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"Rue baby, I'm sorry but there is no way you're really about to go into this new year still hung up on Jewel."

Mariah rolled her eyes at Rue as she applied mascara to the girl's eyelashes–which Rue was only allowing because she was high off her ass and slumped in Mariah and Fezco's bed–having been watching Mariah get ready for the New Year's Eve party that Rue invited them all too.

The year was almost over, and so was Rue's winter break from school, which she continued to spend at Fezco's place.

Speaking of Fezco, he was giving grandma her meds real quick after getting ready himself, mumbling something about being tired of listening to Rue rant about Jewel as he exited his room.

But Rue wasn't ranting to him, Fezco was no help. He'd be a bad therapist, mumbling word after every sentence his client spoke.

Rue ranted to Mariah, because unlike her man, she listened to everything Rue said, and fortunately for Rue, Mariah took her side.

But shit, even Mariah was slowly growing tired and annoyed of hearing about the same bitch.

It's funny because at first, Mariah was slightly annoyed of the bitch ranting to her. She wasn't very fond of Rue ever since that one time she basically verbally abused Fezco because he refused to give her drugs.

But she was like Fezco's little sister, so Mariah knew her feelings towards Rue were bound to change. In a good way. Rue was nonstop flirting with Mariah, and Mariah liked the attention, but she wouldn't ever go along with it or lead her on.

She'd just laugh and dismiss her little comments, eyeing Fezco who just shook his head, impatient for Rue to get the fuck up outta his house for the day. He loved Rue but god, she was too much sometimes.

And the more she hung out with Mariah, the bigger crush she had on her, and the more she acted like her, and Fezco also loved his girl, but he could not stand two of her.

Rue and Mariah were sort of best friends, since Faye went ghost on Mariah after an argument Fezco and Custer had about a new supplier. Custer was controlling, and took Faye's phone away since she was living with him now, so she and Mariah had no way to contact each other.

It was an extremely weird time, everything was goof but something was off. Mariah felt that way since the night of Wayne and Mouse's deaths.

Something wasn't right, but she just didn't know what.

For a good few days she thought she was pregnant, having even told Rue and gotten a little excited after she missed her period, but turns out it was just late. And she always was super emotional on her period, but she literally cried for six days straight, sad because she thought she was pregnant.

She didn't know why she wanted to be pregnant so bad. Living with Fezco just did something to her, he was such a dad yet he had no kids. She was just so in love with him and couldn't wait to start a family and grow old with him. She didn't wanna wait.

But she knew she had to, and she knew that she couldn't be pregnant right now even if she wanted to be. They weren't ready to bring a baby into the world.

Especially with how fucked up their world currently is.

But she doesn't think of reality when she's with Fezco. It's complicated. It's weird.

"It's pathetic," Mariah continued telling Rue, shaking her head at the girl, who finally shut up about Jewel.

"That's funny, cause I don't remember asking," Rue snorted a laugh.

"That's funny, cause I do," Ashtray interjected from the doorway. "Mar Mar I miss her. I can't believe she left me at the train station. She clearly didn't give a fuck about me but I still miss her. Does that make me a loser?"

Mariah pursed her lips, holding back a laugh at Ashtray's impression of Rue and some of the things she's said over the past few weeks, watching Rue's eyebrows furrow as she turned to look at Ashtray.

"First of all, I don't call her Mar Mar, I call her babe. Second of all, why are you eavesdropping?" Rue shot him a glare, one he shot back of course.

"Because you're loud as fuck and annoying as fuck and we're all tired! Even Fez, you know how hard it is to piss Fez off?!" Ashtray scoffed. "Anyways Mar Mar, Fez said we gotta go."

Mariah frowned, tapping her phone screen to display the time. "He said we'd leave at 9," She read 7:58 off her phone and glanced at herself in the mirror.

The New Year's party was set to start at 8 according to the flier posted around Instagram, but nobody shows up to parties at the time they're set to start. It was a 30ish minute drive from the house, that way if they left at 9, they'd get there at almost 10.

Because Mariah planned on asking Fezco to stop by Taco Bell, which added an extra 15ish minutes to the trip.

Ashtray eyed Rue as she picked at the mascara on her eyelashes before looking back at Mariah, who grabbed her eyelash glue and her favorite eyelashes to put on real quick, which was all she needed to complete her look.

"We gotta go meet Custer at his supplier's place, he gonna hook us up," Ashtray informed Mariah as he watched her slip her feet into the cute heels she bought last weekend when she dragged him and Fezco to the mall with her.

"Who?" Rue furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Ashtray ignored her question and just continued staring at Mariah as she glued her spiders onto her eyes, nodding at what he said.

Custer had come over many times in the past week for minutes at a time, freaking out on Fezco about Mouse, which would only piss Fezco off.

Custer made it really hard to cover up a murder. It was frustrating. Even Mariah was frustrated with him, asking Ashtray why he didn't kill two rats with one hammer.

After spritzing some perfume on and checking her makeup out, Mariah shooed both Rue and Ashtray out of her room, following behind them as they joined Fezco in the living room.

"Fuck," He mumbled under his breath at seeing Rue, completely forgetting she was here, then glanced at his girl, rethinking whether bringing the two along was a good idea or not. "Uh, actually–"

"What do you think?" Mariah cut him off, doing a lil spin for him and smiling.

"S'cute, but–"

"Really? Just it's cute?" She frowned.

Fezco smiled, "I'm sorry mama, my bad. You look beautiful." He ran his hand down her back as she leaned in to give him a little kiss, distracting him from telling her to stay back with Rue for a litte.

Ashtray gagged, then scoffed and snatched Fezco's car keys from him, nodding at Rue to follow behind him as he tucked his glock into his waistband.

Rue snorted under her breath, "Midgets and guns. Fez stop kissing my girlfriend and hurry up, I'm hungry."

Fezco ignored Rue as she walked pass him, furrowing his eyebrows when he snapped back into reality, pulling away from the kiss to watch Rue walk out the house and join Ashtray in the car.

"Fuck," Fezco mumbled once again before looking down at Mariah.

"What?" She asked him.

"Nah nun, you jus look good. You gon act good too?"

Mariah raised an eyebrow before smiling, "What does that mean?"

Fezco kissed his teeth, "Not like that, witcho freaky ass. I mean you gon be good while I go do this wit Custer?"

"Maybe," Mariah continued smiling, passing her man as she walked towards the door.

"Whatchu mean maybe?" Fezco scoffed, grabbing her hand and holding her back.

"It depends, what do I get out of it?" Mariah joked, glancing back at him.

"Mane yo ass better stop playing. You not gon fuck around?" Fezco gave her a serious look.

"No," She rolled her eyes.

"Good," Fezco smiled again before smacking his hand onto her ass. "C'mon, get yo fine ass in the car."

Mariah just stared up at him as he rubbed the spot he smacked, wanting to smack the smirk off his face. He just loves fucking with her at the worst times.

"Okay daddy," Mariah blew him a kiss before stepping outside, leaving Fezco to lock the doors as he followed her.

Fezco scoffed with a shake of his head, watching Mariah walk in front of him–more specifically watching her lower body.

"Yo feet gon get tired wit those heels mama," Fezco told her.

"Beauty is pain babe."

Fezco laughed, licking his lips as he caught up with her once they reached his car, grabbing onto the passenger door handle.

"Nah, s'all good, you can sit on my face if you get tired."

"Open the door and shut up," Mariah rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his little smirk.

"You aight?" Fezco asked tauntingly.

"I'm perfect. I don't know why you act like I didn't have your palms sweating and your hands shaking that first time I gave you a lap dance," Mariah taunted back.

Fezco just smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead as he opened the door for her.

"Yo put on some music, this shit is lameeee," Rue cupped her hands over her mouth as she dragged out the word lame the second Mariah was in the car.

"Any requests?" Mariah asked, glancing back at Rue before her eyes swept over Ashtray, who leaned his head against the car window and glared out the window, annoyed with who he was stuck next to.

"What CD's Fez got?" Rue wondered.

"Ash you wanna switch?" Mariah asked, feeling bad because she knew he could not stand Rue.

Ashtray lifted his head off the window and glanced at Mariah, eyebrows slightly raised with a hopeful look, wondering if she was for real.

"Like, spots?" He made clear.

"Yeah, I'm mad at Fez," Mariah lied with a small laugh.

Ashtray didn't verbally respond, instead he quickly got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Mariah, leaving Fezco confused as he got into his side and closed the door.

"Wait so does that mean it's my time to shine?" Rue asked Mariah, who giggled as Ashtray helped her out of the car and took her spot, leaving her to walk around to the seat behind Fezco and get back into the car.

"Yo you jus ditched me?" Fezco asked his girl.

"To sit with me!" Rue bragged, leaning all close to Mariah. "Ooo Fez, put on some 2pac, stop being mad your girl likes me more."

"Nah, Rue, you trippen," Fezco scoffed.

"Maybe, but that's why I fucked your bitch you fat motherfucker."

"First off, fuck yo bitch and the clique you claim!"

Ashtray pressed his head back against the headrest of his seat, rolling his eyes as Rue half assed rapped along to Hit Em Up by 2pac.

Just as annoyed, Fezco stared at the street he drove on, trying to drown out Rue's voice overlapping 2pac's and occasionally glanced at Mariah in his mirror while she took selfies of herself and occasionally side eyed Rue and giggled.

Rue was straight having the time of her life mumbling along to the lyrics, reaching for a dime bag from her sock as she bopped her head.

"Westside when we ride come equipped with game, you claim to be a player but I fucked your wife," She sang extra loudly, grabbing Fezco's shoulder and shaking before she leaned on Mariah and continued singing, laughing with herself because she thought she was so hilarous.

Mariah giggled at that, playing with Rue's messy curly hair as she leaned on her. Rue was high off her ass, and Mariah knew that, having just watched her snort another line.

You'd think that it would quiet her down, but Rue only sang louder, mumbling every now and then but still just as loud.

"Yo, can you tell her to shut the fuck up?" Ashtray snapped, officially fed the fuck up as he turned to his brother.

Fezco sighed before glancing in the mirror, looking at Mariah, then at Rue, and then at Mariah again.

"Yeah, Rue you gotta chill out back there for real. Me and Ash gotta handle some serious business right now."

"Oh yeah, for sure," Rue nodded. "No, I can do that. I can just stay back here with Mariah. It's real comfy."

She snuggled up next to Mariah, who didn't even notice as she watched Ashtray direct Fezco to make a right turn, pulling into an apartment building parking lot.

As Fezco drove in, they caught sight of Custer, who turned around to look at the car, squinting at the headlights shining in his eyes and moving to reveal a girl behind him.

"Who the fuck is this bitch?" Fezco mumbled as he parked, eyebrows furrowed as he took his seatbelt off and got out of the car before Mariah could even spit out that that was her friend.

"Yo!" Custer greeted as Fezco closed his car door, grabbing Faye's hand and pulling her closer to him.

"Who the fuck is this, man?" Fezco asked Custer.

"Hi, I'm Faye," Faye waved.

Fezco just stared at Custer with an annoyed expression, making him sigh and pull Fezco aside.

"What is she doin here?" Fezco asked through his teeth, leaning on the trunk of his car as he waited for an answer from Custer.

"Nah, nah, bro, that's my fuckin girl," Custer explained to him, glancing into the car to look at Mariah. "C'mon bro, you brought your girl. Shit you brought your whole family, pretty much."

Fezco sighed, shaking his head as Custer went on rambling about some bullshit, he wouldn't know as he wasn't paying attention, glancing through the back window and Mariah.

"Whatever, man. Let's just do this," Fezco mumbled.

Custer nodded, turning to his girlfriend, "Faye! In the car."

"Okayyyy," Faye dragged out, walking towards the car as Fezco opened Mariah's door.

He held his hand out for his girl, nodding at her when she raised an eyebrow so she'd step out, making Faye gasp dramatically once she did.

"Oh my god, no way!" Faye excitedly squealed. "I haven't seen you since Wayne died!"

"I know!" Mariah said just as excitedly as they both embraced each other in a hug.

"Faye, in the car," Custer repeated.

"Ughh okayyy," Faye rolled her eyes and broke the hug, getting into the car as Fezco opened his drivers side door for Mariah.

"C'mon mama," He mumbled and helped her in before closing the door again. "Is gon be 10, 20 minutes tops, aight? Y'all just please stay in the car, no fucking funny business."

He glanced back at Rue and Faye before he set his eyes on Mariah again, nodding because he knew she understood the situation.

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, mumbling a lil I love you before he half nodded at Ashtray. "Let's go."

It seemed like the three girls all silently agreed to wait for the drug dealers to be out of sight to start talking, because as soon as they were gone, they all exchanged looks.

Mariah turned around in her seat to face Rue and Faye, raising an eyebrow at the weird look on Rue's face.

"You guys know each other?" She asked, pointing between the two best friends.

"Yeah, we work at the strip club together," Faye nodded. "Well–worked."

"Worked?" Rue asked.

"It's kinda closed down right now because someone shot the owner and he died. At the club," Mariah explained.

"Anyways, hi, I'm Faye," Faye introduced herself to Rue.

"I'm Rue," She responded, rubbing her nose. "How's your New Years going?"

"What?"

"...New Years."

"It's fucking New Years?" Faye scoffed.

Rue raised an eyebrow, "I believe so?"

"Yeah it's New Years," Mariah confirmed after Faye looked at her with a confused look.

Faye groaned, "Ugh, I swear my boyfriend doesn't tell me anything!"

"Girl there is no way you didn't know it's New Years," Mariah furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't! Custer literally took my phone, and we've been staying in a motel that has no cable so I can't watch anything! I'm literally like, a prisoner," Faye ranted.

"Why'd he take your phone? Like, I still don't get it," Mariah wondered. "He's so weird. You too, why would you let him?"

"The same reason why you let Danny hit you," Faye scoffed. "Don't question me. Anyways–I didn't even recognize Superman, didn't realize it was him til I saw you! Thought it was Mac Miller."

"Who's Superman?" Rue asked the two as Mariah just laughed.

"Fez," Mariah answered. "We've been calling him Superman since me and him met."

"Yeah because he totally saved Mariah and now they're in loveeee," Faye teased like a little kid.

"Bitch you're in love too," Mariah reminded her with a laugh.

"I was in love too," Rue interjected, wanting to feel included.

"What's his name?" Faye asked.

"Oh no, ew. I'm not into guys. It's a girl, her name's Jules," Rue nodded.

Mariah groaned, "Ugh, not this bitch again."

"Don't be mean, you talk about Superman nonstop and nobody tells you anything," Faye scolded Mariah before she turned to Rue. "Tell me about this girl."

Mariah sighed, drowning out Rue's voice as she began to tell Faye about Jules from the very beginning. She told her everything starting from when they met at Christopher McKay's end of summer party to where they last saw each other at the train station the night of Rue's winter formal.

"She left you at a fucking train station?" Faye drawled out, opening her altoids druggie box, having grown a little bored of the story until the very end.

"Yeah, I was, like, crying," Rue told her, imitating tears streaming down her face with her hands.

"What a fucking cunt," Faye scoffed, grabbing her needle from the box.

"Um...I don't think–...I wouldn't do that here," Rue stared at the needle, a concerned and scared look on her face as she met eyes with Mariah, who looked up from her phone to look at the two girls.

"It's just heroin."

"No, I see that, but maybe like..."

"Faye there is no way you're about to shoot up heroin in my boyfriend's car," Mariah scoffed.

"Why?" Faye gave her a look.

"Uh–I just feel like it isn't...the best place to do that," Rue tried to reason.

Faye scoffed at her, "Listen, I fucking know what you are. You're just a fucking junkie ass bitch, and you're probably fucking eating Superman's ass for fucking oxys or whatever the fuck you're into."

"Faye shut the fuck up and put the needle down," Mariah raised her voice and watched as Faye propped her foot up on the seat. "Oh my god, bitch there is no w–"

Mariah was cut off by Faye's screaming as some guy reached into the window and grabbed her, pulling her out, which was so sudden and surprising that Rue and Mariah started screaming without realizing that they were also being grabbed.

Mariah didn't process anything that had happened until she and Faye were shoved against a wall in some apartment, her arm hurting due to the grip the rando who dragged her in had on her.

"Yo, what the fuck?" Fezco's voice ringed in Mariah's ears, making her look up besides her as he pulled her all close to him.

"Shut the fuck up," the guy, Bruce, spat before turning to Custer and pushing his head against the wall, smashing his nose with his hand. "You come to my muthafuckin house with a fuckin 12 year old, three junkie whores and a motherfucker I don't know. You out of your fucking mind?!"

Mariah glanced around the room, looking at Rue and Ashtray before glancing at Faye and then up next to her at Fezco, trying to figure out who the third junkie whore was.

It's clear that Faye and Rue were the first two, but who was the–oh. She was the third junkie whore.

"I'm on fuckin probation," Bruce announced. "We are not involved with any illegal activity. We don't associate with anybody involved in illegal activity. And Laurie over there? Laurie don't deserve this shit."

Mariah stared at the side of Fezco's face while he avoided eye contact and just stared at the wall behind Ashtray.

"Brucey," A female voice whispered from behind Mariah, but she didn't dare to turn, watching Bruce walk towards the voice, everything going silent since he was the only one talking.

All you could hear were the whispers between Bruce and the woman, Laurie, before Bruce's footsteps walked back to stand in front of everyone.

"All right, check this out," He announced. "All y'all, let's get naked right fucking now."

Everybody stayed frozen in place despite his orders, Fezco side eyeing Mariah next to him as she hugged his arm tighter.

"You heard what the fuck he said, c'mon!" The younger guy yelled once he noticed nobody was moving.

"Come on, let's go. Everybody, let's go! Undress–except for you," Bruce cut himself off once he saw Ashtray begin to take his jacket off. "Keep your shit on, man. Nobody wants to see you naked."

Ashtray rolled his eyes, putting his jacket back on and looking at Fezco.

"BJ, take his ass down. Put him in a fucking closet," Bruce said to the younger guy.

"Yo, yo, come on now, y'all," Fezco protested as Ashtray was dragged down the hall. "C'mon bruh, nobody got no fuckin wire."

Bruce snapped, "Prove that shit! I don't know who the fuck you are! Far as I'm concerned, you're a fucking cop!"

Fezco exhaled through his nose, glancing down at Mariah, who met his eyes with hers.

"Come on, let's go, man. Ain't got all fuckin night!"

Fezco's apologetic gaze made Mariah feel bad as he quietly cleared his throat, watching his adam's apple bob as he turned to look away from her, beginning to undress himself as did Custer and Faye.

Mariah quickly joined them, pulling her skirt down her legs, not wanting to piss Bruce off as he took a quick glance around the room to make sure everyone was doing as he said.

"You not hear what the fuck I said?"

Bruce's voice drew everyone's attention to him, where he stared and stood in front of Rue, who was still fully clothed while everyone else were undressing themselves.

"Uh, no, I'm–I'm just...I'm in–I'm in high school," Rue sputtered out nervously.

Fed up, Bruce harshly grabbed Rue's arm and dragged her down along a hallway, causing Fezco to speak up.

"Whoa there, pretty boy," The younger Bruce pushed Fezco back against the wall as Bruce disappeared down the hall with Rue, pointing his gun up under Fezco's chin. "I'll fold your shit right here."

"Fuck."

Everything had happened so quick, from being in Fezco's car telling Faye not to shoot up heroin, to being dragged out of the car and into the apartment, to getting yelled at and forced to get naked, to being dragged into the kitchen with Fezco, Faye, and Custer once they were all butt ass naked.

Mariah's heart was beating out of her chest, wondering what the fuck was going on with Rue and with Ashtray, right when Bruce walked back out into the room with Rue following behind him.

"BJ, we good?"

"Yeah," BJ replied as Laurie entered the room. "Kid has a glock on him."

Everybody's eyes fell onto Laurie, who just emotionlessly looked around. Mariah's eyebrows slowly shot up–she knew this woman.

She had come home to find her seated in the living room once, waiting for Mouse. They said she was Mouse's sister, but she knew that wasn't true. That's just what they wanted Isabella and the kids to believe.

"So now what?" Laurie wondered out loud.

"Hey...Laurie," Custer spoke up, slightly waving, not caring that he was naked and his dick was out while every other nude person covered themselves as much as they could.

Mariah tried to hide herself behind Fezco, eyes nervously shifting from the scary lady named Laurie and Bruce and Fezco.

"It's really good to see you again," Custer continued to speak. "Um, I wanted to introduce you to a super dope friend of mine–my boy Fez."

All eyes fell on Fezco, much like the 2pac song. Wow so much 2pac.

"He's like, h–"

"Where's Mouse?" Laurie cut Custer off. That's when Mariah's heart felt like it fucking stopped.

"Um..." Custer trailed off, looking over at Fezco.

Fezco cleared his throat, "You think I could like, put my draws on and talk to you in the other room for a sec?" He asked Laurie.

She looked him up and down before agreeing, "Okay." She nodded and walked into the other room like Fezco had asked.

Fezco licked his lips, glancing down at his boxers on the floor right next to his girl's panties. He waited til Laurie was out of the room to grab both, slipping into his boxers quickly before he helped Mariah get into her own draws, giving her a quick little kiss.

"Stay right here," He whispered before walking off into the other room with Laurie.

Mariah understood the situation, but couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that her man was about to be in the same room as this old bitch in just his boxers. She clearly saw Laurie looking him up and down.

Fezco took a seat on the little steps that led into the room, watching as Laurie sprinkled fish food into the fish tank she sat by, staring at him and waiting for him to answer her question.

He couldn't find the right words to say–how was he gonna tell Mouse's homegirl that the little kid locked in the closet killed his ass a few weeks ago?

"Mouse ain't gone be comin around no more."

Laurie raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. "Why's that?"

"Cause I didn't like the way he did business," Fezco maintained eye contact with Laurie, slightly nervous as ge rested his elbows on his knees.

Laurie lightly scoffed, "Says the guy who brings a kid to a drug deal."

Fezco shook his head. "Dad not a kid. Das my business partner.

"Says the guy who brings a high school girl to a drug deal," Laurie added.

"Das my family."

"What about the stripper?" Laurie asked him.

Fezco didn't let the fact that Laurie knew she was a stripper faze him, no hesitation or second thought behind his answer.

"Das my wife."

Laurie raised an eyebrow at Fezco's response, "So you trust her?"

"With my life."