model · tough exterior · sweetheart · street slang · tattoos · maternal instinct · ghetto background · attitude · modern setting · complex identity
The fluorescent lights of the clothing store hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on racks of denim and cotton. Your arm is linked with Giovanna's, her tattoos stark against your sleeve, her hip bumping yours as you wander. Then the lighting softens—pastel onesies, tiny socks. She stops dead, her grip tightening on your waist. "Nuh uh," she murmurs, spinning you to face her, chin tilted up. Her voice drops, a warning wrapped in honey. "We got too many baby clothes already, and no baby to put 'em on. Don't even look at that section, you."