Chapter Text
A welcome potluck is both unsanitary and nerve wracking, especially when it was only your second day in the city.. Kitty White, more commonly known as simply Kitty (or Kit-Cat if you were related to her), stood in front of a mansion. A literal mansion. It was white with a billion windows and two large pillars in the front of the black doors. Kitty hugged her stomach. She was both excited and nervous.
She awkwardly walked a few steps behind her parents as they knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a tall woman with grey hair wearing a yellow bonnet and a pink apron. Kitty assumed she was one of the maids.
“Hello!” She said kindly to Kitty’s parents. They all shook hands and exchanged smiles. “I’m Mary, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Garfield, likewise.” Kitty’s dad said with a nod. His round build and resting bitch face usually made most people wary around him. Mary, however, didn’t seem to mind.
Kitty’s dad held out his hand, causing his blue tote bag to slide down his arm. “Tom, nice to meet you.” He said. Unlike his husband, Kitty’s papa was tall and lanky with a permanent smile on his face. He was the more outgoing of the two and the one that had convinced them to come in the first place.
Mary smiled at both of them and invited them inside. A fountain with a stone fish spouting water out of its mouth sat in the middle of the front hall. Every wall was as white as Kitty’s hair when it was freshly dyed. The house was pristine, as if it was just built a few hours ago. Kitty loved modern houses. They made her feel fancy, like she was a rich girl in Hollywood.
A large white fence surrounded the enormous backyard. It was completely paved over, which made Kitty sad. Grass was her favorite plant, which was odd for most but normal for Kitty.
Laughter and the smell of hot dogs drifted through the air. The backyard was filled with people, mostly teenagers and their parents. A group of lone, older men stood around the grill. A group of women sat around the pool, chatting and laughing while occasionally glancing at their husbands. Garfield made a beeline to the table of baked goods, with Tom trailing behind. Kitty shook her head but smiled at her dad’s lack of regard when it came to food. A girl that looked identical to Mary came up to them.
“Ah, there you are.” Mary said. “Melody, this is…why, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Kitty, it’s Kitty.” She said, politely smiling.
“Right. Melody, this is Kitty. Kitty, this is my daughter Melody.”
Melody took a hand out. Her nails were painted a baby pink that matched the bunny ear beanie on her head. Her dark brown eyes were as soft and kind as her voice. “Nice to meet you, Kitty.”
Kitty smiled. She had the feeling they were going to be good friends. “Nice to meet you too.”
“Would you like to meet some of my friends?” Melody asked. Kitty nodded. Suddenly the potluck didn’t seem so bad. Melody led her over to a group of kids around their age.
A girl in a black jester hat-like beanie who introduced herself as Kuromi wrapped an arm around Melody’s shoulders. Her long black hair and nose piercing were stark in comparison to Melody’s pink nails and hat. Standing next to her was a tall guy with the longest white hair she’d ever seen on a guy and black oval earrings. A black choker hung around his neck. A shorter boy was leaning onto him, laughing at something he said. He had a yellow mohawk, a yellow t-shirt, jeans, and yellow converse. He looked like the sun itself. Melody introduced them as Snoopy and Woodstock. The last one was a tall guy with short, shaggy blue hair and his hands in his jeans. He had light brown eyes that looked yellow in the light and a quiet demeanor. Kitty couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. Her heart fluttered in her chest, her jaw dropped slightly.
Melody noticed her distracted face. “Oh, Pete, this is Kitty.”
Pete gave her a small nod. Melody smiled apologetically. “He doesn’t speak much, sorry.”
“That’s alright.” Kitty said breathlessly. There were few guys (okay, none) that had ever caught her attention. They were either mean, taken, or ugly. They were part of the reason she’d begged her parents to let her move. Pete walked off to the food table, where her dad was still inhaling everything on the table.
Snoopy and Woodstock jumped into the pool fully clothed. Kuromi and Melody exchanged an eye roll but followed with Kitty close behind. They stuck their feet in the water.
Kuromi looked her up and down. “So, new girl, where are you from?”
“London.”
“London, huh? Why don’t you have an accent.”
Warmth rushed to her cheeks. “I have one. I just lost it by watching American shows.” Though that was partly true, it wasn’t completely honest. She’d actually practiced her American accent after her parents agreed to move. Weeks and weeks of her papa laughing at her struggling to say water bottle clearly paid off. Still, she wasn’t going to tell anyone else that.
Someone dived into the pool, splashing the girls. Kuromi flipped them off while Melody shuddered. “Fuck them, you okay?”
It took Kitty a few seconds to realize she was talking to her. It took her even longer to realize she was shaking. Her damp shirt sticking to her made her want to skin herself. “Yep!”
They gave her an unconvinced look but didn’t push it. Melody scooted closer. Her soft smile still present. The girls talked for the rest of the party. They talked about school (none of the girls were good at geography but Melody and Kitty liked English while Kuromi liked science), and their parents (Kuromi also had one dad and one nonbinary parent and Melody’s parents were never married but still lived together), and buttons (which Kuromi knew a lot about).
When the sun set and everyone started to head out. The girls exchanged hugs, numbers, and promises to hang out again. As she walked over to her parents, Kitty looked around for Pete. He was already gone and she wished she’d been able to talk to him before he left.
Her dad was shoving soda cans and bags of chips into her exasperated papa’s tote bag. They asked her about her experience at the party but mostly whispered between themselves. When they got back to the house, the new house, Kitty ran up to her room after giving her parents rushed goodbyes.
She stared at her phone for hours, simply staring at Melody and Kuromi’s contacts as she contemplated asking for Pete’s number. She really, really didn’t want to mess up her friendship with them before it even really began. Still, what if she never saw him again? Her mind debated with itself well into the night. Getting his number was the winning thought by the time she fell asleep.