An ambulance siren wails in the distance and a cop car's alternating blue and red lights flash in the darkening sky as uniformed officers patrol the cemetery where Piper lays six feet underground. A caution tape prevents anyone from approaching the scene of the accident that left one person dead and another seriously injured. Shani is screaming and sobbing as Red holds and comforts her, murmuring soothing words to the girl as best she can, but the truth is, she doesn't know what's going on either, and she's about to break down herself. Beside them, Poussey and Franziska are also emotionally distraught, seeking solace in one another's arms.
An Asian policewoman is attempting to speak to Alex a short ways away to find out some information about the casualty and the wounded victim, but it appears that Alex can't get her words out to answer the lady's questions. She sounds like she's going to burst out crying at any moment. Red doesn't blame her; she's also unable to talk and close to tears.
Meanwhile, smoke rises from the trees and paints white swirls around the chilly black canvas above Karla, Diablo, Leon, Fahri, Hassan, and Vinnie. They follow Charles and his partner Donna, who are using flashlights to guide their way through the woods. Everyone is in a frenzy as they run closer to the source. An alarm keeps going off and Karla is well aware there's a fire. She and Diablo exchange a panicked look with each other, and then the rest of the boys and men.
They could be here somewhere, just waiting for someone to save them.
Nobody wants to think about the other option.
"Come out with your hands up!" Charles yells. He and Donna take their weapons out of their duty belts when a rustling sound is heard.
A terrified shriek rings through Daya's neighborhood. Then another, and a third. Adarsh pedals faster on his bike to her apartment complex where it's the loudest. He's so worried about her safety and her family's. He doesn't know what's happening, but he's afraid the stalker might be torturing them, so he frantically calls nine-one-one. When an operator finally picks up, he explains that someone is attacking his friend and her family. He lifts his hand to the door and then knocks on it, but the gunshot that comes after is so loud that it probably shatters his eardrums, along with his heart.
There are about fifteen of them. Three for each innocent life in this place?
TWO DAYS EARLIER
When she's back at school on Monday, Blanca notices an alarming presence as she's auditioning to be in choir. She's shocked and her insides freeze up. Maria can sing annoyingly well, and Blanca remembers this, but she wishes Maria was never allowed to attend the school again. She voices this to the girls when she joins up with them in the courtyard.
"Then, I just rolled my eyes and left the room," Blanca finishes her tale.
"Ugh, she sucks!" Flaca mutters.
"I tried to stand up to her for you in the bathroom, but she just laughed and threatened me while clenching her dumb fists," Maritza grumbles. "I stood my ground under her hard gaze. She told me to leave quickly and I just grabbed my makeup bag and trudged off."
"Stupid bitch, but gracias for trying, babe."
"No prob!"
"What else can we do, right?" Daya asks rhetorically.
Blanca sighs defeatedly. "Besides ignore her, nothing, really."
Karla rubs her back soothingly. "Lo siento," she murmurs, a sympathetic tone to her voice.
Blanca smiles at her appreciatively. "Gracias."
"De nada."
"Yeah, sometimes, you just gotta be the bigger person…like my mom worked at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and served dinner to the homeless at a shelter, and she saw Lee there…she didn't want to give any food to that creep, but she did, to not stoop down to his level," Alex says. "Speaking of which, and to get off this depressing topic of the bitch Maria, how was everyone's holiday this past Thursday?"
"It was good!" Flaca responds. "My mamí was trying to keep it together while everyone gathered for the big meal. It was me, her, Maritza, her mom, Juliana's boyfriend Ray, my Tía Mariana, and my baby cousin, you know, the one who got worms. He's fine now, but anyway…yeah, it went pretty well!"
"Yeah, it was great getting to know some of Flaca's extended family members…and my mom's boyfriend is also Nicky's Uncle Ray, so he just spent half the time with us, like the chatting and cuddling with my mamí before la cena part, and for the rest of the night, he visited Nicky, Red, and them! So, if he and Mamí get married someday, Nicky, we could totally be cousins!" Maritza squeals.
the dinner
"Oh, I know, awesome!" Nicky comments and hi-fives the short Latina. "So…ours at Red's place was fun!" She puts her arm around Shani's waist and her taller girlfriend gives her a side hug. Nicky gestures between them and Lorna.
"Mm-hm, it was enjoyable meeting Red's sons and Tricia. What a wild bunch those boys are, huh?" Off Shani's remark, Nicky and Lorna nod in unison while smirking. "They were teaching us a lot of Russian swears!"
"Yeah, and Red and Lida kept smacking the backs of their heads, it was hilarious!" Lorna recounts, and the group of friends snicker in unison. "I went with my sister Franny and Vasily's girlfriend Lida, and Vinnie got to come along with us! He admitted that he missed me."
"Aww!" everyone murmurs in unison while beaming.
"Tricia and Mercy are such a cute couple, same with Nicky and Shani; Lida and Vasily; and Red and Pavel. Also, Maxsim kept flirting with Franny! I could tell she liked him, too. It was like a group date!" Lorna continues.
"Aw, that's great!" Alison comments. "What about Yuri, wasn't Sparkle Tits there?"
They all crack up at Nicky's nickname for his dumb wife. "Oh my god, that's too funny!" Karla exclaims. Nicky has told her and Shani about this lame woman.
"Yeah…idiot doesn't even let her husband see his kids on Thanksgiving, what kinda shit is that?" Nicky rolls her eyes. "She brought them and their guinea pig to visit her dumbass relatives in Sheepshead Bay and poor Red didn't get to see her grandchildren."
"Hopefully they will when they're older and can stand up for themselves!" Shani pipes up.
"Yeah…" Nicky fiddles with her gold St. Joseph's necklace. "At least Yuri had my uncle Ray to keep him company. Also, football and wine…but that's for everyone."
"I agree! Oooh, wait...how old is Yuri?" Maritza asks.
"Twenty-eight, I think he said," Nicky responds. "Why?"
"Let's set him up with my mom, if he likes older women…" Flaca ponders.
"That would be so sweet! Anyway...all of the guests loved the pumpkin pie I helped the older girls make!" Lorna chirps.
"Totally fantastic!" Poussey tells her.
"Yeah, sounds like y'all had a blast!" Taystee grins. "So did I, at Miss Claudette's with her, Baptiste, and Odette, the other girl she's taken in!"
Blanca puts her hair up into a messy bun and lets strands hang down on either side of her face. "That's wonderful!"
"Isn't it? Of course, you people know I hung out with my fam-bam!" Poussey announces. "My parents even invited Diane, Alex, and Charles, since Diane was friends with 'em in high school!"
Alex nods in confirmation. "It's true!"
"I was with Gloria, Fahri, my mom, their little ones, Adarsh, and Leon for Thanksgiving," Daya supplies. "It was nice!"
"So was mine!" Blanca throws her arm around Karla's shoulders. "The two of us chicas spent Día de Gracias con mi novio, Weevil, y mi mamá."
Thanksgiving Day
"Awesome!" Nicky tells her.
"It was!" Karla beams at Blanca, who is much happier now. Their conversation had made her feel better about seeing her ex-best friend for the first time in months.
As she passes the principal's office on her way to the cafeteria, Gloria scowls when she sees a hateful familiar face. "I can't believe they let you back here. The girls seen you yet?"
"Yeah, but they ignored me. Blanca even has a new best friend. She and Diablo are still together. Fuck true love." Maria scoffs. "You know while I was stuck in that mental hospital, Yadriel found himself a brand new Maria?"
"Serves you right! Good for her, Karla is a better person than you by a landslide! Yadriel probably couldn't stand your betraying ass."
"Fuck you!" Maria spits out.
They glare at each other, and then Hellman storms up to them. "Were either of you looking for me?" A shock vibrates through Gloria; he's supposed to be locked up. She's too frightened to yell for help.
Maria nods and raises her hand. "I was, and this cunt-ass whore started bothering me-"
"Come in, both of you!" he demands and practically pushes them through his office door. "I don't like drama at my school." He points at Gloria. "I know you're the cafeteria worker, and you shouldn't be arguing with pint-sized students-"
"Hey!" Maria protests.
Gloria folds her arms and presses her lips together tightly, trying not to snicker at her. "Shut up!" Hellman pokes at the girl's shoulder, and she jumps back, surprised. "You can't disrespect adults like that." He waves over another idiot staff member whom Gloria knows as Mr. Garza. "I want you both to share a hot lesbian kiss to show us that you can get along and behave like mature adults!"
Maria pales. "Ew, nah, that's creepy, man!"
Gloria starts to feel queasy at the mere prospect of touching a child inappropriately, even if it's someone as shitty as Maria. "She's a minor! I-I could go to prison for that!"
Hellman scoffs, his sinister smile growing wider. "See if I care!" He shoves Gloria towards Maria. She almost stumbles but catches herself. His eyes appear darker and eerier the longer she looks at him. She shivers and has to glance away.
"Is there something else I can do to get out of this?" she practically begs him. She keeps her gaze on the carpeted floor. "You ain't even the principal no more, Ms. Figueroa is now..."
"I don't see her, do you? We gotta make this quick, she's in a meeting for another half hour. Linda was nice enough to give us the keys." Mr. Garza scratches the back of his neck. "I dunno, Hellman, would alternating blowjobs count as a good enough punishment?"
The sick former principal shrugs. "Sure." He turns his attention to them. "You both can suck me off and while one is doing it, the other has to watch." He chuckles evilly. "Go!" he commands them when nobody moves right away.
Gloria jumps and quickly gets down to her knees as Mr. Garza locks the door. Hellman licks his lips as he unzips his pants. He's so disgusting and when both she and Maria finish, she's shaking, hot and cold at the same time.
They quickly make a run for it, amid the stares they're getting from other staff members and pupils. They throw up in separate toilet stalls inside the girls' bathroom. The women's is too far for Gloria. She wouldn't have been able to get there in time without puking in a garbage can in front of everyone. She's just relieved that nobody she's well acquainted with had seen her.
She'd sacrificed her own dignity so she wouldn't have to directly traumatize Maria, but that just means she has a heart. She still hasn't forgiven Maria for all that she'd done.
"You'd be prettier if you smiled, Ms. Diaz," Professor Blake comments, and Aleida scowls while giving him the finger. The younger African American man beside her grins at her encouragingly. "You remind me of one of my friends, Artesian, who always has a resting bitch face, at least that's what Lee always says!"
Aleida is about to snap back at him, but the guy stands up and points at their stupid professor. "You remind me of some idiot who never graduated middle school!"
She snickers and the class laughs hysterically. "Ohhh, burn!" she hollers. "My rapist told me what you just said to me too, and my boyfriend punched his ass out, would you like the same treatment?"
"That's enough, you two, you're done for the night!"
"Okay, we'll leave and then tell the dean why you kicked us out," Aleida's classmate threatens Professor Blake.
"He takes that sorta talk from professors real serious," Aleida chimes in.
"Alright, whatever, forget it, then. I was only giving you advice."
"It wasn't necessary," Aleida mutters.
When class is over, she gets to know the name of the only male in the room who had stood up for her and that he has quite a story attached to him. She can't get over how alike they are, in that they were both involved with heroin and working to get clean and study for their GEDs.
"I once dated a woman twice my age, she was fifty," RJ informs her.
Aleida wrinkles her nose. "Oh, gross! I only done eight years older…"
He touches his binder to hers and they smile at each other. "To being grave robbers."
"Wow...I can't believe you're really the same dude who shot hoops with my man when you was a kid and he was like your mentor. He's gonna be real glad you're actually alive! We should go on a double date with our partners."
"Okay, but I don't think you'll like my girlfriend. Uh...I know that you're Cesar's other woman because I'm seeing Margarita," RJ admits.
Aleida raises her eyebrow in disbelief and folds her arms firmly across her chest. "What the fuck? I was his main course, not her! We ain't even together anymore, but get yo' facts straight!"
"Yeah, that's right...he did call her a side of bacon, which I found quite rude...I think she's actually pretty great."
"She cheated on him with you! What makes you think she wouldn't go for another entree in a few months?" Aleida sighs heavily. "I mean, I shouldn't talk, I'm fuckin' someone else, too...he in jail for a decade, and a girl's gotta get some and move on, we can't be stuck in loneliness, it's just that I hate her. Maybe you could go hang with Leon with guy time and a reunion."
"It might mean a lot to him if we all hang out together. Besides, I think that without Cesar, you and Margarita could be homegirls."
"If that's the case, I'll do it for him. I already got a homegirl, two in fact, and I don't need more."
"Okay, cool."
"Now girls, I cannot fit more than two in that bed, and since I am going to adopt you both very soon, I ordered a queen bed for you to share."
Nicky gasps in excitement, her heart warms, and tears come to her eyes as she and Red hug each other. "Well, we're really homeless this time, so you have to take us in now! There's nobody else!"
"It's a process I have to go through. I've been working on it since you were living at Vee's shack and wanted to surprise you with the news. However, you can continue crashing here anytime you want or at various friends' houses."
"You mean...you wanted us all along?" Tricia asks doubtfully. "No way...Red, you didn't even know me two months ago. I understand that you've felt motherly towards Nicky for the past twelve years and never forgot her, but me?"
Red places her hand on top of Tricia's head and runs her fingers through the preteen's blonde hair. She cups Tricia's chin and strokes her cheek with her thumb fondly. "Honey...I've grown close with you as well as Nicky, don't you think? Besides that, you and her are sisters...I would never destroy the bond you two have by separating you from her."
"Oh...okay!"
"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Ma," Nicky says gratefully.
"Yeah, thanks," Tricia echoes shyly.
"If one of you want to sleep with me, you may, but you don't have to. Until I receive the bed, someone will have to use an air mattress, like Tricia did on Saturday," Red tells them.
"I'll stay over at Mercy's to make sleeping arrangements easier," Tricia offers. "She already said she wouldn't mind, and her ma adores me."
"I could take any of my friends' couches, too, I have many times before, and their moms are cool with it," Nicky adds. "You deserve to have your own bed and not always the sofa, Red! Your back must be killing you every time we're here for the night. You were kinda forced into it because of that fuckin' bigot who calls himself Lorna's dad, but she isn't living here anymore."
"I can handle some discomfort...it's better than thinking of you out on the cold streets." Red kisses Nicky's temple. "You're my babies, and a mamochka always puts her children first."
Nicky grins at how Red is the polar opposite of Marka and Tricia's mom. "I know, but still...being on a couch when you have a bad back will only make it worse. So buying the queen bed for us was a good plan!"
"You're hella smart, Ma," Tricia compliments Red.
She beams proudly. "Thanks!"
"What's up, Supercunt? I see you're alone, did all your friends leave you?" Polly corners Alex in the hallway on Tuesday and laughs. Upon seeing Charles about to pass them, Alex just pushes her aside and quickly flips the bitch off. She hopes that her mother's boyfriend did not just see her getting bullied or giving one of her fellow students the middle finger.
"Hey!" Charles gets in Polly's face as Alex turns around, hoping that one of her tormentors is about to be arrested for some reason she doesn't know about. "Don't you ever call Alex that again! She's the closest thing I've ever had to a daughter. Is that clear, young lady?" he reprimands her while shaking his finger at her. Alex gasps in pleasant surprise and has to keep herself from giggling out loud.
"Yeah, sure," she says nonchalantly while trying to leave, but he keeps standing in front of her. She's looking every which way, probably humiliated at being caught, but Alex loves it. He's getting more fatherly by the minute.
"I mean it!" His voice is stern and he narrows his eyes at her. "Back off."
"Okay." An annoyed expression crosses her ugly face. "Jesus."
Charles grits his teeth. "Get to class."
She scurries away, and Alex can't stop beaming. "Charles, hi...I so appreciate you for sticking up for me...but can you please just keep it between us?"
"Of course, but if she continues, let me and your mom know, okay? You can come to either of us anytime."
"I will. Um, you didn't even have to do that, though since I've been bullied before and I don't let it bother me."
"I'd stand up for anyone I care about, and that includes you!"
Alex smiles. "Thank you!"
"No problem, Al."
She heads off to Biology in high spirits at first, but then she remembers Jessica Wedge is in there with her and she's Polly's sister. They, along with their band of bitches, always talk about her behind her back, she knows that, and she tries not to let it get her down. Whenever she walks by the two of them, they point at her and start guffawing, and she and her group always tell them to fuck off. Still, though, there are some moments where it really does make her feel low and she's pulled back to the fifth grade, where she had absolutely nobody on her side except for her mom.
She takes herself home on the bus, insisting that she wants to be alone, and then she sits on the couch, drapes a blanket over herself, sets her glasses on the coffee table, and curls up with her eyes closed. She wakes up from her short nap when she hears the door click open. Sliding her glasses back onto her face, she sees that Charles is entering the living room.
"Hey...what's wrong?" he wonders aloud.
"Don't tell my mom...but it was a bad day for me. I don't want her to know I'm being picked on again by the same girl who tormented me five years ago." Alex scoots over to make room for him to sit next to her. "My girls said to ignore Jessica, Polly, and their followers...and I know I should, but sometimes, it's just so hard." She sighs tiredly and massages her temples. "I don't know why it bothers me so much. I mean...besides you and my mom, now I have real friends who are there for me, and it's not like I'm a loner."
"That's true...but it's quite difficult to actually forget being harassed. I know the feeling...I was bullied too, back in high school."
Alex frowns. "You were? How come? You're a cool guy and so kind! Those are a few reasons why my mom fell for ya."
He nods. "Well, kids can be hella nasty! They made fun of my weight and they also hated me because of my race. Bigots would frequently use the N-word toward me. They'd greet me that way. Or...hey, monkey-face, how ya doin'," he mutters bitterly.
"That's awful. I'm sorry." She's filled with sympathy for him. "Hope you arrested a bunch of 'em when you got on the police force!"
Charles grins. "I probably did, but I can't remember all their names. The point I'm trying to make is...you just gotta think, if they got a problem with someone as terrific as you, they're the ones in the wrong, and they will never be even half as smart or as much of a good human being as you are. What they say is more of a reflection of them, rather than you."
Alex beams. "That made me feel a lot better."
"Fantastic! I was hoping it would!"
She holds her hands together between her knees and leans forward. "Hey...um, I just wanted to say that it's great that you're in my mother's life, and mine, too, really, since I've never had a dad I could count on before...but if you ever wanna leave, please don't go without saying anything."
"I know, and I won't. I'm a man of my word," he tells her sincerely. "Also...I'm not planning on exiting from y'all's lives anytime soon. So you don't need to worry about me disappearing or nothin' like that. You and your mom are special to me."
"Good! I'm glad."
At Lourdes' group therapy meeting that afternoon, Gloria places her chin between her knees as she hugs them to her chest while she talks about the horrifying ordeal she went through with Hellman forcing her to give him a blowjob and then having to watch Maria do the same thing. "Even if he was carted off to prison, gracias a Dios, I'm afraid to be home alone by myself, even when I have my kids with me. So...tonight, I'm having Fahri over." She sniffles and brushes tears out of her eyes. The others look equally upset, even close to crying. "With his foster daughter, too, of course."
Thank God
"Oh, lo siento, Gloria," Blanca murmurs, and she, Diablo, Karla, Aleida, Daya, Flaca, Maritza, Nicky, and Shani take turns giving Gloria supportive hugs. "It's fabulous that you're gonna invite him and Michaela to be with you and your boys."
"Gracias...yeah, it'll make me feel a lot safer. Pero on the bright side, Hellman finally got arrested...again! Hopefully, he stays there this time."
"That's awesome! Yeah, I know, me too," Flaca murmurs, and the rest of them agree.
Then, Blanca talks about her experience, when Kubra was such a creep. Diablo has come with her to this for support. Everyone knows the basics of what Kubra did, but Blanca explains it in such full, vivid detail, that it crushes Gloria's heart and makes her feel squeamish inside. "Wow, he was a monster, nena...I'm real sorry you had to deal with that!" Gloria apologizes, squeezing Blanca's hand in solidarity.
"I pray he never rears his feo head again," Lourdes mutters.
"Me neither, or I'll help Flaca crack his skull and kill him this time," Maritza says darkly.
"Count me in on that!" Diablo murmurs. Blanca grins at him and rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hand that he's holding.
"Same here, and if I ever see Hellman, I'll get him in the balls!" Aleida declares.
"I feel like shooting both of 'em in their dicks," Daya tells everyone.
"I really hope they're getting shivved behind bars." Karla smirks. "Child predators, rapists, and abusers are treated the worst there, and I'm not complaining!" They all cackle and high-five each other.
"Does anyone have good news to share?" Lourdes wants to know.
"Tricia and I are being adopted by Red!" Nicky announces.
The girls and ladies clap and cheer for Nicky as they warmly embrace her.
"Even though I suffered through female genital mutilation, Nicky is so gentle with me," Shani states positively. Everyone beams at this.
"My sixteenth birthday is this upcoming weekend!" Daya says happily.
"I'm gonna see mi Diablo play the drums for his band tonight!" Blanca chimes in excitedly.
Diablo strokes her hair, runs his knuckles down her cheek, and gazes lovingly into her eyes. "Can't wait to have you there, mi amor."
"I'm looking forward to Fahri comin' over with Michaela and having kind of a family night! Even though we ain't a couple, it'll feel like that," Gloria adds.
"I'm finally going to grief counseling for my parents' death, and it seems to be helping," Diablo says. The women and girls offer him their condolences. "¡Gracias!"
"De nada," they respond.
"Yaaaay!" Flaca and Maritza shout at the same time, starting a round of applause. The others join in.
"I finished my painting!" Julio bursts out randomly, toddling over to Gloria and climbing into her lap. He shows her a picture of a yellow sun in the middle of a cloudy blue sky. "Do you like it, Mommy?"
"Aw, I love it, buddy!" Gloria kisses his temple and ruffles his hair. "Great job!"
"Whoo-hoo!" Everyone chuckles at him because he's so adorable. He springs out of her arms and runs to another area of Lourdes' home.
Then, Benny skips in out of the blue, singing. "I want my eggs on sunny-side-up to-day, to-day, I want my eggs on sunny-side-up to-day, to-day, I want my eggs on sunny-side up, I just love 'em sunny-side up, and I want my eggs on sunny-side-up to-day, to-day, hey hey!"
They laugh at his cuteness, and he stands in front of Gloria, his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess somebody is thinkin' about breakfast for dinner! That's okay with me, you want 'em on pancakes or toast?"
He taps his chin, gazing up at the ceiling in thought. "Can I have them on pancakes tomorrow morning? I just liked how my song sounded!"
"Okay, squirt, you got it!" Gloria tells him. He gives her a hug and she quickly returns it while pecking his cheek. When he races off, whooping wildly, Lourdes ends the session.
"Alright, now I want all of you to recite this after each and every time we meet for group therapy. Repeat after me. I am sincere and so full of love, and no one can ever take that away from me!"
They echo Lourdes in unison while smiling.
Diablo cups Blanca's face in his hands and kisses her gently. "I'll pick you up after your shift, okay, querida?"
"Lourdes is gonna take me there so you can set up without distractions, baby. Don't worry, I'll make it on time. Besides, she's taking Alison home and the concert is on her way."
"Alright, I'll catch ya later!" They hug each other and nuzzle noses. Gloria's heart melts at how cute they are together.
"¡Adiós!" Blanca waves at him when he leaves and he returns the gesture.
Polly smirks as she comes up to the counter at Friendly's. "I know why you're so embarrassed, Diane, your daughter is Supercunt! It's accurate, too, because you gave birth to her and I've heard you were a stripper and a prostitute in the olden days."
"I know it's not hormones that are making you speak this way to me, since when I was pregnant, I wasn't a total bitch! You say one more rude thing to or about Alex and I, then there will be consequences!" Diane threatens her.
"Like what? You're not my teacher, you can't even give me a detention! You wouldn't slap me or anything, otherwise you'd be charged for assault against a minor, and this is a Friendly's, not Martin Van Buren High. The customer's always right!" Polly scoffs. "What are you gonna do, rat me out to your cop boyfriend? He has more pressing things to worry about, such as who the fuck killed my best friend!"
Diane rolls her eyes, knowing that Polly is just trying to gain her sympathy. "My boyfriend cares about me and Alex a great deal, and if he were to find out you were bullying us, he would have a serious talk with you and your parents! It's unbelievable how much you think you can get away with by coming in here and being so disrespectful!"
"Whatever," Polly says snottily just before she leaves the restaurant.
"Sylvie?" Nicky asks. "I haven't heard about her in a long while."
"Yeah," Alex murmurs as she folds clothes and holds the phone between her shoulder and her ear. "Wouldn't you know it, she was Aydin's younger sister! I'm gonna meet her whole family tonight at the Williamsburg Hotel, I guess. The funeral is tomorrow. He's gonna take me to her parents' house since he knows where I live, but they don't."
"That's near First Calvary Cemetary in Brooklyn?"
"Correct-a-mundo!"
"Well, be careful. He's part of the same drug cartel as Kubra," Nicky warns her. "Did you tell your mom and Charles where you were going?"
"Of course, and they're cool with it." Alex scoffs. It's a good thing nobody knows that Aydin is over eighteen, or she'd never hear the end of it from her friend or her mother and Charles. "Like he'd talk about that kinda shit around Sylvie's ultra-conservative parents. Also, he, his cousin Haluk, and I went out drinking together one night while Fahri picked up Missy from the airport. We had a lot of fun! Don't worry, though, as I told you and our other peeps, I learned a lot from Charles' Scared Straight thing...female criminals have it hard in prison...plus, I don't wanna disappoint anyone I love, so I'm not into the dealing business anymore."
"Mm, okay. I suppose it's just Poussey, me, and our girls tonight!"
Alex zippers her packed suitcase. "Have a great time!"
"Thanks, I will. You too!"
"Bye!"
"See ya!" They hang up and then the doorbell chimes downstairs.
"Right on time," Alex says to herself. She still doesn't have a clue as to why Michelle isn't texting her back, but Alex assumes that she doesn't want to come with her for support. Then again, Aydin is a good enough pal for her to lean on. She can separate who he is as a person from what he does for a job.
"So, this is Andrea," Adeola introduces her pet rat as she runs her finger along its fur. She puts it back into a cardboard box with three smaller rats. "These are her children, Nutella, Briar, and Julius, also known as the leftovers...because she ate her two other babies." Her best friend, Araceli Trejas, smirks as she rests her elbow on Adeola's shoulder.
"Ew," Daya mutters.
"Yeah, Lorna thought it was disgusting at first too, but that's just how rodents are, I guess. They're also extremely intelligent, that's why labs like to run tests on 'em so much. They bite hard, as well."
"Enough to draw blood?" Taystee wants to know.
Adeola nods. "Of course, but don't worry, they won't hurt any of us or your siblings, Daya. They're trained!"
Daya's gaze moves from the rats to the machete hanging on her new friend's door. "You got a great set of weapons here. I'm glad you live in my complex! You own an axe, too?"
"My pops is a junkie, so he's not always home...he lets me keep what I need to protect myself in my room, just in case some gangbanger thug decides to storm in here lookin' for him."
"Cool!" Daya exclaims.
"You know what's weird, Daya, is that my mom calls my younger sister Amelia by my name sometimes. Amelia was wandering around at night when she saw some stranger lurking in the bushes near Diablo's apartment where Blanca was once, and then that savage beast killed my baby sis, Sara." Araceli informs her. Daya is instantly reminded of the time when Amelia had warned Blanca of someone out to get her and then Christina announcing that her and Daya's family stalker murdered some girl outside the kids' bedroom window.
"I'm so sorry," Daya apologizes.
"Poor little Sara," Christina chimes in. She's in a corner of the room playing trucks with Emiliano.
"Aaagh!" everyone except Araceli shouts as a cockroach scuttles through a crack in the wall with a cigarette on its back.
"Pussies," Araceli mutters. "Aw, come here, buddy!" It settles itself on Araceli's palm and she gazes down at it fondly as she picks up the cigarette.
"What is that?" Daya asks, a little freaked out. "There are kids here!"
"This is Yoda! I was in juvie for these..." Araceli points to her forearm, which has ten teardrop tattoos. "A cool chick named Joyce was in there with me, and we taught bugs like him that trick, bringing in smokes. He don't know niños are present, though!" She shoves the cigarette in her sweatshirt pocket.
Daya hums in understanding and she, Adeola, and Taystee grin. "Shall we watch a Terry Gilliam film?" Adeola wonders aloud. "A child-friendly one, of course!"
"Sure!" the others say in unison.
"Leon, my dude!" RJ greets him with a friendly smile. Margarita waves at him as she passes her boyfriend and Leon returns the gesture.
He's so happy to see his younger friend all grown up now. "Hey, brotha, how ya doin'?" They exchange a hug and clap each other on the back while chuckling. "Oh, wow, it's been years! I thought you were a dead man!"
"Well, to Vee, I am, but I heard she's gone forever." RJ rubs his hands together and grins. "I know she wanted me murdered. I'm pretty good, though, life's been like a roller coaster, many ups and downs...I'm enjoying the ride where I'm at right now, just happy to be on this earth, ya know, especially since I've gotten to know Margarita. The cop who shot me...he probably won't recognize me at all, racists are like that with us black guys."
"Yeah."
"You think our ladies are gonna be civil or rip each other's heads off?" RJ asks quietly.
"Don't be nervous, homeboy, my woman's cool with her for my sake," Leon assures him.
Margarita awkwardly stands near Aleida. "I can't believe you met mi novio in college. Aleida Diaz, getting an education and dumpin' Cesar...never thought I'd see the day!"
Aleida chuckles wryly and folds her arms across her chest. "I bet you didn't...but livin' with Gloria and Leon has been a life-changing experience. I should thank my daughter, too, she sold his motherfucker ass out."
Margarita's jaw drops. "Bold move."
"I know...stupid, however, courageous...but she was protecting Gloria. He and his buddies are in prison, so there ain't nada to worry about...but we sent her and the little ones to a friend's, because we don't want 'em home alone. Safety measures, ya know."
"Mm-hm."
A horn honks from outside. "Yo, that's Diane, babe!" Aleida walks toward Leon and Margarita goes to her own boyfriend. Each of the couples hold hands and head out the door to meet Diane and Charles for their triple date to a heavy metal concert.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, raymedian, Johanna002, VeraRose19, Juliette45, and MsSchneeheide (who I showed parts of the story to, about Flaritza, Blanciablo, and Gloria/Fahri because she's a fan of those pairings!)
This is the beginning of the end, people! The final storyline was longer than I expected, so this tale will be wrapped up in chapter 85...but don't worry, I've already got a few chapters typed out, so prepare for weekly updates for at least the rest of this month :)
