favorite liar | xavier thorpe

3. meet: xavier thorpe

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

". . . So, a 'game' is called a bout, and there's direct elimination plays, preliminary pool plays, or the bout is just over when the time limit expires, okay?"

"Um."

Iris blinks blankly as Wednesday walks briskly through the halls beside her, one girl dressed in an all black fencing outfit, and the other in the school provided, traditional white. . . guess who was wearing what.

"Now," Wednesday suddenly spins as her sister catches up at a big set of double doors. "I'm going to go assert dominance, you try not to get stabbed," and she spins around again to walk through the doors without waiting for a response.

"Okay. . ." Iris slowly trails after, regretting even signing up for fencing club in the first place.

To be completely honest, it wasn't really her choice with the way her mother's only personality trait when she talks about her high school days is fencing, and Morticia would probably disown Iris if she didn't give it a try.

Iris walks through the door behind Wednesday, watching as her sister struts through the current games- matches- bouts, straight to Bianca, who Iris learned is the captain of the team.

If Iris wasn't lost before, she definitely doesn't know what to do now as everyone stops what they're doing to watch the two interact.

"Have we met before?" Iris doesn't realize how close she's gotten to some guy who was once watching the intense exchange and is now shifting his attention to Iris.

"I'm new," Iris turns her head to look at him, but her body is still faced towards where Wednesday is in the slightest bit of concern. Is fencing supposed to be so scary? "Iris Addams," she then remembers her manners and introduces herself.

"Xavier Thorpe," he replies, then just kinda stares as if expecting a reaction.

He's cute. Green eyes. Tall. And Iris has always had a thing for guys with longer hair. But. He's kind of staring at her weird. Ick.

"You never fenced before?" He's probably caught onto the confused look in Iris's eyes as she goes back to watching Bianca and Wednesday.

"That obvious?" She shakes her head, assuring herself that Wednesday knows what she's doing more than Iris would.

"Just the way you hold your foil," Xavier gestures to what Iris thought was just called a fencing sword in her hand. "Shouldn't let the tip drag against the ground and keep your thumb parallel to the grip."

Okay, know-it-all. But Iris still lifts her arm slightly to adjust her hold and wordlessly look up at Xavier again to seek his approval.

He nods at her correction, but then goes back to staring at her face while Iris turns back to Wednesday and Bianca where it seems things have gotten even more tense if possible.

"I can teach you more if you'd like," Xavier says in a way that's surprisingly nonchalant for the obviousness in the words. Could you be more desperate?

Iris has had one (1) boyfriend in her entire life. 8th grade. Winter formal was how he asked her out. They dated for a solid 2 weeks before he decided the glares that Wednesday would give him in the hallway whenever he walked past weren't worth it, and they ended things on "still friends" terms (a.k.a. he ghosted her and they haven't spoken since he said "your whole family is just too freakish for me").

High school wasn't much different. Iris would talk to guys (and maybe a few girls) and they'd be lab partners and maybe even walk to class together if things were getting serious, but they were never willing to go all the way. Never ready for Iris's weirder side as much as they were for her "normal" side.