A/N: Technically, I did get this chapter out within two weeks, and I feel very good about that. I have other things I really should have been working on that are going to catch up very quickly, and I have a feeling that I'll regret spending my time on this, but y'all's enthusiasm makes it all worth it.
This has been a great story to write, and I'm a little blown away by its popularity. Let me know what you'd like to see next in this AU-verse, or just in general.
Turns out that talking to people about important issues is a lot more difficult than Jerbo thought.
Not because he's having second thoughts or his anxiety is crippling his vocal chords. Those are both kind of happening, to be fair, but the biggest obstacle is that Edric just keeps talking.
Normally, Edric's endless rambling is kind of cute, even if it's frustrating occasionally, but now it's just going to drive Jerbo insane. He literally cannot get a word in edgewise.
"So then, Amity's all like 'Oh my God, I'm gonna tell Mom,' and Emira says, 'what, that we're too cool for this earth?' and it was so awesome," Edric says, and when he pauses momentarily to draw breath, Jerbo jumps in.
"Actually I need to tell you something. Or, ask you something, I guess, but also tell you?"
"What is it?" Edric asks, and, oh God, now's the time. It's Jerbo's moment.
He could back out. He could ask some random unrelated question, or even a related question (like "who's Amity?"). But he's not going to. For once in his life, Jerbo Quinion is going to be direct and matter-of-fact and honest.
…
"Um, hi," Emira says awkwardly. "It's me. Emira."
"I know," Viney says. She looks disheveled. Emira couldn't find her for half an hour, and was pretty sure she was just getting changed, but Viney's still in her uniform, minus the skates and plus a random leather jacket.
At least she hasn't gone home, and now they're talking. Because if Viney had gone home, then Emira would have delayed, and by the time she saw Viney next she'd have a whole book of excuses as to why it wasn't the right time to tell her the truth.
"You did great in the game."
"Thanks."
This one sentence has exhausted Emira's ability for small talk right now, and she has no choice but to jump right in.
"So, uh, do you by any chance know my brother?"
"Edric? I know about him," Viney says flatly. Emira flails around in her brain for any other way to ease them into this conversation, and comes up empty. No choice but to rip off the band-aid and get it over with then.
"So, um, Edric and I made a stupid decision a while back. And I wasn't really thinking about how that decision might affect other people involved, namely you, and that was fucked up of me. Because you're brave and kind and amazing and I want to be around you, and be your friend, for real and not because of some stupid plan. And I know that I don't really deserve it, but, um, it'd be cool if we could stay friends, even though we're only friends because Edric had a crush on you and convinced me to make friends with you and figure out stuff about you so he'd do that for Jerbo, who I had a crush on, but really don't anymore, because, like, I barely even knew him, and I'm going to stop talking now."
Emira takes a deep breath in. Viney looks a little stunned, and a little starstruck, and a little on-the-verge-of-tears, and a little on-the-verge-of-laughter.
"Oh my God, I was right," she says.
"What does that mean?"
"I thought for a while that you were just making friends with me to mess with me, and then when it turned out that Edric started making friends with Jerbo because you had a thing for Jerbo, I thought there was some complicated plot where you were making friends with me because Edric had a thing for me." Viney laughs a little. "And Jerbo called me paranoid. Jerbo! Called me paranoid!"
"Oh," Emira says, because she's now very confused, and also was kind of expecting Viney to shout at her and walk away and maybe hit her and never want to see her again, and none of that's happened, and if anything Viney seems weirdly okay with The Plan.
"Wait until I tell Jerbo this. He's going to be so pissed that I called it and he didn't."
"Wait, so you don't hate me?" Emira asks tentatively.
"Do you want me to?"
"I mean, no, but, like … I made friends with you for some stupid, shallow reason, and even though I started caring about you for real, it was kinda fucked up, and I expected you to hate me."
Viney sighs, and reaches out a hand, tentatively. She's wearing two rings that look like fish (to match the fishhook earring, presumably), and they're shiny, and oh God Emira's just fixating on irrelevant details because any second now Viney's going to tell her that she hates her and then Emira's probably going to cry.
"But then you told the truth," Viney says. "That means a lot."
Emira takes her hand. She doesn't trust herself to say anything that isn't painfully sappy blubbering.
"Besides, um, you're my friend. The way it started doesn't undo everything that happened after that. I love the way you laugh, and I love spending time with you."
It's not quite a declaration of hatred, but Emira cries anyway.
…
"Are we dating?"
Edric almost laughs, makes some joke about how Jerbo's totally the love of his life, and leaves it at that. But Jerbo looks serious. Jerbo looks very serious.
They're not dating. They're bros. Bros who hold hands, and pay for each other's food sometimes. Jerbo is a bro, who Edric pours his heart out to, and jeopardizes Emira's schemes for, and thought about kissing once or twice.
"Uh, we might be dating."
"Oh," Jerbo says, looking very calm, then panicking. "Wait, are we? Have we been dating this whole time and you didn't tell me? Shit, am I just stupid?"
"No, no, you're not stupid. If anything, I'm stupid, since I didn't even consider the possibility that we could be dating until you brought it up."
"Oh." Jerbo looks slightly less panicky. "Uh, do you want us to be dating?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I can think of a couple reasons why not –"
"Do you not want to date me?" Edric blurts out, because he was pretty sure he was reading this whole situation right, but what if he's not, and Jerbo is horrified by the possibility of them dating, and he just ruined everything?
"No, I want to date you, it's just –" Jerbo flails a little – "I thought you didn't want to date me."
"If I want to date you, and you want to date me, are we dating, then?"
"Um, yeah," Jerbo says. Edric nods.
"Okay. Then let's go get ice cream, and I'll pay, and if you want, I can kiss you after."
Jerbo hides his red face in his hands with a squeak. Edric pries one of his hands away to hold on the way to the ice cream parlor, which doesn't help.
…
"I'm stupid," Emira manages to hiccup once the worst of the sobbing is over. "You're so cool, and I can't believe it took a stupid plan for me to even talk to you. And I'm sorry for all the stupid shit I did to you."
"It's okay," Viney says for the tenth time. "You're not stupid."
"No, I am stupid. You're the best person ever, and I treated you terribly because I'm stupid and a moron and don't even understand my own emotions."
They're on the floor of an empty church basement. The spectators are gone, the tape taken off the floor, and it feels less like a cool underground club and more like any other empty, drafty room. She's sitting pressed into Viney's side, leaning against the wall. It's hardly the most romantic setting, but the lights are shitty and flickery enough that they almost look like candles. It'll have to do.
"Can I kiss you?" Emira asks, because she's done with hiding things.
Viney nods slowly.
Viney's lips are cold, and she tastes like salt and cheap, plasticky lipstick. There's no fireworks or even a spark. It's the best feeling Emira's ever felt.
"Uh, so, want to do that again?" Viney says when they pull apart. "Maybe in somewhere other than a church basement?"
"Yes. Absolutely," Emira says without even thinking, still high on the adrenaline of oh my god, I just kissed her. "Want to get out of here?"
…
As they walk, one of Emira's scarves wrapped around her neck and both her hands curled into Emira's, Viney thinks that maybe, for once, high school is going to be all right.