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1. Tyler Galpin And The No-Good Date
Tyler walked down the street to The Weathervane. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders were slumped, and anyone walking past him would not be under the impression he was on his way to a date. He had met this girl, Daisy, about a week ago. She was on the cheer team at Jericho High and, for some bizarre reason, had a crush on Tyler. Jack—a boy in his chemistry class—had told him he heard Daisy talking to Bethany about how fluffy his hair looks and how she thinks he's charming. Tyler had never really deemed himself charming. Maybe a little awkward and bland, but never charming.
But regardless of all the rumors and whispers and black eyes Tyler has received, she caught him in the cafeteria and asked him out for coffee. He kinda just...stared at her for a good few seconds before mumbling a 'yeah, okay' into his sandwich. She was satisfied with his reply and went back to her table giggling.
When he went home and thought about it, he knew he only said yes because he was still hung up on Wednesday and thought 'Hey, why not? It's time to get over her. It's been two months.
Tyler would've brought her flowers or chocolates, but he didn't know what she liked. He only knew what Wednesday liked. He knew that she found it romantic when he stayed up all night dyeing white roses black, and that dark chocolate was the only chocolate she enjoyed—her favorite candy was the hard-boiled kind that your Grandma always has in her purse.
The Weathervane wasn't ideal, especially given Tyler's rocky past, but it was the only place in town that sold nice coffee, had cute baristas, and had a good health rating. It was even more embarrassing going in because Tyler had tried to get his job back and the manager laughed in his face. Apparently, he would 'scare off Normies' and was 'lucky he wasn't banned for life'. So, yeah, not what he thinks of when he thinks of a picture-perfect date.
It was just a normal date. Very human. Very high school. Very boring! Tyler had adapted to walks through the cemetery and visiting haunted houses, so a coffee date seemed to be the equivalent of watching paint dry.
Daisy was already there when he arrived, taking pictures of her latte and blueberry muffin. When she finally looked up and saw him, she looked a little disappointed. He wasn't dressed that nicely, hadn't got a fresh haircut or picked out a different cologne, and he didn't have any flowers or a heartfelt letter. It was just Tyler Galpin, in all his lackluster glory.
Before Tyler can sit down and take a breath, someone brushes past him, bumping against his shoulder and making him drop his phone screen first. Startled, and a little embarrassed, he looks up to see who the hell just cracked his very cheap phone.
Oh my God, it's Enid Sinclair.
She's looking at him all wide-eyed, not expecting him as much as he wasn't expecting her, with her arm tightly hooked around Ajax's. He just smiled awkwardly and tugged Enid away, who gave Tyler a very judgy look before she turned. Well, it looks like someone has been told not to talk to Tyler, and I guess that means everyone who knows Enid too. And, of course, Ajax would listen to his girlfriend to avoid her dropping him too.
Tyler doesn't think Enid would actually do that to Ajax, she loves him a lot, and he's just mad at her and Wednesday for always teaming up against him.
Tyler picks up his cracked phone and debates turning back around and going home, but that wouldn't be fair on Daisy so he doesn't.
Instead of saying how much he doesn't want to be there, Tyler settles for, "Sorry about that—and I'm sorry I didn't get you any flowers, wasn't too sure about allergies...and stuff."
"Ex drama?" Daisy asks, gesturing at Enid and Ajax in the line. Wednesday and Tyler's relationship was very well known amongst Outcasts and Normies alike. Everybody was sooo shocked that they got back together. Tyler always scoffs at the thought because winning her back was not an easy task. "And don't worry about the flowers. Next time, kay?"
Not knowing how to respond to her thinking there will ever be a next time, Tyler just nods dumbly. He really was rusty when it came to this whole 'dating someone who is considered a normal member of society and doesn't have a criminal record' thing.
After that, they kinda just sat in uncomfortable silence. It lasted a good two minutes until Daisy asked, "What do you want to do once you graduate?"
Two months ago, that question wouldn't have stumped Tyler. He had it all planned out. He'd go to University somewhere far from Vermont, not minding that he and Wednesday would have to do long distance as long as they're in it together. He'd make sure he was there at Wednesday's graduation—she'd probably be rewarded for fencing and have to deal with Enid's crying. Tyler thought that maybe he'd become a mechanic and Wednesday would live out her dream as a world-famous author. But most importantly, his life would never be boring.
But now, could he really envision himself living like his dad? Cooped up in Jericho, Vermont with his wife and kids? It just wasn't appealing. Nothing was more appealing than being with Wednesday Addams. Not a coffee date with Daisy. Not Amanda from 3rd period asking him to an amusement park. Not going to prom with some other girl. It was all boring.
Tyler's future is going to be boring.
He settled with, "I haven't thought about it."
Daisy giggled, as if it was a joke, and grabbed his hand. Tyler found nothing about his continuously sucky life amusing in the slightest. But Daisy, too charmed by him, didn't take notice of how sad his life looked, or how depressing it actually is.
"I want to be an author..." Tyler almost chokes on nothing. "of children's books."
Oh.
"That's nice." Is all Tyler could muster up, looking at Daisy as if she just said something terribly outlandish. "That—uh, sorry. That's great. I hope that goes well."
When she finally realises what's going on, Daisy pulls her hand away and grabs her bag. She looks upset, just as anyone would when it finally clicks that the boy you like isn't over his ex. And thankfully, Daisy wasn't dumb and didn't stay, thinking she could save him.
"You're still in love with her." Daisy scoffs at the ridiculousness of it all. It's just the way Normies think. They think that escaping someone like Wednesday Addams was a good thing, that Tyler could finally be the Normie boy he was always supposed to be. "Have a nice life, Tyler."
She didn't stop, hoping he'd tell her to wait, she just walked out the door and left him moping in a booth.
Tyler waits a moment before standing up and exiting the building himself, leaving a half-empty latte on the table and a pair of blue eyes following him.
2. Tyler Galpin And His Disappearing Act
Confident in the fact that dates were not something he, or any girl, should face again, Tyler decided that if he could avoid Wednesday Addams, all would be fine.
You'd think avoiding someone who lives and breathes solitude would be easy...it was not. Especially when the once misanthrope that is Wednesday befriends a walking-talking sunshine who insists on taking her just about everywhere.
After not seeing Wednesday around for a week, Tyler thinks he's safe. That is until he was hit with a metaphorical truck in the middle of Valley Boy, a men's clothing store. He was innocently looking for a new flannel when he caught wind of a familiar voice. When he turns his head he sees something so heartache-y he almost laughs.
Xavier Thorpe and Wednesday Addams.
They stood closely, discussing something over a black jacket. Xavier is holding one shoulder, while Wednesday holds the other, and they're acting awfully suspicious about buying a jacket. Xavier says something that makes Wednesday roll her eyes. Pride burns in Tyler's chest at the fact that she doesn't smile at him, not like she has at Tyler.
As Wednesday spares a glance in his general direction, Tyler's first instinct is to...duck down behind the rack? It's not his proudest moment, and neither is what happens next.
Donovan, arms full of clothes for the winter, looks down at his son like he's grown two heads. Instead of asking Tyler why he decided he'd make a fool out of himself today, he simply grabs Tyler by his sheep's skin jacket and pulls him onto his feet.
Making eye contact with Wednesday has never been more mortifying. Not even the time she caught him coming out of the bathroom post-shower concert could beat this.
Wednesday watches as Tyler shoves his dad off him and they start bickering like two teenage boys. Suddenly, steak-out clothing shopping didn't seem so much fun, and she'd rather leave and hope she never sees his stupid face again.
"Let's go," Xavier says, tugging at her arm like an impatient child. Wednesday doesn't push him away though, she just nods, taking one last glance at Tyler. "This jacket won't be great for a steak-out anyway. It's too thin."
Tyler broods the whole drive home, getting uncomfortable in the thought of Wednesday just not caring about him anymore—replacing him with that artsy-fartsy freak Xavier Thorpe. What does he have that Tyler doesn't? Sure, he's rich and a little tortured just like her, but could he ever make Wednesday feel as loved as Tyler did? No! He probably doesn't even know her second favorite color! (It's blood red, FYI).
3. Tyler Galpin Masters The Art Of Being A Workaholic
About a month ago, Tyler had bagged a delivery job at Benny's Pizza. Who was Benny? He had no idea. It paid a little shitter than The Weathervane but it was the only place in town that didn't care that Tyler was some big, scary Hyde. He didn't even have a master, so it didn't matter if he was a Hyde or not, but people couldn't shake the feeling that one day he'd freak out and eat them all.
To avoid more situations like last week, that left him crying into his pillow, Tyler picked up as many shifts as humanly possible. He covered for Sharron, the single mom, and Bob, the high school dropout whenever they asked. He didn't mind delivering pizza, it meant he got to drive again. The court had declared he was not permitted to drive for five years unless it was for working purposes, and this was a great opportunity to legally get behind the wheel.
It was around 8 p.m., already dark, and Tyler was making a trip to Nevermore Academy. He drove there most Fridays and Saturdays, mostly dropping off for stoners and partygoers. Tonight it was a delivery for Primrose St. James, some werewolf chic he met briefly through Enid. She was part of Enid's very girly and very tight-knit friend group.
This would be interesting.
When he drives through the gates of Nevermore, he expects to see a teenage girl, maybe in her pyjamas or a party dress, and he does, it's just not Primrose. It's Enid Sinclair, clad in Hello Kitty pyjama pants, shivering in the cold. Tyler almost didn't notice Wednesday standing next to her, blending into the shadows. It's a little foggy out. It's the perfect weather for Wednesday to be outside, one of her favorites too.
Enid's smile plummets like a man down a manhole when she sees Tyler stepping out of the car. He looked a little silly with his curls squished under a cap and in a second-hand polo shirt that was a bit too big.
"I've never seen someone so unhappy to see me." Tyler jokes awkwardly, though it doesn't land. Wednesday and Enid just share a look of displeasure, then look back at him with a distaste for his whole being.
The transaction between them is stale. Enid doesn't talk to him, but she tips well so he can't complain. Before he leaves, he decides he might as well do something stupider than make a dumb joke.
"Wednesday, can I talk to you?"
Wednesday looks at Enid, then back at Tyler, before curtly answering, "No."
4. Tyler Galpin Takes Out The Trash
After Wednesday decides she doesn't even want to hear him out, Tyler goes home and collects every bit of evidence that she ever stepped foot in his home. Her sweater that had fallen down the side of this bed six months ago, the orange hoodie she had given him for his birthday, the framed photo of them stuffed away in his drawer, the dreamcatcher she made him, the handwritten letters on expensive parchment, the stuffed animal—a deer named Ringo—she had won him at the fair. All of it. He wanted it all gone.
When Enid opened the door to her dorm, she clearly didn't expect to see Tyler holding a box that was almost spilling over the side with memories of his and her best friend's relationship. She was wearing Wednesday's fencing hoodie, black with the Nevermore's fencing team's logo on the front. It read Addams in big bold letters on the back. Wednesday never wore it, but it seemed like Enid did.
"Is Wednesday here?" Tyler asks. He, for the first time in his life, hopes she's not.
"No," Enid confirms his wishes. "Her and Xavier are doing weird shit again. Do you need something or do you just carry around boxes for fun?"
"It's her stuff," Tyler says, readjusting the box in his arms. He tried not to think about how half of their relationship was in this box or he might cry. He wonders what Wednesday did with all his stuff, all the things he gave her. Probably burned it, he thinks.
"Can I talk to you?" Tyler asks for the second time in twenty-four hours and, unlike Wednesday, Enid nods.
Tyler puts the box on Wednesday's bed, acting as if he doesn't notice his sweater folded on top of her bookcase.
"Stop being nosy." Enid interrupts his shameless ogling around their dorm. In three months, nothing much had changed. The fountain pen he saved up to buy her was still neatly on her desk, his sweater was still there, and the big, pink bear he had won was still in Enid's stuffed animal collection. The only thing out of place was the empty space between Wednesday's framed photo of her family and one of her and Enid.
"Sorry," Tyler mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sooo...you know why Wednesday won't talk to me?"
"You broke up. Duh." Enid says bluntly. Being friends with Wednesday has given her a backbone to the backbone that was already there. Enid didn't like Tyler initially, especially after he came back. It took a lot of time and effort for him to prove to her that he loved Wednesday and wouldn't hurt her ever again. Now he's just stuffed that all up. "Just 'cause Wednesday is Wednesday doesn't mean she's any less of a teenage girl. You hurt her, Tyler. Again. And she's actually feeling the hurt instead of acting like what you did doesn't affect her."
"I know," Tyler looks down at his shoes as if he was a boy being scolded by his teacher. Enid was pretty scary when she wanted to be and they both knew she wasn't above fighting a Hyde. "I just—how do I make it up to her? I—I love her but I'm ready to let her go if she doesn't want me."
"I'll give it to you straight," Enid says, her voice steady. "I'm not 100% sure she'll come around this time. I've talked to her—Well, I've tried to but she doesn't want to talk about you. You know how she is."
Tyler wilts.
"Thanks for being honest."
"It's the least you deserve."
5. Tyler Galpin Declares Banishment From The Mind
After all his attempts fail, Tyler has one last thing he can do. Convince himself that Wednesday is an awful person who doesn't deserve his love.
It's a Tuesday afternoon and Tyler finds himself at the scrapyard just outside town. He came here a lot in middle school with his little gaggle of friends, often destroying and burning things for fun. At seventeen, it was somewhere he came to release his anger, as the Hyde was no longer a safe outlet for anybody.
He spent all night thinking about Wednesday's qualities that he didn't like, and now he was here. He stole his Dad's baseball bat and truck and hoped that he wouldn't get pulled over.
For about thirty minutes, Tyler collected small pieces of scrap metal and piled them up in front of him. He grabbed a small piece of metal plucked off an engine and hit it into a larger pile of scrap with the bat.
Our Personalities clash.
Another piece from a car. It smashed through a rusty car window.
She doesn't fully trust me or love me.
A broken children's toy. It didn't go very far.
She's selfish—but she sacrificed everything to protect Nevermore.
A chunk of a microwave.
She hates me—but she took him in when nobody else would. When nobody believed him, she did.
A speaker.
She can't let things go—if she let things go, people would be dead.
A step from a ladder.
She doesn't care for other people's safety—she always insists that Eugene never does anything dangerous alone again. She'd drop everything to make sure he's safe.
An old electric toothbrush.
She's cold and distant—but she let him in.
A Pepsi can.
But she's who I love.
Tyler drops the baseball bat with labored breaths. Without a second thought, he runs to his dad's truck.
+1 Tyler Galpin Tells The Truth
It was 8:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, so he knew where she'd be. Like he suspected when he walked into the fencing hall, Wednesday was finishing practice for the day. She practiced alone on Tuesdays, with Bianca on Thursdays, and with Enid on Sundays.
"Wednesday," He calls out, and she turns her head. Her cheeks are flushed and her bangs are messy from being under a helmet. "Please listen to me. I'm sorry."
Wednesday debates her options before saying, "You have five minutes."
Smiling half-heartedly, Tyler walks further into the room until they're close enough to have a conversation. She's not looking at him, deciding she'd rather look slightly past him to the side. He ignores it and makes sure to use these five minutes wisely.
"Wednesday," He begins and goes to reach out for her arm, but quickly decides against it. "I'm sorry—and I know I've said it so many times that it means nothing, but I am. No words or actions could ever make up for the things I've said and done but I love you, and I've realised that I don't think I'll ever be able to stop. You might not want to take me back, I get that, but I want this Wednesday. I want all of this. I'm done picking and choosing what parts of you I want to date if you're done too. I want your weirdness, your coldness, your loyalty, your bravery, your nerve, and even dealing with your bubbly best friend. I'd deal with just about anything If it means I get to be with you. Because you—you, Wednesday—accept me and all the fucked up parts that come with me. I love you."
Tyler stops with tears brimming in his eyes. It's the first time, in a long time, he's felt comfortable being vulnerable with someone else. After Laurel, it had been hard to let people in. There was always a fear that they'd take advantage of him again, but with Wednesday there was none of that. There was no watching his back, or fear of being alone with her. Wednesday's care wasn't superficial. It was buried under layers but it was real.
Wednesday stands there and considers how she wants to move forward. Five minutes had passed but she didn't seem to care, calculating her response with quiet precision.
Finally, she answers. "I am also done with cherry-picking your characteristics, but—"
There's always a but, isn't there?
"I don't think what I'm feeling is love. I'm not sure what it is, all I know is that I'm not ready to say that but I'd like to continue a romantic relationship with you."
"I'll wait," Tyler say quickly, finally reaching for hand. Wednesday doesn't pull away. "We can be together and not say I—and not say that. I don't mind. We can go at your pace."
Looking away, Wednesday purses her lips before nodding once. "Okay."
"Okay."