Lexi was upset. She was trying to pretend like she wasn't, trying to put up a front that she was totally okay. That's how she usually operated, with her family and friends' feelings always coming first in her mind. But as she walked through her front door to see her mother comforting Cassie on the couch, she couldn't find it in her to care about her sister right now. She knew she had every right to be mad at her sister for interrupting the play she'd worked so hard on, but she didn't necessarily blame her. She walked past the living room and dragged herself up the stairs, still thinking. The only thing in her mind that really mattered right now was Fezco. Why hadn't he come?
The entire time Lexi and Fez had been talking, she had a feeling that something would happen. How could Fez, with such a high profile lifestyle, be interested in Lexi? She was boring, invisible. No one else had ever cared about her, why should he? Of course, she had gotten her hopes up anyway. She plopped down on her bed, staring up at the high ceiling. What she didn't understand is why he would text her that he was on his way, if he had no intention of coming. Maybe he had changed his mind. Or maybe something else had deterred him?
Lexi turned over on her side and pulled out her phone. She didn't know if she should text him or not. She went back and forth in her head, considering, then decided on a safer option.
Lexi: hey. have you heard from fez today?
Rue: no. we're not really on speaking terms rn
Rue: why?
Lexi wasn't sure how much she should tell Rue. They had just started talking again, and she still hadn't admitted that she had been hanging out with the drug dealer. Would Rue be upset? She would definitely ask questions about the relationship, that was for sure. Lexi didn't know how to describe her relationship with Fezco herself. Were they friends? More than friends? Lexi knew what she wanted, but it was hard to read how Fez was feeling sometimes.
"This is stupid," she muttered to herself.
Lexi: he was planning on coming to the play but i didn't see him
Rue: idk he usually doesn't come to stuff like that
Lexi: yeah you're right
Stuff like that. What had Lexi gotten herself into, crushing on a guy who only showed up to things if there was an opportunity to sell drugs to high schoolers. She shook her head. Fez had really seemed interested in Lexi's play. They'd had a lot of conversations about it, and his responses had always been genuine as far as she could tell. She decided to push it a little with Rue, just to see if she had a reason to be worried.
Lexi: it's just that he promised me he would be there
Rue: since when is fezco promising you anything?
Lexi: idk we've been talking lately
Rue: since?
Lexi: new year's
That was met with a couple minutes with no response from Rue. Lexi wasn't surprised. She considered herself to be extremely predictable and reliable. You always knew what you were getting from Lexi, just ask anyone who knew her. But this thing with Fezco, and her play, were the only unexpected things Lexi had down with her life, and she was starting to see the appeal.
Rue: can i come over?
Lexi sighed. She hadn't been sure how Rue would react, especially since she was so close to Fezco herself. She was sure Rue would try to warn her, but she couldn't say anything that Lexi hadn't considered herself. She wasn't going to say no to Rue, however.
Lexi: can i come to your house? cassie's having a major meltdown
Rue: lol sure
Lexi sighed, got up, and walked back downstairs. Cassie's tantrum was still in full swing, and her sobbing only became more pronounced as Lexi entered the room.
"Mom," she said, ignoring her sister. "Is it okay if I go to Rue's for a bit?"
Her mother looked over at her and nodded, and this started a whole new bout of crying from Cassie.
"You'll just let her walk out after what she did to me!?" Cassie yelled. "She's such a-"
Lexi walked out before she could hear exactly what her sister thought of her. The bike ride to Rue's was a short one, and Rue came right to the door when she knocked.
"Mom, Lexi's here!" Rue shouted through the door, and then she closed the door and sat on the step. Lexi joined her.
They sat in silence for so long it made Lexi squirm. She kept glancing over at Rue, but her face was blocked by a mass of curly brown hair as she looked out into the street.
"I know what you must think of me, but-"
"Nah, you don't," Rue said slowly.
"Okay, then."
"Fezco is a fucking great guy," Rue told her, matter-of-factly. "He's sweet, he's thoughtful, he's caring."
"I know," Lexi replied.
"He would be lucky to have you."
"I don't think it's like that, Rue," Lexi admitted. "Yeah, we're hanging out, but it's been totally platonic."
Rue looked at her. "So you just want to be friends with him?"
She hesitated. "I don't know."
"Yeah, you do."
"Okay, so I'm, like, attracted to him. I like him." She cringed. She sounded like a middle schooler. "I just don't think he feels that way."
Rue laughed. "Lexi, Fez doesn't just hang out with people. He doesn't, like, have friends."
"I thought you were friends?"
"Nah," Rue said. "Fez has always said he sees me like a little sister. Someone he's gotta protect."
Lexi looked at her, confused. "So?"
"So, I'm just saying, if he's hanging out with you, talking to you, actually wanting to get to know you? He probably feels the same way about you."
This made Lexi feel a little better, but more confused at the same time. She opened up her texts with Fez on her phone, reading them over quickly.
"I just don't understand why he didn't come to the play. It sounds stupid, but we've been talking about it for weeks, you know?"
Rue leaned back on her hands, thinking. "I'm not sure, Lex. Did he say anything beforehand?"
Lexi showed Rue the text conversation. There was a little nagging thought in the back of her head that something had happened to Fez, and that was brought to the forefront when she saw the expression on Rue's face.
"You think something happened to him?" Lexi asked her.
"I don't know," Rue said slowly. "It's weird, why would he say he was on his way and then not show up, you know?"
"So, what do we do?" Lexi asked her nervously.
"Maybe I should stop by his house, just to make sure he's okay," Rue said.
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Rue."
"What? I'll be fine. I'm totally okay."
Lexi gave her an incredulous look.
"Okay, fine," Rue huffed. "How about you come with me, then?"
Lexi was hesitant to show up to Fez's house unannounced. He'd brought her there before, but what if he was fine and just didn't want to see her anymore. Ultimately, her worriedness for Fez overruled and she agreed to go with Rue.
The two went inside to tell Leslie that Rue was going over Lexi's house, which she agreed to easily. Lexi felt bad lying to Leslie, who she knew trusted her to keep Rue out of trouble. They grabbed their bikes and rode in silence, all the way to the drug dealer's home. When they made it to the side street along the side of the house, Lexi looked up into the cameras, wondering if Ashtray was watching them approach. She was so distracted by this thought that she almost crashed her bike into Rue's. Rue had stopped abruptly, holding out an arm to stop Lexi as well.
"What-"
"Sh, Lex."
Lexi leaned forward on her bike and peered around Rue. She could just make out the front of the house, which was surrounded by cop cars. Caution tape and men in uniforms surrounded the place. Lexi's heart dropped.
"What the fuck," Rue muttered, inching forward to try to get a better view.
"Rue!" Lexi grabbed her shirt, yanking her back onto her bike. "We have to go."
"But-"
"Now," Lexi said sternly, and Rue listened.
They rode away quickly, Lexi glancing back every so often to make sure they hadn't been spotted by the officers. She was sure that they would be questioned if they were found lurking around, and she wasn't even one hundred percent sure that Rue wasn't involved. She wasn't sure she wanted to ask, either. All she knew was that Rue looked extremely worried as they rode back to Lexi's house.
