I apologize for taking so long with this chapter, but my close friend's mother died recently, I got super nostalgic, and I couldn't find the energy to write for a full month.

On a happier note, I want to credit Amy for giving me the idea to include Lida more in my fic! She's an awesome character. I'm also crediting Caitlin for Polly and Brook being the best of friends...although you won't see it yet here, in future chapters you will. They seem like they have the same kind of annoyingly peppy personality.

Happy birthday, VeraRose19! Also congrats on your new baby girl! She is adorable :)

Warning: talks of parricide, child murder, threats to a person's life, statutory rape, harassment, and torture

konechno-certainly

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Both Flaca and Maritza turn around to face an angry looking Asian girl with her messy black hair cropped to her chin. "Um, we're just retouching our makeup in this mirror, Charlene," Maritza answers her defensively.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Flaca demands with her hands on her hips.

"You, bitch. You can't be here."

Flaca glares at Charlene and wheels up to her. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said, unless you're deaf, along with crippled."

"Yo, why you gotta be a cunt? Flaca's my bestie and my girlfriend...at the same time!" Maritza takes hold of Flaca's wheelchair handles and starts to push her out of the bathroom, but Charlene stands in front of the shorter girl.

"We can't accept her in C Block. She belongs with the Douchebag Dickheads who think they can sing and play stupid musical instruments," Charlene snaps. "Fake as they come!" She looks Flaca up and down. "You can't even walk."

"Look, Miss Abelist, I was in a fucking accident, okay? Some dumb bitch tried to kill me with a car, and I'm getting outta this piece of shit tomorrow, so there!" Flaca states strongly and purses her lips.

"I'm in the band, too," Maritza says.

"Well, don't be. I like you, and we need you on team C," Charlene tells her in a feigned sweet voice.

"You take me, you gotta take her too," Maritza lets her know and points to Flaca.

Flaca's eyes widen and she reaches up to grab Maritza's hand as Charlene pulls out a shiv from her sweatshirt pocket. Maritza gulps and Flaca's heart rate goes up a few notches when Charlene points the weapon at Maritza's throat. "You're with us, whether you like it or not, got it?"

Maritza silently nods and Flaca begins shaking in her chair, terrified for her favorite girl.

Charlene smirks and dumps contour powder all over the floor. "Clean that up, Flaca," she orders her condescendingly. "Make it snappy, we don't need a messy bathroom. Oh wait...you're useless." She bursts out laughing as another girl with long brunette locks comes in. "Nicole, look, it's your brainless idol. Flaca Gone-za-less!"

"Oh, real clever, Charred-teen!" Flaca purses her lips and shows Charlene the finger.

"That wasn't nice," Nicole chides Charlene as she helps Maritza dispose of the spilled contour powder. She stands up and whacks Charlene on the shoulder. Sorry, she mouths at Flaca.

"What...Flaca just threatened to burn me alive and you're taking her side?!" Charlene demands. She tsks and shakes her head. "Wait 'til Carol hears of this..."

"You wanted to make Flaca gone, as in forever!" Nicole points out.

Charlene shrugs nonchalantly. "At least I'd make it quick and painless."

"Ay dios mío. Let's get outta here," Maritza says softly and tries to wheel Flaca out of the bathroom once more when Charlene steps back and stops them in their tracks again.

"Oh no, Flaca can go, as long as she never shows her ugly face around C Block members again, but you're with us, missy."

"No," Maritza whispers and tears fill her eyes as Charlene raises her shiv in the air, prepared to attack. Her bony hands then wrap tightly around Maritza's thin wrists, with the blade dangerously close to Maritza's left forearm. "Barb and the band are counting on me..."

"You're out of that stanky group, got it? In fact...if I ever catch you together after this, it's over for good," Charlene threatens Flaca and Maritza. "That goes for both of you, but mainly Flaca, since she's a bad influence."

The other girls gasp and Maritza locks eyes with Flaca. "I...I love you."

"I love you, too," Flaca tells her shakily and reluctantly shows herself out. She takes one look over her shoulder to see Maritza's lower lip quivering, but then can't watch her be so distraught anymore.


A frantic thumping at the door causes Blanca to jump and stop her reading. She knows it's not her mom home from work since Trina Flores always lets herself in, and Diablo usually would tell her if he was coming over or at least ring the doorbell if he was making a surprise visit. She'd been taught not to answer the door if she isn't expecting anyone unless she peeps through the hole or looks out her window to see who it is.

So, she puts her book on the coffee table, pushes herself off the red couch, and she can actually hear small whimpers as she gets closer. This immediately worries her, and as soon as she looks through the peephole, she sees no one. However, in the window beside her front door, she sees a small hand waving from side to side.

"Help!" a faint voice calls out. "Mommy put my sissy and brother in the toilet!" This seems very weird, but Blanca's gut instinct is to open the door, so she does. In a flash, a little girl with tangled brown locks scampers inside and hides under a blue and purple blanket. "Lock the door, pleeeease! I don't want her to find me!" Blanca quickly does what was asked of her. The poor kid seems so distraught and Blanca's heart clenches in pain for her. She has some experience with children since she regularly babysits Pepa, Julio, Benny, Christina, and Emiliano, but never wanted any of her own. Twenty-four-seven care for eighteen years seems like a lot of time and money. Yet, Blanca feels a motherly pull to this girl, and it's probably because she was the first person the child had come to for protection. She's well aware that her mom will probably hand her over to Social Services the next day, though. She won't let herself get too attached.

"Bebe, you're safe," Blanca assures her in a calming voice, but doesn't touch her. "Can you tell me what happened so I can call the police? You can stay here, and I'll tell my mom so she can help you."

"Mama was braiding my hair, but then when I told her to stop, it made her mad and she grabbed my little sissy and brother by their necks and pushed them in the toilet water. I tried to rescue them, but it was too late. She was chasing me in the house, but I sneaked out...to here. She was really scary!" The girl's tearful voice is muffled, but Blanca listens hard and can understand her. She starts dialing Charles' number.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Thank you. Can you tell me your name, first and last?"

"Michaela Hoefler," she responds quietly.

"Okay, Michaela, and how old are you?"

"Seven."

"What's your mama's name?"

"Beth."

"Where does she live?"

"I...I don't remember. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, you got nothin' to apologize for," Blanca tells her sweetly.

"She's not even in the house anymore. She came outside when I got the door open and ran away from her."

"Did you cross a street to get here?"

"No. Mommy said it was dangerous. I don't know why she tried to hurt me." Michaela lifts the blanket off of herself, revealing only her innocent face and trembling hands as she clutches it around herself. She looks so terrified. Her wide brown eyes have seen way too much and her jaw has a few red scratches down it like someone had swiped at her and missed. Blanca hopes her missing two front teeth are from them naturally falling out like they do at this age, and not from Michaela being punched in the mouth by her own mother, who is supposed to love and nurture her.

"Me neither, cariño, but I'm glad you're okay now." Tears well up behind Blanca's eyes and a lump grows in her throat, but she wills herself to stay strong for Michaela.

"Hello?" Charles answers.

"Hey, it's Blanca. I got a girl here who says her mom drowned her baby brother and sister and the lady, Beth Hoefler, is on the hunt for her as well, but she got away. Her name is Michaela and she's seven years old. Beth could be anywhere...I apologize that I can't be more helpful. Her house is in my neighborhood...I live at two-oh-three Surf Drive, so someplace near there."

"I understand, Blanca. Oh my god, that's terrible. Can you ask her if I could talk to her, please? I'd need a description of Beth so we can catch her easier."

"Okay." Blanca holds the phone away from her ear and glances down at Michaela. "Do you want to talk to the nice policeman?"

Michaela nods slightly, so Blanca puts the phone to the younger girl's ear. "Hi," she greets him shyly.

"Hi, Michaela. What does your mama look like, and what was she wearing?"

"She's white and has long brown hair and big brown eyes like mine, really thin lips, and she's skinny and super tall. She had on, umm...blue jeans and a navy blue long-sleeved shirt and heavy black boots...and a gray hat and a brown scarf. My brother Sammy and sister Leelee are in two-ten, I just remembered."

"Alright, thank you, sweetie. We'll start looking for her."

"Okay, mister policeman."

"We appreciate it!" Blanca adds.

"No problem. I'll let you both know when we've caught her and send paramedics to house number two-ten."

"Thank you," Michaela says.

"You're very welcome."

After hanging up, Blanca turns to Michaela. "I know this is a very hard time for you-"

"Did they go to heaven? Leelee and Sammy?"

Blanca solemnly nods her head yes. "They're angels now."

"Can you give me a hug?"

"Of course," Blanca replies right away and brings Michaela into her arms. She holds and rocks her, and Michaela snuggles into Blanca's shirt and sucks her thumb. They stay that way until Blanca offers her something to eat. She's so upset, but Blanca doesn't want her to starve. She coaxes Michaela into having macaroni and cheese with sliced carrots.


An African American nurse at the Creedmor Psychiatric Center leads Daya to room four-oh-two and opens the door. She has a nametag that reads Sharon Chamberlain. "Maria, you've got another visitor," Sharon announces.

Maria looks at them with a blank expression. "Cool." She had apparently been eating some kind of soup and playing dominos with Yadriel. "Ain't you gonna sit down, Daya?" She gestures to a seat beside her cot.

"Yeah...hey to you too," Daya mumbles awkwardly. She waves at both Maria and Yadriel, who return the gesture. She takes her place and points at the cup with a tiny amount of broth inside of it on the table. "What was that?"

"My dinner." Maria nods at Yadriel. "He bought me shrimp flavored ramen noodles."

"How nice," Daya comments.

"We were just talkin' about how we're like Romeo and Juliet since each other's parents hate us," Maria lets her know. "So, what you been up to?"

Daya chuckles softly. "Yeah, that makes sense. Good thing it's never turned into a war with a bunch of people dead. Um...not much, really." She's not about to share with Maria that her family has a stalker. She can't trust her anymore and doesn't feel comfortable confiding in her.

"You're right on that. So who's leading the teen mom support group now?"

"You know, we haven't really discussed it," Daya responds.

"The band?"

"We found someone. She's awesome...her name's Barb."

Maria smirks. "That sounds punk, good job."

Daya nods. She wants to get information out of Maria about everything to do with her role as P, but she can't discuss it with Yadriel here. She turns to him. "Hey, can we have some time to ourselves to get some girl talk in?"

"Sure." Yadriel kisses Maria on her lips and then leaves the room.

Maria folds her arms across her chest and purses her lips. "I know you ain't about to gossip with me about whatever, so spit it out."

"You're right, I do got questions." Daya sighs. "How'd it all start? I just wanna get to the root of it. I know Piper pulled shit and it made you angry, but everyone hated her. Students, teachers, parents, her own friends...yet no one really sought actual revenge. Why you? Why the fuck us?"

"When they just did bag searches back then, Chapshit framed me for drugs and left some H in my backpack. Of course, Piscatella didn't suspect her ugly white, blonde privileged ass because he's racist, so I got expelled. The paperwork never went through, but that doesn't matter. He accused me of being a gang member just like the rest of my family and mocked me when I started to cry. Then, I really did sell drugs until I found out I wasn't getting kicked out of school. The whole shebang with Chapshit and Piss-cuntella's teamwork led me to be P. If not for her, I wouldn't have had to be so tortured like I was. What I did to your bitch leader was like, a thousand times worse than what I've done to you four. I swear...I just wanted to be petty, not lethal."

"I'm almost afraid to ask...did you kill Chap...Piper?"

"You don't need to call her by her first name, she don't deserve that respect. She was so mean to you when she was alive."

"I still wish you didn't stoop down to her level," Daya snaps.

"Look, I really didn't mean for you to be raped or Flaca to be run under. I'm so sorry, and I won't blame you if you can't forgive me for my wrongdoings."

"What about the cupcakes you had me eat? That was so fucking humiliating for me and awfully catty of you."

"I know...it was cruel, but I wanted to see how much of a bully I could be. I apologize. At least I gave you back the drugs that Aleida needed to pack for Cesar to sell. I'm proud of her...she's doing much better."

"Yeah."

"I was so power hungry that I didn't realize I was actually hurting you girls as I got to know you more...and I wanted to quit, but I couldn't. I was hiding in plain sight, I guess...and I admit, it felt good to be two-faced," Maria confesses. "It's like there were two sides of me."

"Yeah, but you're one person, and I don't know who's the real you. I thought I did, but I don't," Daya says bitterly. "Maybe you really are evil...letting Lorna dive deep into her Fatal Attraction crush on Christopher, which ended up in her getting badly hurt, by the way, and dragging Alex into a damn dryer?! You also tried to start a fight between Flaca and Gloria! You really get off on drama, huh?"

"I wanted Lorna to see for herself what an idiot she was being. It was interesting watching how far she'd go, and wow...she's a total psycho." Daya glares at Maria. "No offense, but it's true. I didn't realize she was actually mentally ill. I took advantage of Alex being high and stuffed her into the dryer on purpose, with the help of Dumbasses One and Two...Leanne and Angie, if you catch my drift. I knew to do it when you girls were gonna be there in like, ten minutes, so Alex wouldn't suffocate or nothin'. That bitch is so tall and hella heavy when drugged. She put the toxins in her own body, we didn't. She was stupid to put herself in an unsafe situation, but whatever. She turned out fine."

"We were worried sick about her, you bitch!" Daya fumes. "She was hallucinating our dead friend!"

"That's her problem. Even if she wasn't in there, she'd still do that. Trapping her was payback for being Chapstick's number one fan."

"Who massaged her?"

"Ralph Boyd," Maria responds nonchalantly.

Daya shudders. "You mean that white weirdo who's obsessed with guns?!"

Maria nods. "The very same one. Don't worry. though, he's not interested in killing her or nothin'. He just thinks she's pretty, like all the guys and some girls do…and he said she was stiff as a board."

"Holy shit, that's fuckin' creepy," Daya mutters. "Why would you stir up drama between Flaca and the woman we all, including you, look up to?"

"That one's easy." Maria smirks. "I was just playing with the cards I had in my deck. Exposing who called the police on that weasel was like being God...I had something you girls didn't. I felt like Gloria should have an answer for who got him taken to the clinker. I also wanted to see how far the loyalty went...Gloria yelled at Chapstick in defense of Flaca, let's see how Gloria does when Flaca does something behind her back!"

"Flaca was helping!" Daya exclaims, throwing her arms up in the air and letting them fall at her sides.

"You should've left it well enough alone since Red was gonna take care of it that night, and I was mad that he was arrested rather than..." Maria runs her index finger across her neck.

Daya scoffs. "Why didn't you just tell us that in the first place? Oh, I heard Gloria and Red talking outside, Red will handle that son of a bitch! Somethin' like that?"

"I didn't want to contact you more than I absolutely had to, so that's why I didn't let you know that Red's people were gonna kill him."

"You are honestly pathetic." Daya stands up, ready to leave, but Maria clears her throat. "What?!"

"If you want me to reveal more information, the time is now...or never. You know you wanna find out about what happened to the head of your cult."

"I already do. She was branded...probably by you."

"If it weren't for Stephanie luring her to us, nobody would've touched her."

"Stephanie...?" Daya narrows her eyebrows in confusion. "Stephanie Hapakuka?"

"Who else?"

"Who do you mean, us?"

"Well, you'll have to ask Steph. I gotta give her some credit...I used to call her a husky hula doll for not dumping Sanka right away, but now she's totally cool again in my eyes. We've only reconnected once so far...when you see her, tell her to visit me. We got a lot to chat about. At least I gave you some answers, right?"

Daya shakes her head and walks away, fuming.


"How old was he, exactly?" Diane asks as she and Aleida put their hands over Gloria's. "I could tell he's got quite a few more years on you in that photo, Lei."

"More like ten," Aleida lets her friend know, but keeps her gaze on her lap.

"That's statutory rape, and hella gross, too! How dare he take advantage of a minor like that!" Gloria hisses. "Especially one in such a vulnerable state."

Aleida sighs and combs her hair back from her face with her fingers. "I didn't really see it that way at the time. He was the one constant in my life, he didn't let me down like my own family did...even my dumb, selfish cousin Jazmina couldn't...or wouldn't, believe me about...my rapist. We used to sleep in the same bed, me and Yas, when we were twelve and thirteen...and I'd tell her everything that he did. I had always considered her a best friend. When she slept over at my place, he was there...that old fart would tell us how cute or pretty we looked." It makes Aleida shudder to even think about it. "I was skeeved out, naturally. Jazmina was flattered since she only really thought of herself. I told her that he was basically like her uncle, and Jazmina was like, 'whatever, ain't like we're related!'...she may have believed me on some level, though, since she said I could stay over at her apartment if he made me uncomfortable. When we'd sleep in my bed together, she was excited for him to give her a good night kiss like she never had before. I couldn't even sleep alone at my house when he was around. Jazmina was jealous that I was getting so much of his attention and she pointed out that he was nicer than my mom who hit me all the time. She'd say he's better than any of our parents combined. She had an asthma attack, he helped her out...and after that, she'd get progressively mad at me for making 'accusations' because he basically saved her life." Aleida scoffs."Maybe he was drunk or somethin', since that ain't the Jack I know!" she imitates her cousin. "The bitch actually told me that."

Diane shakes her head slowly and a sad expression comes over her angelic features. "I'm sorry. So, that dumb fucker was the only one who understood?"

"Yep. Pretty much."

Gloria sends Aleida an empathetic look. "I'm sorry, too."

Aleida squeezes her friends' hands and beams at them. "Thanks for your support, ladies."

"Anytime," they murmur in unison.

As soon as Daya comes into the apartment two hours later, a sense of guilt fills Aleida. "Glo, Di...can you give me some time alone with Daya?" she asks discreetly as Daya waves at them and they return the gesture.

"Yeah, sure, it's time for me to go to Friendly's anyway," Diane replies.

"I'll join Leon and the kids at Storky's," Gloria puts in.

"Okay, have fun!" Aleida tells them, and they grin at her. They both hug Aleida goodbye and then she shows them out. "Daya!" she calls out.

"In my room! Where is everyone?"

"They're eating out, but I wanted to chill with just you tonight," Aleida says as she walks into Daya's room where her daughter is laying on her bed and drawing in her journal.

Daya raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

"What do you mean why? You're my daughter. Can't a mom just sit with her baby for a while?" Aleida sits beside Daya and pats her back twice.

"You didn't even tell me you almost got killed, Ma. I had to hear it from your man." Daya covers her face and shakes her head. "Holy fuck..."

"I'm sorry that I never spoke about my near-death experience. I guess I just didn't wanna worry you, because we were fine, not even any injuries," Aleida mumbles.

"Weren't you afraid for your life? Leon was pretty shaken up since he was the driver and all, and Glo actually thought you guys were gonna see the bright light, and I ain't talkin' about the headlights that threatened to ram into the car."

"Yeah," Aleida forces herself to admit. "You know me, though...I don't like wearing my heart on my sleeve. It did teach me life is short."

"Mm-hm."

"I originally came in here to apologize for being bitter and mean to you all these years before I found Leon."

Daya glances up at Aleida with glassy eyes. "I thought you already did, like back in early October."

"I didn't tell you the reason. I was heartbroken and furious at your father, but I never, ever meant to take it out on you. I swear, nena." Aleida bends down to peck Daya's forehead. "All those years, I blamed you since he left me because he was sick of helping me take care of you when you was two, but it's not your fucking fault! It never was, and I can't forgive myself or make up for the years we lost together because of my bitchiness."

"Ma, you're good now...and I think we got what, fifty years left? I mean, I hope you'll live to eighty, at least. Fifty years of love overshadows fifteen years of hate." Daya grins.

"That's a comforting thought...so wait, if I make it to eighty-one, you gonna shoot my ass into my grave?" Aleida questions Daya jokingly.

"Oh yeah," Daya teases, but they both chuckle together.


"Mom! Mom, where are you?!" someone shrieks suddenly in the dead of night. "Mommyyyyy!" Diane shoots up in her bed when she realizes her daughter is screaming and crying for her. "Mommy, help me! I can't see anything, I dunno where you are! Come back! Help! Mom, please...please!"

Charles stirs as Diane shoves the blankets off herself. "Sorry, babe, my girl needs me. You can go back to sleep."

"Okay, hope she'll be alright," he slurs with his eyes closed.

The desperate wails get louder as Diane rushes to Alex's bedroom and bursts inside. In the moonlight streaming through the window, the poor girl is tossing and turning under the sheets, her hair flying across her crumpled, red face as her chest heaves up and down rapidly as she sobs openly. "Please help...oh, god...it hurts, it hurts..."

Diane sits on the side of her bed and runs a gentle hand through her hair and down her back. Alex's nightmare has her in complete distress, and it breaks Diane's heart to hear Alex this upset. "Baby, I'm right here. I promise...it's okay!" Diane leans down to kiss the top of Alex's head and brushes her knuckles against the teenager's wet cheek and wipes some tears away. "Allie, honey, you're having a bad dream," she murmurs. "Can you wake up for me?"

"Mom?" The thrashing slows as Alex wakes up and begins to relax. "Mom!" she cries in relief and throws her arms around Diane, who wraps her in a tight hug. "I thought...I thought we lost each other in some haunted house maze and everything got dark and blurry, and I...I couldn't find you...and then some evil monster started kicking me in the stomach...and I had no idea where you were, but I could hear you saying you'd be there as soon as you could." Alex sniffles. "I wanted you to save me, but I think you disappeared..."

"Oh, sweetie...I would never let that happen to you," Diane soothes her.

"I know," Alex mumbles and sinks back into her bed. She grabs ahold of Diane's hands. "I was just really scared of you leaving me forever."

"No, no...you and I are a package, we stick together, no matter what. I'm not going anywhere away from you for too long."

Alex's chin quivers as if she's about to burst into tears again, but she smiles up at Diane. "Oh, good."


With her heart and stomach in knots, Flaca wheels herself down the bus ramp carefully and goes to where Alex, Blanca, and Alana are waiting for her for their emergency meeting outside Jamba Juice. "Okay, what's all this about?" Alex wants to know as soon as Flaca joins them.

"I assume she's gonna tell us now," Blanca mutters.

"You're right! Well, um...it seems as though Charlene Teng, one of the members of your group, hates me, but loves Maritza, so she doesn't want us to interact with each other. The cunt basically took my girl away from me and threatened our lives if we were to merely hang out in the same social circle." The girls gasp sharply. "Her friend, umm...Nicole, Nicole Eckelcamp, is cool with me, though, but I don't know her well enough to trust her. I would go to Charles with this information, but I'm afraid if I rat out one of Carol's girls to the police, he could investigate Carol herself, because she's brainwashing them, obviously...and I'd be dead meat!" Flaca explains in a panicked voice that only rises with each second. "Oh my god, what do I do? I'm always checking around me to see if she's there, watching me. Forget chillin' with Mari at school, Charlene could follow me and have someone stalk me to all our classes and lunch!" She's shaking just thinking about it.

"That bitch is just Carol's minion," Alex murmurs and puts calming hands on Flaca's shoulders. "The leader makes the followers behave."

"Yeah, and minions are brainwashed to band together in the gang if they've been in there long enough. It's like this thing I learned about elephants...they tame elephants to stay in a box. It's a rope at first, those babies are tied together...and then once they're adults, only a simple string can hold them," Alana informs Flaca. "They're also beaten savagely with bullhoooks, but my point is...you need to cut the figurative string between Carol and those other idiots."

"Hold up, it's not a real gang, is it?" Flaca hisses. "You tellin' me I gotta talk to this...serial killer? No way in hell, especially when I've already bonded with her sister! She knows I have."

"It seems like a gang. What you wanna do is get Maritza out of it and back into Barb's, with the band," Blanca says. "No idea how you're gonna do that, though, without secretly discussing a plan with Maritza. Carol may not like her, as she probably saw her with Barb, but stupid Charlene has no clue of this. Even if Nicole likes you, I don't think wild horses can make her speak ill of Carol, let alone stand up to her. She might be quietly suffering, but also accepting what her life has become."

"Wow, that's super depressing," Flaca mentions glumly.

Alex nods her head yes. "Mm-hm, but I don't think you need to worry. I just came up with something. I don't think Carol will want one of Barb's girls in the gang anyway, so I'll just make her aware-"

"Charlene will know I said shit!"

"Flaca...I won't let her near you, I promise!" Alex says strongly.

"Yeah, she'll have to get through us first," Blanca adds and squeezes Flaca's hand fondly.

"We have your back, girl, we love you," Alana puts in, and pushes Flaca inside Jamba Juice. The others follow.

A warm feeling spreads through her and she beams up at them. "You're such great friends! Thank you."

They smile back at her. "Anytime," they say in unison.


"So, even though I said I was busy getting my hair done, you still decided to make an appearance?" Carol asks accusingly as Alex strides into the older woman's private salon with confidence. "You're a brave girl." The twins who are fixing Carol's eighties bangs give Alex annoyed looks, but she ignores them. They're Carol's age with short, blonde curly hair. Carol sighs. "Well, I guess since you're here, you can go after Bonnie and Gail are finished with me."

"No offense, but that style isn't really for me," Alex tells her. "I came because I needed to talk to you, like, pronto. You're in charge of the group, right? C...block, whatever?"

"Yes." Carol rolls her eyes. "Ladies, please leave us alone for now." She waves away Gail and Bonnie, and they obey her.

Alex folds her arms across her chest and sits down. "You really should start acting like the queen, if that's one of the things you call yourself."

Carol raises an eyebrow and smirks. "Hasn't your mother taught you to respect your elders? You can't boss me around, little girl."

Sitting up a bit straighter, Alex frowns and then scoffs. "I'm in no way, shape, or form, a little girl. It's hard to mind my manners when you, who I thought was protecting us, is just letting us run amok, threatening to kill each other."

"I never said I was keeping you girls from danger. You're new to this, I get it...but I'm the only one who can tell you all what to do. Undermining my authority will get you nothing but shit."

"Okay, well, do you know what goes on behind the scenes?" Alex questions Carol calmly.

"No, and if it's about Badison-"

"It isn't," Alex interrupts her. "Charlene seems to be bullying one of my best friends, Flaca Gonzales, who is Maritza Ramos' girlfriend-"

"Aren't they in fuckin' Barb's gang?"

"Yeah."

"Then they shouldn't even be around us. All Charlene should be doing is kicking their asses until they lose the pep in their steps."

Alex gulps and clasps her hands. "That's the thing. Charlene just loves Maritza, she won't let the two of them be together in Barb's band. As I said before, Flaca's one of my main girls. It hurts me to see Flaritza separated and living in fear that Charlene or someone in this crew could strike. I would hate that if it happened to me and my sweetheart Michelle. So please...I'm requesting that you demand for Charlene to leave those girls alone and out of this group."

"She likes drama, what can I say? One thing I won't allow, though, is for girls in Douche Block to come onto our turf, so Charlene will for sure get a talking to. However, Charlene is nothing compared to Badison-"

Alex snickers softly. "You mean the dumb blonde who really perpetuates that stereotype? I'm smarter, better, and cooler than her, and I always have been, especially in eighth grade." She leans closer to Carol. "My drug dealing boss bragged about me, he said by twenty-one, I could be taking fifty kilograms of black tar through like, three continents, starting with North America. I'm already popular in the European drug cartel, and they haven't even met me yet, only because I wouldn't fly out of the state until I finish high school, turn eighteen, and get myself a passport."

"Wow, I'm very impressed! Who is this guy?"

"Kubra Balik," Alex says proudly. "He's my biggest connection, and after him is Aydin Bayat." She won't mention Fahri, of course. Besides that, he, too, works for Aydin and Kubra.

"I usually can't stand those who brag about themselves, but you seem legit."

"I am."

"Introduce me to these fellows in exchange for asking Charlene to quit bothering Flaca and Maritza," Carol instructs Alex.

"I will."

"You're a true friend to them. They're awfully lucky to have you," Carol states. "Not many of the girls I know go to bat for each other like that."

"Yeah." Alex grins. "I'm kinda like the mom friend...gotta protect my squad and advise them to make good choices."

"You're working under me now, you know."

Alex nods resignedly. With a pleased smile, Carol leans back in her chair. In the mirror, a look of dread crosses Alex's face.


"That is so not fair, Taystee!" Suzanne whines and points at the bounce house that continuously wiggles as Julio, Benny, Christina, Emiliano, and the rest of Julio's classmates jump up and down in it. "Why would Vee's boyfriend give Gloria's son what he wanted, and not me?!"

Taystee sighs. "Yo, chill out, Suzanne! It's her little boy's birthday party, and you asked her if you could come. She said yes, probably to be polite, so you gotta act decent, or I'm gon' have to call your mama and have her take yo ass home! Gloria asked me to watch you, and I was cool with it, but you gotta behave yo'self."

"Can I go in there?"

Gloria walks up to them. "Hey, girls. I don't see why not, Suzanne."

"Yay!" Suzanne cheers gleefully and claps a bunch of times. "I took my medicine at ten already, and the party is over before four when I need to have it again, so I should be fine. See, I hallucinate when I'm off my meds, and I never forget 'em...as Suzanne, at least, 'cause I got three alters. Mara's evil and wants me to fail or be in trouble, Lily is a child and things slip her mind, and Randi is too much of a giant flirt to care about my wellbeing. So, one time, I think Lily might have come out when someone made me feel like a baby, and did not give me my pills. As a result, I imagined Nicky as a dog playing piano and telling knock-knock jokes, Daya doing modern dance in an orange dance outfit as guards beat her, Frieda playing card tricks and slicing her arms so cards came out instead of blood, Red playing a Soviet clown named Ryzhevolosyy, Chapman on a game show repeating, "Where is Alex", which was freaky since Chapman's dead, you and Maria fighting like in a boxing match with Drew and Bob as announcers...you were wearing red while Maria had on purple, and Cindy was in black and white, singing about a secret mission, and I was in a Dorothy costume! I was flipping through each scene like they were television stations and I was holding a remote!"

"You have quite a vivid imagination!" Gloria comments, her face filled with concern. "Um, but you know none of that's real, right?"

Suzanne guffaws. "Of course I do! I mean...dogs cannot play the piano, and humans don't just turn into canines! Maureen thought all that was quite interesting."

Taystee groans. "Man, I told you to break up with that nasty ass white bitch! Y'all have a toxic relationship. I recommend you give her space."

"Don't ya be talkin' 'bout my wife!" Suzanne yells, and then continues screaming as she runs into the jumping house.


"How did meeting with your daughters go?" Fahri asks. He and Gloria are watching Julio in his dark green shirt and blue pants that he had gotten from his mother for his birthday. He bounces his brand new purple kickball with blue, yellow, and red stripes and a tie-dye pattern in the middle. He then haphazardly kicks it to Benny, who rolls it in Christina's direction. They continue playing like that with Emiliano, Farah, and Julio's other friends in his class.

Gloria sighs, feeling her heart break a little while thinking about it. "Not well...but that was to be expected. I gotta really get to know 'em more and become...at least an older friend, if that's all they're comfortable with. I'm their motha, I know, but they don't see me as that."

"We all make mistakes in life, Gloria, but we shouldn't dwell on them. We can only do our best to make things better. You're willing to reconnect, you did your part," Fahri assures her, and she nods in agreement.

"Yep. It's their choice if they wanna eventually be in my life." Gloria snaps a picture of Benny hugging Julio. "That's so cute! Imma show this to the boys when they get into fights as teens!"

"Fantastic idea, but what if they say children are more affectionate with each other when they're little and those were different times?" Fahri asks.

Gloria chuckles and shakes her head. "It's worth a try."


"Can you imagine if Fahri was gonna be the clown?" Aleida wonders out loud when everyone is sitting in chairs and watching Fahri do magic tricks in a red suit, black slacks, and a matching top hat.

Gloria shudders at the mere possibility. "No! I wouldn't be able to handle him being dead because of Dixon, or anyone, in fact!"

She, Aleida, and their small children are front and center.

"Hey, can I have the birthday boy come on up here, please?" Fahri asks with a gentle smile on his face.

Gloria ruffles Julio's hair. "You wanna be his little helper?"

"Mama, go with me." He tugs on Gloria's hand while jumping off her lap.

"Sure, buddy!" They walk up to Fahri together and stand next to him.

"You've got something in your ear, dude!" Fahri cries dramatically, and Gloria starts to giggle, seeing that it's all part of his act.

"What?" Julio asks.

"Aw man, it's hard to tell…I think I can get it out for ya…" He grunts exaggeratedly as he pulls a dime from Julio's ear. "Oh my goodness, would you look at that? I got it!" The audience gasps excitedly and cheers while clapping. Julio stares at him, awed. Fahri hands Gloria the dime and she tucks it into her pocket while smiling.

"Whoa, cool! Do again!" Julio exclaims as he hugs Gloria's legs and looks up at Fahri shyly.

"Alright, kid!" He itches his ear. "Oh no!" The little ones start giggling. "There's something in here!" More sweet childish laughter ensues as he digs into his ear. "Hold on, I feel something...ow!" He yanks out what appears to be a piece of green confetti. "Julio, can you please help?" The tiny boy grins while nodding. He assists Fahri with tugging at what turns into many colorful streamers. It's such a delightful magic trick, and everyone applauds them. Gloria beams at their teamwork.


"I wanna do it too!" Suzanne tells the girls for about the fifth time.

Taystee sighs impatiently. "It's not for us," she says as calmly as she can.

"Yeah, we're just supposed to be like, spectators," Daya puts in.

"I can do it if I want to," Suzanne hisses through gritted teeth.

"It ain't all about you!" Flaca shoots back.

"Maybe talk to Gloria, since she's the one in charge," Alana suggests kindly.

"I don't really see an issue with Suzanne participating in the magic tricks," Lorna adds.

Suzanne grins and points at Lorna. "Thank you!"

"She'd be the only one over the age of five doing it," Nicky whispers as Suzanne leaves her seat between Taystee and Lorna.

"I don't think she cares," Taystee says defeatedly.

"As long as she's not taking any time away from the children…" Allison rolls her eyes. From a distance, Hassan sets Farah on Fahri's lap as it's her turn to be the pretend magician's tiny volunteer.

"Bitch, please, she's a kid herself," Poussey mutters as she grabs a chair and swings it over next to Taystee. "Sorry I'm late."

"I'm surprised you even came, P. You didn't go to Benny's," Taystee replies.

"Thought you could use some help with Suzanne," Poussey tells her best friend. The other girls breathe sighs of relief. Suzanne can be a lot to deal with, and Taystee is happy not to be the only one watching out for her. "Where are the rest of our crew?"

"Alex is negotiating with Carol about getting Charlene to stop bugging Mari and me, Blanca's helping her mom find this poor little girl a family who can properly care for her, Mari just texted me, she's on her way, Adarsh is using the bathroom, Michelle is probably waiting for Alex, as it's the honeymoon stage and they don't go anywhere without each other, Pennsatucky and Nathan are out with Boo, and Ouija and Pidge are...somewhere that ain't here, since they don't really like Gloria," Flaca informs Poussey. She holds up her phone which displays her text messages from the teen girls who aren't present at the moment.

"Wow, Carol works fast!" Alana exclaims quietly. "I thought Maritza wouldn't dare to come near you if Charlene wasn't yet in trouble with Carol."

"Dude, Al just finished talkin' to her. She's got Badison on Charlene's ass. That sleazy ho is about to show her face at Carol's salon and face the boss lady's wrath." Flaca smirks as she reports the good news. The girls' eyes light up with pure excitement.


"Aha!" Fahri exclaims as he comes up to where Gloria is holding Benny and Julio against her and ruffling their hair at the same time. "I found a Julio! I found a Benny!" The boys giggle and Gloria joins in. She pokes their noses. "Did you guys like the magic show?"

Benny nods. "Yes, we did!"

Julio points at Fahri and looks up at Gloria. "He silly, Mommy!"

"Mm-hm, he sure is!" Gloria agrees happily.

"I'm glad you're having a fun birthday, bubbaloo," Lourdes murmurs and lifts Julio up high in the air. She brings him back down and gives him a loud kiss on his small cheek and he laughs and bats at her nose. Gloria and Fahri smile at the adorable interaction between the little boy and his great-aunt.

Benny tugs on Lourdes' blue skirt. "I want a turn!"

"Of course, who could forget you? I was gonna do it anyway!" Lourdes does to Benny what she'd done with Julio, and soon, Benny is giggling with glee and clapping. Gloria and Fahri look at each other and beam.

A while later, Suzanne comes bounding up to them. Taystee, Allison, and Poussey are not far behind her. "Gloria, I need lunch now!" Suzanne whines. Benny hides under Gloria's chair, but then scampers off with Julio to play with their friends.

"Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait. Lunch is very soon, don't worry."

"I apologize, Gloria...Suzanne has meals at certain times when she's home, and she doesn't do well with change. We can help you with lunch and make her something...I know how to work everything in the kitchen," Allison tells her.

Gloria sighs. "Um, okay, then. Thank you. I can be there in a second, if you'd like?"

Taystee nods. "Yes, thanks a bunch! C'mon, ladies!" The other girls follow her into Fahri's mansion, and Suzanne latches onto her.

"She's such a mom friend...I don't know how she does it," Gloria murmurs.

"Who, Taystee?" Lourdes asks, and Gloria nods. "Well, you're that way with Aleida. I guess it takes a lot of patience and experience with your own children and the other high school girls you look after."

"Aleida doesn't have a mental illness like Suzanne's, or any at all. Taystee has told me before that she's taken care of the younger kids in her foster homes before and played like, a big sister role. I just got no idea if she's ever taken on someone like Suzanne before. That girl can't even get or make her own food...she has her games and her pig to comfort her, which is good, but her tantrums...she's so strong already at fifteen...imagine how she'll be at like, twenty-eight or somethin'." Gloria shakes her head. "I'm aware it ain't really my business...but I just feel so sorry for both girls. It ain't simple for Suzanne to make friends, so I'm glad she's got a good clique to watch out for her."

Fahri grins. "You care so deeply about everyone...that's one of the things that make you such an amazing person."

Gloria's cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Thanks. I guess so!" She stands up from her seat. "Well, I'mma go and assist them! See ya in a bit." She waves at her aunt and Fahri, and they return the gesture.


"I can sing, but I get stage fright!" Suzanne tells Gloria as Taystee makes the childish girl a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread. Taystee cuts all the crusts off and tosses them into the garbage disposal. Allison and Poussey help Gloria with the enchilada casserole. The first layer is corn tortillas, then rice, beans, ground up hamburger meat, and cheese. When it comes out of the oven and is ready to be served, Gloria would put guacamole and mild salsa on top for the little ones, but spicy for the rest of the partygoers.

"Oh no, that's too bad," Gloria says sympathetically.

"Well, I thought I was doomed, but not anymore! I'm in a band!"

Gloria catches a glimpse of Taystee giving Suzanne a glare as she gives her the sandwich. Poussey and Allison put their fingers to their lips. Gloria's curiosity only rises. She doesn't know why they'd want it kept a secret. "That's nice," she comments.

"Come on, honey, let's have you eat this outside," Allison says gently and tries to take Suzanne by the arm, but Suzanne remains in her chair and shoves Allison's hand off her.

"Yeah, and the leader is this really cool lady named Barb! She's super duper nice! She lets me sing behind a curtain while Lorna lipsynchs!"

At Suzanne's words, Taystee, Poussey and Allison facepalm. "Hey, what's wrong, girls?" Gloria asks in concern. "It sounds fun...but if you're gonna do a live concert or whateva, someone needs to sing for real, because audiences would just see it as Lorna stealing Suzanne's thunder."

"We know that...but this is only for our own entertainment," Taystee lets her know.

"Well, gotta get goin' now!" Poussey laughs awkwardly and the girls leave with Suzanne in tow.

That is so strange, Gloria thinks to herself.

After the lunch is served and eaten, Gloria sets the chocolate cake in front of Julio. He tries his best to blow out his three candles, but Gloria has to help him. She then plucks them out and her kids lick off the leftover cake crumbs at the bottom. After chowing down the dessert with vanilla ice cream, everyone but Gloria and her sons go home. "That was a fun birthday party you threw for my littlest boy!" she compliments Fahri while beaming. "Nothin' bad happened at all. Thank you, I'm so grateful."

Fahri grins at her. "You're very welcome! I was more than happy to do it!"


"So the celebration went well, I imagine," Red comments after Gloria has just talked all about it to her in an excited tone of voice. She'd asked the younger woman to help her pick out a nice outfit to wear on her date with Pavel tonight.

"Oh, yes!" Gloria squeals. "Fahri is so sweet to me and my boys, and of course, he'd make sure my littlest one had a fantastic party! Julio's shy and talks a bit when he's in Fahri's presence, probably because I don't seem scared around Fahri. I'm not afraid of him at all...he's incredibly perfect in every way," she gushes.

"That's wonderful!" Red exclaims.

"Speaking of which...how about this one?" Gloria yanks out an ankle-length royal blue evening gown with lace sleeves that would go down to Red's wrists. "I think it goes great with your eyes." She holds it up to Red and gestures to the mirror. "Look!"

Red sighs. "Oh, Gloria...thank you, sweetheart, but my youth has faded. I wore this so many years ago...who knows if I'll even fit into it anymore? I kept it for Nicky, blue is her favorite color. Obviously, it would need to be taken in..."

"How about you just try it on? You've aged gracefully anyways!"

"Thank you. Okay, Miss Fairy Godmother," Red agrees, and Gloria smiles, most likely pleased with herself. Red changes in her bathroom and is amazed she can still zip up the dress in the back. She comes out and twirls around. "What do you think?"

"It's lovely on you!"

"Thanks. It makes me feel twenty-seven again, I can tell you that right now. That's how I always feel, three years younger than you, until I look into a mirror and notice wrinkles. I was beautiful way back then, but I also was dumb and paranoid. I'm a lot stronger now."

Gloria smiles and nods. She follows Red into the kitchen where Lida, Nicky, and Tricia are singing along to the radio as Lida cooks and Red's daughter figures watch.

Red frowns at the sight. She gestures towards Lida and gives them a firm stare. "You girls should be helping her!"

"Hey, relax, Galina," Lida mutters without turning around from the stove. "You think I'd let Tricia touch a hot pan? She's eleven! As for Nicky...she kept slicing off too much of the potatoes!"

"Sorry," Nicky mumbles sheepishly.

"Lida just wants to spoil me! I've had a very hard home life." Tricia adds. Her eyes widen and she beams. "Wow, Ma, you look pretty!"

"Yeah! Holy shit, Pavel's eyes are gonna pop out of his skull when he sees you!" Nicky puts in.

Red beams and then chuckles. "Thank you. Er...I should hope Pavel doesn't lose any body parts at the sight of me."

"Galina, you're seriously a vision! I love the dress," Lida compliments her while grinning.

"Well, thank you, but I don't get all the credit...Gloria convinced me to wear it."

"Nice job!" Nicky murmurs. She and Tricia hold out their hands for high-fives, and Gloria slaps their palms lightly.

Gloria smiles proudly. "Thank you!"


Maritza wolf-whistles as Flaca walks over to a table full of her girls at Friendly's just before Diane's shift. "Hey, look at you, babe! You're back in heels!" After Maritza's statement, they all cheer.

Flaca sits down next to her love and puts her arm around the shorter Latina. "Most importantly, I'm with you again. You can thank Alex for that."

"I already did. Charlene won't be bothering us anymore." Maritza smirks, and Flaca giggles.

"Yay!" Flaca winks at Alex and squeezes her hand, and Alex returns the gesture.

"I thought it was because Nicole said you two could be together in secret and she'd distract Charlene?" Alana wants to know.

Maritza shakes her head from side to side. "Nah, that's not the only reason."

Diane comes in just then. She beams at them. "Flaca, it's nice to see you all better! How do you feel?"

Flaca grins. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, Diane. It's kinda weird walking after all these weeks of being in a wheelchair, but I'll get used to it."

Diane nods in understanding. Suddenly, a look of concern crosses her face. "Where's Barb? I don't think she'll approve of Carol's girls being here. Of course I won't snitch, but she's not the kind of person you want to betray. She could come in any minute now..."

"Trust us, Mom, we know," Alex says. "She's taking the night off with her boyfriend, she texted Nicky and Allison, who are her favorites, I guess."

"We are, too!" Lorna insists and gestures to herself and Daya. Nicky just rolls her eyes.

"Maybe she assumed they'd pass along the message," Daya chimes in.

"Oh, good!" Relief floods Diane's features.

Nicky rests her elbow on Blanca's shoulder. "So, what's going on with Michaela?"

"Poor babies," Diane murmurs. "Charles told me while I was doing clerical work in his office...it's so sad."

Blanca nods in agreement and jerks her head up toward Diane. "Your boyfriend arrested Michaela's bitch of a mom, and my mother and I had to find Michaela a good social worker. Hopefully, the woman will find the girl a loving home very soon. I wanted my mom to adopt her, so she could be like my little sister, but it'd be expensive. The only reason she can afford my quinceñera is my dad's also paying. There's no way he'd help us with another child who isn't related to us."

"I wish I could take her in, but money," Diane says regretfully.

"Oh, Red might be able to!" Lorna chirps excitedly.

"The three of us are probably already a strain on her checkbook," Nicky points out.

"I'll ask my parents...they're pretty well off," Allison tells them. "They're so busy helping me raise Farah, though..."

"Has anyone considered telling y'all's rich dude friend, Fahri?" Poussey asks.

Taystee beams and points at her. "Now you talkin'! I hope she gets better luck with a forever family than I ever did. Vee's cool and all, but sometimes, she can be a pain in my ass. She's the best I got, though...the first few were so shitty. Kids who end up living in the best home right away have it made."

"Yeah...I think Fahri would be an amazing dad, from what Alex has told me," Michelle says.

"Mm-hm," Alex mumbles with a small smile.


"So, tell me...did I age like a fine wine?" Red asks flirtatiously as she and Pavel enter the club and link arms.

He gazes at her with a loving expression in his eyes. "Oh, konechno, Galina. Ty samaya krasivaya zhenshchina v etoy komnate." She beams and blushes at his reassurance.

You're the most beautiful woman in this room.

Red giggles. "Thank you. My skin is softer since I'm no longer a factory girl."

"That's not the only reason why I said that...I've always thought of you as lovely." They start dancing so close that his breath on her makes her insides light up like a seductive fire. "So, tell me...what is something you most want to do...that you've been dreaming of, but it hasn't been possible due to time or expenses?" He twirls her around and brings her back into his arms. She feels like she's in her early twenties again.

"Mostly time...I'd like to learn paddleboarding on a lake...and I'd put on a wetsuit. I have good balance."

"We should do it together!" Pavel says.

"Yes, it would be fun."

"To getting senior discounts!" Red hears someone hollering excitedly over the music. She turns to see who it is and assumes Lourdes has spoken, as the Puerto Rican woman is standing up and raising her glass of piña colada before Norma, Anita, Erica Jones, Claudette, and Celeste do. The six older ladies clink their glasses and cheer. Frieda is with them, but she looks over at Red and winks. Red gives her a quizzical expression, but Frieda just turns back to their friends. "Remember, I'm only forty-eight, though," Lourdes reminds them. "I've got two more years until I hit fifty."

"Oh, we know," Claudette says.

"You keep rubbing that in," Anita grumbles and Norma gives Frieda a disapproving look.

"We should also make a toast to mothers, mom figures, and mom friends, if you wanna be included so bad, Lourdes," Erica chimes in teasingly, so they do as she suggests.

"They seriously came to spy on us!" Red mutters and shakes her head. "I guess they're more nosy than I thought. They'll most likely tell Rosa and Sister Jane Ingalls all about it..."

"They're probably just excited for us and couldn't wait to see us dancing together," Pavel says nonchalantly. "Why don't we give 'em a show?"

"That's fine, but-" Red stops short when she notices Lourdes and Celeste locking lips as the others wolf-whistle. "Holy Mary, Mother of God," she whispers as she turns around. "Wow, I wasn't expecting that! Um...maybe it was a dare, or they're drunk, but we should give them their privacy." She doesn't know what to tell Gloria, or if she should even say anything about it at all. They didn't seem shy to show their public display of affection.

"Of course," Pavel agrees and leads her to the opposite side of the room.


"Hey, it's almost the end of your shift!" Diane tells Charles happily as he bags her groceries at the Stop and Shop.

He yawns. "Thank god...I'm so tired!"

"Me too, but at least we're going home together."

"Did you buy food just to see me here?"

She giggles while nodding, and he grins. "You caught me," she admits. "It's so weird...I've never seen you working at this place before, even though you've told me about it. I figured I should visit you at your other job, since you always see me at Friendly's and Martin Van Buren High!"

Charles cups Diane's chin and pecks her cheek, then her lips. "You're the sweetest."

She smiles and kisses his palm. "No, you are!"

"So, Leon drove you?"

Diane nods her head yes. "He's one of the best friends I could ever ask for. No wonder Aleida loves him so damn much. She kept making lovey-dovey eyes at him in the passenger seat. What can I say...I love to watch romance bloom, even when the couple is already in the relationship!"

"Yeah, he's a standup dude," Charles agrees. "I know you do...they're a healthy match, just like us!"

"Mm-hm."

Charles clocks out and then puts his arm around Diane. "Alright, baby, I can leave now."

Diane nestles into his embrace as they stroll out the double doors and into the dark parking lot. "Yay!"


"I don't get it, Artie. Why not just slaughter 'em?" Barb asks her boyfriend.

His eyes darken as he pounds his fist on the counter. "That's too easy. I get off on scaring and tormenting 'em, and what's the fun of murder? I like to play with my mice, and I can't exactly toy around with dead motherfuckers. It's boring. Torture is a much better method."

Barb chuckles and rolls her eyes. "You are so chickenshit, dumbass. I can't believe you took my snake and killed it for your dumb revenge plot! It was supposed to eat Debbie alive after I beat her with a baseball bat! You're well aware I love to use blunt objects as weapons."

He grits his teeth and hisses. "You're too obsessed with massacres."

"Fuck yeah," she growls as she saunters closer to him. "I wanna see a bloodbath, just like what happened about twenty years ago."

"Well, they got security cameras now! Shit..." he grumbles.

Barb scoffs. "Just disable them. Where's your balls?" She grabs his crotch and squeezes until he groans in pain. She laughs loudly and licks her lips. "Do I have to slit their throats for you? The baby needs his mommy's help?" Barb pouts and he pushes her away. She falls into the coffee table and cackles despite the sharp pain in her knee.

"Shut up, you little bitch. I have a plan, and it doesn't involve anyone being slain."

"Why? Are you still in love with Gloria, hoping she'll take you back?" she asks him accusingly. She looks him up and down. "Get over that whore. She hates you and has completely moved on. She'll never return to you."

"Stop rubbing it in my face!" he yells at Barb while raising his fists. She strikes a match, lights a candle, and waves it threateningly towards him. The flame quivers. "I love you, only you. Barb, you know that slut was just a piece of ass to me." He takes a few steps towards her and blows out the candle. "It's just...I can't end her or her family because then my entertainment as they suffer would stop and I'd have a murder charge on top of domestic violence. Don't you wanna see me happy and not end up in prison again?"

She nods. "Definitely."

"Then stop fucking pressuring me!" he hollers.

"Fine, I will!" she snaps. "I did have a gruesome death planned for each of those little brats she birthed, but you can carry it out...it would make her scream in agony and wail like a baby that won't shut the fuck up...I thought you'd want to watch her do that and hear her in pain! I loved imagining Debbie pleading for help in the car as it drove into the lake and she drowned...oh, that was the stuff of my fantasies! I don't think our parents were as enjoyable."

"I enjoyed watching pure terror cross over Gloria's face and listening to her shriek and beg me for mercy...her brats just annoyed me. I only took care of them so Gloria wouldn't leave me. It was working so wonderfully until those stupid cunts called the police! If I could get my hands around their necks..." Arturo clenches his hands around an invisible object and acts like he's choking someone while snarling. It makes Barb swoon. As she looks into his eyes, she sees her fury reflected in them. Her lips curve into a smile when she is reminded once again, that he carries his hatred with the same pride she does. She'd never met a man as wicked as herself. "Of course, since they're part of your band, I won't do anything-"

"You can hurt them, too. I don't give a shit...those two are disposable. They don't seem very loyal to me, and you got a criminal record 'cause of 'em! I think Runt One and Two deserve much worse, only 'cause I hate children under thirteen...especially their laughter, ugh! It's not fair that I was always the one who had to grin and bear it with Debbie, and Carol got to freak out and act crazy. It's my turn now!" Barb declares strongly and pumps her fists in the air wildly. "I'll babysit them...Gloria will trust me, since she's so damn naivë. I'll dress up as Chuckee Cheese and pretend to be Benny's hero, but then I'll suffocate him in the ball pit at a private gym I'll take them to, and I'll stomp on him until every ball turns red, and as for Julio, he's a wimp around the character, so I'll chase him until he passes out, and then I'll swing him into the wall until he's a black and blue and bleeding mess!" Barb is growing more and more excited as she speaks of murder. She loves being high on heroin. It makes her think better, and she cracks up wildly. "Gloria would see them both motherfucking dead!" She throws a chair against the door and the sound of metal against wood is so loud that she feels extremely powerful.

"You're a sicko, but I like it," he tells her while licking his lips. "However, all of that won't be necessary."

She pouts. "Why you wanna ruin my fun?"

"You just got outta the big house for parricide," he points out. "You hadn't been free for maybe twenty years. I don't want you to risk being back behind bars for two counts of child homicide. I can't lose you, baby...they could keep you in there forever!" Barb groans, but she's glad her boyfriend is looking out for her. "I'm just gonna make their lunches gross so their teachers will think Gloria fucked up and sent them to school with bad food! That'll get CPS on her fat ass, and the brats go starving. You see? It's not lethal, but feeling the hunger pains, feeling the panic when you think you're in trouble with authorities...it would make you wish you were dead so you wouldn't be able to feel any of it!" He guffaws, and she grins. "I'll kidnap Gloria later and make her brats worried sick about her. When's Mommy coming back?" he asks in a feigned little boy voice, and she pretends to whimper, but then breaks off cackling with glee. "Never," he mutters gruffly, and she snickers.

"I advise you to spread the stalking out so the police think you've stopped for a while, until you strike again!" she recommends.

"Good suggestion, thank you! I'll make a compromise with you, though, I'll put a bullet through Fahri's skull. He's trying to worm his way into that family and take over my spot as the boys' father figure. He makes me so angry!"

Barb gasps as she thinks of the people who Fahri is involved with. "No, he's part of a drug cartel...I don't want you to get hurt, he could be stronger than he looks. Also, they wouldnt want to lose a member of the cartel. It's a pain finding another person. Don't cause trouble for them!"

"Yeah, you're right." She stares at him and a lustful feeling grows inside of her. "What?" he asks.

"It turns me on when you yell and use your strong hands on me."

"Bring out the hot Milky Way, my precious angel. I want it slathered all over my dick." He kisses the Star of David tattoo on her right wrist.

"Mm-hm," she says through a moan as they hug and start making out. "I need some sadomachism right about now."

"Ugh, gross," Carol grumbles as she passes them and goes to her room.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, VeraRose19, Johanna002, and A Star in My Universe!