Thanks for beta'ing, MsSchneeheide!

After hanging out with her former co-workers, Nicky pays Karla a long awaited visit. When she was thirteen and taking French and piano lessons, Les was dating her teachers, Pamela and Genevieve, however not at the same time. She remembers seeing Karla at a coffee shop shortly after she stopped coming to work as their nanny every day.

"Did my daddy make a pass at you?" Nicky asks after ordering a peppermint mocha. She sits down with Karla, who nods solemnly and then takes a few sips of her pumpkin spice latte.

Nicky rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Oh, fuck. Ya go for it and Marka fired you, or you said no and Les did?"

"I quit the moment Les touched my butt after hitting on me a few days before; I went there to babysit you, but that was it!" Karla says earnestly in a hushed tone.

"Really?" Nicky stares at her in disbelief.

"Yes. It was sexual harassment. I had a god damn panic attack from him merely flirting with me on the sidewalk in the middle of the city."

"Shit. I apologize. You're the only one not to give into temptation. Props to ya." Nicky holds her hand up.

"Me and my PTSD." Karla high-fives the younger girl and her eyes suddenly get glassy. "I do miss you, though."

Nicky shrugs. "Same, but there'll be other kids for you and nannies for me. No big deal, my parents always manage to screw it up one way or another; Les thinks with his dick and Marka gets mad and jealous and fucks his brother and then I get a new attractive lady watching over me. It's a cycle that I have gotten pretty used to. I've learned not to get attached." But I did to you, she thinks sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that!"

Nicky stands up and grabs her drink. "Ain't your fault, my father is just too damn horny."

"Yep…"

"God, I'm sorry he's a fucked up fool," Nicky mutters. "Probably one of the reasons for my drug addiction! If you had stayed, you'd probably have eventually given in. Les can put on a charming act when he needs to."

"I would've never done that to you, I care about you too much and I had a boyfriend I loved…I still do, he's my husband now. I was so creeped out when your dad tried to seduce me. Even more so when he passed me and his hand brushed my ass by accident…yeah right. It was on purpose." Karla squeezes Nicky's hand gently. "Sweetie, I promise you."

"I believe that! Eeew, he's just so gross! He's my lawyer and has gotten me out of so many shenanigans, but the way he'd do it was…ugh! He abandoned me, too, so I don't know why he'd waste his time with his attorney bullshit. My parents fought over who would be stuck with me, that's literally what they'd always say. I was, and still am, their bad seed from hell."

Karla purses her lips and shakes her head. "No, you're not. They're the rotten ones," she insists earnestly.

"I guess. Thanks for saying so."

"No problem!"

"In case you're wondering, 'cause I used to have a more childish voice when you were my nanny, it got more raspy and hoarse as an adult from years of smoking. I'm glad to be quitting…soon."

The moment Karla embraces her warmly, Nicky inhales sharply and gets as tearful as she did when Red wrapped her up in a hug for the first time ever. Karla doesn't kiss Nicky's temple like she did a decade and a half ago and the crush she had on the older woman is gone, but it still feels so nice. It's like two old friends reconnecting, because they were so tight, and it's wonderful.

Meanwhile, at the mall's food court, Maritza and Flaca are just finishing up their dinner together. Blanca apparently didn't mind her being here, but they'll get picked up at around ten so they don't have to wait for or take public transportation in the dark. Carrying her tray off, Flaca notices Anita, Ms. Jones, and Boo using flavor packets on their food. "Hey, since we're done with our burritos, we should touch up!" she tells Maritza.

"Yeah! When I get home, I'm gonna put on my apricot facial scrub!"

"Awesome! Me too."

Now inside the women's bathroom, in walk Leanne and Angie, dressed in overly-sexy clothing and wearing way too much makeup. Maritza turns around almost immediately and dives into a stall. Thankfully, they hadn't seen her.

"Look who just pulled into the Home Depot parking lot!" one of them says.

Flaca's jaw drops. "Bitch, you talkin' to me? I was here first!"

"That doesn't matter. We're here, so you need to go."

"Listen you Everclear drinkin', cat shit eatin' shower poopin' bitch, that don't even make sense!" Flaca yells at Angie, from what Maritza can see as she stands on a toilet and peers over the stall. Angie stares at her like a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Yeah, Lorna told me all about your ass. You don't even know what malfeasance means!" She applies dark blue lipstick. "You're both dumb fucks, Leangie."

Maritza stifles laughter.

"My dream job is as a marine biologist, 'cause I wanna swim with dolphins. In my childhood, I was a Girl Scout, troop two-four-seven, where I was taught how to use tampons! Unfortunately, I've never had an orgasm!" Leanne snaps.

"Yeah, and I know that red and blue make purple!" Angie puts in. "My puke was purple since I had red cough syrup and blueberries one time! My favorite show is Saved by the Bell!"

"That proves nada, we learned about colors in preschool," Flaca shoots back. "Y rubita, you realize you gotta go to college for that shit, right? You need at least a bachelor's degree, and word on the street is neither of y'all got one! You're both sluts!"

"Stop." Leanne puts her hand in front of Flaca's face. "Don't talk to me." She makes an L shape with her fingers on her forehead. "Loser lameass wannabe, oh, totally...all you wanna be is me!"

Flaca crosses her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow. "That all you got?"

Angie groans. "Man, I'm about to piss my pants!"

"Me too, now that you said that!" Leanne mutters.

Maritza doesn't come out of her stall until Leanne and Angie go into their respective ones. She washes her hands and then puts on her lipstick. Linking arms with Flaca, she pulls her girlfriend out of the bathroom. "Come on, I wanna go shopping. If they bother us again, we yell at 'em to leave us alone."

"That's a deal." Flaca scoffs. "Last time I had a run-in with someone I knew en el baño, it was Tricia. She was starting her period and asked me to get her mom, who was standing outside, so I did, as soon as I finished my own business. I used to go to school with her…she's got a good vibe! Except when you tell her you're gonna make goulash for the sleepover…she hates it like Cindy does. It's delicious, so I dunno why. Basically spaghetti…"

"Double-u-tee-eff, girl. I got so many preguntas. How do you know those putas?"

"They used to go to Martin Van Buren High and I've seen 'em around, selling their bodies for cash. That's only for desperate druggies. Prostitution is honestly the most disturbing thing…I mean if you gotta do it, whatever, but I just wouldn't." Flaca shudders.

"Oh," Maritza says in a small voice. "Yeah, gross."

"Ugh. I pity the women who feel they gotta exploit themselves like that. There are better ways to earn dough. Even molly. That shit sells."

"Mm-hm. Are you still kinda friends with Tricia?"

"It's hard 'cause we're in different schools and she runs in her own circle, like I do. She's nice, but we ain't close."

"Oh, okay!"

"Yep!"

"By the way," Michelle starts, throwing her arm around Nicky's shoulders while walking to the NA meeting. "I'm glad we get along better now, and we were tight at the brothel, too. You got tolerable after high school and dumped Piper and Polly, while Neri drifted away from y'all."

"Yeah, the two annoying P losers dined at Thunder Thais a lot and would leave me out. Plus, they'd call people of color thugs. That really turned me off!"

"Yeah! So would Lorna at times, no offense."

"I know, but she's got erotomania and something else wrong with her brain! She didn't do it to be mean, and when she was corrected, she learned…kind of."

"Suzanne was also bullied for her mental illness, but she got help. You didn't mind when she was getting bullied, but when it comes to Lorna...oh, all hell broke loose and y'all are mad now!" Michelle exclaims. "How does it feel knowing you're friends with a stalker? White privilege rules once again!"

"I also regret not standing up to Piper," Neri mumbles.

Polly shrugs. "I don't care, it's not my problem."

"I'm sorry Polly said that," Nicky apologizes and then glares daggers at the girl. "I tried standing up for Suzanne, but Piper shut me down!"

"When Suzanne was having unrequited feelings for Piper, and Piper was making fun of her, I was like, hey, it's hard when someone you love doesn't respond to your feelings, let her down gently!" Lorna chimes in.

Alex opens her mouth to speak, but Michelle holds her hand up. "You got no room to talk, you're too in love with that bitch to want to correct her. Everyone can see it."

"I once asked why Piper was bullying kids when I myself was bullied...and she told me it's because I can't help being poor, but Suzanne is capable of acting like a regular human being. I mean, she greets people at Astoria Park, which is strange. She could just, I dunno, not do that? She also said her mom told her seven and a half hours is a good amount of sleep, no more or less. I'm not sure what to say to her a lot, as well."

"Yeah, but you could at least be a decent human being," Michelle tells Alex.

"I'm all about that these days," Nicky adds.

"Okay," the other girls agree, even Polly, but judging by her sneer, she won't ever change her mean ways.

"Suzanne still did that in adulthood, saying hello to everyone who came to the park, acting like she was welcoming them to her superstore where she was employee of the month!" Michelle says. "She once told me she saw Dylan there and he thought the store was her house! His mom got him a new truck and his brothers just liked killing ants, but Suzanne likes trucks. She also gave him a popsicle and played with him in the jungle gym. Then, she made him stay too long at her place, which is why she was arrested for kidnapping for a while, but she didn't realize that's what she was doing."

"Yeah, but I'm glad she learned!"

"Me, too."

"Red made us all tea and a yellow cake at a welcome back party for me!"

"Yeah, it was delicious!" Alex chimes in to Nicky's statement.

"Sure was. She cooked pyraniki for me specifically because it ends with my name. She's the only real mom I've ever had…she calls me malyshka or baby and solynshko which means little sun."

"That's wonderful," the Narcotics Anonymous leader says with a grin.

"Yeah…anyway, you don't wanna hear about that, uh…well, Juliette, I've tried crack before, it's not as great as heroin! I always listen to the Lou Reed single about smack." Nicky chuckles awkwardly as she looks around at the group. "I got caught for dope and became a cleaning porter in a maximum security prison…that job was so boring that I recited the state capitals in alphabetical order, always skipping over Mississippi. Blame Heinrich Dreser for my heroin addiction, alright? He started the drug in the first place. It makes me feel like a hero! Hey, at least I'm not as bad as Jayne Cooke! She's hooked on painkillers, always sayin' she's got aches in her back and neck! Bullshit, if you ask me. When I used to do one night stands, I couldn't remember the girl's name and just called her hot girl. That's insensitive, right, so it's telling me that maybe I oughta stay sober. All I gotta say for now." Nicky goes back to chewing her gum.

"Thank you for sharing," Juliette tells her. "Would anyone else like a turn to tell their story?"

"Yeah, the pork chop one," Alex mutters and Nicky laughs out loud. "So, Nicky challenged me to eat six saltines in twenty seconds, and I couldn't. She dared me to have sex with a guy so I could score drugs, but he said I could give him a hand job instead. His dick resembled a chicken neck! Now, I don't back out of every dare…she bet me twenty dollars that I couldn't finish an entire plate of pork chops, but I did, when she slept over at my house! My mother was shocked, because usually, I didn't like eating that much food!"

"Weren't you full after?" Michelle wonders aloud.

"Yeah, but that's not the point, babe, I got the dough! It was awesome…except for the part about my mom trying to prevent Nicky and I being best friends after our slumber party since she thought Nicky was a bad influence."

Nicky holds up a finger. "I had to prove to Diane that I was gonna stay clean. She and Red became friends and from there, they unfortunately figured out me and Alex were on drugs. I was a heroin junkie, and I once needed open-heart surgery since I used a dirty needle and got bacterial endocarditis. That was around the time Lorna dumped me, so I needed H to cope."

Nicky sluggishly walks into the Reznikov house, her feet dragging and shoulders slumped. She sinks down into a chair and lets out a shaky sigh. "Ma…I mean Red...it's Lorna. She keeps playing games with my heart and I don't know how much more I can take it getting broken." Nicky sniffles and a few tears fall out of her eyes. "The only thing we really have in common now is that we both have weak wrists, we're short, and we're white girls. She's much more than a physical attraction, I'm in love. So any problem Lorna has isn't a 'turn off', but an obstacle for us both. She just doesn't want to make it work, not even when I call her doll and baby in a sweet way. She compares herself to Audrey Hepburn and wants to find the perfect man. I watch all her favorite movies with her, too…West Side Story, Notting Hill, and Breakfast at Tiffany's…and I've listened to her talk about her favorite novel The Notebook a dozen times, I've never complained…"

Red tsks and holds Nicky as they sit on the couch together. "My solynshko, just because someone rigged the election so Lorna could be class president, doesn't mean she deserves the title or the praise."

"Huh? They did that to make her feel like she didn't fairly win! What are you trying to say?"

"She's not all that special if she keeps doing these hurtful things to you, malyshka. She just wants to be friends, it seems like." Red tucks a lock of hair behind Nicky's ear. "You deserve someone who loves you one hundred percent, always, a gal who is sure of her feelings for you. She should want to do anything for you."

Nicky sniffles. "You're right. If Lorna flirts with me again, I'll turn her down cold. I'll wait for the right chick. It could take a long time, but whatevs."

"Good idea." Red smiles and pats Nicky's cheek before kissing her temple. Nicky beams back at her mother figure.

"Aaahhh…" Nicky sighs while stretching her arms over her head. "So glad I got Shani now! She knows I enjoy a view and she took me to the roof of a restaurant we went to this past weekend! It was fuckin' fun, man!"

"Sounds hella nice!" Taystee comments and the others agree.

"You found the girl of your dreams, that's amazing!" Juliette exclaims.

Nicky gives the group leader a thumbs up. "You bet I did, and my main squeeze used to be horse, but not anymore! It's Shani, the greatest love of my life."

"Aaawww!" they all chorus while putting their hands over their hearts.

Alex and Michelle hold hands and kiss.

"Yeah, we all know you two found romance with each other!" Taystee says. "I got a man, he's real sexy and a gentleman, mmm! He doesn't even care that I don't know everything and mispronounced relevant as reverent. He bought me a virgin Sex on the Beach with ten maraschino cherries and pepperoni sausage pizza with extra cheese and says he wants to take me dancing at the Monte Carlo Club when we get older!"

Nicky grins. "That's awesome."

"I haven't even gotten to the most important part yet! See, I had this crazy-ass dream that I hadn't slept in three days 'cause my best friend Poussey was killed by a dumbass corrections officer. I didn't wanna lose Suzanne too, she was goin' nuts 'cause the prison we were all in, was in a state of disorder with all the guards bein' held hostage. I found this woman Frieda's bunker and complained that it had no elevators since it had too many steps. Me and Cindy had to carry Suzanne down a flight of stairs in a wheelchair and climb through a locker that Nicky led us through. Nicky thought Adderall or Speed would do the trick to get Suzanne awake rather than having a stroke, since Cindy gave her lithium to make her shut up. Frieda gave us an EpiPen to use and Nicky had Cindy stab it into Suzanne's thigh and shook her to wake her up, and she did, but was confused as to why they looked worried. Frieda hugged Nicky while Cindy hugged Suzanne. I breathed a big sigh of relief, and Frieda suggested we give Suzanne room. Cindy said that Suzanne is as heavy as a concrete house, and I ain't in juvie no more, not even on a road to prison, so I know all that will never happen! Suzanne noticed we looked exhausted…and when I woke up screamin', Clarence, my dude, he calmed me right down, comforting me and shit."

"That's good…I've had my fair share of stress dreams, too. My most recent one involved Vee…sorry to dredge her name up, but she was the madam of the brothel I used to work at," Nicky mumbles.

"It's cool, what happened?"

"I didn't even have to tell Vee that I liked Shani…the bitch could see it, like she noticed me looking at my girlfriend in a certain way. That plain fuckin' evil psychopath called me little one in real life and tried to kill Red…so in my nightmare, Vee just stood back laughing as Suzanne punched me over and over again, and Shani was unconscious for some reason. When she slowly woke up, she crawled to a stall, locked herself in it, and secretly called Red and nine-one-one. Red started to fight Vee, but Vee struck her with a slock. She clapped when Suzanne was finished beating me to a pulp. When Red and I ended up in the hospital as roomies, Shani cried in Gloria's arms! I dunno, it was weird…totally something Vee would do, but she's dead now, I have to keep reminding myself! It can't happen. Suzanne might have been easily manipulated by her and brainwashed, but without that woman whispering into her ear, she won't be dangerous. When I woke up crying, Red sang me back to sleep, like she does for Tricia."

"That's nice, but I'm sorry that you both had such frightening dreams," Juliette tells Nicky and Taystee.

They both just smile at her.

"Like Poussey says, I ain't an addict…I just like to have people listening to my made-up stories," Taystee admits as she, Alex, Michelle, and Nicky leave the building, and they all laugh together. "Pause, some of it is real, though…like I actually do have a boyfriend!"

"Congratulations!" they chorus.

"Thanks, ladies. I wanted to go back to Africa and get a Nubian king with a large penis, but Clarence'll have to do!" They giggle again. "Also, I actually do love hot wings, Cherry Pepsi, and I used to enjoy Toddlers and Tiaras, but not anymore! I'm a shortie, too, five feet four! I once ate a bedbug on my tongue in the juvie library thinking it was a muffin crumb, true story. How I got there in the first place? Cycle of poverty and bad schools and government cheese. Plus I had three infractions at school, I smacked Flaca over a King Cone…still feel bad about that, by the way! My lawyer Sylvia Guillien had my back through it all, and then Claudette joined the party. They both call me Tasha, especially my attorney, but I don't mind. Everybody at school knows that's my legal name, ever since Caputo asked me to be his assistant last year." She waves at someone in an approaching car. "Yo, there's Claudette comin' to pick me up! Later, y'all!"

"Bye!"

Alex throws an arm around Nicky. "I'm so glad we met up again in Cambodia after high school and then again now!"

"Me too!"

"I remember Arturo comin' into Friendly's 'cause he was looking for Gloria, who she should've never let into hers or the boys' lives to begin with, and she should've followed her instincts when she knew something was off about him since he was looking at her like something he wanted to eat! Isn't that painfully obvious?! Some role model!" Maria is ranting to Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia at the American Dream Diner where Blanca, Diablo, and their children are having brunch.

"Oye, basta, lay off her," Blanca reprimands the girl.

"¿Por qué? She's judgmental of me too, sayin' I shouldn't be spoiling my daughter Pepa with too much junk food! Or like, picking her up all the time instead of letting her learn to walk on her own...but she's three months old! The only motor skill they really can do is smile or roll on their belly. She said I'm always carrying Pepa and that's why my baby hasn't learned to roll on her belly yet. She told me that I royally fucked up because I'm a cruel person. Once she smirked at me, I knew I did something wrong…sass her. Now all I wanna do is put a baton up a bad guy's ass! I'm so sick of Gloria playing the victim and Mr. Stefanovic being obsessed with popping his popcorn and interrupting conferences with it."

Blanca completely ignores the jabs about her close friend. "He invaded Gloria's meeting with the principal and she told him to just put it in the microwave for thirty seconds."

"Oh yeah, he's just a pathetic sad sack." Maria chuckles. "Stefanovic rattled the door so hard that the knob fell off and then he started banging on the window during my meeting with Mr. Caputo!"

"How dumb!" Maritza comments as she turns around in her seat.

"Wanna know somethin' else stupid? I dreamt that you and Gloria the twatwaffle, along with others, had to briskly walk around a room for forty-five minutes," Ouija tells Maria, and her group guffaws.

"Weird," Blanca and Maritza both say in unison as Diablo splits the big meal they've gotten into fifths. It's a huge cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, and a ton of fries.

"Did you know I had Pepa, but she's not Yadriel's daughter? Yet, he's such a good father to Pepa; I'm so grateful for him! Also, he went with me to get my new tattoo and made sure it wouldn't get infected like my nipple did."

"Sounds like something mi Diablo would do for me!" Blanca points out. She and her boyfriend gaze at each other fondly and he kisses her cheek. "It's fantastic you have a good man already in high school."

Maria scoffs. "We ain't together no more. He's with some bitch who's my tucaya."

"Look! There's the lady you don't like," Raiza says suddenly. "Tía Gloria."

"Awkward," Laronne coughs.

Staring off, Gloria straightens as she sees Maria at another table with Pepa in the high chair and beginning to cry. She walks over as Maria takes her baby out of it and comforts her. "I just noticed that Pepa is really unsettled whenever you're not holding her, because you do it too much!"

Maria glares at her. "That's none of your business!"

"Whatever then, don't take my advice!" Gloria snaps.

"Come on, girls, let's go." Maria stands up with Pepa in her arms and leaves the restaurant. Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia follow her immediately.

"I just wouldn't bother with her, Glo," Maritza says. "She's a tonta and she's rude to me in school. Whatcha doin' here anyway?"

"Just picking up an order, it should be ready soon! Fahri and the kids are waiting in the car, but I'll tell Elena and Ceci you said hi, okay?"

"Sure! Gracias."

"De nada, mija." She gives Blanca, Maritza, Raiza, Diablo, and Laronne one hug each before getting her food and exiting.

"Oh, I just remembered what I was gonna say," Blanca murmurs. "I had this strange dream that I was in prison, away from all of you, and my phone, my only connection to you guys, was gone from the tile in the bathroom. I came out sobbing and then kicked in the stall door and Gloria and Nicky were there. I could barely hold myself up and Ms. Bell had to drag me away," she tells Diablo and the kids.

"Wow, ¡gracias a Dios que nunca sucedió!" Maritza exclaims.

Thank god it never happened!

Diablo takes Blanca's hands and squeezes them gently. "No puedo imaginarte yendo a prisión, baby, but if you had, it would've been for a good reason."

I can't imagine you going to prison

"Yeah, that's scary," Laronne comments.

"Scary!" Raiza echoes.

"Mm-hm," the others agree.

"Tali was wanting to escape 'the life' as well, but she had no one to turn to in the outside world," Nicky says of her new protegé a week after being out of rehab. Maritza is at the Russian market where Nicky is now working for cash. "She kept asking me for drugs on the same street corner and offered herself for the shit. I kept telling her I didn't have anything and we didn't need to have sex, she's way too young to be a prostitute, like in high school. Plus…" Nicky scoffs. "I've got a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, where is she now?" Maritza once again pulls a poker face at the mention of a teenage girl like herself doing prostitution.

"I got Red to send her to rehab and I'm making her write me letters, saying she's all right."

"That's good. Have you seen your parents lately?"

"Nah. The last thing I said to 'em was, 'look, I didn't ask to be born, okay? You guys fucked and here I am!' So not a happy goodbye, ain't like I give a damn."

"Oh, okay. Where'd you two go for your date last night?" Maritza asks as Shani comes up behind Nicky and puts her arms around the shorter woman's waist.

"We went to a lesbian dance club. Thank goodness Youssef and Alma Abboud never found out exactly what their daughter was doing!" Nicky snickers and they make their kiss short but sweet.

"I have been in detention centers for eighteen months before, then pawed at by strange men. However seeing my biological family again would be much worse," Shani chimes in. Her grave facial expression goes away as quickly as it comes. "Anyway, just before our night out, we had some delicious blackberry scones that Nicky got Red's help making for me."

"Oh, how sweet!" Maritza beams at them. "You two are such a cute couple, you remind me of me and my girl in a way."

"Yeah?" Nicky grins and Maritza nods with an even bigger smile. "Well, I'm just glad I've not only got a woman who loves me, but I got a mother, too. I ever tell you one time I got up at six in the morning to make my birth-giver cookies when I was about four years old? She was ungrateful as shit, didn't even bother to look at the card I made for her! She wanted brunch at the Four Seasons, where there was shrimp cocktail and she went to the spa. I had a blue dress from Bergdorf's. That's all I remember."

"Aww, that sucks, lo siento," Maritza tells her.

"It's fine, it was years ago, but a huge part of why I hate her. However, Mother's Day is always a big day for the Russian Market; Sunday is Red's busiest day at the store! She's way better than Marka could ever pretend to be."

"That's great!" Maritza exclaims. "I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, kid, so am I."

"Hey, you two, quit talkin' to the patrons, break's almost over, Ma said thirty seconds!" Vasily tells Nicky and Shani.

"Isn't it funny, V?

"What?"

"Both our names end with a Y!" Nicky cracks up and soon, Maritza and Shani join in.

Vasily rolls his eyes and fails to hide his own laughter. "All right, just go back to work before Ma yells at ya."

"We will, but please work things out with Lida, come on, man, you have a baby boy with her!" Nicky begs him. "Again with the alcohol?" Maritza asks as Shani and Nicky return to their stations. "You should be a better papi for Kolya at least and put down the bottle."

"That's what I always tell him, but he doesn't do what I say all of the time. He reached for my sister-in-law instead of me as a baby," Red says, and Vasily shakes his head in embarrassed anger as she ruffles his hair. "Oh, just stop pouting and take your mother's advice."

He walks away abruptly and Flaca gestures to Tricia, who's getting up on a podium with a microphone in front of it. "Maritza, ven aquí, let's listen to la rubita talk."

Maritza skips to her girlfriend. They both have piroshkis in front of them.

Tricia clears her throat and holds up a piece of paper. "And so, little by little, she shut herself up within the walls of her diary. She held long conversations with herself, through the diary. She talked to her diary, addressed it by name, as if it were a living person, her other self perhaps. This quote is by Anaïs Nin, Winter of Artifice. It's my favorite quote since it's so relatable."

"Whoohoo, go, Trish!" a brunette calls out.

"Thanks, Allie-cat, love you like a sister!"

"From another mister!" The girls laugh together and the others just smile at their cuteness. Mercy blows Tricia a kiss and Tricia returns it.

"You may be wondering why I'm up here if you haven't seen me make speeches at this place before. Well, it's been exactly two years since Red adopted me. Before I met her, I was on the streets and the only things I owned were headphones, some clothes, and my notebook that I kept of things that I shoplifted and then paid for months or years later. I remember a couple walking past me and my panhandling brown-haired friend Allie without helping. Someone else dropped coins in her cup and she sat down next to me on the sidewalk. I passed her a chocolate bar and an apple from Whole Foods. I took out a spiral notebook and flipped through it, showing her how much I owed different store owners. A car pulled up to us and the old man resembled my rapist stepdad. He invited us to a party, but I told him to go away, so he drove off, but not without calling us dirty street rats. Red came into my life at the right time…I desperately needed and longed for a mother figure, and she was there. So here's to Red!" She holds up a glass of orange juice and everyone else does too. Red looks pleased and proud of her youngest daughter. Nicky gives the girl a thumbs-up and she smiles out at the crowd.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, MsSchneeheide and Juliette45!