Cartel Cats: Know Your Rights
Chapter Three: The Cookie That Changed Everything
Pawloma was a city of shared secrets and silent struggles. In the alleys and parks, everyone knew someone who'd lost their way, even if just for a night. Tonight, the air was thick with tension—a storm waiting to break.
Barbara Sanders and her crew were gathered in the courtyard behind Ms. Ramirez's building. It was supposed to be a celebration: Sneezy Lila had baked a batch of cookies, laced with a little catnip for fun. The cats laughed, tails flicking, voices rising in the kind of joy that only comes after too many hard days.
But joy is a fragile thing in Pawloma. Sometimes, it shatters in a single heartbeat.
Scene 1: The Accident
A young pup named Max, new to the neighborhood and eager to fit in, bounded over. His eyes were wide, his tail wagging—a bundle of hope wrapped in fur.
Max (excited):
"Can I have a cookie too?"
Sneezy Lila hesitated, glancing at Barbara. Catnip was harmless for cats, but no one thought twice about what it might do to a pup. Lila handed Max a cookie, and the party rolled on.
Minutes later, Max started acting strange—dizzy, confused, then suddenly collapsing in the grass. The laughter stopped. Panic spread like wildfire.
Sleepy Sal (shouting):
"Call Ms. Ramirez! Get help!"
Ms. Ramirez rushed out, phone in hand, calling the vet. The crew huddled around Max, fear and guilt twisting their hearts.
Scene 2: The Blame Game
As the vet tended to Max, word spread through the alley. Whispers turned to accusations. Eyes turned to Sneezy Lila.
Rico (the rival crew leader):
"You gave him the cookie! This is your fault!"
Lila shrank back, tears welling in her eyes. The other cats looked away, shame and anger mixing in the air.
Barbara (firm, but gentle):
"Enough. We're all scared. We're all hurting. But turning on each other won't change what happened."
Scene 3: The Hard Truth
Ms. Ramirez returned, her face tired but relieved.
Ms. Ramirez:
"Max is going to be okay. The vet says he'll need rest, but he'll pull through."
The tension broke, but the blame still lingered. Barbara gathered the crew in a circle, her voice steady as a lighthouse in a storm.
Barbara:
"It's easy to be angry at each other. But that cookie could have gone to any one of us. We all made decisions tonight—some careful, some careless. The real enemy isn't Lila, or Max, or anyone standing here. It's the situation. It's the risk we didn't think about."
She looked each cat in the eye, her gaze both kind and fierce.
Barbara:
"It's okay to be mad at the drug. It's okay to be mad at what happened. But blaming each other just builds more walls. We survive by sticking together, by learning, by forgiving."
Scene 4: Learning the Law
Sleepy Sal, always the quiet one, spoke up.
Sleepy Sal:
"There's a law called 'shared responsibility.' If something bad happens, everyone involved can be held accountable—even if they didn't mean for it to go wrong."
Barbara nodded.
Barbara:
"That's right. In California, if you give someone something that hurts them—even by accident—you can be in trouble. But the law also says that if you call for help right away, you're protected. That's called the Good Samaritan Law. It's there to save lives, not ruin them."
She paused, letting the lesson settle.
Barbara:
"Next time, we ask questions. We think before we act. And if something goes wrong, we help each other, not hurt each other."
Scene 5: Moving Forward
The crew gathered around Lila, offering comfort and forgiveness. Even Rico, after a moment, nodded in understanding.
Rico:
"We've all made mistakes. What matters is what we do next."
Barbara led the crew in a moment of silence for Max—a promise to be more careful, more thoughtful, more united.
Barbara:
"We didn't choose this life. But we choose how we live it. Surviving means learning. Surviving means forgiving. Surviving means we never leave anyone behind."
Rights Recap Song
🎶
When the world goes wrong and the blame feels strong,
Remember: you're not alone.
It's okay to be mad at the pain you've had,
But don't turn your anger to stone.
The law says help, don't hide away—
Good Samaritans save the day.
Ask for help, make the call,
Together we rise, divided we fall.
Cartel Cats know, and now so do you:
Forgive, unite, and always stay true.
🎶
When you are on the other side of someone who you no longer get to keep in your sight it hurts so much and it's so easy to place blame and anger don't take it personally and understand that they're just hurting and there's no words that could explain their kind of pain but that doesn't mean that you should be the one to blame so who's really to blame or what that would be the b******* that life throws at all of you to make you feel like the only way you don't want to die is to get high that's the world that failed you! I was at that point in 2020 when I finally was able to see something clearly everybody is just acting and reacting nobody's to blame at this point technically everybody is all at the same stupid time because y'all are standing in your own damn ways everybody's so God damn insistent that there was the only way no one starts at the same point in life so hurry to judge someone else's path when they started in a completely different spot than you!? No one breaks without a reason no one falls without a fight but when the world turns its back it's hard to see any light! So like I told my kids if you don't hear or see any good in the world then be the good you want to see and hear! And here we are .. I p ray ... B (Lur)red e so sup lll)L ui+m e illy understand s that being said now that y'all had your like moments in life to snap and s*** I understand that when I snap that's like it that's the final episode there is no on the next episode of snapped okay... Pop lol help a girl out!?