It was early in the afternoon at Crystal Park. The area was full of people to prepare for the festival. Crystal Park was always popping in the summertime. It was a main hub for all major events at Clare Point View throughout the year. The park was a large park full of recreation and campsite areas. It has everything for family, children, and visitors. The biggest attraction of the park was a big blue pond. Great for fishing in the summer and in the winter, transforms into an ice skating rink.

The park filled up with booths and performance stages setting up for tomorrow. Leticia stood around on the stage, observing the sights of the park. Her band, The Apple Queens finished up their final rehearsal set. Leticia was still lost in trance a bit after the events that happened this morning. Leticia sighed as her head throbbed for a moment as she felt another headache coming on. She sat down on the stage to rest, rubbing her temples.

“Hey, Leticia, are you okay?” said a dark-skinned curvy bodied girl with coily, black hair going down to her shoulders. She wore a camouflage cap on her head, as the hat kept her hairstyle in place. The girl also had a red t-shirt and gray baggy pocketed jeans.

“I’m fine. Um, I need to get some water,” Leticia felt disoriented fumbling hands around to find a water bottle.

“Um, our water bottle is right next to you. Girl, sure you are okay?” The girl pointed to a water bottle that is next to Leticia.

“Everything is fine. Anyway, where’s Raleigh? I need to talk to her, Dakota," Leticia grabbed her water bottle. She twisted it open and drank the water down, hoping that her headache would stop at least one minute. Dakota was Leticia’s childhood best friend and the Apple Queens’ drummer.

“She is over at the backstage talking to the sign language interpreters. She is making sure they understand the songs in our set list,” Dakota pointed over where a girl with blond, wavy hair with black highlights.

Raleigh was communicating with three women, who dressed in all black. Raleigh and the three women were signing to each other back and forward. Leticia watched them and waited until Raleigh stopped talking to them. Leticia looked at Raleigh’s outfit from top to bottom. She groaned at Raleigh's choice of outfit today. Raleigh's outfit consists of a green tank top shirt, navy blue ripped jeans, and black slip-on shoes. When Raleigh finished talking to the women , Leticia headed over to her. She went into Raleigh’s field of vision, making sure that she had Raleigh's attention.

“Hi, Ray. Can we talk?” Leticia gestured with the little sign language she knew to try to talk to her.

“Sure,” Raleigh signed back.

Leticia wasn’t a pro at sign language, but it was, at least, basic enough to talk to Ray. After all, Raleigh was the band’s main songwriter and their rhythm guitarist. While Raleigh can talk the band mates still use their phones to communicate with her at all times.

“Yeah, um...you play your guitar too loud. Leticia told the girl in a very stern tone.

“Ok, are you just saying that to get me pissed off or is that a sincere criticism?” Raleigh used her voice and looked at Leticia dead in the eye. She crossed her arms, almost rolling her eyes at Leticia.

“Jeez, fuck, I’m being honest! What the hell, Ray?! Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” Leticia ranted at Raleigh.

“First you said that I played too soft! Then you said, I’m off beat! Now you’re saying I’m too loud in the most bitchiest tone throughout the entire rehearsal! It looks like you are the one that woke up on the wrong side of the bed! ” Raleigh fussed at Leticia back. Leticia could see Raleigh’s face turning red in anger.

“I’m not being a bitch! It’s not my fault that you’re playing shitty today! Are your hearing aids even working today?! Maybe that’s why you’re playing so bad!” Leticia raised her voice at the girl and she knew she made a bad move on that last part.

“ Excuse me?! ” Raleigh exclaimed. Leticia wasn’t even sure that Raleigh heard the last part, but the angry reaction on her face. It’s clear that she did.

The rest of her band mates stopped what they were doing and gasped at this. They watched Leticia and Raleigh fight each other. Raleigh stepped forward, almost getting into Leticia’s face. Leticia did the same not backing away from Raleigh. Dakota popped between them fast to at least stop the fight. The other bands who were waiting for their turn for rehearsal watched the two girls go at it.

Leticia did admit that the stress was getting to her. All this stuff that was going on with her family stressed her out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she had to say anything else to Raleigh. Dakota, Cho, and Kiki stared at the two girls as their eyes wide in fear of how this argument would go.

“Look, never mind. I’m sorry. You are playing fine. That was wrong for me to use your deafness against you," Leticia said calmly. She bit her lip in embarrassment. Her outburst caused everyone around them to be watching Leticia and Raleigh.

Dakota went over and grabbed Leticia’s arm, pulling her aside to talk in private. When they were alone off stage, Dakota crossed her arms in frustration and let out a loud sigh. She said, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing," Leticia stated. Her eyes went in another direction, avoiding Dakota’s eyes.

“Don’t lie to me, girl. You have been acting so weird since we walked to the park this morning. You were being a shitty person earlier. Does it have something to do with what happened last night at your parents house?” Dakota threw a ton of questions at Leticia which forced her to say something.

Leticia gulped when her best friend asked these questions. She could never get away from Dakota’s concerns. Dakota and her mother live in the same duplex house as Leticia’s family were. Leticia’s father bought and owned the duplex family house. Dakota and her mother were the family's long time tenants as the two of them went far back. Dakota knew almost every single Leticia’s family drama at her childhood home. Likewise, Leticia knew everything about Dakota’s family life. The duplex home had thin walls after all. The good thing was that Dakota and mother could only hear muffled shouting from Hernandez's side of the house.

“It’s just your typical drama at the Hernandez dinner table, you know,” Leticia laughed it off then stopped when she saw Dakota’s frowning face, not amused.

“Girl, there seems to be a lot more than what you are telling me…” Dakota pressed on.

A skinny, tall girl with black hair and auburn eyes ran up to them. “Um...Leticia, Ms. Anderson wants to speak with you,” The girl told Leticia.

Leticia breathed a sigh of relief as she did not want to get into details about the dinner night with Dakota!

“Thanks for the heads up, Cho! I have a lot of things to talk about with Ms. Anderson. We’ll talk about it later, Dakota,” Leticia patted Dakota’s shoulder and nodded at Cho, the skinny girl before she left to find Ms. Anderson. She wanted to thank Cho for the massive save right there.

Ms. Anderson was Huffington Arts High’s associate principal. She was also the aunt of the band's keyboardist, Katerina Anderson. Huffington Arts High is where the Apple Queens graduated from. The Apple Queens still remain connected to their old school, where they graduated from.

Leticia saw a short, redhead, young woman with glasses, hanging out with an older woman. The young woman's hair was styled in a pixie cut, wearing a white t-shirt with a short sleeved jean jacket and a mini skirt. As Leticia walked over to them, the two of them seemed to be talking to each other. She waited for the right moment to interrupt by clearing her throat.

“Sup, Kiki? Can I have a minute with your aunt?” Leticia said, nudging the red headed girl to butt into the conversation.

“Sure, um...Leticia. There’s a full moon tonight,” Kiki told her as Leticia raised her eyebrow, which she knew what Kiki was referring to. “We have to be careful because the wolves will be out tonight…” Kiki whispered in the low voice to Leticia.

“Argh, Kiki…." Leticia touched Kiki's shoulder and whispered in her ear. "The only wolves tonight will be the fans and the festival-goers... Those wolves will be too busy getting drunk to even care about the full moon. There’s no such things as werewolves, get yourself together, Kiki!” Leticia pointed out until Kiki started to shake a bit more and in panic.

“Still, it’s not safe for us to perform tonight!” Kiki hyperventilated as Leticia took her by the shoulders to get her to relax.

Leticia looked at Kiki right in the eyes, “You need to relax. Nothing is going to happen. Take a deep breath.”

After a couple of minutes, Kiki breathed in and out, calming herself down. Leticia always had a hard time in trying to get pianist to focus. Her advice was usually unhelpful whenever Kiki had panic and paranoia attacks. The Apple Queens’ bassist, Cho was better to get able to get Kiki to stay calm. Once Kiki was finally calm, she left so Leticia was able to talk to her aunt, Ms. Anderson.

Their conversation was short and belief. Nothing too big or serious to talk. Ms. Anderson praised by the band’s accomplishment. The Apple Queens were the school's raising alma-mater of Huffington Performing Arts High. Something that Leticia always been proud about at least.

After the conversation was over, Leticia bid Ms. Anderson farewell and headed back to her band. The Apple Queens who was hanging around offstage when she met up with the rest of the four members.

“I just totally remembered Leticia totally lost the bet!” Cho shouted when she was talking to Kiki.

Leticia then turned her attention to the bassist, “Oh my god, Cho! I said I was sorry!”

“It still counted, Leticia. You and Raleigh agreed that you guys are gonna try not argue with each other for a month . Whoever started the fight first before the month is up has to pay them $20. It has only been a week and you completely started it! You have to pay Ray now!” Cho exclaimed and pointed at Leticia.

Leticia smirked, “Well, that didn’t count, Cho. There was no fight and nothing happened.”

“That’s not true! You were being very mean to Raleigh!” Cho insisted until Raleigh came over to see what was going on.

“What’s going on?” Raleigh made a confused face at Leticia’s and Cho’s conversation. Leticia looked at Cho pulling Raleigh’s arm to invite her in.

“The bet. Leticia has to pay you because she lost!” Cho stated.

“I’m not paying her shit because I apologized,” Leticia crosses her arms as Raleigh rolls her eyes at her.

“Let me guess: You're broke and you’re trying to get out of this without paying?” Raleigh said in a matter of fact manner.

Leticia sweats and starts to panic as she swings her arms back to cover up and put one behind her back. She confessed, “Um, I have no fucking money. I wasted my last cash on these cute boots! I need these boots so bad for the festival tomorrow~ But I’ll pay you somehow,”

“Like when? Paying me back for being an audist bi-” Raleigh stopped until a woman suddenly came up to Leticia. The woman had frizzy brunette hair, wearing a nice yellow sundress and had red sunglasses.

The woman slapped twenty bucks in Leticia’s hand which gave heightened Leticia’s nerves up! All five of the girls stood in silence. Leticia moved away from the woman in fear as it was now time to stop messing around.

“Okay, I don’t care who started this nonsense first! The two of you being so unprofessional! You're embarrassing yourselves in front of the other musicians! Knock it the hell off!” The woman scolded both Raleigh and Leticia. The two of them kept their mouths shut.

“Um, Topanga, you don’t need to speak so loud to them,” A black-haired man came over to her as the woman shot a look at the man.

“You focus on your band, Robert! The Northwhatever it is. Someone got to keep these girls in line while that other runaway manager is god knows wherever she is. ” Ms. Crowley spat at the man who didn’t continue to press the issue.

“ Topanga, Lily isn’t here because she had something to do today. You know that,” Leticia explained. She gave the $20 to Raleigh to declare defeat from the bet.

Their current co-manager, Ms. Topanga Crowley was on teacher mode with the girls. Since she used to be a substitute teacher after all. The Apple Queens' other manager, Lily, who was not available due schedule conflicts. The two of them were supposed to be a team, but Topanga did all the work as the late. Maybe why Topanga's patience was being short today. It was a good thing that Topanga did have industry knowledge to get them good gigs to begin with.

Leticia took out her cell phone and finally got a chance to check at her messages. A one message from her father and a dozen from Raphael. Suddenly, big hands covered her eyes before she could read the messages. Leticia smiled like a giddy school girl as she knew who the person was who covered her eyes.

“I know you are there, Mr. Stone. Your stealth skills need work,” Leticia uncovered her eyes using her hands to pull away the big hand. She then waved her finger to her boyfriend, Trenton Stone in a playful manner, smirking at him.

Trenton was a tall, dark-skinned, young man, with a black buzz cut. Her boyfriend was in a band called the NorthEasters as a drummer and they were set to play at the festival too. Despite Leticia and Trenton being busy with band practices and regular jobs. The couple still made time for each other, stealing a couple of dates here and there.

“Dang, I could never get you, Ms. Hernandez,” Trenton grabbed Leticia’s waist for a kiss.

“Get a room, you two!” Dakota joked to the couple, who was walking past them.

“You’re just jealous!” Leticia sticks out her tongue at her.

“Hey, angel. I got to go. See ya later," Trenton hugs Leticia before he heads off to meet up with his band.

Leticia went back to her phone to see the messages from her older brother. She tapped the messages app to view them and went to read them. The messages seemed to be a bit odd, since they were positive. She read one message:

RAPHAEL: You got to believe me. Mom lied to us. Everything in our lives was a lie. I didn’t mean to scare you.

Then Leticia read on:

RAPHAEL: I owe it to you and Miguel to show you all the truth. Leticia, people like us don’t belong here. We’re destined for greatness!

“What the fuck is he talking about? ” Leticia whispered to herself while reading.

RAPHAEL: Have you ever wondered about our scar from surgery we had as children? The devices in our chest. There was a story to that device. If you want to know more, come to Mount Ridge Bridge University tomorrow after the festival.

This was the last message. Leticia felt even more confused than ever. She puts her phone down inside of her jean pocket. She wanted answers to this to what was going on with her older brother.. But for now, she has to focus on what’s going on in front of her which was getting through this festival gig.