Work Text:
It started, as so many bad things in Hatchetfield do, with a family gathering. Specifically, the Spankoffski family. John and Mary Spankoffski hadn’t lived with their sons for a long time - in fact, Ted had been looking after his brother since the younger boy was twelve - because they had big, important jobs in Clivsesdale. Still, they didn’t want to seem like absentee parents, so every once in a while the family would get together for awkward dinners like this one.
John Spankoffski absentmindedly moved food around his plate with his fork before clearing his throat to ask:
“So, Theodore-‘
“Ted, Dad. Call me Ted.”
‘…Theodore. Are you seeing anybody lately?”
Ted coughed and spluttered nervously before he eventually replied:
“Yeah, Dad, I’m… seeing someone.”
Peter snorted and muttered over his mouthful of spaghetti:
“How many ‘somebodies’ would that be, huh, Ted?”
Unfortunately, Ted heard this and elbowed Pete quite severely in the chest. The teen’s resulting indignant shriek earned him a sharp glare from his mother Mary, who then asked him:
“How are your studies going, Peter?”
Peter swallowed his next mouthful before sitting up straight and replying:
“Top of my class, like always. Sure, it gets lonely without many friends, but still… I’m on track for a good GPA at least.”
Pete’s father took a swig of his drink before glancing up at his youngest son:
“I meant to talk to you about that, actually. You keep saying that you’re struggling to make friends at Hatchetfield High, and you’re easily the brightest in your class. So we were thinking - what if you transferred to Sycamore? Your mother and I had wonderful experiences there.”
Peter blanched, nearly choking. This couldn’t be happening. He was already considered a nerd, he’d be crucified if he transferred to Sycamore! He’d rather die, or have a sleepover with Max Jaegerman. Ted was cackling as their father continued:
“They have an advanced Math program for kids like you, not to mention loads of science clubs. There’d be more kids like you so you’d get to make some more friends.”
Pete couldn’t take it. He blurted out:
“I can’t transfer!”
His parents looked shocked at the outburst, whilst Ted was still laughing, finding it easier to cope with this very awkward situation by finding it funny. Mary Spankoffski raised an eyebrow and asked:
“Why not?”
Peter didn’t talk for at least thirty seconds. Ted seemed to take pity on him and decided that he’d help. Unfortunately, his ‘help’ was:
“Because he’s just gotten himself a girlfriend, they walk to school together all the time, it’s kinda cute. She lives too far away from Sycamore, it’d never work.”
Whilst Peter tried to process that absolute lie, his parents were nodding and humming in acknowledgment. Then, his father asked:
“What’s her name?”
Peter hadn’t prepared for this. The first name that came to mind was the name of his crush, who’d never talk to him in a million years. Still, he blurted her name out anyway:
“Her name is Stephanie Lauter. She’s the mayor’s kid.”
Mary Spankoffski smiled and nodded. She may live in Clivesdale but she still knew about the mayor - she’d been friends with Solomon Lauter in high school. It was this that prompted her to say:
“Oh, that’s nice. It’s been far too long since I last saw Solomon, I had no idea he had a daughter, I guess I’ve been gone for too long. Perhaps you could invite her over whilst we’re still in town?”
Peter’s mouth was moving without any input from his brain by this point. That was the only possible explanation for why he replied:
“Sure, I’ll ask Steph tomorrow.”
Oh, shit. What was he going to do?
————————————————————
Meanwhile, in the Lauter house, Stephanie Lauter was being yelled at for a low test score. Her father was very mad about this test, because it determined a percentage of her grade and she’d done… badly. He was screaming at her:
“Whatever possessed you to fail this spectacularly, Stephanie?”
Steph stuttered and stammered before she offered a weak:
“I was… distracted.”
Her dad still looked mad when he snapped:
“With what?”
Steph’s brain went to the blue screen of death. She hadn’t thought this through. There wasn’t a lot of distractions that her dad would accept for a reasonable answer, if any, so eventually she decided to try the most tame option she could think of:
“I was staring at my boyfriend - he was in the same class and we sit really close to each other.”
Steph honestly thought this wouldn’t work. She didn’t even have a boyfriend, she hadn’t really been attracted to any of her classmates in that way. But unbelievably, her father’s expression softened, just slightly. Perhaps he was thinking about Steph’s mother? He’d met her whilst they were both in high school and had a whirlwind romance. His next question was slightly more amiable:
“What’s his name? Do I know him?”
Crap. Steph rushed to think of a boy who would be parent-approved. Eventually, she landed on the teen with a squeaky-clean reputation, almost as nerdy as Grace Chastity but not quite. Mind made up, Steph answered:
“Peter Spankoffski.”
Her dad actually smiled.
“Theodore Spankoffski’s little brother? Ted himself is a bit of a mixed bag, but his brother seems like a good kid, I’ve heard he gets very good grades, unlike somebody else I know…”
This was another problem Steph needed to fix. She didn’t want to get punished for failing the test, so she timidly suggested:
“I could get Pete to… tutor me? He’s smart, he could help me.”
Her dad nodded in agreement before deciding:
“Alright, talk to him tomorrow, and if he agrees I see no problem if he comes over for a few hours to help you study.”
Steph plastered a fake grin to her face as she internally screamed. She hadn’t spoken to Micro-Peter in years except for passing comments in the hall if they accidentally bumped into each other. He was a geek, but he seemed okay from the few very brief times they’d interacted. But what if Peter hated her? What would she do then? Steph would have to find out tomorrow…