CHAPTER 27
·̩̩̥͙ $ * ☆ •̩̩͙ * ♡︎ * •̩̩͙ ☆ * ˚ $ ·̩̩̥͙
Shrek was Fezco's favorite movie. He liked the movies overall, but also the liked the love story between Shrek and Fiona.
Fiona settled for Shrek, an ogre, when she could have married a prince and lived in a beautiful palace like a princess was supposed to, instead of living in a swamp.
Why? Because she loved Shrek. She fell in love with him. She fell in love with who he was rather than what he was.
Much like Estrella fell in love with Fezco for who he was. She didn't care about his job, where he lives, what he had or what he could give.
All she cared about and wanted was him.
Estrella never before felt the way she did now when she was with Fez. She had so much love for him, it was unexplainable. She swore she never loved anyone as much as she loved him. Sometimes it felt like she probably loved him more than her dad.
And that was insane to think.
But at the same time it wasn't.
She and Fezco never thought that they'd ever love someone as much as they loved each other.
Yet here they were. Unable to fully express their love for each other because they'd both probably fucking burst.
But they both knew it. They both knew they were both hopelessly in love.
Like Shrek and Fiona.
Fezco glanced down at Estrella, who was sat on their bedroom floor in front of the mirror in the room, switching between doing her makeup and hair for the dance, and made a mental note to get his princess the makeup vanity be promised her the second he was out of debt with Mouse.
Shrek 2 was playing on the TV, only holding Fezco's occasional attention since he had been sneaking looks at his girlfriend while she got ready.
"I would," Estrella finally answered the question Fezco had asked about a minute ago after successfully putting on an eyelash.
Would you still live with me if I lived on a swamp?
"You'd just have to kill all the bugs because I don't fuck with that."
Fezco laughed a little, putting the blunt he had lit when the movie started to his lips and took a hit.
"Nahhh I wouldn't bring my princess to live on a swamp. We'll live on a farm instead," Fez said as he blew the smoke out of his mouth.
"A farm?" She laughed. "You wanna live in a farm?"
"Yeah, fuck it," Fez shrugged as she glanced up at him, where he laid on the bed with his head rested against the headboard. "Be a farmer and shit."
"I didn't ever once think you would wanna be a farmer," Estrella laughed again and watched him look over at her. "Here I thought I knew you so well."
"Nah you do, ma. Shit, you know me better than anyone," Fez assured her. "You the only person that knows bout my star freckle," He brought up as if it was the biggest thing she knew that others didn't.
"Everyone that's ever looked at you knows about your star freckle."
"Nah cause you the only person that actually looks," Fez said as Estrella went back to looking at herself in the mirror.
She continued on with putting on the next eyelash as Fez continued watching the movie.
"So you think about your future a lot?" Estrella asked after a few minutes as she sprayed on some setting spray.
"All the time," He nodded against the headboard.
Estrella glanced at him while she started to put all her makeup away since she was done, thinking about her next question.
"Am I in your future?" She asked.
Fezco let out a breath through his nose and smiled at her question, moving his eyes off the TV and onto his girlfriend while she cleaned up the mess she made.
"Hell yeah," Fezco nodded. "You ever seen Little House on the Prairie?"
"No, is that a show?"
"Yeah, is about some lil family living on a farm. I be thinking bout my future being like that. Living on a farm and shit, gon have pet cows, chickens, pigs, all that," Fez told her.
"Do you want kids? Like...in the future?"
"Only if you're their mom," Fez answered, making her smile. "Do you?"
Estrella nodded, "I do. Maybe like, three kids."
Fezco smiled and nodded in agreement, "They got three kids in that show," He said matter of factly.
"Shrek and Fiona also have three kids," Estrella mentioned, reminding Fezco of when he said that they were like the ogre couple.
"Yeah, huh," Fez laughed. "I'm Shrek, you Fiona, our kids is the lil ogre babies, and Ash is Donkey."
Estrella let out a laugh, "Ash is the donkey?"
Fez laughed again and watched as she stood up off the floor and looked in the mirror before walking to the bed to grab her outfit and put it in her backpack. He was gonna take her to Maddy's so that she and Estrella could get dressed and finished getting ready together and then leave together.
Maddy was originally gonna come over and Fez was gonna drop them off at the dance, but he had business to take care of.
Business that he didn't want Estrella to know about or be around.
"Would you still live with me if I lived on a farm?" Fez asked Estrella and sat up right, ready to leave whenever she was.
"Baby you could live under a bridge and I'll still live in your tent with you."
Fez smiled at her response and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her onto his lap in a hug and pressing a kiss to her jaw.
"This one the reasons why I love you."
"And what is this reason, exactly?" Estrella laughed as she ran her hand up the back of his neck.
"Cause you'd never judge me," Fezco said and looked up at her, assuring himself and also hoping that she would never judge him.
Because he didn't know how she would feel about him, or if her no judgement would change if she ever found out about what he was doing tonight.
"Who am I to judge?" Estrella asked and laughed. "I'm not like, god or some shit."
"You like a goddess though," Fez mumbled and tightened his arms around her, resting his head right under her boobs.
She smiled down at him although he wasn't looking at her and continued rubbing his neck.
Estrella gently traced the freckles scattered along the side of his face while he held her in his arms, both cherishing the moment between them.
It took her a few minutes to realize that something was off about Fezco, the way he just sat there while he hugged her for a few minutes felt off.
He was hugging her like it would be his last time hugging her.
"Are you okay?" She softly asked him.
Fezco wasn't okay. He was shitting bricks.
After he dropped off Estrella at Maddy's, he was gonna come back home and get ready himself to pull some robbery on one of Mouse's clients.
He didn't know what else to fucking do. He needed money. He had to pay Mouse off. He secretly spoke to Hector on the phone a few times, Fezco would give him updates on Estrella in exchange for connections to people who might be able to help him.
Nobody did. Nobody wanted to get dragged into any shit involving Mouse, which Fez understood.
But also pissed him off. And this was his last resort.
He was worried. He knew that one wrong move and he was either locked up or dead, which he couldn't have.
Marie needed him. Ash needed him. Estrella needed him. His family needed him.
Which is also why he was doing all this in the first place. To support and provide for his family. His grandma, his little brother, and his girlfriend.
And the thought that where was a chance that he might not come back home tonight, or that this could be his last time hugging his girlfriend fucking scared him.
And he didn't realize how long he had been hugging her for, but that's why he had trapped her in his embrace for a while.
He wouldn't tell her that though. Fuck no.
"Why wouldn't I be okay? I got a pretty girl hugging me," Fezco said, his lips moving against the exposed skin of her torso since she was wearing some crop top.
Estrella laughed and gave his forehead a kiss, making him look up at her.
"You ready to go?" Fez asked her.
"Yeah," She replied as he loosened his hold on her.
"Aight, ima go to the bathroom real quick first, wait for me outside princess," He said, making her get up off his lap and grab her things.
They exited the room, Fezco going into the bathroom and Estrella going into the living room, where Ashtray was eating a sandwich that Estrella made him and watching TV.
"Hey baby," Estrella greeted him as she dropped her stuff on the couch and walked to the fridge to grab an iced coffee.
Ashtray looked back at her as she did and nodded in response, having grown accustomed to the nickname after she first said it back during the parent teacher conference she attended for him.
He wouldn't ever tell her, or anyone, but he lowkey kinda liked it. Kinda.
And since he never complained about it, it stuck.
He watched her grab a coffee and then grab one of Fez's hoodies off a chair at the table, raising an eyebrow as she slipped it on.
"That's how you're going to the dance?" Ashtray asked her, in disbelief as he examined the lazy outfit.
"No," She laughed. "Ima finish getting ready at Maddy's."
"Ahhh, the girl you're cheating on Fezco with."
"He doesn't mind," Estrella smiled, making the kid laugh. "Just kidding, it's not cheating. You're like 5, you don't even know what that is."
Ashtray scoffed, "I really don't like you sometimes."
"Well that's too bad because I love you allll the times!" Estrella happily said and gave him a hug from behind the couch.
He rolled his eyes before placing a hand on her arm around him as his way of hugging back, then glanced up at her to get a better look at her makeup.
"What do you think?" She asked him once she noticed he was looking.
Ashtray shrugged, "Iono anything about makeup but–"
"But does it look nice?"
He nodded, "Yeah it's cool. If you blink too fast you might fly away though," He told her before touching her eyelash.
She shooed his finger away and laughed as Fezco walked into the living room after using the bathroom and checking on his grandma, half nodding at Estrella.
"Let's get goin ma, don't want you bein late," He told her and grabbed her things off the couch.
"The dance starts at like 6 and even then I'm pretty sure we won't show til like 8 so you don't have to worry," Estrella told him as he and Ashtray exchanged looks.
Ashtray looked away before Estrella caught on with their looks, aware and informed of what Fezco had planned and why he was in a rush about getting Estrella out of the house.
"Ima be back bro," Fez told Ashtray as he walked towards the door. "Lock the door."
Ashtray nodded as Estrella bent down to give him another hug.
"Bye Ash, don't miss me too much."
"Oh trust me, I won't," Ashtray assured her and made a face when he felt her sticky lipgloss being pressed onto his cheek in a kiss. "First of all, ew."
She laughed before wiping it off with the sleeve of Fez's sweater and backing off, grabbing her coffee.
"Second of all, have fun."
"Thank you baby," Estrella patted his head and smiled before following Fezco out to his car.
"I wouldn't ever be disgusted by one yo kisses like that," Fez told her as he opened his car door for her, turning his head to the side a little so she'd give his cheek a kiss as well.
"If you want a kiss just say that."
—$—
"Have fun niñas!" Maddy's mom called out after the two girls as they excitedly rushed out to Cassie's car holding hands, she was the one driving everyone to the dance.
"We will!" They both replied as they neared Cassie and Lexi.
"Send me the pictures right now!" Maddy told her mom, referring to the pictures she had taken of the couple while they waited for their ride.
She and Estrella got into the backseat of Cassie's car, greeting both Cassie and Lexi and offering them some Gatorade + Everclear from their own Gatorade bottles. Maddy had orange and Estrella had blue.
"I'm good," Cassie declined as she was driving, leaving the girls to glance at Lexi.
"What is it?" Lexi asked them.
"Gatorade and Everclear," Maddy answered and shook her bottle so she'd go for it, both her and Estrella smiling as Lexi did and then took a sip.
"Yessss Lexi!" Estrella hyped her up with a laugh as Lexi made a face at the drink.
"Ouu my mom sent the pictures, ima send them to you," Maddy told Estrella and sent her all the pictures.
She nodded and went on her phone to be ready for the pictures, and also to text Fezco to let him know she was on her way to the dance after 3ish hours of just being at Maddy's.
Fezco glanced down at his phone while he put his hoodie on in front of the bathroom mirror once it dinged.
iMessage–Princess 🌟💝
omw 2 the dance noww !!
Fezco sent a quick text back and glanced at Ashtray, who was watching him from the hallway.
They exchanged looks before Fez walked out of the bathroom and into his grandma's room.
"I feel really good about tonight," Cassie said as she and the girls walked to the dance entrance.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean...I was thinking and like, this is the first time since the beginning of high school that I haven't like, been in love with somebody," Cassie explained as they all handed in their tickets and entered.
"Honestly, I love that for you," Maddy told her as she and Estrella linked arms.
"This is the first time since the beginning of high school that I've been in love with somebody," Estrella pointed out.
"I also love that for you but you're seriously thinking about your boyfriend when you're on a date with me?" Maddy scoffed in fake offense, smiling. "Like wow. I feel like a full on side chick right now."
They both laughed as they entered the dance, looking around and admiring the decorations. They stopped by the pictures stand and took a few more pictures before walking off, in search for a table.
"Wow," Maddy commented.
"This is so fucking pretty," Estrella said as she and Maddy followed Cassie and Lexi to a table.
Maddy laughed, "My date's prettier."
"Youuu are right," Estrella agreed with a laugh.
"Are you guys drunk?" Lexi asked them.
"No we're high! Star's boo thang hooked us up with pre rolls when he dropped her off," Maddy answered as they stopped at a table with Rue and Jules.
"We're not drunk. Or high," Estrella told Lexi and laughed, although it was clear that they were a little bit of both.
"You're both," Rue accused.
Estrella and Maddy exchanged looks before laughing, Estrella moving to pull Rue into a hug.
"You look so good Rue Rue," Estrella told her as she looked at her outfit. "I haven't seen you not dress like Adam Sandler in forever."
"I was thinking it's more like Seth Rogen," Jules interjected and laughed as she checked Estrella out. "You look so fucking pretty Star."
"Thank youu, you do too," Estrella smiled and gave her a hug before she took a seat between her and Maddy.
"I wonder if Nate's coming," Maddy said to Estrella as she took a sip from her Gatorade bottle.
Estrella gave Maddy a look before grabbing her phone to text Fez, "Bitch and you were bashing me for thinking about Fezco."
"Okay but Nate might actually be here tonight, it's different," Maddy insisted.
"Who even gives a fuck? Fuck Nate," Estrella told her.
Maddy opened her mouth to speak, but then pursed her lips and nodded in agreement, glancing at the rest of the girls.
"Yeah. Fuck Nate."
The group of girls spent their first hour at the dance just sat at the table and talking, catching Estrella up on any gossip she missed while she wasn't at school.
But after a while, they grew bored.
Maddy and Estrella's highs were wearing off and Jules had drank most of the Gatorade Everclear drink. And it was a school dance, which meant all there was to drink was probably some wack ass sugar reduced punch.
Many guys went up to the table, asking mostly Maddy, Cassie, and Estrella to dance, causing all the girls to gang up on them so they'd fuck off.
And Kat had shown up to the dance and sat at the table, which made things kinda awkward since she hadn't been around after her argument with Maddy.
Cassie sighed, breaking the silence among the table, "What if these are, like, the big moments in life? Like, my mom always talks about how high school was like this big, monumental part of her life. But I cannot imagine being 40 and looking back at this like: wow."
"Yeah but that's because most people peak in high school," Maddy told her.
"I definitely haven't peaked, so..." Kat trailed off.
"Who even cares about all that dumb shit. If highschool was the highlight of your life then that's sad as fuck. No offense to your mom though," Estrella said, the last part towards Cassie and Lexi.
"None taken. That is sad as fuck," Lexi mumbled.
"Well I feel like I'm at 100% peakness," Jules told them as she took a sip from Estrella's Gatorade. "But I can definitely get to 150."
"Honestly, I never thought I'd make it this far," Rue spoke up, drawing all the girls' attention.
"What do you mean?" Cassie questioned.
Rue looked around at all the eyes on her before shrugging. "I don't know. I just always had, like, this overwhelming anxiety that something bad would happen."
"In all fairness, last summer there were like, three weeks where I thought you were dead," Maddy told her.
"Okayyyy, but she's been sober for, like, three months," Jules smiled proudly.
Maddy gave them a confused look, "Weren't you in rehab like, six months ago?"
Estrella laughed as Rue awkwardly laughed, "Uhhhhh yeah."
"Maybe people are nostalgic about high school cause it's like, the last time in their life that they get to dream," Cassie said, continuing on with her conversation starter. "After this it's just bad jobs and bills, and bad husbands. Maybe I'm generalizing, but...I don't know. Do you guys get what I mean?"
"I don't know. I kinda feel the opposite..." Jules trailed off, looking around for any agreements.
Estrella nodded, "Yeah, same. I feel like high school's super fucking suffocating."
"Really?" Cassie asked her.
"Yeah. I honestly can't wait to graduate and never have to see more than half of these people ever again," Estrella laughed.
"Do you know what you're doing after we graduate?" Cassie asked her.
"Yeah. Ima get married to Fezco and be a housewife," Estrella laughed, making the table laugh although she was serious.
She didn't know it until recently, but she wanted nothing more than to be a housewife. And she, in a way, already was one. She loved it too. She loved taking care of Fezco and Ashtray.
She made their house a home. She took care of them like a wife/mother would take care of her family, and Fezco did the rest.
And that's why he was sitting in his car outside some doctor's house, watching Mouse and Custer leaving after waiting about 30 minutes.
He looked down at his phone after they were out of his sight, looking at the pictures that Estrella had sent him.
And he couldn't help but think that she deserved so much better. That she could do better. But she loved him. And hopefully after tonight, she still would.
He sent her a quick I love you text before turning his phone off and putting his ski mask on as he got out of his car.
"But what if that doesn't happen?" Cassie asked Estrella after a while. "Do you have a backup plan in case you and Fez don't get married?"
"Yeah. Die," Estrella responded as Jules stood up.
"I'll be right back," Jules let them know before walking off, Rue shortly getting up and following behind her as Nate and his date walked by.
Estrella raised an eyebrow at Nate straight up walking with his hand on homegirl's bare ass while they all glanced at Maddy for a reaction.
"First of all, ew," Maddy scoffed in disgust. "Second of all, ew."
The table was quiet as they all watched Maddy watch Nate dancing all nasty with his date, noticing the mischievous look Maddy was forming on her face.
"Oh my god, Maddy don't," Cassie told her.
"Fuck this," Maddy scoffed again and stood up, grabbing Estrella's hand and pulling her onto the dance floor. "Come on, we're dancing."
The couple danced for only one song as Maddy realized that Nate only found them amusing, and she wanted to piss him off.
"Babe no hard feelings but I'm gonna go find someone from the football team to dance with," Maddy said. "We'll reconnect whenever they put on some Meg song so you can shake it on me," She said and lightly tapped Estrella's ass.
Estrella laughed, "Bitch thank god, these heels are actually fucking killing me. Good luck and be careful."
She made her way back to the table, being stopped by Rue and Jules to join them in their lil dance but quickly dismissed herself so she can sit down and check her phone.
"Where's Kit Kat?" Estrella asked as she checked her notifications, reading an I love you text from Fezco.
She didn't think anything of it, she was tipsy so it didn't come off as out of nowhere like it was.
Estrella looked at Lexi as she pointed to the balcony above them, Kat and Ethan kissing by the ledge.
"Go Kat!" Lexi and Estrella yelled as they laughed, rooting for the girl as she shyly glanced down at her friends.
"Love this for her," Estrella said before looking back down at her phone and laughing again. "How do you know when someone's in love with you?"
"Why?" Cassie asked.
"I sent Fez some pictures and all he said back was I love you," Estrella laughed.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely in love," Cassie assured her. "I wish I was like you. Like, I wish I didn't fall in love with like every half ass fucking guy. You waited and went through a bunch of dicks before you fell in love with the right guy and now look at you. You're in a perfect relationship with someone who practically worships you. Or maybe Fez just doesn't know how to act...has he ever had a girlfriend before?"
Estrella laughed, "He says he hasn't, but I don't know. Either way, he's super sweet. So like you said, I'm happy my ass waited."
"You're making me feel better about waiting too," Lexi told her.
"Good, you should! Don't waste your time unless you have a feeling that a guy is like, really the one, you know?"
"You feel that way about Fezco?" Cassie asked her.
She smiled, "Yeah. I do. I really love him. He's done a lot for me."
Lexi smirked, "Remember when you had a crush on him in middle school?"
"Oh my god Lex, shut up, you're literally the only person that knows about that," Estrella laughed as she watched Rue follow Nate out of the dance.
Rue slowly walked up behind Nate, who was outside trying to calm himself down due to watching Maddy grind on some football player.
"Why do I feel like you're the reason Fez and also Star's house got raided?" Rue questioned, though she already knew.
Nate let a breath out through his nose and glanced at Rue as she leaned on the railing, "You know, sometimes, when you do illegal shit, bad things happen to you."
"You've never done anything illegal, Nate?" Rue asked.
"You talking about your friend Jules?"
"No actually, I'm talking about your dad."
Nate's face fell as he turned around to face Rue, leaning on the railing with her. "I just want to make sure you've given it some forethought. I know over the years you've lost some brain cells. I wouldn't want you to say something you might regret."
Rue amusingly scoffed, "What are you gonna do? You gonna ruin my life? I fucking promise you I can do that a lot better than you can."
Nate gave her a hard look, "What do you want, Rue?"
"I want you to leave Fez alone. I want you to leave Jules alone. And I want you to leave Star alone," Rue said without hesitation as Nate's eyes fell onto Estrella, who was listening in on the conversation from behind the wall.
They made eye contact, sending Estrella into a small panic as she slowly backed away and went back inside, going on her phone to ask Fez if he could pick her up now.
Sure it was rather early, but she couldn't stand being at the dance anymore. Nate threw her off completely.
"I was looking for you! Come on let's dance, it's our fave," Maddy spoke as she grabbed Estrella's hand, pulling her to the dance floor.
"How are we supposed to dance to this?" Estrella asked with a small laugh. It was Loner by Kali Uchis. Both girls loved her.
"I don't know, slow? Just hold me and I'll hold you," Maddy said, leaving them both to hug.
They slow danced together for the first half of the song in silence, just enjoying the moment with each other.
They were the same height so they just rested their heads on the other's shoulder, swaying together in the midst of all the students.
"I talked to Nate," Maddy spoke after a while.
"Expected."
"Fuck you. But for reals...I told him we shouldn't be together, and that half of the shit that happens between us isn't good for us."
"So...you're done with him for real?"
Maddy nodded, "I think so," She sighed and reached up to fan her eyes so tears wouldn't spill out. "Fuck, my makeup's gonna get fucked up. I'm uh, gonna go to the bathroom really quick, meet you at the table?"
Estrella nodded as she walked off, tiredly making her way back to the table but was stopped.
Of fucking course.
Fezco out of breathly got back into his car and dropped the bag of cash he acquired in the passenger seat, taking a few minutes to himself to reflect.
His closed his eyes before reaching into his pocket and pulling his phone out, reading over Estrella's text from a few minutes ago, and then Ashtray's from just now.
iMessage–Princess 🌟💝
I love u more <3 but can you
pick me up rn? I'm not fw this
dance at all anymore like fr I
wanna cry lol and imy
iMessage–Ashtray
Mouse just showed up.