Happy Birthday, Johanna! Hope it's a fantastic one!

Warnings: mentions of homicide, stalking, voyeurism, abuse

As she opens the refrigerator door, Gloria is repulsed immediately at what she sees and smells. The milk had somehow gone rancid, pieces of a donut float around in the container of orange juice, a dish of leftover broccoli rice casserole has mint ice cream melted all over it, Oreos are broken up into smithereens and mixed in with the spaghetti sauce that she'd made last night, and all that's left of the chicken, is the fat and bones. Mashed and bruised fruit and vegetables, ranch dressing, lettuce leaves, shredded cheese, macaroni and cheese, smears of peanut butter, jelly, salsa, hot sauce, bits of hamburger meat, rice, and even torn up tortillas and a sign that reads go starve in mini M&Ms complete the entire mess all over the fridge. Seething and thoroughly creeped out, she shakes her head slowly as she slams the door closed with such force that something falls over. It's a practical joke, except it isn't funny at all.

"What the fuck...I'm not cleaning that up!" she hisses to herself and balls her hands into fists. She decides she and Daya will have to help Aleida and Leon do it. She then checks the freezer for raw meat or vegetables she could cook or frozen pasta that can be defrosted, but there is none. "Ugh..." She turns around and pauses there, leaning against the refrigerator until she sinks to the floor in defeat. Her stomach growls with hunger as she puts her head in her hands. She can order a pizza or ask Leon to take her and the kids to Friendly's and pick something up for Aleida, but she feels too weak at the moment to even get up. Daya is lucky she's missing this.

Gloria lets out a soft groan and lazily opens the cabinets to find the snacks crushed to crumbs, the jar of popcorn kernels gone, and whipped cream sprayed everywhere. The words you're too fat anyway are written in a mix of strawberry and chocolate syrup. She stares at it for a while before shutting the door. She knows that Daya was often teased for her weight and wonders if maybe the stalker is someone with a vendetta against her niece figure. Suddenly, she has an idea that Tamika could be the bitch behind all this. She had, after all, given Daya a death glare the other day.

"Just get your phone on the counter, call Charles about this," she hisses to herself, but she can't will herself to stand. Her legs feel like lead, but the rest of her is shaky.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Benny announces above her.

"Me, too!" Julio chimes in.

"What's for dinner, tía?" Christina asks.

Emiliano gives her his empty milk bottle. "More?"

"The milk is yucky. We have to get more at the grocery store," Gloria murmurs apologetically. "I dunno what we are gonna eat, I'm sorry, sweeties...I'll think of something, or maybe Leon can make somethin' when he gets home soon." She squeezes her oldest son's hand. "Benny, can you...never mind." She was about to ask him to get her phone and give it to her, but she doesn't want to deal with questions of why she can't get it herself or risk him dropping it by accident.

"What?"

"Nothin', little one, it's okay."

"Okay."

Gloria sighs and twists herself around. She pulls herself up, using the edge of the counter as balance, and just dials the number for Pizza Hut.


"A breakup song? We're all in love, and I thought you were, too, it seems hella depressing, but totally brilliant at the same time!" Maritza speaks up.

"Nah, it's emo. I like it!" Flaca contradicts her girlfriend.

"I'm just wondering...why?" Cindy wants to know.

"Ain't you afraid it could jinx your relationship?" Lorna asks Barb.

"It's only for fun!" Barb insists. "You girls can add more! Just think of someone you really hate, and it can be a person you used to go out with, or wanna see dead."

"Oh, we got plenty of assholes like that," Nicky says.

Barb points at her and grins. "Now you're talkin'!"

Alex has no clue as to why her mother would look so troubled by Barb's song. She goes up to the counter where Diane is. "Mom…what's going on?"

"Nothing," Diane replies quickly and puts her index finger to her lips. "I'm fine. I can't wait to hear the rest of the song!"

"Positive?" Alex asks in a quieter voice. "The look on your face after the first few lyrics told me otherwise…that something's seriously wrong."

I'll tell you later, Diane mouths and Alex nods uncertainly. "Now go sit back down with your friends and Barb please, honey."

"Okay…"


"Here," Celeste says as she hands Lourdes a wad of cash. "This should be enough to cover the cost of brand new candles."

"Wow, I appreciate you so much for lending me the money. I'll pay you back-"

"You don't have to," Celeste interrupts her. "I've got plenty to go around. Seriously."

"My goodness, you're very kind," Lourdes murmurs. "What'd I do to deserve such a wonderful friend?"

Celeste smiles at her. "I'll help you out anytime."

Lourdes puts her hand over Celeste's and squeezes it fondly. "Thank you." Surprisingly, she feels a spark and draws her hand back rapidly. "Um...things like this makes me feel like we've known each other for longer than only three weeks!"

"I agree. I've never connected with another woman around my own age this well before."

"Me neither." Lourdes props her chin atop her fist and grins. She'd never let herself go gray, but Celeste pulls it off marvelously. It's styled neatly in a chic bob and Lourdes can't stop admiring Celeste's hair.

"What the hell is going on here?" a middle-aged man demands and they both jump and stop staring at each other. "Who are you?" He glares at Lourdes.

"The better question is who the fuck are you and why are you being so rude?!" Lourdes snaps.

"My mother isn't into women, she experimented with Mary Straley at Miss Porter's school, but turned her nose up at that to my relief, so you better not be trying to make a move on her!" he yells. "You're not replacing my dad!"

"You gave birth to this idiot?" Lourdes hisses. "I'm not even a lesbian!" she snarls at Bill. For some reason, her cheeks start burning after the statement.

"Bill, stop it!" Celeste reprimands him. "You will be respectful of my guests." She switches her attention to Lourdes. "I'm ashamed right now to admit that yes...he is my son."

"Well, I had a pleasant time speaking with you. I'll see you later, Celeste. Sweet dreams." Lourdes stands up, about to leave.

"Wait, Lourdes, you don't have to go," Celeste protests.

"I think I do...he's giving off bad vibes. Goodbye."

"It'll be okay, Lourdes! Even with disappointments, we'll prevail!" Celeste calls out.

"Thank you for the reassurance!" Lourdes says before showing herself out.

Something strange is happening inside of Lourdes while she exits Celeste's house. Not only does she miss the slightly older lady, but she's also blushing at the thought of Bill thinking she was actually into his mother. "No...you don't feel that way about women," she mumbles to herself. "It could've been embarrassment, nerves...but since we weren't doing anything...why do I feel like I got caught?" she asks as she hurries into her car and starts it up. "Celeste is just a close friend. Nothing more. I was raised strictly Catholic plus. I'm straight."


The time seems to pass slowly while Barb is at Friendly's. Diane hates that she's manipulating the girls, even buying them dessert so they'll trust her or at least like her. Even though Carol is much more violent and outspoken about her wishes to murder an innocent human being, Barb is a lot scarier because she's unpredictable. She could be all sweet one moment, but snap the next, once a person pissed her off somehow. With as much power as the sisters have, Diane fears them, but she has no choice except to respect them to keep herself, and now the girls, safe.

After what feels like an eternity, Barb excuses herself from the restaurant and Daddy, Annalisa, Tina, Adeola, and Suzanne follow her. Diane checks to make sure they're gone before going to sit with the girls. "Okay, Mom, now tell us...why didn't you just tell Barb to shove it after she drove Alana away?" Alex demands as Diane takes a seat next to her daughter.

"Barb just knows the kinds of gals she wants to surround herself with," Lorna says before Diane is able to answer. "She's highly intelligent and the best band leader we could possibly have. Plus, her croonin' is off the charts!"

"Have you heard Red's singing voice? It's much lovelier," Nicky states.

Lorna shrugs. "Not like she's ever belted out a soothing melody to me before I went to sleep."

"Barb's alright, but my mom would be way better!" Alex insists and Diane grins at her. "She knows music!"

Diane nods. "I can't carry a tune, but I could help you girls."

"Why didn't you jump in and take over, then?" Flaca wants to know.

"You just don't wanna argue with her, alright?" Diane responds. "I wish Blanca and Alana could hear this, too, but you can just tell 'em. I'll let you in on a little secret that I've never shared with anyone since I was eighteen."

The girls stare at her curiously. "What?" they ask in unison.

"I knew Barb and her two younger sisters back then...Carol and Debbie. Those disgusting creeps who fucked up my life were friends with the girls' parents, and I was closest with Debbie, even though she was just twelve. Carol and Barb were nearly the same age as me. Sixteen and seventeen." Diane swallows thickly. "Their folks weren't horrible like mine were, but they were stupid and neglectful...having their daughters move from place to place because they were exploiting Debbie, who was clearly their favorite. She enjoyed her gymnastics competitions, but her whole family blamed having to move all the time on her if she complained...especially Barb and Carol. Debbie didn't even wanna go to Texas that last time I saw her for a while...the coaches were nasty and she liked her own just fine in West Virginia. Even still, her fucking cruel sisters were plotting to literally kill her-"

They all gasp, but Lorna simply looks confused. "No!" Taystee blurts out.

"White people be cray-cray," Cindy mutters.

"You've never mentioned them before," Alex points out. "I can see why, though...you just wanted to forget them."

Diane nods in affirmation.

"Tell me they didn't succeed, since that would make them murderers," Allison mumbles. She already appears to be scared, along with the others except for Lorna.

"Debbie didn't turn out to be their victim. Fortunately, I was around when they were chattering away about it like it was the goddamn weather. I warned her, she didn't really believe me at first, but then she did...she tried to tell her parents, but naturally, they didn't listen to anything she said...and they met their fate just ten minutes later," Diane explains in a quiet voice and squeezes her hands together. She watches the girls' reactions. They're looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. "I was in Debbie's room with her...holding and protecting her while I was falling apart myself." Her voice grows shaky. "I-I can still hear the crashing and screaming to-to this day...and all that blood w-when we went downstairs. They used h-hatchets on their...on their parents!"

"Oh my god!" Alex cries as Nicky's eyes widen in astonishment and horror. "Jesus, Mom!"

"A double homicide," Maritza squeaks.

"For both of them..." Michelle trails off. "Oh, fuck!"

"Yo, you sayin' we just worked with one of 'em?" Poussey asks, and Diane nods her head yes somberly.

"I think we should all take a minute to calm down," Daya tells the group and breathes in and out slowly with her right hand slightly raised. "Barb won't hurt us...she's probably just wanting to be like a mob boss. Her girls said she was their queenpin." Daya turns to Nicky. "Hey...Red used to be one...she even put bodies in her freezer, and you warmed up to her pretty quickly."

"Yes, she took down bad people! Barb and Carol made a twisted attempt to end their baby sister. We gotta fire Barb!" Nicky exclaims.

"I think it's bullshit," Lorna says.

"Bulltrue!" Alex snaps almost right away and Diane's blood runs cold.

"Excuse me?!" Diane almost shrieks. "Where did you hear that from?"

Alex squirms uncomfortably in her seat. "Some of us met Carol, and she uses that comeback on the regular. I picked up on it. She was nice...was she faking?"

"Sometimes, she likes to play Barb's game of being a betraying bitch and pulling the wool over people's eyes so they fall into her trap, manipulated forever!" Diane exclaims.

"We'll get rid of 'em both," Michelle decides aloud.

"No, you can't!" Diane practically shouts. "I don't wanna ruffle any feathers. You've all met them and it's too late to back out now. Just be careful of what you say and do, because if you stop hanging out with them and don't act completely natural, they'll know I said something, and not only would I get into trouble, but they'll punish you, too. Those sadistic cunts thrive on people's fear. Don't show you're afraid, girls. Be brave. You can't be fooled by how they're treating you right this second, because they could turn their back on you anytime."

"You gotta at least tell your man," Flaca points out.

"Yeah, he can put 'em back in prison," Maritza chimes in.

"They're being monitored anyway since they're on parole. I'll let Charles in on this too so he can also watch them like a hawk. I'm the inside woman here with Barb...as for Carol, where did you see her, sweetie?" Diane asks her daughter.

"Dairy Queen...but I dunno the next place she'll have us meet for stupid chess and bridge," Alex grumbles.

"Charles will secretly follow her everywhere," Diane assures them.

"I admire Barb," Lorna pipes up, and the girls raise their eyebrows up at her in disbelief. Diane wonders if Lorna's off her meds. "Instead of pursuing her sister...and you, Diane, since you witnessed the double murders, she just focused on the parents...same with Carol, but I don't really know her well enough to determine. Barb could've taken away Debbie forever, but she didn't. It's the actions that count."

Diane rolls her eyes internally at Lorna's words. "I think she and Carol would've attacked Debbie if their parents had left her home alone with them! That's exactly why I warned Debbie about them."

"You'll never know for sure," Lorna utters. "I mean no disrespect, of course, but I know how it is to hate someone so bad you want revenge. Killing their parents isn't as wrong as doing that to their innocent sister. Their parents were no angels, especially if they were pals with yours. They're not even doing anything right now that's remotely evil, as far as we're all aware! They could've changed."

This time, Diane is speechless. She agrees only with the fact that Alice and Ron weren't completely free of guilt. "Babe, you see the best in everyone, and I love that about you, but these sisters have done something extremely heinous. Women can be just as cruel as men...look at Maria and Vee!" Nicky scoffs. "Completely ruthless bitches."

"Usually people like that don't redeem themselves," Pennsatucky adds. "It's just how they are."

Diane sighs heavily. "Well, try not to believe that anything they say or do is for your benefit. Okay?"

"Yes," the girls chorus together, although Lorna still seems hesitant to mistrust Barb and Carol.


"She helped me when I tripped!" Alana states at school on Thursday morning. "She comforted me after Barb rejected me and said her sister is a real backstabbing bitch. She can't be that bad..."

"Oh, but she is!" Alex insists. "Carol was most likely trying to make herself look good, and she seems to have succeeded. My mom wouldn't just make shit like that up. She never even spoke of the woman or her sister, but I wouldn't have either."

"I know, I believe you two, but I'm really confused. Carol didn't seem evil, but I'll be cautious around her. I don't wanna see Barb ever again, however...like she really hurt my feelings," Alana mutters.

Allison gives her a sympathetic glance. "I'm real sorry she did that. Where'd you see Carol anyway?"

"She was across the street from Friendly's," Blanca mumbles. "Probably stalking us, too...even though she told us that she was getting some candy. She wasn't too happy about me hangin' with Barb in the first place, but she accepted my apology. She said I gotta pick a side. Apparently, they're at war with each other, but she won't explain it."

"Even more proof that they won't cause us any harm...they just hate each other!" Lorna points out. "Nobody holds a vendetta for over twenty years. That's insane."

"Well, they sound sociopathic," Nicky says.

"I guess they each would want us to choose only one of them...so no offense to you, Alana, but I pick Barb, since if it weren't for her coming by with her bus, who knows what could've happened to me and Farah." Allison shudders visibly. "We could be stuck in that creepy Franco guy's basement! She may be a murderer, but hate pedophiles, I dunno."

Alana nods. "I understand that."

"I don't feel welcome in Carol's group of adolescents, besides Blanca and Alana, so I'll go with Barb as well," Nicky murmurs. "She seems to like me better anyways..."

"Me, too!" Lorna chimes in excitedly.

"Yeah, same, and besides, we're in the band!" Flaca throws her arms around Maritza and Nicky.

"Mm-hm," Taystee, Poussey, Cindy, and Pennsatucky say in unison.

Michelle gestures between herself, Alex, and Blanca. "I think it would be safer for us to go with Alana and keep chillin' with Carol regularly and stop interacting with Barb, since we saw Carol first," she says wisely.

"I got that same reason for continuing to join Barb's band girls," Daya tells them. "She's cool with us."


As Daya is putting most of her large textbooks in her locker with Adarsh's help, an unknown object falls out from between the pages of her Biology book when she opens it. She sighs and bends down to pick it up. It's a picture of Gloria holding Christina as they sleep in the older woman's bed, and a disturbing message is scrawled on the back in spooky red lettering.

Your little sister and Gloria look so delicious. I was ravenous just snapping the photo. I thought seeing them in their nightgowns was the icing on the cake, but their vulnerability in this shot made me wanna tear into 'em right then and there.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Daya hisses. She's angry, but she's also very grossed out and terrified. She'll definitely show this to Charles, so she just puts it into her bag for safekeeping. The person after her family had actually come to Martin Van Buren High and hacked her lock combination, so she'll have to get a new one.

"What happened?" Adarsh wants to know.

"I'll tell you and the others at lunch!" Daya speedwalks to the cafeteria with him following her. Once everyone gathers at their spot, Daya lets her backpack thump on the floor as she sits down and she keeps it firmly between her legs and under the table so nothing gets stolen or replaced with something awful. Ever since she'd gotten that body part in her meal that she'd brought from home, she's been buying her food at school. Her family's harasser can't possibly ruin her lunch while she's in line and getting it.

"How annoying is it to pay your mom or even Gloria, who's like your aunt, for your meal?" Alana wonders aloud.

Daya gives out a small chuckle and shakes her head. "They don't take my money...I pay someone at a cash register. The cafeteria ladies get their income from the school board. You've never bought food here?"

"Nope! My aunt and Pop Pop never fail to make it." Alana responds.

"Oh, wow, okay!" Daya stabs her fork into a few pesto-covered rigatoni noodles. "My whole-ass family's being stalked!"

Her friends gasp. "I'm so sorry," Adarsh murmurs sympathetically and rubs her back soothingly as she puts a bite of her pasta into her mouth and chews.

"Holy shit, really?" Alex asks with concern lacing her tone. "Charles didn't tell us...I guess he wanted to keep it confidential and respect you guys. You didn't have to say anything."

Daya shrugs. "I wanted to. That's why I got the disgusting eyeball that accompanied my tamales...and today, I found a photo in my biology textbook that the creep took of Christina cuddling with Gloria in their room. She was scared and wanted Gloria to hold her...and this weirdo was just watching them."

"Oh fuck, that's unnerving," Nicky grumbles.

"Yeah...and last night, Gloria had to order a pizza because the fridge was empty...of edible food, at least. Everything was all mixed up, the milk went rotten, the fruits and vegetables were smashed and bruised, and there was just a huge mess. It took us all...even the little ones, who enjoyed helping, one and a half hours to clean it up with music playing. That's what I came home to. The adults were hella stressed out. I was like, 'what the fuck?!'"

Flaca groans. "Ugh, that sucks!"

"It totally does," Maritza agrees.

"There were strange messages too...like they actually used our food to do it. Go starve yourself...you're too fat anyway...that's what my bullies would say to me last year before I lost weight," Daya mumbles. She closes her eyes at the terrible memory of the white power group taunting her and Piper doing nothing to stop it. Her real friends had tossed glares in their directions.

"Wow, do you think it's one of them? How mean!" Blanca states.

"Mm-hm," Diablo chimes in.

"I got no idea. Terrorizing and playing a rude prank on an entire family of color does sound like something the Nazis would do." Daya sighs. "Anyway, Charles is all over it. We got security cameras everywhere...but that motherfucker must keep getting past it, since they've been in the house three times now! Christina actually saw him...it sounded like a guy, at least, but he was dressed as a wolf."

"That's eerie!" Allison comments and visibly shivers. "Poor little Christina. I feel sorry for all of you, actually...but whoa, your baby sister...I hope he didn't touch her!"

"She acted like he did," Daya says somberly. The group appears to be horrified by this. "Then my mom and Leon discovered a dead anaconda in their bed earlier this week!"

"Gross!" Lorna shrieks.

"Yeah, I hate snakes!" Michelle adds.

"This one wasn't moving or nothin', yo," Daya points out. "They freaked out, but they were lucky...we all were."

"I'm glad it didn't get a chance to kill anyone. It reminds me of that Burmese python Piper once had, named Krueger...named after Freddie, you know. It was really Cal's, but it favored Piper. One time, you guys, Piper had the snake wrapped around her neck like a scarf and came in the room. We all started screaming!" Alex announces, her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Everyone's jaw is slack. "It was such a jumpscare moment."

"What a bitch!" Poussey mutters.

"I was like, 'get that thing outta here or so help me God!'" Flaca pipes up, raising her voice to mimic how she'd hollered at Piper once the snake was in view.

"I just gave her a bad look and Daya hid behind Alex," Lorna puts in.

Daya nods in confirmation. "I did, and I grabbed her arms so tight. I was shaking, because he was flicking his tongue in and out real fast...baring his fangs...ugh!"

"She'd converse with him regularly about whether he preferred frozen or fresh mice and told him about Mike Powell not returning the crush she had on him. At least that's what she told me," Taystee says. "I dunno, man, her family's so fuckin' weird." At this, the group guffaws in unison.


When Gloria, Aleida, and their children get to the waiting room before the kids' first therapy session, they ask for Debbie Denning. Not long after, Debbie comes in. "Benny, Julio, Christina and Emiliano," she calls out.

"That's you guys." Gloria faces Debbie. "Can we both go in with them?"

Debbie grins at Aleida and Gloria. "Hi, nice seeing you again! Yes, you may. Follow me! Oh, and I'm so happy that Lila recommended me."

"She said you were the best child psychologist there was," Aleida tells her.

Debbie beams. "She would know. I'm her best friend." She greets the little ones with smiles. "Hey, guys!" They hug her, so she bends down and they nestle into her arms. It's such a sweet scene.

"Hey," the six of them chorus. The women guide their children to Debbie's office with a light purple couch and have the tiny humans sit with them. Debbie hands the ladies cups of peppermint tea and the kids get apple juice in boxes. Everyone has chocolate chip cookies to munch upon. The space is very child-friendly, what with the bright blue walls adorned with pictures of Polly Pocket and Barbie dolls, trucks, trains, rainbows, pink hearts, red apples, orange flowers, yellow stars, Barney, Teletubbies, and Disney characters. The rug is colorful as well and a plastic green table sits in front of the sofa. Soothing music plays from a radio, giving off a calm vibe. Debbie takes a box of crayons, several pieces of white paper, and a tub full of toys and dolls out from a drawer at her desk. She sets them on the table and spreads them out.

The kids quickly spring off the couch and start playing with the toys. "Oh, I don't think you're supposed to do that...you gotta listen to her first," Aleida says while standing up along with Gloria, but Debbie holds them back.

"I let my patients play for maybe a minute or two, it gets them comfortable sharing their feelings later," Debbie explains.

Gloria and Aleida nod in understanding while sitting back down.

Christina examines a plush Powerpuff Girl doll. "Bubbles!" she squeals. "My favorite!" She imitates the sound the Powerpuff Girls make when they fly into the air to solve crimes and defeat villains, and it's adorable. She gasps and picks up a Dora plushie. "She's my bigger favorite because she looks like me!" The women beam with delight when Christina makes Dora and Bubbles kiss their cheeks. "Mwah! They love you!"

"Aww..."

"Zoom, zoom!" Emiliano runs around the room, waving around a plastic airplane. "Mama, look! I'm flying!"

"You sure are, buddy! Wow!" Aleida says with a grin.

"SpiderMan to the rescue!" Benny declaires, holding the doll high up in the air. He runs over to Gloria and places it onto her shoulder. "He helps me a lot, but he wants to help you too, Mommy. Can he?"

Gloria nods. "He sure can!" She turns to the toy and pats its head with her finger. "Thanks, tiny dude."

"He says you're welcome," Benny states and then brings it to the underside of the table where he makes it walk. "He's upside down!"

"I see that!" Debbie comments.

Julio quietly starts to build a track and he dumps the little trains out so he can connect the pieces. "Oh, good job, little man!" Gloria praises him, and he turns to her and smiles. "Please let him finish," she tells Debbie while wringing her hands. "My ex used to make my boys rush out of whatever they were doing, so now, if you get too close and they're in the middle of something, they flinch away, thinking you're gonna interrupt them."

"Of course," Debbie says. She waits until Julio is done building the track and making a long train, and Gloria is so grateful that she's another person who can be counted on to respect the children. "Okay, so what I'd like you to do, kids, is think about something that makes you happy," Debbie instructs them in a friendly voice.

Right away, they show Debbie the toys they'd been playing with.

"Alright, cool! Now...your mommies have said that you've had scary things happen to you. Do you want to talk about it, or either draw it on the white paper I have here, or act it out, using the toys? This can help you a lot in getting through it."

Julio shakes his head no and toddles over to Gloria. She brings him into her lap and he sucks his thumb while resting his head against her chest. She gazes down at him with adoration and strokes his hair. Emiliano picks up Dora and forms his small hand in the form of a gun while pointing it at her. Aleida gasps and closes her eyes. When she opens them, Gloria sees that they're glassy. Aleida takes her son in her arms when he runs to her and he buries himself into her shirt.

"My ex would threaten my oldest daughter with a gun," Aleida tells Debbie quietly. "The kids witnessed it..."

"I'm so sorry," Debbie murmurs.

Benny punches Dora and kicks her across the room so she hits the wall and falls to the ground, and then he strikes the Diego plushie in the face. Gloria is immediately filled with shame. "I was with a violent monster, and he injured Benny, too," she says softly while glancing up at Debbie, who looks down at her and her oldest boy with sadness in her eyes. "My sons saw everything."

"Oh my god, so much trauma. I apologize greatly if I'm bringing back horrible memories..."

"Nah, it's okay, they gotta let their emotions out," Gloria assures Debbie. "This is good for 'em." She expects Benny to come to her like Julio had, but he goes to where Christina is. They're now both busy at the table with crayons in their fists and bent over the sheets of paper. A few minutes later, they show the ladies their pictures they'd made. Benny had drawn Arturo to the best of his ability, but Gloria can tell it's the vile creature by the square shape of his red face, black eyes, and gritted teeth. Christina had sketched a wolf standing on its hind legs, like the one she'd told Gloria about the night before Halloween. At first, Gloria had thought Christina had imagined it in a nightmare, but it turns out that there actually was an intruder in their bedroom, dressed as the Big Bad Wolf and scaring Christina because he felt like it. She's so heartbroken for the little girl and she feels terrible for not believing Christina right away until she acted severely traumatized and the cops had found solid proof, a fake piece of gray fur from a costume. She had begun to suspect that Christina could've been describing something very real when she'd jumped away from Benny and told Aleida that this creep had actually sniffed her lower half. Tears build up in Gloria's eyes and she just wants to hold Benny and Christina tight and never let harm come to them again, like she's doing with Julio.

"Do you want to tell me who they are?" Debbie gently asks the kindergartners.

"A mean demon who hurt me and my mommy," Benny replies.

"The Big Bad Wolf, he came in my room!" Christina answers. "He smelled my private parts and I was really scared, but I slept with Gloria. She told me it was a nightmare, but no!" Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

"Some creep is stalkin' us, and yeah...that seriously happened," Aleida puts in. as the five-year-olds join their moms, who scoop them up and sit them on their laps next to their baby brothers. "They even had the audacity to plant a snake in mine and my boyfriend's bed and replace the contents of the refrigerator with sour milk, chicken fat and bones and disgusting food combinations, like ice cream mixed with broccoli and cookie crumbs in pasta sauce."

"That's awful," Debbie murmurs, the sympathy clear in her voice. "It's always upsetting when kids go through trauma, and it's horrible you suffered, too. I hope those terrible vermins never step foot anywhere but a jail cell or deep underground."

"Same," Gloria and Aleida mutter at once.

"Alright..." Debbie sits cross-legged in front of the children. "Kids, you were so brave today at therapy. You're superstars, all four of you!" She holds her hands out, palms facing upwards. "How about a hi-five?"

The little tykes reach over Aleida and Gloria's knees and slap Debbie's palms.


After greeting Gloria with a hug inside the bodega's backroom, Fahri looks around. "Where are Benny and Julio?" he asks in a playful tone.

Julio waves at him shyly, but Benny jumps up and down and waves his little arms up and down. "Here!" he calls out.

Fahri continues to pretend to glance everywhere but at the boys, and it makes Gloria let out a few giggles, along with her sons. "Oh, wow, there you are!"

"Hooray, you found us!" Benny says happily.

"Brilliant job!" Gloria praises Fahri teasingly.

"Thanks!"

Once Lourdes comes in, Julio holds his ball up towards Fahri. "Play with me and Tía?" he asks quietly, and Gloria beams, suddenly feeling tears prick at her eyes. She's so elated that her boys are somewhat okay with Fahri being around and saying a few words to him every once in a while.

"Sure, buddy!" Fahri tells Julio with a friendly grin on his face. "I'd be glad to."

"When Dylan came to school, he had a blue tongue and blue lips from a popsicle!" Benny announces as they watch Lourdes, Fahri, and Julio rolling a green ball back and forth between them. "He looked funny! I want a popsicle too, Mama!"

"I never known you to like those. Besides, it's cold out!" Gloria shoots a confused look down at her son. "I can get you a popsicle if you'd really love one."

"Yes, please!"

Gloria smiles, tousles his hair, and gently cups his chin. "Okay, little man, but that's your dessert for today!"

"That's fine! Oh, I want an ant farm!"

"What? No bugs in our house, por favor. We don't keep those as pets!"

"Awww..." Benny pouts. "Why? They're cool! His big brothers Peter and Mike step on 'em, but me and Dylan wanna save 'em and keep 'em forever."

"You wanna wake up next to a few ants that got out and they're now crawlin' all over your face?" Benny giggles while Gloria tickles his cheeks, forehead, nose, and mouth. Fahri grins at them.

"Noooooo!" he whines and runs to Lourdes. "Tía, the monster's gonna get me!" he shouts as he hides behind Lourdes.

"Oh no! You better run away from her, Benny!" Lourdes instructs him in an amused tone while sharing a grin with Gloria.

Benny is still screaming and giggling as Gloria playfully chases him around the small space while reaching her wiggling fingers out towards him. Julio abandons his ball and joins in on the game, and pretty soon, Gloria has both of her sons squirming and squealing on the ground as she tickles them. It's all in fun, though, and Fahri and Lourdes watch them with pleased expressions before Lourdes goes back to her job. Fahri continues to stand back, smiling.

Gloria stops when they don't want to play anymore and Julio would prefer to simply sit in her lap and wrap his tiny arms around one of hers while randomly pointing everywhere. Benny curls up next to her. "I want the red popsicle!" he tells her.

"What's the magic word?"

"Pleeeease?"

Gloria beams. "You got it, baby."

"Yay!"

"I can get it for you if you want, little man," Fahri offers as he kneels down to where Benny is snuggling with Gloria.

"It's okay, you don't have to," Gloria says softly and tries to stop herself from swooning. Arturo did a lot for her kids too, and he turned against them when he hit Benny. Not to mention, he was the darkness that stole Gloria's light for two whole months.

"I want to, it's fine," Fahri assures her.

Benny taps his chin as if he's in thought and it's so cute that Gloria just has to smile. "Okay, mister."

"Alright!" Fahri pulls a few bills out of his pocket, but Gloria shakes her head.

"It's on the house," she lets him know. "Besides, you gotta pay Lourdes, if you was gonna spend any money...she's at the counter right now. She'll probably not charge you for anything you buy for the little guys, but if it were me, I definitely wouldn't." She also doesn't want to feel like she owes him anything.

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Excuse me, sir," Fahri says as he walks by Benny. Her son's face lights up with glee.

"Mommy, he called me sir!" Benny tells her excitedly.

"That means you're a grown man, now you gotta start paying rent!" Gloria jokes and then ruffles his hair. "It's due on the first of every month."

Fahri chuckles as he leaves to get Benny his treat, but the small boy frowns and wrinkles his nose cutely. "No way, José! You're just being silly."

"Yeah..." Gloria admits with a giggle.

"I got a question!" he announces and Julio looks at them curiously.

"What is it, baby?" she wants to know.

"Why is Lorna kissing a girl when she did that with her boyfriend last year in his living room? They said they did that and they were saying weird stuff to each other, like fuck." At Benny's crass language, Gloria laughs uncomfortably and scoffs. She plans to have a few words with Lorna later.

She remembers taking him to school last year and they both had witnessed Lorna and Vinny showing a lot of PDA when they'd thought they were doing a fine job of actually being discreet while having sex under the bleachers. It was too awkward to interrupt them, so Gloria had just walked right past them and told Benny not to stare. "Um...what..." she stammers. "What did you just...oh my god! You weren't supposed to see them..."

"Well, I did!" Benny folds his arms across his chest and purses his lips while trying to imitate Gloria raising an eyebrow. It's so adorable that Gloria just has to chuckle again. "The kid's con-foosied here!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Julio chants.

"Shh! We don't say that word," Gloria reprimands him in a soft voice. "Benny, don't say bad words in front of your baby brother!"

"Sorry, Mama," Benny and Julio tell her sheepishly.

"Thank you, honey." She turns to Benny. "Now to answer your question about Lorna, when boys and girls get older, they get boyfriends or girlfriends who they kiss."

"Oh, like Tía Aleida and Mr. Leon? They kiss a lot!"

Gloria nods her head yes. "Mm-hm, but other times, girls and guys don't like each other that way and a girl would prefer to kiss another girl, or a boy would want to kiss another boy. With Lorna, she likes both boys and girls. She had a boyfriend before, but now, she has a girlfriend. That's all, nothin' wrong with it!"

"Ohhh..." Benny mumbles. "Okay!" he says cheerfully. "That's good, 'cause girls have cooties except Chrissy."

"Hey!" Gloria exclaims, pretending to be offended. "You sayin' I got cooties?"

"Noooo, you're my mommy, a lady is more grown up than the girls in my class."

"That's right!"


"Why do you need that?" Alana asks a senior in their school who goes by his last name, Natoli. She gestures to a can of mace in his bag.

"I'm obsessed with pepper bullets, but I can't carry around a gun filled with them, idiot," Natoli answers her rudely.

"You don't need to defend yourself with anything but your fists, you're not a girl!" Alana insists.

Natoli gives Alana the evil eye. "Shut up, you lousy bitch!" he retorts.

"Excuse me, scum bucket?!" Alana hollers in his face. He advances on her and she takes a few steps back.

"Yo, she just asked a question!" Flaca shouts as Maritza starts to videotape what could turn into a fight.

"Yeah, leave her alone!" Lorna adds.

Natoli ignores them and punches Alana to the ground. "Any more questions?" he roars. The girls shriek in horror while Alana cries out and writhes around in pain as blood spills from her nose. As her friends run to her side to help her up, Maritza posts the video to YouTube. Blanca assists Alana in sitting up and Allison lends the poor girl her black hijab so Alana can stop the bleeding.

"Why you gotta be so nasty?" Daya asks him angrily.

"Yeah, stupid mysoginistic pig," Alex snaps, and he steps up to her.

"Call me that one more time, and watch what happens!" he threatens her.

"Back off!" Michelle says fiercely.

"Hey!" he shouts at Maritza. "Are you recording this? Do you dumb cunts have to get everything on your flimsy little cameras?!"

"Too late, it's up, and everyone's gonna see what a monster you are!" Maritza hollers.

He pulls out his can of mace and sprays it in Maritza's line of vision, unfazed by the fact that Nicky is kicking him hard in his crotch. It stings so badly that Maritza covers her eyes with her hand and squeezes her eyes shut while collapsing.

"You asshole!" Nicky bellows.


Seeing Natoli brutally attack both Alana and Maritza in front of her bodega, causes Gloria's temper to flare. At first, when she'd heard the faint hollering and seen his angry gestures towards the group, she'd thought it was just an argument brewing, but now, it has escalated. She jumps over the counter so fast she feels like she's flying, and then she rushes to the scene. "Stop it!" she yells at him. "Don't you dare lay another cruel hand on Alana, use your weapon against Maritza again, or be violent to anyone else, otherwise I'll have a little talk with your parents and my cop friend who really hates abusers like you!" She's going to call nine-one-one anyway. She rips off her jacket and uses it as a shield since he's aiming his weapon at her. She then runs at him and snatches his mace away from him. It takes three girls on each side to hold him back as she shoves her knee up into his groin.

He shouts in agony and frustration just before Gloria holds up his can of mace and points it directly at him. "Stay away from me, you crazy bitch!"

"Get outta my sight," she growls and the girls push him forward so he trips over a crack in the ground and runs off. All of them, including the ones on the ground smile up at Gloria, and exchange hi-fives with her. Then, she wraps both Maritza and Alana up in tender hugs.


It's not until Friday that Joe comes back to work and everything gets straightened out with the dance classes that Gloria and Diane want to lead. Stratman is fired immediately and sent to prison.

"Gloria," Joe calls out as she's about to leave his office.

She turns around to face him. "Hm?"

"Uh...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I was a dick to you sometimes. I'm really trying to be better...treat you more fairly...I mean, all of you."

Gloria nods and leans up on her tiptoes and then puts her feet back down on the floor. "I accept your apology."

"I only said you were replaceable because I was brainwashed by both Natalie and Linda."

"Those cunts," Gloria mutters. "It's okay, I guess. Just don't do it again."

"I won't. Hey, uh, Natalie's improving. She and I are back together."

"That's fantastic for you."

"Really, we are," he insists. "I've learned my lesson about Linda. She's really terrible. She was cheating on me with a butch woman!"

Gloria shrugs and hides her smirk underneath the palm of her hand. "I guess she's bi. If you're trying to make me jealous or have some kinda reaction when speaking of all these women you're sleeping with, it won't work. I don't care! I already cut you out of my life. I only wanted to hear the apology, really. I'm out."

"Wait! I'm just venting. I got back at her! I cheated with Natalie, and Linda noticed bite marks on my ear, so she broke up with me."

"You know what I find most disgusting about Linda, though, besides the fact that she was unfaithful?" Gloria asks. She doesn't wait for his reply. "She let Stratman come back and try to torture some of the girls and Diane, and he had a crowbar in his hands. He was more gross and pathetic than scary, though. Since you weren't here, Red had to complain to Linda, who just told her that Blanca should be deported and that she didn't need a secretary!"

"I know, I'm sorry about that, too. The school board saw him as a victim since he was held hostage, so they allowed him to work at the school again. I got rid of him, though, didn't I?"

"Yes, finally!" Gloria snaps. "How did he know that rats are my biggest fear?"

Joe puts his hands up in surrender. "I didn't tell him, you don't need to yell at me for that. Are you okay now?"

Gloria scoffs. "I'm fine." She folds her arms across her chest and purses her lips. "I just never know with you."

"I understand why you feel that way. I treated you like an employee more than an ex," he says guiltily.

"That's fine...it's how I wanted things to be between us, completely professional," Gloria states. She can't quite meet his gaze since it's so weird for them to be talking like equals. It would be easier if he were lecturing her about something or telling her what to do.

"What's worse is that I didn't even do right by you as your boss. The least I could've done is ask about the boys once in a while. How are they?"

"Great," she replies shortly and offers him a polite smile. "Um, I'm gonna go to my dance class now, to set up."

"You were always good at that," he compliments her as she's starting to go. "I thought we made an excellent team, singer and dancer, and my god, the way your feet moved-"

"Okay!" Gloria interrupts him through an awkward laugh. "I really gotta go. Bye!"

Joe chuckles. "See you later."


After school is over for the day at promptly three in the afternoon, Gloria and Fahri walk to the dance studio with Blanca, Daya, Alana, and Zirconia. A bunch more students are already in the room, including Maritza, Allison, Diablo, Adarsh, and Hassan. Gloria scoffs as soon as she sees Joel. "Oh great, more weirdness..."

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything," Fahri assures her. "I'd rather you two not be in the same room either...I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound or be controlling, but I don't want him touching you inappropriately. I trust you, though."

His soothing tone makes her feel relaxed and she stays close to him. "I know, thank you. I'd be way more comfortable if you were there with me."

"Besides, I'd genuinely like to watch you dance since you're so beautiful when you do. I mean, you're always pretty..."

"Nah, I get it, thanks," Gloria tells him and then giggles.

"You might also want a partner so you can demonstrate for the class!" He strikes a pose with his hands on his hips and a wide grin on his face. She laughs out loud this time. Even though she doesn't need the protection, she loves having him around.

"I'm totally fine with that!"

"You better not throw yourself at Mr. Luschek," Zirconia says sharply and then lets herself in first. The others follow.

"I don't get it, I thought you were the teacher," Daya mumbles.

"I did, too," Gloria mutters. "Hey, what's the deal? I'm the salsa instructor. You don't seem like the type to do salsa."

Joel smirks. "Yeah, I'm more of a bump and grind kinda guy."

"I'm aware," she says dryly. She really can't stand his joking attitude anymore. "Look, if you wanna be in here, that's cool, but you gotta have a partner. That's part of what salsa is all about."

Zirconia raises her hand. "Pick me!"

Joel groans and ignores her. "I'd rather do headbanging to techno music."

"You ain't in charge!" Gloria fires at him.

"Calm down, mamacita. We can both share the role and teach the kids both styles of dance."

Gloria sighs. "Okay, fine. Just don't call me mamacita like, ever again, got it?" she hisses.

"It's a nickname! I'm not trying to sound Spanish or whatever. I...bet I didn't even pronounce it right!" Joel declares.

"You didn't," Blanca snaps, and Alana snickers beneath her hand. Daya simply glares at the clueless idiot.

"It sounds flirty," Gloria explains quickly.

"Okay, well, forgive me for making a slight pass at you, then! Jesus, lighten up, woman." He walks to the radio while shaking his head.

"That's it," Fahri grumbles and marches over to him stiffly. "If I hear you say that kind of shit to her one more time, or she tells me you did, I'll get you terminated for sexual harassment, do you understand me? I'd punch you, but we have an audience of kids who just wanna dance and a woman who wants to live her dream of being a salsa teacher."

Joel nods. "Alright. I understand you clearly."

"Good."

Gloria blushes at Fahri standing up for her, even though Joel isn't that much of a threat. She's filled with bliss because of how much Fahri cares for her.

"Oh shit, those two should have a dance battle to that Michael Jackson song, 'The Girl is Mine'," Zirconia whispers and Gloria just grins.

"They don't need to fight over me, since I ain't a prize to be won, and I already chose Fahri, a thousand times over."

"Aww," Daya, Blanca, Maritza, Allison, and Alana murmur in unison.

"You better have, because Mr. Luschek belongs to me," Zirconia states strongly as Fahri returns to Gloria's side.

"So, Gloria...how about we let the students decide who goes first in their lesson? To be honest, Linda hired me for this position, but I guess Joe was cool with you co-teaching. We can work together."

Gloria chuckles sarcastically and Fahri rubs her back sympathetically. "Of fuckin' course she picked the white man. Um, sure, they can have a vote." She smiles at the kids. "Go ahead, guys. All in favor of me?"

Allison, Hassan, Daya, Adarsh, Blanca, Diablo, Alana, and Maritza are the only ones who have their hands up.

She looks around nervously. "Okay, and Mr. Luschek?"

Everyone else raises their hands and Zirconia smirks. "It looks like more of us want him," she brags.

Even though Gloria's ego is hurt, she doesn't let it show. "At least I'm gonna teach all of you how to do salsa, too. If you don't wanna be part of that, Zirconia, you don't gotta do it. You just need to treat me with respect. I don't tolerate rudeness."

"Whatever. You don't got no idea where I come from."

"Alright!" Joel booms. "That's enough talking, it's time to start!" He turns on loud techno music and starts headbanging and fist pumping. "Do what I'm doing!"

Fahri stands in the back with his arms folded across his chest. Gloria and the kids on her side reluctantly follow his wild movements. She's pleased to see that a lot of the students are starting to get bored of it and walk away. Joel doesn't even notice that he's losing them. He's too busy telling Zirconia about some band called Sssen and how it sounds the same as the girl's name she got from the witch in Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

"Smart and sexy!" Zirconia hollers over the thumping beat. "I like you even more now!"

"This sucks," Blanca mutters as she sways lazily against Diablo. "Should we fake that we're holding glow sticks, too?"

"You got my full permission to do the salsa instead, Flo!" Gloria swivels her hips around and swirls a few times. She sashays over to Fahri and he spins her around. "This gets me feelin' sexy, like I'm your age, Daya! Bein' fifteen was so fun!"

"Gross, too much information! Do you really want Luschek to hear that?" Daya asks.

"I ain't even into him like that!" Gloria says as Fahri dips her and brings her back up. She squeals and giggles.

"He's Chris Pratt's double!" Zirconia points out.

"Thanks!" Joel says brightly.

"You're not even teaching us anything!" Hassan shouts.

"Yeah, this shit blows," Allison puts in.

"We want Gloria!" Maritza adds.

"I actually wanna learn the correct moves for when I dance with my girl at her quinceñera," Diablo tells Joel.

When the deafening music finally stops, Joel claps in approval. "All right, even if some of your hearts weren't really into it, you did great! I'm gonna get the ladies LED headbands and the few young men here, some groovy necklaces. Now it's Gloria's turn."

"Okay!" Gloria says excitedly. She saunters to the front of the room and switches the song to salsa music. "Now, we'd usually warm up with a power walk around the room, but I wanted to get to the fun part. Moving the hips is a big thing in salsa and it's mainly about being flirty. Do quick steps, bend your knees slightly, and keep proper form." She demonstrates it and smiles proudly at those who are doing their best to follow her moves. She spins twice, shimmies her shoulders as she dances, and her hips are swinging to the fun beat. "Why don't y'all practice dancing with partners? Find one, face each other." She waves Fahri over as the students begin pairing up, including Blanca and Allison with their boyfriends, Daya and Adarsh, and Maritza and Alana. "Keep your distance and no touching," she continues instructing them as she puts her hands on Fahri's arms. They both stand up straight and begin to step-touch. The kids follow suit. "Follow the other person's moves. Don't flap around. You gotta own your personal space." Gloria and Fahri look into each other's eyes and smile as they continue dancing, pressed up against one another. "Tuck your hips in toward the other person, like grinding...move your hips! Five, six, seven, eight!" She watches them do it with pride. "Wow! You're all so good!"

Luschek appears as if he's just jogging in place and Gloria conceals her laughter by pressing her lips together firmly. It beats the alternative, which is flashing back to that awkward moment when she and the younger clownish man were dancing and grinning until she looked down, her smile had faded upon seeing and feeling his boner poking her, and she'd backed up a few feet away from him.

With Fahri, though, he's making sure she's having fun and feeling fine with him this close to her. They dance so well and Fahri swings her around the floor. Gloria smirks as Luschek storms out in what she can only guess is jealousy, and Zirconia goes after him. In a few seconds, sweat glistens on Gloria's skin and she rips off her neon green sweatshirt, revealing a white tank top. The kids watch Gloria and Fahri in awe and give them thunderous applause and cheers when they're finished.


As Diane stands in front of her class, which includes Alex, Nicky, Lorna, Taystee, and Poussey, she beams. "Welcome to hip-hop! First thing you gotta know, is to wear something you can move freely in. So like, whatever you'd put on working out at the gym...a loose top and yoga pants or shorts, in other words, and bare feet is a necessity. No shoes, except maybe ballet slippers or footundeez." Charles is in the back of the room, grinning proudly at her as she turns on modern dance music. "First thing we're gonna do is pliés. Follow me in the mirror." Diane spins around and points her feet outward while keeping her heels together. "So, this is first position. Bend your knees a bit, then go up on your tiptoes." She shows them how to do it and is happy to see the girls are already doing it perfectly. "Now, second...make your feet even with your knees and do what you did in first. Fantastic! I'm gonna switch the tunes and we'll do exercises across the room. Line up, ladies!"

Alex leads the line. Diane crosses one foot in front of the other two times and then spins. The others copy her movements. "Cross, step, change your weight, cross, step, turn around." She adds more instructions. "Reach your arms up, then pretend to be pulling something down from the air! Good, swing those arms from side to side! Then, roll your arms around and down!" The girls do as they're told. "Head rolls, everyone, then do a sassy walk back of your choosing!" They roll their heads around while strutting across the room like they're on a catwalk. "Yay, you're doing fabulous!"

After both their dance lessons, Diane and Gloria go shopping for Blanca's quinceñera next Saturday night and Diane's birthday lunch the following day. They go into a small store which has one dressing room stall and start picking out inexpensive stunning dresses. Diane finds a lacy dark red long-sleeved dress with a scoop neck and flows out from the waistline and a more conservative tight green dress with three-quarter length sleeves and an asymmetrical fold-over neckline that she likes best after holding them up to herself in the mirror. They end at her knees. "These are my two favorites!" she tells Gloria.

"They're dazzling! I found mine, too," Gloria says with a smile. She has a flowy black floral patterned dress with cap sleeves and a navy blue halter dress in her arms that appears to be skin-tight.

Diane grins. "Thanks. Yours are real pretty, too!"

"Thank you."

The women go into the dressing room and set their prospective new clothes down. They undress with their backs to each other. In the mirror, Diane sees a bunch of red scars on Gloria just above her hips and around her shoulder blades and areas where she'd had a skin graft. Diane gasps softly as her heart breaks for her friend and tries to focus only on her own reflection. Looking down a bit further, she quickly notices her own scar on her belly from twenty-two years ago and she covers it instinctively. As awful as her childhood had been, she'd never literally been burned. She grabs a dress just as Gloria does and hastily gets into it.

"I know, my body's hella ugly," Gloria mumbles.

"No it isn't, why would you say that?"

"I got unhealed injuries everywhere...I'm like real life clickbait." Gloria steps into the black dress with small yellow flowers. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. "I gotta see it each time I change or get ready for a shower. That monster ruined me, I'll always look like this underneath every single outfit I put on."

"Gloria, you're beautiful and strong. It's not your fault...you were horribly abused!" Diane attempts not to sound choked up as Gloria sniffles and wipes her eyes. She squeezes the Latina's hands.

"Thanks. Everyone says that, and I believe them. I mean like...if Fahri and I someday have sex, he'll see all this." Gloria gestures to more permanent scars on her chest, tummy, and the insides of her arms. "He'll be turned off instantly...I bet he wants a lady with smooth, unscathed skin, like every other man on the planet does. I know that we haven't even kissed yet, but I dunno, I kinda want us to, and you know what that would lead to."

"You don't have to until you're ready, and I'm sure he understands and respects that. In due time, if the two of you are really in love with each other, he'll appreciate all parts of you and he'll think you're the prettiest woman he's ever seen, no matter what. You're one of my best friends and I feel that way about you...I adore you, and I'll never stop."

"Aww, really?" Gloria beams and Diane nods her head yes. "Thanks, girl, I love you, too." She spins around in her dress. "Does this look smashin' on me or what?"

"It sure does!" Diane confirms. "Wear it for my birthday!"

"Thanks, I probably will! You look awesome in yours, too! I never seen you in dark red fancy clothes before! It's perfect with your nails."

Diane puts her hands on her hips and looks over her shoulder so she can see her appearance in the mirror. Her reflection returns the smile. "Thank you! This is definitely for Blanca's party!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. The green's more casual! It kinda looks like you're ready for Christmas, you chose those colors!"

Diane winces. "I don't really celebrate Christmas, except for with Alex, of course, it's not really for myself, more for her, and we would with Charles. I converted to Judaism after I moved out of my parents' house for good. I've had people think I was Jewish, anyway."

"Huh...I never knew that! Interesting." Gloria nods with a grin.

"Well, now you do." Without thinking, Diane takes her dress off to exchange it for the other one while passing Gloria.

"Oh my god, did Charles do that to you?" Gloria asks in a panicked voice, and Diane knows instantly what she's talking about. It's too late to hide it from her now.

"No! It was from like, two decades ago." Diane hurriedly slips her second dress on. "So, um...you think this is nice?"

"Yes." Gloria steps closer to Diane and puts a gentle hand on her arm. "Honey, it's okay, you can tell me. I used to defend my scary ex all the time, too."

"Charles is so soft with me, he's such an amazing boyfriend. I couldn't have asked for a better man," Diane insists truthfully. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"That's the kinda shit I'd always say when Lourdes asked about a new bruise from you-know-who. It's just shocking, I thought Charles was a good guy."

"He is! Please Glo, just listen to me." Diane sits down on the bench with her insides churning and her hands shaking slightly. She keeps her gaze on the floor as she speaks since she's afraid she'll start crying if she sees Gloria doing it. "I'm not denying I've been beaten and knifed in the past, but it wasn't Charles who did it, I swear! I, um...I had the worst life imaginable before I became eighteen and free. My parents, more like strangers to me, they were brutally violent in all ways possible, and they forced me to do photoshoots with almost no clothes on and participate in shit where I was practically naked, like cheerleading, ballet, beach volleyball, dance, beauty pageants, ice skating, you name it, to make themselves filthy rich. I felt dirty and used...especially when I was whipped, kicked, or punched and locked in a closet or a cage as a punishment for not winning or eating more than they wanted me to..." She hears Gloria let out a soft gasp, but she goes on. "My brother tried to help, but nothing worked. I couldn't even pick my own boyfriend or girlfriend. I secretly dated Lila...I never thought about it before, but yeah...I'm bi. I've never really come out to anyone until this moment."

"I fully accept you," Gloria mumurs and Diane smiles at this. "The fact that you were so tortured breaks my heart..."

"Thanks, sweetie." Diane inhales and exhales slowly. "One time, a detective came to inspect my house and speak to my so-called parents and this woman asked me in private if there was anything I wanted to tell her. I said no, because I was afraid for my safety. They were always secretly listening in. When I was sixteen, the bad people arranged a marriage between me and this creep who used to be a Nazi, but he still had dangerous devices, like gas chambers, handcuffs, and torture racks that he'd use on me if I made him mad. One late afternoon, I took off...ran for my life through some forest, breathing heavily and bleeding, but once I fell on the ground, he snatched me up and brought me back to his place. He made a deep incision, cut into my stomach like he was performing a C-section, but I wasn't numb or anything. I felt it, the knife was jagged, I just about puked my guts out. That's where the scar's from. He was gonna mark me with a swastika before Frieda rescued me from his evil clutches and got rid of him forever. Parts of my body are completely destroyed because of him. Also, me, because I'd cut myself frequently throughout the years until I was eighteen. They're not where anyone can see, but I'm still broken and traumatized. I know exactly what it's like...to be so lost and alone." Finally, she glances up at Gloria, who's pale and hugging herself around her midsection. A tear creeps out of her left eye and trickles down her cheek.

"That's terrible, Diane. I'm so sorry you suffered a real-life nightmare, and for seventeen whole years! Thank god for Frieda, that disgusting animal could've killed you! When did you meet her?"

"At a club when I was seventeen. If Edward and Phyllis, the beasts who controlled my childhood from birth, knew I was Jewish and bisexual, my life would've been even worse."

"I don't even wanna picture it." Gloria sits next to Diane. "Is it cool if I hug you?"

"Mm-hm." They wrap their arms around each other, sobbing under their breaths.


At their apartment, Gloria and Aleida are showing each other and Diane their yearbook pictures from when they were seniors in high school. Gloria appears to be so upbeat in hers, practically glowing, while Aleida's grin is more fake than cheerful. Her eyes have a somber look to them.

"I never really smiled for my pictures...I had a real hard time bein' truly happy," Aleida remembers aloud bitterly. She leans down and rests her head on one of Gloria's knees like Diane is doing on Gloria's other side.

"I didn't want to, but I was forced to...I hid a lot of pain behind my smile," Diane mumbles. "Those sadists still sent me to school so they wouldn't raise suspicion, and they probably wanted me out from under their feet for six hours a day. It wasn't a long enough time for me to be away from them."

"You both are strong. You both have been through so much. Keep going. You both got this." Gloria says as she strokes the women's hair in a calming motion.

Aleida reaches up to flip through her own yearbook. "Thanks. That's gotta be like, our mantra."

"Yeah, thank you. You're pretty strong yourself," Diane murmurs and squeezes Gloria's hand.

"Mm-hm, I appreciate the compliment...I was abused, but on the opposite side of the coin. My boyfriend instead of my parents...I ain't goin' through it much now unless I'm triggered."

"Mine and Diane's pasts are really being dug up," Aleida notices aloud, and Diane nods in agreement. Suddenly, Aleida comes across a picture of her sixteen-year-old self at her homecoming dance in November of nineteen-ninety-two. She's in bangs and a black beaded barrette that holds her dark curly hair into a half pony. She's wearing a long burgundy evening gown and grinning widely like she's completely enamored of the idiot in his tuxedo standing next to her-because she was, at the time. She's with a copper-skinned, brown-eyed boy-actually a grown man, but he acted like a child. His smug face, framed by a full black beard, is topped by a mass of brown spikes accentuated by blond highlights on his head. His hair, that he loved more than anyone else, is two-toned like his two faces, pretty to look at, but painful to get too close to. It had been so perfect to her back then, brown with highlighted blond streaks running through it. The style had suited him, and it still does, but for different reasons. She had thought it was so badass before, but now, she can really see the douchebag in him. The grills on his teeth and the large earring on one of his ears seems to twinkle the longer she stares at them. A surge of hate flows through her. She flips off the photo of him, even though she is also in it. "Ugh, that mothafucka...ya know, I once resented Daya for being the reason I couldn't go to prom, but now I blame him. It's all Rodrigo Powers' fault! Never trust a half white man who can't learn Spanish, even though that's in his blood!"

"Excuse me, did you just say Rodrigo Powers?" Gloria asks with a note of shock in her tone. "As in Rod? I get hard as a curtain-" Her eyes nearly bulge out of her sockets as she too, flicks her middle finger up at his picture. She hisses through gritted teeth. "Fuckin' Rod...I bet the bastard poked holes in the condom with you as well," she says bitterly.

"Yeah, I called him that too when we dated, he wanted me to...wait, how you know him?" Aleida demands as the yearbook falls from her hands and lands on the floor with a thud. "Don't tell me he fucked you too!" She sits up along with Diane and gasps when Gloria nods her head yes. "When?!"

"Thirteen years ago. He's my daughters' father."

"He's also my daughter's father! He left me for you?!" Aleida laughs sarcastically. "Figures!"

"Don't worry, he didn't think I was all that great either. I didn't even know he had a girlfriend at the time, he said he didn't!" Gloria defends herself.

"Oh, he sure as fuck did! When I was that exact same age, I wanted to go to prom with him like usual, but he faked an illness and had his mom help with Daya since the sitter canceled last minute, or so he told me. The old bitch didn't like me because to her, I was low class and a little girl compared to her old-ass son, and she was probably glad he was finally getting rid of me. I went to the prom alone and when I got back, he'd packed his shit and moved out. His motha handed me Daya and told me good riddance," Aleida explains angrily.

"What a sleazy piece of scum!" Diane mutters. "He even looks like one, too."

"Mm-hm, that should've been a clue," Gloria mumbles. She turns to Aleida. "I swear, Lei...I'd never date another chick's dude. Like I told you, he assured me that he was single when we met at church."

Aleida rolls her eyes. "Perfect. I was never a church fan, so of course, he'd take that opportunity to find some goody-two-shoes tramp to cheat on me with. It sucks that it had to be you. Plus, I didn't think a girl from church would be a threat at all, since usually, kids who go to church are thought of as being forbidden to bang before tying the knot, and they're too wimpy to go against the rules."

"We hated church, too. I wasn't all that pure, you know. We had stuff in common, like both his parents and my aunt made us go to services and we were both virgins-"

"You really fell for that shit?! When did you first see each other?"

"I was seventeen. I was taught that you wait until marriage for sex. I had no idea that premarital intercourse was a thing or some teens weren't virgins until he seduced me and whipped out a condom! I wanted to rebel against Lourdes since I didn't really like religious stuff, and I had no idea that he'd actually make it possible for me to have babies on my senior prom night! That was our first time. My friends dared me to consent and he made it very hard for me to tell him a strongly worded no." Gloria's voice grows weaker and it sounds like she's fighting back tears. "He said it was like a rite of passage and even bought us a hotel with flowers and heart-shaped pillows...I double checked that he had protection and I was so sure that Lourdes would never know, since I told her I was sleeping over at a friend's house. Damn it, she was so angry at me when she discovered I got pregnant...I had deliberately disobeyed her. She said this is why I shouldn't trust someone after only a few days..." Gloria sniffles a few times and Aleida puts an arm around her, as does Diane. "She was still there for me when he told me that I had done my job after giving birth and took my baby girls away from me. I was just laying there, crying from the pain...Lourdes tried to chase after him, but it was too late. All he wanted were the kids."

A lump grows in Aleida's throat as Gloria tells her story. She's heartbroken that she'd been duped that entire time, but Gloria was just as fooled by him. She doesn't even want to know how long Rodrigo had been having his affair. It was a long time ago, after all. She'll despise him with every fiber of her being for the rest of her life. "I'm glad you had her. Shit, Glo, I ain't even mad at you. He tricked us both! Only, he was a deadbeat dad to Daya and not to your two girls. My oldest daughter's got two half sisters she don't even know about...you think we could get 'em to be at least friends or somethin'?"

Gloria wipes away a stray tear running down her cheek and Aleida feels tears forming in her eyes. "Yep. That would be a fabulous idea. With his last name, Rodrigo felt powerful enough to be like a Generation X version of Joey and get his stick in every girl he ran into! I'm sure he's made thousands of babies."

Diane scoffs. "Oh my god, that two-timing asshole! I can't even compare him to Lee since he was just a one-night-stand, like a sperm bank since he gave me Alex, and I really shouldn't have fallen for him, but you girls...how long were you each with Rodrigo? Just curious. If you don't wanna spill, that's okay."

"Three years," Aleida responds in a strained voice and balls her hands into fists. "I really thought he was the one since he was still around when Daya had her first birthday."

"Oh wow," Gloria murmurs. She seems to be choked up. "I...I think he just used me to get more children. It must have been a tiny bit more than a year, since Elena and Ceci were born in January and we'd introduced ourselves to each other around Christmas Eve. I really fucking hate him for basically kidnapping the girls who I carried for nine months!"

"Well, thankfully, none of our men are like that," Diane points out.

"Fahri ain't mine yet," Gloria reminds her. She manages a smile.

"Yeah, but it seems like he is!" Aleida insists.

Gloria just shrugs. "Nah, I wanna be a hundred percent sure. I'm waiting this time. Maybe for a year and a half, or two. It'll be up to me. I'm done with guys taking the next steps in a relationship. If he gets bored waiting and doesn't even want us to be buds anymore, then fuck him. He ain't worth it. I mean, I'll be sad, but I'll get over it. I don't even mind us being just friends forever."

Aleida and Diane both grin at this. "That's awesome," Diane tells her. "So...Elena and Ceci? Such pretty names!"

"Thanks!" Gloria says cheerfully. "I came up with 'em and Rodrigo just went along with it. He didn't have a creative bone in his body."

Aleida chuckles. "Nope! He didn't. Daya gets her creativity from me. We gonna have to think up a new name for him. How about Rod the Clod?"

"I love it," Gloria comments.

"Me, too!" Diane agrees.

"What would you do if you saw him again?" Gloria asks.

"Oh, girl, probably whack him over the head with my purse and then knee him right in his stinky balls...maybe cut his dick off so he can't infect other poor, unsuspecting ladies with his disgusting sperm!" Aleida responds. All three women giggle together. "What about you?"

"Same thing, probably. Also, Lourdes and I would curse him for all eternity," Gloria mutters. The soft laughter between the friends turns into loud cackles as they fall into each other and share a group hug, with Gloria in the middle.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394!