Family, Somehow (RoD, Mona & Ximena, Friendship)
This is my entry for the amazing #RODAW hosted by my wonderful friends @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard (among many others!). I decided to write a fanfic about an aspect of the story that is not really shown in the original book.
You know me, I'm all in for female solidarity/sisterhood stories so here you go: a work dedicated to Mona and Ximena friendship! Hope you like it!
Day 7 RoD Appreciation Week
Song Inspiration: Count On Me - Bruno Mars
Word Count: 2300
Perma Tag: @brightpinkpeppercorn @melodyofgraves @bhavf @abunchofbadchoices @silverhawkenzie @begging-for-kamilah @kennaxval @strangerofbraidwood @crazypeanat @desiree-0816 @universallypizzataco
Ximena Tag: @boneandfur @bobasheebaby @psychopathdreamer21
_________________________
Mona didn't join the Mercy Park Crew to make friends. It was just a temporary thing and she didn't need anyone, she thought: she wasn't a sentimental weakling, she was strong enough on her own. And she had learned better than to trust people, especially so-called friends and girlfriends.
Ximena never expected to see Kaneko recruit another girl in the gang. He did in the past and it didn't go well so she ended up being the only female member of the crew for years. It was fine, she was used to be around boys: most of her siblings were brothers. Yet sometimes she missed the female comradery she couldn't have with Logan or the nerdy goofball Toby.
That's why she rejoiced seeing Kaneko walking into the garage one day with a mysterious girl in a leather jacket in tow.
A mysterious new girl who tensed up in a defensive stance when X. towered over her from her height. Mona rolled her eyes ready for a petty catfight to show the "rival" that she wasn't interested in putting on a fight for bullshit like that when...her feet left the floor.
"What the fuck is-"
The giant had lifted her from the ground in a bone-crushing hug. Mona tried to free herself but the other girl was strong, she gave her that.
"Hey you, put me down now!" she protested, hating to feel at disadvantage.
"Hulk", as she identified her at a first glance, laughed and did her she said. Back to the ground, Mona resisted the urge to rub her own elbows and crossed her arms.
"What the fuck was that?"
A genuine smile appeared on X.'s lips as she shrugged and mimed her stance.
"Just giving you a proper welcome in our humble abode, sis. That's how I do it. Oh, I'm Ximena, by the way, what's your name, tough girl?"
Mona gave her a perplexed look and told her name before walking past her groaning. What's next? We braid each other hair and made friendship bracelets? Wonderful.
Later she missed those hugs. Or X. saving the last breakfast burrito for her no matter how cold she was because "sisters before misters", she would say winking before going back to her previous chore. Or bantering with the guys. Against all odds, Mona had to admit to herself that...it was fun to see. That X. was hilarious and definitely knew how to pull the best pranks.
And how to play pool, even if the Lebanese girl played in another league. They won all the matches and rematches when Toby and Logan challenged them one night when work was lazy. Later when the boys were drunkenly arguing with each other trying to prove who was the weak link, the girls chatted and Mona found out that X. had been a tattoo-artist and still tattooed every now and then.
"See Toby? Those tats are my doing" she explained pointing at Toby, who was now gesticulating and shouting buzzed nonsenses to an equally buzzed Logan.
What Ximena didn't expect was to hear the new icy girl asking her to tat her too.
"I have a couple of ideas for new tats and you seem pretty badass at it. I pay, obviously. How much?" she said, drowning her glass of vodka.
Ximena blinked.
"Nothing? We're pals?"
"Pals?" the Lebanese girl repeated, furrowing her brows as if X. suddenly switched to a foreign language she had never heard of.
"Well, crewmates? On the same side?"
"So what?"
Two black eyes met hers. The new girl was pretty tough to crack and slow to get it so X. chuckled and circled her arm around Mona's shoulder.
"So you buy breakfast, I tat you and that's all. Huh huh, don't make me give you my infamous side looks, honey. You don't wanna mess with me"
And so she did. Mona bought donuts and milkshakes and X. tattooed her left arm. Then her hip and her back. As the Lebanese girl was forced not to move and sit there with her for a while, Ximena learned that she was secretive about her past, but also rather talkative at times and observant as well. She knew a lot of things about cars and seemed genuinely curious to know why X. chose to go hybrid with her SUV. And listened carefully when she explained that you can hit the road and respect environment at the same time. Her younger sister talked her into watching that program by a girl called Emerald or something like that and it was eye-opening. So she decided to buy a green car, even if it earned her a few skeptical looks from the boss at first.
She had stopped to check the result of her work when Mona turned her head slightly and commented:
"You know, I was surprised too, not gonna lie...but it shows you care. You care for something more than this underground life. It's refreshing to see and I respect you for that"
Mona slowly started to be less grumpy with Ximena, provoking a new wave of teasing from the guys. But there were no romantic feelings involved, luckily: Mona wasn't looking for that and X. too probably. They were too busy or hurt, they just surprisingly enjoyed each other company. And they had each other back. It took a lot to Mona to allow anyone else helping her patching her wounds after a fight. She hated the whole getting medications and feeling like crap for days when some rival scumbag sent you flying or was quicker than you and gave you a harsher taste of your own medicine. She hated feeling the helpless girl she once was -or so she thought- but X. wouldn't accept no as an answer. And there was no judgment or disappointment in her tired eyes when she stood beside the couch where Mona crawled to with bandages and painkillers.
So, after protesting in vain, Mona let the kind female "Hulk" taking care of her. She secretly envied and admired at the same time Ximena: she looked invincible. Balanced, the "momma of the gang" checking on everyone and brightening the mood whenever things got rough. She worked hard and was one of the most skilled drivers the Lebanese girl had ever met. She looked like nothing could grind her down: always a smile for everyone, even if just a tired one or a kind word as if the criminal world she lived in hadn't hardened her as it usually happens. What was her secret?, she wondered.
She was lost in such thoughts as one day she walked to the garage with a stack of beers under her arm. She noticed Ximena's silhouette from afar and waved at her with her free hand but she didn't see her. The young woman was sitting on the sidewalk's edge and was talking to the phone or so it seemed. Mona made a mental note to tease her about that later but as soon as she moved closer she realized that...X. was crying? She froze for a moment, unsure of what to do then unceremoniously rushing to the kitchen and placing the beer right into a half-asleep Logan's arms and speeding back to sit beside Ximena.
Recalling what her friend would do if she was in her place, she tentatively snaked an arm around X.' broad muscled and now unexpectedly shivering shoulder and stayed there in silence. After a moment, X. told her that one of her little brothers didn't come back to school that day, it had been hours and he was still nowhere to be found. The other siblings went searching for him but couldn't find him and it was getting dark...what if someone kidnapped him?
"What if a creep found him? Or if someone found out I work for Kaneko, someone who holds a grudge to him or him and they...they-"
Before she knew it, she helped X. to her feet and lead her to her car, not giving a damn to the boss protests because they were gonna sit down and discuss their next mission. She started the engine and drove the two of them past the gang and the MPC hideout to hit the road at full speed: they had to find that little guy, it was all that mattered now.
And they did it luckily. They found his bike scattered at the side of a street near a park out his usual itinerary. The boy was covered with scratches because he had a pretty bad fall when a car hit him pushing him off the road as he was just following the ice cream truck. "I only wanted ice cream, X., I swear, I didn't mean to be bad" he said between tears. As soon as they spotted him, Ximena jumped off the car and ran to him to pull him into her strong arms, sobbing and peppering his head with kisses. Mona's heart tightened a little as she watched the scene from her car: X. checking any sign of bad wounds and then cradling Xavier into one of her hugs as she whispered Spanish words into his ear. Her Spanish was bad but she made out something that sounded like "I'll get you the biggest ice cream, sweetheart, I promise". So, barely recognizing herself, she cleared her voice and said:
"Hey, I...I think I saw the truck on our way here. Like one block away. We can still get one if you're okay...kiddo?"
The little guy looked at her and flashed a shy smile before cautiously freeing from X.'s arms to show that he could stand despite the scratches. He turned to X. silently asking for permission then when she nodded he smiled a bit brighter and went gathering his backpack. Mona moved to collect the broken bike, considering they could fix it at the garage...and when her eyes finally met her friend's again, there were still tears in her eyes as she mouthed "thank you".
As the three of them were sitting on another sidewalk edge later, X. called her siblings to reassure them as she made funny faces to Xavier who was covering his nose with the extra whipped cream he excitedly asked for. The Lebanese girl found herself thinking that the little guy was lucky to have a sister like Ximena. All of her siblings were and she hoped they knew it. A melancholic smile crossed her face as she added: wish I had a sister like her too. God knows, maybe my life would have been completely different.
Mona never expected to care so much. Ximena didn't think she would find a good friend in the Lebanese girl.
Years later, when the man who made them meet was dead and the crew they both worked in dismantled, the two young women sat side by side in the front seats of Ximena's SUV outside the penitentiary where Mona was sent after The Brotherhood arrests. When she got the news of her former colleague's release, X. knew what to do: she took a day off her new tattoo-artist job and called Toby, Logan and Colt to set a surprise welcome home party. Then, when the time came, she hopped on her car and drove all the way to the jail building. By the look on her face when she spotted her, her friend was relieved to see her but also shocked, suspicious maybe. As if the time spent in jail made her go back to her hardened tough self she met once.
Before she started the engine to drive the two of them back home, Mona stopped her and asked, her voice unusually tense, uncertain:
"We clearly said no contact, no meetings after the gang dissolved. Yet you came visiting, you're here picking me up today...why are you doing this, X.?"
Ximena sighed and shrugged.
"Because you're...family, somehow, M.. And that's what a family does, I guess"
Mona was taken aback by that answer, even though deep down she knew X. was saying the truth. It was just...oddly sentimental to hear it out loud. From X., who always did everything she could to make her own troubled family stick together against all odds. From anyone to her, Mona. A girl who made a stubborn oath to herself not to rely on anyone else but herself because people, ties...they always find a way to hurt you. A girl who left her family behind to start a new dangerous life in underground crime. A girl who...was no longer an orphan on the run?
That last thought spread a familiar yet almost forgotten warmth inside Mona's chest as if someone rescued in the middle of a storm and laid down a cover over the shivering shoulders. She would probably have to keep running again -it was in her own blood, maybe- but right now, she could stop and cuddle up in that cover that had the shape of X's ever reassuring smile.
Mona mirrored it and nodded.
"Somehow" she repeated, slowly as if to make the feeling linger and adjust to it.
Then she grinned widely and changed the topic: the heart-to-heart moment lasted lone enough for her taste and started making her uncomfortable. Better to go back to good old comradery.
"You know what, X.? I would kill for a bowl of those greasy chicken wings we used to get. With extra BBQ sauce-"
"...and chili and that middle eastern sauce with an impossible name because 'why settle with just one when you can get the full package'."
Mona gaped at her friend who interrupted her quoting her own words. X. was pretty amused by that reaction because she laughed and winked at her, finally starting the engine.
"Fasten your seatbelt, girl. You're lucky good ol' X. got your back"
46 notes
·
View notes
1-70 🙊
really… Really... R E A L L Y… How very fcking BOLD of you 😂
You know what, since I’m in such a good mood after watching Juliana “Braver than every Marine” Valdes go off on her deadbeat abusive father and defend her love for her soulmate Valentina, I’m actually gonna answer all 70 for you.
1. You just opened up a web browser. What is the first site you visit?
Tumblr of course, gotta get caught up on today’s gayness.
2. You just walked into a bookstore. What section do you go to first?
Mystery, I only go into a bookstore for one author and it’s Iris Johansen.
3. You are hanging with your closest friends. What are you most likely doing?
Something that could probably end badly for us lol My friends and I always look back on our nights out saying to each other “atleast we didn’t die tho”
4. You just turned your car on. What station is the radio tuned to?
I don’t have radio stations set because I can’t stand the commercials, I need constant music when I’m driving so I always have my phone playlists on.
5. You have just woken up for the morning. What is the first things you do?
Go to the kitchen because I’m hungry, look around at the food, then go back to bed because I’m still too sleepy to make something to eat.
6. Complete this phrase: You cannot buy happiness, but you can buy____.
“but you can buy things that will MAKE you happy… such as dogs, a house in a safe neighborhood, a reliable car, medications and medical supplies, etc.”
7. What would you do if you woke up as the opposite gender?
First, I’d cry. Then I’d go practice my aim peeing standing up lol
8. Are you more likely to cook for yourself or buy food from a restaurant?
More often than not I’m cooking for myself, especially if I’m training because it’s cheaper eating healthy with homemade meals.
9. If you had to lose one of your senses, which one would you rather lose?
I need my sight, hearing, and touch for sure, and I already know how much it sucks to lose taste after my radiation treatments, so smell would have to go.
10. If you could relive any one year of your life, how old would you be?
17, I’d wanna relive my first year of college.
11. Would you take a bullet for anyone you know?
My mom, brothers, nieces and nephews.
12. Would you rather be rich and dumb or poor and extremely intelligent?
Poor and intellige– nah fck that, I’d legit take being rich and dumb because if being dumb means I can secure my family’s future then I’m good, I could always pay someone to handle the brainy shit for me while I’m swimming in money lol
13. What TV character do you most relate to?
Tasha Williams from The L Word.
14. You just walked into a supermarket. What section do you first go to?
Sports & Outdoors… knowing damn well I don’t need to be buying anything but hoping to find a good deal on something so I can justify buying it.
15. Is sex before marriage wrong?
HELL NO! Sex is right… Marriage all together is wrong, wouldn’t recommend it.
16. You just won the lottery. What is the first thing you do with your winnings?
Buy a new phone and one-way ticket outta the state so no one can hit me up asking for money lol
17. If your best friend admitted that they have a crush on you, how would you react?
I’d be flattered and make some joke about her having horrible taste in women.
18. Will the USA ever have a female president?
**I’ll have an answer to this question after November 3rd 2020**
19. You are carpooling with your friends. Are you more likely to be the driver or a passenger?
Unless it’s my turn to be the DD, I’m not driving with my friends.
20. How short is too short for skirts and dresses?
That’s not for me to decide because I’m not the one wearing them so if a woman is comfortable with a skirt that barely covers her labia, then more power to her.
21. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, without any consequences, what food would you choose?
Pizza, there are so many variety of toppings that I’d never get tired of eating it.
22. It’s Saturday night. What are you most likely doing?
Reading fanfiction
23. You go on a blind date. Your date is extremely beautiful and physically captivating, but you hate their personality. Would you want a second date?
Ab-So-Lute-Ly fcking not! All of the beauty in the world can’t make up for an ugly ass personality. I mean we could be fck buddies, but never a “dating” situation.
24. How strict should gun laws be?
25. Would you rather be the worst player on the best team or the best player on the worst team?
Worst player on the best team because I wouldn’t be able to stand being the one putting in all the work while my teammates slack off. Atleast if I’m on the best team I’d be able to learn from players who are better than me.
26. How well do you work with others?
Not well at all unless I haaaave to.
27. You have the ability to cure only one fatal disease and eradicate it forever. What disease do you choose?
Whatever disease is most deadly to dogs, I’d eradicate that one.
28. If you could go back to college and choose a different degree to study, would you?
Nope, forensic science is what I was meant to study, I loved every minute of it.
29. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Bish I can’t even see myself 10 days from now, I don’t fcking know lol
30. Are you pro-life or pro-choice?
Pro-Choice Pro-Choice Pro-Choice Pro-Choice Pro-ChoicePro-Choice
31. Would you attend a same sex wedding if invited?
Yes my gay ass would happily attend a gay wedding.
32. So far, what has been the greatest day of your life?
The day I landed in Germany for my first duty station.
33. Has anyone you know ever been arrested?
Yeah.
34. If it could be one season year-round, what season do would you want it to be?
Winter.
35. What is your biggest regret in life?
Not making my ex sign a prenup smh
36. If you could bring one celebrity back from the dead, who would it be?
37. What offends you the most?
Non-black people saying nigga. I don’t care if they’re white, latino, asian, any other person of color… or if they’re gay, bi, trans, any other minority… or if their sister-in-law’s baby cousin Tracy got a brother and his girlfriend’s black. If they aint black & they have nigga in their vocabulary, they’re a piece of shit, periodT
38. Would you rather have an ugly hairstyle or be bald?
No question about it…
39. At what age did you have your first alcoholic beverage?
Listen, I learned when I was like 8 or 9 to keep my ass in a child’s place when I tried to be slick and take a few sips from a beer can my cousin left on the table… only to get a mouthful of cigarette butts -_-
40. What do you think happens to us when we die?
Nothing, you just dead.
41. What do you think is the best way to quit smoking?
Have some willpower to not be an asshole who pollutes the air I gotta breathe.
42. If you could take home any one animal from the zoo, which animal would you choose?
Penguin
43. We’re humans created or did we evolve from earlier species?
44. What scares you the most?
Dying and being the introvert I am, no one would even know anything was wrong until 6 months went by without hearing from me, and my body’s just laying there decaying and making me unpresentable for my own damn funeral ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
45. What personality trait turns you off the most?
Being disloyal.
46. You got offered a job to do something you hate, but the pay will make you rich. Do you take it?
Yeah… then once I’m rich I’ll quit :)
47. If today you only had what you were thankful for yesterday, how much would you have?
Enough… not enough…
48. How often do you get mad or upset at yourself?
Every damn day
49. If you could choose one celebrity to be your parent, who would you choose?
Michelle or Barack Obama.
50. If you could only listen to one musical artist for the rest of you life, who would you be listening to?
The Rap God himself.
51. Have you ever used you cell phone while driving?
Guilty.
52. Had anyone you were close to die way too young?
Yes.
53. Is world peace possible?
*Refer to question 18*
54. You go on a blind date. You date is extremely ugly and physically appalling, but you are madly in love with their personality. Would you want a second date?
A bomb ass personality is worth a second date.
55. How did you discover that Santa Claus isn’t real?
When I realized that whole story never made any sense… no white dude was coming to the hood to give niggas toys for free. Momma aint raise no dummy.
56. Do you believe in God, or some form of higher deity?
I believe in Deism, the knowledge of a God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a “natural” religion, not a “revealed” religion. It is the recognition of a universal creative force greater than mankind, supported by personal observation, perpetuated and validated by the innate ability of human reason coupled with the rejection of claims made by individuals and organized religions of having received special divine revelation.
57. If you could save someone you deeply cared about, but it meant breaking a law, would you do it?
IN A HEARTBEAT!
58. What is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done for money?
Enlisted in the military.
59. If you were to make a YouTube video about what you know most about, what would the subject be?
Being a ✊🏿 black 🌈 lesbian ♀️ woman.
60. What do you think is your greatest personality flaw?
I have very little patience.
61. If your friends spoke to you the way you speak to yourself, would you still want them as friend?
Hey, if they’re honest then I can’t be mad at em.
62. Have you ever “woke up like this”?
Sometimes I do be waking up like this if I may say so myself
63. You got offered a job to do something you love, but the pay is one of the worst out there. Do you take it?
If it’s not a livable wage then obviously no. But if it’s a livable wage that doesn’t leave me with extra money, then yeah doing what I love is worth the sacrifice.
64. What do you think is your best physical feature?
100% my muscles, I don’t put in work at the gym and eat vegetables for nothing!
65. What do you think is your worst physical feature.
I’m 5′1″… 9 times outta 10 I’m the shortest adult in the room… aint that a bitch
66. Do you know anyone who has committed suicide?
No.
67. What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for someone you don’t know?
Not knock them the fck out when they said black people need to be happy white people haven’t made us their slaves again yet.
68. Have you ever had a night’s dream come true?
Idk but I swear I have moments of deja vu tho, then I think maybe they were actually just things I dreamed about in the past… hell if I know.
69. How would you reject a date offer from someone you didn’t like?
Tell them I don’t like them. I’m all about being direct.
70. Which do you think is worse: Failure, or never trying at all?
Never trying. Nothing wrong with trying and failing, everything wrong with being too lazy to even try.
7 notes
·
View notes