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The earliest memory that Wednesday had of girls talking about boys was at the age of 5. A new neighbour had shown up at her family doorstep, complete with a plate of cookies to gossip with her mother about how there was a ‘fine-looking’ gentleman living down the street. It’s beside the point, but the very next day, Morticia had captured the man and presented it to her as a thanks for the welcome cookies. Mortified, their new neighbour moved out as quickly as she came.
Her next memory was at age 10, when some silly girl in her class asked her which guy she had a crush on. When she replied Ted Bundy, the girl had gone home and told her parents, and there came a big hoo-ha with the school requesting Gomez and Morticia to send her for children counselling. Of course, her parents had only praised her for her potential good eye in men.
At age 15, when she happened to be in a toilet cubicle, she overheard some girls at her former high school talking avidly about the boys from their class. Then, it proceeded to them talking about her, how she would ‘always remain a virgin’ and how no guy in their right mind would ever like her. She did end up making fools of them in front of the guys they liked out of spite for their gossip-mongering, but the words never hurt her.
Why is it that girls are always thirsting over male attention? Wednesday Addams never understood the hype about falling in love and could give two fucks about boys.
Until Tyler showed up.
He looked so vanilla at first glance, until he no longer did. Tyler, with his honey skin, gorgeous brown curls and eyes that sparkled whenever he saw her. Nose that scrunched whenever he laughed and a smile that can light up any room. Muscles that are so visibly apparent against tight shirts or, beneath her palming hands.
Suddenly, at age 16, Wednesday began to care. When she can’t help her eyes from picking him out from amongst a crowd, or when she got jealous whenever he spoke to any girl, even if he’s just politely taking their drink order, she realised she does indeed give a fuck. She doesn’t want anyone else to remotely know what Tyler’s about. She doesn’t want them to know how good of a kisser he is, how his hands have the power to unravel her from within, or the expression he wears on his face when he comes.
Enid once told her in order to ‘secure’ him, she should ask if they’re official. So, after serious pondering, she did. And to none of her surprise, Tyler says yes.
“So, am I your first boyfriend?” Tyler asks with a cheeky grin, as he works the espresso machine. They’re at the Weathervane, and Wednesday is waiting for her quad at the front counter.
“Yes.”
Tyler lets out a huge smile, clearly buzzing with a high at hearing her admit it, while all Wednesday cares about at that point is her coffee.
As she hung around the café the way she usually does, two girls about their age came in. When she overhears them trying to flirt with Tyler at the counter, she narrows her eyes and marched over.
“Back off. He’s taken.”
It succeeds in scaring the girls away, and putting a stupid grin on his face she wished she could wipe off.
It was a warm afternoon. Tyler had just finished his shift and had driven the both of them to his house. Wednesday had no idea how an innocent, gentle peck on the lips could turn into this.
“Tyler…touch me.”
She’s licking into his mouth, feeling his tongue entangled with hers, breathing in his scent deeply. The make out session on his bed had turned hot and heavy in the matter of minutes, and the words came pushing past her lips before even she knew it. She can feel Tyler grinding himself against her and she relished in it. She wants to be the only person he can ever feel this way with.
Tyler does as he’s told. He snakes a hand below her sweater while dragging his lips down to her neck, where he sucks harshly, eliciting a moan out of her. His hands feel so warm and large against the skin of her stomach, and it causes her breath to hitch in her throat, as she anticipates his next move. She wants him to run his fingers, to squeeze her, to do whatever the hell he wants. At the back of her mind, she wonders for a moment what those stupid girls from her old school would say if they could see her now.
Wednesday had her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of Tyler’s fingers skimming just below her chest, when they both hear the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. Immediately, Tyler freezes over.
“Fuck, shit. I didn’t know he was coming back.”
Great. Sheriff Galpin, always with the best timing.
Wednesday frowns frustratedly as Tyler removed his hand from beneath her top and proceeds to quickly button his flannel back on. Instinctively, Wednesday also adjusted her clothes. When her eyes caught sight of his very obvious hard-on, she passes him a pillow.
“Thanks,” he said.
A second later, they could hear sheriff Galpin’s voice, as he comes up the stairs. “Tyler, you around?” He doesn’t even wait for an answer before swinging the door open.
“Can’t you at least knock?”
“My house,” Sheriff Galpin said, eyeing the two of them seated on Tyler’s bed. “What is Addams doing here?”
“We’re just hanging out, dad.”
“You seeing her? Is that what this is?”
Wednesday’s eyes went from sheriff Galpin to Tyler’s face immediately. She could feel her own anticipation for his answer, only to be let down seconds later.
“No. We’re just friends.”
For some reason, those few words hurt her more than anything else ever has.
“Wednesday, please, talk to me.”
Tyler had been pleading with her ever since sheriff Galpin had left the room. He asked again when they got into his car, and once more, when they stopped in front of the Nevermore gates. She guesses her scowl and lack of conversation must’ve alerted him.
Finally, when Tyler grabs her by the arm before she could go past the school gates, she opens her mouth to speak, her tone dripping with venom.
“I thought we were just friends.”
Tyler wore a perplexed expression on his face. “Yeah, I thought that might’ve been what it’s about. I…didn’t think you’d want my dad to know.”
“If you’re ashamed of me, you shouldn’t have said yes to becoming official. I’m not some little girl that can’t handle it.”
“What, and risk losing my balls?”
Wednesday continued to glare at him and Tyler winces. It was a poor reference to when she dropped piranhas into her previous school’s swimming pool at some boys, before she came to Jericho.
“Ok, that was a bad joke. But the thing is, I’m not not proud of you. I’m happy that we’re together, and I tell everyone else you’re my girlfriend, Wednesday. It’s just, I don’t even like my dad very much, but the two of you are like, mortal enemies or something.”
“It’s your father that has it against me since the beginning.”
“Well, I’m okay about telling him we’re together. I just thought you’d mind.”
“And why would I mind?”
“Because after all, he’s my dad and you’re not going to have his approval easily. Plus, Jericho’s a small town. I don’t want him to make things more difficult for you if you run into him outside.”
Tyler’s words suddenly forced her to take a step back to see the big picture. Sheriff Galpin could indeed turn out to be an obstacle. Normally, she wouldn’t mind removing any obstacles for good, but the sheriff is unfortunately the only relative Tyler’s got left, ever since he lost his mother. Killing him would not be an option, and she also can’t be sure if that would do any good for her and Tyler’s relationship.
“Wednesday?” Tyler waved a hand in her face, forcing her to snap back to reality.
“Tyler,” she replies at last. “Invite me over.”
“To my house? What for?”
“Dinner. Let’s tell sheriff Galpin about us together.”
Over the following week, Wednesday does something she never thought she’ll ever do in her life. She began to think about things that Donovan Galpin might like, as much as she’ll rather put a bullet into her head. Her ultimate goal wasn’t to put herself in sheriff’s Galpin’s good books; she just wanted to do enough to have him be okay with her, for him to acknowledge their relationship and to leave Tyler and her alone.
As Tyler told her about his dad, even he looks disgusted. To be fair, Wednesday isn’t faring any better herself. And before the pair knew it, Friday night came and Wednesday found herself standing in front of the Galpin household in a nice dress.
“Wednesday. Come on in,” Tyler had been the one to open the door. Behind him, she could see sheriff Galpin with his arms crossed, looking as stern as ever.
When she entered, she presented him a gift. It was an exquisite bottle of beer.
“What are you playing at, Addams?” the older Galpin asked. Instantly, Wednesday could feel her annoyance rising internally, if not for Tyler’s hand on the small of her back. She forces herself to relax.
“Tyler told me you enjoy a good beer.”
“The Sam Adams Utopias is very expensive. And aren’t you underaged to be buying alcohol?”
Wednesday pressed her lips in a thin line, when Tyler cuts in in the nick of time. “Chill, dad, she got a relative of legal age to help her buy it.”
Sheriff Galpin didn’t look like he bought it completely, but decidedly kept his mouth shut. The trio went to the dining table, where dinner had been prepared. As they ate quietly, with only the sheriff and Tyler exchanging mundane conversation, and all three looking quite uncomfortable, sheriff Galpin is the first one to address the elephant in the room.
“Okay, so what’s the occasion? First time I sit down for a meal with my son and he brings his friend, which happens to be you again, Addams.”
Tyler’s eyes traveled from his dad’s to Wednesday, before quietly reaching over to take her hand in his.
“Uh, we just wanted to tell you…actually, we’re going out together.”
Sheriff Galpin immediately drops his fork and knife, his expression souring. “That’s what I thought. Unbelievable. How old are the two of you, a 17 and a 16-year-old? Tyler, what would your mum say?”
“I think she’ll be okay with it. Wednesday is smart and driven, and-.”
“You don’t even know your mother,” Donovan pointed his knife from Tyler to Wednesday, “She’s not going to like this.”
“I don’t know her because you don’t even talk about her,” Tyler tightened his grip on Wednesday’s hand, “But, it doesn’t matter anyway. I like Wednesday. This dinner was just out of courtesy.”
“And I’m telling you, out of courtesy, is that the two of you should be studying, not running around getting into relationships that are going to hurt you in future.”
“We can handle it. Nobody is hurting anyone.”
“That’s what you say, until she does.”
Tyler had never looked angrier, his eyes boring into his father’s. While Wednesday desperately wanted to snatch the knife out of sheriff Galpin’s hand and stab him with it, at this very moment, she found herself worrying more about Tyler. Needless to say, with Tyler pushing himself out of his seat and storming out, the dinner has come to an end. Wednesday stayed seated on the table, where she could feel sheriff Galpin’s eyes zero in on her, now that Tyler’s gone.
“I knew you two were up to something. Kid’s never planned for a dinner in his life,” he spat.
Wednesday forced herself to keep it together, “Getting involved in your family chaos is not of any interest to me, but you shouldn’t have said that to Tyler.”
“What I say to my son is my own business.”
“I don’t care if you approve of me. But bringing up Tyler’s mother knowing it’s difficult for him is low, especially for you.”
Wednesday decidedly stood up, about to head upstairs to look for Tyler, when the sheriff stopped her in her tracks.
“Hold up, Addams.” He walked up to her, his hands in his pockets, seemingly searching for the right words in his mind. At last, he lets out a resigned sigh.
“It’s…complicated, with Tyler’s mother. We fell in love around this age, and I didn’t care what people think then. But Tyler’s just a normal boy, and you…you’re quite the firecracker. I’m not saying this because of whatever beef that happened between you and me, but the last thing I want…is for my son to get hurt.”
“Fortunately for you,” Wednesday replied, “I don’t plan on doing that to Tyler.”
When Wednesday goes upstairs, Tyler is on his bed. He still looked frustrated, but calmer than before. He scoots to a side when he sees her come in, and Wednesday climbs in, laying a head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. Tyler presses his face against her head, subconsciously giving her a kiss, before saying.
“Sorry. I know this night isn’t exactly what we planned.”
“At least now he knows.”
“Yeah. And I know if my mum was still alive, she’ll have liked you. First time I bring a girl home and he has to act like an asshole.”
Wednesday turns her head to look into his eyes. “I’m the first girl you brought home?”
“Yeah.”
Wednesday could feel her heart skip a beat at the information. She had always assumed he might have bought other girls home before; maybe not necessarily to introduce them officially to his father, but she had no idea she’d be the first. It also makes her wonder how things will go, should she ever formally introduce Tyler to her own parents.
No doubt, the one that would get on her nerves the most would be her mother. Tyler would be the first boyfriend she ever introduced. To even entertain the idea of possibly having to explain to Morticia how she fell in love, after explicitly stating she would never, quite frankly gives her a headache.
So, until she has to, she’d rather park her family aside and focus on Tyler, for now.
A few days later, Wednesday is sitting at her usual booth in the Weathervane, when sheriff Galpin slips into the seat opposite her. Tyler was busy at the counter with other customers and couldn’t take off, but she could see him eyeing them suspiciously from a distance.
“Sheriff Galpin,” Wednesday greets monotonously, her eyes darting up from her homework.
“I’ll make this quick and painless-,” he starts to say.
Wednesday interjects, “-I don’t have any intention to break up with Tyler.”
“Knowing how stubborn the two of you are, I wasn’t going to say that.” The older Galpin cleared his throat, before continuing, “I just wanted to…apologise for the other night. You have to know, I’m just…protective. Don’t want him making the same mistakes I made.”
That certainly surprised her. “What kind of mistakes? Did you regret marrying Tyler’s mother?”
Sheriff Galpin looked thoughtful for a second, before answering, “…Never.”
Wednesday gazes at Tyler, who’s working concentratedly.
“Even if there will be mistakes, you should at least trust him to figure things out for himself. Although, you should know I am confident in who I am and what Tyler means to me.”
At last, Tyler comes over with his father’s order in a to-go cup. His lips are pressed in a thin line as his eyes go nervously from Wednesday, to his father, and back to Wednesday again. Sheriff Galpin takes the drink and stands up, letting out a sigh as he’s going.
“I’m too old for this. I can’t stop the two of you, but Addams, if you hurt Tyler in any way…I’m coming for you.”
“Wait dad,” Tyler said, confused, “You’re okay with Wednesday and I?”
“So long neither of you are failing at school or your jobs. Or buying liquor while underaged.” Then he takes a deep breath. “And, for God’s sake, practice safe sex.”
“…Okay, dad, that was a bit much, but thank you.”
Tyler and Wednesday watch as sheriff Galpin exits, before Tyler flashes her a smile of relief.
“I’m glad that kinda worked out? Although I’m not sure what even happened…”
“Just take the win,” Wednesday deadpanned.
“Yeah, of course,” Tyler nods. “Say, this reminds me, have you told your parents about…us?”
At Wednesday’s silence and her refusal to meet his gaze, Tyler lets out a flabbergasted laugh.
“Wednesday Addams. Are you serious?”
“I’m…working on it.”
“Well, you better work faster,” Tyler grinned, “Don’t want them thinking we’re just friends.”