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Wednesday unstrapped the pocket knife that was on her person, slicing through the tape that kept the cardboard box shut. Thing had made himself comfortable on the makeshift bed Enid created for him. He may not have had eyes, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a judgmental stare to him.
The dorm was empty except for them. Enid was off at one of her club meetings, then she would immediately take off to see Ajax for their date that evening. It was good, as it meant Wednesday did not have to risk her roommate seeing the package, inevitably bombarding her with questions and ear-piercing squeals that would lead to the heads of her beloved stuffed animals being chopped off.
“I expect you to accompany me tonight,” Wednesday’s eyes flickered down, noting with approval that it had arrived in the condition it was supposed to.
It’s raining , Thing protested. Enid just did my nails .
“Vanity isn’t becoming,” Wednesday sneered at him. “Furthermore, I don’t recall asking you. You will come with me. You’re going to be on look out and I expect you to do it properly.”
This would not go wrong. She would make sure of that. His work schedule she had memorized, the sheriff was a little more unpredictable since he’d adjusted his hours to be there for Tyler.
Getting caught wasn’t an option. The sheriff would end up in a body bag, Tyler would be annoyed with her for making him an orphan and she simply did not have time to deal with any inconveniences.
Hence, Thing’s presence was necessary.
But - His signing was cut off by Wednesday towering over him.
“You may refuse, but should that occur, I will see to it that you will be physically unable to endure a manicure session for the foreseeable future.”
Thing deflated.
A smirk slowly came across her lips. “Do we have a deal?”
Three days earlier
Seated at her designated booth, Wednesday waited for Tyler to come out of the bathroom. His shift was over for the day, that customer service smile dropped to one that was much more natural, his uniform being switched out for his regular attire at this very moment.
All throughout the day, the sky had been nothing but dreary, the clouds thick and gray with the occasional sprinkle of rain. Wednesday liked this weather the best. Anticipating the pouring that was to come, Tyler was going to take her back to his house to prepare dinner that they would eat while sitting outside to watch the rain.
He’d said it as a suggestion, eyes full of hope and a sickening softness she’d grown accustomed to. It wasn’t the worst idea Tyler had come up with, she’d considered, ultimately accepting it so long as he made her an extra quad to-go. That was more than alright with him. Wednesday took a small sip of her beverage, her eyes watching the townsfolk of Jericho, and the occasional Nevermore student, pass on by.
Lately, she’d been thinking. She’d not dared let anyone else know of thes ethoughts. Thoughts that plagued her mind like a destructive virus.
These thoughts, these wonderings, filled her with an almost unbearable sense of want . It was mortifying to feel this way, so out of control, so unlike herself.
And over clothing, no less.
“Ready to go?” Tyler was out, his uniform thrown over his shoulder. His brown jacket was on, fitting him snugly as usual. She could not stare for long. He would become suspicious and that would not do.
Wednesday rose to her feet faster than normal. “Yes. Let’s go before your father gets home.
Present
It was pouring outside. Wednesday was thoroughly soaked by the time she reached the Galpin’s residence. She nearly slipped whilst climbing up to his bedroom window, cursing her boyfriend for choosing today of all times to lock it. No matter, it wasn’t a deterrent. In her backpack was a screwdriver and a small crowbar. She would get inside one way or another.
To keep Thing from whining incessantly, she kept him in the aforementioned backpack. He tended not to appreciate being wet as it dried out his skin more than it already was. It also gave him less of a reason to try and blackmail her. She wouldn’t have given in to his demands in the first place, but she did not need the additional annoyance.
At last, she was out of the rain, standing inside his bedroom. The water pooled at her feet. It would have to be cleaned up before she left if she didn’t want anyone knowing that she’d been there. Wednesday’s eyes darted around. Tyler’s room was neither overly neat or messy. His clothes were put away, nothing on the floor, but his desk and dresser were being used as a piling space.
“Thing,” she said to the disembodied hand, “go find a towel to clean this up.”
Thing skittered off into the hallway.
As for herself, Wednesday headed right for his wardrobe. With her, she’d brought a plastic bag to keep the clothing from getting wet, and to avoid being questioned as to why she was carrying these clothes with her. She plucked every last one of his long sleeves, all the jackets he owned right off the hangers, dropping them into the bag. It left a noticeable gap that even pushing the hangers closer did not fix.
Well, she wasn’t overly concerned about it. Tyler didn’t know about her botany class being canceled this afternoon--from mysterious causes, of course. This couldn’t be traced back to her, for as far as he knew, she was in class. Wednesday didn’t even have to think about him reading Enid’s blog, who would surely have something to say about these strange circumstances that left them without a botany teacher for the next several days, for she knew that he’d tried once, only to admit that he couldn’t get past the terrible punctuation and grammar mistakes.
Here , Thing came back, dragging a baby blue towel with him.
“Good,” she said, using it to wipe herself down so as not to make more of a mess. She placed it under her feet after that to soak up the rest. “Now go stand watch downstairs. If either one of them comes home and finds us here, it will be your digits on the line.”
If Thing could grimace, he would have been doing that right now. He took off pretty fast after that.
Wednesday then scoured the rest of the room in search of the real reason she’d come here.
His brown jacket.
For reasons that did not fully make sense to herself, she’d wanted it in her possession. To wear it. To have it at her disposal. Tyler might be willing to temporarily part with it, but Wednesday would not be able to handle the humiliation of asking. It would take a plan; a well thought out plan to get it.
He’d been in a hurry this morning based on the red and black checkered blanket that was thrown over it. He must have done it upon realizing today came with unseasonably warm temperatures.
Wednesday picked it up, breathing in deeply. Today was unusually warm. He didn’t need to wear this so it was left behind while Tyler was off at the Weathervane for his shift. It was the perfect opportunity to swoop in and take it.
Wednesday smirked. He’d just have to live without it for a while.
The next day
The temperature plunged after that day, not quite yet below freezing but it was getting there. Now that he was without his usual jacket or possible substitutes, Tyler only had a semi-thick flannel to use. It was made of thinner material, but better than wearing nothing but a t-shirt.
He was accompanying her through the woods, walking side-by-side with the occasional bump to her hip. Since she’d stopped by his workplace to fetch him, he’d been eying her new jacket. She supposed that made sense; it was quite big on her, more than the other one she wore.
“New jacket?” He’d remarked idly to her.
“Something like that, yes,” she’d answered .
“You’re not wearing your jacket today,” Wednesday stated, breaking the silence that had come over them.
“Yeah,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “It got stolen?”
“By who?” She demanded, keeping up her facade.
“I don’t know,” he said truthfully. Good , she thought to herself. “Someone broke into the house and robbed us. They took some of my clothes, some of Dad’s. They even took my PS4.”
He sounded dismayed. All the while, Wednesday hummed, pleased with herself. Everything was safely tucked away so no damage would come to anything. She’d been smart that day; it wasn’t believable for someone to break in, only to steal a few clothing items. She needed to take a few other things with her to make it look like a real break-in. She’d even taken their microwave.
“That is rather strange of them,” she noted.
“Yeah, I guess,” Tyler shivered when a gust of wind flew by them. “It’s gonna take the majority of my next paycheck to replace my stuff.”
“That is unfortunate,” she agreed. Then, she advanced on the metaphorical opening door like a honeybee to a flower. “Are you cold?”
“Yeah,” Tyler rubbed up and down his arms. “A little bit. Did we really have to come out here?”
“Yes,” Wednesday was not going to waste an opportunity. “You did say you wanted to spend time together.”
“Yeah but I thought it’d be a little warmer,” he grumbled.
Wednesday’s stomach flipped around. She swallowed, licking her suddenly dry lips. “Perhaps I could be of help.”
He blinked. “With what?”
“I could provide some warmth for you,” Wednesday muttered, his confusion making her look away.
“Uh, okay,” he said slowly. “But how?”
She was already pulling the sleeves down. “I could not help but notice that this jacket appears to be a similar size to your brown one. Perhaps this would fit you?”
“I don’t know, Wednesday,” Tyler was skeptical. “I mean, that’s sweet of you but I’m a lot bigger than you. I doubt anything you have will fit me.”
Wednesday was not going to give up easily. “This jacket is quite large for me. There might be a possibility.”
He stared at her, shrugging. “Okay. Sure. But won’t you be cold?”
She wore a thick sweater underneath, already taking care of it. “I’ll be fine.”
Practically shoving it into his hands, Wednesday stepped back. Tyler slid his arms into it, the jacket fitting him perfectly. “Huh,” he said, surprised. “It does fit.”
“So it appears,” she said quickly, not wanting to dwell on it longer than necessary. It wouldn’t bode well for her if he figured it out. “Let’s go, Tyler. We’re wasting daylight.”
He gave her one of those sweet smiles. “I appreciate this, Wednesday.”
“Yes, well,” she said, clearing her throat. “Think nothing of it.”
The back of his hand lightly hers, a silent means of him asking to hold her hand. She indulged him, their fingers entwining.
“Hey, are you hungry?” He asked.
“I suppose,” she thought about it. “It has been quite a few hours since my last meal.”
“We could find something in town,” he said, adding when she wrinkled her nose in distaste, “ to-go .”
“We could,” she agreed, knowing he would likely go for pizza. “It would be acceptable, unlike your attempt at recreating mexican cuisine.”
He scowled playfully. “Hey, I didn’t mess it up that bad.”
“It certainly wasn’t good.”
“I bet your parents would like it,” he said.
“My parents lack a backbone. They would praise you regardless. I, on the other hand, believe criticism is necessary.”
“Telling me that your ancestors would be disgusted by my revolting concoction was just criticism?”
Wednesday’s smile was small, barely there. “Of course.”
Tyler’s was wider, his pearly teeth on display. With one arm, he unclasped his hand from hers, throwing it around her shoulders to bring her closer. It was this kind of gesture, this kind of closeness she’d once loathed. “Before we go eat, I gotta go home real quick and let Elvis out.”
“He is not with your father?” She inquired.
“Not this time,” he said. “Not sure why. He didn’t say and I didn’t ask.”
“I suppose we don’t have a choice,” Wednesday said. “However, that does mean I’m going to choose our dining location.”
“Whatever you want.”
“Just a head’s up,” Tyler was telling her just as they were nearing his house, “Lucas is coming over tomorrow so if you wanna come over it’ll have to be later.”
Wednesday disliked Lucas, refusing to accept his truce he tried to extend to her after he and Tyler rekindled their friendship. If she could avoid his presence altogether, she would, having already told Tyler, quite frankly, that she was not responsible for her actions if the two of them were in the same room together. “Not if he is in an unfortunate accident.”
“Wednesday, we’ve talked about this,” Tyler said when they rounded the corner. “If you maim, kill or otherwise harm him in any way, I’ll call you my princess for the rest of the semester and I’ll ‘accidentally’ release those pictures of you cuddling me in your sleep.”
“And I will accidentally stop your breathing,” Wednesday glared at him while they walked up his driveway. They would have made it to the door if not for an elderly neighbor that was motioning to Tyler.
“Oh, hi, Mrs. Ellis,” he said politely.
“Dear, can I talk to you for a moment?” She said.
“Uh, sure,” Tyler glanced at Wednesday. “Wen, can you go let Elvis out?”
Wednesday was unhappy with his request. She’d never really bonded with Elvis. “Alright,” she eventually said.
The dog was nowhere to be seen inside. At least, not in any of his usual spots downstairs. Wednesday prickled with annoyance. She was not going to search for him.
“Elvis,” she said sharply. “Come out at once so you may go outside and urinate.”
What could he be doing? Wednesday huffed. He normally came out right away when Tyler or the sheriff called for him. He must have something against her. Clearly, the dog saw her as inferior.
She was openly scowling when Tyler came back in. Unbeknownst to her, he was looking at her funny.
“Your dog is being defiant. I don’t know what you intend to do about it but-” She stopped, eyes narrowing. “What?”
“Mrs. Ellis told me something interesting,” he started off, sounding casual.
“And you feel it is necessary to tell me as well?”
He wasn’t deterred by her response. “She told me that she saw someone in a Nevermore uniform, a black one to be specific, carrying a couple bags out of our house the other day.”
Wednesday could feel the blood draining out of her face.
He raised his eyebrows. “Do you know anything about that?”
She cleared her throat, feeling cornered and on the verge of being caught. “Tyler, your neighbor is clearly not in her right mind. Now, there are far more important matters to focus on. If your dog does not urinate, he will be susceptible to an infection.”
“ Wednesday ,” Tyler said patiently, knowingly. “Why did you take our stuff?”
She could just not tell him the truth. But oh , he’d come up with an outlandish reason that would seem plausible unless she confessed.
Curses!
“I wanted your jacket,” she muttered, averting her gaze.
“What?” He said bemused. “Why would you want my jacket?”
Was he going to make her explain it? This was obviously a ploy. He had to have known.
But the seconds trailed on. There was no sign of his confusion letting up.
“You imbecile!” She snapped. “Clearly, I wanted to wear it!”
Oh, no. His face was rapidly changing into a dopey smile. Wednesday grimaced. “That’s really cute,” he chuckled.
“Stop it.”
“But then why take all my long sleeves?” He questioned. “And the other stuff you took?”
Wednesday’s face flamed. Initially, she’d thought her well thought out plan was quite genius. Now....perhaps not so much. “I needed to stage a break-in so you did not have any other substitutes when your jacket was taken. I believed that if I let you use a jacket of mine, you would be in my debt and I would have a reason to use yours.”
Her embarrassment worsened when he burst out into loud laughter. She tried to leave, but Tyler pulled her close to his body, holding her tight as his laughter tapered off.
“I’m sorry,” he said with one last chuckle, his face in her hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I wasn’t laughing at you. I--that was literally the most you thing you’ve ever done.”
She didn’t really understand this, but she didn’t voice it.
“It’s really cute,” he said when they broke apart. “And pretty flattering to know you went to that length just to get my clothes.”
He made her sound ridiculous. “Silence,” she muttered.
“For the record,” Tyler kissed her forehead. “I really like wearing your jacket too. Maybe we could trade sometimes?”
Wednesday didn’t mind that. That would be a fair compromise. “Yes, that sounds fine.”
“Great,” Tyler held her by the waist. “And Wednesday?”
“Yes?”
“You know you could’ve just asked me. I would’ve let you use my jacket anytime you wanted,” he said with a tender smile. Then, seriously, he added, “And one more thing. I better get my PS4 back soon.”