"think of how many liquor stores we have ruined for ourselves
"They can think what they want," Saya said as the group of girls walked down the sidewalk. The three of them, Andi, Saya, and Maria, had decided to make the most of their girls' night and hit the liquor store before going to the dance. "I know they all call me a bitch."
Andi laughed. "That's because you are a bitch." Saya shot her a joking glare. Andi raised her hands in mock surrender, "Not that it's a bad thing."
"Yeah," Maria agreed. "You should be proud of that."
Saya huffed. "People who proudly self-apply labels like 'asshole' or 'bitch' as if it's a sign of their own strength are just ugly people looking for an excuse to lean into their unpleasant nature."
Andi gasped. "I feel attacked right now. Maybe I just call myself a bitch because I know it's true, so why deny who I really am. Same with Simon. I don't think that asshole will change for anyone," the blonde joked. Saya and Maria laughed.
"Well, they all think I'm crazy," Maria added.
Saya turned to her, "They're gonna think what they want. Nothing you can do about it."
"I don't care what they say," Maria amended. "I just wish it wasn't true."
Saya and Andi both stopped in their tracks. "You're not crazy," they both insisted.
Maria gulped, a vague gleam in her eye as she pushed away the melancholy. "I just want to be normal."
"Fuck that," Saya said, making Andi smile. "Normal's death."
"Highly overrated," Andi agreed, although something in the back of her mind gnawed at her, reminding her that she wanted to be normal too. She had been normal and sometimes she wished she could have that back, but now she knew she never would.
Maria smiled, "But what's more normal than bragging about how normal you are?" The other girls laughed. "Maybe we shit on what we can't have."
We do, Andi thought as Maria stopped in front of a house with its holiday lights already up and partially decorated. "Me, in my heart, I would love to own a house like this," the Latina continued. "Filled with books, niños running around, music in the air."
"Enjoy that bullshit," Saya said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm gonna party forever and rule the world."
Andi laughed as Maria gave her an "Oh, really" look. "But I would like to come and visit," the Kuroki girl backtracked.
Maria smiled and looped her arms through Andi and Saya's. "Auntie Saya, party queen of the world."
"Mm-hmm."
"You are."
"I am! You're right, I am."
Maria looked to Andi, "And what about Auntie Andi?"
"Well, I can't let Saya have all the fun! Obviously I'll be tagging along," Andi said.
Saya smiled at her, "I'm sure I can find a place for you in my court of partiers."
The girls continued to laugh and joke around as they got to the liquor store. The bell over the door jingled as Maria entered first. They started through the aisles, browsing the array of alcohol. Andi quickly plucked a bottle of whiskey from the shelf, while Saya and Maria picked what they wanted.
Saya handed Maria her bottle of strawberry wine, "Why don't you find out if this goes with fish?"
Maria smirked and walked around to the counter while Andi and Saya lurked by the door. "Excuse me sir, do you think this goes with salmon?"
The man behind the counter looked up from his magazine briefly. "Strawberry wine goes with drunk." Saya and Andi inched closer to the door. "How old are you sweetheart?"
Maria handed the man her fake I.D. The man scoffed, "If you're 25, I'm Christie Brinkley." Maria snatched the I.D. back and tucked it into her bra.
Saya reached the end of the aisle and bumped into a small bottle, knocking it to the floor. The shatter caused the man to look away from Maria. He cocked a revolver and pointed it at Saya and Andi who were only a couple feet away from the door.
"Lootin' the wrong establishment," the man said, still holding them at gunpoint. "Put it down now."
Andi kept a firm grip on her bottle as she shared an anxious look with Maria. Saya glanced down at the bottle in her hand. "Well, jeez, mister," she said, sounding as innocent as possible. "I-I brought this from home.
Within seconds, Maria grabbed for the man's outstretched arm that held the gun. His face contorted in pain and he did not notice the jar of pickled eggs Saya had kicked his way. The jar smashed into his face, shattering to pieces. Maria then smashed his head into the counter, effectively knocking him out cold.
Andi already had the door opened and they all took off down the road laughing. "Now we can never return to this store!" the blonde yelled through the laughter. "Think of how many liquor stores we have ruined for ourselves!"
By the time the three girls made it to the dance, they were sufficiently tipsy. That did not stop them from filling a flash full of some of Andi's whiskey and taking it with them though.
Maria was quick to pull them onto the dance floor where they were able to let loose among their peers for the first time in a while. They managed to have a good time, laughing and dancing, for at least an hour or so until it inevitably came to an end.
"Maria," a voice called out. The girls stopped dancing, their carefree expressions dropping as they saw Chico walk through the balloon arch. "I could've signed you up baby."
The Latina gave her friends an apologetic look before walking off. Saya and Andi shared a look, obviously pissed off at the asshole ruining their night, but in a way, it was expected.
Chico approached them as if nothing was wrong, dancing and smiling at them in mocking fashion.
"You couldn't give her one night away," Saya seethed at him.
"I just came to get my bailar on."
"You're a really piece of shit. You know, all she needs is—," Saya tried before he cut her off.
"You're gonna tell me what my girl needs, huh?"
Andi had enough. "Actually, yeah. We are. Since you obviously couldn't care any fucking less."
"She give you that story about wanting a normal life?" Chico goaded them. "The house with the books and little niños running around, eh? She's been telling that one for years. I taught her that. She's working you, both of you, so I can keep tabs." He reached out to touch Andi's face but she pulled back.
Andi scoffed, "Wow, you take me for a fucking idiot, don't you? You psychotic stalker. Nothing you say will ever convince me that Maria is playing me. The only manipulative one here is you. Except you can't intimidate me or manipulate me, because I'm not scared of you. You're just a pussy bitch who lives in daddy's shadow. You play like you're the devil, but you're not even close. I've met worse. Fuck off. And if you try to touch me again, I'll cut off your hand and shove it up your ass." The blonde grabbed Saya's arm and pulled her away.
Maybe it was the recent encounter with Abaddon, maybe it was the copious amount of alcohol swirling in her veins, but she was absolutely through with Chico's bullshit.
"I'm gonna go get some air," Saya told her once they got farther away.
Andi gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay? What Chico said didn't bother you, did it?"
Saya shook her head. "No, no. The whiskey is just making me a little lightheaded, especially with Maria spinning me around. I'll be back soon."
"Okay," Andi answered as the Kuroki girl wandered into the hallway.
Andi tried to find Simon in the room, wanting to vent about what just happened, but when she could not find him, she followed Saya's lead and went to get some air. That was how she ended up on the roof, desperately pulling a cigarette from her bra.
"Whoa," she heard a voice say, making her look up from her lit cigarette.
Her eyes met Billy's as the green-haired boy took in her appearance. She was obviously still in her fairy-like blue dress, her arms and legs exposed to the cool November air. The blonde walked over to him and the rest of the boys who were in the process of setting off a box of fireworks, her heels clacking on the concrete.
At the clacking sound, she pulled the attention of Lex and Marcus.
"Bloody hell!" Lex exclaimed and Andi shot him a weird look. "You actually look hot."
"I always look hot," Andi quipped back, sneering at the Brit.
Finally, her eyes met Marcus' and she shot him a crooked smile. "Hey. Glad to see you guys found something to do."
Marcus snapped out of his haze, not having been able to tear his eyes away from her. Lex was right. She did look hot. Even more so than usual, which was surprising because the Arguello boy did not think that was possible. "Oh, yeah. I see you've come to join us. What? Was the dance really as lame as I said it would be?"
"Oh, it was fun, until some prick decided to ruin girls' night," Andi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and taking another puff from her smoke.
Before the conversation went any further, another presence entered the rooftop. Petra walked over to the group, a blonde wig placed haphazardly over her midnight hair, her black dress replaced with an obnoxiously bright, yellow one. She even had makeup trailing down her cheeks, a sure sign of tears shed.
"Oh, god. Are you okay?" Andi asked her.
"Jesus, what happened?" Marcus asked.
Petra tore the wig from her head and sniffled. "It's my own fault for being a charlatan, right?" She grabbed the joint that was left in the ashtray and brought it to her lips.
Billy scoffed. "Oh, so I'm the asshole somehow?"
Andi smacked his arm. "This isn't about you Billy," she whispered to him.
Marcus and Andi looked at the green-haired boy expectantly, waiting for him to change his tune. "We were just messing with you before," Billy said. "It's normal to want to be a part of the normal world, but it's easier when you accept that you don't belong in it."
The conversation reminded Andi of the one she had with Saya and Maria earlier.
"Stop," Petra told him. "I'm not gonna let them rent space in my head. Lesson learned."
Lex stepped forward and followed Petra to the ledge with Marcus. "You just needed a reminder of why we don't take part in that mess. You don't need them. They are awful. You're one of ours, love." Lex's sincerity actually touched Andi. It was nice to see the Brit actually care about something for once, not just brush it off.
"You always will be," Billy added from behind them.
Marcus was quiet for the exchange before he finally spoke up. "But you're right to be angry."
"Nothing to be done about it," Petra replied.
"Not by yourself."
Lex looked past Petra to Marcus. "I thought you were sitting on the sidelines."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I was picking my battles." Marcus paused. "There's no point in having friends if you're not going to stick up for them. Let's burn them down. Like a Roman-fucking-candle."
Andi smirked and put out her cigarette. "Sounds like a plan. You won't face any resistance from me."
"You're not gonna help?" Marcus asked, disappointed.
Andi shook her head. "Not with this one. I have to go check on my own friends. Good luck though. Make sure you get Brandy good."
Petra smiled mischievously. "Oh, that won't be a problem."
Andi left the Graveyard and met back up with Saya in the hall outside of the dance. The two shared a few swigs from the flask before Maria started toward them.
"What did he say?" she asked them innocently.
Saya and Andi shared a look. "Pretty much like you said," Saya answered.
"So, what do we do now?" the brunette asked again.
Saya smiled at her, "Let's go streak Golden Gate Park." The three of them immediately started laughing at the suggestion, but Saya was still serious. The Kuroki girl nodded at Maria, trying to get her to agree.
"I'm going to need the rest of that whiskey," the Latina agreed.
Saya laughed, "Okay." She took Maria's hand and started down the hall with her.
"You two are crazy. It's cold outside. I was just up on the roof and—," Andi started as Maria cut her off.
"Oh, you mean, up on the roof with your boyfriend Marcus?"
Andi shook her head, a light blush forming on the apples of her cheeks. "No," she dragged out. "I went out to smoke a cig after Chico stressed me out."
Maria looked to Saya to back her up. Saya sighed, "So, you went to the roof to smoke a cigarette where your boyfriend Marcus conveniently spends a lot of his time?
Andi scoffed and waved the two of them off with a laugh, "Fuck you guys. He's not my boyfriend."
"Yet," Maria teased.
Andi shoved the two of them towards the door playfully. "Get out of here. I'm gonna go find Simon. Have fun freezing your tits off."
"Bye!" they yelled, running from the building.
Andi turned to go back to the dance, a large grin stretched across her face. Screw anyone who thought they could get between her and her friends. They would have a hell of a time trying.
Simon stood off to the side of the room as more and more people started to leave the dance. Andi had joined him a few minutes earlier, having entered from the hall after Maria and Saya took off. They shared a friendly dance before retiring to the side. The two had been ready to call it a night when all hell broke loose.
Simon assumed that the cloaked figures that entered the room where just more of Lin's monks, coming to get everyone to head back to their dorms. However, when he saw the blowdart guns, he knew he had been wrong.
The first victim was Viktor, who collapsed to the floor after being hit, screaming about the Baba Yaga attacking him. Then the darts began to shoot out more quickly, hitting everyone else. People were screaming and running for the exits.
Simon tried to follow suit but stopped when he saw Andi laughing from her spot next to him, looking anything but worried.
"Did you have something to do with this?" he asked her.
The blonde simply batted her eyelashes at him and shrugged. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she answered, barely containing another laugh.
The fun came to an abrupt halt when the pair noticed Chico kneeling next to Juan, trying to get him to snap out of the Mellow Yellow induced hallucination. "Shit," Andi mumbled as she rushed to intercept Chico from getting to the hooded 'monk'.
Chico grabbed the 'monk', "Qué pasó, muchacho?" The taller boy ripped the blowdart gun out of the other guy's hand and shoved him backwards. When the hood fell from his head, he realized it was Marcus. Now Andi's protectiveness made sense.
Simon went to follow her but did not get to her before she got to Chico.
Andi grabbed Chico by the shoulder and he turned toward her. Before he could make a move, the small blonde landed a solid punch, hitting him in the jaw. Chico recoiled for a second but recovered quickly, shoving the girl to the ground.
"You need to learn to mind your own business puta," he spat at her, but before she could say anything back, Simon interfered.
"Fuck off, Chico," the Londoner stated, standing between the tall Latino and his best friend. Simon knew she could handle herself, but after he learned the specifics behind her admittance to King's, the brunet boy was quick to come to her defense.
"Simon, Simon. Hang around bitches too long and you turn into one yourself," he said as he shoved Simon back.
The Londoner almost tripped over Andi's legs as she scurried out of the way to stand. Simon held his ground though, taking a swing at Chico in return. Unfortunately, the Latino anticipated it, catching the incoming fist and twisting it.
Simon's face contorted in pain at the awkward angle and Chico sent a couple of jabs toward the other boy's stomach before slamming him to the ground next to Andi.
What Chico did not see coming was an enraged Willie coming toward him. Willie gave Chico a hard shove away from Marcus and the others, his large imposing figure towering over Chico's lean frame. "Step off."
Simon pulled himself to his feet and Marcus helped him get Andi to hers as well. The three of them stood next to Willie in support of each other.
"You want a taste, bitch?" Chico asked, getting in Willie's face.
"Bounce," Willie told the others.
Marcus glared at Chico, "And miss the disco?"
Chico removed his jacket. "It's been a while since the Soto Vatos cleaned the house."
"Yeah?" Willie egged him on.
"Throw in the Rat for free. Eh? Hágale, puto." Chico said, working himself up.
Master Lin entered the room, "Chico!" Their teacher's exclamation distracted the wrong person though. Willie turned toward the voice and Chico took his opportunity, backhanding him across the face. Immediately, Master Lin and the monks jumped into action, incapacitating Chico. "This dance is over. Everybody return to their rooms."
Simon, Andi, Marcus, and Willie did not need to be told twice.
One more chapter and then I am finished with episode three! I'm very excited to move onto a new episode. I hope that it will reinvigorate some inspiration for this story. It's not so much as it's been lacking, as much as it is that I'm more inspired by some other fandoms at the moment.
Regardless, I hope you enjoy this even though there is a lot pulled from the show. More original conversations to come in the next chapter, I promise.
Follow, favorite, and review to let me know what you think please!
