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❝It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.❞
— Leo Tolstoy

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If you have not read Chasing Back Alleys, do not read forward.

This is an AU to Chasing Back Alleys.

It will ruin some of the plot points and I would advise you to read and finish Chasing Back Alleys from Lacey's point of view before starting this one.

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It is a different story with different people. Even if they are the same characters we've come to love in CBA, their dynamics and attitudes are very different. Wait until you really meet Lacey. 😂

Many of the themes explored in CBA are still alive and thriving—a desire to belong and find family in a community, the darker side of NYC, Latinx representation, violence and crime in gangs, loyalty, hate, love.

BUT it will explore some aspects that were already abandoned in CBA, such as the art scene in Chelsea, gangs targeted in the media, subtle (and sometimes, not so subtle) racism and hostility towards Latinos in the beginning of a Trump-era NYC, divided family units, siblings, museums, and things that could have prevented CBA from ever happening.

A relationship that could have prevented so many deaths.

SO YES. Seth is alive and present in many scenes. Raine's parents and sister are alive and part of the plot. Julio is introduced much, much, much earlier. Raine is trying to claw her way through the art scene of Chelsea, finish art school, find her passions, and Orlando... well, he's still a mess.

Some things are so different, but some things don't change at all.

This is mostly an exploration, but I've had a LOOOT of fun with it so far. So I'm sharing it with you. I mean, it's just an excuse for más besos, right? 😘😘