Chapter Text
If there was one thing Wednesday Addams loathed above all else, it was being wrong. Especially being wrong face to Thing.
“All that lotion you and Enid smear on each other during your mani-pedis has finally made you go haywire.”
Thing gestured vulgarly at her before tapping one of its fingers on the wood of her desk in a determined manner.
“And I repeat: I don't miss him at all.” Wednesday stated in her usual dull tone.
The object of their disagreement was what had been running through the young Addams' mind for days now: Xavier Thorpe. Again. Even when he didn't seem suspicious in a monster investigation, he still managed to take up space in her deepest thoughts.
Everything stemmed from a certain incident that had taken place the other day at the Weathervane.
FLASHBACK
By whatever dark magic, Enid had persuaded her roommate to go shopping with her in Jericho. Luckily, Wednesday had managed to slip away when they were about to enter a clothing shop with far too much pink on display. She retorted a gulp. Urgh. Too much colour.
Eager to make the most of the short time before Enid noticed her disappearance, she headed to the Weathervane for a coffee. Tyler had been arrested, so she didn't have to worry about his poor presence poisoning her space anymore.
As she waited for her order at the counter, she saw him. Xavier. But he wasn't alone, he was... in charming company.
He was sitting at one of the booths near the window and a blonde girl, dressed in a Jericho High School cheerleading uniform, was talking to him rather animatedly. Wednesday frowned subtly. Not only was Xavier talking to a normie, but he was smiling and laughing with her.
The barista gave her quad on ice to go, and she considered taking the opposite aisle from their table to avoid them. On the other hand... she and Xavier had been on pretty good terms since the beginning of the new semester. She could even say they were friends. There was nothing wrong with greeting a friend in a public space... right?
Robotically, she walked towards the table where Xavier glanced up at her. “Oh, hi Wednesday! Haven't got anyone arrested by the police yet today?”
“No. But it's only noon, the day’s still young.”
This made Xavier chuckle, though he wasn't sure if she was serious or not. With Wednesday Addams, you never know. As for him, he wasn’t really mad at her for the whole Hyde thing anymore, so he could indulge in a bit of banter. The blonde girl in front of him shyly cleared her throat to remind him of her presence.
“Oh, uh, Wednesday, this is Lola,” Xavier said, slightly uncomfortable. “Lola, this is Wednesday. We’re classmates at Nevermore.”
The black-haired girl slowly turned to the blonde who smiled politely. “Nice to meet you! Xavier told me a lot about you.”
“Really.” Wednesday replied dismissively.
She stared at the normie from top to bottom, causing the latter to feel somewhat uneasy. At first glance, Lola appeared to be quite harmless. Which could be translated as feeble and uninteresting, as far as Wednesday was concerned.
Eventually, the young Addams looked back at her classmate. “I'll see you in class, Xavier.”
“See you later!”
Wednesday walked towards the exit with her back to them, suddenly more eager to re-join Enid.
“Sorry about her,” she heard Xavier say to his classmate. “She's a bit intense.”
END OF FLASHBACK
Intense. The mere thought of the word infuriated her. She who usually didn't care about what others thought of her, she would have thought that Xavier of all people wouldn't call her that. He who had insisted for ages on becoming her friend.
Ever since their return to Nevermore, Wednesday hadn't really been able to describe her relationship with the young artist. Part of her wanted to tie him to a train track for introducing her to technology: during the break, she had ended up exchanging several messages with him. Well, in-between torture sessions on Pugsley. And as much as she would rather die than admit it, she had enjoyed their conversations. Xavier was what you might call a tortured artist, which meant that he was sometimes as cynical as she was. He had a certain vision of the world that didn't naively see everything in pink and a certain amount of general knowledge that often led them to debate. In fact, he loved getting into her face and dismantling her arguments. Wednesday loved and hated it at the same time.
But of course, Wednesday wouldn't be Wednesday if she didn't crush the hopes of a boy who liked her. And that's why she'd told him at the start of the school year that he was wasting his time on trying to see her as more than a friend.
“You're saying this because of Tyler?” he had asked her, disappointment more than visible in his eyes.
Just thinking about Hyde, and how he had fooled her, was wearing on her nerves.
“I can't afford to let my guard down.” She had said, arms crossed. “Believe me, Xavier, you'd better find someone who won't put her needs and interests ahead of yours. I might hurt you and not even regret it.”
Now he had taken her advice.
Meanwhile, she had done some research on the new girl. Lola Garfield, age 16, born and raised in Jericho forever, just a regular normie with zero history. Nothing interesting, nothing suspicious that she could put under Xavier's nose. Just the stereotype of a blonde, long-legged cheerleader that all boys her age tended to want these days. As it turned out, Xavier wasn't that different from them.
And for some reason that completely baffled Wednesday, it irked her to no end.
Since that encounter, Xavier had met Lola several times. And every time Wednesday saw that silly girl giggling groupie-style at everything he said and unnecessarily touching his arm when he showed her his drawings, she felt this unpleasant stomach-churning sensation. According to Thing, she was missing Xavier and was simply regretting having rejected him. ‘Foolish irrelevant hand’, she told herself mentally. Perhaps another opinion could enlighten her.
“Enid.”
“Yes, roomie dear?”
“I could use your insight regarding a social issue that is beyond me. And don't ever call me that again.” Wednesday added icily.
Enid turned away from her laptop where she was writing her daily gossip and looked at the dark-haired girl in surprise. “You need my advice? My help? Me?” she asked, thrilled to be approached by her usually so independent friend.
“Yes, and do not tell anyone if you don't want anything to happen to your precious stuffed animals.”
Not terrified by her threats in the slightest – she was getting used to them –, Enid nodded vigorously. “I promise! So, what's going on with you?”
Wednesday sighed, not knowing where to start. She sat down on her roommate's colourful bed to face her. “It's about Xavier and his new friend, Lola.”
“Oh yeah, Ajax told me about her! According to him, Xavier’s pretty much into her.”
Wednesday unconsciously clenched her fists. The mere mention of this girl was giving her hives. If Xavier had mentioned her to Ajax, who was one of his best friends, then Lola must be at least a little important to him. Yet, she decided to use this information:
“What else did Ajax tell you?”
Enid seemed to think for a minute. “Mmh, not much. Just that Xavier had met her at the Weathervane, that she'd seen him draw and complimented his artwork. They’ve been seeing each other often since.”
She could feel her nails digging deeper and deeper into her palms. Her change in mood was not lost on Enid.
“Are you okay? Because you look like you're about to hit someone. And why are you asking questions about-“
To Wednesday's dismay, who had tried to bring up the subject smoothly, Enid's eyes widened, and she jumped out of her chair like a four-year-old:
“NO! Don't tell me that you and Xavier-“
“There is no me and Xavier,” she protested, trying to remain unemotional. “I just don't know why but I don't like his connection with Lola. He introduced us the other day, and I found her suspicious. Although she looks far too stupid to be harbouring a two-faced agenda.”
Enid rolled her eyes. Getting Wednesday Addams to admit that she had feelings for someone other than disdain and homicidal urges? That was bound to be arduous.
“Well, let's try to think outside the box and ask yourself the right questions. What do you feel when you see Xavier and Lola together?”
“Disgust. And a furious desire to rip out all her blonde hair until she looks like my Uncle Fester.”
“You know what that means, don't you?” Enid prompted with a huge smile.
“That I should ask Thing to rip it off for me so that I don't get blamed?”
Thing, who was standing on Enid's desk, held up its fingers as if it was actually considering this good idea.
“No! You're jealous, Wednesday!”
Almost comically, the girl's eyes widened like marbles. How could Enid suggest such a crazy idea?
“I... no." she finally blurted out, crossing her arms. “Jealousy is a primal feeling felt by condescending people who think they can own someone. It can't be true.”
“Just admit it! You've never been indifferent to Xavier, even when Tyler was hovering over you. Don't try to deny it, I've been watching you!” the werewolf blonde added, when Wednesday was about to protest. “It's only natural that you're jealous now that another girl is trying to get his attention.”
“There are so many inconceivable things in that sentence that I don't even know where to begin.”
Enid sighed and grabbed her roommate's shoulders. “Anyway, you need to know what you want out of Xavier! Everyone can see he's been into you since last year but if you keep saying you don't see him that way... he will move on, eventually. With Lola or another girl.”
Wednesday pondered all that for a minute. “You really think so?”
“Yes,” the blonde werewolf confirmed with a comforting smile. “And then it'll be too late. He's a good guy, Wednesday, he deserves someone who cares about him.”
Wednesday had slept on it. She had thought long and hard about her roommate's remarks, and she had drawn a clear and obvious conclusion: Enid was absolutely out of her mind. So was Thing. Who did they think she was? She certainly wasn't jealous and certainly not because of Xavier.
Which brought her back to her first impression: Lola was hiding something, and she was going to hurt him. That was the only reason she felt this way. And she had to solve this mystery. For her personal accomplishment and for Xavier who had become her friend. Nothing more than a friend.
And what better way to advance her investigation than to question the key person involved?
Therefore, Wednesday took advantage of her early Saturday morning to go to Xavier's shed where she knew she would find him. He was always painting first thing in the morning. She walked through the school and the woods before arriving in front of the small abandoned-looking studio. As usual, she didn't bother to knock and went straight in.
Xavier, distracted by one of his paintings, jumped at the sound of the door. He relaxed when he saw that it was only his classmate. “Wednesday, you scared the hell out of me!”
“You should work on your reflexes, they are terrible.” she said as she walked towards him. “If you were facing any enemy, you would have been screwed in no time.”
He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his half-tied hair. He was dressed casually, wearing one of his trademark old paint-stained T-shirts.
“So. To what do I owe this visit, Addams?”
The girl stiffened when she became aware of her foolishness: she had come without a valid excuse that would not arouse the suspicions of the young artist. It cost her to admit it, but Xavier was far from stupid. He even knew her rather well. If she came up with a lame excuse, he would realize that she was trying to get something out of him.
“Well...” she began, thinking. “You weren't at fencing practice yesterday. I wanted to make sure nothing had happened to you, considering your tendency to get into trouble.”
Xavier parted his mouth, looking falsely outraged and amused at the same time. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Wednesday, you're the one who always gets yourself into trouble!”
“Of my own free will.” she specified with a grin, quite satisfied to have caused a reaction from him.
“Yeah, right! But hey, by the sound of it, seems like you were worried about me.” He said with a wink.
Wednesday felt her cheeks heat up and prayed that the pink would not be so visible on her pale skin. “Don’t kid yourself, Thorpe. I… I was just disappointed that there was no other equal to me at yesterday’s practice. It gets repetitive and boring to challenge Bianca every time.” She retorted as drearily as possible.
Xavier lowered his brush and retorted with a sly smile. “Oh, so it’s a compliment on my fencing skills then? Wow. Concern, now flattery… is it my lucky day?”
She threw him yet another glare that Xavier carefully decided to ignore. He was still sporting the same grin and the dark-haired girl wanted to rip off his lips to remove the smug look. Although, it would be a pity, his lips were rather enticing-
Wednesday shook her head unnoticeably, dismissing these thoughts from her mind. ‘Just a friend, remember’.
Xavier chuckled to himself one last time, shaking his head before refocusing on his new work in progress. Wednesday moved closer to look at it. It was a landscape that was slowly taking shape as a park. Central Park, she recognized. She knew that Xavier often jogged there when he was in his home in New York. She remained silent for a few minutes, as he painted with concentration and she observed him. Yet the silence between them rarely felt heavy or uncomfortable. On the contrary, it was actually a source of peace and quiet.
“What do you think?” He eventually asked.
“I never comment on a work in progress. Only when it’s finished.” She answered. “However, I notice that it’s quite different from your usual gloomy paintings.”
Xavier shrugged, his eyes still on his art. “I guess I paint according to my mood.”
Wednesday nodded in response, seizing the opportunity: “And could this change in your mood be linked to your new girlfriend?”
As though he’d got stung, Xavier sharply turned his head towards her. “What?”
“Your new girlfriend, the normie. Lola, right?” She pretended to guess.
Of course she remembered her name, she had written it on her new voodoo doll.
“Lola’s not my girlfriend,” Xavier hastened to correct her as if he didn’t want her to believe that. “at least not-”
He paused, uncomfortable, but Wednesday could easily guess what he was going to say.
‘At least not yet’.
Again, that intense feeling of malaise, the one that gripped her gut every time she saw Lola and Xavier together, spread through her stomach. She had to control herself. There was no way she was going to give in to that stupid feeling. But she couldn’t help herself-
“I have to go.” She said hastily.
Xavier frowned and lowered his paintbrush, but Wednesday was already heading back. She had almost reached the door when she noticed one of his many sketchbooks sitting on a table. One page was wide open and showed a portrait that Xavier had drawn. A portrait of a young girl. Lola.
“Wednesday? You’re sure you’re okay?” He asked from behind her.
Her palms were probably bruised from the way she kept clenching her fists. Slowly, she breated in and out.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” She said before leaving abruptly, without another glance towards the young man.
Lola. He drew that damn girl.
Wednesday was striding briskly, eager to return to the castle and forget about this conversation. Not only had her plan to trick Xavier into giving up information failed miserably, but she had also let her emotions get the better of her. Again, Wednesday was plagued by that unpleasant feeling that made her want to commit murder. She had struggled, she had tried to deny it, she didn't want to admit it to herself, let alone admit it out loud, but she knew for a fact that Enid was right. She was... jealous. And that wasn't the worst part, no. She was jealous of a shallow, brainless normie like Lola.
And that wasn't the worst part, either. The worst thing was that she was jealous of Lola because of Xavier.
Oh, what a fool she was. He'd been in front of her all this time, and she had been so focused on herself, on her monster hunts, on her drama with her parents, on Tyler, on everything... but him. When he was right there. Expressing his interest in her, portraying her like his muse and... now he was potentially going to have another muse.
Absolutely not. There was no way she was going to stay in this state, rehashing her mistakes while he escaped her. To hell with her assumptions about relationships, jealousy, love, or anything she had promised her mother she would never indulge into when she came to this school. Xavier Thorpe was hers and she was going to do everything she could to keep it that way.
On Wednesday Addams’ word.