Dance Moms - Lorelei (3) James & Hilliker

Chapter 5 : Over the Table

Kalani took her to dinner, Chloe wasn't expecting to find herself in the Hispanic population of East Harlem. She looked around the graffiti on the walls, uncomfortable being the only white girl in the neighborhood.

They arrived an open food court, the place was filled with scary men in gangster tattoos, all had guns on the table or at the hips.

"Uh... is this place safe?" Chloe worried.

"Relax! These people know me well!" Kalani went in with open arms. "QUE PEDO! PERRAS!!"

What were tables full of gangsters, fled in seconds like pigeons spotted a cat, so hurried a shoe was left on the ground.

"Well, that was embarrassing!" Kalani laughing silly, Chloe was deeply concerned.

"Are you sure it's okay to eat here?"

"Sure! They have the best chili dogs!"

"That's not what I meant!" Chloe looked around, everyone has retreated to a distance, all with hostile eyes and hands at their guns, but Kalani casually took a seat.

"Ops. Someone left this!"

She spoke Spanish to the approaching waitress, picked up the semi-automatic pistol from the table and handed it to her. The waitress received it, shoved it to her waist with one hand, then took her order like this happens all the time.

"What did you do here??" Chloe leaned close and whispered.

"Nothing!" Kalani met her questionable eyes. "Okay, maybe a few minor misconducts."

"Minor misconducts?"

"And some hospitalization..."

"Never mind!" Chloe didn't want to hear. "I think we should get out of here."

"Nonsense!" Kalani shouted something in Spanish, the crowd cautiously stepping back to their tables, as if walking on a mine field.

The waitress came back with chili dogs, salad and drinks. Kalani began munching down like home cooking, Chloe took small bites, keeping her eyes at the hostile crowd.

"So what have you up to these days?" Kalani asked with a mouthful.

"School." Chloe answered.

"Didn't take any tasks?"

"I don't do it for money. I prefer to help the less fortunate."

"You should take tasks, pays well, great medical!" Kalani took another bite. "These people won't survive a day in El Centro!"

"How are you not getting deported?"

"Morris fixed that!"

Kalani took out her wallet, showed to Chloe her driver's license.

"Hilliker?" Chloe read from the fake ID. "From Arizona?"

"I'm an American now!" Kalani laughed.

Chloe returned the license and showed her own.

"Lorelei James?" Kalani read. "You don't look like a Lorelei!"

"Madison's idea. As long as it gets me where I needed to go, I'm okay with it."

"So are you going to Philly?" Kalani looked at the file between them.

"I'm not sure yet. I need to do some study first."

"A priest in a rehab." Kalani read. "A grown man surrounded by teen addicts, what could possibly go wrong?"

"I can't just grab him. I need evidence to prove he was the same man."

Someone tapped the table with a gun, pinning the barrel to the file between them. Chloe looked up and found the table surrounded by gang members full of guns.

The bald man interrupted them had tattoo covering every inch of his skin, his face was a skull, it was giving Chloe the creeps.

He challenged in Spanish, Chloe needn't translation, his tone was cold and hostile, but Kalani answered casually, still chewing her chili dog.

"What did he say?" Chloe couldn't help asking, her fists tightened under the table. Her baton was in her backpack and out of reach.

"Oh, he just wanted to see what a white girl can do."

Suddenly, Kalani caught the tattoo man's wrist, slapped hard on the back of his hand, knocking the gun towards Chloe, she caught it in mid-air and quickly dismantled it to parts. Her swift movement took the crowd by surprise.

"Chloe, give the man back his toy." Kalani smiled.

Chloe assembled the gun again, as quick as her taken apart, slapped the magazine back and slid it across the table, it stopped right before its owner.

Offended, the man picked up his gun and cocked it, pointing the barrel at the white girl's head, but Chloe simply raised a hand, between her fingers was the firing pin to his gun.

Without breaking eye contact, Chloe carefully placed the pin into the owner's hand, their eyes locked into a staring contest. Then the tattoo man broke out a laughed, and so did his members, all retreated back to their table.

"That was so close!" Chloe sighed in relief, hiding her trembling hands under the table.

"Looks like you fit in here nicely!" Kalani laughed.

"I don't want to fit in. I want to get out of here."

"No until you try their enchiladas!"