Lexi's eyes widened, sitting up on the bed.
"Uh, yes! Oh my god. Yes!" Lexi stood up, her mind swirling with excitement.
"Okay but Lex be cool please? She's just a friend. Nothing more. She just needs a place to eat at, so don't be weird." Ash grunted.
Fez sat up, looking quizzically at his younger brother.
"Watchu mean she need a place to eat?" Fez asked, Lexi already sprinting towards the kitchen, getting ready for a guest.
Ash scratched the back of his head, looking awkwardly.
"She's been having a hard time with her family. She doesn't wanna admit it but I know her mom isn't feeding her right." Ash opened up. Fez needed to cherish this moment, because it wasn't everyday that Ash shared any aspect of his life.
"Well, Shit. Aight, yeah. That sucks." Fez tried to downplay it.
"How'd you find out she wasn't eating at home?" Fez asked, as they walked towards Ash's room. Ash opened his door, putting his bag down and taking off his shoes.
"She's usually really closed off and shit about her family ever since I met her...and I know enough about that shit. But then she started showing up with bruises and like her clothes weren't fitting the same anymore." Ash shook his head.
"She's like a good fucking person, she goes to school and she does her homework at the bar. She's like another Lexi about that shit. But she just don't look right. I asked her and I finally got her to talk. Her mom's an addict, she lost her job..."
"They don't got food to eat and they're living in a car." Ash struggled to talk, his anger rising as he thought about the innocent girl going through tough shit.
Fez stayed leaning on Ash's door frame, his arms crossed, staying silent and nodding as his brother spoke.
"Is her mom hitting her?" Fez managed to ask.
Ash sighed, sitting on his bed.
"I think so. But I can't go up and pull a gun on her mom's. She would never talk to me again. Even though I wanna fuck her mom up so bad for abusing such a good person." Ash gritted through his teeth.
Fez nodded, feeling the sentiment that his brother felt. He would do anything for Lexi and when things at home would be tough, he was always a shoulder she could cry on when they were younger.
"You like the girl." Fez noted. Ash scoffed, putting his head in his hands.
"That doesn't fucking matter, bro. She got bigger shit to worry about." Ash grumbled. Fez smiled, shaking his head.
"Well, we got a guest bedroom and we have food. You know what to do, man." Fez told his brother.
Ash did know what to do. In the years since he's known his brother, he has always criticized the ability that Fez has to take care of others. Ash believed it was Fez's greatest weakness in a world of drug dealing and danger.
But now, they didn't need to worry about appearing weak. They lived in a stable home, with semi-normal neighbors. Shit, they paid taxes now.
Ash was even studying to get his GED.
If Ash learned anything from Fez about being a man, it wasn't about gangster shit that got them dealing drugs and holding guns. It was how to get them out of dangerous situations, how to keep those you love close, and take care of your family.
Ashtray knew about taking care of family. That was second nature to him. He did it with his brother, he did it with Lexi, and now, he was thinking about doing it with his friend, Penelope.
