song is 'snap out of it' by arctic monkeys!

chapter two, friends matter
season one, episode three.
'esqueleto.'
( tw! drinking )

After the awkward tension eased up everyone genuinely had a pretty fun time with the hangout. They became more frequent, some days Miguel could make it while other days he wasn't available. Francisca wondered what he could have been doing, eventually the curiosity got the best of her and she asked him.

He had told her he was taking karate lessons to defend himself. The word 'karate' sent her into a different state of thought. Her father Rafael used to have an involvement with the sport but he stopped after an All-Valley tournament. He never opened up about it but she could tell it bothered him.

When Francisca was old enough he thought it was best to show her a few moves. Once she reached the age of independence, she stopped learning altogether. She wasn't one to resort to violence but at least she knew a few moves right?

Currently, she and the friend group were sitting in the cafeteria listening to the guidance counselor give yet again another lecture on cyberbullying. And of course, no one bothered to listen other than their table. Unbelievable if you ask Francisca. She knew a lecture would only make matters worse but at least have the decency to act like you care.

She was shocked the teacher hadn't noticed the rest of them texting or scrolling through social media on their phones. They were committing the action right in front of her face! Is the guidance counselor seriously that blind? Well, she does wear glasses so perhaps she could use a new pair.

"I'm not gonna name names but the other day a mother called me up," Francisca knew the guidance counselor was certainly going to point out the person she presently spoke of. "because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity." Yep, she was right.

Eli scanned the atmosphere around him and almost everybody shot him irritated glances as if saying: 'You're seriously why we have to go through this shitty speech?' and although it was true, Eli despised the attention. You could see it in his facial expression. His eyes were anxiously bouncing from one person to the next, his shoulders slumped, and his eyebrows scrunched down.

Students around began to murmur. Francisca sat across from him desperately wishing she could help ease his anxiety somehow but Tessa, one step ahead of her, possessed the same idea. She saw her friend place a hand on his shoulder. Tessa hoped it would divert his attention toward her; It worked luckily.

Grateful, the Moskowitz adolescent looked directly into her eyes. Her eyes were soft. Tessa cracked a smile to comfort him. It was all she could accomplish at the moment. Perchance there might be a moment later where she could offer him advice. Or at least a few encouraging words.

As the counselor, preposterously, proceeded with her speech, Miguel gathered the attention of them all. "You know if you're sick of getting bullied, my karate dojo is looking for recruits?" Eli turned to him. He wanted to say something but didn't receive the chance to because Demetri spoke for him.

"Yeah, right. You hear that, Eli? A little karate training, and you're gonna kick some major ass." Demetri mocked the topic by doing some obnoxious movements with his hands. Miguel appeared bothered by his comment. He seemed quite desperate, at least that's what Francisca thought. She is very observant if you haven't noticed. "I'm serious, Demetri."

"Don't discount something you know nothing about. As someone who was taught karate when I was little, it doesn't hurt to know a few moves." Miguel's eyes brightened as he looked her up and down. He admired her statement, mostly because it backed up his previous one but also because it proved the rumors that she was smart. People ostensibly undermine her brilliance.

Miguel shifted in his seat. "My sensei's the real deal. And I'm sure I could get you all discounts," He explained, unaware Tessa and Alison took note of the look, evidently meant for their best friend, on his face. "Look, as enticing as that sounds, I think we'd rather spend our afternoons playing Crucible Control than getting hit in the face."

Francisca rolled her eyes. Demetri was speaking for Eli once again. Like he didn't have a voice at all. She knew Eli wanted to join the dojo and change his social status but he'd never confess that. Not with Demetri blocking his path. Then again, she also understood why Demetri was so hesitant about the idea.

Their focus shifted back to the guidance counselor once more. "Oh, and one last thing. While we're all looking forward to the Halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of 'sexy nurse,' maybe try 'gender-neutral hospital employee.'" Yeah, as if these hormonal teenagers would withstand their one chance to act like a complete whore.

Alison laughed. "Right, like people are going to listen to that. Anyway, have you guys decided what your costumes are going to be yet?" Demetri grimaced at the thought of going to the dance. "I don't think we're going. Eli and I are most likely spending our night playing video games," She frowned. "Come on guys! We all have to go. This is our one night to dress up and dance with hot people!"

Dances were not Francisca's thing. She hated anything that invaded her studies. She'd rather focus on achieving greatness for her future rather than dress up for a guy and dance in a sweaty gym. However, while it may not be her scene, she was excited for her best friends. They were always attending the dances while Francisca read a book in her bed.

Which she enjoyed.

"I'm not going either," Francisca cut in. Alison's face dropped. She figured Frankie would never consider going, but she desperately wanted her friend to have some fun for once in her life. "Seriously? Do all you guys have a stick up your ass? We've never all been to a dance together before,"

Miguel nodded. "Ali's right. We should go together and have a fun time with something that doesn't involve watching movies or playing Monopoly." He aimed the last part at Francisca. She scoffed and sat up in her chair with her arms crossed. "Hey, I like Monopoly," "Because you always win."

"Exactly!"

He chuckled. "Either way, Ali is right." Demetri made a face. "Never thought I'd hear that sentence in my life." Alison kicked his foot from under the table. "Ow!" Demetri whined. "That didn't even hurt?" She questioned his motives, earning a kick from Demetri. "Not for you,"

Francisca sighed at their banter. Ever since they began to hang out with one another she noticed Demetri and Alison's relationship become almost sibling-like. If you observed them closely, they did have several similar physical features intact. She wouldn't appear surprised if someone were to mistake them as siblings.

"So, we're all attending the dance then?" The Cervantes adolescent asked to break the duo from their banter. Thankfully her goal was achieved. A series of agreements were exchanged throughout the table, with a few rude retorts from the 'siblings' to each other. Tessa developed an uneasy feeling. Her gaze darted to Francisca.

"Do you really want to go? I know you're not used to parties, dances, you know, things like that." It's not that she hoped the opposite, she took satisfaction in the idea of Francisca finally going to a school dance, but she was well aware of how her best friend had never been to an event like this. She merely wanted to ensure that her answer was for the right cause.

The question recited in her mind until it became all she could think about. The answer was no, but she knew how important it was to her friends that they could have the opportunity to have fun. Especially with her new friends whose feelings needed to be accounted for.

Francisca nodded. "I'm sure, don't worry."

As the topic was let go they began to discuss their costume ideas. Eli, Miguel, Alison, and Demetri settled on theirs during the discussion, while Tessa was still working to find hers. She had an idea of what she hoped to be. — Francisca did not. Ultimately, they landed on Alison figuring out a costume for her. And as much as she loves her best friend, the idea frightened her.

Extremely frightened her. She hoped Alison wouldn't go over her boundary limitation but she wouldn't put it past her. She'd simply have to wait and see.

Unlike Francisca, Alison didn't share the same fairy tale family. Her father, Michael, worked nearly every day and hardly bothered to care for his own daughter. But he wasn't always this person. He was kind and responsible. Then one day his beautiful image turned into a horrifying one. And the reason for that was her mom's passing. That was their downfall.

He began to drink, though it wasn't much of a difficulty until two drinks a day became thirteen. The number of drinks increased leaving Alison forced to come home to a very drunken individual complaining about her. A bit aggravating isn't it?

Apparently, Alison was the reason he hardly had any money. As if he hasn't spent an entire paycheck to buy alcohol. There were a handful of days when he claimed he had a desire for them to live a terrific life together, which is why he worked constantly. So she could have everything she wanted, and even if that part was inevitably true— Alison never cared about the money.

She was thankful of course nonetheless all she truly craved was a decent relationship with her so-called dad. No designer handbag or amount of shopping sprees would be able to patch up her neglected feelings. This was unfortunately an issue no amount of cash could fix.

The blonde adolescent sighed as she stepped onto her front porch, unprepared for whatever stood behind the door. 'Please be at work.' She thought and swung her head toward the bag underneath her and grabbed a pair of keys. Unlocking the door, Alison stepped into the house.

Alison inspected the entrance. Nothing had been touched or broken. In her book, everything was fine so far. It wasn't until she walked further into the building that the tragedy was revealed. She stared at her father who seemingly already passed out. He'd probably been sleeping for an hour or two at the most.

There were several broken glasses along with a few cans of beer. 'He must've run out.' she could feel small tears forming in the corner of her eye. Alison didn't want to cry. Not right now, she had to clean up the mess. Managing to suppress them, she approached the couch and began to clean up.

Luckily, it appeared worse than it intentionally was, so the clutter was cleaned up rather quickly. She knelt at the foot of the couch and eyed her father's condition. Observing every little detail possible, even if they were dreadful ones. He almost looked at peace but she knew better than to think of such a thing.

"This is your fault," Michael mumbled under his breath. Her eyes watered at his broken voice. He was dreaming, dreaming about the worst moment of his life.. and Alison maintained a heavy role in it. A tear patterned down her cheek and was wiped in an instant. If she planned to cry then it'd have to be in an appropriate location.

Standing, Alison sniffed and whipped out her phone to check the time. It wasn't that late so there was a window of opportunity for her; That was to pack up a few things and drive to Francisca's house. Tessa and her family were most likely having a family dinner at the moment and well— they don't like to be disturbed.

Knowing her best friend, Francisca definitely shut off her phone. She just hoped her family would allow her to stay, it was certainly worth a try.

The evening was Francisca's favorite time of the day. It was when she and her family members were together and relaxed. She spent most of her evenings reading a book but with her parents out of work, she was spending her time preparing for dinner alongside her mom, Daniela.

Scooping out an avocado, the adolescent attempted to casually bring up a certain topic; That being the school dance. Considering the fact she'd be attending, she knew she would have to pay the fee and ask for leftovers in case the others hoped to meet up after. She despised asking her parents for money. Anything that wasn't earned by Francisca herself, she hated.

A glimpse of the woman was caught in her eyesight. She gulped, making an effort to receive the slightest bit of courage to ask the question. "Hey, ama? I was wondering if you had a few dollars, my friends and I are going to a Halloween dance the school's hosting and they'll probably want to hang out afterward."

Daniela raised an eyebrow and flipped a tortilla with her bare hands. "I'm pretty sure I have about twenty I could spare. You never told me you were going to the dance, I thought you didn't like them?" She asked whilst lowering the stove heat. Francisca shrugged. "Usually, but my friend, Miguel pointed out that we desperately need to hang out at a location that's not our house, or Tessas,"

Hearing a chuckle, the girl reckoned that her answer wouldn't be a negative one. "Well don't worry, I have enough for you to have fun with your friends," She grinned. "Thanks, Mom!" Her daughter's posture loosened up a bit. She hadn't realized her shoulders were scrunched up from the stress.

"Anytime. So, this friend of yours, Miguel, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Daniela questioned in a meddlesome manner. Francisca rolled her eyes as she began to smash the avocado with her spoon. 'Why must she ask these questions?' She clicked her tongue and responded with, "Of course not. I simply thought he made a valid point. There is absolutely nothing going on between us."

Yeah, the elder woman didn't buy it. She was aware of how blindsided her daughter was when it came to liking someone. — After all, Francisca has never once had a crush, from pre-school to this day. She wasn't opposed to it but never really thought about it much. Although, because of that, she'd never know the fundamentals of having feelings for a person.

"Alright then, I hope you and your friends have a good time at the dance," Her mother declared while the rest of the family's arrival had gone unnoticed. "What?! You're going to a dance? I thought you said the day you'd ever consider going to a dance was the day your body got switched with another!" Jackeline exclaimed.

Well, that was undoubtedly true. If you were to ask anybody in the family, they would agree with the statement. They knew Francisca would never think about going to an event like it, as stated plenty of times before. — But the way her sister formatted it appeared as though she was dramatic. Those couldn't be her exact words.

Francisca scoffed. "You're right but those aren't my words. They're dramatic and I'm nowhere near dramatic." Silence filled the kitchen when a response was expected. Yet the response came off to be non-existent. The brunette looked up and scanned her family members. "I cannot be that dramatic right?"

"You kind of are.." Her younger sister Araceli spoke. She hid behind their father in case any drastic measures were taken. "Seriously?" Araceli's twin sister, Alondra nodded in agreement. "Well, that's wonderful," Francisca stated with the form of sarcasm laced in her tone. Her younger siblings' giggled and soon enough everyone was laughing aside from Francisca.

Along the way, she managed to crack a smile. "I hate you guys." Her father laughed as he came behind the counter to assist with dinner. "I'm sorry, míja. That was just too funny," Rafael's laughter continued. The sound of a doorbell sounded during the scene. Francisca playfully smacked him with a cloth, leaving him to work on the guacamole while she would open the door.

"I get your point!" She shouted and approached the front door, curious to see who could be knocking at this hour. Outside was revealed a very teary-eyed Alison with her mascara slightly smeared. She sniffed. "H—Hey, I know I should've called but—" Her voice cracked.

She allowed the blonde to enter the house. "Don't worry, it's okay. What happened?" Her eyes examined her best friend's features. It looked like she'd been crying for quite a while now considering the amount of puffiness in her eyes. "My dad." And with that sentence, she understood exactly what occurred moments earlier.

The girl was aware of her situation at home but hadn't known it was this terrible. "Alison, sweetie, are you alright?" Daniela called with worry from the kitchen. Everyone else looked frightened for Alison because of her current state. "I'm okay, I was just wondering if I could stay here for tonight?"

"Of course you can. Stay as long as you'd like, we're just about to eat dinner. Frankie, would you mind helping Alison clean up while we set the table?" She wrapped her arm around her and nodded. "Gracias míja," Her mother said in appreciation.

Francisca led her to the bathroom in hopes of having a long conversation about this. She knew Alison wasn't right based on her appearance. Hopefully, her friend wouldn't be as closed off about her situation as usual.

— ESME SPEAKS !

For some reason I just locked in on this chapter but Alison's POV highkey sucks..

Sorry for any mistakes or grammar errors, I write better at night but let's face it I'm nowhere near reliable when it's nighttime

Also, just want to clarify that Francisca is the only biological daughter of Rafael and Daniela😭, Jackeline and the twins are adopted

Anyway, please don't be a ghost reader and comment! I appreciate you all and thank you so much for reading and voting!

Hugs and kisses!

Except for you Sam.