Title: A Fine Mess Inside
Author: my little tangerine
Rating: K+
Notes: Takes place after Wizards vs. Werewolves but contains no spoilers for that episode in this chapter. Most chapters won't be this long, but it was hard to break this into two. Comments, criticism is totally appreciated. My first WOWP fic.


Harper Finkle's fingers grasped the heavy door to the corner market located down the street from the Waverly Sub Station. It was one thing she loved about living on Waverly Place: the convenience. Everyone she loved, everything she needed was located in one area. Well, minus Tribeca Prep, but it was just a hop, jump and a skip away.

Not literally, of course. Since finding out Alex Russo was a wizard, Harper started clarifying things more frequently. The last thing she wanted was Alex taking something she said literally and doing something crazy, like forcing a horse to drink. (After all, if you tell Alex Russo she can't do something, she's going to prove you wrong by doing it.)

Things had changed a lot since the day she found out. The biggest change was her recent move into the Russo family's abode. Since then, Harper found herself offering to help out more and more around the house. When Teresa realized she had forgotten to pick up ice cream to go with the pie she prepared for after dinner, Harper volunteered to run to the market to pick some up.

It was the least she could do. After all, the Russos had allowed her to move into their basement, not expecting anything in return. They had always been Harper's second family, but she knew they were more than that. They felt more like blood.

As she entered the market, Harper didn't notice the glances and stares at the outfit she wore on this particular day. She was known for her quirky and creative wardrobe, and while she was often criticized by Alex for creating dresses out of objects and accessories out of produce, Harper never let it bother her. She knew her friend meant no harm, and making her own outfits gave her a sense of accomplishment that her snarky, slacker best friend would (hopefully) one day feel.

For a reason other than couch camping, of course.

Today's dress, a bright yellow in color, featured soda bottle caps in a v-neck pattern on the front, exposing a white tank top underneath the fabric to keep her look modest. She had collected enough to decorate the top half of her look, each unique and brightly colored.

Attached to the pleated skirt bottom were plastic soda can rings all the way around, giving the dress a unique texture. The plastic shined when the sunlight caught it just the right way, and Harper was proud of herself for finding a use for materials otherwise thrown into the trash.

Metal can tabs fashioned into earrings, bendable colored drinking straws turned into bangles, and a pair of black and white oxford shoes completed the look. A look she considered quite tame, at least in comparison to some of her more wild outfits.

This one didn't even have a matching headband. Instead, her long red hair was curled and worn down, framing her rosy cheeks. There was a certain level of confidence that wearing an outfit such as this requires, and Harper Finkle had surpassed that level.

She hadn't noticed the random glances, nor did she feel the stare of a box boy as she walked to the ice cream freezer. In fact, it wasn't until he approached the frozen treat display and addressed her by name that she was aware of his presence at all.

"Hey, Harper, I like your dress."

Harper knew the voice as Zeke Beekerman, Justin's best friend and partner-in-crime. They had attended the zombie prom together, and while they had seen each other after that, they had never made plans for another date. She was sure he was busy with his life, and she was certainly busy with hers. The last time she had seen him, after all, was after she competed in a marathon.

The confidence Harper held only moments before was slowly leaving her body. There was something about Zeke that made her nervous.

It was a different kind of nervous than she used to get around Justin. With Justin, Harper had never been dishonest. She was upfront about her home life, her school life and her schemes with Alex.

With Zeke, Harper found she had never truly been herself. She hadn't won that marathon - that was magic. She'd been too scared to ask him to the dance - she needed the help of Max's "no fear ring." Heck, for all she knew, Zeke still thought that she had once dated Justin, when really the oldest Russo had been hit in the butt by Cupid's arrow.

Magic had played a prominent role in Harper's interactions with Zeke, and without magic, Harper wasn't sure how to act. She certainly couldn't explain to him why she behaved oddly. Magic wasn't her secret to tell, after all.

"Oh, hey," she managed to say after a moment, her cheeks warming up as she processed the compliment.

It was an actual compliment, not the kind her brain had to rewire so it became positive instead of negative.

"Thanks," she finally added, her hand raising to brush her hair from her face. Her brown eyes caught his for a brief moment before settling on his excited smile. There was rarely a time when Zeke wasn't happy. "I didn't know you worked here."

"For a few months now," he answered, though he was fully aware that she had not asked a question. He was unaware, however, of the signs of nervousness she was currently displaying. The fidgeting, the blushing, the wide-eyed innocence as she briefly caught his gaze then found the floor again. "Trying to save up for college, you know. It's keeping me busy. Stocking things. Have you seen the cereal aisle? I did that. I mean, not all of it. Just replaced the Frosted Cheerios and the Lucky Charms. They're on sale, did you know that? General Mills products, I mean. Right now they're on sale, you don't even need a coupon."

Zeke Beekerman had been voted "least boring" three years in a row.

He had not earned this title by discussing breakfast cereals.

There was clearly something wrong with him. As he realized this, he quietly muttered words to himself. Just be cool, Zeke. Talk about something else. There's a sale on toilet paper, too! No! Don't talk to her about toilet paper.

Harper did not understand the whispers exiting Zeke's lips. Not because she couldn't hear them; no, Harper had a good sense of hearing. It was because he was speaking in code, presumably something from the Alien Language League.

She assumed it would be rude to interrupt, so she was waited until he took a long pause before she answered the questions he had asked in English.

"I didn't see the cereal aisle," she replied. "I'm sorry! I can go check it out, if you'd like. I'm sure you did a great job, rotating the older packages to the front so they get sold before they expire."

Zeke's eyes widened. "Yeah, of course I did that."

He hadn't.

"You know a lot about stocking. Have you worked in a grocery store before?"

Harper shook her head, a proud smile displayed upon her lips. Though his words weren't exactly a compliment, they still made her feel good.

"No, but I've had jobs in the past," she answered. "I worked at the Gurt Barn and at the Sub Station for a while. Oh, and the Late Night Bite, too."

Her proud smile soon faded as she remembered how those experiences had gone. She had been awful at the jobs; the only reason she had done so well was because Alex had done a spell.

The Late Night Bite gig, however, had been her own work. It didn't last very long, though, on account of the vampire owners wanting to suck her blood.

"Why'd you stop working there?" Zeke asked curiously.

"Oh, you know. The usual reasons."

Magic had become part of Harper's 'usual.' It was a step up from the slamming doors and arguments she was used to at home, but it still made her uncomfortable.

In fact, the ice cream run was not the only reason she volunteered to go to the market. It was simply a convenient excuse.

Earlier that day, Alex had once again performed magic unsupervised, and she was sure Justin would rat her out before dessert. Maybe, when Harper arrived with vanilla ice cream (and rainbow sprinkles for Max), the punishments will have been dealt and she won't have to be there for the awkwardness.

Zeke simply nodded, assuming 'the usual reasons' made perfect sense. He glanced over his shoulder, noticing his boss approaching. "Can I help you find anything?" he quickly asked the red-haired girl, a charming smile pulling onto his lips.

Harper returned the smile, instead pointing over her shoulder at the clear freezer which had been giving her goosebumps for the last several minutes. "I'm just getting ice cream for the Russos. Alex's mom made pies and who doesn't love it ala mode?"

Harper was unsure if the shiver she felt up her spine was the coolness from the freezer or a rush of confidence.

"You should...I mean, if you're not doing anything...after you get off work, of course...."

She was having difficulty finding the words. The confidence had disappeared. Conveniently, Zeke's manager approached the duo.

"Are you finding everything okay, miss?" he asked, placing a hand on Zeke's shoulder. It was a warning pat, encouraging the young stock boy to get back to work.

"Yes, thank you," she answered with a nod. "I'm just picking out some ice cream, and I was asking this nice, helpful employee who I've never met and certainly never gone to an alternative prom with, um, what kind he recommends."

"The kind with Reese's peanut butter cups in it is my personal favorite," he answered, "but I'd recommend sticking with vanilla for the pie. The ice cream is currently buy two, get one free, if you're interested."

Another pat on his shoulder, and the manager offered Zeke a smile to go with it. "Good job. The beverage aisle needs some work now, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, sir."

Zeke nodded, offering a small wave to the younger girl as his manager walked off.

"Enjoy your ice cream," Zeke told her. "And hey, can you let Justin know I'll be over after work?"

That answered the question she wasn't able to get out: he had plans after work. There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she mumbled, "Sure."

"Thanks. And hey, again, cool dress. Just stay away from any dolphins, they might get caught in your skirt."

Harper's eyebrows raised as she held in a laugh, and Zeke simply turned around and walked off, mumbling Alien swear words under his breath.

It was then, as the laugh escaped, that Harper realized the moment of sadness she felt was unneeded. He had plans, but those plans happened to be at the place she lived.

She opened the freezer, picking out the vanilla ice cream he suggested, a carton of cookies n creme for her and Alex to enjoy during one of their girl talks, and the kind with the Reese's - just in case.