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The new kid’s got an accent.
He’s in every class of Vida & Madison’s on Monday. On Tuesday he skates past their science class five minutes after the bell. Thirty seconds later he comes back and charms the teacher into not writing him a late slip. He sits behind Madison and Vida’s hackles start to rise in warning.
Apparently the new kid doesn’t detect invisible ‘stay away from me’ signals and the moment they break into groups of three for a practical he launches himself over his desk and between them.
Chip, the geek from the row in front, stops in his tracks. Vida smiles apologetically at him as he looks around the class for whoever else has been left out.
“-here with you two lovely ladies.”
Madison makes a noise that the new guy probably takes as encouragement. Vida’s been trying to train her out of that noise since they hit middle school.
“The name’s Xander,” Mr New Guy says.
“Vida. That’s Madison,” Vida says tightly. “Since we're so lovely how about you go and get all the experiment stuff?”
Mr New Guy blinks for a moment before a sleazy smile takes over. “Sure thing, gorgeous.”
Vida waits for him to get out of earshot. “Ugh.”
“He's not that bad,” Madison mumbles.
“Hey, if you want him to hit on you all the time until you say yes, that's up to you.” Vida pulls out her science textbook. “Not for me, thank you.”
For the rest of the class Xander's flirting gets shut down by Vida at every turn. Madison's non-committal but decidedly nicer responses mean that by the final bell Xander's ignoring Vida and leaning over the desk and cutting Madison off from Vida entirely.
“C'mon Maddie. English next.”
“Excellent,” Xander smiles. “Me too.”
Vida rolls her eyes and gives Madison a pointed look. Madison only shrugs.
At lunch Xander doesn't try to sit with them. Because he's palling around with the rude, arrogant jerks of the football team.
Vida walks past them on her way to the trash can and they're viciously making fun of his accent. Xander looks uncomfortable.
After school Vida and Madison walk home. Vida mostly has one earbud in listening to music but if Maddie decides she wants to talk V'll pull it out quick. Maddie rarely talks.
“There's Chip.” Maddie nods ahead.
Chip, the resident superhero geek of their school, had moved into a house down the street last month. Vida has, more than once, heard the action-movie yells from the Thorn's backyard and gone sprinting outside to see if someone was in trouble. Chip would sheepishly wave at her before going off to continue flailing a hockey stick at the air.
“And there's the jerk squad,” Vida says scathingly.
The football team plus Xander appears to be stalking Chip. Half of them are just laughing at Chip, the others seemed to be amusing themselves by trying to step on or pull Chip's cape.
Chip's mostly managing to ignore them, apart from the occasional yank of his cape or word of annoyance. Vida can see by the way Chip's shoulders keep hunching that he's not enjoying this, it's not friendly banter or teasing. She's had run-ins with the football jocks before. As has Maddie.
“V,” Madison says softly. “I don't like this.”
Vida exchanges a glance with her sister. Madison looks worried.
“You know you're the reason I get in trouble, right?” she asks rhetorically.
Without waiting for an answer Vida starts running towards Chip.
She nearly knocks the new guy over when she barrels through the group of bullies.
“So, Mitchell, I can't help but notice your nose never went back to normal after our little argument about you teasing other kids,” she snarks, falling into step with the ringleader.
“Vida, stop butting your nose in,” one of the other guys says threateningly.
“Not afraid to hit a girl!” another chips in.
Madison catches up to them then and looks at the last one to speak speculatively. “How're your balls, Jake?” she asks pleasantly.
Xander barks out a laugh but seems to realise he's on the wrong side to actually laugh at that.
“You too, bitch,” Jake snaps back. He cups aforementioned body part protectively, however. He knows from experience how good Madison's aim is.
“You talk to my sister like that I'll break your balls again too,” Vida threatens.
They all stop walking. Chip must notice that they've stopped following him – he stops a few yards away. Xander backs off a few yards in the other direction.
Jake steps forward to be nose-to-nose with Vida. “You back off my friends or I rip off your face or your balls, you got that?” V says quietly, menacingly.
“Your friend? He's just a nerd that no one likes,” Jake throws out. V feels Chip take another step closer, he's nearly at her shoulder. They're lined up behind V, the group of guys against her and the new guy off to the side slightly.
“Where you are just bullies that no one likes,” Madison retorts.
“Watch yourself,” one of the other guys says.
“Hey!” Xander interjects. He moves in between Vida and Jake, hands up peacefully towards Vida. “Why don't we all just calm down and agree to go our separate-”
“Piss off, retard,” Jake spits at him.
Xander stiffens and turns to look at Jake, a betrayed expression on his face.
“You piss off,” Vida throws back, and punches Jake in the face.
“Probably not the best idea, that,” Xander comments a few minutes later.
They've reconvened in the Rocca's backyard. Vida has a tissue stuffed up her nose, and Xander's gingerly poking at his knuckles. Chip's blotting at the spots of blood on Vida's jacket and Madison's inside. She didn't say anything, but Vida knows she's getting a couple of water bottles and probably snacks, too.
They won the fight and Maddie didn't get hurt. That's all Vida really cares about.
“They're probably not going to like you now.” Chip breaks the silence and directs the comment toward Xander.
“I don't think they liked me to begin with.” Xander picks at his knuckles before folding them in his lap. “They're not all that nice.”
“You think?” Vida snorts.
“You weren't all that nice either, mate,” Xander snaps, before looking remorseful. “Sorry,” he mutters.
“You were being a jerk and not taking no for an answer.”
“I was trying to make friends! It's shitty being the new kid, alright? And Madison was nice to me.”
“She's nice to everyone, it's-”
“-my main failing, apparently,” Madison finishes. She tosses a water bottle to Xander and drops another in Vida's lap. “Cookies?” She offers the bag to Chip first, who takes a cookie.
“I'll be your friend,” Chip offers Xander with all the sincerity in the world. “I can be your dashing sidekick. Or not-so-dashing. Maybe just 'competent' sidekick. I can do 'competent'.”
“You can be the Alfred to my Batman, you mean?” Xander grins.
“Or the Merlin to your King Arthur!” Chip enthuses.
“As long as neither of us are Guinevere,” Madison mutters.
"Message received, my lady." Xander gives her finger guns, then switching to Vida. "Purely platonic only." When Vida continues to look unimpressed he aims them back at Madison with a winning grin.
Madison tries to keep straight-faced for Vida's sake but breaks into a smile. Xander whoops and leaps up before attempting to pull Madison into some sort of waltz. Madison bats away at his hands, giggling. Xander is not deterred and pulls Chip into a mad gallop around the yard.
"Friends, friends, friends, friends," Chip chants nonsensically.
Vida glares at her sister. “This is one of those things you're going to make me do, isn't it? We're adopting Mr Down Under and his sidekick Comic Book Lad.”
Madison smiles and bites into a cookie. “Yep.”
Four years later Vida looks at Madison after Nick gets a job with them at the RockPorium, and sighs. “You're adopting this one too, aren't you?”
Madison shrugs, watching Nick try to shrug off the attentions of his first customer. “We're all Rangers now. I don't think there's any way to get out of it, sis.”
Vida makes a face but pulls Maddie into a side hug anyway. “Don't worry,” Madison adds innocently, “I'll still love you best.”
Their magical cleaning efforts end up partially in vain when V attempts to shove a laughing Madison in the cupboard.