ratchet life

3.

Hi please don't hate me for the delay I'm a college student with no free time 🥺. And omg the reads. Why y'all snap like that? For real, thanks for the reads, for the votes and for the comments. If y'all comment and I don't respond pls know that I appreciate all of them, I just have anxiety 🤧. Anyways, I wanted to say that until this chapter I completely forgot about Xavier and that Cotton storyline. To be honest, I don't even know where the show was going with either. I'm not even gonna pretend that they'll be included and if they are, it might not be heavily.

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Warning: racist language

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Alex feels bad that she hasn't checked in with Star or Simone since both of the other girls left. There's been too much that went on, she's mentally exhausted, and really all she wants to do is collapsed into the big fluffy bed of the penthouse hotel room that she and Derek rented and sleep for days.

She looks over at Derek, who's sitting on the corner of the bed talking on the phone with one of his various relatives, telling them about Miss Ruby. She's watched him make various phone calls already, his voice arey cracking as he recounts the events time and time again.

It's almost robotic, and it worries her, but she doesn't know what to do. She feels like if she pushes him, he'll just push back, they'll fight, and she doesn't want that. She's settled for not talking, which she knows isn't good either.

There was a time when she loved not talking about anything serious, especially with Derek, not wanting to color the image he had of her, not wanting him to know how fucked up she was, which led her down a path of getting an abortion, lying about said abortion, kleptomania, and then cheating him.

Needless to say, she was all about talking now, especially with the help of therapy. Maybe she would suggest that Derek come to a session with her.

She's taken out of her thoughts when her phone rings, seeing Miss Bruce's face on her screen. She exhales but brings the phone to hear ear.

"Miss Bruce this isn't really a good time-"

"Heifer where you at? Me and Carlotta have been tryna call yo ass."

She's seen the missed calls from Carlotta and Bruce. When she didn't see any from Simone or Star she figured everything was kay. Or, as okay as they could be, given the circumstances.

"Like I said, this isn't a good time-" Alex tries again, but Miss Bruce drops the bomb,

"Angel is dead."

If this day hadn't gone the way it had, Alex might think Miss Bruce was making some sort of sick joke. But Alex new she wasn't.

"This cannot be happening." she mutters.

"Mmmmmhmmm. Girl Simone done fell out, bumped that big ass head of hers. Carlotta in there with her now. Oh, and if you care, Cassie is fine, as expected. The bitch got nine lives."

"How can you be making jokes right now?" Alex asks.

"It's my coping mechanism. Like how you used to be a thief."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Anyways, is Simone okay? I mean I know she's not okay but, how she's holding up?"

"She's not." is Miss Bruce's short answer. "And speaking of criminals, have you talked to Star? I haven't been able to get a hold of her ass either."

"Star's not there?"

Alex has a lot of grievances about Star and her attitude, but she knows that Star loves her baby sister. She would be there if she could, especially if she knew what happened.