisper. "Please...you have too much power as it is."
A sinister grin appears on his face. "Oh...you'll wish that's all I did when I finish with you."
As he stops the car outside his close friend's restaurant and gets out, Fahri hears something incredibly alarming. A man who he's sure he recognizes from the back is sexually harassing Gloria, who's struggling and whimpering, and there's a broomstick a few feet away from them. Fahri immediately wants to save her from this assault. Alex grits her teeth as her eyes widen. She's about to speak, but Fahri shushes her and holds her back as they silently walk to the scene. "There's a weapon, and I'm gonna beat him with it from behind, but I don't want him to notice me at all. Go ahead and check to see if your mom's okay," he whispers.
Alex nods. "Alright."
Fahri bends down, picks up the broomstick, and takes a few powerful swings at the back of the horrible person's head. He's satisfied when a crack sounds and Gloria is finally released when the animal stumbles back and turns around. "Ah, you fuckin' Arab terrorist! My eyes are blurry!" He makes a pathetic attempt to grab the broomstick from Fahri, but he doesn't succeed.
"Good, I hope you lose your vision," Fahri snaps and gestures for Gloria to follow him inside Friendly's.
"Oh my god...thank you..." Gloria tells him tearfully while pressing her hand to her heart and sniffling.
"I'll always rescue you if you need or want me to." Ever since her panic attack last week, a surge of protectiveness over her had swept through him.
"I'm so grateful, really..."
He's shocked to see Alex standing on a table, probably for leverage, and delivering several roundhouse kicks into Humps' face and leaving the bastard with no chance to fight back, and he can tell Gloria is stunned as well. She rushes over to help Maritza get her clothes back on and both of them are very shaken up. Maritza is rendered speechless. They, along with Alex and Fahri, jump when a gunshot is heard from outside.
"Where the fuck is my mom, you asshole?" Alex shouts and then stomps on Humps' chest when he doesn't respond right away. He just groans and smirks instead. "Answer me!" She's panting heavily, but standing her ground, as anyone would be when their loved one is in danger and they'd just beat someone badly. "I'm pumped up on adrenaline, and I'd be happy to murder you in a few seconds. All I have to do is step on your ugly throat."
He coughs up blood. "You stupid whore...she's probably dead anyway. I'd hit that..."
"You're fuckin' wrong and so gross!" Alex growls. "I'll look for her myself, then!"
Fahri drags him out and throws him onto Dixon's unmoving body while calling an ambulance to pick them up. He guards the door to make sure they don't come back in.
"She's behind the counter...I assume passed out, since she hasn't come out or nothin'," Maritza explains when she finally gets her voice back, and Alex gasps worriedly. Her heart nearly pounds out of her chest. "Piscatella hurt her real bad, like, he punched her!" Alex races to Diane's side, where she's laying on the floor, knocked out cold. The girls and Gloria kneel down and help Diane to a sitting position, start fanning her and unbuttoning her shirt, as she's way too hot. Piscatella had also left behind a black eye and Diane's wrists are tied together behind her back. Alex is broken inside for her mother and she quickly loosens the ropes and pushes them aside.
"Mom! Mommy, wake up, please..." Alex begs her and kisses her cheek as Gloria strokes her tangled hair. Most of it has come out of her ponytail and it's sticking to the sides of her bruised face.
Diane sways back and forth as she begins to come to. Her eyes flutter open and she appears bewildered. "Hmm? Where the fuck am I?" she mumbles, and they all breathe a sigh of relief. Alex chortles to herself at Diane's crass language, even after suffering a life-threatening injury. "The last thing I saw was that...that neckless gorilla."
"He's gone," Gloria assures her.
"I'll get you some ice," Maritza volunteers. Alex would have, but she wants to be with Diane at this moment. She forgets about rebelling against her for a while.
"Allie...could you not tell Charles?" Diane pleads with her. "Don't say anything...I beg you!" She hiccups and begins to literally cry on Alex's shoulder.
Alex hugs her and she holds Alex around her waist as they rock from side to side. "I won't...and I promise you that I'll always be here with you from now on. This is where I should be. I had remembered self-defense tactics that him, Frieda, and Ms. Bell, taught me and creamed Humps in the middle of his violating Maritza...Fahri got Dixon when he was molesting Gloria, and then someone shot that gigantic son of a bitch...I don't know who...but you're all okay." She sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "Thank god..."
"I love you, my little girl." Diane pulls Alex impossibly closer into her chest and kisses her temple a few times. Alex snuggles further into Diane's embrace. "You and Fahri saved us..."
"I love you too, Mom."
"You're wearing more makeup than usual," Diane notices aloud.
"Yeah...having a girl I like a lot causes me to wanna look extra special." It's not a lie, but Michelle is not the reason for Alex's extreme touching up. She's just part of it.
"You're always my beautiful daughter, along with incredibly brave, sweet, and strong."
Alex smiles through her tears at Diane's compliment while pressing her lips together. "Thank you...and you're always my gorgeous, kind, courageous, and tough mother."
Diane beams. "Thanks, baby."
It's not until Maritza gives Diane ice that they notice Gloria has gone to a table and is talking to Fahri while they clean up.
"¿Por qué hueles a humo?" Theresa wonders out loud as she lets Kubra inside the apartment.
Why do you smell of smoke?
"¡Oh, estaba fumando afuera recientemente!" he explains. "Lo siento."
Oh, I was smoking outside just recently! I'm sorry.
Theresa shrugs. "Está bien." She gives him a chaste kiss and goes back to her sewing.
It's okay.
Flaca groans quietly as she tries to move herself from her wheelchair to the couch with as little discomfort as possible. She's done this plenty of times-balancing on her good foot and using the arms of her wheelchair to support her as she hops to the couch and sits down, and usually, her mother or brothers would assist her with elevating her bad leg, but Marco and Pedro aren't around and before Theresa can get to her, Kubra walks over with sympathy written all over his face. "I'm sorry you're in so much pain. Do you want my help?"
She nods while wincing as her broken leg hovers above the ground in midair. "Yeah...thanks, dude."
Kubra grins and picks a green pillow off the couch and plops it on the table while holding up her leg. He props it up on the pillow and now it's not so bad. "Hope that's better for you."
"It is." Flaca smiles appreciatively at him. "You're great."
"So are you, kiddo. Let's see what's on television." He sits down beside her as she turns on her telenovela and starts re-braiding her French plait on one side of her head.
"I always watch this...and for the record, I enjoy smoking after I read a romance novela," she whispers. "We could do that together, but never tell my mom, yo. It'll be like, our thing. My girl Mari loves pot, so she can come with us...and our homie Blanca likes a cigarette from time to time...so, like, we ain't stoners, but it's awesome to get high once in a while."
"I get what you mean, completely," Kubra responds in an equally hushed tone while smirking. "I'm not supposed to let fifteen year olds do this..."
"There's a but coming, I smell it!"
"Your mother would kill me!"
Flaca rolls her eyes. "So? It's just bonding time with friends and the super cool dude who's dating my mom. It ain't like we gotta tell on ourselves or nothin'!"
Kubra sighs. "Okay...once a week, but that's it!"
"Yes!" Flaca cheers to herself.
The doorbell rings and Kubra gets it, since Theresa is busy working. "Oh, hi, Maritza!" he greets her, and Flaca beams at her girlfriend while waving her over. She can't wait to have Maritza in her arms again.
"Mari!" Flaca shouts happily, and Theresa glances up to wave at her.
"Hey, y'all," Maritza mumbles as she passes him and practically falls onto the couch. She appears to be spooked and there's a haunted look swimming in her chocolate brown eyes and gauze wrapped around her hand. Flaca begins to worry about her as she pulls Maritza halfway onto her lap. Kubra gives them their privacy.
"Baby...what is it?" Flaca tucks a strand of Maritza's hair behind her ear and strokes her thumb up and down the other's cheek.
"I...I don't know if we'll ev-ever be safe," Maritza replies shakily.
"Why? ¿Que pasó?"
What happened?
Maritza's breath hitches and Flaca's heart cracks when she bursts into tears. "They escaped prison," she blubbers. "Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps..." Flaca gasps and Maritza breaks off into a round of cries. "They tormented me and Gloria and Diane...Lorna got away with Benny and Julio...so that's good for them, but we...we was more scared than we ever been. You think Duardo and his crew were bad? Well...Humps was making me be like, his sex slave and roleplaying where I was his maid and cleaning the floor since he and his stupid feo friends dumped ice cream sundae ingredients all over Friendly's. He...he touched me, and ummmm...I was...I-I wanted to die! He forced me to rub my butt...on his repulsive crotch...and it hurt so much when it was poking in me...ew!" Maritza explains between sobs, and Flaca hisses with anger toward the asshole. "Dixon almost raped Gloria and Piscatella knocked Diane unconscious behind the counter where he was ordering her to make them sandwiches or some shit. It was so awful..."
"I bet...I'm so sorry, honey," Flaca tells her gently and Maritza whimpers while hiding herself further into Flaca's pink and black pants and getting the hem of her black shirt wet with tears. "I wish I could've been there to cut his fuckin' face open...that goes for all of 'em!" Flaca growls. She hates how fragile Maritza is now.
"Alex and Fahri got there in time, like before any horrible damage was done, but I'm gonna have so many nightmares."
"I'll hold you through the night...I promise," Flaca assures her favorite girl. "I love you so much, princesa."
"Thank you...and yo también te amo." Maritza sits up against Flaca, beams at her, and they touch lips gently. Neither of them realize they've never come out as bisexual to either of their mothers, and Theresa and or Kubra had probably seen their mouths molding together, but it doesn't matter. They'll officially tell Theresa and Juliana when they're both ready.
It's almost eleven when Charles enters the restaurant. Diane is pressing ice to her black eye at a table as Alex sits next to her and fixes her hair into a plait so it can appear to be just a bit neater. Fahri had driven Gloria and Maritza home and made sure to drop off Gloria first so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable being alone with him.
"You did this for me when you were little," Diane remembers. "Your small, chubby hands would pull at my hair and it was a fuckin' messy braid, but you were three, and I loved you playing with it."
Alex laughs. "I'm glad I can do a much better job now!"
"Diane?" The concern in Charles' voice is evident and it calms her just like her daughter's had. "How'd you get injured?" Alex gets up and gestures for him to take her place, and he does. She ties an elastic around the end of Diane's single braid.
She isn't going to make a big thing of it since Alex hadn't even been there, so she decides she won't come to Charles with yet another problem and be a burden again. "It's nothing," she replies softly. "I just slipped in the backroom and my face bumped into the edge of a counter...something had spilled."
"Let me see...please?"
Slowly, Diane removes the ice. "It don't even hurt that bad anymore...I forgot to fall backwards and on my hands, I guess."
"Oh my god! That looks hella serious, sweetie! Are you dizzy? You must've hit your head real hard." His gentle touch as he runs his knuckles up and down her temple while putting his lips in her hair makes her melt.
"I did...but my vision is still good."
Charles looks at her sadly. "Come here, my poor baby. I'll take so much care of you." She leans closer to him as he gathers her into his loving arms. She rests against his chest and tilts her head back so she can gaze up at him. While Alex isn't looking their way, Charles puts his hands on Diane's sides and they begin to make out, causing Diane's heart to flutter again and again.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Michelle fly in and nearly knock Alex over with a hug, and Alex spins the shorter girl around. Diane smiles at the fact that Alex is happy again.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Johanna002, Double99, MinervaSnape394, Amelia, and A Star In My Universe!
