this love is good, this love is bad [wenclair]

chapter 5: it's cool, that's what I tell 'em

Beginning of summer break
Wednesday's point of view

Someone knocked at our door.
"Come in," I said annoyed because I was in the middle of my editing time (former writing time) of my novel.
Mother came in. Of course. I had managed to get rid of Pugsley for two hours but now she had to show up. That's what I hated about being with family, you could never really be alone for a minute. And privacy, what is that?
"Wednesday, dear, I want to talk to you about something."
I knew she was going to try and have a conversation with me about San Francisco, but I also knew for sure that Thing had ratted us out. Never mess with the hand and never underestimate the hand.
She sat down on my bed as I continued to annotate my manuscript, ignoring her gaze.
"Maybe I reacted too fast when you asked me to spend some time at your friend's..."
She had made that pause on purpose to see how I'd react to that word. I wasn't going to give her that pleasure and stayed focused on the pile of paper on my desk.
"... but I talked with your father, and you can go."
I finally looked up.
"But we do want you to stay some time with us, so you'll have to stay -let's say- at least a week here. After that you're free to go..."
This conversation felt unreal, it went way too smoothly.
"...if you behave. Which means no problems with the police, not learning the boys bad tricks, being polite and no eavesdropping."
She had raised an eyebrow on that last word to emphasize it.
"What can I say, What is one ingenious boy."
"We also expect you to be as nice and supportive as possible to your brother," she stated, ignoring what I'd just said.
"He was suffering the most from your absence."
I didn't know how to respond to that so I just changed the topic a bit.
"So you are thinking about sending him to Nevermore, he told me."
"Yes, we tried to do the registration for September but we did it too late. Since, unlike you, he has the possibility of going to another school, they won't take him in priority."
"But why change him now? Wait until he's fifteen at least," I blurted out. "You know his fear of change."
She then said what I dreaded to hear.
"He's getting bullied again."

Not again, please.

I was looking her in the eyes and saw how she was on the verge of shedding a tear.
"It's bad," she continued, "the teachers don't do anything because—"
I knew she didn't mean to say that and didn't want to say that. That's why she stopped.
"... because I'm his sister," I finished in a quieter voice. "And I caused some real trouble."
I let that sink in. At that moment, I really hoped he would get in for Christmas.
"But don't you have some kind of priority with a sibling who's already in?" I tried.
"The sibling has to have been a full year to Nevermore. And even if that were the case, you'd still have to do it on time. Which was apparently in late April. The new principal is pretty strict on deadlines. If it had been Larissa, he would have spent June at Nevermore."
Mother prevented a tear from falling with her sleeve.
"He didn't say anything to us. It was when he came home with bruises that he finally told us a part of the story. So if you— if you could speak with him or—"
"I get it."
In movies and books, that's usually the moment where the characters hug and mutually say that they understand/love each other. We didn't, though and after some time she just stood up and left.
"If you're looking for me, I'll be outside. Dinner is at seven."
I nodded and tried to refocus on the editing of my novel but couldn't. To not feel unproductive, I finished the page I had started and then put everything away.
I was just done when my phone rang. It was Xavier. At that moment, I just wanted to think of something other than the Pugsley topic.
"Oh hey, glad you picked up!"
Maybe I should have let it ring.
"Uhm anyway, how are you doing?"
"I'm kind of busy right now,"I lied.

I don't want to talk. This is stupid.

"But is it like pressing?"
The guy really couldn't take a hint.
"Not really," I sighed.
"Look, I'm really bad at this but I also really want to keep this conversation going so..."
"Xavier, you do realize I'm not romantically interested in you," I spoke before he could say anything more.
"Yeah, yeah, of course."
It was kind of sad how you could hear the embarrassment in his voice.
"So... What do you want to talk about?" I asked.
"I don't know."

Well, that helps.

Why did I even pick up? I couldn't carry a whole conversation and definitely not one with Xavier.
"Anyway, I'm gonna leave you to whatever you have to do and uh- Sorry for calling I guess."
Of course he had to do that thing where he tried to make me feel bad.
"Bye, Xavier."
"B—"
I might have hung up too soon.
I checked the clock on the wall.
5:47.
Enough time to find Pugsley.

~~~

"You can say mom told you, I'm not dumb," Pugsley said while throwing a look at our mother, who was sitting in cousin Itt's veranda.
We were sitting under a palm tree in the garden, approximatively 130 feet from her. That was where I had found him reading a book five minutes earlier, before confronting him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I still tried.
"Not really."
I tried something else.
"What's your book about?"
"It's The Whisperer, you've read it."
Clearly, he didn't want to talk and I felt like Xavier for still pushing him to.
"Then, how far are you?"
"They just found one of the victims's bodies in some rich guy's villa."
All his replies were concise and dry, but I knew him well. I knew he was on the verge of cracking up and then he would answer all my questions. It was all a matter of dosage.
"I also got bullied back in the day, you know."
"Yeah, I know. That was the reason you switched schools the first time. Mom and dad were constantly talking about that."
"Well, as you know, the second time was because I hit someone. So, for legal reasons, I never gave you this advice, but you got to bite back. Really."
"It's really not that bad," he tried to convince me. "Mom is just so protective and—"
"She is," I acknowledged, " but an Addams doesn't bruise easily, Pugsley."
"So she told you that too. Great," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, if you had better communication skills, this problem would have been solved a while ago and I probably wouldn't even know about it. Now I need a list of names."
I looked him dead in the eyes.
"No."
This conversation wasn't going anywhere, so I tried one last thing and touched his shoulder.
My head threw itself back.

~~~

"Oh my god! Did you just provoke a vision?!" he asked surprised.
"How do you know I have-"
"Mom told me," he interrupted, "So? What did you see?"
Honestly, I wish I hadn't.
"Just don't eat dessert, Pugsley. Indigestion."
"Uhm, okay. Thank you... I guess."
An uncomfortable silence settled in.
"You know that mom can't provoke her visions, she told me they just happen."
I actually didn't know that.
"I thought they worked just like mine. I guess there are different types of... people who have visions", I said, unsure of how to word it. "There's that guy at school who has premonitory dreams, I guess that also falls under the visions umbrella."
Pugsley shrugged his shoulders in response. My phone rang, again. For a second, I was scared it would be Xavier and I somehow just had manifested it. Luckily, Enid's name appeared on the screen. I had texted her about San Francisco just before looking for Pugsley. I had no choice but to pick up.
"You know we will have to talk about it some time, right Pugsley?" I said while getting up.
He rolled his eyes again and I had to fight my urge to make a Mother-like remark again.
I finally pressed the green icon when I had walked away far enough for Pugsley not to hear our conversation. I enjoyed my privacy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

I think I just lost about 80% of my hearing.

"Don't ever do that again, Enid. Please."
"I'm sorry, but OMG YOU'RE ACTUALLY COMING!!" she shouted.
"You did read the part where I said it would only be at least a week from now, right?" I tried to calm her down.
"Yeah and it's PERFECT. I mean it would be cooler if you came earlier but in six days we have this big ass barbecue my family throws for the Fourth of July."
"Mhm," I hummed, not sure of where she was going.
"Your family could come if you want to, they can even stay for the weekend!"

• FIRST POSTED: 01/23/2023
• EDITED (1st time): 08/31/2023