"Have a good night." Alaska said with a bored tone through the small radio toward the pair of girlfriends that had just gone through the car wash, "Hope you enjoyed."

The pair smiled at her as they drove off, talking about how real the clown look and how they actually felt scared. Alaska hit the button on the computer that allowed the next car to come through, the line still ridiculously long behind it. Squeaky Lee's had been around for eighteen years now and was one of the best car washes in The Valley. Though, you could imagine it would do well considering that's were her father does most of his drug trades and where he finds his dealers.

Alaska tugged at the scratchy material of her costume, she put herself in a green skirt along with a green top, a pair of wings to go on her back. She was attempting the tinker bell look but thought she looked more like a grasshopper. When she ordered the skirt it came two sizes too small, ridding up on her stomach a bit and showing off the bellybutton piercing she got behind her parents back, another reasons why she kept tugging at it.

It was ten minutes past midnight, her shift was over, yet the other hadn't showed up. Alaska huffed in annoyance, listening to the laughter and screams from outside the thin walls of the office part of the car wash. When her phone went off saying he was here, Alaska was beyond annoyed.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked the older man in disbelief, "What? Get caught up handing out candy from your mothers couch?"

"Traffic." he said with a raise of his hands, taking her seat as Alaska rolled her eyes.

"Traffic my ass." she mumbled, throwing her bag over her shoulder and trying to pull her shirt down enough incase her parents were already home, "Just hit that button when one car is done, talk to them on the radio and then let the other in."

He gave her a nod, sitting in the chair, "Have a good halloween."

Alaska gave a forced smile as she pushed the door open, immediately getting a chill in the halloween air. She wished she'd brought a jacket with her, hating the fact that she let her dad drop her off rather then just driving herself. Alaska pulled out her phone for a second.

Alaska: Have fun at the dance?"

The bubbles were shown immediately.

Eli: Not really.

Eli: Wish you came.

Alaska: Feel like coming by tonight?

Alaska: Miguel and Demetri can come too.

Eli: Miguel got hurt.

Alaska: Hurt? How? Where is he?

Eli: it's a long story, can I call you?

Alaska: signal sucks right, i'm just a block away from home then i'll call you.

Eli: :)

Alaska put her phone away as her mind raced of Miguel, trying to think about how he could have gotten hurt, what happened along the way. She wished she had gone now, to protect him in some sort. Alaska send him a text quickly asking for his address but the message hadn't even delivered, hinting at his phone being off. Her mind was so occupied with her new friend that she hadn't heard the close footsteps behind her until a figure ran face first into her.

"Sorry." Alaska said before others came into her sides.

"Where you headed?" the voice behind her said as she tried to turn and walk away.

"I'm just- i'm sorry, I'm leaving." she tried to say quickly, being cornered by three people and no where to get away. They were all taller then she was, in dark hoods and low voices. The street lights on most of the block were out, making it impossible to know who or at least get a description of them.

"What you got in that bag?" the one behind her asked, the voice was low yet so angry.

"Take it, take it." she said quickly, shoving her bag into the tallest ones arms as they pulled it opened before whistling at all the things she had.

"Got a lot of nice things, don't you, pretty girl?" the next one who was infront of her mocked, their voice sounded like they smoked a pack a day. Alaska didn't say anything, trying to avoid all eye contact as she looked down, listening to one gawk at her things and the other try and scare her.

"Let's go, we have it." the one by her side said. Alaska could hear the slightest sense of softness in their voice, almost regretful. She hadn't felt bad for them one bit, but something was more gentle then the other two. Alaska didn't dare to look up, knowing if she had, they'd get alarmed and possibly hurt her in the process. The three began to walk off before the tallest stopped next to Alaska's side, leaning in close. She thought maybe he was going to whisper something to her, something that would stick with her forever.

Alaska let out a painful scream, her eyes wailing with salty tears as he reached up and yanked her belly button ring out, ripping the skin as blood dropped onto the street. The person ran off with the other two, keeping the ring as Alaska cried. Her hands found the wound, blood pouring from it as the fresh skin was ripped in half completely.

Demetri had gotten a hold of Miguel finally by two in the morning, telling him what had happened. Miguel, his mother, and grandmother had hurried to the hospital to check on the girl. Miguel was beat and bruised, walking with a limp as he made it into the room she was in. Eli held Alaska's hand as the nurse examined her stitches before putting the bandage over it again to avoid infection. Demetri was by the door, looking up when he saw Miguel.

"Hey man." he greeted, the voice made Alaska look over as she smiled.

"Miguel." she soft softly, "You look horrible."

"Me?" he asked her in a joking manner, limping slightly as he sat down on the chair, "Says the one in the hospital."

"We're really sorry we ran, we thought you'd be behind us." Eli said quickly to Miguel, his head tucked away as his face went a scarlett red. Miguel looked to his hand that was holding Alaska's, fumbling with the bagger ring in nervousness.

"It's okay." Miguel said with a shake of his head before looking toward Alaska, "What happened?"

"Three guys cornered me, took my stuff then pulled my bellybutton ring out." Alaska said as she sat up, whimpering slightly as Demetri watched worried, pushing off the wall slightly.

"Jesus." Miguel said as he eyed the bandage, "They gave you stitches?"

"Yeah, ripped through a pretty good layer of skin." Alaska said, feeling the sense of soreness and shoots of pain around her bellybutton area, "The doctor said I was lucky it hadn't gotten infected before I got here."

"Did you see the guys?" Miguel asked her quickly, flinching himself as he tried to shift.

"No, just their voices." Alaska said as she shook her head at the thought, "One was really intimidating, like those bad cops that try and scare you in hopes of finding out who the murderer is."

"Like on Criminal Minds?" Miguel questioned her as Alaska grinned at his words.

"Sort of but more angry, like how Morgan was with Frank in that one episode in the milkshake diner." Alaska said as Miguel nodded, remembering the episode well, "And the other one was more... terrifying. Like the druggies on the street corners that'll beg you for money then call you slurs when you say you only have a card."

"You said three, what about the third one?" he asked her curiously, Alaska squeezed Eli's hand as she winced when she moved the wrong way.

"I don't know, like..." Alaska trailed off with a odd look on her face, "Like he was scared maybe, or not really wanting to do it. Maybe i'm just looking at it wrong."

"Probably just wasn't as scary as the other two." Miguel said as Alaska nodded her head, laying back with a sigh, "When can you go home? Demetri says you've been here for two hours."

"My parents are on their anniversary weekends in Santa Monica, they don't bring their phones with them." Alaska said with a huff, shutting her eyes as Demetri sat next to Miguel, "I kept trying to tell the doctor that but he's not listening to me."

"She wants to go home." Eli answered for her as Alaska nodded in agreement, "And better pain meds."

"Literally!" Alaska said loudly as Miguel let out a small laugh, looking toward the door where his mother and grandma stood, just outside to give the four some time.

"I think I can help." he said with a half grin through his busted lip.

"What do you mean? That's my granddaughter!" Miguel's grandmother began yelling at the doctors before screaming in Spanish, making a huge scene right outside Alaska's door. Demetri laughed as Eli grinned alongside Alaska, helping her get out of the hospital bed slowly to avoid tearing her stitches or feeling too much pain. He held her hand as she balanced herself, taking painful steps to try and get use to the feeling.

"Can you do it?" he questioned her worried, gripping her hand tighter as she took baby steps.

"I think so, just feels like my whole abdomen did Chloe Tings workouts." Alaska answered honestly as she straightened her back better.

"ID? ID? You won't release me my daughter because I have no ID?" Carmen shouted alongside her, Spanish also leaving her lips as the doctor became over whelmed with the two women shouting in a language he hadn't known, causing a huge scene on his most busy floor at two in the morning. The door of the room flew open as Alaska looked over, seeing the doctor look at her with a deep breath.

"Is this your family?" he asked, looking back at the two women.

"Adoptive." Alaska lied back with a smile, "Distant cousin, now daughter."

"Okay." the doctor said with a heavy sigh, handing her the prescription, "Get these filled where you'd like. It'll take four to six weeks to heal so be easy."

"Right." Alaska said, pushing her shoes onto her feet. She had one thing in mind and it was far from something easy, "Can I go?"

The doctor looked back at the two latina woman who stared at him in disbelief.

"Just sign your discharge papers." he said before giving a small smile and leaving quickly. Alaska looked toward Miguel in shock as he gave a half grin.

"Pretty cool, right?" he asked as Alaska laughed before stopped when she felt pain.

"Spicy Taquitos for Alaska!" Miguel's grandmother said as she greeted the girl with a hug.

"How long are you gonna milk this?" Demetri asked with a knowing look toward Alaska who only winked his way.

"For my daughter, you mean." Carmen said with a alarming look toward Alaska, "Are you sure your parents won't hear about this?"

"They won't know a thing." Alaska said as Eli signed her discharge papers for her, "Thank you."

"Let's get you home and with some food." Carmen said as she kissed the girl on the head and helped her walk out in a slow manor.

"That stupid ass!" Alaska said in disbelief as she sat at the Diaz table. Eli and Demetri had to leave, giving her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Miguel's grandmother laughed at Alaska's words, "Kylers such a loser, he's such a jerk."

"Such a jerk." Carmen said as she rubbed Miguel's bruised cheek, "Hurting my Miggy."

"Okay, okay." Miguel said as his face flushed before nodding toward Alaska who was tearing into a large plate filled with different forms of mexican food, "Is it good?"

"So good, better then masterbating." she answered as Carmen grinned while Miguel flushed and Rosa laughed loudly, "My dads Koren and has a strong passion for cooking so we usually eat that, I could bring you guys some."

"How dulce." Rosa gushed at the girl with a hand to her heart, "Stupid men pull your bellybutton out!"

Alaska laughed as Miguel shook his head with a grin.

"The cops spoke to you, didn't they?" Carmen asked her worried as Alaska dipped her chip into the guacamole and nodded as she stuck it into her mouth.

"I told them what I knew but I don't think it helped much." she said honestly as Carmen frowned and patted her head, "Police are dumb."

"Cute boyfriend." Rosa said with a wink toward Alaska, "Does he fight like Migeul?"

"Mom." Carmen said with a warning look, "We're done with fighting."

Miguel looked away with a huff.

"Eli's not my boyfriend." Alaska said with a small nod toward Rosa, humming in delight as she tore into the cheese enchiladas, "These, these are my boyfriend."

Carmen grinned as she rubbed her head, "Eat as much as you want."

•

kylie speaks

i'm sorry there
wasn't much of
alaska and eli
this chapter, i
really wanted to
get into her relationship
with rosa and carmen
and how it's so important
to her form now
on.

also i just want to say
how much i appreciate
all the comments and
votes on this book, i
really love those and it's
so motivating!! x