Gaia and Ashtray were hanging out with each other at an ice cream/bakery. Gaia had promised to take Ashtray if he had gotten C+ and over on his midterms, which he did.
" What are you going to get, Ash?" Gaia asked the boy.
" The baked oreo cookies cheesecake, the red velvet cupcakes, the chocolate fudge brownies, and the strawberry ice cream," Ashtray said excitedly. Gaia has been hyping up this place since she found it earlier this year.
"Dang leave some for next time," Gaia chuckled.
"Shut up. What are you getting?" Ashtray hit back.
Gaia scanned the display, picking which ones she wanted to try" well, I wanted a cinnamon roll, strawberry cheesecake, and a fudge brownie."
" mmmm, a cinnamon roll sounds good, too," Ashtray groaned, thinking about how it would taste. Gaia smiled at how much Ashtray was a regular kid.
They got their sweets and sat down at a table. Ashtray started to eat his food, trying a bit of everything. Gaia focuses on her cheesecake first.
" So why haven't you been over to the house lately?" Ashtray asked in between bites.
" Me and Fez had an argument, and I've been trying to figure out what to do," she answered truthfully.
"Y'all breaking up?" Ash asked. He let the concern in his voice slip through the cracks. Ashtray really loved the dynamics between Gaia, Fezco, and him. It was like he had a family he's always longed for. He didnt want to lose Gaia in any kind of way.
" No! Well, not on my part" Gaia played with her fingers, feeling anxiety about how unsure of Fez's feelings she was at this time. Maybe he wanted to break up; who knows.
"Well, I talked to Fez, and he don't want that either." Ash had heard a brief synopsis of the fight and shared Fez's concern about Gaia.
Gaia is always the one protecting others and stressing herself out about others.
" I was planning on coming over later to talk to him," Gaia stated.
"Good. I'm tired of seeing his ass all sad and shit" Ashtray rolled his eyes.
" stop being mean!" Gaia laughed.
"Never," Ashtray said.
Ashtray ordered a cinnamon roll, making Gaia roll her eyes and chuckle. They left the store and hopped into her car.
"So, did you enjoy it?" Gaia asked as she looked at him and the road.
"Yeah, it was good, but I like yours better," Ashtray shrugged.
"wait, what do you mean? That's like a professional shop?" Gaia looked confused. Now Gaia knew her food was pretty good. However, she was shocked at the boy's response.
Ashtray was nibbling on his other treats " I don't know. It was good. But it didn't make me feel the warm tingling feeling I get eating your sweets. Something was missing."
Gaia drove and thought about what he could be talking about until it hit her " do you mean love?"
Ashtray scrunched up his face in confusion " love? The fuck you talking about? "
" Yes, love! Maybe you like my food because you know I make it with love" Gaia smiled.
" Eww! What kind of emotional shit is that" Ashtray spat out in disgust.
" Okay, Ash, you can keep denying it, but it's true," Gaia smirked. She knew she was on to something when Ashtray got defensive immediately. She would usually tease Ashtray more she decided to let him live.
Ashtray was on his phone, texting some friends. However, his mind was still thinking about what Gaia said and how she was right. The love she put into her stuff made it taste the best. Ashtray wouldn't probably admit this in front of everyone, but he really saw Gaia as the mom he never grew up with.
Gaia was sitting on the couch in the living room with her mom. They were having a movie night, spending time together.
Gaia had gotten closer to her since they had bonded over the photo album.
They were cackling at the movie Bridesmaids. Monique was high off the medical weed she said she was taking for her anxiety.
" Now she has to pay for the dress she shitted in," Monique wheezed out.
"I know; I would have been mad as hell," Gaia responded. Gaia watched the screen and laughed while Monique looked at her daughter with bittersweetness.
Gaia was focused on the tv, stuffing her face with popcorn and candy, when she heard her mom blurt out, " I'm sorry."
Gaia turned and looked at her, confused "sorry for what?"
Monique took her daughter's hand and held it"...for abandoning you after your dad and your sister died. I just...I just felt like I didn't know what to do or what you needed. I felt so overwhelmed, and I couldn't face you." She looked directly at Gaia, the most important person in her life.
There was a comfortable silence that took over the room. Gaia looked blankly ahead as Monique stared at her face. She waited a long time for her mom to acknowledge the hurt she had gone through all these years. Now that she had, she wasn't sure how she felt.
" The one thing I actually needed was you. I just needed my mom. I need the only family I had left" Gaia felt a rush of sadness overflowing inside her.
She made eye contact with her mom, and the dam finally broke. Tears flow down her face as she lets out all the emotions she had pint up since she was 11.
Monique pulled in Gaia, engulfing her in a long-overdue hug.
Gaia went to Fez's apartment to finally talk about everything. She was nervous about how their relationship would go after he found out all the shit she's been through.
Ashtray opened the door for Gaia, greeting her with a hug.
" Did you bring it?" Ashtray questioned her.
She gave him some food she had cooked earlier and mini pecan pies. Ashtray lit up at the sight of Gaia's home-cooked food, making her laugh.
" He's in Grandma's room," Ashtray told Gaia. He quickly scurried to the kitchen to warm up the food.
" Thanks, Ash," Gaia thanked. She took a big sigh before walking to Grandma's room.
Fez was middle of bathing his Grandma. He was sponging her body when he looked back at the door opening to see his recently distanced girlfriend walking into the room. Gaia nervously avoided eye contact with him, feeling guilt and embarrassment.
" Hey, Fez," Gaia smiled nervously.
" Sup, ma. You been good?" Fez asked. He hated how far apart they were physically and mentally. He missed the constant contact they had.
Gaia felt the same. Usually, she would have hugged or kissed him, but she didn't know how he would react with everything going on.
" Nah. I have just been feeling like shit since our fight." Gaia confessed. she was playing with her fingers out of nervousness.
" You wanna talk about what happened?" Fez looked back at Gaia, finally making eye contact with each other.
Gaia had never felt so nervous to talk in her life. She finally took a deep breath and said," I just wanted to say that Im sorry. I'm sorry for not communicating. I'm sorry for blowing up at you. Im sorry for being a burden."
Fez stood up, shaking his head in disagreement.
" Yo, you not a burden. You're my girl. Any problems you have, I wanna help you. I wanna be there for you. I love you."
"So you don't think this relationship is becoming too much?" Gaia asked. She had tears in the corner of her eyes, begging to be spilled.
" Nah GG. I'll always gotchu" Fez walked towards Gaia and grabbed her hand, breaking the noncontact between them. He interlocked their fingers, bringing their hands up to his lips. He peppered kisses all over their hands, making her feel a sense of relief she hadn't felt in a long time.
Gaia wrapped her hands around fez's neck, staring into his eyes. Their faces closely gravitated toward each other until their lips touched. They slowly kissed until it turned passionate. Both forgot all their problems, letting them melt away.
They eventually pulled apart after getting a text from Rue saying she was coming over. They agreed that she would talk after rue left. Fez continued to clean his Grandma now with help from Gaia, like usual.
" We still need to talk, ok?" Fez expressed. Gaia just nodded in agreement, still dreading the conversation.
A couple of minutes later, Rue came to the room, still clearly in a manic episode.
" Hey," The couple said in unison.
Rue frantically waved hi before pacing back and forth in the room.
Gaia looked at Fez with worry before asking, " You want some food or something to drink, Rue?"
Rue waved her hand dismissively before replying, "No substance for me right now, GG. I'm too focused."
Gaia looked back at fez, who shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"So you know how in every '90s thriller, right, Morgan Freeman plays, like, the same semi-psychic black cop." Rue rants
The couple nodded with apprehension.
"So, I know that's kind of racist, but the point is, in every movie, he's always calmly putting the fucking pieces of the case together, while everybody else around him is fucking freaking out, saying, "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Morgan. "You're... You're a fucking bad husband. You should fucking retire."" Rue continued.
Gaia and Fez were listening to their friend's rambling. Gaia had given Fez's Grandma a facial mask. Fez smiled at his girl as she brushed the mixture on her face. He loved how much care she put into her grandma, even if she didnt think it was a big deal.
" But no. Morgan is fucking hyper-focused. Because he can see beyond the little details. He's looking for the big fuckin' picture. Because all of this shit? It's connected. And it is way bigger than any of us can even fucking see. The point is, that's me. Right now, that is fucking me. I can see everything so fucking clearly. I know what happened, I know why it happened, and I know what the fuck I'm gonna do about it."
Gaia looked at her nervously. She hoped Rue would remember not to tell Fez about the Harvey situation. Gaia's face caught Fez's attention.
"Word." Fez nodded slowly.
"Word. She can't hear me, right?" Rue pointed at Fez's Grandma, shifting her eyes suspiciously between Gaia and Fez.
"She can't see you, either," Fez confirmed.
Rue breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good, 'cause this is, like, some real top-secret shit."
Fezco gave a deadpanned response, " Trust me, Rue, she not gonna gossip."
Gaia laughed at fez's dry response, making Rue look at her with twitching eyes.
"Okay. Do you still have that gun?" Rue asked fez.
Fez looked at Rue, confused. "What gun?"
"The one from the couch," Rue responded
"I mean, I got a couple guns." Fez shrugged
"Why do you have so many guns?" Rue questioned
"My Grandma," Fez replied.
"That's cool."
Rue turned her attention to Gaia" What about you? You still got the one you pulled on, Nate? "
Rue slammed her hand over her mouth in regret. For obvious reasons, Gaia swore Rue to secrecy that she would never talk about that story.
Fez looked at Gaia with shock " You pulled out a gun on playboi?"
Gaia shrugged her shoulders " Yeah. Not the best decision, but he kind of deserved it"
Rue scoffed and rolled her eyes" Yeah. Kind of"
Gaia gave Rue a look to signal to shut up while Rue was too distracted to read her expression.
Fez looked between the two, confused, but decided to move past it and asked, "What you worried about my guns for?"
"Okay, well, I was thinking... that maybe you could use one to scare Nate Jacobs."
"Rue, are you serious?" Gaia raised an eyebrow
"I mean, I'm not not serious," Rue explained. Gaia rolled her eyes.
Fez sighed and responded, "Rue, that must be the dumbest shit you've said all fucking day."
"You don't have to fucking point it at him. You could just... You could, like... You could flash it." Rue demonstrated by lifting her shirt and showing her waistband. Gaia tried to stop her laughter at Rue. she knew she was in a manic episode, but her actions were still dramatic.
"You really have lost your fuckin' mind, Rue." Fez shook his head as he kept washing his grandma.
" Fuck, it's a bad fucking idea, okay? I just was fucking spitballing, here. I mean, he fucked with me. He fucked with Jules. " Rue looked at Gaia and took a deep breath, knowing she was about to unleash pandora's box. " And I know he had something to do with Gaia's hand. With that psycho Harvey! And I want fucking revenge. Okay? Sorry."
Gaia stood up in shock and anger. " What the fuck Rue?"
" what the fuck is Rue talking bout? " Fez turned towards Gaia, looking at her angrily. Gaia's eyes bored into Rue's soul.
Thank god Gaia's hand is broken, or I would be dead.
Fez looked at his phone and cursed. "Fuck. Mouse is here."
Gaia's felt herself get a mixture of anger/anxiety at the mention of his name. She remembers the feeling she had when he touched her and Rue: murder.
"The guy with the" Rue gestured to her face.
"All right, so, stay in here. Be quiet..." Fez told them.
"Fez, I can't... I can't stay in here. Like, I'm really..."
"Yes, the fuck you can. Shh!"
"I'm not good with awkward silences."
Gaia had sat down and watched the two go back and forth like siblings fighting over the remote.
"Be quiet. Listen, I'm really serious right now. You just need to sit your manic ass down, and be quiet for five fuckin' minutes, Rue. I'm not fuckin' playin' with you. Sit down and shut the fuck up." Fez ordered Rue. Rue sat down in defeat.
He turns his attention to Gaia " Just watch over her. You telling me everything after I'm done with this shit! Got it?"
Gaia nodded. She was slightly turned on by the authority in his voice.
Fez left the room, and the two girls looked at each other from across the room.
" GG-" Rue started but was quickly cut off by Gaia.
" Don't even! You only said that shit for Jules, not me" Gaia rolled her eyes and folded her arms.
Rue let out a sigh in defeat. She knew what she had done was fucked up, but she wanted backup for Nate.
Rue got up, pacing back and forth, looking at the pill bottles and talking to herself. Gaia got ready to hold Rue down if she went for the pills. Then suddenly, Rue slipped out of the room, making Gaia whisper yelled at her friend to come back but to no avail. Gaia pinched her nose bridge in frustration. She listened carefully for a few minutes and figured that Rue had successfully gotten out without being seen.
Gaia turned her attention back to Fez's grandma. She finished bathing her, painting her nails, and moisturizing her body.