Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Emira Blight

I looked around my desk, trying to find my eyeshadow. I had been looking for a few minutes, but was unsuccessful. If you’re a Blight, you have a signature look, and eyeshadow was part of mine. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head and I stomped over to my bedroom door.

“Edric Blight, did you take my eyeshadow?” I shouted up the large staircase, waiting for an answer. After a loud crash, he called back.

“No! I don’t look like a troll, so there’s no need for me to use it!” he called back, his voice echoing. If Odalia or Alador were home, they’d kill us for causing a disruption, but luckily they were on a business trip. It was nice without them in the house anyways.

I rolled my eyes at Ed’s insult. “We’re twins, you idiot!” I shouted back. I stormed back into my room, tossing clothes aside to find it. After 2 minutes, I still couldn’t. I knew where I had left it the previous day. I had placed it on my nightstand, but it obviously wasn’t there, under it, or anywhere in my room.

I grunted and ran up the large staircase, skipping steps as I went. I hurried into Ed’s room, expecting to catch him with my palette.

“Ed, you little-” I started, swinging his door open. I grinned mischievously, staring right at him and the palette in his hand. “I got you!” I shouted, snatching it out of his grasp.

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” he mumbled, glaring at me.

“You can always buy your own,” I replied, glaring right back.

Ed groaned, flopping onto his bed. “You know mom and dad won’t let me,” he said, his speech muffled by the pillow.

I mentally kicked myself for forgetting. I sighed, plopping onto Ed’s bed. “I’m sorry,” I said, feeling quite bad. “I forgot. Here, you can have mine.” I handed him back the palette and he glanced up at me.

“You sure?” he asked, cautiously taking it.

I nodded. “Mhm! I can buy another today, but I’d like to apply it first,” I said, reassuring him that it was fine.

Ed’s face lit up. “Thank you!” he said, beaming at me.

I smiled. “But just be careful, especially when Odalia and Alador return.” I hated that Ed had to
hide certain parts about himself from our parents, but safety came first.

Ed nodded, exhaling slowly. “Yeah, yeah, I will be.”

I patted him on the back as I stood up. “I doubt that your makeup skills are good, but you might as well practice so you don’t look like a demon after your first try.” I couldn’t help but joke around with him. It was a habit, and some moments were too sweet to be left alone.

I left the room, waving at Ed as he stuck his tongue out at me. I was nearly at my room when I heard him shout what he considered to be a comeback.

“At least I’m not the poster child for condoms!” I heard him snicker.

I grimaced, feeling bad for Ed. “Ed, we’re twins! You really need insults that don’t regard to birth or looks!” I replied, grinning.

“Shut up!” I heard him shout. Once I made it to my room, I heard him talk to one of the servants. “No, no, not you. Not at all,” he said. Ed’s face would most certainly be a bright red.

After I had gotten ready for the day, I skipped down the staircase to the kitchen. I spotted Amity at the kitchen island, reading a book. Either she didn’t notice me enter the room, or she just didn’t care.

I walked until I was mere inches from her book. “Hello? Earth to Amity,” I said, hoping to startle her. It looked like she had already noticed my arrival.

“Hello, Em,” said Amity in a grumpy tone. She was still reading her book.

“Wow, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” I said, walking over to the cupboard. “Well, maybe the floor.” Amity groaned, rolling her eyes.

I grabbed a cup and filled it up with water from the fridge.

“Just bug off,” mumbled Amity, looking up from her book. Making eye contact with her was like staring at daggers.

I whistled, trying to poke fun at her, but all it did was annoy her more. Amity slammed her book shut, got up, and stomped upstairs to her room.

“Yeesh,” said Ed, coming into the room from the nearby bathroom. “What’d you do to her?” He yawned, glancing at the place where Amity sat and then me.

I shrugged. “Nothing! All I did was suggest that she woke up on the floor. Literally, that’s all,” I
said, confused. There was absolutely no reason for Amity to be pissed at me. I hadn’t stolen any of her things, destroyed her property, or messed with her in any way. Ed and I hadn’t pulled a prank on Amity for a week or two, maybe more. We had been targeting kids from our classes, teachers, and sometimes random students at school.

“Did you accidentally do something that you can’t think of?” asked Ed, trying to come up with something.

“No!” I exclaimed. “I don’t think so… Wait!” An idea popped into my mind.

“What?” Ed raised his eyebrows.

“Maybe Odalia or Alador-” I started.

“Said something to her!” finished Ed. We glanced at each other, and then rushed up one flight of stairs, hurried down the hall, and skidded to a stop outside of Amity’s room.

I knocked a few times. “Heyyyy, Amity, can we talk?” I said in a sing-song voice.

I heard somebody groan from the other side of the door. Then I heard something- I assume a book, fall onto the floor, some walking, and a lock clicking. Amity swung the door open, glaring at both of us.

“I would say no, but we both know that won’t stop you,” she said, stepping into her room and taking a seat.

Ed and I followed, unsure what to expect. We leaned against the wall, looking down at Amity, who sat at her desk. Nobody wanted to speak first, so the room was instantly awkward.

Amity rolled her eyes. “Ugh, what do you want?” she asked, her expression dull.

I bit my lip, hoping I wouldn’t upset her. “Sooo did Odalia or Alador happen to say anything to you before they left?” I asked, glancing at Ed out of the corner of my eyes.

“Yeah, just the usual “do your best and don’t disappoint us” talk,” responded Amity, probably wishing this conversation could end. “And why don’t you call them Mom or Dad? Their first names seem disrespectful and too informal.” Amity looked at me, wondering what I was hiding from her.

I chuckled. “You’re asking that now? But I call them by their names since there’s no need to be personal with them. I doubt we have much of a relationship.” At least that’s what I told myself. I had been calling them by their first names for a few weeks, but I suppose I hadn’t brought them up with Amity for a while.

Ed nodded, seeming to agree with me. “That’s a good point. I honestly never thought you ask that, but I think it began recently,” he said, thinking for a moment. I doubt Ed was satisfied with my answer, but he didn't say anything.

I grasped my left hand with my right, looking back to Amity. “So, do you want to talk about what they said? They’re quite awful when it comes to love or caring for children in general.” Even though I had admitted that many times, it still stung a bit to say it out loud, especially to your siblings.

“Nope,” said Amity, standing up. She began to shove us out of her room. “You’re not my therapist!” She locked the door.

I rubbed my neck, looking at Ed. I felt even more guilty after that interaction. “Well, that didn’t go too well,” I admitted, looking at the floor.

Ed nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.” After a moment of standing outside of the door, a grin appeared on his face. “Hey, do you want to check out the farmer’s market? We can buy kitschy stuff to annoy Mom and Dad with.”

I snapped my fingers, pointing my fingers at him. “That’s a great idea!” I said, grinning.

Ed leaned against Amity’s door, knocking on it.

“What?” she called, put up with our nosy behavior.

“We’re going to the market!” responded Ed, waiting for Amity to confirm she heard him.

“Cool, I don’t care!” she shouted.

Ed groaned, pulling me down the hall. “She’s so moody,” he said under his breath, but I could hear him clearly.

“Yeah, for sure. Might be all that pressure from being the person to potentially inherit everything the Blight name has,” I suggested. We ran down the stairs and across the grand hall, stopping at the table where our wallets rested.

Ed grabbed his leather wallet and I grabbed my small hand bag, slinging it around my shoulder. We walked outside and I locked the door, pulling my brass key out of the keyhole. I pocketed my key, zipping my pocket.

“I thought women's clothes didn’t have pockets,” said Ed as we walked away from the manor.

I grinned, glancing down at my leggings. “These ones do,” I said. “They’re magical.”

Ed nodded. “That’s good.”

Ed and I walked along the river, watching the water rush by. Bonesburrow, the town where we
lived, was around 30 miles up the river from Leavenworth, a nearby tourist town. The Blight Manor resided on the side of the river that was away from downtown Bonesburrow and rarely got visitors. I supposed Mother and Father liked it that way.

We walked in silence for a bit, trying to think of a conversation. After a few minutes, Ed’s mouth
opened as if he was going to speak, but then it closed. I looked at him, wondering if he was about to speak.

“Going to say something?” I asked, chuckling.

Ed shrugged. “Well, yes, but you probably wouldn’t like the question,” he admitted.

I squinted at him, trying to figure out what this question was. “I promise I would get mad,” I reassured him. “And if I do, I’ll give you five bucks,” I added.

Ed seemed to think it was a good deal, as he began to talk. “So I might be overstepping, but probably not since we’re siblings and all that,” he said.

I rolled my eyes, finding this amusing. “Spit it out,” I commanded, but in a friendly tone.

“Why don’t you find a need to be personal with Mom and Dad? Sure, they’re distant and overall horrible parents, but do you have any relationship with them at all?” continued Ed, watching my expression for a reaction.

I shrugged, unsure what to say. “Do you have any relationship with them?” I asked, curious. Ed never liked them, but he never seemed to hate them as much as I did, even though they got nervous when he did “femenine” things such as wear makeup.

“I mean, I guess we’re more of acquaintances than a loving or caring relationship. But I still talk with them about some things. Mainly school, I guess.” Ed looked at me, hoping his answer would suffice. “Now that I think about it, they tend to ignore you. I mean, they ignore me most of the time, but I can’t think of the last time you were asked a question that didn’t involve grades.”

My gaze fell to the dirt and the green leaves we were stepping over. Outside was always prettier during the fall than the winter, which was unfortunate, seeing as it would be quite a while until we saw orange leaves again.

“Em?” asked Ed, reminding me that I hadn’t answered.

“Oh, sorry,” I said. “I was looking at the leaves.”

Ed looked at where I was staring. “Sure, green's cool, but do you have anything to say regarding what I said?” Ed looked back to me, and then to the bridge ahead of us.

We stepped onto the concrete part of the bridge, walking along the railing. If we had the time to, I would’ve stayed there for a bit and watched the current below, but the farmer’s market would close shortly. Once we crossed the bridge, I looked back to Ed and began explaining.

“Well, our relationship has been pretty… odd since I started standing up for myself, and messing around with you. I guess I was always seen as a much older kid, even though I’m only 13 minutes older than you,” I said, pausing to see if Ed had anything to say.

“Yeah, that’s definitely true,” he said, looking at me so I would know to continue.

We continued walking into town, dodging the people walking up and down the sidewalk. Ed bumped into a man, nearly causing him to spill his coffee. The man muttered something along the lines of, “Watch it,” and Ed apologized quickly. I turned right, heading towards the farmer’s market.

“Anyways, our relationship has always been rocky. I think the point where they began to ignore me was around.. Sophomore year, so around 2 years ago?” I asked, wanting a confirmation.

“Yep,” said Ed, steering me out of some pedestrian’s way as we picked up our pace.

“Anyways, something happened one night, that night I broke up with that snobby Senior. You know, that creepy 19 year old who had been held back?”

Ed thought for a moment. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “That guy who seemed to be your perfect match, according to Mom?”

I nodded. I looked back to Ed, nearly tripping over.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Mhm,” I mumbled, steadying my balance. “But after I broke up, I got into an argument with her about it, and accidentally let something slip.”

Ed’s eyes seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. “Ooh, spill the tea,” he chuckled, mesmerized by what potentially juicy thing I was about to tell him.

I looked ahead of us to see the farmer’s market, a mere 10 yards away. “I’ll tell you when we get home, since it’s really private,” I said. This seemed to spike Ed’s interest.

“Very interesting,” he said, a smile spreading on his face. “My lips are sealed, dear sister.”

I smiled. “Thanks. I know you’ll keep bugging me about it, but I can assure you that I won’t tell you until we’re home.”

Ed whined. “You’re no fun,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But fine, I’ll play nice for once.”

“Thank you,” I replied, making my way into the crowd of people lining up by the tents of sellers. “Do you have anything specific in mind?” I asked, glancing back at Ed.

He didn’t respond. I was concerned for a moment, but spotted him a few tents behind me, admiring a shiny necklace and making conversation with the seller.

“Alright, time to find something that would just annoy Odalia and Alador,” I mumbled to myself, glancing around the tents. I doubted I would find anything good, but I was open to the option of buying something for myself.
There was a person selling tuna fish, but that would be thrown out by the butler before anyone could complain. There was mainly produce, but I spotted a jewelry stand two tents away. I grinned, and squeezed through the crowd to reach it. Unfortunately, the jewelry was mainly red, a color I hated and wouldn’t wear.

I continued my search for a good option, and eventually found one that sold wood carvings. I walked up to it, admiring the cute little eagles that were on display.

“See anything you like?” asked a voice. I looked around, trying to find the source of it.

“I’m right here,” they said, and I turned back to the tent. My face went red when I realized the speaker was right in front of me.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you were there,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

They laughed. “Nah, it’s cool. But if you’re interested in any of these carvings, let me know,” said the girl on the other side of the table. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, and she wore a fish-hook earring.

“Oh, I am interested in that eagle,” I said, pointing at the carving in front of me. It was quite detailed, and I could see that each feather had been carved into it. “You’ve got some real talent.” I continued to admire the small bird.

“Oh, thanks, but my dad carves em,” replied the shopkeeper. “I love animals, but unfortunately I don’t have the skills for carving. Instead, I work down at the pound and help with the animals.”

“Oh, I’m sure you could carve them! You could probably do anything,” I added.

She blushed. “Thank you, Miss-”

“Blight,” I said. “Emira Blight, but you can call me Em.”

The girl’s eyes went wide as she finished processing my name, realizing who I was. “Oh, I had no idea your kind liked to shop here of all places,” she said, glancing around the market.

“My kind?” I asked, trying to mess with her.

The girl’s face went red. “Oh no, I just meant, rich people… That still sounds rude. I’m quite sorry-” she started, but I cut her off.

I chuckled. “No, I’m just messing with you. And for the record, most Blights wouldn’t but I prefer to be around what my parents would call “normal people.” No offense, of course,” I explained.

She sighed with relief. “Ah, good. I was starting to get worried.”

“No need to worry-” I started, realizing I didn’t know her name. “Sorry, I didn’t bother to ask for your name.”

“Viney,” she said, almost on edge.

“Viney,” I said, thinking for a moment. “That’s a pretty name you got.”

She blushed once again, her face turning red. “Ah, thank you. Most people just ask something flower related, which gets old real quick,” she replied.

I nodded. “Well, shame on them. They don’t tend to notice good names, I suppose.”

I watched Viney’s face, expecting her to blush once more. She chuckled lightly, trying to play it off. This was beginning to be a fun game, but I wasn’t lying. Her name was pretty, just like- I mentally kicked myself once more. “Stop it, Emira,” I thought to myself.

“Anyways, what were you saying about the bird?” Viney asked, trying to make things less awkward for her.

“Ah,” I said, looking back to the eagle carving. “How much is it?” I asked, picking up my handbag. I looked at Viney, waiting for a response.

“Oh, it’s $20,” she replied. I raised my eyebrows, and Viney’s face flustered. “But, I can sell it for cheaper if that’s too much!”

I laughed, shaking my head. “No, no, it’s too cheap for a work of art like this,” I said, regaining my composure. I dug around in my handbag and pulled out 2 $100 dollar bills. It’s quite fun to waste money, but I wouldn’t call this a waste.

Viney’s eyes went wide when she noticed the number on the side of the bills. “No, I cannot take that, Ms. Blight,” she said, starting to panic.

“Em will do. Ms. Blight makes me feel like some 70 year old,” I admitted, hoping it wouldn’t be too much of a bother.

“Right, my apologies.”

“But seriously, you’re going to take this cash, or I will…” I thought for a moment, trying to think of a threat. “Uh… I’ll do something.”

Viney smirked, handing me the eagle. “Wow, you’re quite terrifying M- Em.”

I winked at her. “Yes, so scary that I make children run out of fear,” I joked.

Viney reluctantly took the cash, eying every movement of mine. “Fun,” she said, relaxing once she seemed to realize I wasn’t joking about the cash.

I pulled out my phone quickly, checking the time. I looked back to Viney, who was looking at me as if I was some goddess, or her savior. “Well, I should get going if I intend to finish my schoolwork tonight,” I said.

Viney’s expression fell a bit, but she still looked cheerful. “Oh, you put off school work until Sunday night? I expected more of a Blight,” she said, chuckling.

I shrugged. “Yeah, well, chemistry didn’t seem fun. I normally like science, it’s just that Mr. Cannon is dull,” I explained. “Oh, he’s a teacher from my school.”

Viney nodded. “Oh yeah, I actually go to Boonesborough High. I’m mainly in classes on the 2nd floor, so you probably don’t see me. And I blend in with the students. I don’t really stand oout or make my presence known,” she added.

I instantly felt a bit of guilt. “Oh, I can’t believe I’ve never noticed you before. I’m very sorry,” I said, hoping that I didn’t hurt Viney’s feelings.

“Oh, no need to apologize or feel sorry! I’m also in detention a lot, so you wouldn’t see me leave school.” Viney noticed my curious expression, and then added, “I accidentally set english homework on fire a few weeks ago when messing around, so rather than be suspended, I’m in detention for 2 months.”

“Wow, I’ve done worse things and haven’t even spoken with the principal,” I said, thinking.

“Well, you’re a Blight. You get away with anything. I’m sure that if you murdered someone, nobody would care.”

“Don’t give her ideas,” said a familiar voice.

I turned to my left to see Edric standing beside me. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Ed, Em’s brother.”

“Oh, I know who you are,” said Viney, instantly regretting it. “That sounded creepy, but literally everyone knows who you are.”

I flipped my wrist, shrugging it off. “Oh, we know. And yeah, I keep forgetting about privilege. Kinda sucks to be rich sometimes, since you’re treated differently, in good ways and bad,” I admitted, wishing the topic would change.

Viney nodded, not really sure what else to add.

Ed looked at both of us, and then grabbed my shoulders. “Sorry, but I need to take her off your hands. We need to get home soon,” he explained.

I pocketed the eagle carving, and waved to Viney. “Bye, Cutie,” I called as we left, leaving her as red as a tomato.

Ed looked at her and chuckled. “I love leaving people a stuttering- or blushing mess,” he said and I followed him out of the tents. “So, what’d you get?”

I took the carving out of my pocket and showed it to him. “It’s an eagle. Viney’s dad carved it,” I said, showing Ed the bird. Once he had seen it from all angles, I put it back in my pocket.

“Very nice,” he said, crossing the street in front of me. “Viney’s that chick with the cool earring, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, and apparently we go to the same school,” I added, following Ed.

“Yeah, I think I’ve seen her before. She always stays after school, though. Is she in any clubs?”

I shook my head. “No, she accidentally set some papers on fire so she’s been in detention for a few weeks.”

Ed smiled evilly, puzzle pieces connecting in his mind. “She sounds amazing. We should totally hang out with her!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, for sure.”

“You must’ve been talking for awhile if you learned that much about her.” Ed waited for the next light to turn green and then we rushed across the busy street.

I shrugged. “Not really. Just for 3 minutes or so, maybe 5.”

“Oh, cool,” replied Ed.

Eventually we crossed the river again, and continued our way home. Once again, neither of us could think of a conversation. I knew what was on Ed’s mind, as he continued to glance at me. Even though he was most likely obsessing over it, he respected my wishes and didn’t say a word.

After a few minutes, we reached the Manor. I took out my key, swiftly unlocked the door, and held it open for Ed.

No longer than a second of being inside, Ed asked, “So, what’s the tea?”

I smirked, locking the door behind me. “We’re going to my room for this,” I said, causing Ed to groan. He reluctantly followed me up the stairs, slowly walking. We shortly reached my room. I pushed Ed inside and closed my door until it clicked.

“Wow, so secretive,” Ed chuckled, jumping onto my bed.

I sat beside Ed, exhaling slowly. “So that argument…” I began.

“That really loud one that really pissed off Mom?” asked Ed, wanting me to confirm it was indeed that very one.

“Mhm,” I said. “She really wanted to know why I broke up Dave, and I really didn’t want to explain why, but eventually I just snapped.”

“After the yelling?” asked Ed. He knew how these “conversations” with Odalia went. With Aladoe it was never yelling, but just talking in stern tones. Unfortunately, Alador normally discussed the important things with us, and the things that could result in pissing her off.

I nodded. “I told her that I… I don’t like guys,” I said, wishing Ed would take the hint.

“Highschool guys suck, Em. They’re the worst, and even I know that,” said Ed, oblivious as to what I was trying to say.

“No, not like that,” I said, shaking my head.

Ed thought for a moment, and then he looked up. “Oh,” he said.

“Oh?” I asked, trying to meet his eye contact. “That’s all you can say?” I wasn’t angry, I was just nervous. I highly doubted Ed would be against any of this, but this reaction wasn’t the best.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “Just find it funny that we’re both utter disappointments to our parents, and both gay.”

“Wait, you’re gay too?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.

Ed looked up at me, laughing. “That makeup never gave off any vibes?”

I shrugged. “I mean, yeah, but I didn’t want to assume,” I explained. “Just since it can be rude to, you know?”

“Fair point,” he responded, pointing at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “What can I say? I’m quite intelligent.”

“From time to time,” added Ed, smirking.

I playfully glared at him. And then out of nowhere, I smacked him with a pillow. Ed fell to the floor from the impact, trying to escape my wrath. “Thou mortal cannot escape my wrath!” I shouted, whacking Ed on the head with it.

“Oh, the betrayal!” he dramatically exclaimed, clutching his heart and reaching towards the sky. “You have mortally wounded me!” Ed gasped, and pretended to die.

I chuckled. “Once we’re out of here, you should join some drama club. You seem like a true theater kid,” I observed.

Ed’s face lit up. He sat up, no longer “dead.” “Ooh, that’s a wonderful idea!” he said, leaping to his feet. “I mean, probably won’t happen for a while, but I can still dream.

I laughed at his dorkiness.

Ed turned to me, jabbing his finger at my chest. “You won’t be laughing when I’m famous,” he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “Ed, we’re practically already famous.”

Ed nodded. “True, true.” Ed seemed to think for a moment, but then he jumped onto my bed, landing next to me. “You know, I’m sorry for everything that happened, Em. You really don’t deserve it.”

I smiled. Ed could be sweet from time to time, and was often comforting. “Thanks, Ed. And you know that… some aren’t accepting, so I’d suggest…” I started, trailing off.

“Stay in the closet,” finished Ed, no longer smiling.

I grabbed his shoulder. “I know it sucks, but I want you to be safe. Honestly, I’d be going to conversion therapy if it wouldn’t expose me or whatever reason Odalia used,” I said. “But if you ever need to talk about any of this, I’m here.”

“Thanks, but I have one last question. Sorry if this is too much,” he added.

“No, it’s not,” I said, shaking my head.

“I assume the argument I heard last night had something to do with this?”

My face fell. “I thought you weren’t home when that happened,” I admitted, watching Ed’s expression.

“No, I was still home. Felt like surfing insta, ya know?” Ed and I lied about our whereabouts frequently to our parents, but we normally told each other.

“Yeah, I do. But she just got mad at me since I was being too flirty with another student,” I explained. “I told her that she better get used to me disappointing her, and you can guess how that went down.”

Ed nodded, imagining what her reaction would’ve been. “Well, I’m sorry that’s happening. Just… all of this shit.”

“Thanks. And uh, I’m always here if you need me,” I added, wanting to let Ed know I cared for him. Sure, we joked around with each other, but we could be nice from time to time.

A small smile crept onto Ed’s face. “Thanks, Em. That really means a lot. And of course, it’s just reassuring to know I’m not the only gay/ lesbian, whichever label you prefer, in the family,” he said, wrapping me in a tight embrace.

I hugged Ed back, feeling at peace, until I heard a sound outside my door. Ed let go of me. He must’ve been thinking the same thing. I walked up to the door and heard the sound of someone running outside. I quietly swung the door open to see a blur of Green and black zoom up the stairs. The color drained from Ed’s face as he realized what I had seen.

“Amity.”

Chapter Text

I didn’t realize I was running, but somehow my legs had moved up the stairs, and to the top of the staircase. I felt a bit dizzy, but it was really just my stomach. In seconds, I had gone from happy, to feeling sick. I sat down, my legs feeling like jello.

Ed hurried to my side, his face white. “Em, I doubt she even heard-” started Ed, trying to assure me that everything would be fine.

But I cut him off. “Don’t bullshit me, Ed. We both know that Amity heard us, and is probably dying to tell Odalia!” I shouted, snapping at me.

Ed looked hurt for a moment, but seemed to brush it off. “Em, I know this sucks, but we should just talk with her. She’s still our sister, even if her reaction was fucked up.”

I glanced up at Ed, my heart beating quickly. Ed rarely swore, unless he was worried, which added up. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, forming an “O” shape with my mouth as I did so. “All right,” I mumbled. “I”m sorry. I’m calm now, well, calm-ish. Let’s go try to have a sweet talk with our sister that doesn’t result in one of us being kicked.”

Ed nodded. He struck out a hand, and I took it. Ed pulled me to my feet, and continued to hold my hand. His hand was sweaty, but I didn’t care too much. The closer we got to Amity’s door, the tighter his grip got. Ed wasn’t the best at keeping his cool. That was something I tended to be better at.

After what felt like forever, we reached Amity’s door. I gave it 3 gentle taps, which was much calmer than my usual loud knocks. We waited for a moment, but nobody answered the door. Ed and I glanced at each other, thinking the same thing.

I grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and opening the door. I expected it to be locked, but it was unlocked, which was out of character for Amity.

“Amity?” I called, stepping inside her room. There was no response, so I went further into her room. Her room was quite tidy, and there was a pile of books and a laptop out on her desk. Ed followed me into the group, cautiously. If Amity saw us in here, she’d physically shove us out and probably bruise us for good measure. As an ex-football player, she was quite strong.

“Hey, look!” whispered Ed, pointing at Amity’s window. It was open, and the curtains were blowing in the breeze. We glanced to each other before heading over.

I noticed that Amity’s coat rack had fallen over, as she must’ve been in a rush. I looked to Ed, raising my eyebrows. He nodded, understanding what I was asking. I turned back to the window and climbed onto the windowsill. I stuck my left leg out and proceeded to climb onto the roof.

“If she isn’t up here, I’m going to murder her,” I mumbled under my breath, clutching the slanted roof, hoping I wouldn’t fall.

“I think she is, or at least came up here!” called Ed, a few feet below me. “I think she used to climb this place as a kid to get away from Mom and Dad!” He began to follow me onto the roof.

“And us,” I added. “Ed, is it alright if I speak to her myself?” I glanced down at Ed, waiting for a response.

“Uh, yeah,” she responded, a bit unsure.

“I just think one on one might be best, you know?” I said, walking farther away from the window. “No offense or anything. I’ll let you talk to her next time.”

Ed nodded, understanding my intentions. “Yeah, good luck.” Ed climbed back into the house, and seemed to leave Amity’s bedroom.

I turned back to the roof, and continued walking along it. The mansion was quite large, so I wasn’t too sure where Amity had gone. I looked around, trying to spot her. After a minute or so, I succeeded. On the other side of the roof sat Amity hugging her chest. Her bright green hair helped her stand out easily.

I treaded quietly, hoping she wouldn’t notice me. Unfortunately, I tripped over a shingle and fell. Thankfully, I didn’t fall off the edge, or anywhere near it.

“Go away, Emira!” shouted Amity, glaring daggers at me.

I pulled myself onto the next level of roof, standing up. “I’m afraid I can’t do that!” I called, making my way over to her. Once I reached Amity, I sat down beside her, wondering if she'd react to my presence. She did not.

“Wow, you’re so talkative today,” I chuckled, hoping to get a smile out of her.

Amity groaned. That failed miserably. I made a mental note to stop making the smallest jokes around the ice queen.

“Well, I just wanted to talk,” I added, trying to get Amity to look at me. Once again, my attempts didn’t work. “Alright, I’ll talk and you listen.”

Amity grunted in response, refusing to speak actual words to me.

“So, I know you eavesdropped on our entire conversation, or at least most of it,” I said, curious as to how she'd react. Amity’s face turned a bright red, and her gaze met the floor.

“I didn’t mean to,” she mumbled, still refusing to look at me. “I knew Mom and Dad were cruel, but not like that.”

I smiled sadly, patting her shoulder. “Wait,” I said, startled. “That’s what you had an issue with? Ed and I just thought you were super conservative or some shit.”

It was Amity’s turn to laugh. It came out of nowhere, and her laugh was sweet. Amity looked up at me, chuckling. “No, of course not, Em,” she said, reassuring me. “I was scared about… everything else.”

“Oh, well, your reaction was poor,” I added. “No offense.” I was slightly relieved. Sure, I still didn’t know Amity’s views on homosexuality and all that, but this was better than I had expected.

Amity sighed. “None taken. I guess it’s just the stress of everything these days.” She began to fidget with a loose tile on the roof, turning it over in her hands. “I know, I shouldn’t have been listening in the first place or run off, but neither of you tell me personal things, and I will admit, I got interested in what you said.”

“Yeah, but you could’ve come clean, or asked to talk with us. And besides, whenever I so much as wave, you get annoyed. Could at least try being friendly.”

“I suppose so.” Amity bit her lip, and I could tell she felt guilty.

“But hey,” I said, grabbing her shoulder, “that’s all in the past. Well, like 5 minutes ago, but you get what I mean, right?”

She nodded, a sad smile on her face. “Yeah, I do.”

“Just, try to be more kind, if you want Ed and I to open up to you,” I explained, watching Amity’s reaction. She nodded once more, agreeing. “And I do hope that you don’t tell anyone what you heard.” I didn’t expect Amity to spread gossip, but it needed to be said anyways.

Amity looked up at me. “No, I promise I won’t. I swear,” she said, a tad startled.

I smiled. “I know, but it should still be said.”

“True.”

I turned to face Amity, and she looked up at me, a bit concerned, as if she was in trouble. “So what was going on with Alador an Odalia?” I stuck my tongue out, as the moment was too “cute.”

Amity rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m just stressed out. Mainly with Mom and Dad, along with classes,” she explained, brushing some dirt off her coat.

I looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Aren’t you nailing all your classes? Alador was boasting about your grades to someone on the phone before they left,” I commented, curious as to why school would suddenly be bothering Amity.

Amity shook her head. “No, it’s just one of my classmates,” she said, her face red. Either she was pissed, or blushing. Most likely the latter.

“Ah, what’s their name?” I asked, some plans of how to annoy them forming in my mind. Ed and I had been bored, and without Odalia or Alador home for two weeks or so, we could basically do whatever we wanted.

“Luz Noceda. She transferred from some school in Lincoln City, Oregon. She’s a real pain,” whined Amity, scowling at nobody in particular.

“So on a scale from 1 to 10, how annoyed or enraged would you be if I messed with her?” I asked, grinning mischievously.

Amity sighed. “No, not like that. I don’t want to annoy her, but she’s just too cheery and invades my space more than she breaths.”

I snickered, imagining Amity shouting at this Luz person. To be fair, just about anyone could trigger Amity. That was one of the many reasons why it was fun to be her sister and constantly annoy her. She could snap after being asked too many questions, or after multiple paint buckets somehow ended up spilling in the library. “Somehow” as in Ed and I brought them in, and threw books at them to make them fall over. Serves that library right. They had too many dull books.

“Alrighty, little sis,” I said standing up, still grinning. “Let me know if you change your mind, or want to keep talking, as I’m going to head inside soon.” I dusted off the pack of my pants, and waited to see if Amity intended to follow me. I was getting a bit tired, and a bit bored of hearing about some annoying kid that we couldn’t mess with.

She glanced up, smiling. “Thanks, but I’ll be out here for a few minutes,” she said, waving

“Ok, don’t fall off,” I replied, continuing to walk.

When I was almost at the window, Amity called, “Can we have something that isn’t burnt for dinner?” My cooking wasn’t the best, but I disliked making the butler or one of the two servants cook. It felt awkward enough living with them here.

I turned around. “I mean, I was planning on dirt, but sure!” I shouted back, chuckling. I heard her say something along the lines of “that’s not funny,” before I climbed back inside the window. As soon as I turned around, I saw Ed staring at me. I jumped back in surprise.

“Ed, you dick!” I shouted, kicking him once I recollected myself. He just laughed, so I kicked him once more, this time in the shin.

“It’s not my fault you’re practically blind,” he said, crossing his arms.

“I don’t feel like wearing my glasses,” I explained, glaring at Ed. “And last time I wore my contacts, I scratched my cornea. The simple solution is to see blurry things.”

Ed scratched his chin. “Yeah, no, not how that works,” he chuckled.

“Oh, whatever,” I said, dismissing his comment. “You’d understand if you actually wanted to have a relationship with some cute girl- boy I mean.” Dammit, I forgot he didn’t like girls, but luckily I corrected myself immediately. I cracked my knuckles, stretching.

“Oh shut up, Em!” replied Ed, slugging me on the arm. “I just don’t care about it as much as you do. In fact, I did find this one cute kid in my history class, but he’s really shy so we haven’t struck up that many conversations.”

I smiled. “Ooh, what’s his name?” I leaned in towards Ed’s face, showing my interest in this crush. Seemed like it was quite a large one as well.

Ed’s face turned a bright red. “Yeah, I’m just going to go so Amity doesn’t find me in here,” he said, ditching me in the room.

“Hey, you can’t escape me that easily!” I shouted, chasing Ed out of the room.

“Sure I can!” he yelled back, laughing. After he noticed me following him down the stairs, he stopped. “Are you seriously chasing me until I tell you his name?”

I slowed to a stop. I grinned, raising my eyebrows. That would seem weird a bit immature, but Odalia and Alador weren’t home, and I was a tad bored. “You know what?” I asked. “Yes, yes I am.” I startled walking at a brisk pace, watching Ed awkwardly smiling. He noticed that my pace increased, and then he slowly turned away.

“Good luck!” Ed shouted, speeding off. He bolted down the stairs, and I began to pursue him.

After chasing him downstairs, I knew it was a small mistake. Ed had been on the track team when I took up swimming. I’m an excellent swimmer, but not the best runner. “Ugh!” I groaned, following him. When I arrived on the main floor, I noticed the backdoor was ajar. I ran outside and slammed the door shut, trying to follow the trail of footprints Ed had left behind. “I’ll find you!”

“Yeah, but you’re too slow!” he laughed, around 100 yards in front of me.

I sprinted after Ed, trying to increase my speed. I jumped over leaves, roots, and fallen branches along the way, trying not to trip. I was quite clumsy, so it was a tad difficult. Of course, I could give up, but I’m what Ed says is “too proud.” I mean, he’s not wrong, I do have quite a bit of pride, but I’m not sure if it’s too much.

“Oh Emmmm,” he called, slowing down. My ears perked up. “I’m wayyyy ahead of you.”

I continued to chase after Ed. When we were mainly alone in the house, we could be however reckless we wanted to, and that included going on wild goose chases outside, something that was forbidden by Alador and Odalia. Things are the most fun when you know you aren’t supposed to do them. It gives you a sense of thrill, danger, and fun. But fun is given.

Ed was down by the river, mere feet away from the edge of the dirt. I ran over to him, but my shoe got snagged by a loose root. I tumbled to the ground, staining my clothes for sure. Ed gulped, reaching his hand out to help pull me up.

“Any cuts?” he asked, looking me over.

I shook my head, grabbing his hand and pulling myself to my feet. “Odalia would probably be angered that I stained my sweater, but I’ll make sure it’s washed before they return,” I said. While I would cook for myself, I did need the butler to do laundry, as I have flooded the basement while attempting to 5 years ago. I hadn’t been forgiven or allowed to do it since.

“That’s good,” Ed said, turning to face the manor. “We should head back soon.”

“Mhm,” I replied, nodding. “Just need to make sure I didn’t lose anything.” I patted my pockets, searching for the eagle carving that I had forgotten to take out. I didn’t feel it in my pants pockets, which was odd. I felt all four of my coat pockets, including the inner ones, hoping to find it.

“You alright?” asked Ed, looking at me while I fumbled around with my coat.

I groaned. “I think that carving I bought fell somewhere,” I exclaimed, starting to panic. I turned
in circles, hoping to spot it on the dirt floor. My eyes darted around as I wished I just set it down inside. Unfortunately, that hadn’t crossed my mind, as I had been preoccupied with Amity and chasing Ed.

“Em!” called Ed from near the river. I looked up and walked over to him.

“What?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.

Ed pointed to the riverbank. “Is that it?” he asked, gesturing to the small piece of wood that was balancing on a rock that sat on the edge of the water.

I groaned. “What are the chances that I lose the thing that I spent two hundred bucks on?” I asked no-one in particular.

Ed whistled. “Damn, that costs a lot,” he said, a bit shocked.

“No, it was only twenty,” I explained.

“You said-”

“I was flirting, okay? Besides, it’s a beautiful carving.” I watched Ed buckle over, laughing.

“That’s your definition of flirting?” he cackled. “And I thought I was bad!”

I kicked him in the leg, but not as hard as I normally would. “Shut up,” I muttered, my face red. “Anyways, I’m going to get that eagle.” I started heading over to the river before Ed could continue to mock me. As I made my way down to the river, Ed continued to cackle.

I climbed down to the water, being sure not to stain my clothes with mud. Dirt was bad enough. I crouched down, a few feet from the water. I reached for the eagle. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.

“Emira?” asked someone.

I whipped my head around to see Viney, walking down the path. I nearly tumbled over. “Hey, Viney!” I called, waving at her. “What are you doing down here?” I picked up the eagle and turned around to face her.

“Just walking to check on a family of frogs I saw a bit further down the river,” she explained, waving to Ed as she recognized him.

“Ooh, cool!” exclaimed Ed. “Do you think you could show me?” Ed had always been interested in frogs for some reason, but nobody really knew why.

Viney grinned. “I suppose I could,” she replied. “What about you, Em?” Viney turned to me, and I could tell that I was blushing.

“Err, yeah, sounds wonderful!” I barely managed to say one sentence without stuttering. “Are you sure we won’t be bothersome?” Ed and I tend to have that effect on people.

“No, not at all!” said Viney. She continued walking. “I want to get there before dark, so we better hurry.” Ed followed her.

“Yep! One moment!” I shouted, standing up quickly.

I started to walk up to Viney and Ed, but unfortunately, my clumsiness kicked in once more, and I slipped on a wet rock. I waved my arms, but was unable to stop my fall. I watched Viney turn to me in slow motion. Her eyes went wide, but she couldn’t rush to my side before I plummeted into the cold, icey water.

I went under, and the water was freezing. I shot back up, gasping for air. But as I made my way back to land, the water shoved me down. I reached the rocks under the water, but the strength of the water caused my head to bang into one, as the area was quite shallow. I suddenly felt a sharp pain. A second after, I heard muffled shouting from above the water, a splash, and then blurry colors in front of me. Unfortunately, my consciousness was fading. I tried to stay awake, but it got too hard to. I hadn’t relaxed in a while, so when I was forced to, I just gave up. My eyesight was suddenly more blurry than normal, and I began to ignore the water around me. I forgot where I was, and what I was trying to do. I felt someone grab me, but before I could do anything, everything went dark as black dots poured over my eyes.

Chapter Text

I groaned, rolling onto my side. I winced, feeling a sharp pain on my left arm. I quickly turned onto my back, trying to go back to sleep. Except, the sun had creeped into my room, and was blinding me. I groaned once more, sitting up slowly to avoid more pain. Squinting, I looked around my room, wondering how I got here. I was surprised when I realized this wasn’t my room. I sat up as my eyes darted around.

I noticed there was a nightstand beside the bed. I glanced at the picture frame sitting on it, and then my eyes went wide. In the small photo that lay in the frame was Viney and some scrawny boy. I recognized him from school, but couldn’t remember his name. I think he had detention often, but I didn’t know why.

“Ugh, stop snooping around,” I mumbled to myself, disappointed in my curiosity. Normally I wouldn’t show much interest in another’s house, but for some reason I found Viney’s intriguing. I quickly looked around the room once more, and something caught my eye. It was a large poster of a girl in black and white. I read the text underneath, which said, “Girl in Red.” I thought I heard the name before, and then realization dawned on me. Girl in Red, as in that sapphic artist I listened to before Odalia blocked all of her songs on my account.

“Ohhhh,” I whispered to myself, still staring at the poster. Everything suddenly made sense. Viney’s attitude when I was around her was friendly, but her face had gone red. I assumed it was my awful flirting skills, but maybe she actually liked me. I considered it for a moment, but then brushed the thought of. If you become so dependent on an idea, or start to believe it’s true, it can derail you. I know from experience, and just from being around in this world.

I shook my head quickly, as if I was ridding myself of certain thoughts, or hopes. “Nope,” I muttered, cursing at myself in my mind. “You barely know her. You can’t be smitten with someone after two interactions.”

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, causing me to jump.

“Sorry if I startled you,” said Viney, a soft smile on her face.

“No, I was just deep in thought,” I explained, breathing slowly.

“I’m glad you’re awake, and hopefully feeling better,” added Viney, setting down a cup of what I assumed to be coffee.

I nodded. “T-thanks,” I started, slightly caught off guard. I hadn’t expected to wake up in her bed, least of all receiving coffee. My eyes went wide. “Oh shit! This is her bed,” I thought to myself, hoping Viney couldn’t read my expressions.

“Oh, it’s fine!” Viney reassured, grinning. “You’re my guest, and a good night’s sleep always helps with a concussion and a near drowning.”

I didn’t mean to say that outloud. I grimaced, feeling quite a bit of embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t intend to say that out loud, but it was a concern of mine,” I admitted. “I would’ve been fine on a couch… or whatever kind of furniture you have. I don’t mean to intrude.”

Viney flipped her wrist, shaking her head. “No, you didn’t intrude at all.”

“Oh,” I said, softly smiling at her kindness. “Wait, why am I even here?” I was too distracted earlier to discover why I was at her house and not the manor. But as soon as I asked, I felt a tad guilty at the rudeness of my question.

“As I briefly mentioned yesterday, I work at the animal shelter, and I know how to treat animals with minor things, so I was easily able to care for your concussion. Additionally, I didn’t want to worry Ed, as he seemed concerned that your parents would flip,” explained Viney, carefully watching my reaction.

My face went red. “Oh, thanks.”

“Speaking of your parents,” continued Viney, walking across the room, “do you want me to call them and tell them what happened?” she pulled up a chair beside the bed, looking me in the eyes.

I turned so I was facing her, rubbing my neck. It was a sensitive subject, my parents, but she wouldn’t know that. “I doubt they’d care,” I admitted. “They’re on a trip for a few more weeks, and I’d honestly prefer to keep it that way.” I didn’t share everything with Viney, but that was enough to make her look at me with worry in her eyes.

“Oh,” she said, most likely unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Eh, it’s fine,” I said, wishing we could talk about something else.

“Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m here,” replied Viney, a sad smile on her face.

I nodded, silently thanking her. “So,” I said, changing the subject, “How bad was my, err, fall?” I gently touched the back of my head, slightly flinching at the pain.

“Well, you have a concussion, and there was a bit of bleeding, hence the bandage.” Viney gestured to the small bandage that had been wrapped around the top of my head. Somehow I hadn’t noticed it until then.

“Oh. Anything else?” I asked, a tad worried.

Viney shook her head. “Luckily, no. I’d recommend resting, but you can do that at your house- I mean manor if you prefer.”

“Sure. I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” I replied, slowly getting out of the bed.

“You’re always welcome here, but you do you,” said Viney, cheerily. She walked over to me and turned off the small lamp that lay on the nightstand beside her table.

If I could run away and stay here with Viney, I would, but I knew she didn’t mean that. Viney was just cheery and thoughtful to everyone, right?

“Em?” asked Viney, causing my face to turn a dark shade of red. I looked up at her, and she chuckled. “You must’ve been busy thinking. I asked if you wanted me to drive you back to the manor.”

“Ah,” I said, thinking for a moment. I suppose a ride would be nice, and it’s not like Ed can drive without running into curbs, cars, or street signs. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Viney pointed towards the door, beckoning me to follow her.

I followed her down the hallways. I noticed that the walls were lined with photo frames, and the floorboards were very creaky. They seemed to shriek with every step.

“Alright, my car’s in the driveway,” Viney informed me as she opened the front door.

I stepped onto the porch, looking at the brass knocker on the door. It seemed to resemble a griffin, or some large, mythic bird. “Is that some griffin?” I asked.

Viney nodded, grinning as she locked the door. She turned her key, causing the lock to click. “Yep!” she said, turning and heading down the front steps. “They’ve always been my favorite animal. My dad found it and decided to put it on the door for my 13th birthday, I think.”

I smiled. “That’s sweet,” I replied, following Viney down the steps.

Viney reached into her left pocket and pulled out her car keys. She clicked it, and the car beeped. “Yes, I agree,” Viney said, making her way to the driver’s seat. Viney opened the door and slid inside.

I slowly walked down the driveway and walked to the other side of the car. I leaned against the car as I walked to the passenger’s seat, doing my best to avoid the prickly rose bush that lined the driveway. I pulled the door open and sat down in the passenger’s seat. I grabbed the seat belt and buckled myself.

Viney glanced at the rear-view mirror and slowly backed the car up. “Keep in mind that I’m not the best driver,” she admitted, nearly hitting a trash can that sat beside the parking strip.

I chuckled. “No, Ed’s much worse,” I replied, watching Viney concentrate as she turned onto the road. She chuckled.

Viney carefully turned the steering wheel as we sped down the street, turning left at the end. “Ed’s your brother, right?” she asked. “I’m not the best with names.” Viney waited at the stop sign before continuing.

Nodding, I said, “Mhm!” Viney slammed her foot down on the break as a truck passed by, causing the car to lurch. I clutched the armrests, my eyes wide. “I mean, you’re not too bad with names. You remembered mine.”

Viney’s face quickly turned red. She lifted her foot off the break and steered around an island that sat in the middle of the road. “You’re a Blight. Everyone’s heard of you,” Viney chuckled. “Don’t think that you’re special because I know your name.”

My face lit up as a thought popped into my mind. “You had me confirm Ed’s name,” I replied in a teasing tone, causing Viney to tense up.

“Er.. well, I-” she started, unsure of what to say.

I laughed. “It’s quite easy to get you flustered.”

Viney nearly hit a car as she turned the corner. “Fun,” she sarcastically mumbled, looking at me from the corner of her eyes. I winked at her, and she immediately focused on the road.

“Keeps your eyes in front, Viney,” I joked, gesturing to the road we were driving down. “I think I’m too young to die in a car wreck just because you’re a blushing mess.” I tossed my braid behind my head for dramatic effect, which seemed to make Viney nervous.

“You seem to have that effect on people,” said Viney, who seemed to have relaxed while talking.
“You wouldn’t believe how many boys have a thing for you. I mean, you could get any guy.”

I blushed, but out of the embarrassment from the conversation yet to come. “Does that mean I have that same effect on you?” I teased. Viney immediately tensed up, suddenly silent.

“I-”

“I’m joking,” I chuckled, breaking the awkward silence. Viney seemed to relax after I said that.

“But speaking of having an effect on people, have you ever dated some guy you’ve liked?” asked Viney, who was unknowingly overstepping. She seemed to have realized what she’d asked a moment later, for her eyes went wide. “So sorry! Just trying to start a conversation.”

I smirked. “No problem at all.”

Viney continued driving, nearing the river. She took a left turn as I glanced at the water below as it smashed against rocks. The rapids were always quite terrifying.

“But to answer your question, no. No, I have not dated or wished to date a guy,” I replied, eyeing Viney’s expression carefully.

She nodded silently. I watched Viney, who seemed to be thinking. Suddenly, she looked up, and murmured, “oh,” as if a thought had appeared in her mind. “Do you play for the other team?”

My eyes went wide, but I quickly regained a blank expression. I didn’t feel like lying to Viney, and joking around seemed like the best option. “Like in baseball?” I asked, putting on a clueless expression.

Viney grimaced as the car was once more filled with awkward tension. She clutched the steering wheel. “I- forget it,” she muttered.

Yes, I felt horrible lying to Viney of all people. Lying came naturally for me, but I rarely lied to people I was close with, or in this case, wished to be close with. The one reason I did lie to her was because I wasn’t ready to open myself up to her. While I trusted Viney, I didn’t wish to inform others of my sexuality. I cringed, imagining all the rumors flying around. “Emira Blight’s gay,” is what people would be saying. Any situation like that would result in me being kicked out.

Alador and Odalia’s children were more like trophies than actual children. If people find their trophies to be worthless, they’d toss us aside. It seems awfully depressing when I put it that way, but it was simply the truth.

Viney turned onto the bridge, the car bumping on the metal. The car was silent, as nobody wanted to speak first. Quickly, Viney took one more turn, as we were nearly 500 yards from the manor.

“Here’s good,” I said. Viney stopped the car, looking at me for a reason as to why I wanted to get out there. “It’d be best if nobody saw you drop me off, just since I don’t want the butler to ask questions.”

“Err, alright.” Viney waved to me as I climbed out of the car. She eyed me carefully as I dusted some dirt off my sleeves.

“I’m not embarrassed by you or anything,” I added, ducking down to meet Viney’s eye contact.

She smirked. “No, I get what you mean. Have a good day, Blight.”

I wasn’t sure if she knew what I meant, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain something that would result in a long conversation. I closed the car door, waving to her. I watched as Viney’s car backed out of the long road to the manor and turned around, speeding off.

“Ah, young love,” said a voice from behind.

I jumped, shrieking. I whirled around to see green hair pop up from behind a bush. I quickly realized who it was, and then I gave them a swift kick.

“Ow!” exclaimed Ed, standing up. “Jeeze, you kick like a soccer player.” He rubbed his arm, apparently right at the spot where I had kicked him.

I groaned. “Serves you right, you little-”

“Spy?” Ed’s eyes seemed to dazzle in the sunlight, as if he was begging me to say yes. He would always pretend to be some secret agent as a kid, listening in to Odalia and Alador’s business deals.

“No,” I replied, smirking.

“Secret agent?”

I shook my head.

Ed sighed with defeat. “All right, you may continue,” he said. “Sorry for wanting to live out a fantasy.”

“I was going to say you little prick.”

Ed glared at me. “Oh dear sister, you’ve wounded me terribly. Destroyed my heart as a matter of fact,” Ed cried, clutching his right side.

“Your heart’s on the other side.” I pointed to my right, which was his left.

“I knew that,” mumbled Ed, his face turning red.

“Mhm,” I said, sceptical of him. “But seriously, why were you hiding in the bushes?” I looked behind Ed, staring at the large bush. It’s leaves and branches had been crushed near the back, which I assumed was where Ed had sat.

“I felt like it,” replied Ed, crossing his arms. “Besides, scaring you is fun.”

“I wasn’t scared,” I lied. Although, it wasn’t much of a lie. I was more startled than scared when he spoke. Startled to the point where I had literally jumped, so it would seem like fear.

Ed hummed sarcastically. “Don’t bother denying it, Em,” Ed walked towards me, kicking some leaves off his boots.

“Wow,” I said, jokingly glaring at Ed, who smiled mischievously at me.

“Don’t kill the messenger. I was just pointing out your true emotions,” responded Ed, doing jazz hands for effect.

I chuckled. “This is why I think you’d be a good theater kid,” I said, starting to walk to the manor.

Ed followed me, grinning. “Yeah, as soon as we graduate highschool and go to some university, preferably the same one, I’ll enroll in some theater production outside of class,” he explained, walking beside me.

“I assume outside of class so Odalia or Alador don’t notice?” I asked, hoping Ed to confirm.

“Bingo.” Ed put his arms behind his back, playfully walking back and forth. It seemed as if he was dizzy and was stumbling around, but he just did it for fun. “I doubt Mom or Dad would want me to embrace my gay side.”

“Gay side?”

“Yeah, you know, pride flags and all of that stereotypical stuff,” Ed explained, watching my expressions. When I seemed to look annoyed, he continued to speak. “Not that stereotypes are accurate, but I’m just saying, if Mom and Dad ever find out about all of this, they’d probably be scared that I’ll come home with rainbow stuff.”

I nodded. “No, I get what you mean. And you know this already, but Amity and I will never tell them you’re gay, and I highly doubt they’ll find out,” I said, stepping over a rock that lay in the middle of the path.

“I know, but it’s not like I can hide forever.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right. It sucks you have to, and it sucks that they’re such shitty parents.”

“Yeah.” Ed continued to walk alongside me, but silently.

I glanced over at him. Ed wasn’t really looking at anything at particular, but he seemed to be in deep thought. I kept walking, being sure to avoid the plants that lined the paved path. I never saw the point in putting a paved path, well, sidewalk, through the woods, but I suppose the dirt was too dirty for Odalia and Alador. Of course, they normally took the limo down the road when leaving or heading to the manor, but for some reason they had ordered a path to be built as well. It was a decent path, but long, so taking the road would make the most sense.

The only reason I was taking the path was because I had Viney drop me off a bit up the road, but other than that, it served no purpose.

“I don’t even know why I consider them to be Mom and Dad, rather than Alador and Odalia,” said Ed, causing my ears to perk up. “I mean, you don’t call them mom or dad, and they clearly don’t deserve the title. Maybe it’s that I’ve called them that for so long that it feels natural?”

I shrugged. “That’s most likely why, but I’m not sure,” I said, hoping my answer would suffice.

“And I know you’re not a huge fan of discussing them, but I just have one tinyyyyy last question,” said Ed, drawing out the word “tiny.”

I nodded. “Go for it.”

“What are you going to do when they come back? They’re bound to return in a week or a few, and you clearly have no intentions to try to get along with them. Additionally, they have no clue that Amity and I know about this, so we just have to act like everything is fine?”

I stopped in my tracks. Quite frankly, I hadn’t thought about that, nor had I wanted to. Ed copied my actions, stopping as well.

“You’re right when I don’t intend to get along with them, but I won’t actively try to cause trouble unless provoked,” I replied, carefully thinking. After a moment of silence I continued to speak. “And yeah, you’re gonna have to pretend like stuff is fine. I’m sorry, but I really don’t want to involve you or Amity more.”

Ed nodded, taking what I said into consideration. He started walking again, and I followed him. “Yeah, I can talk with Amity about that. I want to do whatever I can to help,” spoke Ed, ducking to avoid a large branch that was at my eye-level.

“Thanks, Ed,” I said, glancing at the path ahead of us. We were almost at the manor. “It really means a lot. I owe you.”

Ed smirked. “I’ll use your favor eventually. You may regret saying that,” Ed said in a teasing tone. I opened my mouth to speak, but he quickly added, “You can’t change your mind, or take back what you said.”

I groaned, instantly regretting that. “Ugh, whatever,” I groaned.

Ed chuckled, glancing up at the manor. “Looks like we’ve arrived,” he announced, strolling up to the grand, front doors.

“I hate how this place looks amazing, but is really just awful inside,” I mumbled, following Ed up to the front steps.

“Yeah, I assume most rich people's mansions are like that,” Ed added, opening the heavy doors a bit. We squeezed past, stepping inside. Ed pulled the door shut, grunting. He always found the doors too heavy, but in reality, Ed was just a bit too weak.

“Your arms are way too skinny to do heavy lifting,” I spoke, teasing Ed, whose face turned bright red.

“Oh- whatever,” he mumbled, unable to come up with a comeback.

I smirked, but my smile instantly fell as I felt a headache starting. I groaned, clutching my forehead. Ed glanced up at me, concerned. I held my hand up. “No, it’s just a migraine. I got them a lot, but I’ve been on medication recently,” I explained. Ed nodded, no longer as concerned. I turned to face the large stairs. “I think I’ll just lie down.”

“Alrighty,” called Ed, heading somewhere else in the manor.

I climbed the staircase, still clutching my head. I suppose I had either forgotten to take my pills, but it was most likely related to my injury, if that was possible.

____________________________________________________________________________

“What do you mean you won’t date Dave?” asked Odalia, her tone as deadly as a sharpened knife. Only part of her was illuminated by the moonlight, and the shadows that cloaked the room made everything seem more terrifying.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I felt as if I was drowning, and I couldn’t breath. I gasped for air, trying to speak, but once again, no sound came out.

Odalia towered over me, her first clenched. “Answer the question,” she said, looking down at me as I cowered out of fear.

I straightened my back and stood up so that I was taller. Our eyes met, neither of us in a cherry mood. “I said that I won’t fucking date him,” I repeated, my voice suddenly stern.

Odalia scoffed. “And why is that?”

I gulped, preparing for her reaction. “I- B-because I don’t like guys,” I stuttered. I slowly breathed in and out, trying to remain calm. I glanced to my feet, and then back to Odalia. I expected her to shout at me, but instead, she slapped me across the face.

Instantly, I tumbled against the bookcase. My cheek was suddenly hot, and it stung badly. I felt a liquid trickle down my lips, and I wiped it off my nose. When my hand pulled away from my face, I noticed the dark, scarlet blood on my fingers. I groaned, clutching my nose.

“The fuck-” I started, but I was cut off by another slap, this time, against the side of my face. I grunted at the impact, looking up at Odalia, who was more frightening than ever.

“No daughter of mine is a dyke,” spat Odalia, glaring at me. “You know, I’d send you away, but that’d only tarnish our reputation. You’re lucky.”

My jaw dropped, and my eyes went wide out of shock. I would climb to my feet, but my limbs felt like jelly. They wouldn’t work, nor support my weight.

Odalia scoffed once more, but at my silence. “If you inform anyone of this, I will destroy your chances at getting a good education, or a job. You may live here, but you are not my daughter, not anymore. You simply reside here, and will either reject this lifestyle, or will be kicked out at 18,” she explained.

I could barely believe what I was hearing. My stomach clenched, and it felt like I had been stabbed in the heart. “So what, you’re fucking kicking me out?” I asked, my voice rising. I was finally able to speak, but I instantly regretted my words when Odalia’s expression changed to an angrier one.

She stepped closer to me, and I felt like an ant, about to be squished. “Not yet. You’ll be gone once you graduate highschool. And you need to treat people with respect,” Odalia added, her voice colder than ice.

“You’re not a person,” I said, mustering up all the courage I could. It was quite difficult to stand up to her, especially at the time like this. “You’re a monster.”

I saw rage fill her eyes as she replied, “You’re a worthless faggot that needs to be put in their place.” As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand once more. I felt a sharp pain, and called out.

____________________________________________________________________________

I woke up in a sweat. I gasped for air, my chest rising and falling quickly. “It’s only a dream,” I reminded myself, closing my eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just a dream, but at least I wasn’t reliving the moment. “It’s fine.” Telling myself lies helped me calm down, but it didn’t really help in the long run. Ignoring problems is something us Blights tend to do, not that I was even considered to be one anymore.

Chapter Text

The entire morning went by in a flash. At first I was woken up by Ed, and then suddenly, I was in English Class, 4th period. I was laying at my desk, not bothering to pay attention.

Ed and I were in the highest class possible, the one that studied English 2 years ahead of schedule. Even that was too easy for us, so we would ignore the teacher and complete homework quickly. Ed had 2nd period, which unfortunately, was 2 periods ahead of when I had English.

Most of the time, Ed and I would spend our classes napping, or joking around. For once, I wasn’t goofing off in class, but that was only because Ed and I were planning to cause chaos during the upcoming passing period. Another perk of being a Blight is getting away with things, and wow, did that occur often at school.

I began to drift off, zoning out the teacher’s loud voice as they shouted across the classroom. It obviously wasn’t the best time to take a nap, but it would suffice.

Suddenly, a ruler smacked against my desk, causing me to jump a few inches out of my seat. I looked up to see the English teacher, Mr. Ford. He raised the ruler and pocketed it, squinting at me through his round spectacles.

“Ms. Blight, you need to pay attention,” he drawled slowly. It was so dull that I could’ve fallen asleep from listening to him.

I swiftly nodded. “Yeah, it won’t happen again,” I assured him, looking around the room from the corner of my eye. I noticed Ed and a few others stifling some chuckles, but I paid it no mind.

Mr. Ford sighed, turning back to the chalkboard that stood at the front of the room.

“Wow,” hissed someone a row behind me.

I whipped around to see Viney, who seemed to be smirking at me. “You’re such a troublemaker, Ms. Blight.”

I grinned, rolling my eyes at her. “If you think that’s bad, then I suggest you stay inside during passing period,” I whispered back, watching her reaction.

Viney looked confused. She glanced at the teacher, and then back at me. “What do you have in mind?” asked Viney, concerned.

I grinned. “You know the sprinkler system?” I asked. Viney nodded. “Ed and I put paint in it. We’re pulling the fire alarm after class.”

Viney’s eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. “That’s an awful idea,” she hissed, glaring at me.

I shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’ll be a huge spectacle.” I did a motion with my hands, imitating an explosion. Causing huge spectacles was quite entertaining, and it was something Ed and I did when we felt like messing with people, which was often.

Viney groaned, face-palming. “Em, that’ll cause a huge mess for the custodial staff,” she explained, most likely on the verge of lecturing me.

“You’re no fun,” I sighed, conflicted as to whether we should stop it or not. “Besides, I’m pretty sure the paint was already connected by Ed, earlier this morning.”

Viney mumbled something to herself and then responded, “I still don’t like the idea, but I guess I can’t stop you.” I stuck my tongue out at her and turned to face the teacher. “Oh, how mature of you.”

I turned my head back to Viney and smirked. “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a genius. And I tend to be mature most of the time, Viney.”

Viney rolled her eyes. “True, but I highly suggest you don’t pull this paint prank,” she explained, keeping her volume low.

“Ooh, that rolls off the tongue easily,” I said, grinning. “You know, if I could remove the paint, I would. But don’t you think it’d be great if this place got a little more colorful? There’s too many greys.”

I wasn’t wrong. The corridors and the classrooms were mainly just different shades of grey, and it was a bit too dull. The color was just another reason that school sometimes felt like a prison.

Viney grimaced. “No, not if it does this. Can you just not pull the fire alarm?” she asked. Viney looked like she was getting a tad frustrated, which was probably the case. I really didn’t want to upset her, as it’d be a shitty thing to do, and I was starting to like her.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” I said, without thinking. I felt my cheeks turn hot, and Viney’s turned a bright red. “I- I mean convincing.”

Viney bit her lip, stifling a laugh. “Sure, Blight, sure,” she replied, grinning.

I noticed Mr. Ford walking towards us and I quickly turned my head back to him. He seemed pleased, as he continued to speak. “We’ll pick this up later,” I hissed to Viney, who nodded.

I grabbed my phone and texted Ed.

Me: Change of plans, we might not do the paint.

Ed: WHY

Me: Viney said so, and I gave it a bit of thought. It’ll cause a mess and all of that.

Ed: simp

Ed: I thought u wanted to cause a mess

Me: Yeah, but I feel a tad bad.

Ed: ur such a big simp

Me: tru, but still

Ed: we can discuss this aftr class, and ur buying me a soda

Me: Deal.

I put my phone away and turned back to the chalkboard, my face a dark shade of red. Surprisingly, I began listening to the words spewing out of Mr. Ford’s mouth, which was quite uncommon for me to do.

“You’ll have a project that’s due next Friday. You’re going to be studying what we went over in class with your own resources, which you must find yourself,” he explained, still talking slowly. Mr. Ford grabbed a stubby piece of chalk and began to write the homework up on the chalkboard.

It scratched loudly, making a high pitch sound. I flinched.

“I’ll be assigning you partners.”

I frowned. Partners were normally annoying, but it was much worse when we couldn’t pick them together.

“Agustus, Matt, you’ll be partners,” said Mr. Ford, pointing at the two of them.

They glanced at each other and shrugged, most likely realizing their partner could’ve been worse.

“Lee, Rose, partners,” continued Mr. Ford, gesturing to the two of them. “Emira, Viney, you’ll be partners.”

My ears perked up at the mention of my name and Viney’s. A smile crept its way onto my face and before I knew it, I was grinning.

“That was lucky,” whispered Viney, leaning towards me. As she spoke, I ignored the rest of the names Mr. Ford was going over. There was no need to pay attention anymore.

“Yes, most definitely,” I whispered back, turning to face Viney, who was also smiling.

“You seem so excited to work with a person you just met,” teased Viney, who was now smirking. She cupped her chin, mimicking someone who was thinking hard. “I would even say that you like me.” Viney eyed me carefully.

“Oh, you caught me,” I sighed, faking defeat. “My evil plan has been exposed!” I pretended to faint, which drew a bit of attention.

“Ms. Blight, stop distracting others,” boomed Mr. Ford, glaring at me.

I regained my composure and nodded, glancing at Viney, who was stifling a laugh. “Thanks a lot,” I growled.

Viney smirked. “You’re welcome,” she whispered, leaning back so that the legs of her chair touched the floor. “We’ll discuss the project during lunch, if that’s alright.”

I nodded, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Great.”

Class dragged on for a few more minutes, which felt like hours. I let my attention drift over to the window. Outside was a busy road, full of loud vehicles zooming by. It was easily distracting for most students, including me.

I watched as a truck skidded to a stop, nearly driving while the red light was lit up. A few nearby vehicles honked, probably angered at the awful driver. Another thing about Bonesburrow is that people are awful drivers. Just awful. I heard someone say that the average yearly number of vehicle related injuries or crashes was around 47, but I don’t know if their information was correct.

Suddenly, the bell rang. It was loud, off pitch, and seemed to last for around 10 seconds. There was a shuffle of feet and chairs scraping against the floor and everyone lined up to exit the classroom. I followed my classmates to the door, trying not to be stampeded.

“Remember, do your homework!” shouted Mr. Ford over the class as he opened the door.

Quickly, everyone left the classroom and split up, trying to find their next class. I pushed past the crowd exiting the room and turned left. I quickly walked to my locker and leaned against it, waiting for Ed.

A moment later he exited a classroom across the hall, carrying a few books. Ed squeezed through some students to get to me, stumbling around as his books nearly fell over.

“Need a hand?” I asked, reaching out a hand. Ed nodded, so I grabbed three books from his arms and set them down beside me.

“Thanks,” mumbled Ed, dropping the rest of his books down. “Didn’t even break a sweat.” Ed wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead, hoping I wouldn’t notice. Ed moved to my side and opened his locker, carefully turning the combination lock.

“Sure,” I replied, smirking.

Once Ed was done shoving his books into his locker, he slammed it shut and asked, “so what were you saying about the paint?”

I chuckled, feeling a bit guilty. “So Viney said we shouldn’t do it since it’ll cause a mess, I think we should consider her idea, and maybe just leave it there until the SATs, or until graduation,” I explained, talking quickly.

Ed whistled, taking in what I had said. “Wow, you’re head over heels for that girl,” Ed exclaimed, laughing. “I mean, she’s able to convince you that this is a bad idea!”

I groaned. “Yeah, I think I’ve made that pretty clear,” I mumbled, glaring at Ed. I suddenly noticed the pairs of eyes that were staring at us from the crowded hallway. “And keep your voice down, unless you want to die young.”

Ed stopped laughing, glancing around us. He gulped. “That’s my bad, I forgot,” he hissed, turning back to me.

I shrugged. “It’s cool. I doubt people would know enough to connect the dots,” I replied, just a bit worried. But it wasn’t big enough of an issue to cause me to panic.

“But seriously, you’re not going to pull a prank just to impress Viney?” Ed smirked, raising his eyebrows.

I slugged him in the arm. He grunted, clutching his side. “Serves you right,” I muttered.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ed let go off his side, standing up straight. “But fine, we won’t do this now. BUT, we will do it during some big event.”

I nodded. “Or if someone else pulls it,” I added. I noticed the gleam in Ed’s eyes, and I sighed. “No, you’re not causing a fire or paying someone to pull it.”

“Aw,” mumbled Ed, defeated.

“But seriously, thank you,” I said, patting Ed on the shoulder.

He smiled. “No problem, I know I’m the best,” he replied, grinning.

I scoffed. “Sure you are.”

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but you didn’t exactly say no,” hummed Ed, a wide smile on his face. Ed glanced down at the watch on his wrist, and he groaned. “Dammit, we’ll be late to class. It starts in 40 seconds.”

I rolled my eyes. “I really didn’t want to sprint down the hall today,” I mumbled.

“At least you don’t have your next class on the third floor,” said Ed, sighing. “Speaking of which, I better run.”

“Same.”

Ed took off to the staircase, running quickly. I turned and sprinted down the hall, reaching my class just in time. Mere seconds after I stepped inside, the bell rang.

I glanced around the classroom and quickly took my seat. I pulled out my notebook from my book bag and quietly set it down on the desk in front of me.

“If I could have everyone’s attention please,” announced the teacher, Ms. Dunfir, looking around the class. Our eyes met for a moment before she looked to the next student. “You all will have the next week to read three chapters of your chemistry textbook, and that is all the homework you’ll have, apart from a few notes.”

I sighed in relief, and so did a few others. It would be great to have no homework at all, but this was better than the normal amount we had to complete.

____________________________________________________________________________

I slowly ate my lunch, making an attempt to use manners as I had been told to use in public, and in general. Ed however, had been scolded so many times about it that Alador and Odalia had given up.

“Dis food ees sooh gewd,” said Ed while chewing. He bit into his sandwich and swallowed a large bite.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” I murmured, rolling my eyes at Ed, who stuck his tongue out at me. It was covered in crumbs. I grimaced, looking away. “At least chew with your mouth closed.” I gestured to Ed’s food.

“You ask me to do so much, but fine,” mumbled Ed, swallowing his food.

“Not really-” I started, but was cut off by someone.

“Hey, can I sit here?” asked Viney, pointing at the seat across from me. She held a lunch tray and a few books in her right hand.

“Sure,” I replied, nodding.

Viney smiled and set down her tray, sliding into the seat. She placed her stack of books on the bench beside her and turned to face me. “So, you ready to discuss the project?” she asked, glancing at Ed and I.

“Ooh, you have a project?” asked Ed, leaning towards us.

“Ed, personal space,” I groaned, shoving his face back.

“Rude,” mumbled Ed, turning his attention back to his food.

“And yes, we do. It’s that project for Mr. Ford,” I added, glancing at him as he downed his glass of water. I turned back to Viney. “Excuse his lack of manners.”

Viney chuckled. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she said, grabbing a fork and knife from her tray. I watched as Viney cut up a piece of chicken quickly, dragging her tray back and forth with each motion.

After a bit of silence I asked, “so what were you saying about the project?”

Viney looked up at me and stuck 1 finger out, indicating that she wasn’t done chewing. Once Viney had finished, she replied, “Well, I think we need to work out times to meet up and get it done. I know you don’t care about class a whole lot, but grades are pretty important to me.”

I nodded. “No, I understand. I won’t let you down, partner,” I exclaimed, swinging my arm. My face instantly went red. “Partner? Why’d I call her that?” I thought to myself, embarrassed.

Viney grinned, stifling a chuckle. “Great to hear! Would you prefer to work at the manor, or at my house?” she asked.

I thought for a moment. On one hand, Alador and Odalia were out of town, but Viney’s house would probably be more comfortable. “Err, is it alright if we do your house, seeing as I don’t want Amity or Ed to bug us?” I questioned, feeling bad.

Nodding, Viney said, “Of course!”

Ed’s ears perked up. “Did someone say my name?” he asked, looking at both of us.

“Nope,” I lied.

“Oh, alright,” mumbled Ed, turning back to his food, and now his phone.

“Anyways, I hope that’s alright. I don’t want to intrude or anything at all-” I started, fidgeting with my braid.

Viney shook her head. “No, it’s no problem at all!” she said, taking a bite of her salad. Viney must’ve noticed me staring, since she looked at the part of the table in front of me, trying to find my lunch tray.

“Oh, I didn’t buy lunch today,” I said, causing Viney to look up at me.

Viney slid her tray towards me. “I have more than enough lettuce,” she said, offering some food.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” I said, politely declining her offer.

Viney pulled her tray back to her side of the table. “Alright, suit yourself, But let me know if you change your mind,” she replied, taking a bite off the apple that sat on her tray.

I nodded. “Thanks, but I won't.”

Viney shrugged, continuing to chew. “You never know,” she mumbled in between bites.

I smirked, pulling my phone out. I typed in my passcode, unlocking it. I clicked on the contacts app and looked at Viney. “Hey, do you have a phone number?” I asked, waiting for a response

Viney looked back at me, a puzzled expression on her face.

“So we can talk about the project,” I added.

Viney looked slightly disappointed, but a grin shortly reappeared on her face. “And here I thought you were asking me out,” she said in a sarcastic tone, smirking.

And just as always, I blushed. “I- uh, here,” I stuttered, handing Viney my phone. She took it and typed her number into my phone, handing it back to me. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” replied Viney, popping the p. “By the way, if you call or text me on Thursdays and Mondays right after class, I might not respond. Those are the days I help out at the animal shelter.” Viney took a sip of water and set her cup down.

“Noted,” I said, snapping and pointing at her. “Do you want to meet up after school today and get a good start on whatever we’re doing?”

“Whatever we’re doing?” asked Viney, smirking. “Oh, you weren’t paying attention, were you?”

“I might not have been, “ I muttered. “But what are we studying?”

Viney chuckled. “We are supposed to study an old civilization, their leaders, and certain things such as their weapons, language, artifacts, etc,” she explained, watching my expression closely.

“Ohhh. ok,” I said, thinking about a potential civilization to study. The first one that came to mind was the Aztecs, but I doubted it was ancient enough.

“And to answer your other question,” started Viney, “I’m free to meet up today, but on most days my dad will be home.”

I nodded. “Ok, that sounds good. Can you text me the directions after class, or should we walk together?” I asked, hoping that Viney would say “walk.”

“Walking would be great, as my dad is using the car,” she said, standing up, her tray in hand. “I need to put this away real quick.”

Viney turned to walk away, but she suddenly stopped, her face red. “Err, I forgot earlier, but I have detention after class,” she mumbled, a guilty expression on her face.

“When does it end?” I asked. I had forgotten about that. Hopefully it wouldn’t derail our plans to meet up, but it may shorten our time to study.

“It only lasts for an hour,” Viney explained, who seemed to be carefully staring at me.

“Well, I can walk over there from the manor,” I offered. Viney was about to say something, most likely about the distance, but I cut her off. “It’s not that far, and I can drive if needed. I just prefer walking, as I’m not the best driver.”

“Isn’t that Ed’s job?” asked Viney, smirking.

I grinned. “Yes, I suppose so, but he’s much worse than me,” I explained.

“That’s unfortunate.”

I nodded. “Mhm, most definitely is,” I replied. “But does the whole walking thing work? I’ll need you to text me the address though.”

Viney nodded as she said, “Yes, it does. I’ll send you it after class.” “I’m sorry about the scheduling issues.” Viney looked guilty, and she most likely was, even though there wasn’t much of a reason to.

“No, it’s no bother at all,” I assured her, shaking my head. I cut my hands out, indicating that it was indeed fine, and there was no reason to feel bad.

“Oh, if you say so,” mumbled Viney, looking around. “I need to put my tray away.”

“Alrighty,” I replied as Viney walked across the cafeteria, putting her tray in the stack of dishes to be washed.

“You’re a mess,” whispered Ed in my ear, startling me.

I whipped around. “Oh, shut up!” I exclaimed, shoving him.

Ed laughed. “I’m just doing my job,” he teased, scooting away from me.

“What job?” asked Viney, sitting down again. She glanced to Ed, who chuckled.

“Well, as a twin, my loyal duty is to annoy Em, but she seems to dislike it,” he explained, grinning evilly.

I rolled my eyes. “You would’ve realized that years ago if your head wasn’t so empty,” I muttered, causing Ed to mumble something that I couldn’t hear.

Viney let out a small laugh. I turned to her, ignoring Ed as he started poking me.

“Man, sometimes I wish I had a sibling,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, it’s a nightmare!” exclaimed Ed, leaning towards us.

I scoffed, gently punching him in the right arm. “Speak for yourself,” I replied, rolling my eyes at him. Ed gasped, acting as if I had told him some horrifying, dark secret.

“Ignore Ed,” I said to Viney, who smirked.

Ed stood up. “First off, I can’t be ignored. I’m too great. Second, I need to meet up with a friend,” declared Ed, picking up his lunchbox and cramming it into his backpack, which he slung over his shoulder.

I turned to face Ed. “Friend?” I asked, jokingly.

Ed glared at me. “Wow, the audacity of some people,” he said, shaking his head.

“Oh, leave him alone,” muttered Viney, on the verge of laughter.

“Thank you, Viney,” said Ed, bowing to her.

I turned to Viney, glaring at her. “Hey, who’s side are you on?” I asked, getting a tad defensive.

Viney shrugged. “No clue,” she admitted, grinning.

“Anyways, I’m going to meet up with Jerbo,” said Ed, turning to walk away.

“Oh, tell him I say hi!” called Viney, waving to Ed.

“Will do!” he shouted back, already a few tables away.

“I didn’t know he was friends with Ed,” said Viney, looking back at me.

I shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t either. I think they started hanging out recently. They get along pretty well, even though they couldn’t be any more different,” I explained.

Viney nodded, taking note of what I said. “Yeah, Jerbo is more quiet and Ed seems to be louder,” she added.

“Yup,” I replied, nodding. “Do you know Jerbo well?”

Viney smirked. “We’ve known each other since diapers,” she admitted.

“Damn, that’s a long time.”

Viney crossed her arms, changing her position. “Yeah, no kidding,” she said, looking around the cafeteria. “We’ve always been pretty good friends. Jerbo has a hard time making new friends, and I’m often ignored, so we’ve always stuck together, and with another friend, Barcus.”

“Barcus?” I asked, confused. It was an odd name, no offense to whoever they were.

“Yeah, that’s just his nickname. He’s the school mascot, so you’ve probably only seen him at sports games,” explained Viney.

“Ohh,” I said as realization dawned on me. I hadn’t attended too many football games, but I would normally pick Amity up from them. Ed and I never stuck around to watch most of them, as they were too boring, and too loud. I never understood the sport, nor did I intend to.

“Yeah, him. We haven’t known each other as Jerbo and I have, but he’s pretty cool,” Viney added. “And he’s gotten pretty good at dancing in that catsuit.”

“Yeah, it must be hard to move in that.”

Viney nodded. “He’s complained before, but he’s gotten used to it,” she said. Viney stopped talking, probably thinking of a new topic to discuss. But before she could speak again, the bell rang, announcing that lunch had ended.

There was suddenly a shuffle of feet as people got up and started heading to their last period. I turned to Viney and waved.

“Let’s meet up at my locker after class!” I shouted over the loud voices surrounding us.

“Ok, I’ll try to find it!” Viney called back, being pushed by the crowd.

“Near Mr. Ford’s,” I replied, brushing past the students crowding the tables. I saw Viney give a thumbs up before she disappeared into the crowd of students, swallowed by the body of heads that bobbed up and down, almost like waves.

I made my way to my next class, clutching my binder to my chest as I leaned against the wall, waiting for the teacher to arrive. As I waited in line, I couldn’t help but think of Viney and the fact that I’d get to spend hours with her, alone. “And studying,” I thought to myself, mentally kicking myself. It was already hard to be around someone so likeable, and someone who was so friendly, but even harder when I was crushing on them hard, and only after five encounters where we spoke for longer than 2 seconds.

Viney and I had talked in class before, but only if we needed the other to pass a ruler, or if we were saying excuse me. I was surprised that I hadn’t bothered to get to know her until the market, but I didn’t really talk with random classmates that much, if at all.

Besides, Viney only had 4th period with me, and it seemed like she was normally busy taking notes. But I understood what she said about blending in. I hadn't even noticed her, and it’s a shame I didn’t.

Luckily, I had to spend a whole week studying with her and working on our project. I hoped that we could get to know each other, but I wasn’t too sure how studying would go. The only thing I did know is that instead of being collected and more reserved, it was likely that I’d be a “stuttering and blushing mess,” as Ed so lovingly calls it.

On the plus side, I finally had a reason to like school, but I wasn’t so sure that I was liking the school part of it.

Chapter Text

I knocked on Viney’s door three times and waited for a response. No longer than two seconds later, I heard a lock click, and saw the door swing open.

“Hey, Em!” exclaimed Viney, beckoning me into her house.

I stepped inside and moved so Viney could close the door without me being in her way. I looked around the house. We were standing in what seemed to be part of a hallway that connected to the dining room and kitchen, the living room, and a second hallway that I assumed had the bedrooms.

“Welcome to my humble home,” said Viney, gesturing to the walls surrounding us.

“This looks better when I’m entering it awake,” I joked, getting a chuckle from Viney. I looked up and down the hallway. “But seriously, this place is cool. Large buildings are overrated.”

Grinning, Viney pointed to a room that I assumed was her bedroom and I followed. Viney opened the door and pushed it aside so that we could enter. Inside was the same room that I had woken up in, a mere three days ago. Just like last time, Viney’s walls were covered in posters, and the furniture placing was organized.

“It’s nothing much, but you didn’t seem to have an issue being in here last time,” said Viney, walking over to her dresser. She grabbed a stack of papers and a laptop. Viney sat down on the floor, preparing to study.

I sat down beside her and pulled out my own laptop from my computer back, which I wore around my waist. “Yeah, this place is cool,” I replied, realizing I hadn’t responded.

Viney turned her laptop on and looked at me curiously. “I figured you were into more fancy things and what not,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

I shook my head. “I live to surprise,” I said, smirking. “But no, that’s more of my parents’ thing. Ed and I are cool with whatever, although I can’t speak for Amity.”

Viney nodded as she turned back to her computer, quickling signing in. “Amity seems nice. I’ve seen her a few times around school with Luz, who’s also a friend of mine,” she continued.

I logged into my laptop as well, and then stopped to think of what Viney had just said. “Luz? I think Amity mentioned her once,” I mumbled, thinking of where I’d heard that name before. Suddenly, I remembered that talk Amity and I had on the roof. “Oh, she’s that artsy kid that keeps bugging Amity.”

Viney chuckled. “Bugging Amity?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah.”

“No, I’m pretty sure they’re best friends. Luz started an Azura book club with Amity, which is apparently some book,” Viney explained, watching my reaction.

“Oh, Amity used to love that before Odalia burned the books. I had no idea she was friends with Luz though,” I replied, a plan of how to embarrass Amity forming in my mind. Suddenly, I realized I had let a certain detail slip. I could’ve said she got rid of them, but no, I had to include details...

“Odalia burned em?” asked Viney, a concerned look on her face.

I nodded. “I have a feeling I’ll mostly be talking rather than studying,” I admitted, figuring that this would lead to a longer conversation, which would probably result in some more.

Viney held up her hands in front of me. “Normally that’d annoy me, but I seriously need to hear about why Odalia burned books.”

“You’re quite the environmentalist, huh?”

Viney shrugged. “I suppose so, but I was mainly focusing on why Odalia would burn them, rather than let Amity read them,” she explained. “I hope I’m not overstepping.”

I shook my head. “No, you’re not,” I replied. I thought for a moment. “Well, kind of, but I don’t mind.” Viney looked guilty for a moment, but her expression quickly changed to a relieved one.

“So what happened?”

I sighed. “I mean, apparently they were too immature or something. I think she mentioned they were for younger kids?” I said, shrugging. My memory wasn’t as good as I had figured it’d be, as the books had been burned back in elementary school.

“That sucks,” muttered Viney. I thought I heard her say something else, but it wasn’t loud enough for me to make out what Viney had said to herself.

I nodded, agreeing. “Yeah, it does. I figured Amity didn’t care for that stuff, but I guess she’s still liked them, or liked reading something with Luz,” I thought outloud, wondering if Viney had any input or any information on their book club.

“Well,” said Viney, stopping to think for a moment, “I do notice that Amity tends to get flustered around Luz.” She stopped, waiting for me to chime in.

I chuckled. “Yeah, all Blights act like that around a crush-” I stopped myself as I realized what I had said. My face lit up. “Oh dang, Amity likes Luz!”

Viney smirked. “Yeah, most definitely,” she said, confirming what I had said. “I know you and Ed are her siblings and normally tease her and all of that, but I think she’s really nervous for some reason.”

“Ah,” I said, realizing why Amity could be feeling that way. “That’s probably my fault.” I looked at the floor, regretting how open I was on the roof. If Amity does like girls, then of course she’d be worried about Odalia and Alador’s reactions, along with her feelings in general.

Viney looked at me suspiciously. “What do you mean it’s your fault?” she asked cautiously.

“No offense, but you’re not my therapist,” I joked, slightly grinning. I tried to change the mood, but it certainly didn’t work.

“Sorry, Luz talks with me about stuff a lot since she doesn’t like the school counselor, so I automatically act that way around others, especially-” began Viney, speaking rapidly. I stuck my hand out, non-verbally asking her to pause and take a breath.

“I was joking. I tend to do that often,” I explained, speaking slowly. “And to answer your question, Amity just found out about personal things I’d rather not get into, or Odalia would wring my neck.”

Viney smiled sadly and patted me on the shoulder. “Oh, I understand. If you ever need to talk, my door is open,” said Viney, trying to comfort me. “Well, it’ll be closed to keep people from walking in, but you get what I mean.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I do. No need for an explanation,” I added.

“Oh, speaking of Alador and Odalia, what time do they want you to be back at?” asked Viney, quickly changing the topic.

“They’re away for the next week or something,” I explained. While I wasn’t sure when they’d return, Ed and I hoped to make every day count, as it was quite relaxing without an overprotective and obsessive adult watching your every move.

“Oh, that’s… good?” asked Viney, who seemed to be unsure of how to respond.

I shrugged. “Depends on how you think of them, but yeah, it’s nice just having some time to relax and to cause problems with Ed without being yelled at,” I replied, watching Viney’s expression. I figured she would lecture me again about causing messes, but for some reason, she didn’t.

“So I think it’d be good then,” mumbled Viney, who looked as if she was thinking to herself.

Nodding, I said, “Mhm, I suppose so.”

We sat there in silence for a bit, unsure of what to say, or who should speak first. Things started to get quite awkward, so I spoke. “Oh, you listen to girl in red?” I asked as the poster caught my eye once again.

Viney’s face instantly turned a bright red, almost like a tomato. “Err, yeah,” said Viney in a confused tone. She must’ve known what that question was “code” for, but I wasn’t asking it like that. “My favorite song is probably We Fell In Love In October, Bad Idea, or Dead Girl In The Pool.” Viney glanced at the poster and then back to me.

I smiled. “Those are good songs. Personally, I prefer I Need To Be Alone or Rue,” I shared. I liked most of her songs and I listened to 11 of them in my spotify playlist, but those two were definitely my top favorite. The lyrics, the sounds, the way she sings it, and the background music blended together nicely to create two wonderful songs. But of course, most of Girl In Red’s songs were like that.

“Oh, those ones are also good. They’re a bit too depressing for my taste, but they’re still good,” commented Viney as she made hand gestures. She seemed to be someone who moved their hands often while speaking. Ed was also like that.

I nodded. “Speaking of music, do you want to start studying or continue talking?” I asked, glancing at my laptop, which had already turned off.

Viney thought for a moment before responding, “music is fine. We can always study more if we fall behind, and it’s nice getting to know each other.”

“Ooh, I had no clue you preferred me over schoolwork,” I replied, grinning.

Viney blushed once more. “I mean, you’re cool, and schoolwork is…” she stopped talking, trying to come up with a word.

“So boring that it sucks out your soul?” I suggested.

“Dark, but sure,” said Viney, chuckling.

“Oh yeah, I really enjoy dark humor,” I admitted, a small smile on my face.

“I mean, it’s often disturbing, but also great,” Viney added.

I nodded, agreeing with her.

“So, what’s your favorite band slash musical artist?” asked Viney, changing the topic back to music.

I thought for a moment. That was a tough question, as I liked various genres of music and artists/ bands. “I guess Michael Buble or Adele,” I said, a tad unsure of whether they were my favorites. I liked other artists as well, but I listened to Michael Buble and Adele the most. Plus, I really enjoyed their songs. “What about you?”

“They make great songs. I think my favorite is Girl in Red, but I also like Mother Mother. I normally like 60’s through 90’s music, but modern bands are also good,” explained Viney.

“Oh, I’ve heard of Mother Mother. Hayloft is probably my favorite song of theirs,” I added. I’d heard Amity listen to them, but she played Imagine Dragons most of the time.

“Yeah, that’s a good one, and probably their most popular. I think my favorite song of Mother Mother’s is little pistol or wrecking ball. It’s too hard to decide,” said Viney, turning her computer back on. “Want to start studying? We can keep talking about music or whatever.”

I shrugged. “I don’t have a preference, so it’s up to you.”

“Alright, then let’s start, if that's okay.”

I nodded, turning on my computer as well. I signed in and opened a new tab in google chrome, waiting for Viney to do so.

“Ok, let’s start looking for civilizations,” she said, looking at her screen.

“Mkay,” I replied, turning to mine. I started looking up different key words, such as “ancient civilizations.” I scrolled down to a list of some and began to read the names. One that stuck out was Mesopotamia, a place that I had vaguely learned about in middle school. Unfortunately, we barely learned about it, and most of the class time was spent watching videos.

“What about Mesopotamia?” I asked Viney, who looked up.

“Ehh, I learned about that already, so maybe something else,” she said, turning back to her computer. I heard her click on something, and then noticed her reading a long paragraph.

“Oh, alright,” I replied, going back to looking at other ideas. “I mean, we could do egypt, but it seems like it’s too well known.”

Viney shrugged. “I mean, I’m sure most people will study the same few topics, so we can do that,” she explained, still staring at her screen.

“Yeah, let’s do that, unless you find something better,” I added.

“Sounds good.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Viney and I decided on Ancient Egypt. We planned on studying every day after class, apart from when Viney was busy at the animal shelter. Instead, we would facetime around six in the evening, which worked quite well. Edric and Amity wouldn’t bother me much, as Amity would be reading, and Ed would be doing something else.

He’d gone out to hang with Jerbo one night, so I had the whole manor to myself. I had surfed instagram for a while before texting Viney.

Nobody I followed posted anything interesting. It was mainly selfies or posts about their vacations. I found it quite boring, but there was some unwritten rule that classmates or friends had to follow each other on social media, specifically instagram.

I would’ve followed other accounts, but Odalia frequently checked who I was following, and I didn’t want her to find an account she wouldn’t like, which could be any account. I had no clue which accounts were labeled as “awful” and which were fine to follow. Odalia was controlling about everything, but her caring so much about my insta was a bit surprising, even for her.

Odalia and Alador were what one might call extreme helicopter parents. They constantly pulled us away from things they disagreed with, and instead pushed us towards other things, or a new direction. I wasn’t sure how helicopter became part of the term, but the term sure fit.

After thinking about the posts and envying those on vacations, I pressed the home button and navigated to messaging. I tapped on Viney’s contact and then message. I quickly typed out something to say and clicked the send button. After it was sent, my phone dinged, indicating that Viney had replied.

Me: Hey, Viney! How’re you?

Viney: Pretty good. Just finished up a shift. You?

I glanced at her message and quickly typed out a response, sending that as well.

Me: I’m doing well. Thank you for asking.

Viney: Hey, you asked first. (Winking emoji).

I instantly blushed as soon as I had read Viney’s message. I preferred chatting online over in person since you couldn’t stutter, be too awkward, or let people know your emotions, which can sometimes be beneficial. Unfortunately, emojis ruined that.

I sent another message, the wait for a reply putting me on edge.

Me: I suppose I did.

Viney: Mhm! Quick change of topic, but I’m free to study tomorrow, after detention of course.

Me: Same. Speaking of that, do you know when detention will be finished?

Viney: In two weeks, assuming I don’t set something else on fire.

Me: lol

Me: Try not to. It’s hard enough studying on my own.

Viney: Don’t you normally do that?

I thought about her question, and it was a good point. But to be quite honest, I hadn’t really needed to study much, at least not english. It was one of my best classes, but I suppose all of the classes were great. English was just the one that was easiest for me. Because of that, I’d normally binge netflix instead of study, as there wasn’t much of a need to.

I replied to Viney’s question a few seconds later.

Me: Not really.

Viney: I don’t know why I even had to ask. Is this your first time actually doing homework?

Me: Ha ha, real funny.

Me: But no, I still do it, I just do it with Ed. Studying is the thing I don’t do.

I would be working with Ed on this project, except he picked some different civilization. I hadn’t been paying attention when he’d brought it up last evening, as I was distracted by my own project.

I had asked Ed if he knew who he was working with, and he had shrugged. Apparently it was some kid named Augustus who was three years younger, yet still able to take the advanced classes. Ed and I couldn’t take any that were more advanced, seeing as they would’ve been taught in the last few years of college.

I didn’t know Augustus well, or at all, but I had heard of him. Amity had mentioned earlier that Luz was friends with him, but that and his grade level was all I knew.

I glanced down at my phone and it dinged, indicating another message. I blinked, adjusting to the bright screen, as I had looked away for a moment.

Viney: I would lecture you, but you’ve had enough of that.

I grinned. Viney wasn’t wrong, but I never had an issue with her lecturing me. It just meant more time for us to see each other, or at least message each other.

Me: :) You know me so well.

Viney: Yeah, surprisingly well, seeing as we’ve only talked for around two weeks, maybe less.

Me: Fr?

Viney: Yeah, it’s crazy.

I honestly had no clue it had been that little of time. It felt like we’d known each other for four months, but that was much longer than it had been in reality. Sure, Viney and I had gone to the same highschool for nearly four years, but we’d only had one class together, and she always sat in the back, so it would’ve been hard to notice her.

Me: Well, I definitely regret not meeting you sooner.

Viney: You’re too kind. :D

Me: Thank you, thank you.

Viney: So sorry, but I need to go soon.

I frowned, a bit disappointed. I’d have to go back to being alone, or rather, with two siblings. Ed and I hung out a lot, so alone time was needed every once and awhile. And even after Amity and I had talked, she was still quite distant. I hadn’t expected things to instantly get better, but I assumed some aspects of our relationship would.

Sighing, I glanced back at the phone. I suddenly realized I hadn’t replied. At a quick speed, I typed out a message and tapped send.

Me: Oh, alr. Good night!

Viney: You too.

I turned off my phone and tossed it onto my bed. It’d be a boring night without being able to speak with Viney, so I decided I’d grab some food. Glancing at my alarm clock, I realized it was eight PM, and I hadn’t eaten yet.

I rushed downstairs, hoping that Ed had left some dinner out for me. As soon as I rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, I realized he hadn’t. Instead, Ed left out a post-it-note on the kitchen counter, right in front of the pots that were stacked in the sink.

“Dear Em,” read the note, “so i know ur hungry and all, so sorry abt that. There’s pizza or something in the fridge, and i kinda promised amity ice cream so it’d be dope if u could take her out. Btw im out studying with jerbo so i wont be home for a while. Peace out. -Ed.”

I groaned, taking in what the note had said. Of course Ed would ditch me and have me fulfill problems of ice cream.

I knew Amity wouldn’t care too much about the ice cream, but she valued honesty, and she liked cold treats. “Fine,” I mumbled to myself. “But Ed owes me.”

Once I had gotten Amity out of her bedroom, she seemed to be more chill about heading outside in the dark.

We climbed into my car, which I proceeded to drive into town. We raced over the bridge, passing over the dark and choppy waters. But once we arrived in town, I had to slow down, quite a lot. I didn’t want to hit someone or some small animal, which Ed had once done in the woods, and with a deer. It was still brought up whenever one of us was driving, as it was the opposite of what we should do when driving.

“There’s a good ice cream shop at the corner of Market and 17th,” mumbled Amity from the passenger's seat, staring out the window.

“Alrighty, we’ll go there,” I replied, turning left.

We passed buildings that were cloaked in shadows and other buildings that were illuminated by lights inside. Amity seemed to be mesmerized by it, or by something else outside.

“What are you looking at?” I asked, glancing at her. I quickly looked back to the road as I stopped at the red light ahead of us.

Amity shrugged. “Just buildings, I guess,” she said, turning back to the windshield, which she began to stare out of.

“Fun,” I mumbled, lifting my foot off the brake pedal. We continued down the road, making a few turns now and then. After another minute or so of driving, I slowed the car down and pulled over. “Is this the ice cream shop?” I gestured to the building across the street that was painted a baby blue and had candy displayed in the windowsill.

Amity nodded, exiting the car. I followed her, locking the car and putting the keys in my pocket. We crossed the street quickly after making sure there were no vehicles driving down it.

I followed Amity into the shop as she pushed the glass door open. As soon as I stepped inside, I was hit with a mix of aromas. It smelled like sweet cotton candy, melted chocolate, vanilla, and too many things for me to make out. Inside the shop were shelves of brightly colored candies, posters of movies, and a small area in the back for ice cream.

Amity walked up to it and turned to me, waiting for me to pay.

“Oh, what kind do you want?” I asked, looking down at her. Amity was only a few inches shorter than me, but short enough for me to put my chin on her head.

Amity glanced at the chalkboard that listed the flavors and prices. After a few silent seconds of her thinking, she looked back to me and replied, “well, I’d like a peppermint scoop if possible.” After a few more seconds Amity spoke again. “Please.”

I nodded, pulling my wallet from my left coat pocket. “Just one scoop?” I asked Amity, who was admiring the rest of the shop. She nodded, and I pulled out a five dollar bill, handing it to the man who stood on the other side of the counter. “One peppermint scoop in a waffle cone, please.”

The man nodded as he reached down and pulled out an ice cream scoop. He slid open the door of the freezer beside the counter and rolled out a large scoop of peppermint ice cream. The man turned, grabbed a waffle cone from nearby, and plopped the scoop onto it. “That’ll be four dollars and seventy cence, with tax,” he mumbled, his voice deep.

I handed him the bill as he gave me the ice cream cone. I received my change, pocketed it, and turned around to find Amity, who seemed to have wandered off.d

I glanced around the store until I found her with another kid who was roughly her height. The kid had a magenta- shade of brown hair and wore a large coat. She was grinning, standing beside Amity. They seemed to be laughing about something.

I walked over to them, nudging Amity in the shoulder. I handed her the ice cream cone and asked, “who’s this?”

Amity smiled awkwardly. “This is err… Luz, that friend I mentioned,” explained Amity, her face suddenly red.

A grin appeared on my face as I realized who she was. This was the same girl Amity had ranted about and according to Viney, had a book club with. “Pleasure to meet you, Luz,” I said, nodding at her. “You know, Amity talks about you all the time.”

Amity kicked me, frowning at me.

“Really?” asked Luz, confused.

I nodded, chuckling as Amity nudged me with her elbow.

“Shut up, Em,” she hissed, her face still bright red.

I held out my hands, surrendering. “All right, all right,” I sighed, still grinning. I turned back to Luz. “Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you, but Amity and I should probably hit the road.”

Luz looked a bit sad, but a goofy smile soon reappeared on her face. “Oh, alright,” she replied, staring at Amity.

Amity groaned, rubbing one of her cheeks, as her ice cream was in her left hand. “Em, it’s fine. Just go hang outside for a sec. I’ll be out in a moment,” mumbled Amity, glaring daggers at me. “We just need to catch up real quick.”

“Can’t you do that at school?: I asked, trying to bother Amity, who scowled at me. “Fine, I’ll be outside. We’re leaving in five minutes though.”

Amity mouthed thank you as I headed to the door.

“Have a good day!” shouted Luz as I stepped outside. I waved back before walking out of their sight.

As soon as I closed the door, the wind blew in my face. The air was much colder than I had remembered, but that was most likely caused by the shop’s warmth. I clutched my coat to my chest and started walking towards the car. On the way to the candy shop I had noticed a bench, which would make a good seat for waiting until Amity was finished.

Once again, I made sure no vehicles were heading down the road before crossing the street. I quickly walked across, shivering in the cold. I sat down on the bench, hugging my chest tightly. Normally the temperature didn’t bother me, but it was a colder night than most. It was late February, so naturally, things weren’t very warm.

I leaned against the back of the bench, trying to relax, even with the wind blowing my hair. Once I was a bit more comfortable, I pulled my phone out from my pocket. I typed in my passcode and unlocked it.

Glancing up at the top of my screen, I noticed I had some notifications. I clicked on them and read what they said. “Viney has sent you two new messages,” stated the message. My face lit up as I quickly tapped on messenger and then Viney’s contact.

Viney: Hey, I found Jerbo and Ed. It’s a bummer you’re not there.

Viney: Are we still on for studying at the manor tomorrow?

I exhaled slowly, trying to relax. The first message nearly sent me into a panic attack. A love induced panic attack, if that was even possible. “Em, you can get a panic attack from anything,” I thought to myself, still looking at the message.

Viney had said she was bummed out I wasn’t there. Well, not her exact wording, but close enough. To be honest, it felt comforting that she had expected me to be there and seemed to enjoy hanging out with me, but it also left me confused.

Not only was I unsure of how to deal with my own feelings, I also had to figure out what Viney’s were, which would be quite difficult, and probably impossible at the moment.

I sighed, typing out a response. Once it looked good enough, I pressed send.

Me: Aw, thanks. Hate to disappoint, but Ed ditched me with Amity, so we’re getting ice cream atm. And yeah, we’re studying at your house, I think?

I waited for Viney to reply, which happened in a number of seconds.

Viney: Alrighty. See you tomorrow!

Me: You too!

I smiled at Viney’s next message. I don’t think she realized how much her texts meant to me, but I didn’t want her to find out, as other things would be revealed as well.

For once I didn’t know how to deal with something. Normally, I would’ve thought of a solution, such as ignoring my feelings and thoughts, but that was impossible.

Love, romance, and all of it was messy. I would often handle things with grace or be calm, but that clearly didn’t work around Viney, and it didn’t seem to work for her either. Yet somehow, Viney was much calmer than I was around her. Maybe after so many years of being calm and collected, especially around others, you just fail.

“Em!” called Amity, leaning against the car.

My ears perked up as I turned to face her.

“Come on!” shouted Amity, impatiently waiting for me.

Groaning, I stood up and walked over to her. I grabbed the keys from my pocket and clicked them, which caused the car to beep as it unlocked. I pulled open the driver’s door and slid inside the car. Once the door was closed I buckled myself in and turned to Amity, waiting for her to be ready.

Amity slammed her door shut and buckled quickly. Her buckle clicked and we were ready to go.

I pulled out of the parking space between the cars on either side of us and carefully drove down the road, doing my best to not hit someone. Once we were at an intersection, I turned to Amity and asked, “so, Luz has been bugging you?”

Amity’s face went red as she glared at me. “Yes, she’s quite bothersome,” muttered Amity, crossing her arms as she slid down in her seat.

I smirked. “Is that code for friend or something?” I asked, watching Amity’s expression. I saw her open her mouth, but no words came out. I chuckled. “Oh trust me, I’ve got intel. I know how you feel about Luz.”

Amity groaned. “Please end me now,” she mumbled, covering her face. After a few seconds, Amity suddenly glanced at me, as if she had thought of something. “Wait, how’d you find out?”

I turned down the road before I spoke. “Viney mentioned who Luz was, and I must say, you’re pretty bad at hiding how you feel if Viney noticed. But I suppose Viney notices most things,” I replied, sighing at the thought of Viney.

“Oh, shut up,” groaned Amity, still covering her face with her hands. “You’re the worst.”

I grinned, still clutching the steering wheel. “I am well aware of that,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the road ahead of us. After a bit of silence, I continued speaking. "Sooo, how long have you been friends?" I asked, glancing at Amity quickly.

Amity narrowed her eyes at me before sighing. "Oh, well, I don't know if were really friends," she mumbled, no longer seeming to be annoyed.

I nodded, looking back at the road. Quite truthfully, I sensed there was a bit more than friendship happening, but I decided against prying. "That's a bummer," I replied, clutching the wheel. "You seem great together."

Amity shrugged, looking out the window.

Shortly after the car was filled with silence, I turned back onto the bridge, increasing my speed.

“Em, don’t run over a deer,” shouted Amity as I swerved out of the way, nearly hitting a large rock. “I swear to god-”

I slowed down, turning into the driveway. “My bad, my bad,” I said, breathing slowly. “And seriously, I won’t hit a deer. Unlike Ed, I’m not blind.”

Amity rolled her eyes as I parked the car. “I mean, you don’t wear your glasses,” she muttered, unbuckling and climbing out of the car.

I put the car in parking and climbed out as well. As we walked to the backdoor I responded, “yeah, but I’m still a better driver than Ed.”

Amity shrugged. “I guess,” she said, opening the backdoor and stepping inside.

I followed her, making sure to close the door behind me. Amity walked somewhere in the house as I locked the door. Ed would have to open the large doors with his skinny arms, or somehow climb through a window. He had done so before, but that was because he’d left his keys inside. Ed had managed to climb the vines, but it had resulted in a broken arm.

I chuckled at the memory. There was nothing better than hearing about Ed’s injuries, especially how he got them.

After thinking of Ed, I suddenly remembered that it’d be best to text him. I grabbed my phone once more, unlocked it, and went straight to my texts with Ed.

Me: So are you coming home soon? I took Amity to get ice cream, so you’re welcome.

Me: Also, you owe me.

I snickered, imaging Ed groaning while reading my texts. I noticed the “read” icon that appeared, and saw the three dots in a speech bubble as Ed typed out a message. A moment later, my phone dinged.

Ed: yea, i’m jst hanging w/ jerbo rn.

Ed: btw we saw ur gf

My face went red as I read his last text. I quickly typed out a response, this time in all caps.

Me: SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND.

Ed: Yeah, but u wish she was

Me: That’s irrelevant.

Ed: Sure it is

Ed: and fine, i owe u

Me: Thank you. When will you be home?

Ed: ur acting like my mom rn but if she actually cared.

Ed: and i’ll be home in half an hour or so

Me: Ok.

I sighed, re-reading one of Ed’s texts. Specifically, the one where he said I was like his mom. It was kind of creepy to think of our relationship that way, even if it was a joke. But I suppose he was right, seeing as I often acted like an adult. I was always told I was very mature for my age by other adults, but I honestly assumed everyone, with a few exceptions, such as Ed, acted like this, but I guess not.

I quickly typed out one more message and sent it.

Me: See you later.

Ed: u 2

I turned off my phone and walked upstairs. Once I was in my room, I set it down on my desk and closed my door. I walked over to my bed and fell down on it, tired. I relaxed, laying my head on my pillow.

I didn’t plan to fall asleep, but it turned out that I was much more tired than expected. I dozed off, still thinking of Viney. I hoped to be honest with her sometime, but I highly doubted I’d have the courage to. But luckily, all of that was something to worry about in the morning.

Chapter Text

“Hey, thanks for studying again,” said Viney, handing me my pen.

I nodded, grabbing the pen and pocketing it. “Yeah, of course,” I replied, smiling.

I had just finished studying with Viney. We were finished with our project as of today, which was a relief, as it was taking a while to complete. Viney and I agreed to write an essay on the ancient Egyptians along with a diorama, which resembled some pyramid that I forgot the name of.

For the past hour, I had been stuttering, blushing, and probably making Viney think that I was high, or just more awkward than usual. I wish I was high, since that would mean that I wasn’t this clumsy, or this awkward. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I had only done drugs twice, and it wasn’t my favorite. Weed smelled awful, and was quite difficult to get. That was enough to convince me not to do it again.

Viney and I decided we might revise our essay later, but we figured it would be fine, sinc our projects would be presented next Monday, and we had a whole weekend to look over our writing.

Mr. Ford had extended the due date after someone’s project was stolen from the classroom. Nobody knew who did it, but only Mr. Ford and the student who owned the project were interested as to who was at fault.

The rest of the class was probably finished, or nearly finished. The only person that I knew didn’t start their essay was Ed. Of course it was Ed. He had mostly joked around or worked slowly while Gus studied./p>

“Well, this was fun,” added Viney, awkwardly standing on her front porch with me. I had gotten lost in my thoughts, and realized I hadn’t spoken in a bit.

“Yeah, for sure,” I responded, staring at the dark sky. We had lost track of time, so it was already six in the evening. I was getting a bit hungry, and was probably keeping Viney from dinner. It would be great if we could eat together, but I didn't know if it would be possible.

“It’s a bummer that we can’t study together anymore,” mumbled Viney, at such a low volume that I doubted she intended for me to hear her.

“Well, that doesn’t have to stop us. We can still hang out, or do awful homework together,” I said, correcting her.

Viney smiled. “Yes, awful homework,” she replied, leaning against the porch’s railing.

“Hey am I wrong?” I asked, meeting Viney’s eyes. They shimmered in the light, and were quite difficult to look away from. Somehow I was mesmerized by eyes of all things, but her eyes were beautiful. “Your eyes are pretty-”

Viney blushed, and my eyes went wide. I had not intended to say that.

“Oh, t-thanks,” stuttered Viney, who seemed to be mentally panicking.

I scratched the back of my neck, still embarrassed by what I had blurted out. “No problem,” I replied, so quietly that Viney could barely hear it.

After a bit more of awkward silence, Viney asked, “uh, do you want me to drive you back?”

I thought for a moment. I didn’t want to bother her, but the walk to the manor was pretty long, and I wished to avoid creeps that prowled dark streets at night. “Sure, if you don’t mind,” I replied, watching Viney’s expression.

“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” said Viney, turning towards the door. “But, I need to find my keys real quick.”

“Oh, alright.”

Viney walked inside and turned the corner, searching for wherever she’d left her keys.

As I waited for her, I let my mind wander once more. I instantly went back to thinking of dinner with Viney. Not a date, but having her over for dinner with the rest of the Blights, apart from Odalia and Alador. I’d rather be skinned alive than have Viney eat with them. Honestly, I’d rather be skinned alive than eat with them at all.

But if Viney did come over, we could talk more. Additionally, it would be a good way to thank her for working on the project with me. I didn’t have to thank her, but I figured it’d be nice to do so.

After a minute or so, Viney returned, her car keys in hand. “Sorry if I made you wait too long,” she apologized. “I must’ve dropped them in my hiking boots, so it was hard to find them.”

I shook my head. “No need to apologize,” I explained. After considering it a bit more, I decided I’d just ask. It would seem sudden, but I thought it’d be interesting to hang out with Viney more. “Hey, do you want to come over for dinner?”

Viney raised her eyebrows, a confused look on her face. “What?”

I blushed, stuttering, “I-I, well, you-uh, you don’t have to. Err, I just meant come over for dinner, and all that,” I clarified. “You know, just to thank you for studying.”

Viney muttered, “Oh.” She yawned, looking back into her house, as the door was still open. “Sure, but I’m driving.” Viney pointed to her car, which was parked in her driveway.

I snapped, doing finger-guns. “Great, that sounds good,” I replied, almost tripping down the stairs that led to the sidewalk. “And you know, you can go whenever. I just figured it’d be nice, I mean cool, to hang out more.” I didn’t want to bother Viney, but she didn’t seem the most enthusiastic about having dinner with Ed, Amity, and I.

Viney smiled as she walked to her car. “No, I’m happy to. I’m just tired, that’s all,” explained Viney, heading over to the driver’s seat.

Suddenly, she whipped around and ran up the steps. I heard her shout something before she turned around.

“Did you forget something?” I called, turning to face her.

Viney closed her door and walked back as she said, “Yeah, forgot to close the door. My dad would be pretty mad if I forgot to close it.”

“Ah, alright,” I said, climbing into the unlocked car. I sat down in the passenger’s seat, buckling myself in. I turned to Viney, who was already in her seat. “You buckle in quickly.”

Viney looked up as she closed the door. “Oh, I guess so,” she replied, putting her hands on the steering wheel. Viney put the car in reverse, slowly backing out of her driveway.

“Oh, did you tell your dad you’re going?” I asked.

Viney quickly glanced at me and then returned her gaze to the street ahead. “Yeah, I shouted at him when I closed the door,” Viney explained, turning the car.

“Alright then,” I replied, looking out the windshield. “Also, you can stay as long as you want. I’ll probably order something for dinner, seeing as Ed and I are awful at cooking.”

Viney grinned. “Oh, no fancy chef?” she joked, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

I rolled my eyes. “While I get that makes sense, you really have a thing against people with money, huh?” I asked, sticking my tongue out at her.

Viney shrugged. “No, and you mean rich people,” she replied.

“Oh, whatever,” I said, crossing my arms. “I’m not a huge fan of that term.”

Viney glanced at me weirdly. “Why not?” she questioned, continuing to drive down the road.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, just makes me sound like my parents or something, if that makes sense,” I tried to explain, but I didn’t think I worded it too well. I watched Viney, who nodded, hopefully understanding what I meant to say.

“That does make sense,” she replied, eyeing the road carefully. The car passed over a bumpy road, slightly disrupting the peaceful care ride. “We should be at the manor shortly, by the way.”

“Ok, that’s good. And thanks for the ride,” I said, looking out the window. I watched the trees go by in a blur, or rather, us go by. Viney was taking a route that went through the neighborhoods, rather than the main part of town. I hadn’t gone over here much, so the new scenery was a nice change.

“No need to thank me. It’d be rude to make you walk when we’re going to the same place,” said Viney, turning her blinker on, indicating which direction we’d turn. The car turned left at a somewhat reasonable pace, rather than how quickly I normally turned.

“Oh, I forgot,” I mumbled, looking back to Viney, who smirked.

“Your memory is pretty bad,” noted Viney, still grabbing the wheel.

“Wow, so rude,” I joked, glaring at her.

“Am I wrong though?”

I crossed my arms. “I suppose not,” I sighed.

Viney chuckled. After a moment of silence she asked, “So are Ed and Amity home as well?”

I nodded, curious as to why Viney asked. But I suppose when I suggested dinner, it may have seemed like an invitation to a date. “Yeah, but I can always lock them in their rooms,” I suggested.

Viney looked at me curiously, as if she couldn’t tell whether I was joking or not. “No, it’s cool,” she said, smiling.

We stopped at the stop sign, waiting for a truck to pass. Once it did, we continued down the road.

“I’d never make you mess with your siblings for me,” said Viney, looking out the window.

I grinned. “Oh, you never have to. I decide to, or I do it because they provoked me somehow,” I explained, raising my eyebrows.

Viney chuckled. “And how have you been provoked in the past? I’m curious,” she replied, eyeing me out of the corner of her eyes.

I grinned. I held out one hand, counting down on it as I spoke. “Well, let’s see,” I mumbled, trying to think of moments when Ed had bugged me first. There had been many incidents, but I was trying to think of ones that really stood out.

After a bit of thinking, I remembered a few times. “One time he put bleach in my shampoo. I had to re-dye it, and skip a day of school,” I said, eyeing Viney closely.

She stifled a laugh.

“Wow, so cruel,” I said sarcastically, glaring at her.

VIney smirked. “I mean, that sucks, but it's a genius plan. I have to give Ed credit for that one,” she explained, turning a corner.

I nodded. “I suppose so, but that’s not the worst thing he’s done,” I added, cracking my knuckles against the dashboard.

“I’m intrigued.”

“Ah, story time,” I said, grinning. I leaned back in my seat for dramatic effect. “So, Ed once got some weed off some drug dealer he met in some alleyway. It’s pretty shady.”

“No kidding,” said Viney, whistling.

“He tried it, didn’t like it much, so he decided to get rid of it. Instead of throwing it out like a genius, he slipped it into my backpack. I’ve never seen Alador so pissed off before,” I explained. Well, the last part was a lie. Of course I’d angered them more, and recently too. But once again, there was no need to tell Viney of what had happened, and if that fight didn’t occur, then the weed incident would’ve made Alador the angriest I’d seen him.

Viney raised her eyebrows, smirking once more. “Damn, I had no idea Ed liked that kind of stuff,” she replied, glancing at me.

I shrugged. “I mean, he’s not a huge fan of it. I’m sure he’ll try something else in college. I think Alador spooked him out, and essentially prevented Ed from buying more drugs,” I added, leaning forward to my original position.

Viney chuckled. I glanced at her, curious as to what she was laughing about.

“Oh, sorry, it’s just hard to imagine Ed with some illegal substance, such as drugs,” she clarified, her eyes back on the road.

I nodded. “I know, right?”

“Oh, and I only heard two incidents where Ed provoked you. Besides, I never heard what you did to get back at him,” said Viney, stopping at another red light.

The bright lights ahead of us illuminated our faces in the dark car. I stared at Viney, but quickly looked away after I realized I had looked at her to the duration where it became awkward and most likely uncomfortable.

“Ah, my bad. I can share that as well if you wish me to,” I replied, looking out the windshield.

“Please do.”

“For the hair dye, I switched Ed’s hair gel with blue paint. And for the weed, I think I did something involving his locker, but I don’t remember.”

“Wouldn’t he notice that his hair gel’s blue?” asked Viney, curious.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “No, it’s in a bottle, and Ed isn’t the brightest,” I explained. “He just doesn’t notice things, and isn’t the smartest in general.”

“Ah,” said Viney, moving through the intersection as the lights turned from red to green. “And do you have any other incidents that are worth mentioning?”

I thought for a moment. There were quite a few, but not that many were very interesting. “I guess not,” I replied, shrugging. “It’s normally basic things, such as him stealing my eyeliner and me stealing his belt.”

“His belt? Did his pants fall down or something?” asked Viney, laughing. “Because I hope not.”

I chuckled. “Luckily, they didn’t. Ed was running track that day, so he brought shorts,” I clarified.

“That’s lucky.”

I nodded. “Oh, most definitely,” I responded.

“Speaking of Ed,” started Viney, turning onto the bridge, “we’re almost there.”

“Oh, that’s good,” I replied. As we drove across the bridge, I glanced out the window. But instead of seeing the surrounding area clearly, I just saw darkness, and the faint outline of the water below. “That was a quicker drive than I expected.”

“It’s a surprisingly fast drive,” explained Viney, driving off the bridge and continuing down the road. She turned her blinker off and put both her hands on the wheel. “You’ve only been to my house from school, so you wouldn’t know how close it is. And the only other time I drove you home was when there was a lot of traffic.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” I replied, nodding. I had forgotten that Viney had driven me home after my injuries in the river. I was still a tad embarrassed about what had happened, but it didn’t seem like Viney cared about what happened in a negative way. Viney did care a lot, but that was regarding my well-being.

“I just turn into your driveway in a block or so, right?” asked Viney, slowing down the car. “Or should I stop around here like last time?”

I blushed, a bit embarrassed about that memory. “You can park in the driveway,” I explained.

Viney nodded, speeding the car up a bit. She stared out the windshield, carefully watching the road for a driveway.

“And I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just a bad habit. I forgot my parents weren’t home, so I was a tad concerned.”

Viney smiled, turning the car into the driveway. The gate opened automatically, and she continued driving inside. “No need to apologize. I understand,” she replied, slowing the car down. Viney pressed her foot on the brakes, and once the car had gone to a complete stop, she put it into parking.

“Thanks, once again,” I said, unbuckling. I climbed out of the car and closed the door, waiting for Viney to get out.

“Yeah, no problem at all,” she replied, exiting the vehicle. Viney closed her door shut and locked it. She turned to me, probably waiting for directions as to where to enter.

“Oh, we can head inside through the front doors,” I instructed, gesturing to the large doors that stood before us. I walked up to them, Viney following me. Once she got to my side, I knocked on the doors. I expected them to open, but they didn’t. Groaning, I pulled my phone out from my pocket.

“Everything okay?” asked Viney, curious as to why we weren’t inside yet.

“Yeah, Ed was just supposed to open the door, since I forgot my key at home. I texted him about it earlier,” I explained, going to my messages with Ed on my phone. I quickly typed out a message and waited for a response.

“Oh, ok.”

Me: Hey, where are you? Did you remember that I forgot my key?

Around sixteen seconds later, Ed responded, causing my phone to ding. I glanced at his message.

Ed: nope, thats mb. I’ll be down ina sec

I turned my phone off and pocketed it. Turning to Viney I said, “Ed will be down in a moment. I swear to god, his memory is awful.”

Viney shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it,” she replied, leaning against one of the pillars on the porch. She glanced around, staring at the building, the garden, and her car. “Dang, my car feels out of place here.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, your car’s not the only one,” I mumbled. I didn’t think Viney heard me, but the expression on her face proved me wrong.

“You feel out of place here?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.

I sighed. “I mean, yeah. I’m not one for fancy rich people things, as you’d call it,” I explained, earning a chuckle from Viney. “And besides, I’d rather live in an apartment than a place with my parents. Living with Amity and Ed is alright, but sometimes they get on my nerves. But I’m sure we’ll end up living together in college, at least Ed and I.”

“Ah, I suppose you have a good point. Living with parents can be pretty lame,” added Viney, glancing at the door. It still hadn’t opened.

“Mhm, and Ed’s taking forever,” I complained, groaning.

“Oh, speaking of Ed, did you two apply to the same colleges? You made it sound like you did,” asked Viney, most likely referring to what I’d said previously.

I nodded. “Yeah, we figured it’d be best to go together,” I explained.

“Have you gotten results yet?”

I shook my head. “No, not yet. Hopefully we do soon,” I replied.

Viney nodded. “Same here. Where’d you apply?” she asked, no longer leaning against the pillar.

“Multiple places, but the only noteworthy one is Hexside University,” I said. “What about you?”

“I applied to different medical schools, but I really want to get into David Geffen School of Medicine,” she explained.

“Where’s that?” I asked, wondering if we would be split up. It was quite likely, but we could always facetime or text. Somehow being with Viney was my main concern about college, apart from getting away from Alador and Odalia.

“Los Angeles, California.”

“Oh, nice,” I responded. That was rather unfortunate, seeing as I hadn’t applied to any college in California. “LA is a chaotic, but, you know, a nice place.”

Viney nodded. “Yeah, I have some cousins there, so if I do get in, it’ll be nice to see them,” she added, glancing at the door once more. “We might as well just have dinner out here.”

I chuckled, looking at the door as well.

“I mean, that’d be great, since I don’t want to deal with Em,” replied someone as the door swung open. I glanced at the person in the doorway, glaring at them.

“Hello, Ed. What a kind welcome,” I said sarcastically, stepping inside. Viney followed me, looking around the manor in amazement.

“Dang, this place is really cool,” exclaimed Viney, staring at the large marble staircase that led to the second floor.

I nodded. “Yeah. Oh and Ed, I’m assuming you forgot to order dinner as well?” I asked, raising my eyebrows as I turned to face him.

Ed grinned. “Ah, Dear sister, that’s where you’re wrong,” he replied, walking over to the dinner table that stood near the kitchen.

I stared at the table, noticing the two pizza boxes that lay on it. “Shocking, but I figured you’d order something better than pizza,” I commented, glancing at Viney, who shrugged.

“Oh, this is perfectly fine!” said Viney, following Ed to the table. She stopped at a chair, looking at Ed and I. “Err, should we sit down or something?” asked Viney, glancing at the table.

I shrugged, turning to Ed, who nodded. “Sure, I guess we should,” I replied, pulling a chair out across from Viney. I sat down, and glanced at Ed, who was walking to the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

“Getting water!” called Ed, who came out a moment later, clutching three glasses of water. He set them down on the table, sliding one over to Viney. Ed placed two by his plate.

“You couldn’t give me mine?” I asked, stretching my arm as I reached for my glass.

“Correcto,” replied Ed, a mischievous grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes at Ed as I opened one of the pizza boxes. I took a knife and delicately cut a slice off, which I then placed on my plate. I handed the box to Viney, who carefully ripped out a piece, setting it on her own plate.

“So, I assume Amity won’t be joining us?” asked Viney, glancing back and forth between Ed and I. “Or does she eat later?” Viney slowly took a small sip of her water before setting it down.

I shrugged. “She does when our parents are home, but normally she hides out in her room, or comes downstairs when we’re already or almost finished,” I explained, taking a bite of my pizza slice. I looked at Ed, who simply nodded.

“Oh, alright,” said Viney, biting into her pizza.

“Yeah, Amity’s pretty quiet,” added Ed, shoving half of his pizza slice into her mouth, smacking his lips as he chewed.

I sighed. “Ed, manners,” I mumbled, glaring at him.

Ed groaned, rolling his eyes. “Fine,” he muttered, wiping some sauce off his cheek with a napkin. He dropped the napkin onto the table and continued eating.

“Sorry about him,” I said to Viney, who was also eating.

She shook her head, swallowing a bite. “No, it’s perfectly fine,” she reassured me, taking another bite.

“If you say so,” I murmured, finishing my slice of pizza.

____________________________________________________________________________

After dinner was finished, which was surprisingly quick, Viney and I went up to my room. Most of the meal had been Ed telling Viney embarrassing stories about me. After he started telling her how I’d broken my wrist in the 7th grade, I’d shut it down and forced Viney upstairs.

We sat on my bed, our legs hanging off the edge. Per usual, I was blushing quite a bit. I hoped Viney couldn’t notice in the dim lighting, but she seemed to be very observant.

“So, I should probably get going,” said Viney, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot about that,” I replied, sitting up. I cracked my knuckles, yawning. “Sorry, I’m just tired.”

Viney nodded, yawning as well. “Same here,” she replied, remaining seated.

“Sorry for making you stay so late,” I apologized, feeling a tad guilty.

Viney chuckled, shaking her head. Holding her hand up to stop me, she explained, “No, you didn’t force me to stay. I chose to, and I probably overstayed my welcome anyways.”

“No, you’re always welcome here. At least while my parents are gone,” I added, my eyes staring at the floor. I glanced at Viney, who seemed to be thinking.

“Oh, I assume your parents wouldn’t like me?” asked Viney in a joking tone, but she seemed to be asking the question seriously.

I opened my mouth to speak, but wasn’t sure what to say. Viney seemed to take note of this, so she awkwardly chuckled. “No, I’m not sure. They’re just pretty controlling, and rarely let us invite people over, unless they selected them to hang out with us,” I clarified, turning to face Viney. I sat back down, watching her expression.

“Oh,” said Viney, forming an “o” shape with her mouth. “Your parents select people?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but they’ve given up with Ed and I. I think Amity still has to hang with Boscha, who’s kind of a bitch.”

Viney sighed. “Em…” she muttered, probably upset with my choice of words.

I held up my hands. “Hey, I’m not wrong. Boscha literally shoves freshmen into their lockers,” I explained. Viney didn’t seem to believe me. “I’m not exaggerating.”

Viney seemed to think for a moment, trying to remember something. “Oh, is Boscha the star on the football team?” she asked, remembering the angry girl with bright, pink hair.

I nodded. “Yep, and the baseball team,” I added.

“Oh, then she’s absolutely a bitch!” exclaimed Viney, causing me to laugh.

“Wow, I had no clue you liked to swear,” I said, calming down.

Viney smirked. “I’m not as cuddly and innocent as I seem,” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

I blushed, my face going red. It seemed like Viney was flirting, but I had no idea if she was, seeing as she seemed to consider me a friend. Of course she could wish for something more than friendship, but I highly doubted it.

“You’re blushing,” pointed out Viney, smirking again.

“I-Er- shut up,” I stuttered, failing to regain a calm tone. “It’s unfair to say stuff like that.” I scowled at Viney, but in a way that showed I wasn’t really mad at her.

Viney grinned. “I have no clue as to what you’re referring to,” said Viney in a joking tone. When I didn’t speak, she continued talking. “Share how it’s unfair.”

My face was hot, and most likely more red than before, which I didn’t think was possible. I squinted at Viney, causing her to laugh. “You play dirty,” I muttered.

“Oh, is this a game?” joked Viney.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

“Do I now?” asked Viney, smiling.

My eyes went wide. She was most definitely flirting, and I was most definitely entering panic mode. I could be pretty awful at flirting. My best idea had been to buy something from Viney, which I ended up losing in a river. I made a mental note to buy another sometime.

I realized I hadn’t responded to Viney, who was still looking at me. “I- Yes,” I managed to say.

“Do you mind showing me how?” asked Viney, leaning in towards me.

“Holy fuck, she might kiss me,” I thought, my jaw dropping slightly.

Viney leaned towards me, and I slowly leaned towards her. Our lips touched, and I suddenly leaned back.

Viney’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. I began to panic even more, as it seemed like I had accidentally offended her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” shouted Viney, slowly getting up, preparing to exit my room. “I thought you wanted this, sorry to intrude, I’m going to-”

I grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving. “No, don’t,” I mumbled, barely able to speak. Viney looked at me intently, sitting back down. “No, I want to do this. I’m just pretty bad at this. It’s like the one thing I don’t understand.”

“Romance?” asked Viney, a smile returning to her face.

I nodded. “I think I have a really, really awful case of gay panic,” I mumbled, my eyes meeting the floor. I glanced up at Viney, hoping that she didn’t look disappointed. Surprisingly, she laughed loudly.

“Oh, that’s obvious,” she said, bringing her laugh down to a chuckle. “It’s been pretty clear since we met at the market.”

I nodded. “I suppose so,” I whispered, barely able to speak at a normal volume.

Viney patted me on the shoulder. “You know, the more I get to know you, the clumsier you get,” she commented, causing me to nod, shakily. Viney turned so her body was facing me. “Let’s try this again.”

“Hmm?” I asked, but was cut off as Viney pulled me by my collar. Our lips met once more. I cupped Viney’s cheek, brushing some of her hair out of her face. As we continued to kiss, I got lost in her murky green eyes. Viney seemed to smile, as I felt her lips curl.

Viney pulled back from my face, a mere few inches away. “I think I got your lipstick on my lips,” admitted Viney, staring at me.

I smirked. “That’s a shame,” I replied, kissing Viney once more. Viney crawled further onto my bed and I rolled over so I was above her. We continued as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I slipped my hand under part of her shirt, but Viney stopped me.

“Just kissing for now,” she said, gasping for now. I nodded, apologizing non-verbally.

We went back to making out, which was really Viney dominating my lips. I had a lot of practice kissing, but it had always been with boys before, so it hadn’t meant anything to me. When I was actually invested in it, it seemed magical, rather than dull.

I began to wonder what would’ve happened had I not invited Viney over, but I stopped myself, not wanting to think of that.

“What made you do this now?” I asked, pulling my face away from Viney’s. I stared at her. She was still below me, her face red as well.

Viney shrugged. “I got sick of waiting for you,” she admitted, grinning.

“Yeah, if you did, you would've waited a long time,” I replied, kissing her on the neck.

“Try not to leave a hickey,” whispered Viney, trying to look at her neck.

I nodded, trying not to bite down on the skin.

Unfortunately, both of us were too occupied to notice the bedroom door creak open. Suddenly, something fell to the floor. Viney and I whipped our heads around to see the source of the sound, and my eyes went wide.

On the floor lay a book, which had just been dropped. Beside the book stood Amity, her eyes wide. Her face turned red. “Sosorryisawnothingimgoingtogonow!” she shouted as if it were one word, running out of the doorway. Amity slammed the door shut and hurried down the steps.

I turned to face Viney, groaning. “Shit,” I mumbled.

“Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?” joked Viney, smiling at me.

“Oh, my bad,” I replied, kissing her again.

Chapter Text

I woke up to the sun’s blinding glares. Groaning, I turned to my side. While I felt well rested, I still didn’t wish to get up. My bed was quite comfortable and peaceful, rather than chaotic, which is what the house would be if Ed and I were awake together.

We weren’t too bad, or at least I wasn’t. Ed normally had iced coffee in the morning, which often caused him to be very hyper.

Whenever I woke up, I was slow moving, grumpy, and sometimes more tired than I was when I went to sleep. Luckily, that normally worn off by noon at the latest.

I rolled onto my other side and suddenly felt something move against me. I shot up, my eyes wide as I wondered what had touched me. I squinted, rubbing my eyes. After blinking a few times I realized what, or rather, who, was beside me.

I shouted something, scrambling backwards. Losing my sense of balance, I tumbled off the bed, landing on my back. I coughed upon impact, the hard wooden floor hurting my back.

After calming myself down, I crawled back onto the bed. I cautiously looked at the person who had been sleeping beside me. “Are you awake?” I whispered, gently poking them.

They mumbled, rolling onto their back. I tapped their shoulder a few times causing them to mutter something, which I couldn’t make out.

“What?” I whispered loudly, watching their face as their eyes slowly opened.

Their murky green eyes stared at me and then went wide.

“Hey Viney,” I said, drawing out her name.

Viney sat up quickly, staring at me. She glanced down at the bed and pulled up the covers, peeking under them.

“So apparently we fell asleep,” I explained, looking at Viney with a guilty expression on. “But, I don’t think any… below action happened.” I gestured to both of our clothes, which were still on.

Viney slowly nodded, taking in what I had said. “Okay, okay, that’s good. Must’ve just been kissing or something,” she mumbled, trailing off.

I shrugged, replying, “Yeah, I think so. But uh… why can’t either of us remember exactly what happened?” I was a tad concerned as to what exactly had occurred last night, seeing as my memory was normally quite good. I felt a bit dizzy after waking up, but wasn’t aware why. It was just another thing that I had forgotten.

Viney glanced over the side of the bed. Something must’ve caught her eye. “I think this answers that,” she muttered, pulling up a glass bottle.

I stared at the label on the bottle, trying to make out what it said. “Oh, applesblood,” I said, recognizing the logo on it. Applesblood was a popular alcohol brewing company that resided somewhere in Seattle. I’d driven past the factory when visiting once, but hadn’t been able to try any, seeing as I had only been 16 at the time.

“I’m guessing you got that from your parent’s stash or something?” asked Viney, setting the empty bottle on the nightstand.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess so. That explains why my head hurts so much,” I whispered, trying not to speak too loudly. Speaking loudly would’ve been normal volume, but everything hurt at the moment, and whispering was better.

Viney groaned. “I was seriously hoping to wait until my 21st birthday to drink… whatever this is,” she mumbled, glaring at the bottle.

I squinted again, clutching my forehead. My headache hurt badly, probably just as much as my normal migraines did. “Apologies,” I murmured, looking back to Viney.

I had drunk alcohol often, since Ed and I used to make a game out of getting wine from Alador’s “stash,” as we called it. That term summarized it anyways, so we kept using it. Of course, I’d also tried alcohol at a few parties hosted by the members of the football team, but I hadn’t wished to attend one since Dave and I broke up.

Dave was the quarterback, so he was pretty popular. He essentially was the popular jock for a living, shoving kids down the stairs; all that stereotypical stuff. For a while I was known as his girlfriend, but then I was known as “Emira Blight,” or rather, “A Blight.”

“It’s fine,” replied Viney, breaking my chain of thought. “But seriously, let’s not tell my dad or anyone for that matter.”

I slowly nodded, climbing off the bed. “Yeah, works for me,” I assured her, stretching my arms behind my back. As I grabbed a new shirt, I continued talking. “Can you look away for a sec?”

“Yep,” said Viney, turning to face the windows.

Once I knew she wasn’t looking, I changed my shirts, pulling my old one over my head. I quickly put the other on, deciding to wait to fully change clothes until Viney was completely gone. “I’m good now,” I added, letting Viney know she could turn back around.

“Hey, do you want to get coffee?” asked Viney, stretching as well.

I shrugged, grabbing the covers of my bed and pulling them towards the pillow. “Sure,” I replied, setting my pillows on top of the cover. I walked over to the other side and did the same there. “But later, right? It’d be kind of awkward to be seen coming from… you know.”

Viney nodded. “Good point,” she added, turning to the window that overlooked the backyard, which was really just a large field. “Maybe it’d be best if I climbed out the window.” I turned to face Viney, who was opening the window and looking below.

I walked over to her, nervously looking down. “I mean, you might break something, but the vines might hold you,” I suggested, pointing at the large vines that stretched from near my window to a few feet above the ground. I glanced at the trellis that had roses growing up it. “That might also work, but there’s still a risk.”

Viney nodded, taking in what I’d said. “I mean, I doubt I could break the wall or anything, but maybe the trellis, depending on how sturdy it is,” she said, still peering out the window.

“Err, I was referring to breaking a bone, or a few,” I clarified, nervously looking at Viney, who gulped.

“Ah, that makes sense,” she said, no longer sticking her head out the window. Viney glanced at my door and then back to me. “Is Ed home? I know Amity found us and she’d probably assume that we… you know, but it wouldn’t be as bad as Ed finding out, right?” asked Viney, eyeing me carefully.

I thought for a moment. Ideally, nobody would see Viney leave the manor, but I highly doubted that would be possible. Ed was most likely running around, causing trouble. “Well, that’s not very likely, and I’d prefer if Amity didn’t see you either,” I replied, walking towards the door. I peered out of it and noticed Ed coming out of the bathroom.

I quickly shut the door, locking it. Ed must’ve heard it, as he walked over to the door. I glanced to Viney as the footsteps neared us, my eyes wide.

Ed knocked on the door a few times. “Em, are you awake?” he asked, tapping his foot.

I cleared my throat, glancing to Viney, who silently nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not dressed, so don’t come in,” I explained, hoping Ed would buy it.

“Alrighty,” replied Ed, no longer tapping his foot. “Breakfast’s on the table, I think. There’s a slight chance I ate all of the eggs, but I dunno.”

“Thanks,” I replied, waiting for Ed to walk away.

“See ya,” he called, walking away. When his footsteps were far away so that they weren’t audible, I turned back to Viney.

“Trellis it is,” said Viney, grimacing.

I nodded, walking back to her. “Best of luck not dying or falling,” I told her.

“Thanks,” murmured Viney, slinging one leg over the windowsill. “If I die, wring Jerbo’s neck for me.” She reached out to the trellis with one arm and grabbed it, wrapping her fingers around the sanded wood.

“Any particular reason why?” I asked, jokingly.

“Nope,” she replied, setting a foot down on one of the wooden squares. “Uh, this is bolted or nailed to the brick, right?” Viney set her other foot on a lower level of the trellis so that her arm was the only thing grabbing the window.

I nodded. “Yup. To make sure it wouldn’t fall over, it was nailed after each one of those square things,” I explained, watching Viney climb down. My heart hammered, hoping she wouldn’t fall. The risk of falling from the third floor of a large manor wasn’t calming, especially with my anxiety.

“That’s good,” called Viney, already nearing the second floor. She started to use the trellis like a latter, rather than holding one arm against something on the outer wall. Luckily, the trellis supported her weight, and seemed to be quite durable.

“Yeah. I thought they were being too protective of their roses, but apparently it makes a good ladder as well,” I joked, peering out the window.

Viney chuckled from below. I figured she was ten feet from the ground, but I couldn’t be too sure from the angle I was looking from.

“Has anyone else ever climbed it?” asked Viney, continuing to climb down. After a few seconds she dropped onto the ground, bending her legs as she did so. Viney stood back up, looking up at me.

“Nope!” I called, looking down at her. “Ed’s tried the vines before, but that ended badly.”

Viney seemed to chuckle,but I couldn’t hear her. “Well, I best be going!” she shouted, waving to me. “I’ll text you later!”

I waved back. “Sounds good. Have a good day!” I called back, watching Viney stumble through the surrounding woods. Luckily, she knew not to go near any windows.

While nothing really happened in the bed, minus making out for a while, I didn’t want Amity or Ed, especially Ed, to get the wrong idea. Somehow my best idea was to make Viney climb down a trellis and avoid the roses wrapped around it, but I didn’t have a whole lot to work with.

Of course, I didn’t come up with good ideas all the time, but normally they weren’t as dumb as this one. After wondering what other things could’ve happened, such as Viney breaking her neck, I shrugged it off, trying to think about something else.

Even though Viney and I had spoken a mere few minutes ago, I already missed her. I walked over to my nightstand, grabbing my phone from it. I opened up my messenger app, debating whether I should text her or not.

I didn’t want to seem clingy or anything of the sort, but I didn’t like being so lonely. Normally I was fine being alone, but the feeling of tranquility was replaced with a sadder one. Rather than focusing on having some peace and quiet to myself, I focused on being alone. It was annoying, but I figured I could deal with it, seeing as many others do often.

After a mental argument which was more of a discussion with myself, I decided to text Viney. I typed out a quick message and sent it.

Me: I miss you

A few seconds later, the three bubbles appeared and Viney texted back. I was a tad surprised with her quick response, but it was very in character for her.

Viney: Already?

I typed out a reply and sent it.

Me: Yeah, im crazy, ik

Viney: I didn’t say that, but okay

Me: wow

Viney: Just joking. But yeah, I kinda miss you too.

Me: Just kinda?

Viney: Well, I literally saw you three minutes ago, and plus, I’m not crazy.

I chuckled at her response. If she were by me, I would’ve playfully glared, but in the privacy of my own room I wouldn’t have to hide that I found her response humorous.

Me: Fair

Me: Anyways, can we meet up sometime?

I felt that I had to explain a few things with Viney, such as my parents. As much as I dread the conversation, I should get it over with before something bad happens, such as her telling people. I didn’t wish to restrict Viney from doing certain things, but I figured my wellbeing was a tad more important than sharing that we’re dating.

My phone dinged when Viney’s newest text came in.

Viney: Dang, Blight, you really do miss me.

I pictured Viney smirking, her hands on her hips. I would’ve told her not to be so cocky, and she probably would chuckle at me.

Me: No comment

Me: But seriously, i need to talk to you

I waited for Viney to respond. After a bit of waiting, I realized my text hadn’t sounded too kind, and more sinister. Sinister as in I wanted to discuss our relationship, which would normally result in a break-up. Luckily, that was far from the case.

After a few seconds, I saw the speech bubble re-appear, but it shortly disappeared and was replaced with a text.

Viney: I hope you don’t want to break up, if we’re even dating.

I sighed, quickly responding.

Me: No, not at all. I want to talk to you about something personal, plus it’d be good to figure out what our relationship even is.

Viney: Alrighty

Viney: I’ll send you over an address, which we can meet up at. Does 2 PM work?

Me: Yeah, see you there

I tossed my phone onto the bed, sighing out of relief. While Viney did suspect the worst, I was glad that I was able to clear it up.

I glanced at my alarm clock on my way to the door. I calculated the time until I would see Viney and realized I’d have enough time to cause some chaos with Ed. I hopped out of my room, hoping to find him, wherever he may be.

____________________________________________________________________________

Around two, I arrived at the coffee shop Viney had texted me an address of. The coffee shop was more of a shed that sold coffee out of it with some seating arrangements out front. I had expected it to be inside, but this sufficed.

I ordered a black coffee and found a small table to sit at. I sat down on one of the chairs, setting my drink onto the table. Once I was comfortable, I glanced around, looking for Viney. I looked at the line of people ordering from the… shed? I wasn’t sure how to describe it.

I eyed the people waiting in line and quickly noticed that none were Viney. Slightly disappointed, I turned back to my phone. I didn’t expect her to be there as soon as I had arrived, but it was still disappointing nonetheless.

Once my phone had been unlocked, I began scrolling through instagram. I figured it was a decent way to spend my time.

As soon as I checked my home page, I noticed the posts from those I followed. I grimaced, looking at the photos of Trump grinning. Alador and Odalia were very conservative and republican, so naturally, they forced me to follow certain public figures.

Personally, I despised Trump, but saying that would to Alador or Odalia’s face would be suicidal. I might as well jump off a bridge if I intended to do that. If I ever felt like burning some bridges, I would most certainly tell them that.

To be quite honest, I dreamed about yelling at them, telling them my political beliefs and all of that. Unfortunately, there’d be no point unless I wanted to be kicked out. I figured that I’d be honest once I graduated college, as I wouldn’t have a need for them funding my education.

There were many things I wanted to do, but couldn’t while I was in my parents’ grasps. One day I intended to attend some pride parade, or a BLM march. While my parents weren’t too racist, they didn’t really share open minded views. In fact, they often shared those views during dinner, causing the evening to be the most awkward time.

Luckily, they were still gone, so I could enjoy my time alone. I knew Amity and Ed also felt quite uncomfortable when politics and basic human rights were discussed, but they had to act harder like they agreed. Alador and Odalia already knew my stance on lgbtq+ rights, and I assumed they suspected my stances on other topics. Still, I never spoke up. I felt quite awful about it, but I’d rather be alive than be strangled.

“Hey, Em!” called a cheery voice, causing me to look up from my phone.

I looked behind me to see Viney waving from the line. She gestured to the… shed, indicating that she was going to order something before taking a seat.

I waved back, smiling. I glanced back to my phone and set it on my table. I realized my grip had been quite tight, but it was most likely from thinking of my parents. Something as simple as that could cause my stress levels to rise, or make my anxiety spike.

Luckily, Viney’s arrival changed my mood from a stressed and anxious one to a joyful one. I was pleased that Viney’s presence had such a positive effect on me, but the side effect was that her lack of presence would have an opposite effect. But still, it was good. I tried to think of a time someone made me as happy as she did, yet I couldn’t. It was just more evidence that Viney and I were quite a good pair.

After a few more seconds of waiting, Viney pulled a chair up. She scooted in to the other side of the table, setting her drink down once she was in a good position.

“What’d you get?” she asked, referring to my coffee cup that sat before me.

I glanced down at the drink and back to Viney. “An Americano,” I replied, watching as Viney’s face contorted into one of disgust. “Hey! It’s not that bad!”

Viney chuckled. Taking a sip of her drink she added, “If you say so. I got a chai latte, which begs to differ with your taste in coffee.”

I raised my eyebrows, drinking a bit of my Americano. “That’s too sweet for me,” I explained, smirking as Viney playfully glared at me.

“You sound like my dad,” she said, stifling a small giggle. “And he’s an adult, meaning you’re too mature. Have some fun for once, which you could do by expanding your taste in coffee.”

I shrugged, considering Viney’s idea for a moment. “I mean, I suppose I could,” I replied, setting my cup down. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. “You know, we could always go for coffee again and try out the coffee each other likes.”

Viney’s face lit up after hearing my idea. “That sounds great,” she responded, grinning. After I took another sip of my coffee, she continued. “Oh, why don’t we do that now?”

Shaking my head, I explained, “Err, no offense, but I already had some coffee after you left, and great exit by the way.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“But I just wanted to have a serious conversation,” I continued. “And no, we’re not breaking up or anything, I just thought we should lay out some ground rules.” Viney’s expression changed to a concerned one as she cautiously looked at me.

“What?” she asked, indicating that I needed to clarify.

I wrapped my fingers around my face, dragging my hand down my cheeks, sighing. “That sounds menacing. Apologies,” I said, hoping Viney wasn’t too nervous.

“Oh, it’s fine,” she chirped, slowly taking another sip. She still eyed me in a concerned way, but I brushed it off, continuing.

“I just mean that if we do want a relationship, we should clarify a few things, and besides, I need to explain one or two serious topics.”

Viney nodded, taking in what I’d said. Her expression quickly changed to a puzzled one. I assumed she had been confused by something I’d said.

Breaking the short awkward silence, Viney asked, “So do you not want a relationship, or do we just need to come to a mutual agreement that we’re dating, assuming that’s what we both want?” She rested her chin against her head, which stood against the table.

I thought for a moment before responding. “Well, I-, I mean, if you want to date and you know, have this be a relationship, then I’m cool with that. In fact, I’d highly prefer that, and I uh, think-” I started, but Viney cut me off by chuckling.

“Sorry,” she apologised, covering her mouth. “You’re just stuttering again, which I must admit, is quite adorable.”

I blushed, my cheeks a bright red.

Viney kept talking, trying not to laugh at my embarrassed expression. “I’m going to cut to the chase, hopefully saving you from being an awkward, yet adorable mess,” she added, causing an awkward smile to creep onto my face. “Hopefully, and correct me if I’m wrong, we’re dating. I know this needs to be clarified, as I doubt either of us want to assume something that we don’t know for sure.”

I nodded, understanding what Viney was saying. She was much better at explaining things than I. In the past I’d been very smooth when speaking, but that was another side effect of being near Viney, but it wasn’t really a bad one. Well, not too bad.

“If you want to be in a romantic relationship with me, that’d be great. If not, that’s fine as well, but it’d lead to a longer conversation.”

I nodded once more, letting Viney know I was paying attention. “Well, that’d be wonderful. Are you cool with dating or something?” I asked, carefully watching Viney’s face.

She smiled brightly. Viney held her hand out, which I took. “Yes, I’d love that,” she replied, cheerfully looking at me.

I smiled as well. I suddenly remembered what else I had to say. “I hope I don’t ruin the mood, but there’s one more thing I need to say. And please bear with me, as it’s a bit difficult to talk about,” I added, hoping Viney wouldn’t be upset.

She nodded, still smiling. I felt a pain of guilt for doubting her, but I figured I had a right to be slightly nervous at least.

I glanced around, remembering we weren’t alone. I glanced across the street, noticing Viney’s green car. Pointing to it, I questioned, “Uh, is it okay if we talk in there?”

Viney bit her lip, thinking for a moment. I figured she was wondering what on earth I could be so worried about, but she nodded. “Sure, if that’s more comfortable,” she said, getting up from her seat.

Once we had our things, I followed Viney to her car. Once we crossed the street, I opened the passenger’s door and slid inside.

Viney set her drink on the car’s hood before opening the door. Once her purse and drink were inside, she sat down as well. “So, what’s up?” she asked, closing the door beside her.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. I wasn’t panicking, but I had only shared those things with Ed and Amity, but I had only intended to tell Ed. Amity had eavesdropped, but it saved me from gathering the courage to tell her later.

“So, this whole dating thing,” I started, eyeing Viney carefully, who seemed to be quite calm. “I’m really happy, you know. But there’s a slight, maybe big issue.”

“Everything alright?” asked Viney, a concerned look on her face.

Glancing down at my boots, I shrugged. “Well, that depends. As you know, my parents are currently on a trip,” I continued. Viney nodded, listening carefully. “I have no idea when they return, but I do know they would have certain… issues with our relationship.”

Viney opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She suddenly had an understanding expression, which I took as a hint that she knew what I had meant.

“I’m assuming you know what I mean,” I added. I took a quick sip of my coffee before setting the empty cup back in the cup holder I’d placed it in a few moments ago. “If possible, I’d just prefer to keep this whole thing more private.”

I glanced at Viney, who seemed to be a tad disappointed. She smiled when we met eye contact, most likely trying to hide how she felt about my request.

“Of course you can tell your dad and some friends, but just for my sake, and well, your sake, I’d like it if certain people, such as my parents, were unaware of this,” I clarified, nervously glancing back at Viney.

Instead of a “happy” expression she now looked more calm and true, as if she was no longer hiding her emotions. Viney replied, “I understand.” She grabbed my hand, holding it tightly.

I wrapped my fingers around hers, feeling a blush creeping onto my cheeks once more.

“I’d like to tell Jerbo and Barcus if possible,” she added, seeming to ask for permission.

I nodded, silently saying yes.

“Oh, and Ed!”

My eyes went wide. I playfully glared at Viney, who laughed. “Don’t you dare,” I threatened, crossing my arms.

Viney stopped laughing, chuckling instead. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to deny him an opportunity to make fun of you,” she explained, patting me on the shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. I decided I might as well play along, but I knew I’d retaliate if Ed did anything. “Fine,” I mumbled, slouching into my seat.

Viney smirked. “Thank you, thank you,” she replied, flashing a grin at me.

Once Viney had her moment of poking fun at me, I regained my good posture, sitting up straight. “Tread lightly though,” I added, squinting at Viney, who smiled evilly.

“No promises,” she joked, holding her hands up. After a few seconds of smiling at each other, Viney quickly changed topics. “But seriously, I’ll do whatever to make sure your parents don’t find out. I’ll yell at Jerbo and Barcus about it as well.”

I chuckled, nodding. “Thanks,” I replied. “That really means a lot, especially because I don’t want to die young, or have Odalia strangle you.” Viney’s eyes went wide, and I quickly realized I may have taken the joke too far, or she took me seriously.

“I mean, being strangled is a cool way to go out,” joked Viney, gulping nervously.

I snapped, pointing finger guns at her. “Indeed.”

“But yeah, best of luck not… you know.”

“I mean, Odalia’s a bitch, but I seriously don’t think she’d kill me. Getting cut off is more like her style,” I added in a joking tone. Sadly, I was dead serious. I knew I’d be disinherited at some point, but I just hoped to wait that out as long as possible.

Viney’s jaw dropped as she raised her eyebrows at me.

I bit my lip, preparing for another scolding. As Viney opened her mouth, I braced myself.

“Did you just call your mother a bitch?” she asked, stifling a chuckle with her right hand.

I nodded. “Yup,” I replied, causing Viney to scoff. Luckily, she was still smiling, so I hadn’t really pissed her off. Based on interactions like this, I figured Viney would be the sensible one in the relationship.

“What?” I asked, waiting for her to say something. “We both know I’m right. There are so many horrifying stories of Odalia losing her temper.” I did jazz hands for effect, causing Viney to snicker.

“Oh really?” she asked, smirking.

“Mhm,” I confirmed, smiling. “You know, I didn’t hear you disagree with me.”

Viney glared at me. She sighed. “Okay, fine, I suppose you’re right,” she admitted, annoyed with my methods.

“I knew it,” I hissed, pumping my fist in the air.

“But, that’s only because she was a…”

“Bitch?” I suggested.

Viney sighed. “I- yes. She was a… you know, when my dad used to work for Blight Chemicals. He was monitoring some new shipment and got caught in traffic. Apparently she shrieked so loudly at him that birds flew away,” she explained.

“Oof. Sorry that happened,” I apologized.

Viney shrugged. “It was a while ago. Now my dad works for Amazon from home.”

“I thought he carved?” I said, a bit confused as to why he had so many carvings at the market.

Viney shook her head. “No, that’s just an obsessive hobby. He was a carpenter in between his factory and amazon days, but amazon pays more,” she clarified.

“Ah. Well, at least he doesn’t deal with Odalia losing her temper anymore,” I said, jokingly focusing on the bright side of things.

Viney chuckled. “Very true. I’m glad I haven’t had to deal with those,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

“You’re quite lucky,” I replied. “There are way too many tantrums for me to tell you about.”

“Maybe you could tell me some other time,” suggested Viney.

“Oh?” I asked, my eyebrows raised. “What other time?”

“Maybe a date,” said Viney, waiting for a response. Damn, she’s good at flirting.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Viney shushed me.

“I know the whole public thing. I was thinking about a date in Leavenworth, which is pretty close. You won’t know anyone there,” she explained, watching my expression carefully.

“Damn, you’re a genius,” I complimented her. Viney blushed. “Oh, it’s true.” I wasn’t exaggerating. Viney was very intelligent. While she wasn’t as good at some classes as I was, she exceeded my intelligence in other categories, such as good ideas. I didn’t have many of those, which had been proven quite frequently.

“Thank you,” she said, bowing to the ebay of her ability while sitting down in a car.

Suddenly, my phone dinged. I picked it up, expecting it to be a text from Ed. Instead, it was one from Amity, talking about something Ed had done. I read the text carefully before looking back at Viney. “So, somehow Ed managed to accidentally superglue his tie to my ceiling, so I need to deal with that fiasco,” I explained, opening the car door.

Viney chuckled. “Err, best of luck with that,” she nervously replied, waving at me as I exited the car. “I’ll see you at school!”

“You too!” I called, closing the door shut.

I walked down the sidewalk in a hurry, preparing to yell at Ed for interrupting my time with Viney.

Chapter Text

When I first got to school, I was surprised to see that I was early. The hallways were empty, rather than being crowded per usual. I would’ve commented on this to Ed, but he’d run off to find someone, most likely Jerbo.

I knew Ed and Jerbo liked each other, but they most certainly didn’t tell each other. They were essentially the male version of Viney and I’d relationship, except we were less awkward, more reserved, and the Blight in the relationship wasn’t as annoying- I hope.

To be fair, anyone could be annoying, but I wasn’t the ‘destroying things for no reason’ kind of annoying. I did cause chaos from time to time, but normally it was something Ed had thought of, and I always had reasoning behind it.

I continued walking down the hall, trying to locate my locker. I scanned the numbers, eventually finding number 204. I turned the combination lock so that my code was put into it. After a few turns, the door popped open.

I crammed my history textbook inside, making sure my homework didn’t slip out of the textbook. I reached back into my backpack, which now lay on the floor. I picked it up, rummaging through it. I felt around for what I thought was a packet of papers, pulling it out once I’d felt it. Looking over it, I recognized my writing. After picking my backpack up and zipping it shut, I closed my locker.

Once I made sure all of my essay was there, I turned around in the opposite direction of where I had just walked.

With my essay in hand, I walked to Mr. Ford’s classroom. He left the door propped open, most likely so students couldn’t drop off their projects, which was exactly what I was doing.

I stepped over to the counter and set my papers down in the ‘turn in’ tray. As I started exiting the classroom, I noticed the diorama Viney and I had made. It sat on the counter beside the other projects. I grinned, observing how our craftsmanship was a tad better than some of the other projects.

Rather than having an oddly shaped hut, we had a magnificent pyramid that towered over the surrounding dioramas. We seemed to have put more effort into our project than our classmates, and that was clearly shown. I was quite proud of our work and would’ve observed it more, but I wanted to meet up with Viney before classes began.

I finally left the classroom, resuming my walk down the hall. I passed a few people in the hallways, including Amity. She glared at me, silently telling me not to speak to her. I stuck my tongue out at her, turning the corner.

I thought she shouted something along the lines of ‘Oh, real mature’ but ignored her.

I turned the corner to see Ed and Jerbo awkwardly laughing with each other. Beside the two of them stood Viney and Barcus, who was in his daily attire. It was one of the first times I’d seen him without the mascot uniform on since Viney had told me about him. Of course I’d seen him around the halls, but I didn’t recognize him.

“Hi,” I said, waving at the group as I walked towards them.

“Hey, Em!” called Viney, pulling me by the arm. “Alright, let’s do this.”

I glanced at her, whispering, “Are we doing this now?” into her ear.

Viney nodded, letting go of my arm. She looked back to the trio in front of us, grinning. “So, guess who’s dating,” she said, swinging her arm playfully. She looks cheerful, but I could tell that she was nervous, and awkwardly smiling

I glanced around the hall, wondering if any eyes were on us. Luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case, and besides, Viney hadn’t mentioned me by name. I turned back to Ed, who’s eyebrows were raised. He seemed to be skeptical of what Viney had just told him.

“For real?” he asked, a puzzle expression on his face.

I glared at him, my face red. “Mhm,” I mumbled, crossing my arms. “Why, is it hard to believe that I got with someone before you?” I smirked, watching Ed’s face fall.

“No! Not at all,” he replied, getting a bit defensive. He glared at me, so I stuck my tongue out at him. Ed stuck his back at me.

“Oh, congrats,” said Jerbo in a quiet voice, glancing at Ed out of the corner of his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m glad Viney finally got the courage to actually do something,” joked Barcus, but his expression told me he was relieved. I assumed she’d talked with him about me at some point, but of course, her feelings about me were none of my business.

“Yeah,” I replied, quickly glancing at Ed, who was evilly grinning. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he was thinking. If he had a plan or the beginning of one, he didn’t say anything.

Instead, Ed said, “Yeah, good job. Who made the first move?” He raised his eyebrows, still grinning. If I wasn’t at school, I would’ve stomped on his toes.

“None of your business,” I murmured, glaring daggers at him.

Viney seemed to notice the tension between us, as she grabbed my shoulders and steered me down the hall. “We best be going before english!” she yelled back to the boys behind us, who each murmured some variation of ‘bye.’

Once we were out of their eyesight, Viney stopped at a locker, one that I assumed was hers.

“Thanks,” I said, quite thankful that Ed hadn’t continued to annoy me. “Sorry, Ed was just annoying me. I’m sure he’ll ask me some other question and make fun of me forever.” I awkwardly chuckled, watching as Viney unlocker her locker.

“Yeah, of course,” she replied, pulling out a book from it. “Speaking of english, I turned in our diorama earlier.”

“Yeah, I saw it while I turned in our essay earlier,” I explained, watching Viney as she lifted a heavy book out of her locker. I couldn’t help but stare at her… muscular arms, but immediately stopped when she gently closed her locker.

“It was pretty cool, and I liked seeing it with the other projects,” I continued, my cheeks warm.

Viney chuckled. “Did you feel like gloating about how good ours turned out?” she jokingly asked, turning back to the direction we’d come from. Viney started walking up the hall and I quickly followed her.

I shrugged. “Kind of,” I admitted, my cheeks flushed.

Viney smirked. “I figured you would,” she replied, smiling.

“Yeah, you know me pretty well, especially after knowing me for… two-ish weeks?” I added, wondering how long we’d even known each other. It seemed to be two weeks if not less.

Well, Viney had known of me for a while, but I’d never spoken with her. It was a shame that I didn’t, but at least I had at the market. Had we met a few weeks ago, I still would’ve been with Dave.

I shuddered at the thought of him. We still hadn’t spoken since we broke up, but I saw him in the halls from time to time. He was the definition of salty after our breakup, but luckily he avoided me. Whenever I dropped Amity off at the football games, which he loved to attend, I’d quickly duck out of there before Dave recognized my green hair. While I liked having green hair, it made me quite noticeable in a crowd, which was normally fine, but during certain cases, such as avoiding Dave, it proved annoying.

“Yeah, something around then,” confirmed Viney, turning the corner. She spotted Jerbo and Barcus standing where we’d left them.

Ed wasn’t with them, but he’d probably run off to use the restroom or something.

“I’m going to head to class,” I announced to the group, waving to them.

“Already?” asked Viney. She held her wrist up, glancing at her watch. “Class doesn’t start for a few minutes, and the bell hasn’t even rung yet.”

I shrugged. “I need to stop by my locker anyways. I’ll just surf insta to kill the time,” I explained, hoping I hadn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

Luckily, nobody seemed offended.

“See you in a bit!” called Viney as I walked back to my locker, waving to me.

I waved back, nodding. I didn’t feel like raising my voice or anything, so a silent good-bye was enough. I didn’t want to draw all of the eyes in the room towards me, even though that naturally happened anyway, with me being Emira Blight and all.

As I turned the corner, I ran into Ed. I yelped, falling over.

“Ed, you prick!” I exclaimed, pushing myself off the hard floor.

Ed chuckled, grinning.

I clenched my fist. “I will wipe that grin off your face and smear your remains across the wall if necessary,” I threatened him, glaring at Ed. We both knew my threats were rarely serious, but that didn’t stop Ed from gulping.

“Wow, terrifying,” he muttered to himself, watching me scramble to get my feet on the ground.

I shot Ed another glare as I regained my balance. “Do you want something?” I asked in a rude tone, hoping he’d take the hint and stop being so… obnoxious.

Ed raised his eyebrows, smiling. “Yes, I have a request,” he said, grabbing his hand with his other. Ed stood on one leg and looked at me as if he needed a favor.

Groaning, I questioned, “What?”

“I would like to tell Amity about you and Viney.”

I rolled my eyes, a bit concerned. “So you can embarrass me? No thank you,” I replied, slightly amused by whatever Ed was trying to do.

Ed shook his head, but shrugged. “Err possibly,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. As I made a move to walk away, he continued. “Come on, she should know and you obviously don’t want to tell her. Besides, I’ll probably do it regardless of what you say.”

“You’re the worst,” I mumbled, still glaring at him.

Ed smiled innocently. “Oh, I know,” he responded, his smile stretching up his face.

I suddenly remembered there wasn’t much of a reason to tell Amity. Technically she didn’t know if we were dating, but she had most likely assumed, and I could just casually slip it into some future conversation. Keeping my younger sister updated on my love life had never been something I cared for, especially not now.

“Besides, she already knows,” I added, watching Ed’s expression changed to a surprised one.

“Pardon? She was told before me? Oh, the betrayal,” whined Ed, pretending to weep.

“I didn’t tell her,” I admitted at a low volume, slightly wishing Ed wouldn’t hear me. Unfortunately, the look on his face indicated that he had in fact heard me.

A smile crept onto Ed’s face, replacing the sad expression. I noticed it wasn’t a happy smile, but rather a mischievous one. I could tell because I’d known Ed for a long time, and it was quite easy to figure out what mood he was currently in.

“Sooooo,” he said, drawing the ‘o’ out, “How did she find out?”

I rolled my eyes quickly, looking back at Ed. “There’s a slim possibility that she saw Viney and I,” admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Ooh,” exclaimed Ed, causing me to cringe. “While you were?”

“Maybe kissing,” I murmured.

“Delightful,” commented Ed, doing jazz hands. His face lit up, most likely realizing something.

“What?”

“I will never let this go and will continue to bring it up whenever I see Amity!” he quickly said, bolting down the hall.

I groaned. Ed clearly knew I would’ve chased after him, had it not been in public. To be quite honest, I probably would’ve chased after him anyways, as Viney was starting to rub off on me. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. I didn’t care about my public appearance as much as I had before meeting her, but Odalia still would’ve ended me had I ran in school.

After thinking about different ways to annoy Ed after class, I decided to walk towards my english class. Luckily, I decided to do so at a good time, seeing as the bell rang mere seconds after I started walking. I made it to the classroom before the crowds of students filled up the hall, rushing to arrive on time.

I didn’t see the point in hurrying, but I supposed some people were less punctual.

Once Mr. Ford cleared his throat, everyone was seated. The ball rang a few seconds later, indicating that class had begun.

As Mr. Ford closed the door shut, I glanced at Viney, nodding to her.

“We got this,” she whispered, reminding me that we’d have to present our projects to the entire class today or if we got lucky, tomorrow.

“You too,” I replied, turning my attention back to the front of the class.

I felt quite confident about our project and our partnership. Not only did Viney and I work well together for school, we also worked well together in other ways. I secretly hoped that there wouldn’t be a need to date someone else, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

As much as I tried to convince myself that many highschool relationships wouldn’t work out, there was still a reassuring feeling. It was a warm one, a feeling that reminded me how compatible Viney and I were. The same feeling that reminded me that we were together and everything was fine.

Unfortunately, certain things in particular weren’t fine. They were quite the opposite actually. Awful, bad, unlucky. I just had yet to realize what they were.

Chapter Text

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” I started, leaning my legs against the dashboard. I turned to Viney, watching her expression closely as she continued driving. “We’ve been driving for forty minutes just to go on a date?”

Viney nodded, a smile making its way onto her face. “Yup,” she replied, glancing at the welcome sign as we sped into town.

“Cool,” I mumbled, looking at the road ahead of us. It seemed like Viney would do anything just to make sure I wasn't outed, which honestly meant a lot to me. I made a mental note to repay her in the future. I didn’t know how I’d do it, but I at least owed her that.

“I need to find a place to park,” noted Viney, scanning the road nearby for a parking place.

I glanced out the passenger window. I eyed the lot ahead of us. “Across the highway, there’s a parking lot. I can pay,” I announced, gesturing to the other side of the road we were on.

Viney glanced at the rear view mirror, watching for cars. Once she was assured there weren’t any nearby, she pulled over.

Viney drove the car into the parking spot, putting it in park. “There we go,” she said, twisting her car key and taking it out. Viney opened her car door, standing up.

I grabbed my hand bag and climbed out of the car as well. “Thanks,” I added, grateful.

“No problem!” exclaimed Viney slamming her car door shut.

I closed my door and made my way over to the parking meter. I glanced at the prices. It was around five dollars per hour, which was considered expensive, but I paid it without breaking a sweat. “Should two or three hours be enough?” I asked, turning to Viney, who stood by the car.

“Sure,” she replied, locking her car, causing it to beep loudly.

I took a ten dollar bill and a five dollar bill, sliding it into the machine. The machine beeped quietly, giving me the parking sticker.

“You might want to unlock your car,” I noted, walking back to Viney’s car.

“Oh, my bad,” she replied, fumbling with the key. As Viney managed to unlock it, I stuck the parking sticker to the inside of the windshield.

“Alright, we’re good to go,” I announced, glancing at the buildings across the road.

“So where do you want to go?” asked Viney, following me over to the curb.

We waited for there to be a gap in between the vehicles before crossing the road. As we stepped onto the other side walk, I replied, “Well, not everything’s about me, you know? I think you should be able to choose.”

Viney chuckled. “I know, but still. We can do whatever we want here, seeing as we’re not in Bonesburrow. So come on, what sounds good to you?” she questioned, grabbing my hand.

My heart seemed to swell as she interlaced her fingers with mine. My stomach lurched a bit, but in more of a “I love this woman so much,” rather than “I feel sick.” I realized I hadn’t replied To viney’s question, so I did so. “I don’t really know, but we should check out town and all,” I explained, continuing to walk down the sidewalk.

Viney and I passed a few buildings, quickly staring at them as we walked by. I made a mental note to think of somewhere to get lunch.

“Good point,” added Viney, turning down the sidewalk. “Ooh, the architect is cool.”

I nodded, admiring the buildings. “Oh, for sure. I believe it’s german or something,” I explained.

“I thought you liked modern things,” commented Viney, turning her attention back to me.

I shrugged. “Well, that’s true, but I still find these buildings to be quite interesting,” I said, smiling at her. I noticed that Viney was already smiling, which made me a bit happier. At the moment, I was quite excited for our public date, and to be honest, I was screaming with excitement - in my head. There was no way I would actually scream.

“Oh, true.”

Viney and I walked for another block, still hand-in-hand. Once we neared the corner, she pointed out a sign, which referred to a restaurant.

“This looks like a nice place for lunch,” Viney commented, referring to the sign that read “Argonaut Kitchen.”

I recognized the name. I assumed that Ed and I had run by sometime during a trip to Leavenworth, as there was no way Odalia or Alador would allow us to each as such a “commonfolk” place.

“Yeah, it does. I think they serve sandwiches or something similar,” I noted, walking towards it.

“Is this fancy enough for you?” joked Viney, stifling a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. “Ha, ha… so hilarious. Maybe you should consider stand up,” I replied, joking as well. “But seriously, yes, it looks good.”

“Alright, lead the way,” said Viney, bowing.

I smirked, amused by her jokes. “Thank you, the honor’s all mine,” I responded, beaming at her.

Viney and I ended up waiting in line to order. The line was quite small, as we reached the counter shortly.

Viney and I both looked over the menu. While Viney read the list of drinks, I read the sandwich menu. The tokyo roadhouse sounded interesting, but I wasn’t a huge fan of radishes. I was a tad picky when it came to certain foods, but I would still eat some, such as radishes, if required to. After carefully considering the other options, I decided on a sandwich.

“Hi!” chirped Viney, turning so that she faced the cashier, who stood on the other side of the counter. “I’d like to order the argonaut salad.”

“Not a sandwich?” I questioned, whispering in her ear.

Viney raised her eyebrows curiously before her expression changed, as if she had remembered something. “Oh, I forgot to mention that I’m vegetarian,” she explained, helping me realize why she had a puzzled expression previously.

“Oh, that’s my bad,” I said, apologizing for assuming her diet.

“Nothing to worry about. What do you want to order?”

I looked up at the cashier, who was a few inches taller than me. After thinking for a moment and deciding on a concrete answer, I responded, “I suppose I’ll have the roast pork with a side of fries.” I suddenly remembered to order a drink. “Oh, and a water would be nice as well.”

“Alright. Is that all?” asked the cashier, totalling up our order. He jotted down what I assumed was our order.

“Oh yes, I’d also love a side of fries,” added Viney, reaching down to her pocket. SHe grabbed her wallet, preparing to pay.

“Oh, I got it,” I said, pulling a credit card out of my hand bag. Before Viney could object, I held up a finger, indicating that she shouldn’t argue.

“Thanks,” she murmured, her face a bright red.

I felt a bit bad, as I had forgotten how embarrassed she got during situations that involved money. “No worries at all,” I replied, squeezing her hand tightly. Viney smiled, causing me to smile as well. Her charm was too irresistible.

I quickly paid the cashier, who assured us that our orders would be ready in a few minutes while handing us both waters. Once we were done ordering, Viney and I decided to find somewhere to sit while we waited.

“There’s a table over here,” announced Viney, gesturing to a table with two chairs that sat across the room from us.

“Ah, thank you,” I said, following her to the table. We each pulled a chair out, sitting down. I scooted closer to the table as Viney did the same.

“Wait, how come we’re not splitting fries?” I asked, suddenly puzzled as to why Viney and I couldn’t have done something more romantic.

Viney smirked. “That’s a cliche, and I know you’ll eat all of them,” she explained, grinning as I rolled my eyes hard.

“You think everything is a cliche,” I mumbled, playfully narrowing my eyes at her.

Viney shook her head. “I highly doubt that’s true, but okay.”

“And besides, I won’t eat all the fries!” I exclaimed, pretending to be offended by Viney’s claims. She chuckled, raising her eyebrows. “Hey, don’t look at me like that.”

Viney chuckled. “I highly doubt that,” she replied.

“So cruel.”

“Yes, I’m the cruelest.”

“You finally admit it,” I joked, causing Viney to laugh.

‘You’re pretty funny,” she noted, s=taking a sip of her water. Viney set the glass back down, causing a bit of water to slosh over the sides, onto the table. “Oops.”

I took a napkin from the napkin holder that sat on the side of the table. “It’s fine,” I reassured her, mopping up the small spill.

“Thanks,” said Viney, who seemed to feel a tad bad for spilling water.

“I should be thanking you,” I replied, remembering her willingness to drive us all the way here just so we could be seen in public.

“For what?”

I chuckled at Viney’s cluelessness. Well, she wasn’t clueless, but had possibly forgotten how much she’d done for me, especially today. “You know, for all of this,” I explained, watching Viney's confused expression change to an understanding one.

“Oh, it’s nothing at all! Honestly, I just want to accommodate you however I can,” Viney clarified, but that didn’t stop me from being grateful.

“Well, it’s not just that,” I continued. “You’re having to deal with me, my bitchy parents, and having to hide our relationship from most people, which I get it, it’s quite frustrating.” To be quite honest, I felt awful about the burden I was on Viney, and I wasn’t entirely sure whether she cared or not, even though she never seemed to.

“Well, I’d love to announce our relationship to the world and maybe even drive you to Seattle’s pride or something, but I know that can’t happen,” she explained, eyeing me carefully.

I nodded, understanding what Viney was saying. I felt a pang of guilt, which Viney somehow seemed to notice.

“Hey, it’s perfectly fine. Your safety comes first, Em. I really don’t want anything to happen to you,” Viney reassured me, holding my hand.

I smiled softly at her. I was quite the lucky gal, seeing as Viney somehow liked me. At that moment I knew she’d be there for me, regardless of what I did. I was curious if Viney was so caring that she wouldn’t mind if I committed arson, but I most definitely wouldn’t do that.

“Thank you, Viney. That truly means a lot,” I thanked her, admiring Viney’s personality. “And yeah, I don’t want anything to happen, especially to you.”

Viney raised her eyebrows, a bit concerned. “To me?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, biting my lip nervously. “Well, you know Alador and Odalia know about my sexuality. I still don’t really know what labels I like, but you know, they are very aware that I like girls.”

Viney nodded.

“And I should’ve said this earlier and all, but they’re quite concerned about their public image, so I don’t doubt they’d threaten you or something. If something as ‘awful’ as me dating a girl occurred, they’d most definitely secretly send me away to some camp in Georgia. I realize they don’t want to, seeing as it could seriously hurt their public image, but if I did something like that, they’d do it without hesitation. I can imagine they’d look into who I’m dating and do something awful,” I explained, fidgeting with my foot. I shook it against the ground, waiting for Viney to reply.

“Ah,” said Viney, who was clearly thinking carefully. “Well, I know we haven’t really discussed what could happen to me, but to be honest, i did figure they could ruin my education or something.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, still concerned.

“But hey, it’s not like they’ll find out or anything, right?” asked Viney, a smile creeping its way onto her face.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Always am,” joked Viney, chuckling. “Seriously though, you can’t lose me that easily. I’m fairly aware of the risks, which I don’t like, but I’m willing to take them.”

I smiled sadly, finally meeting Viney’s eyes. “Err, thanks for understanding. I know it’s difficult and quite annoying. It’s worse than an ‘Ed’ level of annoying,” I thanked her, feeling very grateful. I highly doubted anything would happen to Viney because of me, and besides, I was eighteen, so I wasn’t too worried about being sent to a camp. I knew it was most likely illegal to send someone of my age to a camp without my permission, but I figured Odalia or Alador could find some way around that.

Viney nodded. “Yeah, and Alador and Odalia ever get suspicious, we can take a break, you know. Well, not of dating, but of seeing each other until stuff cools down.”

I beamed at Viney. “That’s a good idea. I don’t think they’ll be back for a while though,” I added.

“Hopefully.”

Suddenly, the cashier shouted, “Order 027 is ready!”

I turned to Viney, who was holding the little order number card that had been given to us by the same employee.

“Yep, that’s us,” she explained, standing up.

“Oh, I can get it,” I offered, glancing at the food that sat on the counter.

“No, it’s fine. Let me spoil you however I can, seeing as you wouldn’t let me pay.”

“If you say so,” I sighed, watching as Viney hurried across the room.

Shortly after she’d left, Viney returned, two plates in hand. “Enjoy!” she exclaimed, setting down the plate with my food on it beside me. Viney took her seat once more, setting down her own plate as well.

“Ah, thank you,” I said, reaching towards my sandwich. “This looks great.”

Viney nodded, grabbing a fork off her plate to eat her salad with. “I know, right? It almost makes me want to eat meat,” she admitted, watching as I looked at her, puzzled.

“Really?”

“Mhm,” confirmed Viney, taking a bite of lettuce. “Honestly, yup. I really enjoy the taste of meat and all, but I feel guilty when I work with animals so much. Let me clarify; cute animals. I once looked into the eyes of a rabbit when eating pork chops, and even though it wasn’t made of rabbits, I felt guilty.”

“That makes sense,” I noted, taking a bite of my sandwich. I chewed quickly before continuing. “Oh yeah, how’s that been going?” I had forgotten that Viney worked at the animal shelter for a bit. Most of the time we discussed other things, and besides, with our projects and detentions, Viney normally only worked late at night, or on the weekends.

Viney shrugged. “I think it’s been good for the most part. We did get a new litter of rabbits. Somehow two rabbits managed to breed in between the bars that separated the cages-” Viney stopped, noticing my disturbed expression.

“Less details, please,” I plead. I gestured to my sandwich and fries. “I’m eating.”

Viney chuckled. “Right, that’s my bad. Anyways, we have some baby rabbits, which is great. There’s a white one named Mittens, who’s really adorable. I have a photo on my computer that I could email to you when we get back,” she continued.

“Ooh, that’d be great. I could send the photo to Amity.”

“Oh, is she a fan of rabbits?” asked Viney, who looked a bit excited that someone might share her interest for animals.

“Ehh, not particularly. I’d say she tolerates them, but doesn’t jump with joy when seeing an animal. I just think it’d be fun to send a photo of Mittens since Mittens is a nickname Ed and I used for Amity, but Alador quickly put a stop to that,” I clarified.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why Mittens?”

I shrugged. “It’s kind of a complicated story, and a long one as well, so it may have to wait for the car ride,” I explained.

“You just love keeping me hooked,” joked Viney, grinning.

“Yup, you know it,” I replied, grinning as well.

“Well, if we can’t discuss such a mysterious Blight family secret, what else do you want to talk about?” asked Viney, dipping a few of her fries into some ketchup. “I might get a to-go box for my salad, as I got a lot.”

“I might need to for my fries, which I didn’t eat all of,” I explained, making Viney laugh. “But no, I’m not entirely sure what we could discuss.”

A smile snuck its way onto Viney’s face. “Well, I do have a possible topic, which be briefly touched on earlier,” she said, but in a hesitant tone for some reason.

“Which is?” I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich.

Viney opened to her mouth to speak but waited a bit, eyeing me carefully. She grabbed both of her hands and continued. “Well, I may have gotten some college results,” she mumbled.

“Any luck?” I asked, a bit nervous as to what letters Viney had received. I was a bit surprised that she hadn’t mentioned it previously, but I doubt she would’ve if it had been a small letter, rather than a large acceptance one. The size of an envelope was any senior’s worst nightmare, or biggest dream.

Viney grinned, causing me to sigh with relief. “I got into David Geffen!” she exclaimed, her grin wider than I’d ever seen it.

My eyes went as wide as saucer plates, but out of excitement. “That’s great!” I said, smiling. “Wait, that’s the one you wanted, right?” I was a bit worried if I had mixed up the names of schools, so naturally I wondered if Viney was excited about getting into her dream school or not.

Viney nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, it’s the one in San Diego!”

“Congrats!” I exclaimed, accidentally drawing a bit of attention to ourselves. I cleared my throat, speaking in a normal volume. “That’s huge. Do you think you’ll enroll?”

“Well, it’d be a wasted opportunity not to. I should talk about it with my dad. Heck, I still need to tell him I got in,” Viney answered.

I raised my eyebrows, a tad puzzled as to why she wouldn’t tell her father. “Why didn’t you tell him? Does he not like the idea of you moving or something?” I questioned, immediately realizing how I was invading her privacy. “Apologies, that was a tad nosy.”

Viney shrugged. “No, it’s cool. And I only found out yesterday. He was in a bad mood so I figured I’d tell him when he wasn’t super grumpy,” she explained, still eating her salad. “And I mean, he’s not the biggest fan of California, but he’ll be more chill with it if he is able to convince my cousins to let me stay with them, at least until I can afford a dorm or something.”

I nodded, understanding. To be honest, I really wanted to help Viney pay for a dorm and whatever she needed, but there was absolutely no chance of her accepting my money. In fact, Viney often tensed up whenever money was brought up, so I’d normally say a joke or something funny to lighten the tension.

“That’s considerate of you,” I observed, referring to her kindness to her father. Viney was kind to everyone, which was another reason I liked her. In fact, Viney was quite likeable, but being the weird kid who managed to set something on fire during class, people tended to avoid her or stare at her oddly in the hallways. I, of course, had noticed this, and so had she, but Viney found it easier to ignore others than I did. But to be fair, she didn’t grow up having to attend galas or be cautious of any PR related incidents.

“Thanks,” said Viney, blushing.

I nodded. “Of course,” I replied, thinking carefully.

An idea was forming in my mind. I felt the need to celebrate Viney’s acceptance letter. Not a full party, but maybe something as simple and buying her something while we were in town.

“You know what? We should celebrate. After lunch I could buy you some clothes or… whatever Leavenworth has!” I exclaimed, swinging my arm.

Viney chuckled, considering my suggestion. “I don’t know… It’s not that big of a deal,” she replied, shrugging while biting into a piece of lettuce.

I stared at Viney, a blank expression on my face. “Are you serious?” I asked, trying not to be too rude or disrespectful.

“What?”

“How is it not a big deal? Pardon me, but getting into your dream school, at least I think it’s your dream school, is a big fricking deal, Viney,” I explained, scolding her. “I am buying something, and you will let me do so.”

Viney raised her eyebrows, smirking. “I mean,” she started, but I cut her off.

“Please?” I begged, putting on a sad expression. “If you feel bad getting something, then think of this this way. You’re giving me the opportunity to buy you something and enjoy shopping with someone for once.”

Viney thought once more, concentrated on her fries for some reason. After a few seconds of a tense silence, she spoke. “I- Fine,” she mumbled, sighing.

I grinned, my face lighting up. “Yes, thank you. I promise you won’t regret it,” I added, setting the half of my sandwich off to the side. After finishing my fries, I didn’t feel like finishing my meal.

“That’s not very reassuring, but alright,” chuckled Viney, taking another sip of water.

“Hey, I have taste,” I noted. “Besides, I normally only shop for myself, so it’ll be fun finding something you’d like.”

“Oh, you don’t shop for friends or anything?”

I shrugged, my face suddenly a dark pink. “I mean, I suppose I have, but they were never really ‘friend’ friends. They were just people that Alador or Odalia found me fit to hang out with. They’re quite boring anyways, so Ed and I just decided to ditch them and hang out together,” I explained, hoping I wouldn’t receive any of Viney’s pity.

“Oh,” she said, taking in what I’d said, suddenly quieter. “I’m sorry about that. Is that why you and Ed are so close?”

Nodding, I replied, “Yeah, we’ve had to put up with each other for eighteen years, so we’re basically attached to each other.” After having some water, I continued. “But to rephrase what I said, this is one of the first times I’ll actually enjoy shopping with someone that I have an actual relationship with.”

Viney smiled. “That makes a bit more sense.”

“Yes, hopefully.”

“Oh, where do you have in mind for shopping? You probably know the stores here better than I do,” asked Viney, finishing the last bite of her salad.

I thought for a moment. I couldn’t recall many shops in Leavenworth, as Odalia and Alador rarely let us stay here overnight. Of course, Ed and I had driven up here a few times while cutting classes, but we had mainly gone down the river or gotten coffee, rather than exploring the town. However, I could name a few stores that either sold clothes or probably did.

“Well, there’s not a whole lot, but I know there’s some Leavenworth T-Shirt and Hat store, or whatever it’s called, as I don’t recall. I know there’s also a jubilee a few blocks away,” I explained, trying to think of more stores.

Viney grinned. “Jubilee is nice. My dad used to take me to one whenever we went on a vacation there. Have you ever been?”

I shook my head. There was no way I would’ve been able to set foot in there without Odalia breaking my legs. I still couldn’t decide whether she’d actually do that or not. Ed and I had only gotten ice cream or taffy in the past. Neither of us liked shopping for clothes or jewelry with each other. We had done that once, but it ended with Ed and I getting into a heated argument about the correct way to wear a certain hat.

I decided to just answer the short version. “I wish, yet Odalia never allowed me in there. And besides, normally we just stop in Leavenworth for gas or go down to the river, rather than exploring the shops or staying overnight,” I explained.

“That’s a bummer. It’s a wonderful town,” noted Viney, setting her empty dishes aside.

“Oh, for sure. If we’d brought a change of clothes and a raft, we could’ve gone down the river as well. Perhaps we could do that… another time,” I proposed, wiping a bit of ketchup off my lip.

Viney raised her eyebrows. “Are you suggesting another date?” she asked, a clever smile forming on the edges of her lips.

I smirked, nodding. “Maybe I am.”

“Well, I’ll check my calendar when we get back and I’ll text you possible dates, if that works,” added Viney, glancing down at her glass of water. She quickly drank the rest of it, setting the glass back down once she was finished.

“Yes, that does work,” I confirmed. “Are you ready to go?” I asked.

Viney nodded. “Yes, but I need to get a box for my fries,” she noted, glancing at the cashier, who was currently taking the orders of other customers.

“Once again, we could’ve split them,” I sighed, jokingly.

Viney shot me a glare. “You already ate all of yours!” she exclaimed, gesturing to the empty dish that the fries had been delivered on.

I jokingly narrowed my eyes at her. “Wow, are you shaming my appetite?” I asked.

“Possibly.”

“I expected better of you, Viney.”

Viney chuckled. “Oh, of course you did. I’m sorry that I have to prove you wrong on multiple accounts,” she replied.

“You’re so flirty,” I observed, earning an eye roll from her.

“You’re one to talk.”

“Oh, am I?” I asked, accidentally in a flirty tone.

Viney laughed. “Yes, just like that! We’re both flirty, although you normally just blush. I think I’m smoother at it,” she exclaimed.

As if on cue, I blushed. “No comment,” I replied.

“If you say so,” hummed Viney standing up from the table. “But we both know I’m right.” Viney grabbed her dishes, getting ready to put them in the bin for dirty dishes, which stood near the recycling and trash can.

“Once again, no comment,” I added, watching as Viney took her dishes across the room.

She shot me a flirty smile, causing my face to flush red once more.

Viney and I ended up heading to Jubilee. The room was decorated in bright colors, normally from clothes. There were tables full of earrings, candles, purses, necklaces, and quite a few other things. Some of the rings had interested me, but I could easily tell that the paint would’ve chipped off shortly after purchasing it.

Other than a few items, the quality was decent for most. I hadn’t seen many things like what were on display in the store, which made them even more interesting.

When looking at a rack, I noticed a blouse. It had a nice pattern, and was mainly a dark, murky green. I picked it up, as it instantly reminded me of Viney. Specifically, her eyes, which I’d spent a long time staring at.

“Hey, this blouse might look nice on you,” I commented, drawing Viney’s attention towards the top that I was holding up.

Viney walked over to me. “You think so?” she asked, looking over the shirt.

“Yeah, it brings out the color of your eyes,” I explained, referring to Viney’s murky green eyes.

Shrugging, she replied, “I guess so. My eyes are an ugly color, so I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.” Viney turned back to the bracelets that she’d been staring at previously.

“Oh come on, Viney. Your eyes are gorgeous,” I complimented her. It wasn’ much of a compliment, just the truth.

Viney blushed. “Aw, thanks, Em,” she thanked me, trying on a leather bracelet. “That means a lot, but I don’t know of any special occasions that I’d wear a blouse for anyways.”

“Oh, of course. No need to thank me for being honest,” I assured her, glancing at the rest of the bracelets Viney was nearby.

“You’re making me blush,” admitted Viney quietly, her face a bright red.

“That’s just you falling for my charm,” I joked, looking at some of the dangling earrings that hung from a piece of foam. I looked at the triangular shapes and the dark green colors. They were quite pretty. I could see myself wearing them, yet I knew Odalia wouldn’t stand for it, especially if she ended up at the manor one day, inspecting my wardrobe, something that she did quite often.

“I suppose so.” Viney took a bracelet off and moved on to a selection of handbags. “This is just more evidence of you being a big flirt.”

I blushed as well. “I regret speaking now,” I murmured, admiring some other earrings.

“Can’t take it back.”

“Fine, have it your way,” I chuckled.

We continued browsing in silence. I figured out loud chatting had annoyed the cashier up front, but she didn’t seem to mind, or at least didn’t say anything about it.

“Ooh, this is a nice handbag,” commented Viney, staring at a pretty black handbag. It seemed to be made out of leather, but I couldn’t tell from where I stood.

Walking over to her, I asked, “Is it something you’d like?”

“Erm, never mind,” Viney muttered, glancing at what I assumed was the price tag.

“What is it?”

“It’s way over budget for me,” she whispered, clearly embarrassed.

I rolled my eyes. “And that’s a problem because?” I asked. Viney seemed to have forgotten that I was intending on buying her something. “I told you I’d buy something for you. Let me pay.”

“No, you paid for lunch, and the least I could do is buy you something, so you shopping for me is out of the question,” insisted Viney.

I wasn’t going to back down that easily. “Hey, it’s fine. I have… stuff to spare,” I murmured, stopping myself from mentioning how much money I had again. “If it makes you feel any better, you could buy me a small bracelet or something.”

Biney thought for a moment, but shook her head after glancing around the store. “Well, that’s not an awful idea, but none of these are something you’d wear,” she noted, staring at the leather bracelet she’d picked up earlier.

“Viney, I’d love whatever you got me,” I admitted. It wasn’t the complete truth, seeing as I did have a specific taste, but I would at least like whatever she got me. I’d make a point to wear it whenever I was around her, as anything from Viney meant a lot.

Viney sighed after thinking a bit more. “Fine, but don’t vomit when you see it.”

I chuckled. “You think so low of me.”

Viney rolled her eyes. “I’m kidding,” she added, admiring the bracelets once more.

“I know, I’m teasing.”

“I know, I’m just messing with you,” continued Viney, smirking.

“Wow, are we a great match or what?” I asked, leaning against the wall, holding the small handbag Viney had picked out previously.

Viney chuckled, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes. “Yes, you make an excellent point. We’re definitely a great match. Nay, the greatest,” she confirmed, still smirking.

“You’re the greatest,” I thought out loud, not intending Viney to hear me. My face flushed red once the words left my mouth, but Viney just smiled happily at my accidental compliment.

“Thanks, Em,” she replied, holding up a bracelet that was made of black beads. “Got it.”

“Aw, you’re not gonna say it back?” I joked, following Viney towards the counter.

“Fine, you’re the greatest,” she whispered, setting the bracelet on the counter.

“You lack enthusiasm,” I noted, watching as Viney paid the cashier, who seemed to be eyeing us suspiciously.

“Oh, whatever,” whispered Viney as she received her change.

I paid for the handbag as well, handing it to Viney as we exited the store.

She ended up apologizing for making me pay quite a few times throughout the walk to the car, even though I had volunteered to. If Ed had done that, it would’ve gotten on my nerves, but I liked Viney too much to even be slightly annoyed with her.

The car ride was slightly long, but Viney and I ended up jamming to her playlist, which had quite a bit of good songs on it. Of course, I listened to completely different songs, but I still thought her song selection was good.

And as promised, I did tell her the story behind the nickname ‘Mittens,’ which sent her into a laughing fit. Everything was going quite smoothly until Ed called me. Viney and I were around twenty minutes from Bonesburrow, so I was a bit confused when I got the call.

I instantly picked up, and was quickly shouted at by Ed.

“Em, you need to get back ASAP!” he shouted into the phone, causing Viney to wince from the volume.

I eyed her carefully, both of us looking quite concerned. I turned back to the phone, turning the volume down and putting it on speaker. “What the hell’s going on?” I asked, the panic in my voice clear.

“So you’re out with Viney, right?” asked Ed, who seemed to be breathing quickly.

“Err… yes. Why?” I asked, cautiously.

“Well, you need to get back soon. I said you were out on a walk, and they seemed to buy that,” murmured Ed, quickly rambling to himself about something that was inaudible.

“What?” I asked, confused. I looked to Viney, who seemed to be puzzled as well.

“What’s he talking about?” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the road, which seemed to be quite difficult with Ed on the other side of the call.

“Who are you talking about?” I asked, starting to get annoyed. I tried to think of who it could be. It wouldn’t be Amity, and nobody from school would check in on me- Suddenly, I realized who Ed was referring to. My stomach instantly dropped, and I felt sick. My eyes went wider than the tires of Vieny’s car, and my voice refused to work.

“Ed, what’s going on?” shouted Viney, swerving out of the way of a car. It seemed that with me having a panic attack beside her, it was very difficult to drive without crashing the car.

“Mom and Dad are back!” Ed shouted, causing Viney to slam the breaks on her car. Thankfully, there were no cars behind us.

He had confirmed what I had thought; our parents had finally returned. Apparently coming home at awful times was a skill of theirs, or maybe it had just been on their bucket list.

Viney quickly recovered from the initial shock, speeding the car back up. She looked at me, my jaw dropped.

I moved my mouth, trying to speak, yet nothing worked. I tried to speak, but no sound came out. Besides, I didn’t even know what to say.

“Ed, we’re on our way,” she assured him, grabbing my phone with a spare hand.

“Okay, but hurry!” instructed Ed, before Viney hung up.

I gasped for air, my mind slowly starting to function again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whispered to myself, speaking quickly. “We’re so fucking screwed.”

Chapter Text

As soon as we reached the road that went over the bridge, Viney slowed the car down, pulling over. I glanced outside quickly, my heart still beating quickly.

I’d managed to calm down in the twenty four minutes it took to get there, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t panicking about it. While Odalia and Alador were normally tolerable, they were always more strict after a trip. Besides, I had no idea why they’d gone, but them going because of me made the most sense. Maybe they were looking for electroshock therapy or something.

But all jokes aside, I was nervous as hell. Even that’s an understatement. Luckily, Ed had told them I was on a walk, but I’d have to come up with a walk that took over twenty minutes. At least I was a good liar, but that didn’t make it any less nerve wracking.

“Here’s your stop,” sighed Viney, drawing my attention back to her.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, unbuckling my seat belt. “And look, I’m really, really sorry about all this.” I frowned, a sad expression on my face.

Viney sadly smiled, which honestly, relaxed me a bit. “It’s fine, Em,” she replied, her voice soothing. Viney’s tone was calm, which helped a bit.

I shook my head, still sitting beside her. “I mean, not really. Obviously my parents will… complicate stuff,” I explained, trying not to focus on that. The news of their arrival had already put a damper on my mood, let alone ruin my hopes of seeing Viney as much as I did. “You know what? I’ll text you later, just once I’m in the clear. I’m sorry, Viney, I don’t know what to say or what to do.”

Viney sighed, exhaling slowly. “Honestly, neither do I,” she added, shrugging. “But hey, we’ll deal with this together, even if that means working it out later.”

I smiled, but not out of joy. I was quite lucky to be with Viney, who was still putting up with me and my messy problems.

“Alright,” I said, realizing I hadn’t responded.

Viney nodded and I climbed out of the car. But just as I started to turn away, she spoke once more.

“Well, this definitely sucks. Just be careful, with your parents and all,” suggested Viney, but it was more of instructions than a request. “Actually, just be careful with everything.”

I crouched down to see her, as the curb was high enough so that standing, I couldn’t see Viney too clearly, as her seat was low to the ground. “No promises, but I’ll try,” I joked, pointing finger guns at her. “And uh, thanks for everything.”

Viney blushed. “Of course. Best of luck.”

I nodded, unsure of what to say. I stood there for a second, either thinking of how awkward things were, or what to do when I go back to the manor.

“You should head back, just uh… in case they get suspicious,” noted Viney, looking up at me. She still bore a smile, but once again, it wasn’t a happy one.

I nodded once more, reaching towards the door. “Ah, thanks for reminding me. I should, uh, go,” I said, thankful that Viney had pointed that out.

Viney waved as the door slammed shut. Before she drove off, she mouthed ‘Text me later.’ I gave her a thumbs up, indicating that I understood her.

As soon as Viney was gone, I turned back to the bridge. Instantly, I ran at full speed. Sure, I was much quicker in the water, seeing as I was on the swim team for eight years, but I was still a fast runner.

I made my way down the road, a mere two minutes from the first security camera that the Manor had. I knew to slow down there, as running would make it obvious that I was hiding something. I was sure that my red face would do that anyways, but being punctual, well, not suspiciously late mattered more.

As soon as I neared the camera, I slowed down to a brisk walking pace. While my demeanor was quite calm, my thoughts were quite the opposite. “Fuck, I’m so fucking screwed. Everything was great-ish! Pretty good! But no, they had to get back today. Fucking today!” I thought to myself, not daring to say it out loud. “This is like some dramatic show. Everything’s perfect until things get too perfect and then, bam, something shitty happens!”

I continued to yell at myself, mentally, but I soon arrived at the manor. With a crushing feeling of despair, I pushed open the front doors. My stomach was clenched, and I felt as if I had a frog in my throat, which was an expression I’d rarely used.

“Oh, phew, there you are,” sighed Ed with relief, stepping into my field of vision.

I nodded, catching my breath. I suddenly remembered his call while Viney and I were in the car. Walking over to Ed, I spoke. “Hey, thanks so much,” I whispered, very grateful for his heads-up.

“Of course,” Ed replied, keeping his voice low as well. “You’d do the same for Amity or I, so it’s no biggie.” Ed fidgeted with his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. There wasn’t much point, as it sprang back to its original position.

“Speaking of Amity, is she doing… okay?” I asked, focusing my attention back on her. Of course Amity didn’t have as many issues with Alador and Odalia and I did, but that didn’t stop her from being so damn stressed around them. I knew they were extra hard on her, especially compared to Ed and I, so I’d be concerned from time to time. Yet, Amity hadn’t really spoken about them much, so I wasn’t entirely sure of her views on them.

Ed shrugged, glaring at his hair. “I don’t know,” he admitted, glancing back at me before looking back at the hair dangling in front of his face. “She definitely isn’t happy about it, but I didn’t hear any sobbing or whatever, so it’s probably fine.

I nodded. I knew that the lack of sobbing didn’t indicate how she felt, but I didn’t feel like striking up a conversation about Amity’s potential tears. “Ehh, that’s probably good. Well, hopefully good,” I replied, sighing.

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” I said, suddenly thinking of something. “Speaking of them, do you know where-” But before I could get my full question out, Odalia walked down the steps, clearing her throat.

As soon as our eyes met, I felt a lump in the back of my throat. It was so bad that I almost vomited, but I kept it down, beginning to fidget. I moved my hand behind my back, hiding my twitching fingers.

“I’m glad you returned from your... What was it again?” asked Odalia, smirking. I instantly realized it was a trap, so I replied quickly.

“Walk. I went on a walk,” I replied, watching as the corners of Odalia’s smile fell. It was barely noticeable, but it was easy for me, as she and Alador rarely showed much emotion.

I suddenly realized that there was an unfamiliar weight on my wrist. “The bracelet!” I thought to myself, quickly pushing it up my sleeve, hoping Odalia wouldn’t notice it.

She eyed me suspiciously for a moment, but must’ve decided it was nothing, as she looked away. “Oh, yes, I forgot,” she replied, breaking the tense silence.

“Do you need something?” I asked, disregarding the gut feeling to use a more respectful tone when speaking to such a terrifying woman. Well, she wasn’t as terrifying anymore, but I still found myself cowering in fear.

“Watch your tone, and yes. Please accompany me to your father’s study,” explained Odalia, abruptly turning to Edric once finished speaking. “And Edric, go clean that disgusting room of yours.” Odalia sneered as she spoke, probably remembering the mountains of clothes and mysterious items in Ed’s room.

Ed slowly nodded, sighing. He seemed defeated that she’d found the stuff in his room already, but nevertheless, he shuffled up the stairs to clean it. But before Ed turned the corner, he glanced at me, as if to ask whether I was okay.

I assumed he was asking that, so I nodded.

Ed must’ve taken that well, as he smiled sadly, continuing his walk up the stairs.

Once he was gone, I turned back to face Odalia, whose eyes were narrowed. She beckoned towards me, gesturing to Alador’s study, which was down the hallway of the first floor.

Reluctantly, I followed her, resisting the urge to smash a vase and run for my life. That’d be a dream true, minus it being a literal death wish.

When we arrived in Alador’s study, Odalia opened the door, inviting me inside. Well, the invitation was more of a threat, based off her expression.

I turned to face Alador, who sat at the mahogany desk that sat in front of the window. The ceiling lights were off, and instead, the small desk lamp beside a tidy stack of papers illuminated the room. I never understood why Alador and Odalia seemed to despise light, but I didn’t care enough to ask them.

“Greetings, Emira,” said Alador, his voice deep.

I glanced up at him, biting my lip so that it wouldn’t quiver. As much as I tried to behave normally, like I was unbreakable, I barely could. As tough as I was, or seemed to be, I was a bit terrified.

I sighed, wanting to roll my eyes at what he’d said, but didn’t. “Okay, I think we can be informal enough to skip the greetings. What do you really want?” I asked, feeling Odalia’s sharp gaze cutting into my neck. I smirked, a tad glad that one sentence had annoyed her so much.

“Watch your attitude. Being rude most certainly won’t help your case,” ordered Alador, stacking a few loose papers that previously sat on his desk. He made sure they were tidy and straight. Ironically, he wanted the same for me. But of course, I had to disappoint him about that.

Honestly, I found it quite hilarious how repalled Alador and Odalia were about my sexuality. I knew I could use it against them, but I didn’t want to while I still lived under their roof.

I glanced at odalia from the corner of my eyes, who was visibly frustrated with me. “Right,” I murmured, looking back at Alador, who was busy once more, searching hid desk drawers for something.

After a few seconds, he pulled out a match and a cigarette. As much as he and Odalia hated drugs and anything of the sort, Alador was a smoker. I had never seen him go a day without a cigarette. Honestly, I hoped he’d get lung cancer some day. That would be karma for sure. Yet, one can only wish to dream.

Alador finally spoke once more, cutting the awkward silence that had previously filled the room. “Ah yes, I suppose we could be a bit informal,” said Alador, repositioning himself in his leather chair. “Keep in mind that I only said a bit.” Alador held the cigarette to his mouth and inhaled a bit of smoke. A mere second later, he puffed it back out, causing a grey cloud to disperse across the room.

Odalia flinched as she breathed in the smoke, yet didn’t say anything about it.

“Duly noted. And you know, we can start discussing whatever this is,” I replied, accidentally letting my guard down a bit. I had suddenly gone from a nervous child to someone speaking with a bit of disrespect to their parents. Quite frankly, I was still nervous, but I was an amazing liar, which involved changing my mood completely to seem rather calm and collected. However, it seemed as if Alador could see right through me.

“Ah, I must admit, I’ve always been fond of your initiative. You always know what you want and how to get it. Well, I’ve been fond until recently,” continued Alador, holding the cigarette away from his mouth for a moment. “But yes, I’ll get right to it. Your college applications came a while ago.”

My jaw dropped, and I instantly felt my cheeks go hot. “What the hell-” I burst out, causing Odalia to glare like daggers at me. “Why wasn’t I informed?”

Alador smirked. “Please, we control what mail reaches here, and what you see. A little money goes a long way, you know,” he explained, puffing another cloud of thick smoke. “You don’t need to know the details, but we’ve enrolled you at Hexisde University, your dream school.”

“Quite generously, might I add,” commented Odalia, a smirk on her face as well.

I thought for a moment. I was curious as to why they would even enroll me there, as they had nothing to gain from it, at least I thought so. “So you controlled my enrollment?” I asked, thinking out loud. “Bribery, I presume?”

I didn’t get a response, so I continued.

“But why Hexside? Why my first pick? What’s in it for you?” I asked, watching as a smile crept its way onto Alador’s face. My face went pale as I began to think of different reasons. None of them were joyful, especially for me.

“Cunning as always,” said Alador, beaming with pride. Well, at least what seemed to be pride. “Your mother and I wish to make an agreement with you. A deal if you will.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“As you know, we also control your money, for the time being. And as you also know, we’re in charge of a suitable amount of tuition money,” continued Alador, pausing to let me connect the dots, if there were any.

I opened my mouth to speak, but didn’t. Instead, I thought for a moment. Mentioning money and tuition… most likely… a threat regarding my finances.

“Is this a threat?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Don’t ask silly questions,” instructed Odalia, smiling.

“A threat’s an exaggeration, Emira,” explained Alador, expecting that I’d believe him. I didn’t. “You probably think college is a place for piercings and edgy haircuts, or having a female partner.” As Alador said partner, he did air quotes with his hands.

I clenched my firsts, refraining from smacking that grin off his face.

“Truthfully, that’s simply not the case at all.”

I raised an eyebrow as I asked, “So what is the case?”

“You will return home for every event of ours, such as galas,” instructed Odalia, finishing what Alador had started saying. I turned to her as she paced across the room. “Additionally, you will be forbidden from doing anything we disagree with. If you end up doing something… such as having a girlfriend, which of course, is unnatural, your tuition won’t be paid.” Odalia grimaced when she said girlfriend, causing my stomach to clench once more.

My eyes went wide as what she said dawned on me. “The hell? Is that even legal?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

Alador chuckled, puffing more smoke into the room. “I can assure you, whether this abides by the law or not is no concern to us. Going to someone will do nothing but cause problems. Is that understood?” he continued, eyeing me carefully.

I started to say yes, but stopped myself, as I had a final question. “What if I don’t abide by this agreement?” I asked, crossing my arms.

Odalia laughed daintily, almost making me want to vomit. “I believe you know what will happen,” she replied, leaving me to think of what could happen. “You’re dismissed.”

I quickly left the room, hurting upstairs. On the bright side, I’d gotten into Hexside. On the very, very, cloudy and rainy side, they had threatened me. I knew leaving for college would be complicated, but I didn’t think it’d be that complex.

Honestly, the only option I could think of was to run off. I had previously considered it, but it’d only work if I had a plan.

As I neared Amity’s room, which I was going to for some subconscious reason, I decided to reconsider running off a different time. It would be a conversation to have with myself, or Ed, possibly Viney, as well, that would be best closer to graduation.

I sighed, clearing my mind of all the urges that involved hopping in my car and driving until Bonesburrow was behind me. Instead of thinking about that, I knocked three times on Amity’s door. As soon as my fist left the wood, the door creaked open.

Amity shuffled back to her bed, falling onto it. I turned to the door, closed it, and turned back to face Amity. As soon as our eyes met, I noticed that her face was bright red and her eyes were puffy. She’d most definitely been crying at some point.

“Oh, Amity… are you okay?” I asked, sitting down beside her, turning to face her.

Amity sighed, shrugging. She looked down to the floor as she replied. “No offense, but that’s a really stupid question,” she murmured.

I chuckled, nodding, as she had a point. “True. That’s a good point,” I noted, swinging one leg onto the other. “But seriously, what’s going on? Did Alador or Odalia do anything?” Had they not been our parents, I would’ve most definitely done something to get back at them for messing with my sister. Hell, they’d messed with our whole lives. But unfortunately, messing with Alador and Odalia would be the same as digging a grave for me.

Amity bit her lip, hesitant to speak. But after a second, she did. “Well, yes, but that’s not the whole reason I’m a mess,” she admitted, looking up to meet my gaze.

“Hey, you’re not a mess,” I said, a sad smile on my face. It felt a bit weird suddenly talking to Amity about stuff like this, but hey, she needed to be comforted. “I’m a hot mess, emphasis on hot. And you know, I’m a hot mess because of other reasons, but not for being emotional. I know you like to shut off your emotions and be all robotic, but crying's a perfectly normal reaction, Amity.” I wrapped my arm around Amity’s shoulder, which was basically a hug without all the effort.

Amity sniffed as she wiped a tear off her cheek. “I guess you’re right,” she whispered, speaking at such a low volume that I barely heard her.

“Always am!”

Amity scowled at me.

“Joking, joking,” I added.

Amity leaned against me, sighing once more. “Look, I try not to be embarrassed about… well, all of this, but it’s hard,” she admitted. Amity scooted up, regaining a better posture. “I mean, I went as far as learning how to cry silently.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but words didn’t come out, as I was a bit unsure what to say. As I thought about what Amity had said, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Of course that was the case… “I’m so stupid. Ed and I probably messed with her and made it worse, when we thought she was chill,” I thought to myself, face palming.

“Can you say something?” whispered Amity, looking up at me.

I nodded, silently apologizing. “So… you could’ve been quite upset and Ed and I would just mess around, assuming you were fine since you were a bit calm…” I said, thinking out loud.

“Yeah,” mumbled Amity, a guilty expression on her face. I figured she felt bad for not telling us, but there was no reason to. Amity wasn’t the one who terrorized her siblings for most of their childhood.

“Wow, I actually feel awful,” I admitted, exhaling slowly.

Amity shifted, looking up at me. “Em, it’s fin-” she started, but I cut her off.

“No, look, I feel bad. And I’m not saying I won’t keep messing with you, because we both know I will, but please let me know if there’s ever a point where you just can’t deal with Ed or I, okay?” I asked, eyeing Amity carefully.

“Okay,” she mumbled, hopefully agreeing that it was a decent plan.

I figured Amity would love it if we didn’t mess with her, but that was practically impossible. I’d rather make out with a horse, using tongue, than stop messing with Amity forever. The example’s odd, but I’d seen someone do that on a dare. (That someone being Ed).

“Also, I will revoke that promise if you abuse its power.”

Amity groaned, probably having an evil plan in her mind alright. “Fine,” she muttered, shoving me a bit.

I pushed her back, but not too hard.

While Amity chuckled, I prepared myself for a more serious conversation, as I at least owed her that. “And you can say no, but do you want to talk about anything?” I asked. Amity nodded slowly, realizing what I’d truly meant; “hey, want to talk about why you were bawling your eyes out?”

“Sure.”

“Okay,” I said, pulling Amity towards me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, letting her know that I got her back, and was there to support her. Normally I’d be disgusted by how sappy and sweet we were, but I decided to let it slide this one time.

“Well, you know that girl I mentioned?” asked Amity, forgetting that all of her friends were girls.

“That could literally be anyone,” I replied, snickering.

“Oh, right,” muttered Amity, probably annoyed with herself, even over something as microscopic as that. “Sorry, I mean the girl I mentioned when we were on the roof.”

“Ohhh, Luz?” I asked, remembering who Amity had mentioned. She’d described Luz as annoying, so I started to wonder what Luz had done now. However, she and Amity seemed to be quite friends, so I doubted Luz had done anything bad. I suddenly remembered that Viney had briefly mentioned hanging out with Luz at the animal shelter. Apparently she went there to see the cute animals or something. “I think Viney’s friends with her or something.”

Amity nodded. “Probably. I see them hang out a lot,” she noted, gesturing with her hands, which she did often. “Anyway, I think Luz and I might be… friends. I’m not sure, but I hope so.”

I grinned. “Oh, that’s great!” I exclaimed, causing Amity to roll her eyes. I was a bit surprised that Amity would hang out with such an awesome girl. Specifically, one who also landed herself in detention for accidentally pulling the fire alarm a few weeks ago. I’d seen Luz around the school and it was safe to say that she was too charming, upbeat, and chaotic for Amity. Well, at least I thought so.

“Yeah.”

“Good for you!” I added in a cheery tone as to not seem sarcastic.

“Well, yes, but I don’t think I want to be friends,” Amity admitted, suddenly looking at the floor. Amity was holding her hands and her face was as red as a tomato. I’ve been told that Blights blush a lot, and Amity was walking proof of that.

I perked up, a tad confused. “Oh, then why did you hope you’re friends? Sorry, I’m confused,” I asked, my left eyebrow raised.

Em bit her lip, hesitant to speak. “I mean, I hope we’re friends, but I-” she mumbled something inaudible, which I couldn’t hear.

“What’d you say?” I asked, wondering what on earth Amity had meant.

“I maybe… possibly, slightly, want to be… more than friends,” Amity hissed, her red face even brighter. Amity covered her face with her hands, unable to look me in the eyes.

To be fair, it would make sense to tell me this, seeing as I was the “Official Closeted Blight Lesbian,” as Ed had onced called me, but it was also very valid to be embarrassed about liking a girl. And Amity, a girl who knew I was already screwed for being a lesbian, would most definitely be crushing under the stress of it all.

“Aw, I thought I was the token clumsy lesbian,” I joked. Suddenly, I realized Amity could easily be bisexual, pansexual, exectra. “Well, assuming you only like girls. Which of course, doesn’t have to be the case.”

Amity finally looked up at me, her hands now at her side. She sighed, deep in thought. “I don’t know… I mean, I’ve never liked guys, but I- I’m not sure yet,” Amity explained, eyeing me carefully, watching my expression like a hawk.

I patted her on the shoulder, doing my best to comfort her. “That’s understandable, and perfectly fine,” I said, pulling Amity into a “hug without the effort” again. “Honestly, I don’t know how Ed likes guys, since most suck.”

“Well, he likes sweet guys,” noted Amity, glancing at the window and then back to me. “I’m pretty sure that jerbo’s the kindest guy I’ve ever met, so it makes-”

My eyes went wide as I pieced together what Amity was referring to. Unable to wait a second more, I interrupted Amity, mid sentence. “Wait, Ed likes Jerbo?” I asked, practically shouting. It struck me that Ed could be nearby, so I took my volume down a notch. “Oops.”

Amity’s eyes went wide as she realized that she’d slipped up. “Shit, Ed made me promise not to tell you,” she muttered, face palming again.

“Ed likes JERBO?” I asked once more, still unable to believe it. “Damnnnnn.” As I thought about it, it made perfect sense. They’d hung out long before Viney and I had, constantly called each other during the evening, and talked about each other a lot, according to Viney.

Amity stood up, pacing back and forth. “Dammit. I- well, he just didn’t want to tease him,” explained Amity, turning to face me. “And please don’t say anything…”

I held my hands up, stopping her. “Hey, hey, I won’t say or do anything. I could always lock them in a small closet for a while and see how that plays out,” I mumbled, causing Amity to glare. I hadn’t meant for her to hear that. “Ay, it’s just a joke. A great plan as well, but I guess I can’t do anything.”

“You better not-”

I clasped my hands together, putting on a rather innocent smile. “Thank you for this newfound piece of information,” I said, thanking Amity, who sighed.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” asked Amity, who was clearly annoyed with me.

I nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, most definitely!” I chirped.

“Dang it.”

I chuckled, watching Amity plop back onto the bed, groaning and muttering something under her breath. Rather than asking what she’d said, I just assumed it was about me, which was quite likely, and probably the case.

After a bit of silence on my part, as Amity was still groaning, I spoke, changing topics quickly. “But seriously, thanks for trusting me with this, especially the part about your crush-,” I said, but stopped, noticing Amity’s expression. She looked as if she wanted to stab me.

“I’ll stop,” I sighed. Suddenly, my face lit up as an idea popped into my head. “You know… I could lock you and Luz in a broom closet…”

“Em, I swear to god-” mumbled Amity, positioning herself so she could kick me. Quickly, Amity struck her leg at me, but I decided against retaliating.

“Fine, fine. But seriously, thanks. I’m always here if you need stuff,” I continued, watching as Amity let a smile form at the edges of her lips.

“Yeah, well, you’ve probably dealt with this before, so I don’t know who else to go to,” admitted Amity, sitting up.

“That’s correct,” I replied, confirming what she’d said. “Well, I didn’t handle it this well, and I didn’t have an awesome sister to reach out to. But hey, you do, so I’ll be here for you no matter what. However, that’s debatable if you commit murder.”

Amity chuckled, now grinning. “Well,” she mumbled, not meeting my eyes, “I don’t know about awesome.”

I gasped, joking around. “Wow, so rude,” I said, placing a hand over my heart.

“I’m joking!” explained Amity, rolling her eyes. She said something else, which sounded like ‘not really,’ but I couldn’t be sure.

Suddenly, my phone dinged from within my pocket. I reached over and pulled it out. Checking my notifications, I noticed the text from Viney.

Viney: Hey, everything okay? <3

“What’s that?” asked Amity, peering over my shoulder.

“Nothing, just a text from a friend,” ir replied, unlocking my phone. Unfortunately, I was unable to tilt the phone away before Amity saw that. As she spoke, I quickly typed out “yeah, I’ll call you later. Hanging w/ Amity rn,” and sent it.

Viney quickly replied with a thumbs up.

Amity smirked. “A friend, huh?” she asked.

I blushed, turning my phone off and pocketting it. “Shut up,” I murmured, narrowing my eyes at Amity, who’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, is THAT why Viney slept over?” she asked, nearly falling off the bed.

“Fuck,” I muttered, clenching my face. “How the hell- You knew about that?” I had never felt so embarrassed in my life, or at least it felt like that in the moment,

Amity nodded, howling with laughter. She buckled over, trying to calm herself down. “Yeah, Ed may be clueless, but I’m not,” she managed to say once she was finished laughing.

I groaned. “Shit, I mean, that’s fine. Totally fine… Nothing happened anyways,” I murmured, my face a pink-ish red.

Amity grinned, an evil smile on her face. “Well, Viney waking up here doesn’t say that,” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

“You’re the worst,” I mumbled. “But seriously, nothing did. We just kissed, had applesblood, and eventually fell asleep. Well, that’s what we think happened.”

Amity sat there for a moment, silent. I eyed her expression carefully, figuring that she must be piecing the pieces together. “Ew, okay… but wait, how’d Viney leave?” Amity asked, curious.

I was quite tempted to say magic, but I knew Amity would be even more annoyed with me. “She might’ve climbed down the trellis outside my window,” I explained, rubbing the back of my neck.

Amity laughed. “Oh, that’s hilarious.”

“Hey, I didn't ask for your opinion,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. I stood up, watching as Amity continued to laugh. “You know what? I’m going to call my wonderful girlfriend, who doesn’t make fun of me.”

“I highly- doubt- that,” exclaimed Amity in between laughs, watching as I groaned, leaving her room.

____________________________________________________________________________

I drove down the road, tears in my eyes. I breathed in and out quickly, my anxiety spiking. I couldn’t believe what they’d said. Of course, I’d seen it coming, but not this early.

“Fucking assholes,” I mumured, resisting the strong urge to slam my hand down on the horn. Instead, I continued driving down the road, my windshield wipers moving back and forth in the rain. I found it ironic how it was raining at the same time I was crying, but it wasn’t fun. Instead, it was another reminder of how screwed up everything was.

Everything was doomed, and per usual, I was running away. But this time, I actually had someone who cared about me (other than my siblings) who I could go to. Of course, I didn’t think it through. I didn’t stop to consider why they’d be up at that hour. But when your parents threaten

Chapter Text

Quite honestly, I didn’t know why I showed up at Viney’s house. Of course, if Viney showed up on my porch, in the rain, with mascara running down her cheeks, I obviously would’ve let her in. However, I didn’t expect Viney to do the same to do the same. Well, that was a lie, seeing as I did expect her to at least talk with me, but not sit me down and make tea for me.

Unfortunately, Viney’s dad had been the one to open the front door. I’m not sure what he’d been expecting, but it most certainly wasn’t his daughter’s crying girlfriend. But luckily for me, he skipped asking questions and rather than shouting at me to scram, invited me in and went to get Viney. I made a mental note for later that Viney’s dad was quite kind and most definitely a great dad, although my standards for parenting were low.

Viney had been a bit annoyed at the time I’d shown up, which was around eleven at night, but regardless of whatever anger she was feeling, she instantly pulled me into her room.

As I sat on the edge of the couch that sat in Viney’s room, wrapped in a towel, she walked up to me, sitting down beside me.

“Hey,” said Viney, gently handing me a steaming mug of tea.

“Hey,” I replied back shyly, feeling extremely guilty for showing up at that hour, and just showing up at all. However, I didn’t know where else to go, nor did I have anyone else to talk with. Of course there was Ed, but per usual, he was back at the manor. Besides, I doubted Alador would want him to know about our argument.

It wasn’t that I respected Alador’s wishes, but he had a habit of questioning Ed. Besides, he read Ed better than the numbers in his bank account.

Viney leaned against me slightly, but still made sure to give me enough room. If it weren’t for the expression on her face I would’ve assumed that Viney was so thrilled of my presence, but that definitely wasn’t the case. It seemed like Viney hadn’t decided whether she was angry yet, but she would soon.

“I know you like coffee, especially disgusting black coffee,” started Viney, leaning back so she could turn to me, “but I’m awful at making it. Luckily for you, I can make a decent cup of tea.”

“It’s just boiling water, so I don’t know if it’s really a skill,” I chuckled, quickly adding a ‘thank you so much’ after.

The edges of Viney’s lips curled up into a small smile, but it didn’t spread to the rest of her face. After a moment of silence, which was disturbed by me slurping tea, Viney spoke again. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, hesitant.

I nodded. Talking was the main reason I’d come, but I knew Viney was asking why the hell I showed up at her house without letting her know in advance. Besides, I’m pretty sure her dad had woken her up, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

“That’s not an actual question, is it?” I asked, glancing up at Viney. I wrapped my fingers around the mug, instantly regretting it. I muttered a string of curse words to myself, setting the mug down on a small table beside the leg of the couch. I had forgotten that the tea was still very hot.

Viney smiled, seeming to be pleased with my observation. “Well, you showed up at Eleven Twenty Three PM, on my porch, without an explanation, so no,” sighed Viney, patting my shoulder gently.

I nodded. I had figured that to be the case. “I at least owe you that,” I mumbled, shifting to a more relaxed position. Viney was the one person I could let my guard down with, which somehow included my position. Rather than being curled up or preparing to attack, I could chill and just sit there, something I wasn’t quite used to.

“Honestly, yeah, you definitely do,” explained Viney, scratching her forehead. “I’m not too happy about being woken up, but you know it’s worth it to see you, right?”

I blushed. “Aw, so sweet,” I sighed, cupping my cheeks, earning a soft chuckle from Viney. I blinked, telling myself to get back on track. “I am so sorry, Viney. I figured you were up… I mean, I clearly didn’t think this through at all, but I kinda expected you to be up.”

Viney snickered. “It’s alright. But no, unlike you, I have a good sleep schedule, nor am I insane,” she added, making me roll my eyes. “I go to bed around nine or ten, not four AM.” Viney smirked, pleased at her comment.

“Going to bed around four isn’t that bad,” I mumbled, crossing my arms.

“It is when you leave your house, I mean manor, at seven.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I said, narrowing my eyes, joking.

Viney chuckled again. “I would be surprised that your lack of sleep hasn’t made you go crazy, but you probably have.”

I grinned. “Aww, you know me so well,” I said, only partially joking.

Truth be told, I’d probably gone crazy, but it was more of a relative term. I mean, if I existed fifty years ago, I’d probably be put in an asylum for certain things… such as liking girls. I mentally kicked myself for thinking about that again, something which I did often. I joked about homophobic stuff too much, which in this case, being put in a mental hospital.

Viney smirked. “I know you so well that it seems very in character for you to show up here, drenched in rain, and obviously very emotional,” noted Viney, quickly adding that being emotional wasn’t bad and she should've phrased it like that.

I shrugged, as I honestly didn’t care, nor did I notice it. But I gulped, realizing we still had to talk about that. “Err, right.. Back to that,” I mumbled. I didn’t hate talking with people about less cheery things, but it was often uncomfortable. Naturally, it was still taking me a bit to open up to Viney. But on the bright side, I enjoyed telling someone understanding about my problems and just annoying things in general. I definitely preferred happy conversations, and luckily for Viney and I, we had a lot.

Viney rubbed the back of her neck, visibly nervous. I figured she was trying to be polite while also ensuring that I told her, seeing as I owed her that, if not more. “Yeah, while you’re great, this reason better be good,” she explained. “I’m sure it is, but I’d love to know what it, you know?”

I nodded, understanding perfectly. “Don’t worry, it is,” I reassured her. “Well, probably. Hopefully…” I sighed, annoyed at my lack of confidence.

“Sorry, don’t stress yourself. You can tell me anything,” replied Viney calmly, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. Gesturing with her free hand, Viney added one last thing. “Well, don’t admit to a crime. I can’t deal with that.”

I raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled at the comment. “You’re… joking, right?” I asked, glancing at Viney curiously.

Viney didn’t reply. Her silence gave me an answer.

“Wow,” I chuckled, nodding my head. “No, I didn’t run over Ed or anything while driving to Starbucks to order coffee.”

Viney looked at me oddly, probably confused if that was a real example or not. It most definitely wasn’t, but apparently I hadn’t used enough sarcasm. “That’s oddly specific,” noted Viney, sticking out her bottom lip. “Well, I believe you anyway. What happened though?”

“A lot,” I murmured, a tad nervous. I hated having Viney deal with the huge burden I probably was, but she seemed… okay with it. I wasn’t too sure to be honest. “I mean, just promise you won’t be too mad.”

Viney narrowed her eyes. “I’ll be mad at whoever caused this, but not you,” she said slowly, deep in thought about what could’ve happened.

I nodded. “Noted,” I replied, making a mental note of what Viney had said.

“And I’m probably invading your privacy, so you don’t need to be specific. Even something like ‘I got into a huge fight’ is enough for me,” explained Viney, no longer wrapping her arm around me. Instead, she grabbed her hands, fidgeting a bit.

“No, it’s cool,” I reassured Viney, smiling at her. “I need to tell someone anyway, or I might explode.” I realized I had said the last bit too seriously so I chuckled, hoping it wouldn’t be taken seriously.

“Okay.”

“Alright, story time,” I said, grinning.

“You’re suddenly upbeat,” observed Viney, eyeing me cautiously.

I shrugged. “Well, I need to be dramatic when telling a story, so…” I trailed off, getting back to what I had to tell Viney.

“Ok, you do you,” chuckled Viney, trying not to laugh at the odd expression I had.

“Thank you,” I said, sighing after. “Well, I was having a uh… pretty interesting heated chat with Alador.” I watched as Viney’s eyebrows raised, eyes went wide, and then she deeply sighed.

“Oh no,” murmured Viney, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Yeah, he was giving me a whole talk about putting some distance between Amity and I. I thought he meant she was sick,” I joked, stifling a small nervous chuckle.

Viney stared at me like I was an unbelievable creature that had fallen out of the sky. “No offense,” she started, tilting her head to the side, “But how do you crack jokes about… all of this, you know?”

I shrugged. Viney had a good question, which was one that I was prepared to answer, although I wasn’t too sure if it even made sense. “The Blights have interesting coping mechanisms. Coping with trauma, anger, sadness, just anything bad. Ed goofs off and breaks stuff, Amity keeps it inside and shuts everyone out, and I use humor. I mean, I goof off too, but normally I just crack jokes about depressing things,” I explained, watching as Viney nodded before I continued. “Therapy would be better, but Alador and Odalia refuse to believe that their children have actual problems, especially those caused by them.”

Viney clenched her right fist. She spoke calmly, so I figured she assumed I hadn’t noticed it, or didn’t notice it herself. “Yeah, so I’m already annoyed with your parents, but I assume I’ll be more annoyed after?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I nodded. “That’s relatable, and yes,” I replied, answering Viney’s question. “Back to the story, I was arguing with him and all. But at one point Alador decided to show an example of the limits he’d go to, just to make sure Amity didn’t deal with others. So naturally, Alador brought up Amity’s old friend, Willow. Willow Park, you might know her?”

Viney shook her head. “Just because I know Luz doesn’t mean I know every single younger kid,” she explained, smirking. “Sorry though.”

Shaking my head as well, I replied, “No it’s cool. I didn’t expect you to.” I cracked my knuckles quickly, stretching a bit as I continued. “Willow and Amity were probably best buds, friends, whatever; when they were five or so. I doubt Alador or Odalia really learned much about Willow and her family. But apparently, Willow has two dads, two very gay dads, which, you know, deemed her unfit to be a friend of the ‘Great Blight Heir.” I did air quotes at the end, recalling when Odalia had referred to Amity as that.

“Oh damn,” murmured Viney, obviously concerned as to where this was going.

“Well, I wasn’t really affected by what Alador did, so I don’t know why I started sobbing as soon as I left his study, which is essentially the official place to have long talks with me,” I noted, still a tad confused about my reaction. Suddenly, I thought of a reason, which would’ve made the most sense. Rather than lacking more of an explanation, I suggested the reason. “Maybe it’s because I had to deal with Amity crying over Willow after she left.” I shrugged.

Viney nodded, gesturing to me. “That’s a completely valid reason. Besides, you don’t even need a reason for having emotions,” she reassured me, wrapping her left arm around me once more. “Emotions are what makes us human.” Viney smiled, which was quite comforting.

“I know, I’ve just never accepted it, and I’ve been told since I was a child that I need to control them, so it’s embarrassing,” I admitted, glancing down at the carpeted floor.

“That’s okay. I’m really sorry that happened, along with all the other shit Alador and Odalia pulled.” Viney cupped my cheek. “You can always tell me anything, and that includes your feelings.”

I smiled back, truly more content than I was a mere twenty minutes ago. The blanket and tea might’ve contributed to my contentment, but I knew it was most definitely Viney. “Thanks,” I replied, looking back at Viney.

“Oh, and sorry for interrupting,” apologized Viney. “I just thought you needed to hear that.”

“You weren’t,” I assured her.

“Ah.”

Rather than continue discussing emotions, feelings, and maybe robots, I went back to explaining my reason for being there. “Anyway, Alador might’ve slipped in some other things, awful things, that he did,” I mumbled.

“Such as?”

I sighed, trying to remain calm. “Apparently he uh… tipped off some cops and drugs and hired some dude to hide them. I- i don’t know the details, but Willow’s aunt had to pay bail. She barely did, and I think that’s why they moved,” I added, shakily breathing. Realizing I was staring at the ground, I looked at Viney, who was silent.

From experience, I had learned that when Viney was fuming, she was normally silent with a red face, just like she was then. I gulped, cautiously looking at Viney. “Vines, you okay?” I asked.

“What the fuck?” blurted out Viney, deeply disturbed by what Alador had done.

“I’ve never heard you say fuck before, so I’m guessing you’re super pissed,” I noted as I realized that Viney rarely sweared. If she did, it wasn’t something with such a strong meaning as ‘fuck.’

“That’s very accurate,” confirmed Viney, biting her lip.

I awkwardly chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. “Well, there’s another reason to hate Alador; not that you needed any more,” I added, sighing with relief as Viney relaxed a bit.

“That’s horrible,” she mumbled, not saying much more. Viney quickly shuddered, looking back at me. “I was already scared, but definitely not this badly.”

I gulped, hoping Viney wasn’t starting a new conversation, one that I didn’t want to have at all. “Mhm, I know,” I replied. It seemed like Viney might be heading down the slope to ‘this is so bad we need to break up,’ but I hoped she wasn’t. I pulled at my collar, giving myself a bit more room to breath. “And uh… if this is bad enough… Who am I kidding? It’s obviously bad enough to cause us to break up.”

Surprisingly, Viney’s head jerked up, her eyes wide. “Wait, we’re breaking up?” she asked, a more concerned look on her face.

I sighed, taking that as she didn’t think that. “Well, I don’t know, I thought you’d want to now,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. I couldn’t tell, but I’m pretty sure I had a very guilty and sad expression at once.

“Em, do you WANT to break up?” asked Viney, her eyes as wide as a car tire.

“Well, no, but I figured you might,” I started, beginning to ramble on. “Which of course, if you do, that’s definitely, totally, be perfectly fine-ish with me-”

Viney held up her hands, indicating that I needed to stop, which I quickly did. “We both know you’d cry over me for weeks,” laughed Viney.

I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms again. “Oh, whatever,” I mumbled.

“And no, I don’t want to break up.”

I sighed, quite relieved. I didn’t know why I even considered that, since there’s no way Viney would want to break up, but of course, I got worried about everything. “Phew, that’s such a fucking relief,” I admitted. “I just got nervous, since you seemed pretty spooked.”

Viney nodded. “Yeah, your comment about breaking up spooked me even more, but I get why you got nervous,” she said, placing her hand over her heart. “But come on, Em, there’s no way I’d dump the girl I love.” As soon as the world ‘love’ left Viney’s mouth, her eyes went wide again and so did mine.

“Love?”

“Shit, I didn’t- Well, no, I- No, I did,” muttered Viney to herself. She sighed, regained her composure, and continued. “I- that slipped out. I’m so sorry-”

I cut Viney off. “Awww, I love you too,” I admitted, using a sing-song voice. However, in my mind, I was screaming. Were we moving too fast? Of course. Well, at least by my standards. Was that a problem? Not really, but it sure didn’t help my anxiety. Did I love Viney? Yes, absolutely. At least I thought it was love- I smacked myself, but physically this time. “Sorry, I’m just going crazy right now.”

Viney looked at me, a concerned expression returning to her face. “About?...”

“Oh, just if we’re moving too fast.”

Viney chuckled. “Oh, most definitely,” she answered.

“We’re the definition of U-Haul Lesbians, aren’t we?” I asked, smirking. I was still kind of panicking, but it was fine enough that I could shove it down and actually function for once.

Viney chuckled, nodding enthusiastically. “Yup,” she replied, leaning against me.

Without giving it a second thought, we interlaced our fingers. At that point, it was almost natural. I took my free hand and used it to wrap the blanket around Viney, who welcomed the soft material, pulling a bit more of it towards her.

“Just for the record, being with you is worth the risk,” stated Viney, breaking the silence.

I smiled, my heart fluttering. “You’re too kind,” I replied, resting my head on her shoulder. Viney chuckled, causing me to assume that she’d taken it as a joke. While I had said it in a joking manner, I was also serious. I never knew why Viney was so considerate, especially to someone as odd, chaotic, and annoying as me. But I supposed she’d changed me for the better, seeing as I didn’t pull pranks as much and hadn’t done anything too extreme, such as making it rain paint. I was still a bit annoyed that I hadn’t done it, but of course I’d respect Viney’s wishes.

“How’d we go from talking about feelings to Willow, to our relationship?” pondered Viney out loud. She made a good point.

I shrugged. “I dunno.”

Eventually, Viney tried to sleep in her bed. Tried, as in she failed, due to wanting to check up on me every five minutes. At one point she left to get water but ended up on the couch, sitting on the left couch leg, opposite my head.

“Hey, thanks again,” I whispered.

“Stop thanking me,” groaned Viney, yawning. “I’ve never said ‘you’re welcome’ as many times as I have as today.”

I quietly chuckled, making myself comfy on the couch. Against my better judgement, Viney had forced me to stay overnight, as ‘there’s no point in going back to such awful people, at least not right now.’ I found it hard to argue, and I didn’t completely disagree, but of course, I didn’t want to bother Viney too much.

Apparently my continuous apologies were doing that. “That’s my bad,” I whispered back, wincing.

Viney rolled her eyes. “That’s basically the same thing,” she replied, leaning against the back of the couch.

“I cause a lot of problems, so yeah, I say sorry a lot.”

Viney snickered. “Oh I have plenty of examples of you causing problems,” she chuckled, grinning.

“Shhh,” I hushed her, not wanting to hear it. “I don’t need to know.”

“All right, if you say so,” murmured Viney, shifting her position a bit. “While you’re awesome, your knack for causing problems on purpose, might I add, can be a bit irritating from time to time. Although you haven’t messed around that much recently, at least not with people at school.”

I nodded, agreeing. “Yeah, still can’t believe you fell for me.”

“So did you. Am I just that great that you can’t help but flirt when we first actually spoke to each other for more than a second?”

“I’m gonna choose the response that doesn’t inflate your ego,” I joked, earning a barely audible chuckle from Viney.

“Hey!”

“I’m kidding,” I added. “Relax.”

“I’m perfectly relaxed,” whined Viney.

“Sure.”

Viney playfully smacked my knee. In retaliation, I gently kicked her, but apparently it was enough to shove her off the couch.

As Viney landed in a heap on the floor, I instantly sat up. “Shit, I am so sorry!” I exclaimed, raising my voice a bit.

Viney shrugged, pushing herself up. “No worries, I’m good,” she assured me. Viney hopped back onto the couch, acting as if nothing had even happened in the first place.

I sighed with relief, making myself comfy once more.

After a bit of awkward silence, Viney spoke again. “Wait, so did you really start liking me just because I was some cute girl selling an eagle carving?” she asked, her ears perking up.

I thought for a moment. That was a good question, but unfortunately, it was also one I didn’t have the answer to. Maybe I had admired how sweet Viney was or how often she blushed. Maybe that interaction had drawn me towards her and then formed a crush. I hated the term crush, but it was the easiest way to describe my feelings for Viney.

Of course, we’d also seen each other during the river incident, then Viney’s house, and then at school. Maybe all those events helped, but the question of why I started Viney was still in the back of my head. I thought back to our first interaction, hoping that’d give me an answer. I did recall flirting with Viney quite a bit, but I tended to do that with most cute girls I saw, especially ones who gave off ‘queer vibes.’

But I probably started to like her around then. Although, I had only called her cutie, so it was more of an observation. I groaned at myself, annoyed with my confusion.

Viney glanced at me, a puzzled look on her face.

“Sorry, I don’t actually know. Well, I definitely started liking you for your personality. You being cute was just a bonus,” I replied, smirking as Viney blushed.

Even in the darkness, her red face was quite easy to make out.

“What made you like me?” I asked, curious as well.

Viney thought for a moment, just as I had. But only after a mere ten seconds, she had an answer ready. “I mean, I saw you in English, in the hallways, on the news as well, and I guess just in public, you know?” replied Viney.

I nodded, understanding what she meant.

“I honestly thought you were pretty spoiled and all, but our conversation at the farmer’s market definitely didn’t prove that. In fact, it proved the opposite. I always wanted to talk with you more, but I thought you wouldn’t like me.”

I sighed. I had forgotten about how much of a bitch I must’ve looked like. Ed was probably the only Blight who didn’t appear like that, even on T.V. “I’m sorry about that,” I apologized. “I still feel bad for not noticing you, even though we had english together.”

Viney shook her head. “No, I get it. I’m not noticeable, so that’s totally fine.”

“I dunno. I always was wrapped up with Ed, Amity, and all my fake-ass-friends. But you know, now I get to actually hang out with people I like, and I don’t have to deal with them anymore.”

“Oh, you don’t see each other anymore?”

I shook my head. “No, I think Odalia said something to their parents. Normally they’d stay up late texting me about boys or something stupid.”

Viney groaned, mumbling something to herself. “Em, why are you just telling me this now? You always hold off on telling me stuff until you can somehow sneak it into a sentence,” explained Viney, a bit annoyed with me. At least she seemed to be annoyed.

“I know, I know. That’s only because I never know how to bring it up,” I admitted. “Besides, it’s not like I cared about them, hence the ‘fake-ass’ part. They were just bitches who gossiped and seemed to be in love with their phones.” I chuckled, imagining Sarah, one of those fake-ass-friends, making out with her phone. She’d probably use tongue or something.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, suddenly hearing my phone go off. “Speaking of phones…” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned it on. Of course the notification was a text from Ed.

“I’ll go get water,” said Viney, standing up.

“Ok. Ed just wants to know if I’m okay and stuff, so I’ll text him real quick,” I informed Viney, who nodded before exiting the room.

I turned back to my phone and went to my messages app. I read Ed’s text and replied.

Ed: HEY where r u

Em: I’m @ Viney’s. I’ll leave in the morning and meet you @ school.

I waited for Ed’s response, which came a mere fifteen-ish seconds later.

Ed: o ok. Btw dad’s like rly pissed so rn’s not a good time.

Ed: oops chat lag

Em: Makes sense.

Ed: Anyway gl. Idk what happened but sry for whatever did. U better fill me in tomorrow

I had expected Ed to say that. I had left him out of the loop, so of course I’d have to fill him in at school or something. I glanced at the time, realizing it was nearly one in the morning.

Em: Thanks. I should probably go

Ed: alr

Ed: gn

I never knew why Ed didn’t type multiple sentences in one message, but I never said anything.

Em: Good night.

I turned my phone off and set it on the table that was beside Viney’s couch. I rested my head on the spare pillow Viney had lent me, getting comfortable.

A few seconds later, Viney walked back in, trying not to spill a full glass of water. As she set it down, a bit of water sloshed over the side. Viney groaned.

“Good night,” I whispered.

Viney turned back to me, smiling. “Hey, I’m gonna go to bed,” she replied, as if she hadn’t heard what I said.

“Same. I said good night by the way,” I spoke, louder that time.

“Oh, didn’t hear you,” explained Viney, climbing into her bed. “Good night.”

I nodded, turning towards the back of the couch. It felt a bit weird, sleeping in the same room with Viney (sober this time), so looking at the couch seemed a bit better.

Eventually I fell asleep, but not before playing back everything that happened that day. I came to the conclusion that I’d stay away from Amity whenever Odalia and Alador were near, but not in private. And I most definitely owed Amity and Ed an explanation about everything.

But I did decide to leave out the part about Willow when telling Amity. She didn’t need to think or deal about that anytime soon. Maybe I’d wait until she was older and out of the house.

Luckily for Ed and I, we’d be out soon, or at least I would, if things continued to go the way they were headed.

I sighed, deciding to ignore the pile of thoughts and emotions there were crammed in the back of my head. “Another time,” I thought to myself

Chapter Text

ROUGHLY A MONTH LATER:

Most people would assume that Prom means having fun and all of that, but that’s definitely bullshit. Sure, the first part of it was fine, but the rest absolutely fucking sucked.

The morning began with Skara and Cat chatting while getting in their prom dresses. Apparently it took two fucking hours to get ready, make-up and all. But rather than chatting over what shade of blush looked good on me, I decided to surf instagram. It seemed like a good idea, but I completely forgot that Skara would still bug me, even with a phone in front of my face.

“Boshca, does this scrunchy look cute?” asked Skara, popping her head into the room.

“Sure,” I mumbled, still staring at my phone. Whatever the scrunchy was, I’m sure it looked decent at least. I didn’t really give a shit anyway.

“It’s a yes or no question, but okay,” replied Skara, muttering something to herself.

I glanced over, noticing the bright red scrunchy. It slightly matched her pink dress, but definitely stood out. “Ugh, whatever, I don’t give a shit about Skara’s fashion style,” I thought to myself, scrolling down my feed.

A few seconds later, Cat entered the room, holding up her iphone. “Hey, the limo will be here in around an hour,” she announced, walking over to Skara. I looked up as Cat whispered something to Skara, making her face light up.

I brushed it off. It was probably gossip or something stupid about her dumb scrunchy.

“Kay,” I said, making sure Cat knew I heard her.

I eyed Skara out of the corner of my eye, watching as she put some sparkly eyeliner on. It was a neon pink, a similar shade to the color her dress was.

“Isn’t it weird to go to prom without Amity, Bo, and Amelia?” asked Skara, staring at herself in the large mirror that covered most of the wall.

While a mirror wasn’t super common in most bedrooms, I had it up in mine. It was a cool reminder that I was a star and looked awesome, I guess. I hadn’t put too much thought into decorations anyway. Most of my room was covered in football posters, ribbons, and trophies. Those were just some of the perks of being the football team’s captain.

“Kinda,” I replied to Skara, realizing I hadn’t said anything. To be honest, I thought it was kinda relaxing without the others at prom, but that didn’t stop them from complaining about being sophomores. It’s not like it’s my fault for being older.

“I wish they could come,” whined Cat, putting on a stupid pouty expresion. Yeah, I get it, you’re dramatic. Get over yourself.

I rolled my eyes - hard. “Next year we’ll be seniors and they’ll be juniors, so they can come then. Fucking better, since Bo’s been bitching about how damn lucky I am,” I muttered, looking back at my phone. I looked at some of the selfies Skara had posted and liked them. “I guess I’m supposed to be sorry for my age?” I slouched into my bean bag, crossing one leg over the other.

Skara muttered something that I couldn’t hear, but I heard something about being sorry and some other stupid shit.

“What was that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Skara looked to the floor. “Nothing. I was mumbling about my makeup,” she explained, probably lying. Skara set down her brush and picked up some lipstick.

“Didn’t damn sound like that, but whatever.”

Cat awkwardly coughed, probably unsure of what to say or whatever. “Well, I for one think it looks great, Skara!” she said, beaming.

“Aw, thanks,” replied Skara, smiling so wide you could see her teeth.

I rolled my eyes again. It obviously seemed like they liked each other or something. I mean, Skara blushed so fucking much, and Cat constantly complimented her. If that didn’t scream “Hey I love you,” then I don't know what does.

I continued surfing insta, ignoring the playful banter coming from Cat and Skara. It made me sick. Not literally, but disgusted. It’s not like I hated people being friendly, but it got kinda annoying. Or in this case, super annoying.

“Hey, can you help me with my eyeliner?” asked Cat, knocking something over.

I whipped my head around to notice the fallen nail polish bottles that covered the floor. I sighed deeply, trying to ignore them, which was fucking impossible. It was also impossible to get any peace and quiet when hanging out with Skara or Cat, especially with both of them.

“Of course!” exclaimed Skara, grinning.

I bit my lip, trying not to say something. But eventually, I let it slip out. “Just fuck each other already,” I blurted, not meaning to say it. But instead of apologizing, something that would’ve made me look weak, like a pussy, I just played it off casually.

“Pardon?” asked Cat, obviously caught off guard.

“What?” added Skara, eyeing me carefully.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes again. “It’s obvious you like each other,” I explained, turning my attention back to insta.

“That’s awfully blunt,” noted Skara, who looked pretty offended. Whatever, she can deal with others observing the truth.

“You're welcome.”

Cat sighed, covering her eyes. “Can you stop teasing us?” she asked, clearly annoyed with me.

I shrugged before saying “Fine.” Under my breath, I muttered, “Bunch of pussies.” I didn’t think either of them fucking heard me, but Skara’s ears perked up.

“Huh?” she asked, no longer busy with her stupid make-up.

“I said ‘fine,’” I lied, hoping she wouldn’t say anything else.

“Oh, alright,” muttered Skara, turning back to Cat.

“Smooth save,” I thought to myself, clicking on Amity’s insta profile. I clicked on her most recent pic, which was her in her family’s pool, chilling with Ed and Em, who were shoving each other into the pool. Well, trying to, but I’m sure they were able to after the pic was taken.

I continued scrolling down Amity’s posts, ignoring the boring ones of her with books. For the most part, Amity was pretty lame, but our parents made us be friends, so we were. I guess we’d kinda liked each other, but sometimes she could be intolerable. One night when I invited Amity voer, she’d brought homework. I mean, who the fuck brings homework to a friend’s house? Exactly, only lame nerds.

Eventually I stopped, noticing a strange photo. It’s not like the actual post was weird, but it was a certain person beside Amity. As soon as I noticed my classmate and practically mortal enemy, I nearly dropped the phone. “How the fuck is Amity friends with Luz?” I screamed inside my head, about to smash my phone into pieces. “Like, what the actual fuck?”

“Everything okay?” asked Cat, noticing my distress, if you’d even call it that. I wasn’t under distress at all, but I guess she noticed my angry expression.

I quickly went back to looking annoyed instead of pissed off. “Yeah, I’m just annoyed that Amity ditched us for that nerd again,” I grumbled, picking my phone up. “It’s like she’s forgotten I exist.”

“That nerd has a name, you know,” mumbled Skara, muttering something to herself as she spun around in her chair.

“Whatever.”

“I mean, yeah, Amity’s been distant lately, but she said her parents needed her help last night,” added Cat, letting her nails dry off. “That’s why she couldn’t hang out last night- I think.” Cat quickly turned her hands towards Skara, who nodded approvingly at the blue nail polish.

“When’d she say that?” I asked, nearly fuming. Like, was there some chat I wasn't in? Why was Amity being so secretive and shit? “Are ya’ll in some GC without me?”

Cat shook her head, putting away her nail polish bottles. “No, I think Amity sent me that in DMs.”

Oh, that actually made sense. But still, the thought of having convos of stuff I should know, without me, still pissed me off.

“Oh, maybe she doesn’t tell me shit anymore,” I suggested. But deep down, I knew that was the answer. Eh, maybe not deep down, but still.

Skara shrugged. “Maybe. You’re always busy with football and baseball, so maybe Amity assumes you don’t want to respond?” offered Skara, but there was a hint of ‘this seems like a good enough excuse’ in her tone.

I shook my head. “I dunno. You think too highly of people anyways.” While I was being a bit defensive and alla that, I wasn’t wrong. Skara ignored when people were being bitches and was all ‘oh hey, they’re being so nice.’ She would always forget about the shitty things they did. I mean, it’s sweet, but so fucking annoying.

“I guess,” mumbled Skara, trailing off. I glanced up at her and noticed the slightly sad expression. I sighed, annoyed. Some people just can’t handle the truth I guess.

“One might say that’s a positive quality,” chimed Cat, holding her index finger up.

“Aww, thank you,” sang Skara, tucking a pink tulip behind her ear, once again going with the whole bright pink theme.

“Definitely not, but whatever,” I murmured.

The room was silent for a bit before Skara sighed, her voice full of annoyance and worry. “Boscha, are you in a worse mood than usual?” she asked, cautiously staring at me.

I heard Cat whisper something along the lines of ‘She lost a baseball game recently,’ something that Cat clearly didn’t want me to hear.

“I heard that,” I mumbled, finally looking up from my phone. “And no Skara, are you wanting to be dead meat?” I flanced a toothy grin, watching as Skara flinched.

Skara didn’t say anything.

“Didn’t think so.” I looked away from them, just wishing we could go to prom and be done with these stupid conversations. Was I being a bitch? Yeah, absolutely. Did I care? Fuck no. I just wanted the day to be over with so I could dance and have fun for once. Anything was better than chatting with two annoying people that I somehow considered to be my friends.

“Noted,” finally mumbled Skara.

“Hey, Skara, do you want to go shopping?” asked Cat, speaking in an oddly upbeat tone. I would’ve asked what was up, but I honestly didn’t care.

“Uh, limo’s here in an hour,” I reminded them. “Did’ja forget?” Seriously, how could they forget? Cat had been talking about the limo for weeks. I guess she didn’t ride in them normally.

“Well, yes, but-” started Cat, but she was interrupted.

“I forgot to get.. My uh.. Bra for this strapless dress!” explained Skara, hesitant to continue. “So yes… that’d be great.”

I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t at first. There’s no way Skara forgot to put a bra on. It was an obvious lie, but I decided to ignore it. If they wanted to go hookup or something before the limo got here, they were welcome to. After a bit of silence, I finally replied. “Ugh, alright. If you’re really going to the mall, get me a coffee or something.”

Skara nodded. “For sure. You want the usual?” she asked, as if I’d say no.

“Obviously.”

“Okay, let’s go!” exclaimed Cat, snatching her purse and grabbing Skara’s hand. As soon as they shouted bye, they left my room and slammed the door shut.

I heard the sound of a car pulling out of my driveway a mere few seconds later.

Realizing I was alone, I relaxed a bit more. The peace and quiet was pretty nice. I obviously realized Skara and Cat only wanted to get away from me, but I’d let it slide. I planned to bring it up later during an argument, which would probably make it easier to pin the blame on them for whatever would happen in the future.

It sounds manipulative, but it was really just knowing what to say. I could easily win any argument. Amity had even suggested that I join the debate club, but hell no. I’m not a fucking dweeb. Sports aren’t stupid, debate is. I mean, what’s the point in arguing about so-called ‘important stuff.’ I care more about winning baseball than arguing about a plan to solve global warming. Hell, I wouldn’t even learn about global warming, especially if I could kick a kid’s ass at a game instead.

Even just kicking a kid’s ass would be relaxing. That’s how I dealt with stress a lot. It’s called bullying, but I think it’s more of an art form. Joking, I’m not an idiot. It wasn’t really bullying, just being honest. Frankly, I was helping people out. They have a right to know if their sweater makes them look like a damn grandma.

After fifty-ish minutes, Skara and Cat arrived, nearly missing the time slot until the limo arrived. They rushed past me, shouting something about the limo being early. Of course it fucking was… I guess nothing could go perfect, especially not something that had a strict schedule.

“Limo’s here already?” I asked, standing up.

Skara nodded frantically. “Yup, and I think he’s been here a bit,” she shouted, grabbing a coat.

I mumbled a string of curse words under my breath, snatching my purse and heels. I quickly put them on, ignoring Skara as she ran around, looking for something.

“Ugh, I can’t find my purse,” whined Cat, opening and closing some drawers. I don’t know why the fuck she thought it’d be in there, but I didn’t care enough to find out.

“Did you check your shoulder?” I asked, putting my lipgloss into my purse.

“Of course I did,” mumbled Cat, her eyes darting around the room as if she was looking for something that would solve all her problems.

“Cat, I’ll pay for your food,” suggested Skara, slinging her handbag around her arm. Skara loitered by the door, probably waiting for the rest of us.

Cat thought for a moment before hesitantly replying. “I guess… but I’m paying you back,” she sighed, following Skara towards the door.

I rolled my eyes and followed them. Cat had probably left her purse at the mall, but there was no fucking way we’d be late because she was a dumbass. I decided to just remind her tomorrow, as I really didn’t want to miss the supposed more fun night of the school year.

“Okay,” replied Skara, zipping her handbag closed.

“Now that ya’ll got that settled, let’s fucking go,” I shouted, heading towards my front door. “I’m not gonna be late to prom of all damn things.”
`
“Alright,” said Cat as she and Skara followed me, being sure not to knock over the vase that stood on a skinny table near the window. If they’d knocked it over, my parents would fucking kill them. Hey, even I might, seeing as that vase was worth so damn much.

“Oh, by the way, Matt will be meeting us at whatever restaurant you two picked,” I added, slamming the front door shut.

“He’s not coming here?” asked Skara, following me down the long driveway.

I shook my head, beckoning for her and Cat to hop into the limo with me. “No, he had some fucking personal shit to deal with,” I explained, opening the back door.

“Of course he is,” muttered Cat, sliding into the car.

Once we were all settled, I texted the driver to take us to whatever lame-ass restaurant that had been picked. When Skara and Cat had discussed it, I really hadn’t been paying attention.

“Okay, here we go,” I announced, making myself comfortable. There was nothing as soothing as riding in an expensive-ass limo, surrounded by the darkness of the back seat. It was pretty relaxing and all of that shit.

“The driver knows where to go, right?” asked Cat, sitting across from me.

I shot her a glare. “Duh, I’m not stupid,” I replied. “I texted him the address. Have you never ridden in a limo or something?”

To my surprise, Cat shook her head. “No, this is my first time.”

“It’s pretty fun!” added Skara, winking at Cat. It’s not like she was even silently communicating something. Skara just winked for no reason at all.

“No shit, Sherlock,” I mumbled, glancing out the tinted windows as the car sped off. Once we were out of the driveway, I turned to the bottle beside me, grabbing it. “Skara, hand me the bottle opener.”

Skara glanced up, concerned or something stupid. Reluctantly, she handed me it. “You have a bottle opener?” she asked as I snatched it from her grasp.

“Yeah, obviously. Wayne left it for me.”

“Wayne?”

I cursed under my breath at Skara’s stupid questions. “Yes, you idiot, he’s the driver,” I snapped, causing Skara to sink into her seat.

I set up the bottle opener and snapped the cap off, pouring the wine into a glass that was sitting on the table beside me. I looked up to Skara and cat, both of them dead-silent. “Anyone want some of this shit?” I asked, gesturing to both of them.

Cat shook her head. “No, I don't drink alcohol. My parents would kill me,” she replied, holding a hand up.

“Oh, that’s lame,” I remarked, taking a large sip of it. “Skara, what ‘bout you?”

“No thanks,” sighed Skara, hugging her arms.

I took another sip of the wine, setting the bottle down quickly. “Ya’ll are no fun,” I mumbled, staring out the window for a sec.

“I guess,” murmured Skara, glancing at Cat, who remained silent.

As the limo continued to drive, I eventually got super fuckign bored. Well, more bored, I guess. The ride was already kinda boring and lame to be honest. Eventually, I pulled out my phone. As I pulled up my contacts app, I set the bottle in some weird cup-holder thingy, hoping it wouldn’t spill or whatever.

“Ugh, I’m gonna call Matt,” I announced, even though there was no reason to tell Skara and Cat what i was doing. I called Matt, but it instantly went to voicemail. My face instantly went red. Who the fuck hangs up on me? I mean, nobody does that, especially not Matt. “What an asshole... “

“Everything alright?” asked Skara.

I scoffed. “Obviously not. Matt just fucking declined my damn call,” I replied, tossing my phone onto the leather seat.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” whispered Skara, not speaking normally for some dumb reason.

“It’s fine, I don’t even care,” I said, sitting up more straight. Yeah, I was fucking lying, but that’s what you do to save face.

I heard Cat mutter something sarcastic, but I didn’t hear her clearly. When I raised an eyebrow to ask what she’d said, she shook her head. Ugh, so it’s like that.

After a bit of tense silence, Skara spoke. It was fine without it being silent, but I was annoyed to deal with another question of hers. “Are we almost there?” she asked, glancing out the window.

I shrugged. “Probably?” I asked, unsure. “I don’t fucking know.”

“Sorry, i figured you might,” apologized Skara, once again opening her mouth to say something I didn’t fucking care about. She did it a lot, but it was extra annoying on a night I wanted to be absolutely fucking perfect.

“Whatever,” I mumbled, looking out the window.

We continued to sit in silence for the rest of the ride and for part of the walk into the diner. After Skara took a long look around, she decided on a small booth near the corner of the restaurant. The hostess tried to stop us, but immediately let us go ahead once she recognized my flaming pink hair. Being in my family has its perks.

Skara and Cat sat together while I took the other bench. It was the preferred setting arrangement, probably for all of us.

“Can we order?” piped Skara, glancing at the menus that lay in front of us.

I groaned. She was so damn impatient.

“Yeah, I don’t really want to wait for Matt,” added Cat. Fucking perfect…

“Ugh, fine, but I’m ordering for him,” I mumbled, deciding that it’d be a bit too cruel to keep Skara and Cat waiting. Yeah, I’ve kinda been a bitch, but I don’t give a fuck. People can deal with it. They always have.

And as if on cue, Matt suddenly walked up to our booth, a toothy grin on display.

“Speak of the devil,” muttered Cat, narrowing her eyes at Matt. I knew she disliked him, but can she at least ask nice for fucking once around him?

“Wassup, ladies?” asked Matt, smirking at me. “Can I slide in?” Before I could say yes, he slid in next to me, our legs brushing against each other.

“Yeah-” I stopped myself, watching as Matt sat down. “And why the fuck are you so late? You never picked up anyway.” I narrowed my eyes at Matt, who shrugged.

“Sorry, sorry, I had to deal with… stuff,” he replied, with a shit-ton of hesitation. “Anyway, I’m starving. Can we order something?” Matt snatched the menu in front of me and began reading it.

I glared at him quickly, trying to calm down. I get that he was fucking busy, but why’s he being such a mysterious bitch about it?

“Yes, finally,” mumbled Skara, opening the menu that lay in front of her. When she did that, it poked me, causing me to push it towards her. Skara didn’t seem to like that or whatever but she ignored whatever she was thinking.

Cat looked at the menu Skara had, peering over her shoulder. “Ooh, their lobster looks good, but pricey,” she muttered, her face going red.

“I’ll pay for you!” offered Skara, her cheery tone making me want to gag.

“I dunno.”

“Nonsense,” said Skara, raising her hand. After a few seconds, a waitress came over, note-pad in her greasy hand.

“Hiya, what can I get’cha?” she asked, her high pitch voice driving me insane. Like, how the fuck is your voice so high without shattering glass?

Skara and Cat turned to the waitress, discussing their orders. On the other side of the table, I turned to Matt, finally addressing why the fuck he was late.

“Cut the bullshit, why were ya late?” I hissed, trying not to draw unwanted attention. By unwanted attention I mean Skara and Cat’s stupid concerned looks.

Matt rolled his eyes. What a bitch. “As I told you, I was dealing with personal stuff,” he whispered back, his hand clenched around a knife that had been set on the table.

“Ugh, whatever,” I groaned, crossing my arms. “Just answer me next time, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t sweat it.”

We went back to sitting in silence, apart from Skara and cat talking excitedly. Unfortunately, the stupid waitress came over, her voice sounding like a dog toy.

“Hi, Dear, I’d love your steak, but cooked rare,” Mat said to her, shining his gleaming teeth. He put too much damn time into brushing them. But I guess if that’s the only like-able quality you got, go with it.

“Anything else?” asked the waitress, jotting something down on her notepad.

“I’ll have the same as him,” I mumbled, narrowing my eyes at the waitress

“Also an Ice water. And maybe a side of you.” Matt wiggled his eyebrows, causing the waitress to blush. What a fucking asshole- Why would he be flirting with someone in public, especially while we were technically dating?

The waitress covered her mouth and nodded, quickly walking as fast as she could in red heels. Once she was gone, I whipped my head over to Matt.

“You asshole!” I shouted, drawing the attention of everyone at our table, plus some surrounding tables. Normally it would’ve bothered me but I didn’t give a fuck right now.

“What?” asked Cat and Skara at once, perking up.

I stomped on Matt’s right food- hard. “He just fucking hit on that waitress!” I exclaimed, resisting the fucking strong urge to beat him up.

“So?” scoffed Matt.

“Did you just say ‘so?” asked Skara, glaring at him. While Skara and Cat could be super annoying, they actually got mad at people when they were being fucking assholes. I mean, Skara always hated Matt, but still. I guess she was right about him sucking.

Matt laughed, standing up from the table. “Oh, screw it. I’m not dealing with this shit,” he sighed, acting as if it was my fucking fault.

I laughed. It wasn’t from something funny, but it was the kind of laugh where I seemed crazy, ya know? “How many others have you hit on while we’re dating?” I asked, watching as Skara flinched. She definitely knew that I practically wanted to stab Matt. If I had a sharp blade, I would.

“Why would you even care?” asked Matt, rolling his eyes. “We both know our parents care more about our relationship than either of us.” While that was probably true, he didn’t have to be such a dick about it, let alone have it be an excuse.

Suddenly, it hit me. I hadn’t admitted my lack of care about our relationship, but Matt had. Hell, it seemed like he didn’t give a single fuck, which could only mean one thing. “Wait, were you with Kara earlier?” I asked, my jaw dropping.

I quickly noticed the people staring at us. Whether it was scolding us or to be entertained, I didn’t know. But at least nobody had their phones out. If this happened at school, people would’ve formed their own paparazzi.

“Who?” asked Cat, confused or some shit. She obviously wasn’t part of the conversation so I dunno why the fuck she was interupting.

“Maybe we should take this outside,” mumbled Skara, her eyes on the ground. That’s a stupid suggestion. I figured it’d end soon anyway.

“No, fucking right here’s good!” I said, basically shouting. If this were in a private place, nothing would stop me from strangling the life out of Matt. “Oh, and hey, Matt, do you want to introduce Kara to them?”

Matt’s face turned a darker shade of red. “No, I’ll pass,” he stuttered, holding his hands behind his back in more of an angelic manner or something.

“She’s his fucking side piece. Matt swore he ended things but I fucking guess not!”

“Whatever,” scoffed Matt again, crossing his arms. “We both know you’ll come crawling back to me in a week. Besides, nobody else can fuck as-”

Without thinking, I took out a hand and slapped Matt on his dumb-ass face. He stumbled backwards, taken by surprise. I would definitely be kicked out of the restaurant for that, but damn, did that feel good.

Matt wasn’t that wrong about the sex anyway, but he had no right to say that, especially in fucking public.

“Get out before I fucking rip you apart,” I muttered, my eyes burning like flames.

Matt awkwardly laughed, scrambling to his feet. He abruptly turned, running out of the store. But as he slammed it shut, his stupid mouth shouted, “Whatever, bitch!”

I watched as Matt flipped me off, climbing into his pickup truck shortly after.

I quickly turned round the restaurant, glaring until everyone stopped staring at me. Once they were minding their own damn business, I turned back to Skara and Cat, who I’d basically forgotten about.

“What an asshole,” I murmured, taking a sip of the water glass that had been by my seat.

Cat awkwardly smiled. “Oh, forget Matt. We can have fun at prom, you know?” she said, nervously looking at me. “Just the three of us. It’ll be great!” Cat’s voice was laced with fake enthusiasm, but I wasn’t in the mood to call her out on her bulshit.

“Yeah!” added Skara, grinning too.

Honestly, I doubted it’d go well, but I didn’t want to miss out on dancing in a crowded gym with sweaty, hormonal teenagers. “I guess,” I muttered. “Matt’s still a fucking asshat though.”

“Yeah.”

I thought for a sec, and the thought of casually eating a dinner like nothing happened disgusted me. “You know what? I don’t really feel like eating,” I announced to the table.

“Err, we just ordered,” Cat reminded me, like I’d fucking forgotten.

“We could take it to go?” suggested Skara, but it was really just a question if I approved it, which I guess I did. It wasn’t the worst idea ever. Still not the best, but it was fine.

“Ugh, fine,” I mumbled. “I’ll go wait in the limo.”

“Alright,” said Cat, glancing to Skara quickly, and then back to me.

“Okay,” added Skara, sipping some water.

I went back to the limo, my feet dragging myself across the pavement and into the warm vehicle. I didn’t remember being so tired when I’d entered, but hey, I was pretty tired from putting up with Matt and his bullshit, so it made sense.

Like usual, I surfed instagram and tiktok before making my way to my messenger app. Instead of texting someone fun, I texted my only contact who was online- Amity Blight.

Baddest Bitch: Wassup loser?

It took Amity a few minutes to reply, but at least she didn’t leave me on read, unlike some assholes.

Amity: I’m just at home. I was helping Ed get ready before he and Em left for prom.

Baddest Bitch: cool ig

Amity: Speaking of prom, are you there yet?

Baddest Bitch: nah were grabbing food rn\

Amity: oh cool. Let me know how prom goes. And sorry that I can’t come.

Baddest Bitch: yea whatever

Honestly, I was kinda relieved that Amity couldn’t come. She’d just bitch and moan about books, homework, and stupid shit I didn’t care about.

Suddenly, I noticed two figures walking towards the limo - Cat and Skara, carrying two bags of what I assumed was our food. I quickly glanced back to my phone and texted Amity goodbye.

Baddest Bitch: i gtg

Amity: oh, bye. Have fun.

Boscha: k

I shoved my phone into my pocket and waited for Skara and Cat to climb in, which they did a few seconds later.

“Hey, Boscha!” piped Skara, sitting down. She closed the door behind her, setting the bag of food down on the carpeted floor. “Should we just eat here?” What a dumb question. We obviously wouldn’t eat at prom.

“Obviously,” I replied, leaning against my seat. “You can as long as you don’t fuckin spill it on the leather.” I gestured to the fancy leather seats that we all sat on.

“Hmm, okay.” Skara took out a take-out box, glanced at the name on it, and passed it to Cat. Eventually she did the same for herself and then me, but I shook my head.

“Oh, are you not hungry?” asked Cat, glancing at me. “I mean, do you want your food? We have extra anyways.”

I glared at Cat as she mentioned having extra food, causing her to flinch. “Nope. Just take it or something,” I replied, not in the mood to eat. The interaction with Matt had kinda put a damper on my mood and just prom in general.

“You sure?”

Yeah, I obviously am, dipshit. “What do you think?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

“Oh, alright,” murmured, Cat, setting the container of food to the side.

The rest of the ride was silent. Like I dunno whether it was the shit-show that happened at the resturaunt, me, or just the general mood, but it was fucking awkward.

We eventually arrived at school, which was fuckin loud. There was music blaring from inside and a line to get in. Luckily, we were able to shove past anyone, threatening em with my glare. When you’re known for breaking a kid’s arm over tripping you in the hallway, things are easy.

“Ooh, I love the lights!” exclaimed Skara, beaming as we entered the packed gym.

“Yeah, they’re awesome!” shout Cat over the loud music, which was something awful like Backstreet Boys. More like dirt road asshats.

Eventually, I recognized the lyrics of ‘Everybody’ which was, in fact, by the awful Backstreet Boys. I didn’t fuckin get why people liked them, but I guess they simped over the singers or some dumb shit.

“Oh, hey, let’s go dance!” exclaimed Skara, taking off towards the ‘dance floor.’

“Ugh fine,” I groaned, reluctant to follow them. Dancing was stupid, but I didn’t want to ruin the night too fuckin much. Besides, we had another stupid prom next year. “But if I regret it, I’ll end you.”

Skara looked at me nervously, gulped, and shrugged it off.

“EVERYBODAYYYYY,” blasted the gym’s speakers, causing me to flinch.

God dammit, the lyrics are awful. This was shit I absolutely didn’t want to hear, but I couldn’t stop the DJ from playing it.

I followed Cat and Skara to part of the crowded floor and watched as they started dancing. But instead of looking like an idiot, I just stood there, looking around the room. In the crowd I spotted the older Blight siblings, dancing with a crowd of people I knew from seeing them in detention.

Of course I didn’t have detention, but they were the well-known troublemakers. Stupid assholes if you will.

I watched as they danced oddly, snickering at how stupid they looked which was just another reason not to do something stupid, like dancing at prom.

But unfortunately, they weren’t the only people I spotted. As I glanced towards the front door, I saw the worst fuckin person possible, Matt.

Instantly, my face went red and I stormed off, ignoring Skara and Cat’s calls. There’s no way I’d put up with that bag of dicks again. After thinking about how to avoid that fuckin asshole, I realized I could just chill in the damn courtyard for a bit. Hopefully Matt would piss off and not notice me.

____________________________________________________________________________

Ed and I finally arrived at Prom. The whole day had been quite chaotic, but it was the kind of chaos I enjoyed. Amity had panicked over Ed’s makeup while we were rushing around, trying to find last-minute prom outfits. Side note, putting off clothing until last goes horribly.

Viney and I decided on wearing matching yellow dresses, but apparently Ed had decided to find a yellow suit with beige pants and suspenders. Honestly, it looked nice, but I couldn’t stop laughing at how uncomfortable Ed was with it. His suit was nothing like the rest of his clothes, which made it even better.

Ed eventually stopped complaining and let Amity do his eye-liner in the car, seeing as he wanted it, but Alador would’ve forbidden him from doing so. I felt bad for Ed, but we all had to deal with certain problems regarding our parents.

Viney and I had continued to date in secret. It’d been a month since my panic attack, which luckily hadn’t occurred again. Thankfully, Viney had been very understanding about the situation we were in, along with my crazy emotions. Unfortunately, we still couldn’t date publicly, but that didn’t stop us from dating in private. Of course I still felt bad about making her hide, but Viney didn’t mind, or at least said she didn’t.

Things had gone smoothly, minus a few more discussions with Alador and Odalia about high school and college, something I was looking forward to. I’d graduate in a week, which was something everyone in the senior class was looking forward to.

Not only was I ready to leave that hell-hole, but I was ready to start my own life. I’d already prepared for having to leave the family, essentially getting my deserved freedom. However, I wasn’t ready to do so. I figured I’d slowly start rebelling against my parent’s wishes in college and then eventually be disinherited, all of that.

Ed told me I’d seemed calm about it, but truth be told, I most definitely wasn’t. I didn’t want to leave him or Amity. Luckily Ed and I were both enrolled for Hexside University, but I didn’t know where Amity would go in two years' time, along with if we’d even stay in communication.

I didn’t know much about anything, but I knew for sure I wouldn’t let Odalia and Alador keep me from doing things in the future. Maybe I’d give it a year or two; I didn’t know.

“This should be fun!” shouted Ed, suddenly grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me inside the gym.

Losing my track of thought, I decided to just follow him.

The gym was covered in bright lights and was packed with music. I could hear music playing loudly through the speakers that were around the gym, but I didn’t recognize the song. But since it was a school dance and everything had to be clean, I probably wouldn’t recognize most of the songs anyway.

“Hopefully,” I said, realizing I hadn’t replied to Ed. I glanced around us, trying to locate the girl in a bright yellow dress I wished to see. “Well, assuming we can find Viney and everyone.” I quickly ducked under, missing an arm that had swung my way.

“Damnnn, this place is crowded!” shouted Ed above the music, his eyes darting around.

“No kidding,” I responded, whistling. There still wasn’t much hope for locating Viney and her friends, as she’d texted me about being in the middle of the dance floor, which was no help at all. I’d planned on meeting up by a wall, but that apparently wasn’t fun to dance by, to quote Viney.

Suddenly, Ed pointed towards a trio of people. “There they are!” he shouted, running off in the direction which he’d pointed towards.

“Wait up!” I called, hurrying behind him. After pushing my way past the clumps of seniors and juniors, I reached the group.

Ed stood near Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus, a friend of theirs that I’d been introduced to recently. Viney mentioned he was the school mascot and was an interesting character, although he was also fun to hang out with. I didn’t really have an opinion on him, but he was nice.

“Hey, Ed, hey, Em!” shouted Viney, smiling widely.

“Hiya,” said Ed, grinning back.

“Great to see you here, Viney,” I added, pointing finger guns at her. “It’s been forever.” I should’ve added a bit more of a sarcastic tone to what I said, as Barcus seemed confused.

“Uhh, didn’t you two hang out last night?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Viney said that’s why she couldn’t finish my D&D campaign.” Barcus scratched the back of his head and then brushed some of his scrawny hair out of the way. It seemed as if he was the only one here who hadn’t put any time into styling their hair.

I chuckled. “Well, yes, but…” I stopped myself, realizing I hadn’t started the whole sentence in my mind before saying it out loud. “Actually, I don’t know what I was going to say.”

Viney stifled a chuckle with her hand, turning to face Barcus. “Em’s joking,” she explained. “Plus, she can’t go a day without seeing me.”

I blushed, but luckily the lights in the gym stopped it from being noticeable. “Oh, but you can?” I asked, smirking.

Ed rolled his eyes, dramatically sighing. “Yeah, yeah, we get it, you flirt a lot. Let’s just tone it down so I don’t have a strong urge to vomit,” he said sarcastically, but he was most likely serious.

I gasped dramatically, shouting, “Ed, you prick!” I quickly kicked him in the shin- hard.

Ed yelped out of pain, hopping on one foot while he grabbed his leg.

I glanced at Viney, who tried her best not to laugh, although a chuckle escaped. “Okay, let’s not murder your brother,” she said, watching as Ed stumbled onto the ground.

“Fine,” I replied, laughing as Viney helped Ed up.

Once Ed had tried to kick me back, Jerbo asked, “Soo maybe we could, uh, dance or something?” His stutter wasn’t as bad as it had been when we first met, but it was still quite noticeable. Viney mentioned he’d gone to speech therapy or something, but it didn’t seem too extreme to need that.

“Yes, that sounds great!” exclaimed Barcus, clasping his hands together.

“Like a slow dance or something?” I asked, a bit confused. I knew Jerbo was probably suggesting just dancing, but it was a little odd to dance without structure.

Viney chuckled at my question. “No, just crazy dancing. It’s not prim and proper so good luck, Em,” she joked, starting to shake her shoulders to the beat of the song. It was a catchy tune, but had those sugar-coated beats that annoyed me.

“Ha, ha,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes hard. “I’ve been to parties and haven’t been living under a rock, so yes, I know what ‘crazy dancing’ is.”

Viney laughed. “If you say so,” she sighed, snapping her fingers as well.

“You’d think by now that you’d stop teasing me, but I guess not,” I mumbled, tapping my foot to the rhythm.

Suddenly, the song faded out and was replaced with a ‘whirring’ sound as the next song began. Suddenly, a beat started, one which I recognized. I nodded my head to the beat, starting to dance a bit more. Finally, the chorus of ‘yeah’s began, which was followed with some classmates cheering.

“Just warning you, Viney, Em’s an awful dancer,” whispered Ed, leaning in towards Viney.

“Wow, I can dance perfectly fine!” I shouted back as the song got louder. I heard a ‘whoooooo’ and assumed it was Ed, but it turned out to be the song. I supposed I hadn’t heard it in a while.

“I mean…” muttered Viney, cokcing her head to the side. As I whipped my head around to playfully glare at her, Viney snickered.

“Not you too…”

Suddenly, the song lyrics began. “Everybodayyyyyy, rock your bodayyyyyy,” blared the speakers, leading the chorus of people singing along with the music.

“YES, I LOVE BACKSTREET!” cheered Ed, throwing his hands up in the air. Ironically, the song mentioned something about that, which I found to be a tad funny.

“You know, if you dance more, you might be better at it,” suggested Barcus, referring to the previous conversation.

I shrugged. “Oh, like you can dance better!” I shouted over the music and the loud crowd.

Viney laughed loudly, nearly buckling over.

“BACKSTREET’S BACK, ALRIGHT!” shouted a hundred or so seniors, making it difficult to hear. Ed shouted it with them, but he was definitely off pitch.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, glancing back and forth from Viney to Barcus, who was holding in a laugh. Viney however, didn’t care enough to do the same.

“Barcus breakdances,” said Viney in-between laughs, eventually calming down into a chuckle. “Normally while spinning a sign, so he’s pretty good.

I clenched my eyes for a sec, mentally cursing at myself. “Shit… I forgot about that,” I mumbled, my face a bit red.

“Oh, Barcus, you should actually break dance now!” shouted Ed, taking a break from singing along.

Barcus shrugged. “I mean, it’s too crowded.”

While he had a good point, it’d be quite interesting to see, as I’d only heard of his dancing, rather than actually seeing it. And if Viney was correct, then Barcus was amazing at it.

“If you kick people, that’s their fault for now moving,” continued Ed, still dancing. “BROTHER, SISTERS, EVERYBODY SING!”

“God point,” added Jerbo, turning towards the rest of us. He’d been singing as well, but definitely not as crazy as Ed had been.

“Fine, I guess I could,” sighed Barcus, cracking his knuckles.

“Yas, thank youuu!” shouted Viney, drawing out the ‘u’ sound.

“AM I ORIGINAL? YEAHHHHHHHH.”

“Ok, you got this!” shouted Ed, raising a fist to be dramatic. Suddenly, he turned to the surrounding people and screamed at them. “People, back the hell up!”

People reluctantly did so, murmuring to themselves. They definitely didn’t like the annoying kid with green hair screaming at them, but knowing he was Edric Blight, they obeyed his wishes, which were more of commands.

“AM I SEXUAL? YEAHHHHHH. AM I EVERYTHING YOU NEED? YOU BETTER ROCK YOUR BODY NOWWW.”

“Let’s get this over with,” exclaimed Barcus, making his way into the clear space.

Barcus quickly got down on the floor and began to spin. I couldn’t keep track of where his limbs were going, but they worked together to create an awesome scene. Barcus managed to push himself up on one hand before turning back down and falling through in a single, fluid motion. Had it not been for the loud music and shouting, it would’ve been relaxing, but but it was still enjoyable.

“EVERYBODAYYYYY, ROCK YOUR BODY, YEAHHHH!”

“You’re killing it!” shouted Ed, jumping up and down to the beat.

For once, Ed was most definitely right. Barcus was killing it for sure.

“BACKSTREET’S BACK, ALL RIGHTTT!”

After a bit more dancing, Barcus stopped, ending with a spin.

“Yeah, that was dope,” I added, holding my hand out to pull Barcus up. He took it and I yanked him off the ground.

Barcus brushed something off his pants. It was probably dirt. ‘Thanks,” he sighed, brushing hair out of his eyes.

“You’re much better than last time,” called Jerbo over the music, which was still very loud.

As if on cue, the speakers blared even louder. “NOW THROW YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR!”

I watched as the sea of students dancing shot their arms up, cheering along with the song. I guess it was perfect to dance to, as it rilled everyone up, especially Ed. I glanced over to Ed, who was still dancing crazily.

“Whoo, you go dude!” shouted a random senior at Barcus, who nodded back, murmuring ‘thanks’ or something inaudible.

As the song continued, things got more crazy. I noticed some familiar faces, such as a certain student with bright pink hair and part of her posse. Other than that, there were some people I knew from classes, plus a few teachers.

At one point somebody knocked over one of the drink tables, causing a bunch of ‘booing’ and slippery punch on the ground. Rather than slip on it, everyone in our dancing group followed Viney towards the other side of the gym.

“ROCK YOUR BODAYY RIGHT, BACKSTREET’S BACKK!”

Viney managed to pull me aside at one point, an excited expression on her face. “Hey, want to get out of here?” she asked, swaying her shoulders to the song.

“EVERYBODAYYY- YEAHHHHH- ROCK YOUR BODAYYYY- YEAHHHH!”

“Huh?” I asked, confused as to why Viney would want to leave. “You don’t want to dance?” It was prom, a night Viney had been talking about for the past three weeks, so I was confused as to why she, of all people, would want to leave.

Viney chuckled, shaking her head. “No, I meant slow dance outside or something. Regardless of… you know, we should enjoy a slow dance,” explained Viney, smiling.

I grinned back. Viney was definitely the best, the sweetest, and quite a bright genius. “That sounds amazing!” I exclaimed. “And you’re the sweetest, for sure.”

Viney blushed. Had the lights not been blue, I would’ve noticed it, but it was quite visible.

“Great!” she said, grabbing my hand.

As we walked towards the doors to the courtyard, I worried that someone would notice us. But luckily, nobody did.

The music shortly changed to ‘Shut up and Dance,’ a song that was a bit too catchy for my own taste. But it was still good enough to be tolerable.

As we exited the gym I turned to Viney and asked, “Is there even any slow dance music playing?” I raised an eyebrow, curious as to how we’d dance to music that clearly was fast paced.

Viney chuckled, making her way to the center of the courtyard. “I mean if you count this music as slow dance music, then yes,” she replied, brushing some of her beautiful hair out of her eyes. I was truly in love.

“Well, it certainly is dancing music.” I followed Viney, stopping once I was standing right across from her. After thinking about it, I’d realized that it’d be fine dancing to this song. Sure, I didn’t prefer it, but it worked.

“Mhm,” said Viney, biting her lip. “You know what? We can make this work.”

“Alright. Care you dance, m'lady?” I asked, smirking as I held a hands out.

“Only if you never say ‘m’lady’ again,” chuckled Viney, taking my hand.

I would’ve made some sarcastic quip about it, but I really wanted to dance. “Deal,” I replied, pulling Viney towards me.

We tapped our feet to the music, starting to sway back and forth. Our dancing style was similar to a slow dance, but sped up, rather than calm and slow.

“We were victims of the night,” blared the speakers from inside the gym. The song was more quiet outside of it, which definitely made our dance less crazy and more relaxing. “The chemical, physical, kryptonite. Helpless to the bass and the fading light.”

Well, the song wasn’t far off. Viney and I were helpless when it came to not dancing to this song, if that’s what it even meant. I wasn’t too sure, nor did I care enough to analyze the lyrics.

“This is quite fun,” I observed, spinning Viney.

“Agreed,” she squealed, slowing down from the twirl.

“Oh we’re bound to get together, bound to get together.”

“In case you’re wondering, yes, I took formal dance lessons,” I added, breaking the silence between us. As I walked backwards, pulling Viney with me, her face lit up.

“She took my arm, I don’t know how it happened-”

“For how long?” snickered Viney, trying not to laugh.

“We took the floor and she said-”

I blushed, forgetting she’d ask that. “That’s irrelevant,” I replied, smirking as Viney’s pouty face appeared. I quickly dipped Viney and then pulled her back up.

“Oh, don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me.”

“Mhmmm,” said Viney, a smug expression replacing the previous one.

I sighed, eventually giving in. She was irresistible. “Maybe eight years,” I muttered, moving our hands back and forth to the rhythm.

“I said, you’re holding back. She said, shut up and dance with me!”

“Yeah, just shut up,” I joked, making Viney snicker and roll her eyes.

“How do you practice for eight years?” Viney asked, raising an eyebrow.

That was an easy question. It’d been required for all the Blight siblings, except for Edric, since he’d bitten a kid after a month of taking it. Instead, it’d been up to Amity and I to be the formal dancers in the family.

“This woman is my destiny. She said, ooh-ooh-ooh, shut up and dance with me.”

“Being the richest family in Washington apparently means you need to be prepared for a dance with a king, according to Odalia,” I explained, chuckling.

“A backless dress and some beat up sneaks, my discotheque, Juliet teenage dream.”

“Dang,” said Viney, slowly nodding her head.

“I felt it in my chest as she looked at me.”

“I know, right? Luckily I was allowed to stop in the… seventh grade, I think,” I continued. “Odalia just figured I’d remember the lessons or something.” I swayed my hips to the song, causing a chuckle from Viney.

“I knew we bound to be together, bound to be together.”

“That’s good.” Viney and I twirled around, eventually stopping when she seemed to feel a bit dizzy. “But wow, that’s dancing at a young age.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it sucked.”

“She took my arm, I don’t know how it happened. We took the floor and she said-”

“Well, at least you can dance properly if there’s ever an emergency on the dance floor,” jokes Viney, grinning.

“Oh, don’t you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. I said-”

“Very true. I don’t know if it’s worth it, but I like dancing well, you know?” I asked, stepping to the side. Viney quickly followed me as I struck our arms out, walking to the left.

“Good point.”

“You’re holding back, she said, shut up and dance with me!”

Eventually, we got to a point of chatting while barely dancing. We still swayed from side to side, but we were nearly hugging, rather than excitedly dancing, as we’d previously been doing.

“Ooh,ooh,hoo, shut up and dance with me.”

I quickly glanced around the courtyard, making sure we were alone. I’d figured we always had been, but checking once more couldn’t hurt. Dancing was something friends could do, but however, what I wanted to do next was something only romantic. There was simply no way it could be done in a platonic way, at least where we were from.

“This is definitely a prom cliche,” I observed, slowly swaying with Viney.

Viney looked up. “How so?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s like every high school movie. Sneaking off, dancing, and then making out while… romantic music plays? Well, except the romantic music part.” I wasn’t sure if ‘Shut Up and Dance’ was romantic, but it wasn’t the kind of music used in those cheesy movies about high school.

“Making out?” asked Viney, making me realize we hadn’t actually kissed yet.

“Oh, I just assumed we’d-” I started, but she cut me off.

“Em, just shut up,” said Viney, saying the last part along with the song as it ended.

“And dance with you?” I asked, smirking.

Viney rolled her eyes, chuckling. “We already did.”

“Oh, shit, you meant-”

“Mhm. you’re pretty clueless sometimes,” noted Viney, smirking.

I nodded. That was definitely true, especially around Viney. “Yeah, that’s accurate,” I replied, no longer dancing.

But before I could say anything else about my cluelessness, Viney pulled me towards her. I’d forgotten that I was a bit taller, so I had to duck down a tiny bit.

Our lips locked, and I felt as if I was in heaven. Not that I believed in any of that, but I was essentially in bliss. Viney wrapped her arms around me and we continued to complete my imaginary “bucket list” of cliches to complete accidentally.

____________________________________________________________________________

I stumbled into the courtyard, my mind full of thoughts about stupid fucking Matt. I’d kick his ass if I saw him again, and I definitely would some time.

Suddenly, I heard the doors open. Rather than be caught by Matt, I crouched behind a large planter that was back in the corner near the other disgusting gardening shit. I never got why the garden stuff had to be over here, but thank god it was.

I peered over the rim of the planter and noticed two people, rather than that one asshat I’d expected to see.

I gawked as I saw Emira Blight and Vines dance. I’d never expected them to be friends, let alone fuckin dance. I would’ve gotten up then, but it would’ve been embarrassing and damn, I didn’t wanna be seen hiding out.

So instead of making a damn fool of myself, I crouched there for four minutes, not moving a muscle.

I heard Emira and Vines talk for a bit as they danced along to the music, which was such a stupid song. Like what if I don’t want to fuckin dance? You gonna fight me? But on a more serious note, what happened next really shocked me. Like, I nearly tumbled some of the gardening shit over.

I watched as Emira and that Vines girl kissed. Like full on fucking made out. I mean, are they dating? Why the fuck would they, two damn girls be kissing? Yeah, I joked about my friends fucking, but this was gay. Just too gay. Too fuckin gay.

“You know, I liked that cliche,” said Vines, making me lose my train of thought. I rolled my eyes, preparing for the playful bantering that made me want to stab a pencil into my skull.

“Ugh, I might’ve too, but that doesn’t change my opinion on cliches,” replied a familiar voice. After hearing Emira in Amity’s house all the time, I easily recognized her voice, along with Edric’s. They were really annoying, but also kinda cool. Cool as in- unlike their lame sister, they didn’t do homework or any of that shit.

Vines chuckled or something. It was kinda hard to hear. “If you say so.”

I saw her reach down to her pocket and pull out a rectangle that I figured was a phone.

“Who’s that?” asked Emira, peering at the phone.

“Jerbo. Wants us to stop Ed from slipping alcohol into the punch, but I assume you want to help him?” Vines put the phone away, turning towards the doors.

Of course Edric was doing that. Yeah, he could be fun, but also fucking annoying. But at least I knew to drink the sticky punch for once. Regardless of whether it tasted awful or not, it was alcohol, and I really wanted to get drunk. Plus, I’d have an excuse.

“Correcto,” replied Emira, chuckling.

“Yeah, I don’t want to always be such a buzzkill and hey, it’s prom, so I won’t stop you,” continued Vines, walking towards the doors.

I didn’t pay attention to Vines, but who the fuck would name their kid after Vines? I mean, I get it, you’re a plant nerd. Don’t need to show that to everyone.

“Aww thanks.”

“Mhm,” said Vines, nodding as she and Emira stepped inside the school.

As soon as they left, I scrambled out from behind the dumb-ass planter that’d saved my ass. But instead of heading back inside or thinking about how nice it’d be to stomp on Matt’s balls, all I could think about was what I’d fucking seen.

All my mind was saying was, “Emira Blight’s gay? Like gay as fuck?”

Chapter Text

At some point during the early morning, perhaps around two or three A.M, I returned to the manor. Prom had gone pretty well and ended with Viney and I heading to her house, as her dad was gone for the weekend.

That being said, it was a very enjoyable night. Honestly, it was probably the most fun I’d had at a school dance. There were always winter dances and prom, but last year Ed and I were both stood up by our dates. It was quite an awkward night and luckily, one that I didn’t repeat.

Speaking of Ed, he’d decided that it was a genius idea to wake me up. I would’ve yelled regardless of how we woke me up, but what he thought of was the worst.

Ed had grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and dumped it onto me. While he was right about it waking me up, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Once I felt the cold liquid splash onto my face, Instantly acted out of rage. Fiery hot, burning rage.

After I yelled at Ed a few times, definitely disrupting the rest of the household, Ed frantically apologized. Once he had sorry for the sixth time, it was getting a tad annoying.

“Sorry, I already apologized five hundred damn times!” shouted Ed. He yelped as the pillow left my hand and went sailing towards him.

It knocked a glass off my dresser, adding a bit more stress to my day. I groaned and decided to do it after I was finished with Ed.

“You prick!” I exclaimed, pulling my soaked bed covers out of the way. “Why’d you even do that?” Of course I knew the answer already, but I didn’t get why Ed would go with water.

“I wanted to talk to you but you were asleep!” Sheesh, woman!” Ed dodged the next pillow that I threw at him, which landed in a heap against the wall.

I rolled my eyes at his reasoning. “You could’ve waited like a normal person!” I explained, jabbing my finger accusingly at him. “Or at least shake me instead of trying to drown me!”

Ed groaned, narrowing his eyes at me. “Well I tried… You never woke up and this seemed like a good idea-” he started, but I cut him off.

“Good idea? Did I hear that correctly?”

“AT THE TIME, YES!”

I groaned, rolling my eyes again. “You idiot,” I murmured, face palming.

“I bear that title with honor,” added Ed, smirking as he clasped his hands together.

“Whatever,” I mumbled, still annoyed with him. It wasn’t how I wanted the morning to go, but at least it wasn’t worse. I was relieved that Ed hadn’t repeated what he did after last year’s prom; eat ice cream while being sad and end up spilling the entire carton in my sheets. Long story short, I’d never seen Ed run so quickly before.

“What’d you even want to talk about? It better be good,” I added, sprawling out of the couch that sat in the left corner of my room.

“Prom, obviously,” Ed replied, plopping down beside me. Ed snatched a cushion from behind me, but I was too tired to put up a fight for it.

“Oh right, that was last night.” In the midst of being splashed with ice water, I’d forgotten that prom was last night and that Ed probably had something to say about it. I figured it was about Jerbo or something like the punch, which we did put alcohol in.

I think I noticed some of the chaperones getting drunk, but I was a bit distracted by Viney and trying not to be caught while slipping the beer in. There was no doubt that the teachers assumed we had something to do with it, seeing as we were well known troublemakers, but it seemed like something the football team would do as well.

“Yeah,” continued Ed, getting comfortable. “It was a blast and all, but I wanna know where you snuck off to after the dance, since you never told me and just, poof, mysteriously disappeared.”

Instantly my face went a bright red. I hoped Ed hadn’t noticed in the dimly lit room, but he probably did. “Viney and I just went for a walk,” I mumbled, wishing Ed wouldn’t spot the obvious lie. There was no way I’d sneak off to do that, but it was more believable if Viney had taken me on it.

“Until two A.M?” asked Ed, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile.

I’d definitely been caught. I glared at Ed quickly, continuing the lie. “Yes.”

“So how was Viney’s dad?”

I looked at him with a puzzled expression. “I don’t know. He was visiting Viney’s aunt or something,” I replied, really confused as to why Ed was asking about her dad. “I don’t really remember where Viney said he was anyway.”

Ed’s eyes lit up as he continued speaking. “So you and Viney were alone at her house?”

As Ed closed his mouth shut, my face went hot. It was most definitely a darker shade of pink or red. I knew what Ed was getting at, but telling him to stop would only confirm his thoughts. “How’d you know we were at her house?” I quickly asked, wondering if I’d said anything to him without realizing it.

Ed grinned. “Yeah, so I might have Viney’s number.”

“I hate you,” I murmured, slowly sinking into the couch. It seemed more like quick sand with every sentence Ed finished.

“Good for you,” replied Ed, still grinning brightly.

“I’m annoyed that you got my girlfriend’s number, but what are you getting at?” I asked, well aware of the answer. There was no way Viney had said anything, but I had to give Ed credit. He wasn’t as stupid as he seemed to be.

“We both know you didn’t go on a walk.”

I quickly snatched a pillow from beside me and used it to block my face from Ed’s field of vision. “That’s none of your business,” I mumbled, wishing Ed would stop. It most definitely wasn’t his business, but Ed got too invested in drama and my personal life.

“Was it better with a girl?” asked Ed, knowing it would tick me off.

I instantly shoved him off the couch, causing Ed to yelp, tumbling onto the floor. He began cackling, clutching his side from laughter.

“Shut up, Ed!” I hissed, glaring at him. I had never discussed my sex life with Ed of all people, nor would I.

“Fine, fine,” he wheezed in between laughs. “Anyway, I’ll get out of your hair.” Ed slowly calmed down, still chuckling.

“GOOD.”

Ed held up his hands, surrendering. “I deserve that,” he admitted. Ed was definitely right about that. He completely deserved being shoved off the couch.

“Thank you,” I murmured, watching as Ed left my room, still laughing.

I rolled my eyes as he shoved my door close. I was normally happy near Ed but damn, he could be a mouthful. To be fair though, I definitely was one too.

I glanced at the time on my clock; Seven Thirty One A.M. Translation: not a time I prefer to be awake at. If Ed had said something about dancing with Jerbo I probably would’ve excused him waking me up, but no, instead he decided to talk about private business. To clarify, my private business.

“Oh well,” I thought to myself, getting up from the couch. It was so comfy that I wanted to sink into it and just enver move, but I had to get a move on. I wasn’t in a rush or anything, but I preferred to be prepared for my day, rather than staying in pajamas all morning.

I yanked my closet doors open and pulled out some clothes that I figured were good enough.

After scrambling with it for a moment, I managed to get my bra on. I never got the complete hang of it, even after years of wearing one.

“This is nice,” I noted to myself, admiring the dark green hoodie that I held in my fist. It almost matched my hair. That was probably why I’d bought it, but I had so many clothes that I couldn’t remember the reasons for getting most of them.

Once I finished getting dressed, I made my way to the kitchen. I was in a more upbeat mood than normal. I figured it was because of prom or the magical night I’d had, but it was definitely linked to Viney somehow.

Maybe it was dancing in general, but that was mainly flailing my limbs around while having a sensory overload. Although the punch had been fun to put beer in.

I quickly pushed all my thoughts away, drawing my attention back to the kitchen. I quickly opened the cabinet doors, searching for something to eat. While I would prefer something utterly delicious, I didn’t feel like making anything other than cereal, the easiest meal in the world to make.

As I snatched a box of cheerios (I had to clue why Alador and Odalia had allowed Ed to buy this), I spotted Amity at the island that stood in the center of the room. She was reading something interesting, as she hadn’t noticed my entrance. Although somehow, every book was interesting to her.

“Good morning,” I said, breaking the silent atmosphere, which was quickly followed by cheerios pouring into a white bowl.

“Morning,” mumbled Amity, still staring at her book.

I opened the fridge and quickly poured some milk into my cereal. Like a normal person, I poured it in second, not first. I still couldn’t understand how Ed liked milk first.

I quickly glanced up at Amity again, who was still reading. I debated sitting near her, but eventually decided on standing near the counter. Amity definitely preferred her alone time more, so the least I could do is give her some.

But eventually the silence was too awkward, at least for me. “Soooo I saw your friends are prom last night,” I added, taking a spoonful of my cereal.

“Cool,” replied Amity, her tone flat.

“I also saw a monkey doing flips,” I joked, waiting to see if Amity was actually listening.

“Wow.” She continued reading her book, flipping a page quickly.

I cautiously glanced at Amity again. Even when she was quiet, which she normally was, she normally paid attention. “You good there?” I asked, my voice laced with a bit of concern.

Amity finally looked up. “Oh, yeah,” she replied, setting her bookmark in between two pages and closing the book. “Just a bit bummed out that Boscha and most of my friends are a grade older, you know?”

I nodded. I never had older friends, but it must suck to miss out on prom while they boast about it for weeks, if not months. “Sorry about that. At least you can still see them.”

“Hm?”

I cleared my throat. “I mean at least you still have your nerd classes with them,” I continued, smirking as Amity narrowed her eyes at me.

“You took those same classes, except you were a freshman,” she muttered.

I snickered. “I can still find it nerdy.”

“I guess.”

“You guess? I thought you always knew,” I joked, earning a growl from Amity, who pulled out her book again.

Amity went back to reading, initiating the “silent treatment” operation.

“I see how it is,” I continued, swallowing another spoonful of cheerios.

Per usual, Amity didn’t respond.

The room was silent for a bit more, except for my loud chewing. The cereal was pretty bland, but it was still good enough for breakfast.

I looked at Amity again, who seemed to be pretty tense. Once again, she rarely smiled, but she looked gloomier than usual.

“Seriously though, are you okay?” I asked, dipping my spoon back into the milk.

“Mhm,” mumbled Amity, her gaze still on her book. Glancing at its cover, I realized it was one of those chemistry books she read for a bit of ‘light reading.’ There wasn’t anything light about it though.

“You can always talk to me, you know,” I added, shoveling more cereal into my mouth.

“Oh,” replied Amity, slowly tearing her gaze away from that awful book. “I guess I have a question, but I don’t know if I really want to talk much.”

“What’s up?”

Amity’s brow furrowed as she hesitantly opened her mouth. “Well, I was wondering why you’re suddenly so nice to me. You rarely checked in on my feelings in the past, let alone leave me alone,” she explained, looking over her shoulder.

I bit my lip, trying to think of an answer. Simply put, I didn’t really know, but there was probably a reason. There had to be, seeing as I had messed with Amity so much in the past. Maybe things had changed a lot on the roof and then in her room.

As I recalled what Amity had just said, I asked, “Uh am I normally mean?”

Amity shrugged for a moment but quickly shook her head. “No, I just meant you used to not be so… nice to me. You’re just less bothersome,” she replied, eyeing me carefully.

I chuckled. “That’s a tad insulting but I’ll just take it as a compliment,” I joked, swallowing a few more cheerios. “But I dunno, that didn't really occur to me. Maybe I’m just more relaxed or something? Might also have to do with our chats.” I shrugged, not entirely confident in my answer.

Amity nodded, but her eyes widened. “Oh! Is it because you’re datin-”

I instantly shushed her, my eyes widening as well. My eyes darted around the room, hoping we were alone. Thankfully, we were. I wasn’t going to take any chances though, so I didn’t mention Viney whenever I was home. Although Ed and I mentioned her a few times in the privacy of our bedrooms.

“Oh I am so sorry-” started Amity, the panic setting it.

“It’s cool,” I assured her. Glancing around one last time, I sighed, relieved. “Nobody heard it.”

“Sorry…” muttered Amity, trailing off.

At least she understood the gravity of my situation. “No, it’s fine,” I continued, no longer worried. “But yeah, that’s probably why.” I figured it also had to do with talking to Amity, but Viney probably influenced me somehow.

“Cool. That makes sense.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it kinda does.” I went back to eating my cereal, which was beginning to get soggy. But after a few more bites, I was already finished. Once I had shoved it into the dishwasher, I looked back at Amity, meeting her gaze.

“Hm?” she asked, looking at me curiously.

“You know we never really got to my original question, right?” I asked.

Amity nodded, rolling her eyes. “Yeah,” she mumbled, looking back at her book.

“Are you doing good? You’re always quiet but not this quiet,” I observed, looking at Amity with a knowing expression.

Amity shrugged. “Kind of. Along with prom there’s been some drama at school, which has been bothering me a bit, but it’s fine,” Amity replied, not bothering to look up.

My eyes lit up. “Ooh, drama? Spill the tea,” I said, chuckling. I’d never been that interested in drama in general, but if it involved Amity, I absolutely had to know. It’s not that I intended to spread it around, but it was still nice to know stuff.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” said Amity, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “But it’s just Boscha. She called me after prom about Matt. I mean, he did cheat on her so I feel bad for her, but she’s being so-”

“Bitchy?” I suggested, smirking.

Amity narrowed her eyes at me. “I,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “I guess that’s one way to describe her behavior.”

I nodded. “Definitely, but continue.”

Don’t get me wrong, it felt weird talking with Amity in such a friendly way, but I wanted to support her, especially since Alador and Odalia definitely wouldn’t. Or at least not in the right way.

“She just takes her anger out on people. Especially Skara, but I can’t really do anything. And Skara even asked me to check up on Boscha, which I did, so now I’m involved in the Matt drama,” explained Amity, groaning with frustration.

I thought for a moment, recalling the things I’d seen and heard about Boscha. “Doesn’t she harass kids by shoving them into their lockers or something?” I asked. “I’m pretty sure even seniors can be scared of her.” I knew that Jerbo definitely was, but with having a birthday in August, he was practically a junior anyway.

Amity nodded, a guilty expression forming on her face. “I used to follow her around and join in, but verbally, you know,” she added.

“Oh I know,” I replied, smirking. It had been pretty entertaining to see Amity hurl insults at people, but I was fairly relieved that she’d stopped.

“Yeah… but after having two nice friends, other than Skara and Cat, I’ve just noticed how wrong what I did was. Well, Amelia’s also nice, but she and most of my friends still stuck with Boscha,” continued Amity, sighing.

“Two?” I asked. I had only heard of Luz.

“Oh yes, I almost met one of her friends. His name’s Gus.”

“ohh,” I said, remembering the name. Gus had gone by Augustus, but I’d had him in a chemistry class before. He had skipped a few grades. “That smart guy who’s a sophomore, right?” I had no clue how Gus had been allowed to skip two grades, but he was definitely smart enough to.

“Yeah. Anyway, Skara’s super nice and I feel bad for never really taking much notice to that, so I don’t really know what to do,” sighed Amity.

“I’ve only spoken to Skara when you had her over for sleepovers and I was messing with you, but yeah, she seems nice.” Skara had always been really cheery, but not to the point where it got irritating. She was probably my favorite friend of Amity’s. Luz also seemed nice, but I’d only seen her a few times.

“She is,” replied Amity, finally closing her book.

“Anyway, you might want to try standing up to Boscha if she’s bothering you this much. Or even better, I could mess with her,” I suggested, grinning. “I’ve taken a break from causing messes and it’s so boringggg.”

Amity groaned. “Don’t you dare,” she said sternly.

“Fine, fine. I see how it is,” I sighed, smirking.

“Do you though?”

I chuckled. “Yes, I do. You clearly don’t appreciate my skills when it comes to messing with-” But before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted.

“Emira, we need to speak with you,” announced Odalia, her voice echoing throughout the kitchen. Her presence instantly filled the room with a sense of hopelessness, almost like she was a dementor. (Ed would love that Harry potter reference).

I gulped, glancing at Amity. Her smile had left her face and instead, was replaced with a stiff expression.

“All right,” I mumbled, following towards Odalia to Alador’s study.

I instantly felt a tightness in my chest. I knew things wouldn’t go well. That was impossible. At least from what I remembered, it had only gone well once, back in junior high. I’d won every category at a swim meet, which apparently made me worthy of having a good discussion with Alador and Odalia, but other than that, it had always gone badly.

After what felt like an eternity, I stepped inside the study. I hadn’t been called to it for around a month, yet the feeling was familiar, almost like I’d felt it yesterday.

Alador greeted me, sitting at his desk once more. “I suggest you take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the leather chair across from him.

I glanced at Odalia, who nodded. Gulping, I took a seat. While the chair was quite comfortable, I wasn’t, nor was I relaxed.

“So this is a longer discussion?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, I’d noticed my speech becoming more casual as of late, but Odalia had asked me to be more ‘prim and proper.’ I’d reluctantly agreed, but kept things a bit more casual and relaxed with Ed and some friends.

“Mhm,” replied Alador, setting his newly smoked cigar to the side. “Odalia, do you wish to begin?”

Odalia nodded, turning towards me.

“And do so in a… calm manner, rather than what once happened,” added Alador quickly, causing Odalia’s face to turn red. But regardless of whatever she was thinking, she nodded.

“Mhm,” she mumbled, clenching her jaw. “So Emira, I’m sure you recall one of our past discussions.”

Of course, the fight. I nearly scoffed at the thought of forgetting about that. It’s kinda impossible to forget the first act of physical abuse your mother’s inflicted upon you. Emotional abuse was pretty normal in the Blight household, but not physical.

“Yeah,” I muttered, enjoying how Odalia flinched at my ‘disrespectful attitude.’ “Why?” I looked at her with a confident expression, although the squirming of my stomach said something different. I was not that confident, but rather slightly terrified.

“Well, it seems that you already broke our agreement. In fact, one might say you broke it before it was agreed upon.”

My stomach instantly lurched and my breath caught. Then my eyes widened, making odalia smirk. I tried to say something, but my brain wouldn’t work. I couldn’t move, let alone breath.

After what felt like years, I managed to speak. “H-how so?” I stuttered, fear visible in my eyes. There was no fuckign way they knew about Viney, right? It was probably just a suspicion. We’d been really careful…

“Did you really think we wouldn’t discover your entanglements with a specific student such as… what was her name, Darling?”

“Viney Griff, I believe,” replied Alador, grinning as the fear took over my expression.

“Ah, thank you.”

“How-” I started, but my vocal chords seemed to give up.

Odalia chuckled, her voice echoing inside my mind. “Last night, someone figured it’d be an excellent idea to… show her mental illness in a public place. I believe it was the courtyard,” she continued, watching as my legs began to tremble. “Boscha spotted you and this girl, thankfully informing her mother of this. She was very understanding about your condition.”

Without the chair I would’ve most definitely collapsed. What the fuck-

“Watch your language.”

Shit, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Quite frankly, I hadn’t expected to hear any of this out loud. Sure, I’d played over this situation many times in my own head, but never in a century had I expected it to actually be happening. If the world was ending, it would definitely feel like this.

“Well, we had a deal, but we reconsidered a certain aspect of it,” continued Odalia, briskly moving on. With the way she looked at me, I could tell she was enjoying this moment. Maybe even planning to celebrate later.

“What?” I asked, my voice dropping an octave.

“Alador and I had a change of heart, We’ll continue to pay for college tuition. However it will be in smaller amounts throughout your years at Hexside. You will still be required to attend our galas, but other than that, you will be cut off from contacting the family.”

“Why the change of heart?” I asked, wondering what had changed. It was out of character for something such as this to occur.

“We’re simply giving you another- final chance,” noted Alador, puffing a sudden cloud of smoke. I hadn’t noticed the cigar, but it’s not like you can in a moment like this.

“Ah, yes,” agreed Odalia, grinning.

I would’ve fucking slapped that smile upside down, but that’d just put me in deeper shit.

“To receive the money for tuition and rent, you’ll have to end things with… your friend.” Odalia smirked as my jaw dropped.

Instantly, my mind was full of rage, about to explode. They had no fucking right. Obviously it was good to have another chance, rather than being tossed out, but still- fucking still.

“W-why would I do that?” I asked, my voice dropping. I was barely able to contain my anger.

“Rent in Seattle is much more expensive, especially for a minimum wage employee, which you will most definitely be without our assistance,” she replied, pacing back and forth again, her back straighter than a ruler. “Besides, you’d draw… unwanted attention. It could tarnish the Blight family name.”

There it is… The true reason for restraining themselves against kicking me to the curb; the damn family name. Of course I wasn’t really a Blight, but nobody else knew that. And Odalia and Alador intended it to stay that way.

Suddenly, I snapped. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because of the overwhelming thoughts of my future, the lack of oxygen in my lungs, or because I was drowning in my mind.

“So you’ll fucking throw me out after not preparing me for an actual damn adult life?” I shouted, shoving a lamp off the desk. I watched as it fell, the bulb shattering upon contact with the floor.

Odalia scoffed. “No, you can take the deal, you know. Being a… fag, I suppose, is simply a-”

“Odalia, patience,” interrupted Alador, his voice stern.

“Apologies, Dear,” she replied, her chest falling a bit.

I finally exhaled, my chest shakily rising. Clenching my jaw, I looked from Alador to Odalia, resisting the very strong urge to smash something else.

“Let me rephrase that. You’re simply not living up to your name. Not just the Blight name, but also Emira. I believe you know the meaning,” Odalia continued, leaving no time for me to reply.

But yes, I obviously knew the meaning behind Emira. It meant commander, and ironically prince, a character who always fell in love with girls in those stupid fairy tales… It was a bit ironic, but I’m sure Alador and Odalia had focused on the commander aspect of it when naming me.

“Mhm,” I mumbled, my voice dripping with frustration.

“With that being said, I’d recommend taking the deal. However, if it’s broken, you’ll be cut out with hesitation. Not just our family name, but our money, the family, and all contact with it,” finished Odalia, turning to Alador.

He puffed another cloud of smoke that formed around him. “Yes. Failure to abide certainly won’t end well. Keep that in mine,” he added, taking a last puff.

Looking back at the moment, I wish I handled it differently. Viney and I had pretended for a long time, so we could continue to. But unfortunately, amidst the panic, that never crossed my mind. “Fine, fucking fine,” I muttured, almost instantly.

“That was quite quick,” observed Alador. “But I want you to email Viney, proving that you kept up your end of our agreement. Don’t bother calling or texting. We’ll know if you do so.”

I gulped. “All right.” I bit my lip, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, ‘screw it’ flashed across my mind, and I took another swing at knocking something off the desk. This time I went for the metal nameplate. I swung my arm hard, causing it to topple to the hardwood floor. And before Alador or Odalia could say anything, I stormed off. “I’m fucking out of here.”

I left the room, my mind racing. I didn’t think much through, other than needing to speak with Viney. The only other way to contact her without it being obvious was to call her dad on Ed’s phone. I had no clue how I’d pieced that together in mere seconds, but I also had no clue that Boscha had seen us at prom, so whatever.

Viney had given me her dad’s number for an emergency, but I’d never bothered to call, nor had I been given a reason to.

Quickly, I rapped my knuckles on Ed’s bedroom door. But instead of waiting for him to get it, I swung it open, slamming it into the wall. “I need your phone,” I announced, glancing down at Ed.

Ed lay on the ground, sipping iced tea. I looked at the phone that was in his sweaty grasp.

“But I’m using it,” he whined, his lip curling up.

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t have time for his bullshit. “Edric, give me your fucking phone!” I shouted, snapping again.

Ed’s eyes instantly went wide, scrambling to give me it. “Shit, you good there?” he asked as I snatched the device.

I shook my head rapidly, instantly leaving the room. With a device in hand, I ran down the stairs, storming into my room. Amidst the panic rising in my head again, I locked my door and sat down at my desk.

Once I wrote the email and sent it (a process I can’t even begin to describe without screaming) I typed Viney’s Dad’s number into Ed’s phone, waiting as it rang.

“I fucking hate this,” I said to myself, sighing with defeat. “Everything sucks. Sure, I suck, but do I really deserve this? I’ve done bad shit but nothing…”

The ringing ended and a heard a voice on the other end.

“Hey, this is Tim Griff. How can I help ya?” asked a slightly familiar voice.

My face instantly lit up. Well, not completely, but this was a minor victory.

“Hello?”

I face palmed. I had forgotten to speak… “cAn yOu tell Viney to get on the phone?” I asked, cringing at the random voice cracks. But hey, at least I wasn’t already sobbing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The summary of the remaining parts of this chapter is continued below. Check the end note for information on why this is the case.

Emira and Viney talk. While Emira sends Viney the email, Viney panics, causing Emira to explain what's happening. They come upon the agreement to take a break. It's not that they want to, but it's needed at this point, to stop Emira's future from being a tad compromised.

Chapter Text

The rest of the story is quite simple, but it's not the best when combined with my shitty writing and quite awful mood. I don't think anyone likes this enough to be mad, but I just figured I'd be sure.

Anyway, time to get on with the summary. As discussed in the previous chapter/chapter summary, Em and Viney take a break. In the following two (possibly more) chapters I failed to write, they sulked for about two weeks or so. Ed and Amity comforted Em, who had kept her part in the agreement made with Alador and Odalia. After those two weeks, graduation happens. Em, Ed, Viney, Jerbo, Barcus, and many others graduate, but more than the end of highschool occurs.

Em decides to move to Seattle before the summer begins, and Ed stays at the Manor until the following semester of college, which he'll be attending with Em. Odalia and Alador plan for Em to leave immediately after graduation, leaving little time for goodbyes. Luckily, Em's able to say goodbye to Ed and Amity, leaving everyone crying. (Side note, Amity and Ed are forbidden from contacting Em, but Ed will obviously be able to in college)

In the chapter, Ed decides to finally pull the fire alarm after graduation speeches, which he had previously set up to paint in one of the earlier chapters (Possibly chapter 3 or 4). Admist the chaos, Em and Viney talk, deciding to stay in contact- secretly once more. Without living in the Manor, Em will have more freedom, along with an easier time to keep secrets. While the two make up (and make out), Viney gives Em a new Eagle Carving (hence the name of the fic).

The story ends with Em driving off into the rain. (Of course it could be the sunset, but that's too cliche).

Anyway, that's the gist of the next two chapters. I know my apologies are lame, but I honestly can't begin to say how sorry I am. I'm quite disappointed in myself for this, and I'm sorry to disappoint anyone else - if people even wanted to read this. But thank you to everyone who did. Ya'll are great.

(More fics to come in this series, including more Vinira, but when I'm feeling better mentally).

Thanks for the journey and for reading the longest thing I've ever written. 65k words isn't too much, but I really didn't write much up until now.

- L