𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑.

elena and alex were on the phone with victor, their father.

elena had told cherry a few times that her father wasn't the best guy.

that's why penelope had filed for divorce.

elena never explained further, and cherry didn't force her too.

cherry walked past the couch.

"who's that?" victor questioned.

"that's valentine. i hate her." alex introduced.

"last time we talked, you told me loved her?"

"i lied."

"hi." cherry greeted.

penelope walked through the door.

"ay, que bueno, you are home. we are skyping a handsome available man in afghanistan. it's victor." lydia revealed. "your husband?"

"is that your mami i hear?" victor questioned.

"yeah, she wants to say hi." alex lied.

"hi, victor. everything good? great. see you next week." penelope walked away. "mami, i need some help in the kitchen."

"in a minute. victor is showing us a picture of a funny camel. it is very tiny, it has no humps.. and it is a dog." lydia realized.

elena walked away.

she was nervous about her father being there.

what would they talk about? how would she come out to him? she didn't want to come out to him.

how would he react?

lydia joined penelope in the kitchen, and elena walked back out.

lydia still desperately wanted penelope and victor to get back together.

she was convinced that victor had changed, and gotten the help he needed to combat his alcohol addiction.

penelope wasn't convinced. he needed real help.

alex pulled out his cello.

"why would you pick that instrument? it makes you look tiny." cherry laughed.

elena tried to cover her mouth and stop the laugh.

"whatever. i hope you trip on those platforms." alex glared, and looked down at cherry's shoes.

"alex, what are you doing?" penelope questioned, as he set up his cello.

"since papi can't be here for my cello recital tomorrow, i'm gonna play my part of the quartet for him." alex said, and began to play.

he played his one part, stopped, and played it again.

"boo!" cherry frowned. "you suck!"

"my god, he is a genius." lydia said, watching him play one note twice.

"it makes more sense when the other three people are playing." alex defended. "i wish you could be here."

"yeah. wouldn't it be cool if i could do that star trek thing where i could just transport there? i'd be all, oye, scotty, beam me up, yo." victor said.

there was a knock at the door.

elena pulled it open.

"whoa, it worked! i was aiming for the living room, i just missed!" victor grinned.

"papi!" alex said, and jumped into his father.

"papi!" elena greeted, and hugged him as best as she could, with alex in the way.

victor set alex down, and hugged elena. "okay, wow, look at you! beautiful, huh? i bet you're breaking all the boys hearts."

elena and cherry laughed.

"looking good, viejita! vente pa' ca, dame un beso." victor faced lydia.

lydia did the same laugh, and hugged victor.

"okay, let's break it up, everyone has told everyone they're attractive." penelope said.

"ooh, but i haven't told alex he's not attractive." cherry turned to face alex. "you're ugly as fuck."

"you're uglier." alex insulted.

"don't even. you have a fucking side part. i'm gonna put nair in your shampoo."

"you wouldn't!"

"i already did!"

"hi, lupe." victor greeted penelope.

the room went silent.

"hi." penelope said. "well, this is a surprise, because it's not a week from now. but it's all good, 'cause i got your many messages and texts telling me you were coming early. oh wait, none of that happened."

"yes, i know i'm early, but i really wanted to surprise papito over here and see his cello show." victor explained.

"awesome!" alex grinned.

"why the fuck would you do that to yourself?" cherry questioned.

"qué nice, qué thoughtful.. kay jewelers, they sell engagement rings." lydia suggested.

"and anyway, lupe, i booked a hotel." victor said.

"okay, that sounds good." penelope nodded.

"that sounds outrageous! he is family! family doesn't stay in a hotel. cherry isn't family, and she stays here." lydia questioned.

"yeah. can we evict her?" alex glared.

"i'll toss you in a fucking dumpster again." cherry threatened.

"would you want me to live in a hotel?" lydia asked. "hello?"

"no, no, no." penelope said.

"exactly!" lydia said, and disappeared behind the curtains of her room.

"you understand. you know, we weren't expecting you for another week, and if just drop in out of the blue like this, you can't really expect us to be ready for you, it's-" penelope began.

lydia shoved open her curtains, revealing a fully-made bed. "ready!"

"wow, is that a pillow mint?" victor asked.

"you should buy me pillow mints." cherry looked over at elena.

"yeah, sure."

cherry laughed.

"can't papi stay here, mami?" alex asked.

"yeah, sure." penelope said.

"perfecto! you can have my bed, i will sleep with lupe. unless.." lydia trailed off.

"he can stay out here, it's fine." penelope waved her hands around.

cherry and elena looked at each-other, and walked off to elena's room.

alex hated how close they were.

they were bestfriends, they'd do anything for each-other.

and, that meant that cherry was constantly there.

«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»

"good morning, elena! and cherry?" victor said, as the two girls walked into the kitchen.

"goodmorning." both girls said.

"where'd you sleep?" victor questioned.

"in elena's room." cherry shrugged, and took a seat besides elena.

"in the same bed?" victor asked.

"we've been through this, they're not queer." lydia said.

well, they were, but in seperate ways.

"oh." victor nodded.

"clown pancakes? it's about to be a circus in my stomach." alex said, and took a seat.

"they look like you." cherry said, an ate the donut she'd ordered for herself the day before.

"they look like you!" alex argued, taking a bite of them.

cherry did, too.

"leave my stuff alone!" alex pulled away. "you're so annoying!"

"oh, uh, quick, before you go to school, i have something for you two." victor said, and grabbed presents.

"i hope you like it, papito." he set a wrapped box in front of alex.

"maybe you can open that after- okay." penelope frowned, watching as alex tore away the decorated paper.

"a new ps4? are you kidding me? oh my god, thanks." alex wrapped his arms around his father.

"of course you can't play it unless your homework's done, and only when mami says it's okay. and i'm just realizing i should've asked her before i even gave it to you." victor said. "so now i'm just gonna state this way and you tell me what her face is doing."

"you can keep it. but if you mess up, it goes up on the shelf no one can reach." penelope threatened.

"r.i.p super soaker." alex frowned.

cherry burst out into laughter.

"and for elena!" victor said, and gave her a bag.

elena pulled out a quinces doll.

"i know that you're a little too old for it, but hear me out, okay? she's a princess, but a latina princess! and she's all like, empowered. yeah, she don't need no prince." victor said.

"okay. thank you. hi princess, i'm elena. hi! my body proportions aren't representative of those of a girl my age!" elena said.

cherry laughed, and stopped when she heard the silence.

"at least you know." elena nodded, and grinned at cherry.

"yeah, and she comes with a purse, and, uh, pajamas.. and uhm, a receipt." victor frowned.

"solid effort. come on, you guys. lets go. you gotta go. we'll see you at the recital." penelope said, and motioned the kids out of the house.

alex, elena, and cherry walked down the hall towards the car.

"i hope you don't come to my recital." alex said.

"i don't wanna come to your bitch-ass recital, alejandro." cherry glared.

"i want you to come." elena said, and grinned at cherry.

cherry gave her a high five. "marry me now."

«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»

valentine sat down, adjusting her uniforms skirt.

alex ran through the crowd.

"mom!" alex called out.

"what's wrong?" penelope questioned.

"mrs. aaron's van got a flat, and she was moving all the instruments. i don't have my cello!" alex rushed up to them.

"wow, that's so unexpected." cherry tried to not laugh.

"this sucks." alex frowned, and ignored cherry's comment.

he was too upset to fight.

which made cherry want to laugh even more.

"bad news, everyone. no recital today." a man said.

"i really wanted to show you in front of everybody." alex frowned, looking at his father. "you never get to be here for my stuff."

alex walked off, and cherry was silent.

"we gotta still. i didn't come all this way to not hear my boy play the cello." victor planned.

he created an elaborate plan, which involved him and penelope singing karaoke.

"we have a very special guest who's played showers from echo park to afghanistan, penelope alvarez!" victor motioned.

they both sang the duet, 3 times.

"you know, i should be embarrassed, but mom and dad are kinda cute up there." elena smiled.

"they're so us." cherry joked.

"i did this." lydia smiled.

finally, the entire quartet and schneider ran into the room.

"oh, and now i couldn't be prouder to introduce the saint bibiana string quartet, starring cello superstar, alex alvarez!" victor announced.

the quartet set up their things, and started to play.

it actually wasn't bad.

alex wasn't as fucking horrible as cherry expected.

"don't boo." elena turned to face cherry.

"how'd you know?"

"because we're best friends."

«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»

the entire family walked into the apartment, laughing.

"we were so awesome!" penelope laughed.

"yeah. i mean, we probably added 5 years to those old-timers lives." victor agreed.

"yeah, and then alex took away 10." cherry said.

elena tried not to laugh.

"papito, you were the best one in that quartet. i mean, that's why they gave you the biggest violin." victor turned to face his son.

"thanks. can we set up the ps4 now?" alex asked.

"i don't know. what do you say, mamita?" victor asked.

penelope nodded.

"great. but first, i have something for elena. i'm sorry  about the doll, i know sometimes i still think that you're a little girl. but you've changed, and i haven't been so good at keeping up. but i want too." victor handed her an envelope.

elena opened it. "a donation to kiva.. in my name!"

"why are you giving money to a guy named kiva when you could be giving money to a guy named alex?" alex questioned.

"shut up, broke ass. start yourself a go-fund me." cherry said.

"kiva is an organization that gives a loan to a small business in a developing nation. they're amazing!" elena explained. "how did you know i would like this?"

"well, i did a little research. and uh, well, somebody told me you were.. what was it?" victor asked.

"annoying?" lydia questioned.

"a social justice warrior."

"same thing."

"anyway, i don't know exactly how this works, but if we're ever in tibet, we can visit a kickass yak dairy." victor turned to his daughter.

"thanks, papi!" elena said, and looked at alex. "but we're still sharing that ps4. i like video games, too. girls like video games, too. don't you even."

"i'm in too! i wanna dance dance revolution." penelope sat on the couch.

"don't you have a dinner thing?" victor asked.

"oh, that's right." penelope realized.

"aw, it's true love. i'm sure juliet forgot her date with romeo." lydia said sarcastically.

"okay, let me get outta here. and i'll see you guys later!" penelope walked out the door.

"bye, mom!" elena and alex waved.

"bye, penelope!" cherry smiled.

victor followed penelope out of the house, and alex grabbed his ps4.