Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and neglect. It's my birthday today! Woohoo!

"Okay, that should do it!" Frieda grunts as she shoves the broomstick further into the unconscious Joe Morello's butt and twists it around a few times in order to give him splinters. Red and Nicky had called her, Boo, and Pennsatucky for help when they'd drugged Lorna's hateful father, but nobody had the guts to actually do the more personal deed except for Frieda. Besides the fact that he'd molested his own child, he'd made an attempt to rape Diane, who Frieda thinks of as a daughter. She's always been extremely protective of the younger woman and she isn't afraid of some old fashioned revenge.

"Wow, you're amazing!" Red praises her.

"Yeah!" Nicky snickers. "Good job, Frieda!"

Frieda gives her a grin full of pride and sticks oleander leaves dripping with poison into his gaping mouth and pushes them down his throat. "Thanks."

"See, we tried doing that with Coates, but we couldn't bring ourselves to actually go through with it," Pennsatucky says.

"I should've done it," Boo mutters. "At least he's in prison."

Pennsatucky sighs loudly. "Great, it looks like you assaulted a physically disabled man...even if he does deserve it, the cops won't see it that way."

"I'll put him back into his wheelchair, just relax! We just want Red and Nicky to escape without being in trouble," Frieda states.

Even though she's thirty-six, Frieda feels young. She's probably the oldest person at this concert who is wearing all black leather with silver spikes attached to the cuffs of her sleeves, green streaks in her reddish-brown hair, smoky eye makeup, and purple lipstick. It's the early eighties and everyone is jamming to Prince, pumping their fists in time with the beat and cheering when each song ends. A young brunette girl around high school age dressed in dark blue jeans, a bright green tank top, and a neon pink jacket shakes her hips and spins around a few times, and right away, Frieda notices the uniqueness of her eyes. She's never seen anyone with such blue eyes. The bright colors she's wearing glow under the black lights. The girl is laughing as she dances, but some assholes are getting rowdy around her and keep shoving her. She's struggling to keep her smile as she moves away from them, but they only creep closer to her. Protectiveness over this girl surges through Frieda, so she wastes no time in getting between them and her. She plans to pretend she's the girl's mother.

"Hi, honey, weird we just ran into each other here!" Frieda exclaims. She elbows the losers hard in their chests. "Stay away from her, you bastards!" she yells over her shoulder at them and then turns back to her protegé.

The girl's face is full of confusion. "Huh?"

Frieda cautiously guides her away from the wild frat boys and grown men who were acting like such animals around her. "Well, you're my daughter, and I know you...crowds aren't your thing...so let's go someplace more barren, hmm?"

"What? Who the fuck are you, lady?" she demands. "A little personal space...Jesus fuckin' Christ!"

Frieda removes her hand from the girl's back. "I just rescued you, little girl...a good deed doesn't hurt anybody, right? How old are you, anyway?"

"Seventeen," the teenager snaps. "What's it to ya?"

"Your parents let you go to this alone?"

She lets out a long, hard laugh and rolls her eyes. "You never heard of rebelling? Why were you saving me? Ain't no adult gives a shit about me, how do I know you ain't got some evil plan up your sleeve once you get me alone?" She folds her arms across her chest and tries to look angry, but Frieda can only see pain.

"You don't, kid, but I promise you, I'm only helping you by making sure you're okay and having fun. Those sleazebags were touching you without your permission and ruining your night because being a girl of seventeen and by yourself in throng of people makes you fresh meat to them, and they were enjoying every bit of your discomfort. They're hunting for some naive girl just minding her own business-"

The teenager scoffs. "Why do you care? We don't even know each other's names."

"I'm Frieda. You?"

"Diane."

"Well, Diane...I look out for my fellow women, that's all...and girls, even more. So...where are you supposed to be right now? It's getting late, nearing midnight."

"Dude, I don't even know...I tell 'em so many lies I can't keep 'em all straight, but I vaguely remember Lolly's for a sleepover." Diane shrugs. "Maybe it's Lisa's, but I dunno. She's covering for me, and Mom and Dad are down for the night, alls I gotta do is be at my friend's by five in the morning. Both their sets of parents are cool. They understand my situation."

Frieda nods. "Okay, and how are you planning on getting there and how did you come here?"

"One of them drove me, and I'm taking a cab back...or the bus, whatever's available. They lent me a twenty, but I spent it already," she admits with a sheepish smile. "Shit, I gotta walk now." Diane stuffs her hands in her pockets and groans aloud.

"I can smell booze and weed on your breath," Frieda points out sternly.

Diane shrugs. "You can get anything with a fake ID. I'm sorry for my rudeness, ma'am."

Frieda is shocked by the sudden switch in personality. It's like something had snapped in Diane. "You don't need to refer to me as ma'am, silly girl...just Frieda. I'll take you, but you need to get your life in order from here on out. No offense, sweetheart, but you're a total mess. You can't use illegal substances when you're a minor...it makes you vulnerable at a place like this."

Diane hugs herself and stares at the floor. "Thanks, I guess...and you would be too, if your dad didn't want a girl to begin with and your mom had you be a perfect supermodel starting from birth! They got rich because of my looks. Like, they ain't gonna sell me or nothin', but they're real mean when I express myself...they make me call 'em ma'am and sir, like I'm their servant. They get money off dance, cheerleading and figure skating contests, ballet and gymnastics competitions, beach volleyball and tennis matches, talent shows, and beauty pageants I'm in...basically whatever requires a revealing uniform. They forbid me to do anything that isn't stereotypically girly, and I don't even own these jeans. I always gotta show off my body, even when I wanna hide from the world for five seconds. One time, I thought I was gonna be able to go to a pool party, but they forced me to be a swimsuit model in a skimpy bikini. I met the creepy old Nazi they've arranged for me to marry last year, and he's dangerous...he has a gas chamber in case I'm ever to misbehave."

Frieda's heart goes out to Diane. "That's rough...and sick! They should be in jail...and he needs to die!"

"Yeah...I can't even get 'em arrested since being weirdly strict isn't illegal, and they make sure my face is blurry in magazines. Good thing I'm moving out soon for college...I'm counting down the days to my freedom. I'll never speak to 'em again...they'll be history!"

Frieda shrugs. "It's their loss. Hey...have you ever ridden on the back of a motorcycle before?"

"Of course, many times since I was fifteen! This whole thing is my scene, man. Ya know...sex, drugs, rock and roll...and fuck if I don't love wind whipping through my hair while I'm perched on a nice bike and clinging onto some hot dude as my hardships wash away for a while."

"I'm a biker chick, have been for damn near twenty years. You okay with that?"

Diane raises her eyebrow and chuckles. "Really? You're like...a grown woman."

"With the badass octopus tattoo and all, honey."

"Cool...but what you gettin' at?"

"I got a Harley parked out front and an extra helmet in case I found a good lookin' fella in here, but fuck that shit. I'll give you a ride on it to my place and then drive you to your friend's, if you desire."

"Sure, that'd be awesome!"

When the concert is over, Frieda links arms with Diane and they go to the parking lot. Frieda helps her up on the vehicle and Diane puts her helmet on and then tightens the strap under her chin. "You good?" Freida asks as Diane situates herself and wraps her arms around Frieda's waist and rests her head against Frieda's back.

"Hell yeah!" Diane squeals with no traces of nervousness in her voice.

Frieda revs the engine and speeds off and makes sure Diane is safe and okay emotionally for the whole ride, which she is. She's obviously had a lot of experience being a passenger. While in the car, Frieda tells Diane that she's an English teacher, and it apparently makes Diane want to be one, too, when she gets older. Frieda is proud of herself that she's inspired the young girl a bit. She gets Diane's future husband's name and where he lives and plans to poison him and throw him in his own box of torture so Diane will never see him again and get abused by him daily.


"I cannot wait for my mother to become strong and healthy again!" Lorna exclaims while practically pulling Diane towards the hospital doors. They'd decided to visit Stansie because Lorna missed her so much and Diane wanted to see her again after a couple of years and try to reconnect.

"Me neither! She's gonna love you comin' to see her."

The Italian matriarch had gone out to a bar with Diane, Aleida, Theresa, and even Carol two years ago on one of Aleida's good days, and they were all complaining about men in their lives, talking about their kids, and letting loose in general. They'd come from different backgrounds and had nothing in common with each other, except for that their daughters were all best friends and had encouraged them to chill as a group for a fun night out. On that evening, though, they'd connected and laughed together. Diane had always thought it was the drinks, because she'd never had that much enjoyment being around them before. She tolerated them because they were Alex's friends' moms. In reality, Aleida was a drug addict who didn't seem to love her children and favored her icky boyfriends, Stansie was a semi-religious freak who listened to her husband way too much and relied on God to make her better instead of medicine when her illness was in its early stages, Carol was a stuck up bitch, worse than Aleida, since she didn't have heroin as an excuse, and Theresa was who Diane got along with the most, but she could barely speak English and needed Flaca to translate. To them, though, Diane was either overly sensitive, according to Aleida, too lenient and laid-back in the eyes of Stansie and Carol, and hard to understand in Theresa's words. The Mexican woman had said many times that Diane needed to learn Spanish, so she did, or tried, at least.

Lorna swings hers and Diane's joined hands back and forth between them as she skips along merrily. Diane beams at her cuteness. "My mother and I used to garden, do yoga, cook, and shop together all the time! Franny joined us at times, but they were mostly me and Ma's things. She'd call me dolly when I was a little girl."

"Aw, that's precious."

"You remind me of her...you even look like her, sorta! Are you sure you're not twins?"

Diane chuckles. "Positive. She's pretty and kindhearted, though, so I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Once, we made the best spaghetti that the rest of our family ever tasted! She was such a good sauce and garlic bread maker."

"I know, I appreciated when you'd bring us a container of it, along with your famous Caesar salad. So delicious," Diane remembers aloud. "Oh, and the apple pie...that was to die for."

"No problem, we wanted to help y'all out, save you money and cooking time."

Diane's heart warms at this. "How nice of you!"

"When I was ten and with my father and Franny and Mikey, he told me to go up on the altar, so I did...but the chapel was empty and I didn't know what to do, so I did a cartwheel on the altar. He was mad at me, my sister and brother thought it was weird, and when they all told my mother, she cracked up!"

"Oh, gosh," Diane says through a giggle. "That's amusing!"

"What funny stuff have you done with Alex?"

"I dropped a bunch of blueberries at the grocery store and we both ran away in embarrassment," Diane answers through a few giggles, and Lorna joins in. "We never even got caught!"

"Oh, wow, that's hilarious!"

Once they get into Stansie's room, Lorna takes a spot next to her mother and Diane sits in a chair. After pleasant exchanges of hello, Diane explaining to Lorna's mother how she got her black eye, and Stansie wheezing through a few heartbreaking rounds of coughing, Diane quickly gets her some more water. When she returns, she overhears Lorna telling Stansie about what her father had done to her. The girl's voice is shaky and she only begins to cry and bury her face into her mother's chest when she's finished.

"Here you go," Diane says while handing Stansie the glass of water.

"Thanks," Stansie responds breathlessly and then takes a gulp while stroking Lorna's hair soothingly. She glances down at her daughter. "You just remembered it now?"

Lorna nods. "Yeah...I don't want nothin' to do with him no more. Even if there's a trial for him, I ain't gonna go. He's in Hell when he dies! I don't care if God forgives sinners. He's rotten to the core. He can't even find it in his heart to be with you when you're ill...what happened to in sickness and in health when you said it in your marriage vows?"

"I don't even give a shit, hon. We stopped loving each other long ago, but we're too poor to get a proper divorce and neither of us got another place to live. He's just a stranger to me, but you three kids are my angels." Stansie sighs and kisses Lorna's temple while hugging her closer.

"I miss you a lot, Ma," Lorna mumbles.

"I do too, my littlest one. Is he doing anything to you currently?"

"Well, he did hit me, but not too badly...it don't even hurt no more."

"Good. I know this new information about him is awful and I don't blame you if you can't be around him any longer, but I advise you to forgive him, as we do with people who have wronged us."

"I know church was a big part of your life, Stansie, but you should feel pain in your chest and only hatred for that demon who decided to prey on your precious girl. Nobody has to forgive such a person. It's her choice!" Diane exclaims.

"I do...it's like a knife has slashed through my heart...but forgiving someone don't mean forgetting what the person did or even being okay with what they did, but it's more about moving on." Stansie turns to Lorna. "You have moved out and he cannot hurt you anymore. You don't gotta suffer from this, dolly."

"Yeah, you're right, Ma," Lorna agrees. "The others I'm close to are in more pain since their traumas have happened recently. As long as I never see him again, it'll be easier to leave the past behind. I don't wanna deal with panic attacks and nightmares because I'm thinking a lot about him. I've already emptied my bottle of feelings and I'm ready for him to leave my brain. I'll do anything to distract myself from having PTSD symptoms. Sucking my thumb is embarrassing enough!"

Pride sweeps through Diane. That girl is so brave. "Well, that's fine, but if you ever need a good cry, just let it out, it's okay," Diane murmurs.

"Of course," Stansie adds quickly.

"I will!" Lorna exhales. "Could we change the subject, though...please?"

"So...I heard a lot of racket about you and that girl Nicky kissing. It's gonna take some getting used to...I've always thought of you with a boy. Is this a phase?"

"I assumed I was straight as well, but I love Nicky...I'm not experimenting, I'm into both genders, so bisexual. It's wonderful being with her...since she was kicked out, I'm now staying with her and her sister and their guardian, Red...she's a real nice lady."

"Yes, you've told me about this woman, she seems friendly. I'm glad you're safe there."

"I am as well."


"What does Fahri see in Vee anyway? She's an evil, snobby, stuck-up, rude bitch!" Alex mutters as she and Allison are going to Vee's shack, ready to confront her and try to make her back off of Fahri. It'll also help take Alex's mind off the fact that Lorna's father had pursued her and Diane for years and molested one of her best friends as a child.

Allison shakes her head and tsks. "I have no idea...my uncle is too nice sometimes, but this one really takes the cake! I thought he was into Gloria."

"He is...he does like her, but he's clearly not going to make moves on her if she's not interested in dating anyone. It's like Vee is taking advantage of the situation!"

"I can check if she's really pregnant after like, a few weeks, because I know the signs!"

"Awesome, thanks! I hope he'll figure out that she's just not a good person in general soon, though. Being pregnant doesn't automatically make you a saint. Look at Holly Hobbie. Even after Vee's supposed to start showing, she could just be hiding a fake belly stuffed with drugs or whatever."

Allison chuckles dryly. "Yeah, I feel you, girl. We'll watch for that!"

They both knock on the front door. A few raps later, the door opens to reveal Taystee with a haggard-looking Vee behind her. Alex and Allison instantly smile at their older classmate, who returns the gesture. "Hi, Taystee." Alex's gaze goes to Vee. "We'd like to talk to you in private, Ms. Parker," she announces. Taystee waves at them and then exits the foyer.

"You can stay for dinner, we can discuss whatever you have to say in front of my girls."

"No, we'll just say it now! Something's really fishy about you getting with my uncle. I'm not sure why he doesn't see it, but you being engaged to him after like, a second of knowing him, is too weird."

"Clearly, you're taking him for granted...and you just so happened to do that when we're trying to get a healthy relationship forming between him and Gloria," Alex snaps. "I doubt that's a coincidence. You're messing shit up!"

"Who I'm getting married to is none of your business." Vee points to Allison. "I'm gonna be your aunt whether you like it or not." She glares at Alex. "If Gloria had wanted him so bad, she should've taken him. Your little matchmaking plan will never work if one or both of the people is a prude."

Alex is ready to kill her and she would have jumped the bitch if Allison hadn't been physically holding her back. She grits her teeth and hisses while pushing her glasses to the top of her head. "You need to break off this bullshit and admit to yourself that nobody gets fucking hitched on the first date, and you know that you proposed and trapped him by saying you were pregnant, knowing how great of a man he is! Of course he doesn't want to break your heart now...I mean, he can't anyway, since you have a giant, empty black hole where your heart and soul are supposed to be."

"Oh damn, scorched!" Allison murmurs and Alex smirks while hi-fiving the other girl behind her back.

"You best leave my house and never interfere with mine and Fahri's life again-"

Alex scoffs. "Or what, you're gonna send us to boarding school in Tibet?"

"Don't tempt me!" Vee growls. She shoves them out of the open door and slams it in their faces.

"You totally fired shots!" Allison points out and Alex just cracks up.

"We both did, but even if we weren't successful, we showed her that we weren't naive to her motives. He's got a lot of moolah and she's as poor as a church mouse. Who wouldn't wanna shack up with a rich dude? The Wicked Witch of New York is shallow and vain, but he sees the goodness in everyone. Do you seriously think he's in love with her, and she him?" Alex rolls her eyes. "I certainly don't see it."

"Me neither. He'd be like, whistling show tunes after seeing her or wearing cologne every day, but all he does is work his ass off, help me out with Farah, and ask me for advice on how to make Gloria comfortable around him."

"Yeah, I know. He's always texting her and stuff, he tells me and even has me read over what he sends her to ensure that he's not coming on too strong. He never is...he's very respectful of her. I've seen his conversations with Vee...kinda boring, to be honest! He checks up on her, but I sense more of a connection between him and Gloria."

"That Vee ho is definitely gonna lose," Allison predicts. "It's just a matter of when."


"So, we're really done?" Ian wonders aloud over the phone, and Flaca wants to end this call as quickly as possible. She wishes she'd never picked it up in the first place, especially because Maritza is cuddled in her lap and bundled in a blanket with her eyes half closed, the picture of purity. She had only answered to tell him to stop contacting her for good. "I'm just checking."

"Yeah, you're a straight-up loser! I'm with my girl now, so don't talk to me no more." She stares down at Maritza lovingly while stroking her hair.

"I hope dumping dick for pussy was really worth it since no girl has ever said no to me before!"

"I ain't a lesbian, dumbass...I'm bi, but I prefer girls for now...especially Mari. She hella needs me, so I'mma hang up now...I would even if she wasn't here because you a motherfucker." Flaca closes her phone and tosses it aside. "I'm all yours, baby," she whispers as she gathers Maritza closer and places a gentle kiss on her lips. Maritza gives her a sleepy smile.

"I ain't up to doin' much lately...school was hard...I feel like...heavy, but empty at the same time, you know?"

"Yeah...that's how I was after being raped. It's like...the world weighing you down, hmm?"

Maritza nods weakly. "You know when we made love? That was my first sexual experience."

"Yeah, it was mine, too, with a girl."

"No...I never fucked a dude, either...like in a good way. I've been...dry humped twice by...him. I can't fuckin' stand it." Maritza sniffles and whimpers as she presses her face into Flaca's band shirt and absentmindedly plays with some of Flaca's pink stripes in her hair.

"I understand...completely."

"Since our moms are both here, you wanna come out as bi to 'em right now?"

Flaca grins down at her brightly. "Sure!" They hold hands as Flaca wheels herself with Maritza on her lap to the kitchen where Theresa and Juliana are making dinner. "Mamá, ¿podemos hablar contigo y con Juliana en la sala de estar, como en el sofá?" she asks.

Mom, can we talk to you and Juliana in the living room, like on the couch?

Theresa nods and both women beam at the girls. "Por supuesto."

Sure.

Once their mothers get settled on the sofa, Flaca moves in front of them and takes a deep breath. "Umm...así que somos bisexuales...yo y Mari."

Umm...so we're bisexual...me and Mari.

"¿Te gustan los niños y las niñas?" Juliana asks.

You like both boys and girls?

"Sí. Estamos enamorados el uno del otro," Maritza clarifies further.

Yes. We're in love with each other.

To Flaca and Maritza's delight, Theresa and Juliana beam at each other and then squeeze their respective daughters' hands in support. "Ustedes chicas son muy dulces juntas, ¡hacen una linda pareja!" Theresa exclaims. They gather into a group hug.

You girls are very sweet together, you make a cute couple!

"Estamos muy felices por ti, cariño, ¡por supuesto que te aceptamos a ambos como pareja!" Juliana puts in.

We're so happy for you, honey, of course we accept you both as a couple!

At this, Flaca and Maritza giggle in unison and wipe happy tears from their eyes that they hadn't known were there.


"You should really be with your boyfriend, Ma...this place is desolate, and Cesar hasn't even rang you up in days," Daya mutters.

"It ain't like I visited him lately or nothin', and don't forget, we ain't broken up yet. It's my duty to see him..." Aleida sighs sharply. "I know you didn't like him, but I'm really trying to make it work...and convince him to be a better man. I did a one-eighty, why can't he?" She goes completely stiff and begins to sweat and tremble when she sees a familiar figure now dressed all in orange and seated across from the woman who was half responsible for making her childhood miserable. "Fuckin' shit..." she mumbles shakily and falters back a step when Jack grins at her creepily and waves.

"Los únicos hombres a los que les gustarán las tetas sin cerebro, las perras malcriadas como tú son drogadictas que no son lo suficientemente inteligentes como para no desearte y, si están en casa, obviamente han perdido una apuesta!" Aleida's mother says cruelly when fourteen-year-old Aleida has just told her that she has a boyfriend now. "No me sorprende que hayas encontrado a alguien tan tonto como tú." It stings, and Aleida doesn't know why she even bothers to try to find some kind of bond between them, because one isn't there.

The only men who will ever like a no-brained-no tits-no ass bratty bitch like you are drug addicts who ain't smart enough to not want you and if they are home in there, they've obviously lost a bet! It doesn't surprise me that you've found someone as dumb as you.

"I'm jealous...another boy is thinking about that tight pussy of yours?" Jack takes a swig of his whiskey. On instinct, Aleida curls herself into a ball and turns away from him. "Aw, don't get all shy on me now, you know you're Daddy's favorite...of course, you're the only girl who lives here. You get my jokes."

Aleida squeaks shrilly when Lourdes pushes her off of her bed. "Siempre una puta sucia! ¡Nunca conseguirás a mi novio, él es mío!" She bites her lip hard and sobs quietly as they leave her room.

Always a dirty slut! You will never succeed in getting my boyfriend, he's mine!

"Oh no...we can leave if you wanna," Daya tells her while wrapping her hand around Aleida's. "Shit, Ma, you're so-"

"Don't you fuckin' dare say broken. Wasn't you raped too?"

Daya puts her hands up in surrender. "Okay. Don't remind me."

"I just had a mini panic attack...I'm gonna see Cesar and I ain't payin' that monster any attention." Aleida just about trips over the back of the chair across from Cesar once she gets to it and then collapses into the seat, even with Daya holding her hand. She forgets the rules of absolutely zero skin contact and grabs onto Cesar's wrist as she gets herself situated.

"No touching!" a guard barks and she jumps and places her hand on her lap.

"Sorry," she mumbles nervously.

"Whoa, someone's clingy," Cesar says teasingly, and Daya glares at him. "You want me that bad, huh? Or are you drunk?"

"It was an accident, fuck off," Aleida mutters. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid comments tonight, I just need comfort."

"What about Leon, who can actually hold you?" Cesar asks bitterly and Aleida smirks at the fact that he's jealous.

"He already knows about..." Aleida stops herself and lowers her voice before continuing. "See that old white guy over there...white hair and real skinny...with my motha?"

Cesar glances over at him quickly. "Yeah, I met him before...I didn't know she was back with him. He still doin' tai chi? We occasionally run into each other in the prison, but don't really get a chance to talk much...separate dorms and all based on race."

"Look, I don't give a fuck what he does, as long as he stays away from me...I don't know nothin' about him, and I don't wanna...he, um...he raped me on the night of Christina's birthday, we went out to this restaurant as a big family and he took me into the bathroom and...yeah."

Cesar narrows his eyes. "Jack Pearson, the wiry dude who plays golf in his spare time when he's not martial-arting...he don't seem strong enough to rape somebody, but if you're not just trying to get attention-"

"It happened, I know I ain't very credible, but in this situation, trust me. Could you give him a good beating for me?" Aleida leans closer to him. "Leon did!" she adds for good measure.

"Yeah, and without her asking, too!" Daya pipes up.

A dangerous look appears in his eyes. "That motherfucker's dead after visitation. I'll try to find a shiv, they're hidden everywhere," Cesar whispers. "We sodomize child abusers and rapists here, anyway...and I had this stupid-ass roommate, Humps, who escaped, but I got the chance to do that to him, too...there were rumors that he liked kids, if you know what I mean...little girls in particular, and he had a thirst for their blood, especially when they were on their period. I hated him when I first met him. Gotta look after you, right, bein' my woman and all."

"I appreciate it," Aleida responds quietly.


Now that Leon and Fahri are at the restaurant, Diane feels a lot safer. Alex is helping out, too, but if Diane were to be honest, she doesn't want her daughter to have another encounter with Piscatella for as long as they live. She understands why Gloria isn't present, but she wonders where Aleida is and asks Leon.

"She had other things to do," is all he says.

As the night goes on, she, Alex, and the men discuss work and school, and Blanca joins in on the conversation when she enters Friendly's. Diane prepares herself for Piscatella to lumber in around the same time he had last night because that's his modus operandi. He probably won't be with his loathsome buddies, as they're in the hospital and she hopes they'll die soon. Even if she isn't shocked when he arrives, the tremors still flow through her and she has a hard time standing up straight. She has to hold onto the edge of the counter for support and Alex and Blanca come over to her in order to guide her to a sitting position.

"Breathe with me, okay, Mom?" Alex takes a few deep inhales and exhales while keeping her hand on Diane's back, and Diane copies her, but it's extremely hard to keep calm with a storm like Piscatella around.

Fahri and Leon quickly get to their feet. "You're not getting near her!" Leon growls protectively.

"Relax, ape, I just wanna talk."

"Right, last time you did, she fainted and really injured herself in some places!" Fahri snaps.

Piscatella shrugs. "Not my problem that she's like a frail old lady. I had to punish her because of the huge amount of time she was taking on our orders." He spits over the counter and Diane shrinks away from his saliva flying through the air. "Dixon was shot by an unknown assailant and Four Eyes over there just about murdered Humps. If they die, it's on whoever put a bullet in Dixon, and Vause will become an inmate in Max and rot, only leaving behind a pair of black glasses, which I have the strong urge to step on...after I choke both her and her mother to death...along with the cunt who I should've drowned!" Piscatella cracks his neck and turns to Blanca, Alex, and Diane, who are cowering behind the counter. His looming shadow covers all of them as he raises his fists. The rage he's expressing is really scaring them. The girls shiver and Diane just holds them.

"Hey, asshole!" Leon punches Piscatella aside, right in his ugly face. He stumbles back and both Leon and Fahri grip his wrists and remove him from the restaurant. "If you don't want to go through us every day, then stop bothering to step foot in here!" Leon bellows.

"We will never leave them," Fahri adds. "That's a promise."

"I should take the gun with me next time, then!"

"Thanks for the warning, I'll bring mine, too!" Leon proclaims.

"See how you can't win? You're not gonna touch another hair on their heads. Your days of tormenting innocent women and girls are over with," Fahri chimes in.

Piscatella sniggers. "Guilty is all they are."

When he departs at last, Diane, Alex, and Blanca are able to relax easier and they come out from behind the counter, still lightly clinging to each other. "You're okay," Leon tells them soothingly, and Diane gives both him and Fahri grateful hugs.


While Charles is watching the video of Duardo, Paco, and Pepe verbally harassing the girls and taking notes, he senses Diane coming up behind him, so he quickly pauses it and minimizes the window. His girlfriend puts her hands on his shoulders. "Whatcha workin' on?"

"Just a case." He pulls her into his lap and kisses her softly. "How you feelin', babe?" They're both in their pajamas and ready to fall asleep.

"I'm okay...sick, a little bit, but I think I've thrown up plenty, and so have Al and Lorna."

When he'd discovered that Lorna's father had almost raped Diane, lusted after her and her daughter, and molested his own child, he insisted on going to arrest Joe alone. Charles went into a rage, flipped him out of his wheelchair, and proceeded to beat him with his baton. Joe was soon injured beyond recognition and Charles enjoyed being incredibly brutal to someone who deserved it. He'd been begging for Charles to stop, but Charles wanted to show him what it was like to be so viciously attacked, like Joe had tried to do to Diane, and he decided that Frieda jamming the broomstick handle up Joe's butt hole was enough of a punishment for what he'd done to Lorna. Seeing all of Diane's bruises and her black eye makes him sad and want to hold her forever.

"You poor girls," he murmurs and rocks Diane. "I really got him good today...I went ballistic on his ass!"

Diane beams and she's so pretty. "Wow, that's hot. So chivalrous of you!"

"He is going to jail for a long time, Diane, I assure you. He's disturbed."

"Yeah, I mean...it all still makes me shiver. Can you be with me again tonight? Alex said it was fine."

"Definitely, my sweet girl." He leads Diane to his bedroom and they slide under the covers. Their legs tangle as he spoons her. "You're so safe and loved here. I got you." He tilts her chin up so their lips can join together in an open-mouthed kiss. "I promise."

"This is the second time I've actually opened up my heart to a man, and the first wasn't successful, so I'm really hopin' you're speakin' the truth."

"What we got, it's real. You are real to me, Diane Vause." He gazes lovingly into her deep blue eyes and she smiles.

"I'm glad...Charles Ford."

"I'm serious. You're so full of love and generosity, and it's heartbreaking to see you in any kind of pain, because you deserve everything that is good in this world." Charles presses open-mouthed kisses to Diane's cheek while playing with her hair. "I see a lot of bad out there on the job, but then I come home to you and you restore my faith in humanity."

"See, my parents would say the opposite."

"Well, they were a hundred percent wrong!"

"Be honest...are you only with me for my general attractiveness and my body?" she asks, and her vulnerability shatters him once again. "That's all they said I was good for." She turns away from him.

"No, my girl...absolutely not. You have an extremely beautiful soul, too. It's nice seeing such kindness, and our conversations bring me so much joy. You're also clever and intelligent. You always find a way to make me smile."

Diane rolls over to face him and he notices that she's tearing up. She sniffles and he strokes her chin with his knuckles. "You really mean that?"

"Yes, truly."

"Thank you."


"They were absolutely frightened, but nobody was harmed since Fahri and I were there. I feel like talking to Charles about a restraining order and getting them in prison again, but I can't go against Diane's wishes," Leon reports as he and Aleida get into bed and begin to snuggle.

"She's like, tormenting herself by just allowing those sadist pigs to come in, I don't get it!"

"She hates the thought of being a burden, even though Charles wouldn't see it that way. Piscatella and the rest will eventually stop coming if we're there every single day and I have a weapon to protect us with!"

"My big strong man," Aleida murmurs while making herself small next to him and clutching onto his shirt like it's a life support. "Did you lose a bet or somethin'?"

"No...why do you ask, sweetie pie?"

"You ain't a drug addict and you're real smart...from what I learned, the only ones who pick me had problems with heroin abuse and they was all dumb as rocks, and if somebody intelligent chose me, it's clear that they...lost a bet. Nobody would ever truly...find me as nothin' more than unattractive and out in left field. That's been the pattern..."

"Your mother severely warped your mind, Aleida, she tried to get in your head and it's not your fault that she succeeded. It'll take time to heal from this, but please believe me when I say that I never would participate in that kind of asinine bet...I see a beautiful woman, and bam, I'd like to get to know her, simple as that. You weren't stupid at all when we met, and you're not now."

"I'm just sayin', Diane's an English teacher and hotter than me, and Glo-"

Leon cups Aleida's face in his hands. "You are so pretty and bright and perfect to me in every way. You've got me now, okay?"

Aleida nods slightly and shudders. "I...I saw him again...when I was visiting Cesar. He was staring at me...and I fell apart...like at the seams, and not in the good way. If Daya hadn't been with me, I would've started screamin' and cryin'...I wish they'd just move him to a different prison or execute him!" She chokes up and claps her hand over her mouth as her eyes fill with tears. "He's everywhere...I can't escape him!"

A burst of anger rushes through Leon and he wants to rip Jack to shreds until the beast is no longer living. His heart clenches in pain for his lady and it skips a beat when her voice cracks. "Oh my god, baby, I'm so sorry. Come here." Leon collects her into his protective arms and she hiccups and sobs into his chest. "You're okay with me."


On Wednesday morning, Daya is walking to the courtyard to meet Adarsh, but on her way there, someone stops her in an empty hallway by grabbing her arm. "Heard you were pregnant," he says in a gruff tone and then pushes her hard against a locker. She gasps and starts feeling squeamish when she sees Mendez's beady eyes looking her up and down. "Its name is Stan if you have a boy."

"Would you let me go?" she asks in almost a whisper.

"I will never do that! You're mine, and so is that baby of ours. We'll be like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Lolita and the old guy, Romeo and Juliet...our relationship is only wrong because of the age difference between us, but fifteen and twenty-two are just numbers!" His breath is beginning to make her gag and she tries to remove herself from his grasp, but he simply grips both of her arms tighter. "I must say that you being Spanish with big lips is making me hard, and I'm part Cuban...I get my accent fetish from my mom." She whimpers when she feels the sickening lump in his trousers against her crotch and tries to shriek for help, but he forces a kiss on her mouth. She bites his tongue and he jumps back. "Oh, you're a naughty bitch! God, you're so hot and I love you, Dayanara...I want you in my bed right now...I know you're thinking the same thing about me, the way you're shaking with the orgasm you're having from this..." She wants to defend herself and step on his foot so badly, but she can't move. It's more like she's drowning in quicksand.

"No!" Daya yelps. "Get the fuck off me..."

"We'll do this someplace more secretive-"

Suddenly, she sighs in relief because she sees Adarsh barreling towards them while yelling and he uses his whole body to shove Pornstache away from her. "Don't you touch her ever again, you creep!" he shouts. "She's in high school and you are clearly ancient!"

"I broke out of jail for her! She's my girlfriend!" the bastard protests.

"Go ahead, say that one more time!" Adarsh challenges him and Mendez howls in pain when Adarsh gives him an Indian burn. "Watch what happens, fucker."

"I'll be back, my pet," Pornstache says while winking at Daya. He exits the hallway and Daya leans back against the locker. Immediately, she hyperventilates while sinking to the ground. Adarsh sits next to her.

"You want me to hold you? I'll call the cops in a minute, but I wanna comfort you right now."

Without a word, Daya nods her head yes and sobs when she's securely in his embrace with his protective arms surrounding her and her chin resting on his shoulder. "Mendez and that motherfucker Bennett are just a couple 'a morons! I hate 'em both! Ugh! Thanks for saving me."

"No problem. I was happy to protect you, I always am. I won't let that son of a bitch hurt you again!"

She manages a smile through her tears. "How'd you find me?"

"I was searching for you...I got worried when you said you were on your way and you didn't show within five minutes like you usually do."

"Oh...okay." Daya exhales shakily. "I asked John to walk away...I gave him a choice to..." She glances up at the ceiling while blinking back tears. "Why am I so stupid?"

"You're not! Look, he's an asshole, plain and simple. If I was in his position, I wouldn't ever leave you. He's no kind of man."

"I know. It's just...I should've said nothin'. I dunno why I did."

"It's not your fault. He couldn't handle what a badass, amazing girl you are because he's a wimp!"

Daya's heart squeezes and expands at his compliment and she blushes at his soft touch when he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah...I guess I'm pretty strong."

"That's right!"

"Hey...you know what I said yesterday about Cesar's men tryin' to catch Gloria?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I put him in jail, to protect Gloria, because he...he had a gun pointed at her. She was tryin' to kick him out because he was doin' drugs with his club of clowns, which obviously made for a terrible living situation for me and my brother and sister and our ma...and Gloria was helpin' us out. Cesar was always using the gun as a threat...I've faced the barrel of it constantly just for like, standing up for myself, basically." She swallows hard and he hugs her tighter, but not enough to crush her. "If any of them find out...they'll kill me. Leon's already bought a gun to protect our family, but I can't be alone...ever."

Adarsh slides his fingers through Daya's and holds her hand gently. He rubs his thumb along hers a few times in a soothing motion. "You won't be, I swear. I'm with you, and so is the rest of our crew."

"Okay. I feel better knowin' that."


The doorbell chimes and Gloria answers it. "Oh, hey, Lorna, we're just getting ready to start our meeting! You're the first one here, besides Daya and Lourdes, of course."

"Yeah...I planned it that way. Can me and Benny talk with you as a mediator?"

"Sure! We'll go into the guest bedroom, that's where he is right now." Right when Lorna enters the room, Benny pouts at her and continues playing with his toys, but with his back to her. Gloria can tell that Lorna is attempting to hide her crestfallen look. He always runs up to her and hugs her legs, but not this time.

"Benny...someone is here to speak to you," Gloria lets him know. She kneels down beside him and tousles his hair. "Lorna's gonna apologize, but you gotta listen! You can't ignore her forever, baby. She adores you."

"Zoom, zoom!" Benny mumbles as he slides the tiny car across the floor. He wrinkles his nose. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, if you wanna resolve things. Friends fight all the time, but they're still buddies...just like you and Michael, right?"

"Uh huh!"

"Alright, let's sit up here." Gloria hoists herself on the bed and helps Benny into her lap. "Lorna, you can be next to us, if that's fine with you, Benny?"

He shrugs. "I guess so."

"Okay!" Lorna takes her spot adjacent to Gloria. "Benny...can you please tell me what you're mad about?"

"You told me and Julio that our mommy would be okay," he grumbles with a frown. "She wasn't."

"You kinda can't say something is for sure happening to kids unless you know it's a hundred percent true since it's like breaking a promise and they don't trust you," Gloria scolds Lorna gently.

"I know," the brunette Italian murmurs, her features clouding with guilt. Her eyes shift to Benny. "Hey, little man...I'm sorry I told you something so certain when I had no idea if it would be...I was just tryin' to make you and your brother not worry too much and I didn't know what would happen, I thought Diane would hit the emergency button, but there were too many villains there."

"Sometimes adults make mistakes too, just like kids do," Gloria points out. "Remember when you told Christina that she'd be fine if she climbed the tree at school and she fell?"

"Oh yeah...she skinned her knee and got a Barbie Band Aid, but she was crying a lot and her tights were dirty."

"Well, it's just like that, and nobody can know things for sure," Gloria says.

"The good thing, though, is your mommy is still here. Fahri saved her from the bad guy," Lorna informs Benny.

"That's nice of him...but what if the mean man made her go to heaven? You don't see the future!"

Gloria's heart drops at Benny's serious worries and Lorna gasps softly. "That's true, I'm not psychic...however, I know your mommy and she is a fighter and she won't give up easily!"

"When Arturo would beat me, I still survived," Gloria puts in. "Scary things can happen, but the fact that we make it out alive is more important."

"Benny, I think it'll be fine now if your mommy goes to Friendly's since Leon and Fahri are always gonna be there!" Lorna soothes him. "Can you forgive me?"

"Yeah!"

"Could I have a hug? You don't need to give me one, just so you know."

"Okay." Benny crawls to Lorna and winds his arms around her neck, and she holds him close while kissing the top of his head, and Gloria beams at the sweetness of it all.


"I'm so happy that my father was arrested and Charles beat him up, although he probably mostly did it for you and Diane!" Lorna exclaims to Alex at the therapy session after she'd patched things up with Benny. It's a calm atmosphere, with colorful lava lamps all around, soothing music, rain outside, and a tea kettle in the middle of the table in case anyone wants a cup of it.

Alex is close to her girlfriend and leaning against Michelle on the couch with her knees up to her chest, tucked under her chin and her arms around her folded legs. "Me too, believe me...but a sexual predator was among us...for three years...I can't stop thinking about it." She takes off her glasses and places her head in Michelle's lap while closing her eyes. "Can I just listen...I don't feel like talking right now." Michelle caresses Alex's black hair and twirls the blue tips around her finger. They're adorable together.

"Of course, honey," Lourdes allows.

"We don't have to be here," Michelle says sweetly to Alex. "It's okay."

"No, I'd like to stay...I'm so glad for your support."

"Alright, then we will."

After getting an orange and peeling it over the sink, Diane plops down on the other side of her daughter and Alex puts her feet in Diane's lap. Gloria, Maritza, and Diane take turns speaking about the hell they'd experienced at Friendly's on Monday night and they're struggling not to cry. Aleida isn't present since she's taking a day off and staying in bed with Leon taking care of her. Blanca, Maria, and their boyfriends are sitting on either side of Flaca and Maritza, who are cuddling. Lorna and Nicky both are snuggled in Red's arms and they're practically joined at the hip. Daya tells everyone that Pornstache had sexually harassed her, but Adarsh came to her rescue. Maritza is well aware that Daya and Adarsh aren't even a couple, but it's cute the way they're so physically connected on the loveseat right now. Still, though, it tears at Maritza's heart that she and the other girls and women have all been assaulted at one point or another. Pennsatucky is also here, but not with Boo, because her foster mother had already heard all of her story. Lourdes had offered her tea because Nicky mentioned she enjoyed it, but she politely declined, saying she used to like it, but she can't stand the bitter taste now, even if she adds sugar or uses peppermint leaves, and she doesn't know why. She is, however, wolfing down donuts and double fudge chocolate ice cream, getting it all over her mouth, cheeks, and chin. It doesn't shock Maritza, as Pennsatucky eats like a child all the time. She seems slightly intellectually challenged. Nathan has joined her for today, though, and he's occasionally feeding her spoonfuls of ice cream and popping bits of donut into her mouth.

"Just to...to clear things up, I actually wasn't nine when...when I was molested," Lorna tells them. She holds Nicky's hand with quivering fingers and the blonde scoots impossibly closer to her and both she and Red cocoon her quaking frame. "I just appeared to be...I was small for an eleven-year-old. My father infantilized me and we had a game where I'd joke that I was two years younger than my actual age."

"Do you still feel him on you...smell him?" Maritza questions her, hoping to relate with her, since she had suffered through the same thing.

"No," Lorna answers blankly. "I feel nothin'. I think you and the other girls and the women I look up to have more pressing issues and my dad ain't a threat to me no more. He's locked up."

"Okay, but you shouldn't minimize it!" Nicky states.

"That's correct," Red adds.

"Yeah, you can just let yourself be emotional," Diane recommends.

"I agree with Diane and Nicky. Everyone's traumas are valid," Lourdes says.

Lorna shrugs. "Pennsatucky, why don't you share?"

"I'm chewin'!" Pennsatucky mumbles and licks her lips. Before she swallows, she shovels in some ice cream. Nathan just grins over at her and pecks her temple.

"Maybe after you've finished your bite," Nicky tells her in a joking manner.

"Ain't that your sixth?" Maritza asks.

"You gotta be full," Flaca assumes.

"Nah...I dunno," Pennsatucky responds after gulping down the rest of the food in her mouth. Daya gives her a slightly damp napkin and she wipes the mess off. "One time, I had four donuts from Trudy's and blew up like a balloon afterwards, so that's probably how much I can handle. I feel fine."

"Do you want to tell us, baby?" Nathan asks her.

Pennsatucky nods. "Okay. So...it all started when they put me on van duty in juvy. I was at a pond with Coates treating me like a duck and throwin' me donuts that were a day old. He then called me a dog 'cause of my last name, ya know. He instructed me to fetch, but I didn't wanna, 'cause he'd tossed it in the dirt. He demanded me to get the piece, though, so I did 'cause he was all, fetch, inmate! He said it in this...this demanding tone, and I was soon eating it out of the mud. Then, he forcibly kissed me, and I hated it so much. It led to the rape and I was damaged. I thought maybe I gave Officer Coates mixed signals and he's allowed to be aggressive with inmates who were accused of murdering people, even if I didn't do nothin', but I don't feel that way no more. It's all his fault." Maritza instantly feels awful for sometimes judging her about her strange eating habits. Pennsatucky may have regressed, is all.

They all look horrified at her story, and Nathan envelops her. "I'm real sorry that happened, hon," Lorna says kindly. "He's an animal!"

"Yeah," everyone else murmurs in agreement.

"Tiffany, Nathan, how'd you guys meet?" Gloria wants to know. She gestures between the two. There's only a few people who call Pennsatucky by her actual first name, but Maritza isn't one of them. Nathan and most adults refer to her as Tiffany, but that's really it.

"Well, this disgusting boy, Abe...he was angry at me because I cut him off from climaxing when I got a bug bite inside a shed. I'm inspecting it and all, right...and Nathan offers to take care of my injury. We went to see a movie and we've been together ever since! He's the best." She and Nathan share an adorable smooch and Maritza grins.

"Aw, that's nice," Daya comments.


That night, Gloria walks into the bathroom and finds Aleida sitting on the tile floor near the toilet with her back pressed up against the wall. Her best friend has her head in her hands and is resting her elbows atop her knees. Gloria immediately goes to her side. "Hey...what is it, mama?"

Aleida shakes her head slowly. "I didn't get my period. I gotta go to the drug store for a test, but I just know there's gonna be a plus sign...I can tell. I'm having the same symptoms when my other kids were growing in me. I've puked a lot today...and I'm cravin' weird shit, even though I ain't hungry, and my breasts are extra sore, with my nipples being visible under my shirt..." She uncovers her blotchy face and Gloria notices how pale and worn-down she is. It's not a side of Aleida she sees often, and it tears at her soul.

"I thought you and Leon use protection?" Gloria asks. "If you have a baby from him, I'm sure he won't leave you, if that's what you're worried about. He adores you!"

"We do," Aleida mumbles. She takes a shuddering gasp of air. "Oh god, no!"

Realization settles inside Gloria. "No..." she echoes Aleida. "Fuck!" She quickly takes Aleida into her arms as the other woman starts sobbing quietly.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Double99, Johanna002, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe!