"I crave you as if I've already had you before, that scares and excites me all at once"
« In which Adriana Narvaez, a mother
of two, finds herself falling deep
into the world of crime after an
innocent robbery turns into a money-laundering bus...
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"Ms. Navarez." The student once again repeated, noticing his teacher's far-away look. Adriana stood at the front of the class, chalk in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "Ms. Navarez." Another voice, more feminine this time shouted from the classroom; this time snapping her out of her trance.
"Right so, Animal farm." Adriana turned once again towards her class, a tight smile gracing her lips. "For this project, you have seven options to choose from." Adriana began to dive deeper into the project requirements and the rubric, ignoring the groans of protest from her students. For her, time couldn't go any slower. An urgent call from Annie had kept her on edge since this morning, and it didn't help that she hadn't seen her kids since three days ago.
As soon as the last bell of the day rang and her students were all gone, Adriana pushed through the double doors of the school and rushed into her car.
$$
"There's been a development."
Adriana collected Ruby's three-hundred forty-three dollars, placing it along with her four-hundred forty-seven dollars. They were still short, but Beth's words turned her panic into curiosity. Adriana was now aware of Annie's and Beth's nervous fidgeting and soon grew nervous herself.
"What kind of development?" Ruby questioned, her eyes wide.
Annie motioned to the back door, sliding out of her seat. Beth followed after her, heading out to the backyard and towards the kid's treehouse. Ruby sent Adriana a questioning look, but she only shrugged because frankly, she didn't know what was going on.
Beth motioned to the ladder, letting Annie climb first then Ruby the Adriana, and lastly Beth. The sight caused Adriana to falter, almost falling off of the ladder.
"What am I looking at right now?"
Ruby stood over the body of a tied-up Boomer, and she was still surprisingly calm. At least that's what Adriana thought. Adriana, on the other hand, was not calm. In fact, she was frozen in place staring at the new 'development.'
"What am I even looking at right now?" Ruby shouted, her eyes crazed as she motioned to Boomer whose screams were muffled.
"Are you guys fucking mental?" Adriana repeatedly slapped her hand against Beth's thighs, her emotions mirroring Ruby's.
$$$
"He knows about the store." Annie tried to explain, avoiding the glare from Adriana and Ruby. "He was going to the cops," Beth added, turning to face Adriana.
Adriana stormed into the house after the girls, slamming the backdoor behind her. She walked to lean against the counter, her head trapped in her head. Adriana didn't know what to make out of the recent 'development.' She could only think about the man in the treehouse.
"Does he know about the gang, too?" Ruby questioned, leaning against the wall.
"Hell no, that's way above his paygrade." Annie scoffed a bit, plopping onto the stool. Beth stood next to her, her eyes trained on Adriana. "He's like the definition of middle management," Annie concluded as if to mock the man in the tree.
Ruby pursed her lips, sending Annie a pointed look that prompted her to explain once again. "Oh, and he also tried to rape me." Adriana's head shot up, and her eyes formed into slits. She glanced at Beth as if to ask what happened before turning back to Annie.
"What?" Ruby's voice raised a few octaves, looking to Beth for confirmation. "That is absolutely true," Beth confirmed, walking back over to stand beside Annie. "He's a dick and a rapist." Annie continued, almost as if it was a court case.
"It was self-defense." Adriana scoffed shaking her head, pushing herself off the counter. "Self-defense?" Adriana shook her head, her eyebrows twisted in confusion.
"Yes"
"Definitely."
"How is hog-tying a man, climbing him 12 feet above the earth and hiding him in a tree-house self-dense?" Ruby placed a hand on her hip, her eyes darting between the girls, challenging them to answer her valid question. Adriana chuckled, grabbing her purse. Beth threw her hands to her side, her mouth wide. Beth couldn't find an answer and truthfully, Adriana didn't think there was an answer.
"Okay, you know what? You weren't there." Annie rebutted, glaring at Adriana who just laughed. Adriana held her hands up, checking the time once. "You're damn right I wasn't there." Ruby scoffed, her eyes wide. Beth intercepted the two from an oncoming argument, facing Annie. "We are feeding him."
Ruby threw her hands up, letting out a sigh. "Okay. Well, you know--" Adriana was about to speak before Annie interrupted her. "What else were we supposed to do? If he goes to the cops, we're screwed." Annie shouted, motioning to the backyard where the hostage lay.
"No, we're screwed because of the gang that is going to kill us if we don't get them their money," Ruby argued back, inching closer to Annie. Adriana sighed, her mind wandering to Rio. She hadn't seen him for a few days and it wasn't like she was expecting to see him, she just wondered when he was coming to collect his debt. It made her anxious and excited at the same time.
"Okay, she's right. First things first." Beth motioned to Annie, waiting for an answer. "Well, I make nine dollars an hour, so just give me a decade." Adriana popped her hip, raising an eyebrow at Annie. "It still surprises me how you managed to spend so much in just a few days." Annie sent her a glare, sticking her tongue out at her.
"Okay. Who do we know?" Adriana's head immediately snapped to Annie as the words left Beth's mouth. Her mind instantly went to Gregg and even though she doubted he'd help, he was their only option.
"To rob?" Annie questioned, sending Adriana a look of uncertainty. Adriana's mouth dropped at Annie's suggestion, shaking her head lightly. "To ask for money, dumbass." Adriana sent a quick slap to Annie's arm, glancing back at Ruby who sent her the same exasperated expression.
"Somebody rich who would care if I was dead? I mean, I wish." Annie scoffed, searching the eyes of her friends. Adriana sent Annie a suggestive smile, her eyes almost pleading. Ruby's head tilted to the side as she approached Annie, carrying the same expression as Adriana. "What?"
Beth crossed her arms, gazing down at Annie once Annie looked at her. "Who?"
After a few more moments of staring, Annie began to shake her head. "No." Adriana let out a heavy sigh, pulling her purse on her shoulder. "Yes, Annie!" Adriana shouted over her shoulder as she approached the front door. "No!"
