Detention (ASOUE)

Chapter Thirty One

Violet seemed like she was having the time of her life. She had abandoned her hot chocolate in exchange for an armful of blankets and cushions that she then chucked onto the sofa. Then, she went digging through cupboards and drawers all around the room until she came up with a pile of DVDs and sat them on the coffee table. Klaus and I just watched her rushing around, both of us drinking our own hot chocolates in a comfortable silence.

Mr and Mrs Baudelaire had gone to bed and left Violet in charge, and the first thing she had decided to do with her new authority was to host a movie marathon, despite it already being eleven o'clock. I was slightly concerned, especially since we had school the next day, but I appreciated the fact that Violet was trying to create a fun environment and trying to distract me from the events of this evening. And, if I was being completely honest with myself, it was working.

If I took away the constant messages I was getting from my brothers, making sure I was alright and keeping me updated on home life, it just felt like I was at a sleepover. A sleepover in a really swanky house with my neighbours that my mother hated.

Klaus and I ended up talking about random things while we were waiting for Violet to be done. It was mostly about school; just the small talk you would usually expect to have with other students. We discussed homework, which I hadn't even thought about that evening. I hoped I hadn't left any of it at home, although it wasn't as if I could go back and get it if I realised I had.

Then, as we slipped back into a band of silence, I decided to mention something that had been bothering me for a little while.

"You know what's really weird?" I said, "I haven't seen Carmelita in ages. I mean I've seen her around, but she hasn't been near me in like a few weeks. Which is weird."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Klaus asked and I nodded immediately.

"Definitely! But that doesn't mean I haven't been wondering why. She used to be all over me like a rash. And especially after the whole locker situation, I'm surprised she hasn't done anything to me yet."

"Oh," Klaus cleared his throat, "I told her not to."

"You told her?" I repeated. "You mean all this time I could've just asked her to stop being mean to me and she would've listened?"

"I mean, I um... strongly suggested that she should leave you alone."

Klaus looked away and decided to take great interest in the wall. I figured that meant the conversation was over, so I didn't press it any further. We both went back to drinking our hot chocolates in silence.

I wasn't quite sure what he meant by "strongly suggested" but I couldn't help but think back to the situation with Caitlin and how Klaus had seemed to spook her. After the incident in the hallway, she didn't come anywhere near me. A few days before, I had made eye contact with her in science class and her head practically came off her shoulders trying to look elsewhere. It was nice to not be bothered by her and her gossip anymore, but at the same time it was strange. What had Klaus said that was so bad? And now, in the last couple of weeks, Carmelita had started that same game. She didn't even look twice at me, when before she would constantly be glaring at me with malice.

 I desperately wanted to know what was going on but I didn't know how to phrase the question. "Hi Klaus, why is everyone suddenly scared of me?" sounded a little accusatory, and it didn't seem like he wanted to talk anymore anyway. So I dropped it and tried to think about other things.

Once I was finished my hot chocolate, I popped my mug in the sink and headed towards the couch, where Violet was fussing over cushions.

"Would you like any help?" I asked her, pausing to take in the little den she had created in the living room.

She shook her head. "It's alright, I'm done. Come and sit with me!"

I did what I was told and sat down, sinking into the blankets way further than I thought I would. Violet fanned the DVDs out and made me pick one. I didn't watch that many movies so at first I wasn't sure which one to pick. I ended up just choosing the first one on the table and Violet seemed to be happy. She put it on before calling Klaus over, who was still hanging out in the kitchen.

"I'm going to bed," he said, and started walking to the door. However, Violet leapt up to stop him.

"No you're not," Violet huffed and dragged him over to the sofa. He reluctantly let himself be pulled along and then flopped down next to me, arms crossed. Violet switched the lights off before sitting down herself, leaving just a couple of small lamps on to give the room a hazy glow. Then, the movie began and we all watched intently. 

After a while, I felt my eyes start to droop. There was something about the soft cushions and the lull of the movie soundtrack that made me sleepy, but I didn't really want the awkwardness that would come from me falling asleep in the Baudelaire's living room. I would find it embarrassing to have to be woken up by them once the film finished so, I tried my best to stay awake and focused. However, before I knew it, I rested my eyes for a little too long during one of the quieter moments, and sleep took me prisoner.

A/N: A bit of a shorter one today sorry, my head has been hurting and I found it kind of hard to focus.

I hope  you're all doing well. I think the majority of places are in lockdown right now so I hope you guys are staying safe at home. My nan has made me and my family masks so I think we'll be going on a walk tomorrow, which will be strange for me because I haven't taken a single step outside of my house since this all began, besides going in the garden for some fresh air. It should be nice though to get out for a little bit.

What have you guys been doing in the lockdown?

Given that no one can really see their friends right now, I just want to mention that my private messages are always open if you guys ever feel lonely or just want a chat. It can be about writing, a series of unfortunate events, or anything really. I also have instagram (milk_and_stars) and twitter (htb12wattpad) if you would rather reach me on there. It's important to still communicate while this is all going on so if you don't have someone you can talk to, I'm here for you!

Anyways, thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the reads, votes and comments so thank you very much for all of those! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!