𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ➶

𝔼𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥: 𝕆𝕗𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕝

Morticia wasn't exaggerating. At dinnertime, all eyes were on Valentina. All because she, of all people, was a freshman seated at an upperclassman table.

Not just any upperclassman table, either... The table for golden favorites and top students like Morticia Frump, Gomez Addams, and Vincent Thorpe. These were Nevermore's best and brightest.

Which left everyone wondering... What was so special about Valentina Zhang?

Across the quad, she spotted CC sitting at the fangs' table, looking at her in shock and unease. Which was fair. These were the kind of people Valentina secretly suspected all belonged to the same secret society that sacrificed virgins like her on the weekends. If she were CC, she'd be capital 'c' Concerned.

"Are you feeling self-conscious, valentine?" A familiar, feminine voice cooed a little too close to her ear.

If it were possible, Valentina would have stiffened up further. But she was already sitting ram-rod straight in her seat. She couldn't relax when she was this uncomfortable. On top of everyone staring at her, she was also currently sandwiched between Morticia and Gomez.

"Of course not!" She lied. She was still staring into her bowl of soup like she wanted to disappear into it, though. "That would be-- That's ridiculous."

"Good!" Gomez interjected. "There's no sense in being anxious about sitting at one particular table over another, hm?"

She stirred her soup with her spoon. "M'hm."

After that, she suddenly felt a weight against her right leg. A quick glance under the table let her know that Gomez had shifted his leg to rest against her own. She waited for him to realize his mistake and move away again, but over a minute went by and he didn't.

In the end, she was the one to move, shifting in her seat until her left leg was all but pressed against Morticia. She got but a single moment of relief... Before the older girl slipped a hand under the table to rest atop her thigh.

Valentina felt herself go red, flushed with a myriad of emotions.

If anyone saw her blush or its cause, no one commented on it. She didn't know whether or not to be thankful for that.

One person who did not notice was the boy sitting right across from Gomez, who she recognized as Vincent Thorpe. This was no surprise, seeing as he hadn't looked at her once since she sat down.

Instead, he spoke around her, saying, "I disagree! Everyone at this table has worked hard for their reputations and status at this school. Why did you decide to extend the olive branch of friendship to this little freshman in particular?"

Morticia dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin, daintily enough not to smear her wine-colored lipstick. Then she said, "I'm glad you asked. I want to introduce my girlfriend, Valentina."

The whole table went silent for a second. Has anyone ever died from embarrassment before? Maybe Valentina would be the first.

"So you broke up with Gomez?" Someone asked. She was too busy willing herself out of existence to look up and see who.

Morticia blinked twice, as if signaling that was the stupidest question she'd ever heard. "No, Gomez is still my boyfriend. He's just Valentina's boyfriend too now."

"That's right!" Gomez piped up, preening like a peacock. "I feel like the luckiest man in the world!"

Funny. Valentina felt like the unluckiest girl in the world.

The couple --Valentina knew they said they were a throuple, but she still felt like an outsider infringing on their relationship-- was blasted with an endless barrage of questions after that. Everyone at the table was talking over each other, though, so the words dissolved into an endless animal bleat.

Try as she might, she felt herself start to tremble.

"Shhh!" Morticia shushed. It came across as more threatening than that, though. It sounded like the hissing or rattle of a snake. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument, "but I can't take a lot of questions right now. The stress is bad for the baby."

Oh God. Oh no. Was she pregnant?!

Valentina wasn't the only one with that thought, though.

"What baby?!" Vincent asked incredulously.

Morticia smiled before leaning over and pressing her lips to Valentina's temple, reaching up to gently stroke her hair. "This baby," she cooed.

Once again, silence swept over the table.

Valentina was the one to break it this time, though. "I have to go!" She squealed, abruptly standing up from her seat.

"Go where?" Gomez asked.

"You've barely touched your dinner!" Morticia remarked.

"I have to go... To the bathroom! I'll be right back!"

She narrowed her eyes at Valentina, as if she could smell her lie. "Oh. I'll come with you, then."

Valentina shook her head like a dog that had water in its ears. "No! Like I said, I'll be right back! Just, stay right here!"

With that, she swung herself out of the row of chairs and hurriedly walked away in the direction of the restrooms. That also happened to be the direction of the dormitories.

She desperately needed to get away... Away from Morticia and Gomez, away from their posse, and away from the rest of Nevermore, who would undoubtedly hear that she was the campus baby by the end of the day.