Thank you for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!
"Oh, you're busy...my apologies, I'll talk to you later."
"Mira, whatever it is, you can say it in front of my girls." Aleida beckons him forward.
Leon stands in the doorway of her salon, looking incredibly determined for some reason. "I really think this is something that we should discuss in private."
"Querido, I always share everything with this crowd." She gestures around at Blanca, Gloria, Karla, and Daya. "Come on, spit it out!"
"Yeah. Maybe a little too much," Daya quips. "Like, I didn't need to hear that y'all found Margarita's intimate apparel-"
Leon stammers. "I assure you, I never had sex with Margarita!" He glances between the two of them as his face goes red. "That was so awkward..."
"I'm fuckin' aware of that," the older Diaz says sharply, but it doesn't seem like she's mad at him. "I just hate that she and Cesar decided to do it in my bed. Ugh, the audacity! I seriously thought they'd fuck over at her apartment, not mine!"
"Eeeew," Blanca, Karla, and Gloria chorus softly. Daya wrinkles her nose in repulsion.
"I do too, it was so rude," Leon agrees. "She left it there a long time ago, before you became pals-"
"We're more frenemies than anything," Aleida corrects him. "It's like, that's my place, you know? I bring my lovers there. That's not for Cesar and his bacon bitches. He wants to screw her, he can do that at her house." She wags her finger from side to side and makes a bitter face. "Not mine. I don't need to fuckin' see proof."
The black man nods. "I thought you don't care who he's with, as long as he comes home to you each night. Also, I kinda thought you were finished seeing him, because you called him a motherfucker."
"Nah, I was just pissed off. Anyone would be...putas are off limits! I don't want him catchin' somethin' and passing it to me...who knows what kind of weirdos they've fucked!"
"He's one of 'em," Gloria cuts in. "I kicked him and his buddies out when I went to Aleida's and they were cooking heroin," she informs the other ladies. "The kids shouldn't be around that!"
"Good job!" Blanca murmurs.
"You must've felt like a badass," Karla chimes in.
"Yeah, until he put a gun in my face. Luckily, Daya called the cops and he didn't do shit to me. I still had a panic attack, though."
"Oh no, I bet." Blanca's heart cracks for Gloria, the woman she really identifies with.
"That really sucks," Karla adds.
"Aleida, Daya, you didn't tell me any of this..." Leon sounds very concerned.
"I tried, Leon, but she didn't want me to!" Daya protests, glaring at her mother. The rest of the women raise their eyebrows and Leon shakes his head in disbelief.
"I don't need him to know...he wasn't gonna do nothin' anyway. He'd never shoot with his weapon, he just uses it to scare people into doing what he wants." Aleida mutters. "That's what he was busted for...also, the drugs."
"Well, it's a big deal! If I'd been there, I'd have kicked the everlovin' crap out of him."
Gloria, Blanca, Karla, and Daya share a smile at Leon's statement.
Aleida rolls her eyes. "Of course, because you hate him."
"Not only that, but to protect you, Gloria, and the children...you're all like family to me."
"Aaaww!" Blanca pats her heart. "Diablo's like that with mis hijas y yo. He'd fight to the death and make sure he won."
my daughters and I
"That's so sweet!" Karla gushes. "It's what Ramón did when Litvack threatened me. At least he tried..."
"It's easy for you two to not be biased," Aleida grumbles. "I still love that fool. He's a pendejo, but he's my pendejo. We been through a lot together."
"Too bad!" Daya explodes.
"Leon, please just tell her what you told me."
"You talked to Gloria without me present?" Aleida demands, putting her hands on her hips.
"I had to, Lei! I needed her advice...she's hurting, too."
"What do you mean?"
He takes a deep breath. "Listen...every time you hang out with Cesar, or speak so highly of him...or tell me I'm such a good man for you and better than him, but then act shady by not throwing out that shirt of his that he let you keep...I'm heartbroken."
"¿Qué? I love both of you! It ain't like I'm cheating." Aleida grabs his hands, but he gently pulls them out of her grasp. "What the fuck...I thought you were cool with this."
"I'm not. I tried to be, but...I'm falling in love with you. I assumed you felt the same way."
She gasps, her eyes filled with fire. "I do!"
He folds his arms across his chest and frowns. "Yeah, it just seems like you don't, because you're not a hundred percent committed to this relationship."
Blanca leans toward Karla. "This is like a telenovela."
She snickers under her breath. "I know!"
Gloria and Daya also appear to be entertained.
Aleida glares daggers at him. "You were aware of us being open from the beginning! You said it was fine..."
"Yeah, in senior year! I was sure you'd come to your senses. I didn't date the best people in high school either, until we met...but this thing between us has been on and off for years now. Four, to be exact...nine, if you count our late teens. I went on with my life after college because you weren't growing up like I was. I wanted to settle down with you and you refused. So I had to let you go. You didn't give a shit."
"Of course I did! Don't you dare put words in my mouth. I missed you like crazy. You were pressuring me and we were what, in our early twenties?" Aleida gives him an exasperated look. "Please."
"After a decade, by a goddamn miracle, we wound up at the same bar and I caught you the minute you almost fell off that stool in a drunken daze. I asked you out because I thought you'd matured enough by then to enter a stable relationship, but I guess not. It's too bad, really...your kids deserve their mom to have a good man by her side and a father figure to look up to. I gotta be real, when you're with these other guys while we're already a great pair, I honestly feel like I'm getting played. That doesn't fly with me."
"Leon, you ain't the only one who owns mi corazón! You're not the king of the world, ¿ya sabes? Lo siento that your masculinity was challenged or somethin', but I can date who I want! You should be lucky I picked you at all."
"Of course, yeah! I'm blessed to have you. If you still want to see Cesar, that's fine, but I'll need to walk away if you can't commit to this relationship, because open isn't my thing. It's gotta be the real deal."
Aleida hugs herself and her eyes are glued to the floor. She leans against the wall next to him, but doesn't look up to meet his sad gaze. "You serious?"
"Yeah. I don't wanna drop you, sweetheart, but it's best if we just don't see each other for a while, even as friends, 'cause it'll hurt me. I wanna give you time to get Cesar out of your system if I'm the dude you really love."
"It's hard to choose," she admits. "You're both hella amazing. I need some time to think it over. I can't believe you're giving me an ultimatum...leaving me in this disaster..."
He runs his hand down his face. "I'm the one who's a mess! Okay? Please try to understand that!"
"You gonna walk away from my kids, too?" She sniffles and takes short, uneven inhales and exhales.
"No, I won't cut them off completely," he assures her. "I'll still take the little ones to the playground and help Daya with her homework and talk about life with her...but as for you, I'd prefer it if you came back to me, and not in a lustful way, but more genuine love."
"Okay." Aleida sighs, but her breath seems to hitch. "You ain't gonna make me cry in front of mis amigas and I won't do it in your presence, so...just get the fuck outta here. I can't face you no more."
They watch Leon exit the salon and the door shuts heavily behind him. Aleida jumps slightly when it does.
"Well!" Daya is the first to speak after a few moments of stunned silence. No one had expected Leon to reach his limit. She smirks. "I guess he couldn't put up with your shit no more, Ma."
"He had to go back to work anyway. Leave me alone, I need a second en el baño," Aleida tells her sharply and walks away from them.
"Eh, she's just disappointed she don't have power like she thought she did," Daya mutters.
"We should help her realize that Leon is the best one for her and Cesar is just a fucking cabrón who oughta be dumped on the side of the road," Gloria muses. "As much as I love her, she ain't all that bright."
"Yeah, she still acts like me when I was fifteen," Blanca pipes up.
"Like Titania says in A Midsummer Night's Dream, she thinks she's enamored of an ass," Karla points out. They have a good chuckle at this and Blanca high-fives her best friend.
"Flaca, what did you do to Raiza's little face?" Maritza asks, trying not to laugh. She, along with Flaca, Elena, and Ceci, are babysitting Raiza, Laronne, the two Mendoza boys, and the five Diaz children at Karla and Ramon's apartment.
"She's on her way to a My Chemical Romance concert!" A yellow scrunchie holds Raiza's half pony in place and she wears a matching top with white flowers and blue sweatpants. Flaca has given her wild red eyeshadow and painted red around her mouth, which is covered with black lipstick. A black unfilled teardrop sits below her right eye.
"Yay!" Raiza cheers. Flaca holds up a mirror and the little girl's face falls when she sees her reflection.
"Nah, but you're so cute like this!" Flaca insists.
"Yeah, if you think clowns are adorable," Maritza grumbles.
"They're scary!" Julio exclaims.
"No, they're not!" Benny counters him.
"Are, too! Don't cha 'member what happened at Karima's birthday party?" Christina asks.
"Yeah, that mean man dressed up like one and tried to hurt Farah and her mommy and Gloria," Emiliano says.
"Oh, no!" Raiza exclaims, her eyes wide. "Poor Farah and her mama and Miss Gloria..."
"When did this happen?" Maritza wonders aloud, concerned.
"While you, Raiza, and your mom were homeless," Elena responds, balancing a babbling baby Lucy on her hip and pulling her hair out of the tiny girl's fists while wincing.
"I'm glad she missed that one!"
"Me, too!" Flaca turns back to Raiza. "I feel so bad!" she says, letting Eva crawl into her lap and play with a pink toy cell phone. "I was just tryin' to make you like a mini Harley Quinn, princesita, lo siento..."
"It's okay! You did your best!" Raiza pats Flaca's knee cutely.
"Gracias, nena." Flaca tousles Raiza's hair and glances over at Maritza. "Can I give her another makeover, please?"
"Sure!"
"I want a turn!" Eva shrieks, sliding off of Flaca and plopping herself onto the sofa where Maritza is French braiding Christina's hair. The small plastic mobile she'd been holding drops to the floor and Armaria, who's just getting the hang of toddling, picks it up and puts it into her mouth while squealing. Their babysitters let her suck on it and Ceci follows her wherever she goes, just to make sure she doesn't get into something she shouldn't.
"Okay, mariposita, I'm almost done con tu hermana, then I'll do you."
Eva gets up and twirls in her Snow White costume. "I a pretty princess!" she announces. She runs over to Benji, who's flipping through a picture book. "You're my Prince Charming!"
"Okay! I'll get my crown and we can play wedding in my room!"
"That be lovely!"
"Aaaww!" the older girls chorus.
"Let's play monster!" Emiliano hollers. He makes his hands into claws and gets in front of Laronne. "Raaaaa!"
"Aaaaah!" Laronne yells, running away from him and tossing his Harry Potter book to the side. He laughs boisterously as his younger friend chases him around the apartment. "Dude, I'm gonna get you!"
Benny and Julio join them and start screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Hey, inside voices, please!" Ceci shouts. "Be careful of the baby...and everything else in Karla and Ramon's place!"
"I'm glad y'all are havin' fun, but it's louder than Dave and Busters in here!" Elena adds, spinning Lucy slightly, making her giggle. "Keep it down!"
"Yeah, can't even hear myself think!" Maritza complains.
"Ow-uh!" Christina whines. "Too tight."
"¡Lo siento!" Maritza loosens her hold as she crosses one clump of strands over the other. "Is that better, preciosa?"
"Mm-hm, gracias."
"De nada."
"I don't know how Karla can handle this!" Flaca hollers over the noise of the active little boys.
"Me neither!"
Armaria waddles in and does a little jig, showing a one-toothed smile, making the others chuckle. She's holding her dolly upside down by her leg. "She's so cute!" Elena gushes. She quickly kisses Lucy's cheek and beams widely. "So are you, no te preocupes, bebécita."
"What about me?" Raiza asks.
"I'm adorable, too!" Christina pouts.
"Of course you both are!" Maritza assures them, tugging slightly on one of Christina's braids.
The young girl jumps off her and smooths her hand down her new hairstyle. "Thanks so much!"
"You're welcome!" Christina gives Armaria a hug. "Aaaawww..." Maritza almost tears up at how sweet their interaction is.
"All of you are precious darlings, okay?" Flaca chimes in. She holds Raiza close and pecks the top of her head.
"Yeah!" Raiza chirps. She gasps when she stares at herself in the mirror again. Grabbing the handle of it, she grins. "I bonita like Mami!"
"¡Sí, lo eres!" Maritza agrees with her little sister. This time, Raiza has less makeup on. Her eyeshadow is blue, she's wearing purple glitter on her cheeks, and her lips are colored pink. "Mami will like that a lot better."
Flaca nods. "I thought so!"
Aleida storms out of the restroom two minutes later with her eye makeup slightly smeared and tear stains on her cheeks. She sits across from Gloria. "So I wanna explain. That dirty rat Cesar been shackin' up with another woman...Margarita again! He did that for the fifteen months I was in prison last year!" she vents to her daughter and the other ladies. "You see, when me and Leon were kissin' in bed and gonna fuck, I discovered pink lacy lingerie in the sheets! Leon thought it was mine and got real excited 'til I said it wasn't. I cried so much from anger, 'cause the baby was the first concrete proof that Margarita and Cesar had done more than a kiss, and now, it's the lingerie! Leon comforted me, swearing up and down he wasn't seeing other bitches. I know he ain't got side hoes...so my mind immediately went to Cesar and Margarita. Oh my fuckin' Dios, I was right...she knocked on my goddamn apartment door and picked up her slut panties. Before she came, I purposely put 'em on, planning to give 'em back to her unwashed. I told Leon, 'fuck me so hard that you rip these!'...I'm such a fuckin' savage!"
"I wanna tell you that's so wrong and high-schoolerish of you, but this is too funny!" Blanca comments.
"It was disgusting and I yelled at her! I was all, 'here you go, two dollar hooker!' and threw 'em in her face. Leon asked why I was so mad and jealous...I told him, because Cesar's screwin' around!"
"Let's just say we're talkin' about this before he arrived. Don't y'all have an open relationship?" Karla asks.
"Well, yeah, but..." Aleida sighs despondently as she files and buffs Gloria's fingernails in preparation for her French tips. "I hate thinking of myself as the other woman while he's with Margarita. It makes me feel better when I'm with Leon...when we first met back in high school, we had instant chemistry, yo! I was attracted at first sight, for sure! As I got to know him more, I realized how wrong I was before for thinking blacks were lazy, stinky, and dumb. He's none of those traits! He's built like Hercules and he's got such a big heart, too. The other day for fun, I asked him who he'd be with if it weren't for me. He said either Diane if she didn't have Charles, or Gloria, if she was comfortable dating yet. He felt justified saying that 'cause I'm torn between him and Cesar."
"Well, he is, and you are." Gloria lets out a soft giggle and twirls a lock of black hair around her finger as she blushes. "Leon's into me, really?"
"No!" Aleida snaps, pressing the cuticle pusher a little too hard into Gloria's skin, making her yelp slightly. "Of course the fuck not. "
Daya looks up from the rack of nail polishes she's been checking out. "Jesus, Ma, chill!"
"Lo siento," Aleida grumbles. "Mira, Gloria, he just finds you and Diane attractive in general, but that's nothin'. You may as well be models in some poster that we passed or whatever. He's actually been inside me and we talk about deep shit. Okay?"
"Ow!" Gloria responds. She glares at Aleida, who smirks. "You act like I'mma rob him from you. People can't be stolen, querida. Anyway, I wouldn't do that to my best friend. He ditched you, and even if he didn't, you'd be with Cesar whenever Leon's not around to warm your bed, so what the fuck do you care?"
"Someone's celosa," Blanca murmurs to Karla, who stifles a smile behind her palm. They're getting pedicures, so they're now soaking their feet into tubs of warm water. Afterwards will be a manicure.
"Nah, I ain't," Aleida mutters without turning around to face them. "I know Leon won't go for her and she'd never make a move."
"Would it be so much of a betrayal if you're not together?" Daya questions her mother.
Aleida scoffs. "He'll crawl back, I know he will. He just needs to go for a jog to cool off or whatever."
"You shouldn't ever take Leon for granted...I can't imagine doing it to mi novio," Blanca tells her. "Even when I was with that feo Dean in high school, as tempted as I was, I didn't touch Diablo. I yearned for him, but I never gave in. I wanted to stay loyal...as stupid as that sounds. To be fair, it was before he turned into a scary son of a bitch...I also tried to break up with him so Diablo y yo could give into the crushes we had on each other, because I realized I was more compatible with Diablo. The fact that I couldn't speak Spanish with Dean was infuriating...I think that's when I fell out of love with him...but we were having a baby. It was really bad timing for a split. So I forced myself to get over Diablo and just stay with Dean, despite his quirks. I didn't want to lead Diablo on any further and make him think he had a chance with me. It'd also be way too hard to stay just friends."
"I'd never toy with Ramón's heart like that either," Karla puts in.
"Blanca, you were scared as fuck of that monster, so obviously, you wouldn't go against him and look at anyone else. Karla...you were traumatized and it took you a while to trust your man, so it's also simple for you not to fuck other men either. If Cesar abused me or if I got gang raped and Cesar was part of it, the decision would be so much easier. I'd pick Leon in a heartbeat."
"Yeah, but you can't just base it on that. I understand what Leon's goin' on about, hermana...while it's okay to date more than one guy, it's not if one of them are heartbroken when you're with other dudes," Gloria murmurs. "Just weigh the pros and cons of each man and go with what your heart tells you."
Aleida groans as she exfoliates Gloria's hands. "Solo quiero a mi Leon de vuelta. I'm feelin' the two of 'em."
I just want my Leon back.
"Hate to break it to ya, but you gotta kick Cesar outta your life for good and never contact him again in order to have Leon as your man," Blanca says.
"What if we were solo amigos? Leon can't tell me to stop bein' Cesar's friend."
"No I agree, but that's just too hard because you're addicted to that trash bastard for reasons unknown." Karla studies her. "It's like telling an alcoholic, oh, you can only have one glass once a month, or something. They'd rather not have it at all, or they'll be too tempted. Just take back the key to your apartment, he shouldn't have it anymore."
A couple of Aleida's employees begin drying Blanca's and Karla's feet off, and then start painting their toenails. It'll be magenta pink for Blanca and Karla has chosen purplish-blue. They speak in Vietnamese to each other and the Latinas keep going with their own conversation.
"So, let's talk about this," Daya sits in the chair next to Gloria's. "You want a man who has side whores and treats you as nothing but a piece of meat and his little heroin packer, or a man who cherishes you, holds you through the night, wraps you in a blanket because it's cold, knows you inside and out, sees you as so much more than a sex object, doesn't cheat or pull a gun on your babies when he's pissed off, and helps you stay away from dope? If I were you, I'd rather have Leon."
"Me, too," Gloria and Blanca chorus.
"Seeing the two of you together makes my heart melt!" Karla goes on.
"I ain't gone steady with anyone before...never saw the fun in it," Aleida confesses.
"Perhaps you oughta try it," Karla advises her. "Monogamy is wonderful...if you have it with the right person. You never have to worry about being envious of other women...leave that shit behind! I always know I can trust Ramón, and he's positive I won't betray him. We are so aware of the love we have for each other...no matter what happens, we're soulmates."
"Same with me and Diablo. Even though we haven't been together for twenty years like Karla and Ramón, we're a solid couple. He's talked about marrying me one day. I doubt that hoodlum Cesar will ever pop the Q at you," Blanca adds.
"Leon hasn't either...and I don't need to be nobody's wife! Just a girlfriend."
"That's true...but how could he tie the knot with someone so adulterous?" Daya asks rhetorically. "He wouldn't. You'd disobey the sacred vows the first full day of your honeymoon!"
Aleida purses her lips. "I'm not that weak, but wanting to be with more than one man is why I said I wasn't a holy matrimony kinda lady. Don't get me wrong, though...I love the idea of being proposed to, having a guy go down on one knee for me, then the whole beautiful wedding...holy shit, it'd be amazing...just like your quinces was, Daya...but the part where I'm somebody's one and only is just really weird for me. I don't have to ever settle. It's like, one time, Rick Hopper, who's Christina's dad...he tried to reconnect with me, right? He asked me and all the kids to move in, so we did. There was zero compatibility between us! He was even so boring in bed, that I had to use a vibrator to pleasure myself!"
"Eeewww!" Daya complains. "Maaaa, nobody needs to hear that."
"I went right back to Cesar and Leon," Aleida continues. "Funny thing is, the first place me and Leon fucked, it was in the back of his car. I don't remember the model...and last time me and Cesar had a bangin' session, we did it in an old Ford Fusion!"
"Mm-hm...but all we're saying is what Leon explained to you earlier...you gotta stop stringin' the poor guy along. He can't take it anymore. Either end things with Cesar and maybe beg for Leon back, or leave him behind and keep on being Cesar's fuck buddy and nothin' else, really, 'cause I know that's what y'all are," Gloria recommends.
"Somethin' wrong with that?" Aleida cocks up an eyebrow.
"Nah, but you were bellyaching the other day about how he never engages in meaningful conversations with you like Leon does and he's too loud in general, unlike Leon, who is more gentle in his way of speaking to you and others," Karla reminds her. "Those are not even the worst things he's done. He's more than just a stupid punk...he's reckless, I would never want my children around him, neither would Blanca, nor Gloria, Daya hates the fact that he's held Armaria already, he's yelled at Lucy, Eva, Christina, and Emiliano for breaking the toys he's bribed them with, and he could shoot a bullet into someone by accident one day...or on purpose. Aleida, would you consider what we're telling you? Por favor, chica. We gotta get this taken care of before Valentine's Day."
"Okay," Aleida gives in. "A while ago, Leon asked me if we'd still be together if Cesar wasn't in prison, and I said, yeah, if he didn't always scare the kids into behaving! So, I'll let Cesar stay over and really evaluate how he does. As a motha, I gotta protect my babies, right?"
"¡Sí!" they all respond.
"Dun, dun, dun, dun! Here comes the bride!" Eva sings as she waves a magic wand with Benji skipping along beside her, his crown lopsided on his head. Raiza scrambles over to them and fixes his accessory for him.
"Thank you!" Benji says.
"You're welcome!" She grabs her plushie. "Eva, wanna borrow my tiara?"
"No! Red bow." Eva holds onto it and sidesteps Raiza.
Maritza shrugs. "It goes with her costume better anyway."
"Okay, but when I'm the flower girl, I'm gonna wear a tiara," Raiza decides aloud.
"It's pretty on you!" Maritza comments.
"Muchas gracias, sissy!"
Benji links arms with Eva. "We're ready! Today's a big day!"
Lucy starts wailing in Elena's arms and she hurriedly goes into the kitchen. She comes back with the infant's bottle and places herself next to Maritza. She immediately begins feeding Lucy, whose cries subside as she sucks her milk down.
"How'd you know it was a hungry cry?" Flaca asks as Elena rocks Lucy.
"I don't...but she doesn't have a stinky diaper, so that's out. I'll probably have her nap soon."
Maritza kneels on the floor with Raiza and embraces her while kissing her cheek. "Mwah! Okay, let's start."
"Chrissy, will you fish-ate?" Eva asks.
"What's that?"
"It's the person who helps you get married," Flaca explains, stroking Lucy's hair and lightly tickling her tiny feet.
"Oh! Okay. So, Eva, will you take Benji to be your husband?"
"Yeah!" she says happily, bouncing in place.
"Benji, will you take Eva to be your wife?"
"Yeah!" he echoes Eva.
"You can kiss the bride now."
"Eeeewwww!" Benji screams. "That's for grownups!"
"Boys are gross!" Eva sticks out her tongue and shakes her head. They quickly separate and Eva runs off with her pretend flower bouquet.
Christina's jaw drops. "No shit, Eva!"
"Ooooohhhh! You said a bad word!" Raiza points in Christina's direction. "I'm tellin' your mami."
"She doesn't ca-are, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!"
Raiza blows a raspberry at her. "Yo, girlie-girls, cool it!" Maritza steps in.
"We're sorry!" they say at the same time.
"It's okay!"
"What an interesting wedding," Flaca murmurs.
"What I don't get is why Daya's not here," Maritza says, peering over her shoulder at her girlfriend.
"She's getting a mani, because her nails are messed up...bitten to the quick 'cause of nerves. We already have all of ours done! We'll go next time!" Flaca picks up Armaria and holds her high in the air for a few seconds. The one-year-old squeals delightedly and kicks her legs and then Flaca brings her back down. "I can't tire out my arms, although lifting you is a great workout," she tells Daya's daughter. "Ah, not my earring!" She hisses in pain as Armaria grabs it.
"We told ya not to wear hoops," Elena teases her. She rolls her eyes.
Almost immediately, though, the toddler lets go and then squirms out of Flaca's embrace. She tries to jog a bit, but then tumbles to her hands and knees and gets back up to her feet.
"Bam, bam!" Laronne bellows in the background. He and the other guys race into the room, pointing their Nerf Guns at Ceci, who's running backward and away from them. "You're goin' down!"
"Die, monster! Die!" Benny, Emiliano, and Julio's voices overlap.
"Oh, no! You shot me! Blaaaah!" Ceci shrieks as she pretends to fall to her dramatic death. All the kids tackle her and then Eva joins them.
The teenagers crack up in unison. "That was hysterical!" Elena gasps out as soon as she can speak. Her eyes are filled with amused tears.
"Not funny, you guys are heavy!" Ceci says tiredly, but she can't help but laugh, too. She struggles to sit up and tickles each child off of her. Flaca and Maritza quickly assist her to a standing position and she brushes herself off. "Christ almighty," she mutters, breathing heavily. She glares at her younger sister.
"What?! I'm with the infant!" Elena protests. She fixes one of the purplish-pink bows in Lucy's hair.
"Again!" Benny demands.
"No, por favor, estoy cansada." Ceci sinks onto the sofa and leans into the cushions while closing her eyes. So, the tiniest ones climb Flaca like she's a tree and she struggles to walk. Maritza just has to cackle as Raiza takes one of Flaca's legs and Benji has the other. Flaca's hoisting up Eva and Julio as best she can and Benny is hanging on her back.
No, please, I'm tired.
A banging on the door startles Ceci awake and Maritza jumps out of her skin as Raiza scampers into her arms. She's so scared that it's Dean, even if he's locked up, and she can tell her friends are, too. She's suddenly weak and clammy.
Lucy whimpers. "It's okay, queridita..." Elena whispers, cradling her protectively. "Shh..."
"Uh oh," Armaria mumbles, sticking her thumb in her mouth.
Laronne sits close to them, Flaca scoops up Armaria, and they all crouch down behind the sofa, trembling. The remaining kids scatter like ants.
Her hand over her mouth, Maritza dares herself not to make a single solitary sound.
Thank you for reading and reviewing, MsSchneeheide and Juliette45!