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She tucked her hands inside her pockets and sighed, her breath swirled out in opaque white clouds. She didn't mind the cold; she always ran a few degrees lower than most people anyways; but why anyone would organize an all-day outdoor event in the state of Vermont in the middle of December was beyond her. The weather was persistently miserable. Even at noon the sky remained a dull gray. Normally this would have suited Wednesday just fine; but her mood was dampened by the fact that everyone around her was defiantly cheerful mixed with the obnoxious Christmas decorations plastered over every surface of every building.
Nevermore had a laundry list of nonsensical requirements for its students. At least at a typical public high school the faculty usually didn’t put much effort into making students attend school functions. The number of mandatory festivals, ceremonies and rallies was ridiculous. Even worse were the events in Jericho that had nothing to do with the school that they were all shunted into out of posterity. A proverbial kissing of the hind end of a bigoted town that would fall into shambles without the financial aid from Nevermore’s numerous wealthy alumni. They were expected to act like guests in a place their families all but paid for.
The “Solstice fair” was particularly disgusting and not only for the ignorant misuse of its namesake. All activities at the event were organized and hosted by Nevermore and Jericho high school students, another sham of inclusion. Enid had been increasingly irritating in the past weeks; because of course she was very much overinvolved in the execution of the fair. At least Tyler agreed with her stance on the whole thing. The day before he had joked that instead of going along with the madness, they could just hang themselves with the exorbitant lengths of Christmas lights they had been roped into lugging across campus.
"Are you cold?" Tyler asked, attentive as always. She wished he wouldn't be so focused on her sometimes.
"No," she answered flatly.
"You can borrow my jacket," Tyler offered.
Wednesday cast a sideways glare at him "Then you would freeze you dolt, and I told you I'm not cold."
"If caring about you makes me a dolt then I'll take that title," Tyler declared with a smile and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Wednesssdaaaay!" Enid sang as she swished towards them, dressed in a magenta ski suit and a sparkly pink Santa hat "I have something for you! Think of it as an early Christmas present,"
"Is it a sedative?" Wednesday quipped glumly.
"Oh you wish, come here," Enid rolled her eyes as she began to rummage through her furry pink backpack and then she suddenly sprang on Wednesday.
"What are you- get- no!" Wednesday protested feebly shrinking away from her vividly colored offender.
Enid emerged from the tussle victorious and Wednesday stood there disgruntledly wearing a black and white Santa hat.
Tyler burst out laughing at the sight "Oh Enid it's perfect"
Wednesday sighed in annoyance glaring between the two "you both are insufferable,"
"Where's your holiday spirit?" Enid teased.
"Bah Humbug" Wednesday replied flatly.
"Oh come on, not even you can hate Christmas," Enid exclaimed.
Wednesday crossed her arms "Christmas is just an annual excuse companies use to pedal their merchandise to the gullible masses who are stuck on antiquated traditions; most of which have little to nothing to do with the origins of the holiday which is based on a work of fiction to begin with,”
"Careful who you say that around. There is a sizable population of religious nuts in this town. you might get lynched" Tyler warned, he was only half joking.
"I can only hope,” Wednesday frowned.
"Tyler you're tall, I need to borrow you for a sec," Enid suddenly demanded more than asked.
"Um okay," Tyler agreed slightly hesitant and he leaned down to whisper in Wednesday's ear "Get the Christmas lights,"
Her lips quirked up just slightly as he walked away grinning at her over his shoulder. She turned her attention back to the cardboard box of gawdy decorations she was supposed to be hanging around the various booths. She was contemplating finding a way to discreetly dispose of them when three normie boys rushed her and before she could react, she was hit by a deluge of ice-cold water.
"Bro why isn't she melting?" the tallest of the boys taunted.
The middle of the trio, a bulky boy with a broad nose clapped his friend on the back and joined in "Guess she's one of the ones you gotta drop a house on,"
“Hey!” someone yelled from across the square.
Wednesday sighed as she spotted Tyler marching towards them looking murderous.
"Hey! What the hell is your-"
"Tyler!" Wednesday interrupted sharply before he could do anything stupid "no, they aren't worth it,"
"Damn Galpin is whipped," the third boy guffawed, clearly a former classmate of Tyler’s.
The tall boy jabbed his friend in the ribs jovially "That must be some good freak pussy-"
Wham! Tyler punched the foul-mouthed boy so fast and hard that he dropped like a wooden board.
"Tyler!" Wednesday hissed jumping forward to grab hold of his arm and keep it from delivering another blow.
“You’re lucky your dad’s the sheriff or else I’d kick the shit out of you and take your little freak outback and make her squeal” the broad nosed boy spat.
Tyler lunged forward again but anticipating his movements Wednesday shot her foot out in front of him causing him to trip and fall into the snow.
“Let’s get the hell out of here man!” the third boy gulped.
As the offending teens dragged their groggy friend away Wednesday yanked Tyler up by the collar of his jacket, at least as much as she could giving their differing heights.
"You need to calm down, now!"
Tyler hung his head "I know I'm sorry. Just hearing them degrade you like that… it pushed me over the edge,"
"Yes, teenage boys are repugnant wastes of oxygen but you don't have the luxury of snapping like that. If you trigger your hyde gene again there's no telling what would happen," Wednesday chastised.
"I know, I'm sorry," Tyler repeated, his sunken stance and expression causing him to somewhat resemble a sad puppy.
"People are going to attack, belittle and degrade me, it's my status quo. You can't lose control every time some brain-dead bigot runs their mouth," she told him bluntly.
"I don't want to just stand by and do nothing," he frowned, his green eyes beseeching hers for understanding.
She took offense at this response "I don’t need you to put yourself at risk to defend my honor. You marching in like I’m helpless is more of an insult to me than if you had done nothing,”
He looked thoughtful for a moment then met her eyes looking much more like himself "Okay, I understand and you’re right. At least let me take you home and get you out of those wet clothes,"
She corked a jet-black brow at him "You'd like that wouldn't you,"
"No not like that!” he protested “It's 5 degrees out here and the shuttle isn't going back until 4:00. You'll freeze to death out here,"
"Sounds like fun," Wednesday replied in her typical monotone.
Tyler became serious "Wednesday seriously, you're already shivering,"
"I am not," she lied.
"Don't make me carry you," Tyler sighed.
"I'd like to see you try-ah!" She suddenly found herself being hoisted up and flung over Tyler’s shoulder.
"What do you think you’re?- put me down!" she demanded; twisting and squirming to find a vantage point to put a stop to this. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had carried her while conscious but it probably didn’t end well for them.
"When we get to my dad's house," Tyler answered curtly.
"Tyler, I will hurt you," she threatened.
"Quit squirming before I drop you- ow!"
He suddenly half set half dropped her to her feet. She staggered slightly but managed to catch her footing.
"Did you just bite me?!" Tyler gawked looking somewhere between disbelief and laughter.
"I warned you," Wednesday replied bluntly as she straightened her coat and shoved Enid’s latest “gift” into her pocket.
"Wednesday come on," he sighed his eyes turning serious.
“Fine, if you’re going to be so difficult about it,” Wednesday huffed.
“I’m being difficult?” Tyler exclaimed.
“Are we going or not?” she called back over her shoulder as she began walking.
“Have you had all your shots?” he quipped as he caught up with her.
“Don’t make me trip you again,”