BABY LOVES ✗ fezco

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Lexi frowned. "Mina–"

"I know, I know. You're too nice to admit something like that out loud."

She looked up in thought, wondering if she was, in fact, too nice.

"Don't get me wrong, I really like her. And it looks like she makes Rue happy, so how could I dislike her? It just sucks that we don't really talk anymore."

"Yeah, I get you." Mina took a bite of her sandwich, watching the aforementioned girls laugh at whatever they were talking about.

"What about you? How are you feeling since the whole thing?"

She knew immediately Lexi was referring to Fezco without actually saying his name, like the godsend she truly was.

"It's whatever. Not like knew him very long anyway."

Lexi gave her a long, hard look, knowing Mina would cave.

"Alright, fine. I think he's cute, I like the way he dresses and all, but I'm only still thinking about him because I feel like he's an intriguing person. Like, I want to know more about him, you know?"

Lexi's lips curled up in a grin. "You never find anyone interesting."

"Okay, so?" Mina taunted.

"So are you going to let this go or are you finally going to act like Minerva fucking Jacobs and go get what you want?"

"Oh God, Lex please don't ever say my caucasian given name ever again," Mina groaned.

Lexi giggled, but knew she'd gotten through to her.

"You win, I'll go today after school. But if I embarrass myself I want an apology basket."

"Done."

The two girls locked pinkies and kissed their thumbs, the same way they'd made deals since the third grade.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Mina stepped into the liquor store, this time determined. But when she did so, it was Ashtray who stood at the cash register.

"Can I help you?" he asked in his usual business-y tone.

"Where's Fezco?"

"He's not here right now."

She stared at him, analyzing his face for any sign of deceit.

"I think he is." The reflective disk above them mirrored the whole store, and there was no one inside but the two of them. A quick glance at the freezer door showed that Fez wasn't in there either. "He's in the back room."

Ashtray grinned mischievously. "I like you."

Mina smiled back, pleased with his approval for some reason.

"Yo, Fez! She's calling you!" he shouted.

The door opened slowly, as if Fezco was trying to delay seeing her for as long as possible. When he stepped out, he locked eyes with her instantly. To her, it was nerve-inducing but to him, he was trying to take as much of her in as if memorizing every part of her could make him miss her a little less than he had those two and a half weeks.

"Yo."

Ash knew he didn't wanna be there to see this shit go down, so he slipped into the freezer ready to drown out their voices with some Netflix.

"You know what I'm going to say."

"Do I?" he teased. Mina's limbs suddenly weakened. She couldn't stop her lips from curling into a smile.

"Yes!" she exasperated. Fezco chuckled.

"Lay it on me anyway."

She tried to focus on what she'd been dying to say, but he was just too fine. On this Tuesday evening he was wearing a very Fez-like colorful knit sweater with two chains that gleamed under the blue tinted lights of the store.

"I think you made a mistake. Like I understand where you're coming from, I do, but– I don't have a lot of friends. I'm not good at making them and maybe I'm being dramatic but I think you're a cool person and I liked talking to you. For the short time we did."

Fezco's eyes lifted from the floor back up to her.

"You're right."

"I am?" she asked, puzzled. He stepped closer.

"Yeah. I was just waiting for you to come tell me yourself."

Mina's eyebrows scrunched together.

He continued, "We might not know each other like that, but I can tell what kinda person you are. I'm surprised it took you this long to come here. You're not the type to just give up when you want something."

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You think I want something from you?"

Fez ran his tongue against his bottom lip. "No bullshit, I think you want me."

Mina laughed instinctively, "What the fuck?"
He wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He chuckled.

"I'm fuckin' serious Mina. You willing to risk Nate seein' you here, just cause you wanna get to know me? Just say whatchu really mean. I know you a straight up person. You've came in here a few times before, you always get the strawberry kiwi Snapple and sometimes a pack of Sour Patch Kids. Everyone says you not friendly, that you look mean but you ain't miss a 'please' or 'thank you' even before you knew me. And you gave me a tip for the tiniest tattoo in the world? Shit, of course you made an impression."

She leaned on the counter for support. "What exactly are you saying?"

"I've been thinking about you. And if you're cool with the way I live then we can see where this goes."

"Fez, I know you're a drug dealer," she laughed.

"Don't be a smartass. I mean, I'm not the guy who'll always be available. I'm here most of the time, we can't be seen in public together, I'm not on social media except Snapchat but that's for... business."

Mina pursed her lips. She'd already thought of this but hearing it come from him made it more real.

"Well I have my own reason for keeping everything a secret–"

"You don't want yo other boyfriends finding out," Fez teased, making Mina hit his shoulder playfully.

He smiled wide, pulling her closer by her arms until she wrapped hers around him, and he cupped her face with both hands.

"We'll make it work," Fezco assured. Her eyes glimmered with hope, and for the first time in two years, he let his guard down. There was something about the Jacobs girl that made her his personal comfort, a pillow where he could lay his head and forget his problems and anxieties. And she didn't even know it yet. All she knew was that every time she saw him, she fell a little more.